Guest Reccer: Top Ten Bandom Stories Involving Non-Monogamy
Ack, sorry about this being a tiny bit late -- my obsessive nature can be problematic sometimes.
There are so many fantastic stories out there, it's kind of overwhelming. I know I've left off some that I really adore, and there are probably some that I haven't read that would deserve a place on this list. I tried for more variety rather than less -- in types of non-monogamy, in bands involved, in specific groupings of characters, in authors, and in type and tone. My biases do show through, though, mostly in that there's lots of MCR, and also in that all of these fics are relatively supportive of the types of non-monogamy they feature.
Sometimes Magic has a Sense of Humor by eleanor_lavish. Gabe/various, NC-17, 2000 words. Something short and fun and crackily clever seems like a good beginning, somehow. In this, Gabe cheerfully has sex with boys from various bands, to everyone's benefit... because he's magic. This is delightful, charming, and oddly intense, with spot-on interactions and lots of little human details.
you can feel like this for free by graceoftheworld. Bob Bryar/Brian Schecher/Dan Whitesides, NC-17, 8434 words. Futurefic in which Bob and Brian have a long-term, committed relationship (with lots of smoking-hot BSDM play), and occasionally find a third. This starts out light and sweet and funny, full of banter and utterly adorable (Bob + Way baby = insane levels of cute), and slides right into something incredibly, intensely, amazingly hot. Lovely voices, nice little details, impressively realistic BDSM... Gorgeous.
This Boot Is Made for Rocking by marksykins. Pete/Patrick, offscreen Pete/Ashlee, NC-17, 6472 words. Another fic that could go under the category of "open relationship," but with a completely different functionality and feel, all about "exception lists" and lack of angst and being super fucking adorable. Seriously, super fucking adorable.
No Idea by chiromancy. Bob/Frank, offscreen Frank/Jamia, NC-17, ~7300 words. I had a hell of a time picking just one fic by chiromancy, but in the end it just had to be this one. I love it for Jamia talking to Bob, for some really fantastic lines and turns of phrase, for the sweetness of it, and, of course, for it being ridiculously hot, after a perfect, perfect build up. This is quite possibly the best thing ever.
I Dream a Nation of You by foxxcub. Jon/Brendon, Jon/Spencer, Ryan/Brendon, pre-Panic GSF (background Frank/Gerard, Pete, Ashlee), PG-13, 46k words. "A steampunk story about dragons and the boys who ride them." This story is brilliant beyond words, with great worldbuilding and affecting relationships. And dragons.
We Started From by untappedbeauty. Panic GSF, NC-17, ~20k words. It seemed imperative to include at least one full-blooded Panic GSF fic in this list, as there are so many good ones, and after several rounds of boxing, this one managed to beat the others into submission, mostly by featuring a kick-ass Ryan pov with lots of angst and UST and a lovely narrative arc. Fabulous!
A Light to Burn All the Empires by arsenicjade. Mikey/Frank/Pete (background Gerard/Brian, Bob/Jepha), NC-17, 32,262 words. This is just... lovely. And hot. Fantastic character interactions and relationship progression. Indulgent, perhaps, but in the best possible way. Satisfying and happy-making and so, so good.
My Way Home Is Through You by 7iris. Mikey/Frank/Jamia, NC-17, ~3500 words. I had an even harder time picking out just one of 7iris's fics, but finally ended up with this one as a not yet seen combination of characters. Also, though, because it has something else going on, deeper than its short word count would imply. This is basically hurt/comfort, but the kind that slots right into canon, and is furthermore gorgeous -- quite and thoughtful, broken and healing. Really lovely.
I Played A Saint And A Saint I Ain't by ficbyzee. Frank/Bob/Jamia, NC-17, 9326 words. The just-barely-AU concept for this is brilliant, and the execution of it perhaps even more so. The angst of this is perfectly done; I love that it shows the struggle some people face of trying to overcome deep-seated social taboos in order to have what they want, what they need. Fantastic Frank pov voice, really fucking hot sex, and terrific progression, very distinctive. Seeing this kind of functional polyamory in fic makes me so, so happy.
Gerard and Rapunzel by dsudis. Gerard/Frank/Bob, non-explicit, 13,470 words. There was almost another Frank/Bob/Jamia fic in this spot, but then I realized, no. It has to be this one, so matter-of-fact in its classic fairytale way. The tone and atmosphere of this is astonishingly gorgeous and consistent without being overboard, and the whole storyline is well-paced, beautifully-written, and deftly put together. Just... amazing.
