Sorkin rambling

First, a quick SV rec: Laying Siege by slightlights is a wonderful post-Shattered fic. Hot and heady style, exploring sex, lust and desperate need. Really, really good.

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ahab99, answer me one question. How much do you love me right now? *g*

I found the Casey/Sam fic I mentioned at Our Boys. It's A Roomful of Canadians by Julian Lee is Casey, Dan, Sam and Josh running into each other in Canada. Rather enjoyable, and some of the dialogue is rather funny.

"Maybe," Sam suggested, "he was mad not at the particular Lisas involved in this particular situation, but with the Platonic ideal of Lisa -- with all Lisas everywhere, throughout time."

Josh slumped against the back of the booth. "I just had to survive that bullet, didn't I?"

My favourite line is still Josh's comments about SN:

"He was co-anchor of 'Sports Night,' Sam. That show was the most intelligent, well-crafted -- Toby and I held a wake when it was cancelled."

Hee! You can just imagine the pair of sports fan in mourning, can't you? The fic's formatting is a bit odd (random "=" keep appearing in the text, but it's legible).

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Okay, something that peeved me over the weekend watching SN? The attitude to cricket. Well, not the attitude, so much as Jeremy's lack of understanding.

Casey: What's a Bowler?
Jermey: I don't know.
Casey: What's a Batsman?
Jermey: I don't know.

It's pretty damn simple. The Bowler *bowls* the ball. The Batsman is the guy standing there, holding the *bat*, trying to hit the ball. Seriously, if the guy can follow weather patterns and program software, he should have been able to figure that out.

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Hmmm... I'm curious. How many Sorkin fans are M*A*S*H* fans? There's a really interesting rant showing the comparisons between SN and WW (I'd spotted about two thirds of them), which also mentions the similarities/homages to MASH.

It's an interesting read because I *loved* MASH as a kid. Also adored Hawkeye, too. Not in a sexual way, just loved the character. Then, when you stop and think about it, Hawkeye (and the rest of MASH crew to some extent) do have big simlarities to the Sorkin crowd. He's a sarcastic, funny but flawed character who honestly *believes* in his job. He has faith in human nature but can be horrified by the darker aspects of the world around him.

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As you can probably tell, my plan to *really* work this morning hasn't exactly been followed. Instead, I'm reading Sorkinfic. But, since I am, I might as well quickly rec Kabuki and the Beast by Shaye. Gen WW, it's the morning after bad Japanese food, too much alcohol and odd dreams for the fab four (I need to stop refering to Josh, Sam, CJ and Toby like that, don't I?). Funny and snarky fluff.

Full of Casey love

This guy who hadn't had a decent haircut since the one time I talked him into coming with me to see Jimmy, the guy whose idea of casual style began and ended with the henley shirt. A guy who'd listened to me tell him about Sam when we'd only known each other a few weeks, who let me cry and then made me laugh by correcting my syntax in mid-rant. The guy I'd watched marry a woman who hated him, a woman he had loved with a pathetic desperation I loathed at the same time that I wanted nothing more than to make him see --

What? What was it that had gone through my mind that hot, muggy day in Houston, in a church that smelled like flowers and four hundred different brands of expensive perfume? What was it I'd wanted my smitten, doomed best friend to see?

Someone who didn't see him as a stepping-stone, maybe? Someone who didn't mind when he lost control of all the frustration and anger of a childhood spent in parental purgatory? Somebody who forgave him for being forgetful, because they understood how many thousands of different ideas were careening around inside his beautiful, oblivious head? Someone who could look at him with love, and let him be able to look back without fear?

From Fifth Wheel by Emily Brunson.

On another thought, I'm going to post links to SN/WW crossover fics to pimp to Signe. Can anyone remember where the rath long Josh/Dan fic is? You know the one. Four or five parts, questionable Sam-characterisation, great Josh/Dan dynamic? I can't quite find it.

Pimping the Sorkin crossovers...

