SN: Homophobic WIP – Part Eleven
May. 21st, 2004 03:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
out_therePrevious parts here.
***
He stayed for the opening ceremony. He had vague recollections of some little girl singing, and enough color and movement to remind him of Charlie's last school play. It would have been easier to be cynical about the entire thing if not for the way Dan sat there, staring at the screen, his mouth partly open in a childlike smile.
For Casey, it had as much to do with the Olympics as the half-time show had to do with the Super Bowl. You'd never hear him complain about the inclusion of cheerleaders into any sport, but it was basically entertainment for the masses. It wasn't sports. It was filler.
Danny, on the other hand, seemed to see it as a show of unity, as a display of the human spirit. He always said there was something marvellous about the entire idea of different nations competing, of people overcoming different political, social and theological beliefs for the same simple goal: to be the best a person can be. He said it was an example of modern diplomacy, of all the ways the world was improving.
Casey thought that was a load of political hogwash, but it was pretty hard to argue logic in the face of Dan's wondrous optimism. So instead of arguing about all the reasons he shouldn't have to sit through an opening ceremony just because it was loosely affiliated with sport, he thought about Dana's comments.
In fact, he didn't just think about it, he Thought About It. It was the type of concentrated rumination that required capitals.
The interesting thing was that the more he thought about it, the more plausible it became. They worked in high stress jobs, in the type of jobs where you put in eleven hours work for one hour of a final product, and then came back the next day to repeat it. It was a pressured environment, and they frequently dealt with it in unexpected ways.
There was Dana's camera equipment, for example. The list of words Dan had stuck inside the cover of the dictionary, explaining which words sounded different but meant the same thing, and which ones sounded similar but had opposite meanings. Jeremy had a troll doll stuck under his desk, simply because Natalie had given him the ugly creature as a gift and even though he hated it, he still considered it a good luck charm.
Strange things happened. The six month dating plan, for example. The fly that no one could ever find, regardless of the fact that it *was* there.
And Casey's reaction to certain things wasn't always proportionate. Those certain things generally involved his alma mater, or Charlie, or Dana, or Dan. After a week or so he tended to get over it. A month or two later, he could even look back and laugh at the ridiculousness of it, but at the time they seemed like things that could tear his world apart.
In the broad scheme of things, over-reacting to a kiss wasn't too farfetched. In fact, it made far more sense that he was just blowing this way out of proportion.
Dan was a very good looking man. You'd have to be blind not to notice. Casey's mind was stressed and was taking two objective facts (fact one: Dan was attractive; fact two: Dan and Casey kissed) and coming up with a ridiculous conclusion (that Casey *wanted* Dan), so it was probably best to ignore it. It was probably best not to stress himself out about it; to just let his mind think what it wanted, while the rest of him concentrated on covering the Olympics.
It would probably be even better to stop thinking of his mind as a separate entity.
Dan suddenly laughed at something, and Casey nodded, pretending he'd heard what Dan had said. Dan rolled his eyes affectionately, and flapped his hand in a 'don't worry about it' gesture.
Casey watched Dan's crooked grin and decided that he really was taking this whole thing too seriously. If, in the privacy of his own bed, he found his thoughts straying to the memory of Dan's mouth, to the idea of Dan's skin moving against his, it didn't have to make a difference to the rest of his life. It was just how he was dealing with stress at the moment.
***
Since it was barely eleven, Casey wasn't surprised that Dan wasn't in their office yet. Dan didn't like getting out of bed unless there was no other choice. Casey, on the other hand, had no objection to getting out of bed and this morning, he'd been glad to jump straight into the shower, to wash away any evidence of the night before.
Casey shook off the vague guilt and hung up his coat. Then, he decided to go see if Dana was in yet. As he'd expected, she was.
Sitting at her desk, she was tapping a pen against her lips as she read over something. He laughed when she suddenly stopped and glared at the smear of lipstick on the pen.
"Hey, Casey," she said as she gingerly felt around her lips for smudged lipstick.
He gave her a nod. "You're fine."
"Yeah?"
"Your lipstick's fine."
Dana sighed and pushed the paperwork away from her. "It's an old habit."
"I know."
"I always forget I'm wearing makeup."
"I know."
She tilted her head to the side, watching him in a rather birdlike fashion. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Casey replied easily. "Did you hear about-"
"No, I mean," Dana paused, rolling her hand in an airy circle, "are you *okay*?"
"Yeah." Casey could feel himself grimace slightly. "I think I am."
"You sure?"
"I thought I wasn't supposed to talk to anyone about it?" Casey teased her, but the joke fell flat.
"Yeah…" Dana sighed and started tapping her pen against the desk. "I was thinking I didn't handle it so well yesterday."