Enjoy! I would love to hear what you think about these or about your other favorite non-monogamy fics in comments. :)
There are so many fantastic stories out there, it's kind of overwhelming. I know I've left off some that I really adore, and there are probably some that I haven't read that would deserve a place on this list. I tried for more variety rather than less -- in types of non-monogamy, in bands involved, in specific groupings of characters, in authors, and in type and tone. My biases do show through, though, mostly in that there's lots of MCR, and also in that all of these fics are relatively supportive of the types of non-monogamy they feature.
Sometimes Magic has a Sense of Humor by eleanor_lavish. Gabe/various, NC-17, 2000 words. Something short and fun and crackily clever seems like a good beginning, somehow. In this, Gabe cheerfully has sex with boys from various bands, to everyone's benefit... because he's magic. This is delightful, charming, and oddly intense, with spot-on interactions and lots of little human details.
you can feel like this for free by graceoftheworld. Bob Bryar/Brian Schecher/Dan Whitesides, NC-17, 8434 words. Futurefic in which Bob and Brian have a long-term, committed relationship (with lots of smoking-hot BSDM play), and occasionally find a third. This starts out light and sweet and funny, full of banter and utterly adorable (Bob + Way baby = insane levels of cute), and slides right into something incredibly, intensely, amazingly hot. Lovely voices, nice little details, impressively realistic BDSM... Gorgeous.
This Boot Is Made for Rocking by marksykins. Pete/Patrick, offscreen Pete/Ashlee, NC-17, 6472 words. Another fic that could go under the category of "open relationship," but with a completely different functionality and feel, all about "exception lists" and lack of angst and being super fucking adorable. Seriously, super fucking adorable.
No Idea by chiromancy. Bob/Frank, offscreen Frank/Jamia, NC-17, ~7300 words. I had a hell of a time picking just one fic by chiromancy, but in the end it just had to be this one. I love it for Jamia talking to Bob, for some really fantastic lines and turns of phrase, for the sweetness of it, and, of course, for it being ridiculously hot, after a perfect, perfect build up. This is quite possibly the best thing ever.
I Dream a Nation of You by foxxcub. Jon/Brendon, Jon/Spencer, Ryan/Brendon, pre-Panic GSF (background Frank/Gerard, Pete, Ashlee), PG-13, 46k words. "A steampunk story about dragons and the boys who ride them." This story is brilliant beyond words, with great worldbuilding and affecting relationships. And dragons.
We Started From by untappedbeauty. Panic GSF, NC-17, ~20k words. It seemed imperative to include at least one full-blooded Panic GSF fic in this list, as there are so many good ones, and after several rounds of boxing, this one managed to beat the others into submission, mostly by featuring a kick-ass Ryan pov with lots of angst and UST and a lovely narrative arc. Fabulous!
A Light to Burn All the Empires by arsenicjade. Mikey/Frank/Pete (background Gerard/Brian, Bob/Jepha), NC-17, 32,262 words. This is just... lovely. And hot. Fantastic character interactions and relationship progression. Indulgent, perhaps, but in the best possible way. Satisfying and happy-making and so, so good.
My Way Home Is Through You by 7iris. Mikey/Frank/Jamia, NC-17, ~3500 words. I had an even harder time picking out just one of 7iris's fics, but finally ended up with this one as a not yet seen combination of characters. Also, though, because it has something else going on, deeper than its short word count would imply. This is basically hurt/comfort, but the kind that slots right into canon, and is furthermore gorgeous -- quite and thoughtful, broken and healing. Really lovely.
I Played A Saint And A Saint I Ain't by ficbyzee. Frank/Bob/Jamia, NC-17, 9326 words. The just-barely-AU concept for this is brilliant, and the execution of it perhaps even more so. The angst of this is perfectly done; I love that it shows the struggle some people face of trying to overcome deep-seated social taboos in order to have what they want, what they need. Fantastic Frank pov voice, really fucking hot sex, and terrific progression, very distinctive. Seeing this kind of functional polyamory in fic makes me so, so happy.
Gerard and Rapunzel by dsudis. Gerard/Frank/Bob, non-explicit, 13,470 words. There was almost another Frank/Bob/Jamia fic in this spot, but then I realized, no. It has to be this one, so matter-of-fact in its classic fairytale way. The tone and atmosphere of this is astonishingly gorgeous and consistent without being overboard, and the whole storyline is well-paced, beautifully-written, and deftly put together. Just... amazing.
Enjoy! I would love to hear what you think about these or about your other favorite non-monogamy fics in comments. :)