In no particular order, these are fic that oxoniensis should read. Consider it two fandoms for the price of one. *g*

First of all, I advise everyone to stop what you're doing and read What Kind of Crossover Has It Been? I know most people have read it before, but it still stands up as a wonderful gen crossover fic. You don't need to know canon from both WW and SN, but you'll spot the little insider references to which show you follow. Lovely fic, as good as Sorkin himself.

A Phenomenally Bad Idea by Ryo Sen.
Like a lot of her work, this is a Josh/Donna fic. (You're surprised I read it, aren't you Signe? *g* It's the good snarky, drunk Josh voice that I really enjoyed.) However, it does feature a lovely scene with Dan and Casey. The crossover is pretty seamless and works with the rest of the fic. (Background info you may want to know: Janel Moloney also played a wardrobe assistant on SN. Hence, Dan probably looked dazedly at Donna because of the strong resemblance.)

One Might Say is a Dan/Josh piece set in Washington after the MS scandal broke. It's a nice smut-filled piece, showing their similarities well.

Because both dammitcarl and hopsakee rock mightily, I have the link to that Josh/Dan fic I mentioned earlier, Echoes by amj.
It's long, involving and entracing, and it really *gets* Josh and Dan. It can be hard to follow a fic when you're not familar with half of the cast, but you barely notice it in this story. It's a great crossover fic to hook you into a new fandom because there's a great deal of description of both the main characters and the background ones. (I still don't quite buy the Sam in this fic, but it's a very *minor* bitch about a a very satisfying story.)

And, last but certainly not least, my personal favourite sorkin crossover, You Just Have to be Chocolate Cake by K. Yay!
It's Sam/Dan and it just... works. Really well. I don't think you need to know the SN backstory/canonical references to get it, but it does add a further layer. It's a great representation of Dan and Casey, and it's very close to how I personally see Sam Seaborn. (Yes, I'm a Sam gal. I take these things to heart.) I can't quite sum up why I like this characterisation, but it just rings true to me, every little detail.


In the interest of full disclosure, I also came across a couple WW/SN crossovers I hadn't read, but I'll link them anyway. Read at your own peril, dudes.

I also came across a Danny/Donna fic, Mend. Haven't tried it because I'm not a big fan of the het, but could be good. *shrugs* If I was bored.

New York State of Mind By Nomi seems to feature Josh and Sam vacationing in New York. I have to admit that it hit one of my major J/S turn-offs, so I didn't read it. Sam should never seriously refer to Josh by a nickname, and when the fic has him using "J", I want to scrtch my eyes out with a rusty spork. (The only character who could ever get away with calling Josh that is Amy, as "Special J" was referred to as a college nickname. Even then, she doesn't use it regularly, so it would need to be a college-aged fic for me to accept it.)

And, since I'm reccing anyway...

Pretty Life by Sabine is a fic that I really like. It's narrated by a very pleased, 'life is going my way' Casey POV and it's... I can't help but like this Casey. Even as he does momumentally stupid things, even as he holds grudges against others that aren't really fair, he just... he's such a *guy*. He's a happy guy, a somewhat emotionally-blind guy, but he's... He's a cheery Casey.

I don't *like* the way that Dana is presented in the fic, but I do have a suspicion that's how Casey sees her. I love the characterisation of Dan, the strong friendship and the honest caring between them, even when confusion and lust gets added to the mix.

I *really* like the Lisa in this fic. I can't quite put my finger on it, but she's highly convincing. Not a total shrew, regardless of how Danny and Casey talk about her on the show. She's not a saint, either, but she is refreshingly human. Refreshingly... believable. You can see the Casey's attraction, you can feel the years of memories and playing happy families, and you can also see why he lets Dan hate her. I like it a lot.

(no subject)

I don't know why I'm still at work.

Yes, I do. I was finishing off a fic. Man, I'm exhausted. And I don't want to come to work tomorrow.

I want to sleep in and then sit at home and watch SN and Farscape with my brother. Stupid need for money.

ETA: Celli, let me know if you don't get my email. (Just sent it to you.)