"You handled it fine." He walked over and covered her hand with his. It was meant as a reassuring gesture, but it also stopped the annoying tap-tap-tap. "You handled it fine."
She blinked up at him. Behind him, her office door opened. Casey pulled his hand back, but he saw Eliot's glance dart down.
"Dan wants to know if he has to get out of bed," Eliot said, poking his head around the half-opened door.
"If he has to get out of bed?" Dana echoed.
Casey grinned. "I think it's going to be hard to move the studio into his bedroom."
"What is Dan talking about?" Dana asked, rolling her eyes at Casey's remark.
"He wants to know if today's rundown has been moved to four," Eliot explained. "If so, he says he's not getting out of bed until two."
"The four o'clock rundowns start tomorrow." Dana shrugged. "That's assuming we can get all the new schedules running smoothly today."
Eliot nodded unenthusiastically, and Casey guessed the temporary schedule was going to be just as hard on the technical crew as on him and Dan. "So I should call Dan and tell him to get out of bed?"
"Tell him to get his lazy ass in here by twelve. Not a minute later," Dana said firmly.
Eliot shrugged, obviously doubtful that Dan would be in on time. "I'll tell him."
"Word for word," Dana called out as Eliot closed the door behind him.
Casey glanced at the clock. "I think Danny's going to be late."
"Does Dan know?"
"That he's going to be late?" Casey asked, a little confused by Dana's question. "I'm pretty sure he does."
"Does he know about…?" Dana looked hesitant, as if she didn't know what to say, what she should say. The last time she'd looked that uncertain, Gordon had been standing beside her. "The kiss?"
"Sort of."
"Sort of?"
"He drove me home," Casey said, stalling as he thought.
"And?"
"And I was pretty wasted. Apparently, I told him," Casey improvised.
Dana's brows rose. "Apparently?"
"The next day, Danny told me not to worry about it." It wasn't the exact truth, but it was close enough. There was no way in the world that he was going to tell her everything that happened.
"Ah."
"He said it didn't count."
Dana cleared her throat. "Did he react better than I did?"
Casey almost laughed. "Dana."
Dana tapped her fingers on the desk. "I'm just... I'm trying to work out the right way to react to this."
Casey shrugged. "I don't think there is a right way."
"Sure there is. If someone gets married, you say 'congratulations.' If someone gets divorced, you say 'you're so sorry to hear about it but it's probably for the best.'" Dana's rows furrowed. "There should be a set reaction for someone telling you they're gay. Or could be. Possibly," Dana added quickly.
"Hope that works out for you?" Casey suggested.
Dana snorted. "Hope that works out for you?"
"It's supportive, it's positive and it implies a polite amount of interest."
"You don't think that a little too..."
"Too what?"
"Blaze," Dana finished with a small frown. "It's a life changing announcement. Shouldn't that require more than a catchphrase?"
"It doesn't change *your* life," Casey pointed out. "It's only a big deal to the person going through it. Like marriage. Or divorce."
"Hope that works out for you," Dana said cheerily, testing the phrase. Then she repeated it in a more compassionate tone. "Hope that *works* out for you. Hope that works out for *you*. Hm..."
"Yeah?"
"It could work."
***
"We live in a fascist society," Dan announced at the noon rundown, which actually did start at noon. Dan had overslept and it showed in the scruffy five o'clock shadow he was currently wearing. Evidently, if Dan had limited time, he'd choose coffee over shaving.
"No, we don't," Kim replied.
"We do. We live in a society that dictates our lives. Our jobs, our clothes, our appearance." Dan levelled a glare at Dana. "Our facial hair."
"You're shaving after the rundown, Dan." Dana looked down at her notes. "Now, about the US Open-"
"I want to grow a goatee," Dan interrupted.
Dana sighed. "You're not growing a goatee."
"I want one. Just for the Olympics. It could be an Olympics special. Two weeks of facial hair." Dan pointed at Casey. "Casey could grow a beard."
Casey raised his hands in defence. "Leave me out of this. I'm perfectly happy with my smooth-cheeked, boyish good looks."
"Thanks for the support, man," Dan said, scowling at him before turning back to Dana. "I still want to grow a goatee."
"Daniel?" Dana asked sweetly. "If you try to grow a goatee over the next two weeks, I am going to personally make sure that you do the soccer play-by-play coverage. For every game."
"Fine." Dan sunk down in his chair. "But after the Olympics, I'm taking a week off and growing a goatee. You'll see how good it looks and then you'll regret not letting me grow one for the Olympics."
"I doubt that," Dana said sarcastically.
"I'll take a week off and I'll grow it!"
"Go ahead."
"In two weeks time," Dan announced, "I am going to grow a goatee."
