Forever, Now

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Fanfiction
Title: Forever, Now
Author(s): harriet_vane
Date(s): 2007-2008
Length: 227,100 words (series)
Genre: gen, slash, het
Fandom: Bandom
External Links: on livejournal
on AO3

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Forever, Now is a popular series of Bandom fanfics by harriet_vane. The first story is a gen AU kidfic in which Brian Schechter adopts homeless orphans Gerard and Mikey Way, but various het and slash pairings are added in subsequent stories: Frank/Gerard, Brendon/Ryan, Spencer/Jon, Mikey Way/Alicia Simmons, Pete Wentz/Patrick Stump, and Brian Schechter/Greta Salpeter. Gabe Saporta and members of Fall Out Boy also appear as minor characters.

The title is probably a quote from the MCR song "This Is How I Disappear", but has a much more positive connotation than the original context. "Forever, now" is what Brian says when he promises to give Gerard a new family at the end of the story.

In a 2007 LJ post, harriet_vane described her source of inspiration:

Here's how this story happened. A few weeks ago someone on my flist said "Why isn’t there an AU based around this picture where they’re clearly street urchins?"[1] (It might have been in mcee’s journal, but I really can’t remember anymore.) I thought “Yeah, why isn’t there?” and this entire thing appeared in my head. “Ha ha,” I said to myself, "that’s ridiculous. No one would read kid fic! It’s a good thing I am not a person who writes down my crazy ideas!"[2]

The series was first posted to her fic livejournal account passe_simple, but all of her fic was copied to AO3 in January 2012.[3]

Fics in the series

  1. Forever, Now Kidfic! Brian rescues kid!Gerard and Mikey from life on the streets, and eventually everyone finds a family. Brian POV, 77061 words, October–November 2007.
  2. Star Shaped Brendon's not having the best holiday season ever. 54593 words, December 2007-January 2008.
  3. Coda to Starshaped #1 Spencer and Ryan and Brendon end up going to see Jon’s band. Takes place a couple of weeks after Star Shaped. 1490 words, January 2008
  4. Coda to Starshaped #2 Takes place a couple of months after the end of Star Shaped. 3932 words, January 2008
  5. Coda to Starshaped #3 Follows a couple of weeks after the last coda, still a couple of months after the end of Star Shaped. January 2008. 1672 words
  6. Best Days Brian takes the family to the beach for vacation 7681 words, February 2008.
  7. The Lines You Amend Everybody knows it sucks to grow up. 80671 words, May 2008.

Fan Reviews/Reactions

The original LJ post for "Forever, Now" had 454 comments.[4]

"Star Shaped" had 390 comments.[1]

"Best Days" had 277 comments.[2]

"The Lines You Amend" had 589 comments.[3]

2007 LiveJournal rec:

Remember when I was whining about there being no more h/c? Well, upon that, the best moment of "ask and ye shall receive" ever in the history of EVER happened.... She finished it yesterday. It's long and every word of it is so unbearably good, you guys. I'm literally at a loss for how to explain the depth of emotions she's able to convey, the way her humor is really subtle and sweet, the amazing way she characterizes her characters and then uses those characterizations to their full extent.[5]

2008 LiveJournal rec:

I love this beyond words, it is gorgeous and amazing and utterly lovely and touching, with a little bit of heart breaking on the side. One of the best MCR fics I've read. I was so in love with the relationship between Mikey and Gerard, I love reading them like this. And Frankie and Gerard, I don't even know. It was a bit of a shame about Bert, because I love him and then he was just a shit in this story but, oh well, it was so good it barely mattered.[6]

2009 rec:

This is, hands-down, the best kid!fic I’ve ever read (of the characters-as-kids not the characters-have-kids variety)....There’s a lot of pairings featured, but in the end, what the series is really all about is family. It’s about making your own family and how it is ties of love not blood that actually bind people together. I know that sounds sappy, but that’s really the best way I can describe it. This is my feel-good fic that makes my smile and squee and even clap hands together in dorky glee every time I reread it.[7]

2013 podcast rec for the fic and klb's podfic of it:

I'm such an evangelist for that podfic. If I could stand on street corners with fliers or mp3 players and be like, let the love of Forever Now into your lives, I would do that.[8]

2016 tumblr comment:

#i reread forever now by harriet_vane like #once a week[9]

Related Fanworks

References

  1. ^ This 2005 photo taken on February 18 in Philadelphia by Eddie Malluk. Incidentally, in this photoshoot Frank is wearing a sweatshirt with a wolf on it, a detail that appears in the fic (though Gerard is wearing it) and may or may not have something to do with why there is a livejournal community called wolfshirts.
  2. ^ passe_simple. Forever, Now (MCR Kid!Fic), posted to livejournal 25 November 2007. archive.is
  3. ^ passe_simple. AO3, posted to livejournal 16 January 2012. archive.is
  4. ^ passe_simple. Kid!AU Part 11 - B, posted to livejournal 2007-11-19. archived
  5. ^ arsenicjade. Pimpin' it, old skool, posted to livejournal Nov. 20th, 2007.
  6. ^ sightsee. Forever, Now; Gerard/Frenk, Gen, Archived version, posted in recslikewhoa, 2008-02-28
  7. ^ Forever, Now & Sequels by harriet_vane (PG, R) - Epic Recs, Archived version, posted in Epic Recs, Jun. 11th, 2009
  8. ^ 37 minutes in to Podramble season 2 episode 2: Pick Me Ups, Fluffy Blanket Fics and Feel Better Media. streaming link on Paraka Productions, archive link. November 1st 2013.
  9. ^ wizzardblizzard. fuccs like a broken train, but runs on time, Archived version, reblogged January 16th 2016.
  10. ^ archive link