Coda: Bonus Tracks

[raeschae]

This fic was inspired by three novels that I read last fall - The Alternative Hero (Tim Thornton), Love Will Tear Us Apart (Sarah Rainone), and Juliet, Naked (Nick Hornby) – and while you won't find this exact plot in any of them, I highly recommend all three.

Also, you might want to check out John Cusack as the Chicago-based audiophile Rob Gordon in the film adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel, High Fidelity. I guess repeated viewings of the movie have saturated my subconscious over the last ten years because I really didn't give it a passing thought while writing the fic. When I was done and maichan808 sent me the first draft of the art, I had a total holy shit moment. The similarities between Jensen and Rob are completely unintentional but, at times, too obvious to deny.

Also, some of the artists and bands that I use in this fic exist in the real world, but many of them are completely fictional. Those you have never heard of, and can't find through Google, are the brain child of taintedlove. All of the albums reviewed on the Coda website were also on her original list of band names.

My first Big Bang has been an incredible – albeit, at times, ridiculously nerve-wracking – experience. Aside from the normal anxious excitement of actually taking part in this challenge, my computer crashed last night around 10:30. Were it not for my very best friend in the world - she's not in fandom and will never see this, but I'm grateful nonetheless - I'm not sure I would have been able to get this posted at all.

There are a lot of people that I have to thank:

maichan808, you have gone so far above and beyond the call of duty for this fic, I don't even know how to say thank you. At the risk of stroking your already insanely over-inflated ego, working with you on the Coda website was the best part of this entire process for me. Thank you for the mind-blowing art, and also for keeping me calm during last night's freak out and being an all-around awesome person. I owe you something major, like an internal organ or something, I'm sure.

billysgirl5 and candygramme, thank you, for correcting my occasional abuse of the English language, and for lightning-quick turn around. You guys are life-savers! krisd81, thanks for being brutally honest with my first draft, and for making sure that I told both sides of the story.

ldyghstwhisprer and taintedlove, you guys responded to my pleas for musical inspiration with three very different, but equally awesome, soundtracks. I hope you both know how much the tone and shape of this story were molded by the songs you sent me. I wish I could have included all of them on the final soundtrack.

wendy and thehighwaywoman, thanks for all you do in organizing and maintaining this challenge.

There are a lot of other people who listened to me ramble about this idea in its infancy, and who encouraged me from the early drafts, through all of the edits. To my flist, your excitement over this fic has really helped to ease my frazzled nerves during the last six months. Thanks, guys - I hope you enjoy it!

Comments

[quasianpride.livejournal.com]

Incredible story! Usually I don't read music-fic because it all feels like the authors are trying to shove how ALTERNATIVE and INDIE and ANTICONFORMIST they are down your throat, but I didn't get that from your story.

I love your Jensen, as emotionally damaged as he was, and I was totally rooting for him and Jared the whole time, which also doesn't always happen with fic (somehow?), so props for that one. I do wish that there was more Danneel and Misha, though.

Such great character growth and emotional transformation. I applaud you.

[raeschae.livejournal.com]

Thank YOU for commenting! It's awesome that you could feel the passion the guys have for the music in the story - I love that!

[raeschae.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for your comment! This type of story totally has the potential to come across as pretentious and annoying, so I know that it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. I'm really glad that it didn't read that way to you!

And I will readily admit that some of the minor characters in this story got swept under the rug in favor of developing the relationship between the guys. Sorry Danneel and Misha got somewhat overlooked! :)

[anifsemaj.livejournal.com]

yay that was awesome! Love the website, love the story!

[quiet000001.livejournal.com]

So normally when I like a story, I read it straight through. When I keep doing other things mid-story, it's because I'm getting bored.

With this one, I kept going off to do other things for a bit so reading it would last LONGER.

And now I finished it anyway. Foo.

Predicted time until I read it again: ~12 hours. (And only because I've gotta sleep somewhere in there too.)

Please insert here whatever requests/begging/pleading for further fic in this universe you find least annoying. I kind of want a timestamp (sort of one of those 'after the credits' specials in a movie, you know?) of Thanksgiving. Or how they eventually work out living together.

(Also, bonus points for writing about the Chicago music scene without Pete Wentz sneaking in in any great capacity. He has some kind of ninja skillz for that.)

[raeschae.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! (I love the website, too!)

[alteredloc.livejournal.com]

I really, really enjoyed this. It felt so real.

Thanks so much for sharing!

[raeschae.livejournal.com]

Dude! I totally should have snuck some Jensen/Pete action in there! Ya know what? I can't even really say that with a straight face. Ick.

FOB aside, I'm glad you liked it enough to want more. I went back and forth in writing a Thanksgiving epilogue, but I really like the story where it ends now. I'm not sure I'll be writing any time stamps for this one, but you never know.