"Hope that works out for you." Dana stopped, obviously realising what she'd just said. Then she caught Casey's eye and they both started sniggering.
Dan's brows lowered in concentration as he looked from Dana to Casey speculatively. "I'm still growing my goatee," Dan said suspiciously.
***
"Dana's upset about the mascot."
He stopped typing and found Eliot standing in the doorway. Casey shared a quizzical glance with Dan and then asked the age old question. "What?"
"She's upset about the mascot."
"Why?"
"It's an eel," Eliot replied.
"So?"
"It upsets her."
"How could you tell?" Dan asked snidely, now cleanly shaved. He was still sulking over the threat of soccer coverage. Casey suspected that disappointed pout would be making a guest appearance in tonight's 'I dream of Danny' special.
Eliot grinned. "I think the people in graphics are trying to use the shredder for ritual suicide as we speak."
Dan snickered. "Dana's being her usual charming, diplomatic self?"
"Hey," Casey objected. "Dana can be charming."
"She can't be diplomatic," Dan replied in an amused tone and Eliot nodded sagely.
"That's part of her charm."
Danny shot him a fast look. "Well, maybe you should go tell our charming producer to stop freaking out about the eel?"
Casey sighed, feeling like he'd drawn the short straw when he wasn't looking. "The goatee really wouldn't suit you, you know."
Danny flicked his wrist at him. "Go away."
"She's in her office?" Casey asked as he stood up. Eliot nodded.
***
***
He stayed for the opening ceremony. He had vague recollections of some little girl singing, and enough color and movement to remind him of Charlie's last school play. It would have been easier to be cynical about the entire thing if not for the way Dan sat there, staring at the screen, his mouth partly open in a childlike smile.
For Casey, it had as much to do with the Olympics as the half-time show had to do with the Super Bowl. You'd never hear him complain about the inclusion of cheerleaders into any sport, but it was basically entertainment for the masses. It wasn't sports. It was filler.
Danny, on the other hand, seemed to see it as a show of unity, as a display of the human spirit. He always said there was something marvellous about the entire idea of different nations competing, of people overcoming different political, social and theological beliefs for the same simple goal: to be the best a person can be. He said it was an example of modern diplomacy, of all the ways the world was improving.
Casey thought that was a load of political hogwash, but it was pretty hard to argue logic in the face of Dan's wondrous optimism. So instead of arguing about all the reasons he shouldn't have to sit through an opening ceremony just because it was loosely affiliated with sport, he thought about Dana's comments.
In fact, he didn't just think about it, he Thought About It. It was the type of concentrated rumination that required capitals.
The interesting thing was that the more he thought about it, the more plausible it became. They worked in high stress jobs, in the type of jobs where you put in eleven hours work for one hour of a final product, and then came back the next day to repeat it. It was a pressured environment, and they frequently dealt with it in unexpected ways.
There was Dana's camera equipment, for example. The list of words Dan had stuck inside the cover of the dictionary, explaining which words sounded different but meant the same thing, and which ones sounded similar but had opposite meanings. Jeremy had a troll doll stuck under his desk, simply because Natalie had given him the ugly creature as a gift and even though he hated it, he still considered it a good luck charm.
Strange things happened. The six month dating plan, for example. The fly that no one could ever find, regardless of the fact that it *was* there.
And Casey's reaction to certain things wasn't always proportionate. Those certain things generally involved his alma mater, or Charlie, or Dana, or Dan. After a week or so he tended to get over it. A month or two later, he could even look back and laugh at the ridiculousness of it, but at the time they seemed like things that could tear his world apart.
In the broad scheme of things, over-reacting to a kiss wasn't too farfetched. In fact, it made far more sense that he was just blowing this way out of proportion.
Dan was a very good looking man. You'd have to be blind not to notice. Casey's mind was stressed and was taking two objective facts (fact one: Dan was attractive; fact two: Dan and Casey kissed) and coming up with a ridiculous conclusion (that Casey *wanted* Dan), so it was probably best to ignore it. It was probably best not to stress himself out about it; to just let his mind think what it wanted, while the rest of him concentrated on covering the Olympics.
It would probably be even better to stop thinking of his mind as a separate entity.
Dan suddenly laughed at something, and Casey nodded, pretending he'd heard what Dan had said. Dan rolled his eyes affectionately, and flapped his hand in a 'don't worry about it' gesture.
Casey watched Dan's crooked grin and decided that he really was taking this whole thing too seriously. If, in the privacy of his own bed, he found his thoughts straying to the memory of Dan's mouth, to the idea of Dan's skin moving against his, it didn't have to make a difference to the rest of his life. It was just how he was dealing with stress at the moment.
