Reccing Thursday!

[rhysiana]

Playing along following swingandswirl, because I've been meaning to make an accidentally themed rec post anyway. "Accidentally themed" because I inadvertently went on a rock band break-up/make-up reading binge last month that went from true (epic) fic to original fic to pro-published trilogy.

Play Crack the Sky (series) by WeAreTheCyclones. 

Summary (of the first fic, the one that started it all): 

Excerpt from “Hale Pulls the Plug on the Future of Rock,” Rolling Stone, Issue 1203 – Oct. 2014
“Fans and music industry vets alike are left reeling in the wake of bassist Derek Hale’s sudden departure from Smokes for Harris. At a time when the foursome from Beacon Hills, California seems to be on the cusp of rock superstardom after just one double platinum record, Smokes has everything to lose.”

Excerpt from “Smokes for Harris: Gladiator,” SPIN.com – Feb. 2015
“Smokes for Harris gives in a little to the pop punk of yesteryear in their sophomore effort, but rather than pandering to fans of a lost era they elevate the genre in a way that hasn’t been seen in quite some time. Frontman Stiles Stilinski works double duty as singer and primary songwriter and proves that he can handle the task even without former bassist Derek Hale."

Yes, this is Teen Wolf. Yes, I definitely still recommend it to people with zero interest in its canon source material, because this is a gorgeous, genius AU. I'd read the first fic a while ago, because it ends up on lots of rec lists for good reason, but I didn't read the even more epic prequel fic that showed the origins of the band back then because 1) it wasn't finished yet and 2) I knew there was going to be angst involved and I wasn't prepared. This time through, though, I read everything, the prequel, the side fics, the outtakes, all of it, and it's just so good. The found family feels, the intensity of life on tour (mmmm, forced proximity), the longing as the main characters work toward actually believing that maybe getting back together won't end in disaster this time... Also, the end of the prequel skips back to the present, after the end of the first fic, and gives them the best happily-ever-after epilogue scene, so perfect for everyone involved I'm still smiling about it.

Swan Song (series) by earlgreytea68

Summary: There's a band, and it's reuniting...eventually...once the two core members of it stop making out with each other...

Do you enjoy older adults in your ficcish tropes? Would you perhaps enjoy an exhausted single father doing his best thrown into your intense rock band exes reuniting scenario? Maybe also a dog? A picturesque beach house slowly crumbling around them? Did I mention the delightfully scathing preteen children don't believe their dad was actually famous? And also have no idea there was a huge thing about shipping him and the lead singer together? They had a smushname and everything. I love everyone in this story.

I think this one works particularly well to read after "Play Crack the Sky" because there are such interesting similarities in how the couples within the bands ended up acting during the height of their fame, and how that affected their relationships, though in the instance of "Play Crack" it was mandated by the label, whereas in "Swan Song" it was more self-imposed, but also "Swan Song" positions their initial relationship in an earlier time. Lots of meta commentary about RPF shipping culture to be had, if one is interested in such things.

And then, because I wasn't willing to move on from rock bands just yet, I remembered I had a queer rock band romance on my Kindle that I picked up on sale at some point, leading to me reading the entire series.

Twisted Wishes trilogy by Anna Zabo (see content notes on these; they're good, but may not be for everyone)

Syncopation, still following in the m/m break-up/make-up theme, kind of, in that the lead singer and the new drummer the band has to pick up after the breakdown of their original band member used to know each other back in high school and there were unrequited feelings. (Note: pretty heavy and immediate kink themes in the romance parts of the book, so if that isn't your thing, don't pick this one up.) The nice thing here is that all the stress in the story, of which there is rather a lot, is coming from outside the relationship. The protagonists remain staunchly supportive of one another the whole time. The only point of doubt for either of them is that the drummer is aro and kind of surprised to find himself in the position of actually wanting a long-term relationship with someone, especially since he doesn't define it as romantic and his partner does. The book makes it work, and quite gracefully.

Counterpoint, also m/m, really interesting in how it grapples with fame, as the guitarist for the band deals with his severe stage fright through the use of an alter ego for performances, leaving him with a very divided life of "with the band" and "not with the band." The guy he meets and falls in love with while he and the band are back in NYC working on recording their next album has no idea who he is, and the struggle comes not in admitting they love each other or acknowledging that what they have has become extremely important to them both, but in trying to figure out how he can merge these two sides of his life/personality that he's always kept completely distinct. (Note: kink themes again, though not quite as heavy as in the previous book, and the stress of a public outing of the main character's non-performance identity.)

Reverb, m/f ft. a trans man, with the always popular celebrity falling for the bodyguard trope! The romance in this is so nice, the sex scenes are joyful, and then they let stupid professionalism concerns screw everything up for a little while, but everything ends up working out in the end! Also, there is a teddy bear. (Note: no real kink in this one, but the main character is being stalked throughout most of the book, hence the hiring of the bodyguard.)

Comments

[goddess47]

I *adore* "Play Crack the Sky" and read it originally as it was written... I haven't followed up on all the other pieces of that, but now you've encouraged me to do that!

[rhysiana]

Yes, do! The prequel actually writes them as *gasp* realistic high school students! Hard to believe, I know. Also we get to see a lot more of Lydia and how she became their drummer. And they get Derek to be the bassist by telling him it's the easiest instrument, leading the hilarious line, "How easy are we talking here? Is it the tambourine of guitars or what?" Clearly he takes this as a personal challenge.

[stultiloquentia]

Holy crap, you give good rec. Bookmarking that first one, thanks.

[rhysiana]

Yay! It seems only fair, after all the recs you've showered me in. ;-)

[spikedluv]

I've bookmarked the trilogy to check out later, thank you!

[rhysiana]

Oh, yay! I hope you like them.