Frank/Gerard

Pairing
Pairing:	Frank Iero/Gerard Way
Alternative name(s):	Frerard
Gender category:	slash
Fandom:	Bandom
Canonical?:	no
Prevalence:	popular
Archives:
Other:
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Frank/Gerard, also known as Frerard, is the Bandom slash pairing of Frank Iero and Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, originating from the duo's stagegay antics, seen especially during Projekt Revolution. It is the most popular pairing within My Chemical Romance.

Ship History

Frank/Gerard does not appear to have been the clear favorite from the beginning, as it was not the first MCR ship to get its own LiveJournal community (that would be Gerard/Mikey). However, the ship has been around since at least 2005, if not earlier. The first comm dedicated to the pairing was gerardxfrankie, created 18 March 2005. Another pairing-specific comm, frankxgerard, was created in September of that year. Although in later years fans would reminisce about Frank and Gerard kissing on stage during Projekt Revolution in 2007, this behavior was by no means unique to that tour. For instance, fans at yeahchemical were excitedly reporting on the Frerard stagegay of Warped Tour 2005. In October 2004, a fan at chemicalromance reported the same, and another fan replied that it wasn't a big deal and they kissed all the time.

Common Aspects of Fanworks

Fanfiction settings are widely varied, but are mainly:

• "In the band"
• High School AU (based on the video for their second album Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge's first single, I'm Not Okay (I Promise) and the band's accounts of their own high school experiences)
• Killjoys AU (based on the concept of the band's fourth studio album, Danger Days:The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys)
• Various AUs including genderswap, crossdressing, coffee shop AUs, vampire/werewolf/ghost/supernatural AU.

Most works include not only Frank and Gerard, but also the other two members of My Chemical Romance, Mikey Way and Ray Toro. Other frequently-used characters include former drummer Bob Bryar, former tour managed Brian Schechter, wives Lindsey "LynZ" Way (née Ballato), Jamia Iero (née Nestor) and Alicia Simmons-Way (née Simmons), guitar tech Matt Cortez, temporary drummers Mike Pedicone and Jarrod Alexander, touring keyboardist James Dewees and various other bandom members.

Example Fanworks

cover art by theopteryx for a podfic by shiningartifact based on a Frank/Gerard fanfic by theopteryx

Canon-compliant

• I'm Not Sleeping (Trust Me) by dsudis. An example of canon-compliant fic, set during the filming of the "I'm Not Okay" video and dealing with Gerard's alcohol abuse problems. (2007)
• Unequivocal by stereomer. Follows the band from creation to a future when they decide to stop.
• New Rule (podfic), by bexless and shiningartifact: early band days, crashing in someone's basement after a show.

Alternate Universes

• The Unholyverse (link) by Bexless. Possibly the most famous and well-loved piece of Frank/Gerard fanfiction on the internet: Gerard is a priest, and Frank has stigmata.
• The Anatomy of a Fall (link) by novembersmith. Another famous and popular work, notable for the High School AU setting: Gerard is in high school, Frank is a ghost. Podfic by klb.
• Nightswimming by waxjism. Epic, angsty model of "fucked up Gerard" characterization. High school AU. Podfic by greedy_dancer.
• Art: Kissy-Kissy by rastapickney-julst on DeviantArt. A good example of Revenge-Era Frank and Gerard in a High School Au setting; very common amongst fic writers and fan artists.
• podfic by pennyplainknits of Buy Handmade by jjtaylor. Gerard is an artist, Frank is a baker.
• Fancomic: The Adventures of Gerard: Boy Princess of the Ocean and Frank: the Italian Gentleman's Son Who Loved Him (link) by theopteryx. Fanfiction in the form of a comic, with related art, sculptures, crafts and drabbles linked from the masterlist.

Based on music videos

• The Fall and Rise of The Black Parade by wordslinging: the most well-known fic set in the Black Parade verse.
• Haircare Tips for Zonerunners by greedy_dancer: an early take on the Killjoys universe.
• Time Travel verse by ladyfoxxx: Real Frank is transported in the Killjoys verse.
• Art: Ask Poison Tumblr by tennyboo: answering Tumblr asks with art in character as Party Poison (Killjoys verse).

Not!Fic

• The One Where Frank Has an Evil Twin (and is a Secret Virgin Who Probably Should Have Taken Up Knitting) by theopteryx. A example of the (cracky) not!fic genre prevalent in Bandom: Frank Iero has an evil twin called Frank Lero.
• Podfic: This Never Happened, not!fic by Bexless, podfic by klb.

Meta

• Bexless wrote a four-part "Frank/Gerard Manifesto" in 2008 for bandom_ships. It is no longer online, but is still viewable via the Wayback Machine: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
• Frank and Gerard's relationship. by imtheonekeepingyoualive (Mar 2012)
• Let’s take a brief journey down FG’s lives… by mladysailing (c. 2013)
• The frerard theories: what happened according to me. by iero-eyeyearoh (Mar 2015)
• What exactly happened at pro rev? by gerardpilled (2022)

Archives, Communities and Reclists

• gerardxfrankie (livejournal community)
• frankxgerard (livejournal community)
• frerardfics (tumblr)
• Frank/Gerard on Delicious
• Frank/Gerard at Archive of Our Own
• Frank/Gerard at Audiofic Archive