Rec

[wildestranger]

Here's a story I've been unable to stop thinking about for the past four days.

Shotgun by ficsoreal. Frank/Gerard, Pete/Patrick, Mikey/Alicia, Ryan/Spencer, Ray/Bob. 20000 words on this the first installment, and there is more to come.

This is a fascinating world. There's a high society with modern (futuristic?) gadgets; arranged marriages and formal courtships, with all the lingering UST and waiting for first time sex that this implies (well, it implies that to me, but then again my mind has been warped by Regency romance), but also cars and computers and mobile phones. Most interestingly, society here isn't based around gender, or any innate (not that I think gender is innate, but that's a topic for another day) quality - both men and women hold power and status, and both men and women can hold the position of the sheltered, protected partner. Also, status is conferred by tattoos, and issues of branding (marking, stamping your tramp *g*) are being debated.

I've read this story four times since I first came across it, and I cannot stop thinking about what might happen next, how these relationships might pan out, how this world works. It's the most compelling fic I've read in a long time, and the most enjoyable. Very much worth a read.

Comments

[prurient-badger.livejournal.com]

I dunno. I really liked the concept behind the fic, and the beginning really caught me, but then towards the end I felt it just kind of wandered into "oh look tattoos and branding and sex sex sex" territory. Which, ok, still pretty fun, but it didn't have the depth I was hoping for.

[wildestranger.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry it didn't work for you that well. Although, there is still more to come - I'm actually really curious about what happens with tattoos; does Gerard have a needle phobia in this, and will that change Frank's views on branding? What about Ryan and Spencer? I suppose I just enjoy thinking about the differences between tattoos as signs of ownership (for the name-bearers) and tattoos as signs of achievement (for the name-givers), and how one might negotiate a space between them.

[momebie.livejournal.com]

*waves* Howdy! I am friends with pre_raphaelite1 and she has told me that I need to come and be your friend because I've been in bandom for about two weeks and have completely lost my mind. Also, she says you are hoarding the Gerard/Frankie, which I need more of. ALWAYS.

So...hi? *g*

[wildestranger.livejournal.com]

Hello and welcome to my lair! You can find all my bandslash recs here (http://del.icio.us/wildestranger/Bandslash), divided into pairings. here (http://wildestranger.livejournal.com/208934.html) you may also find some more Frank/Gerard recs. That should get you started. :)

[momebie.livejournal.com]

Faaabulous. I'll just make myself comfy in this corner then, and squee lightly every once in a while. Please feel free to poke me if I get too loud. :p

[wildestranger.livejournal.com]

Also, have a look at heartsintact, it's a weekly newsletter with good fic. And nightmare_xmas has a collection of bandom fics. There are primers at bandom_ships and more specific recs at bandom_recs. Oh and a themed AU reclist (http://stepps.livejournal.com/178944.html) is here. Let me know if there's something else you want to know about!

[momebie.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling that I'm going to be reading bandom recs for the rest of my life. Not that that's a particularly unpleasant sort of existence. :)