Title: Branching Out
Fandom: One Direction [Bandom/RPF]
Pairing: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson (side Perrie/Zayn, Liam/Sophia)
Categories: Romance, Dram, Angst, AU
Length: Super Epic [266198 words]
Warnings: Drug Use, Overdose, Atempted Suicide, Near Character’s Death Experiences, Triggering Experences, Betrayal and Alternative Endings.


Author Website: kikikryslee(on AO3)

Summary:
“Congratulations on your recovery, man.”
“So you do know who I am,” Louis smirked.
“Am I supposed to? I mean, I can just see it in your eyes. They’re brighter than the last time I saw you.”
“When was that?”
“The night I first met you,” Harry answered. “You were wasted out of your mind, no life behind your eyes, whatsoever. Your buddy Zayn came stumbling in and threw me against a wall because he thought I took photos of you to sell to a magazine or something. Why would I take pictures of you drunk off your ass? You famous or something?”
---
Or, the one where Louis is the star of a reality TV show and wants Harry to be on it, and Harry still hasn't forgotten the drugged out Louis that he met in a restaurant bathroom four years ago.
Also featuring Liam as an up and coming party planner, Zayn as Louis' best friend and greatest trigger, Niall as Harry's roommate and local bartending legend and Eleanor, Sophia and Perrie as design students who bring them all together. [original summary]

Review: I’m starting this review by giving a hug for all 1D fan’s reading this, this week was a roller coaster, so just hugs and I’m here if anyone needs someone to talk.

It was really hard to finish reading this fic, not because of it, but just because it was a really a week full of news and it made me think a lot about how much this fic fit perfectly with how I felt with the whole deal of Zayn leaving the band and Louis breaking things off with Eleanour.

The reason this fic is so good is that the author makes great points about the life in the spotlight. And this is so relevant this week that I felt I needed to review it anyway, even if I wanted more than anything to pretend this fandom didn’t exist for a while. Basically Louis is a reality show star, and his family was kind of like the Kardashians. It’s an AU, but we see all of the band, plus significant others and Ben Winston, the guys’ producer.

Imagine a reality show, but shown from the inside, with how things are recorded and how invested people end up being when their lives are filmed and edit and dished out. This fic is an AU, but it’s so true to what we see of the band, that I thought it was very genius. It makes you think about the pressure the boys are under and how we never really get the real version of them, even when they try being as truthful as possible. The fic also highlights perfectly how gossip columns can create the most incredible stories to sell more: the story is full of stunts, drama and fights, all generated by the public view of them.

While it is centered in Louis and Harry, the author managed the show all characters and to create plots for both the story and the show.The best part for me is how endearing Sophia, Perrie, Eleanor and Danielle are, which is super rare in the fandom. There isn’t bashing, and they are very significant in the fabric of the plot. Liam, Zayn and Niall are a bit out of character, specially Zayn, but you still see some great scenes that are almost canonical. Louis is perfect, even at his bottom , while he deals with his addictions.

I’m in a angst phase, and apparently a drug use one, but I promise is not a fetish thing. I just been completely in love with how people developed flawed characters that I still want to hug and cherish. Harry is very adorable here, thought escaping the more visible flaws, and almost the perfect guy. He has quite a temper, but I think the author really mixes cute and loveable Harry with fierce and angry Harry.

Zayn steals the scene for sure, and how hard it was to see him in this fic and imagine him out of the band. *cries silently* Anyway, he is the best character in my opinion, full of ambiguity and layers. Be aware he really triggers Louis, he is one of the reasons for Louis to spiraled so far into addiction and he is probably the person that continues to pull Louis right back into it.

At last, I warned for Alternative Endings, and the reason for that is that the author gives two possible endings, I liked both of them, but I know she comment that a lot of people didn’t like the lighter ending, so be warned that you won’t have a definite version of it, but will have to choose from one of them.