Stacy in Bloom | 6: So Emotional

[luxken27]

Title: Stacy in Bloom
Fandom: Kids Incorporated
Universe: Canon (Season 5 – 1988)
Genre: Friendship/Romance
Rating: T
Summary: With her sister and best friend halfway across the world, who else is there for Stacy to turn to…but Ryan? When the consequences of their actions become clear, the two must decide if pursuing each other is worth breaking up the band.
Mega-meta resource thread: http://luxken27.livejournal.com/137711.html

Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5873801/6/

Its not often I see a scene so clearly in my mind that I'm tempted to commission art for it, but it happened in this chapter - definitely one of my favorites, to date :)

This is also the longest chapter to date o.O Is it really any surprise that its full of "morning after" speculation? :P

Let's get right to the references...

[+] The title song = the first number of the season, and definitely one of Stacy's best covers ~

Watch on YouTube

[+] The Kid in Togo = probably a bit of fanon, since its never explicitly stated where the Kid is an exchange student (only that he is), but there is a line of thought that he went to study in Togo, or another African country. Perhaps Togo, because that's where an exchange student was from in the Season 2 (1985) episode "Stranger in a Strange P*lace"...and probably Africa, because of the revelations about the origins of his name in the Season 4 (1987) episode "What's in a Name" - which, coincidentally? was his last episode.

[+] "I'm going to clobber him!" = perhaps Renee's most infamous line, first uttered during the Season 4 (1987) episode "Win a Date with Renee." This is actually from one of the strongest comedy bits on the show (there was a lot of snarky humor in the fourth season), with a great lead-in by all of the supporting characters to Renee's blowup at discovering she's at the center of one of Richie's hair-brained get-rich-quick schemes.

[+] Renee vs Ryan, a friendship with a competitive edge = reference to the entirety of their shared time on the show, really. Renee is smart in a conventional way, whereas Ryan is a fount of (useless?) information; they kinda respect that about one another, but at the same time, they are really competitive. I speak especially of the Season 4 (1987) episodes "Video Madness" and "Front Page News" (which I'm dying to get a copy of!).

[+] The flower/bloom motif = its not something I thought about taking literally when I titled this fic, but alas...the muse likes it, so, uh, welcome. Who can resist a boy with a romantic streak? Not me! *shameless fangirl*

As for the scene that resonates so strongly in imagery in my head...its definitely the kiss on the stoop. In my mind's eye, I was able to freeze-frame it perfectly, and I can only hope my words do it justice :) Not since the showdown between Sesshoumaru and Snegura in Every Heart have I felt tempted to actually commission fanart for something I've written. Perhaps its no coincidence that each impulse has been tied to the very first story I wrote for a certain fandom? :P