Bandom Big Bang

[saint_vee]

This is my first time participating in producing a fest of this scale--before, I've always just sat back and devoured the amazing work produced. This year was perfect timing, though--I'd found a new fandom (I actually got into bandom during the BBB posting last year, so it's been exactly a year) which I loved and which was inspiring me to participate for the first time. In all of the many fandoms I've consumed, I've never really commented, never written fic to be posted, never illustrated anything. I didn't even follow newsletters, just found the best authors and stuck to them like a burr. I had started contributing, too--I signed up for Bandom Advent and provided goodies for two days, and I've written a drabble for anon_lovefest. I've been commenting, too, although not as much as I should. So, BBB came along and I was so ready that I signed up to make a fanmix and to illustrate, finished my first assignments, and asked for another story to illustrate. Then I did another. And then I offered to beta a story.

The entire thing has been great--the organizers replied to all of my questions, even when they were silly, and sent me drafts soon after I claimed prompts. With the overwhelming response to BBB this year--there were over 100 drafts submitted! That's crazy!--I can't begin to imagine how much work they've done. Everyone should thank them--airgiodslv, foxxcub, jocondite, maleyka, shoemaster, and sunsetmog.

All of my authors wrote great stories, and you should definitely check them out!

Ok, so I only know the authors for 3 of the fics I've read, and I'm not sure of the official titles. But I wanted to go ahead and post about their awesomeness before I get caught up in packing and everything else involved in leaving a country you've lived in for 6 months. I'll edit in the correct information as soon as I can--until then, be on the lookout for fics matching these descriptions!

Hold the Pose by zarah, aka the Cleaner!Brendon story! Brendon/Ryan and Jon/Spencer.
I grabbed this to illustrate after recognizing the prompt from snippets Zarah had posted. Brendon needs a job so he can pay his share of rent, so he decides to put up ads offering his service as a maid cleaner. Spencer hires him on behalf of his brother, the elusive author Ryan Ross, and Brendon becomes intrigued by Ross' writing. They start a flirtation/friendship through notes and music that's destroyed by a chance encounter at a club. This story has everything I could want--Brendon being a music geek, misunderstandings that don't give me the motts, Spencer starting a business. On top of that, it's well-written! This'll be posted the 8th, so ch-ch-check it out!

Iron Skeletons by romasquerade, aka the pseudo-Mafia story! Ryan/Brendon.
I grabbed this because what's more fun to draw than the Mafia? And then I didn't draw the Mafia. I did manage a tied-up Brendon, though. Brendon's an actor who is kidnapped in the park because he's seen something important. His captors are really nice, though, and when he's forced to leave he realizes just how important one of them is. It feels weird to describe a Mafia fic in which characters die "fun," but this was. I think it's down to the details--Brendon calls Ryan "Steve" for a good chunk of the story because he won't tell him his real name, he's an actor on Broadway, things like that. Keep an eye out for it, it was a nice read!

Cello Sonata No. 1 in B Minor "Naissance de Libertè" by arsenicjade, Panic GSF
Brendon needs space after Jon makes a huge mistake and, through missing each other something fierce, everyone comes to realize how in love with each other they are. (Brendon already knew.) As always, Arsenic is a master of H/C with a happy ending. I like that, despite the fact that he's the first to realize how much he loves the rest of the band, Brendon manages to leave them when he's mistreated. He's the least codependent one in this story, which is kind of rare.

Say You Will by witheveryspark aka Panic-as-beach bums! Jon/Spencer.
Beach bums! Jon and Tom's gallery is opening just after his grandmother, and he and Cassie have recently broken up. Unsurprisingly, he is not doing so well. The rest of his band convinces him to come stay with them in California for a while, and, in the midst of surfing and jonfires and beach jams, Jon and Spencer get it together and get together, and Jon decides he needs a change. I loved the idea of beach bum!Panic, and the story was seemingly created just so I could use awesome shag music in my fanmix! (Not that kind of shag, it's a dance from the Carolinas). You guys, the author used the term "beach jams" to describe how a part was going to go! This was my first time making a fanmix, and they're surprisingly difficult. I tried to tell a narrative through the music and lyrics as well as include all the songs the author mentioned. It also always surprises me to see which songs I don't own--if my father or roommate own it I tend to assume it's made its way into my library through sheer osmosis, which is sadly not often the case. This was yet another great story, and I can't wait to see who wrote it and what the final draft is like!

(I Watch) The Sky Coming Down to Bury Me by do_come_in, Ryan/Spencer, Ryan/Jon
Ryan and Spencer live together in love in New York until Ryan leaves to study theatre in England. While he's gone, Ryan meets Brendon and his roommate Jon and struggles with missing Spencer. I beta-read this, and it's a great story. It was interesting to beta it, because do_come_in is British and here I am in England. I think I learned a lot more about preferred construction in Britain vs. America from the story than I did from spending the last few months here! And I'm still just a baby-beta, so it was also cool to look over a story of this length. I'm not sure when the post date for this is, but I'm looking forward to the final product.


It's June 8th in New Zealand, so I can post this!