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Stacy in Bloom | 26: Music for the Modern World
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 around 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.dreamwidth.org/30667.html
Links: FF.net | AO3
It's been seven years in the making, but we're finally here: the New Year's Eve concert! ♥
I have been planning this concert in my head for years, and it's really wonderful that it's finally come to fruition on the page (finally!!). As mentioned in the previous chapter's author's notes, things don't always go to plan - sometimes by design, and sometimes by happenstance. I had a bit of both in writing this chapter, but luckily, I had an SMC prompt to rescue me and get things back on a workable track, LOL.
[+] The concert is finally here, and so is the Official Playlist:
I debated about using the actual song clips from the show, but since they didn't cover every song I decided to go with the originals. It gave me a better idea of how to build the setlists, too, and it was a lot of fun. I decided to split the original twenty songs into two sets, because the interlude between them was going to be important.
[+] The title song for this chapter was also tricky. I try to choose titles that are thematically linked to the content of the chapters, and that can be a bit difficult. Luckily, the Kids performed one of their signature songs this season, and it really did fit all of the themes I was playing with:
"Music for the Modern World" is probably my favorite KI original song. It was written by Michael Cruz, who wrote a lot of fabulous original music not only for KI, but also for Fame (the TV version, at least).
[+] Canon references: *The big New Year's Eve concert is a reference itself, to the S3/1986 Christmas special, "Rock in the New Year."
*The Kids chat about some of the rather infamous happenings from that concert, including Riley creaming the P*lace on the eve of the event and almost forcing its cancellation, and the band's willingness to come together to save not only their concert, but their friendship with Riley.
*The Kids performed an acapella version of "Auld Lang Syne," a tradition I've expanded and brought forward in this chapter. I love the idea of them singing the traditional New Year's theme before their big finale.
*The Kid's long-lost brother is a reference to the main plotline of Episode 4x10, "Now Appearing."
[+] The infamous final dance goes off without a hitch - but with some surprises. I love the idea of Ryan and Stacy becoming entranced by the song they only reluctantly agreed to perform as the "confirmation" of their relationship before their audience. With all eyes on Brian and Kimberly recreating the infamous dance, they were free to fall under the spell of the song, which they do in a major way. The ending is way beyond anything they'd rehearsed, when their simple hand-holding becomes a full on embrace/kiss on center stage.
This actually got a bit away from me, and I had to revise it in a big way, but it not only gave me the opening for the next chapter, but also an excuse to sneak in another old school KI closing number fave, the confetti canon.
[+] This chapter was written for the 2017 Summer Mini Challenge prompt "midnight." It's the first time I've used an SMC prompt for this fic, but it probably won't be the last. It feels good to get more than one chapter polished and posted within a year!
Believe it or not, this is (only) the official halfway point of the story. (Yes, 120K words is only -half- the story, LOL.) I am forever optimistic that it won't take seven (or more) years to finish the rest of it (especially considering there is an equally-long sequel percolating in the background), but there are plenty of Major Storylines to come, including the integration of several episode plots, Stacy's birthday, the prom, graduation, and summer. Whew! This fic might give new meaning to the word "epic" if we ever make it to the end! :P
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