Stacy in Bloom | 7: Cherry Bomb

[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/5873801/7/

Behold, my lame sense of humor...at least you can tell how seriously I'm taking myself when I write this? I mean, how many people do you know who willingly poke a little fun at their favorite character (whom they also had a crush on for at least eight years because they are pathetic like that)?

Let's jump right into the references...as they probably explain themselves rather well, LOL.

[+] First of all, there is the title song of the chapter:

Watch on YouTube

When I originally composed this chapter, it actually contained this scene...and two others o.O but it became so unwieldy that I decided to split it in two. I was just happy to find lyrics that made sense with this chapter from among the songs the Kids performed in this season (motif #5234 that I'm attempting to carry on here). They could just as easily apply to future chapters, though:

Well I lived on the outskirts of town
In an eight room farmhouse, baby
When my brothers and friends were around
There was always somethin' doin'

Had me a couple of real nice girlfriends
Stopped by to see me every once in a while
When I think back about those days
All I can do is sit and smile

That's when a sport was a sport
And groovin' was groovin'
And dancin' meant everything
We were young and we were improvin'

Laughin', laughin' with our friends
Holdin' hands meant somethin', baby
Outside the club, 'Cherry Bomb'
Our hearts were really thumpin'

Say, "Yeah yeah yeah"
Say, "Yeah yeah yeah"

The winter days, they last forever
But the weekends went by so quick
Went ridin' around this little country town
We were goin' nuts, girl, out in the sticks

One night, me with my big mouth
A couple guys had to put me in my place
When I see those guys these days
We just laugh and say, "Do you remember when

Seventeen has turned thirty-five
I'm surprised that we're still livin'
If we've done any wrong
I hope that we're forgiven

Got a few kids of my own
And some days I still don't know what to do
I hope that they're not laughing too loud
When they hear me talkin' like this to you

That's when a sport was a sport
And groovin' was groovin'
And dancin' meant everything?"
We were young and we were improvin'

[+] The other performance described in the text. If you watch closely, you'll pick up on Ryan's wandering gaze...

Watch on YouTube

See?? My fangirl conspiracy/squee is based in reality!

[+] Ryan is tragically uncoordinated = As much as I love Ryan (and, let me tell you, it is a lot), the one piece of cognitive dissonance I cannot abide is his singular inability to do anything requiring coordination. This is especially on display in his first season, when he's running around and being dorky, even during the staged numbers. In the later seasons, even in the big group fantasy sequences, he is more often than not standing to one side while the dancers (and other singers) do their thing. There's a very good reason for that. Poor Duck Feet is just tragic when he tries to get his groove on :P

[+] The line Connie gave him a disbelieving stare. “You really can’t see anything from behind your drums, can you?” is a reference to the first scene from episode 5x01, "The Pick Ups," from this exchange:

RYAN: That concert sure felt different, didn't it?
RICHIE: Yeah! Why was that?
CONNIE: Didn't you notice, there were only four of us up there?
RICHIE *shrug*: I don't notice anything. I can't see over my drums.

[+] Another performance reference, which will probably show up again in the narrative before its all said and done...

Watch on YouTube

[+] And finally...did you find yourself in this story? I name-checked a few readers here, just for kicks, as a way to say "thanks!" for following me out on this limb into this obscure fandom :P I used to do this when I was writing cracky self-insert tennis musicals, and folks got a kick out of it, so I decided to bring it back - and hopefully make a couple friends smile =)

Comments

[aamalie]

I name-checked a few readers here, just for kicks, as a way to say "thanks!" for following me out on this limb into this obscure fandom

Haha, thanks for that! It honestly didn't even register with me until I read this note, because: me = Aamalie, obviously, but me = Emily did not compute. But now that it does compute, I think I love this chapter even more than before.

But... no shout out to Molly? How could you forget her~?! ;__;

[replicantangel.livejournal.com]

Hehe! I definitely smiled, even though two minutes ago I was thinking, "What a coincidence!" :P Thanks, chica!

And I see his eyes wandering. ;) You gotta live for moments like that when the show won't give you the confirmation you want so badly, lol.