[raeschae.livejournal.com]

Thank YOU for reading! I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

[quiet000001.livejournal.com]

Time stamp blog entry about Pete Wentz! ;)

(Oh, the entertainment potential of tormenting Jensen with celebrities... Jensen meets Adam Lambert! Jensen meets Bert and Quinn from The Used... Jensen loses a bet and has to review the first Panic! album...)

[shenova.livejournal.com]

Loved it they got together in the end I loved how you had them be friends get back the good friendship that they started with previously and then it grew like before brilliant. I love that Jensen left his lighter at Jared's place to show that he would be coming back to collect it no more missing out on being together Jensen is ready to be honest with himself.

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this. I loved how realistic your characterizations were, and how we could see the differences time made in both characters as they grew up and tried to move on. Their college relationship felt authentic, and then the new one they began was very adult and uncertain, the way things are in your mid to late 20s when your career is the thing.

And since I've been both a music snob and a music geek in my time, the musical references, reviews and saturation in this fic was brilliant. I didn't roll my eyes once (says the music snob.) Thanks for a great read.

[aldehyde.livejournal.com]

oh i loved this story! really liked the world you built, the characters, the back-and-forth time jumps and everything else. very nicely done :D

[raeschae.livejournal.com]

I didn't roll my eyes once (says the music snob.)

Wow - that's an awesome compliment. Thank you so much! I'm so glad that you liked it!!

[raeschae.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! That lighter didn't show up in the original draft of the story, but I'm really glad that you made the connection - that's awesome!

[raeschae.livejournal.com]

It was a fun world to write in, so I'm really glad you enjoyed reading it! Thanks so much!

[loveisimmortal.livejournal.com]

This fic was amazing, I love MUSIC. J2/Music=OTP

I might have cried when Jensen quoted Missy Higgins.

I really loved the flow of the story, intertwining the past and the present. Job well done!

Can't wait for timestamps!

[bree-black.livejournal.com]

Enjoyed this very much. Thanks. <3

[jesseofthenorth.livejournal.com]

Nice Work!
The only reason I am not reading this again immediatly is because I gotta go do stupid shit like dishes and tuck in the kids and maybe sleep.
I love the build up in this, slow but never boring. The pacing was excellent.
Once again you gave us memorably flawed but ultimately decent characters. I love the way these guys are not smooth and glossy, they still have some rough edges.
The way you wove music into this never once slapping us in the face with it was AWESOME! And 'Band of Horses'!
I don't read 'music!fic' but of course I would probably read your grocery list and love it .
Thanks for a stellar read and I wish there were enough hours in a day for me to read this again immediately . Tomorrow will have to do.

[asitha.livejournal.com]

I haven't really been able to sit down and read any big bang fics yet, but when i saw this I just had to stop and read it. I'm really glad that I did because it's fantastic! I really loved it. It had plot and was about music but it didn't feel like you were shoving facts or info down our throats, it just all flowed and meshed really well. Totally snagging the pdf

[getyourguns.livejournal.com]

Just finished and wow! This fic was so great. I'm definitely going to have to read those books now. High Fidelity is one of my all time favourite books/movies too and, being a former record store clerk myself, this was right up my alley. Thanks!

Oh, p.s. I made those comments for you in the blog because maichan808 told me to and she owns me lol

[apieceofcake.livejournal.com]

Enjoyed, thank you :-)

[claudia-nic.livejournal.com]

FINISHED! And it was worth every second it took to read it. I feel like I have to go and listen some life altering music now :D

[stttmsbwa.livejournal.com]

No, seriously. Your big bang has been the only one this year that I've had the patience to actually finish (I'm not hating on the others, just saying that my summer has been busy and none of the plots have captured me quite like yours has). And I enjoyed it so much.

It's a combination of the characters and the music, and it seriously knocked me over. I loved how Jensen was still learning how to be himself and I loved how Jared fell in love with Jensen all over. And I loved how their lives weren't perfect at the end, but that through all the imperfections they would make it as perfect as they could.

I also loved the music. The music was a big part for me. Some of your quotes about music just threw me. I seriously sat back and reread some of the lines and went, "That is so true. That's just beautiful. Just, yes."

Also, I want to let you know that some of the bands I didn't recognize? I totally tried to look them up. And then realized that they weren't real. You tricked me! Hahaha

I wish that I could say more to you, but I'm anxious to go listen to the soundtrack. And I'm pretty sure you'll understand that. :)

(Also, NICK HORNBY. High Fidelity is one of my all-time favorites. And I forgot I've been meaning to read Juliet, Naked so thank you for reminding me! *happy dances for good books*)

[raeschae.livejournal.com]

Oh god, that Missy Higgins song! I fell in love with the lyrics - thought they matched the story so perfectly - but dammit if it's not a girly, girly song. I'm really glad you liked it! <3

Thank you for your comment - I'm so glad you liked the fic!