***
Since it was barely eleven, Casey wasn't surprised that Dan wasn't in their office yet. Dan didn't like getting out of bed unless there was no other choice. Casey, on the other hand, had no objection to getting out of bed and this morning, he'd been glad to jump straight into the shower, to wash away any evidence of the night before.
Casey shook off the vague guilt and hung up his coat. Then, he decided to go see if Dana was in yet. As he'd expected, she was.
Sitting at her desk, she was tapping a pen against her lips as she read over something. He laughed when she suddenly stopped and glared at the smear of lipstick on the pen.
"Hey, Casey," she said as she gingerly felt around her lips for smudged lipstick.
He gave her a nod. "You're fine."
"Yeah?"
"Your lipstick's fine."
Dana sighed and pushed the paperwork away from her. "It's an old habit."
"I know."
"I always forget I'm wearing makeup."
"I know."
She tilted her head to the side, watching him in a rather birdlike fashion. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Casey replied easily. "Did you hear about-"
"No, I mean," Dana paused, rolling her hand in an airy circle, "are you *okay*?"
"Yeah." Casey could feel himself grimace slightly. "I think I am."
"You sure?"
"I thought I wasn't supposed to talk to anyone about it?" Casey teased her, but the joke fell flat.
"Yeah…" Dana sighed and started tapping her pen against the desk. "I was thinking I didn't handle it so well yesterday."
"You handled it fine." He walked over and covered her hand with his. It was meant as a reassuring gesture, but it also stopped the annoying tap-tap-tap. "You handled it fine."
She blinked up at him. Behind him, her office door opened. Casey pulled his hand back, but he saw Eliot's glance dart down.
"Dan wants to know if he has to get out of bed," Eliot said, poking his head around the half-opened door.
"If he has to get out of bed?" Dana echoed.
Casey grinned. "I think it's going to be hard to move the studio into his bedroom."
"What is Dan talking about?" Dana asked, rolling her eyes at Casey's remark.
"He wants to know if today's rundown has been moved to four," Eliot explained. "If so, he says he's not getting out of bed until two."
"The four o'clock rundowns start tomorrow." Dana shrugged. "That's assuming we can get all the new schedules running smoothly today."
Eliot nodded unenthusiastically, and Casey guessed the temporary schedule was going to be just as hard on the technical crew as on him and Dan. "So I should call Dan and tell him to get out of bed?"
"Tell him to get his lazy ass in here by twelve. Not a minute later," Dana said firmly.
Eliot shrugged, obviously doubtful that Dan would be in on time. "I'll tell him."
"Word for word," Dana called out as Eliot closed the door behind him.
Casey glanced at the clock. "I think Danny's going to be late."
"Does Dan know?"
"That he's going to be late?" Casey asked, a little confused by Dana's question. "I'm pretty sure he does."
"Does he know about…?" Dana looked hesitant, as if she didn't know what to say, what she should say. The last time she'd looked that uncertain, Gordon had been standing beside her. "The kiss?"
"Sort of."
"Sort of?"
"He drove me home," Casey said, stalling as he thought.
"And?"
"And I was pretty wasted. Apparently, I told him," Casey improvised.
Dana's brows rose. "Apparently?"
"The next day, Danny told me not to worry about it." It wasn't the exact truth, but it was close enough. There was no way in the world that he was going to tell her everything that happened.
"Ah."
"He said it didn't count."
Dana cleared her throat. "Did he react better than I did?"
Casey almost laughed. "Dana."
Dana tapped her fingers on the desk. "I'm just... I'm trying to work out the right way to react to this."
Casey shrugged. "I don't think there is a right way."
"Sure there is. If someone gets married, you say 'congratulations.' If someone gets divorced, you say 'you're so sorry to hear about it but it's probably for the best.'" Dana's rows furrowed. "There should be a set reaction for someone telling you they're gay. Or could be. Possibly," Dana added quickly.
"Hope that works out for you?" Casey suggested.
Dana snorted. "Hope that works out for you?"
"It's supportive, it's positive and it implies a polite amount of interest."
"You don't think that a little too..."
"Too what?"
"Blaze," Dana finished with a small frown. "It's a life changing announcement. Shouldn't that require more than a catchphrase?"
"It doesn't change *your* life," Casey pointed out. "It's only a big deal to the person going through it. Like marriage. Or divorce."
"Hope that works out for you," Dana said cheerily, testing the phrase. Then she repeated it in a more compassionate tone. "Hope that *works* out for you. Hope that works out for *you*. Hm..."
"Yeah?"
"It could work."
***
"We live in a fascist society," Dan announced at the noon rundown, which actually did start at noon. Dan had overslept and it showed in the scruffy five o'clock shadow he was currently wearing. Evidently, if Dan had limited time, he'd choose coffee over shaving.
"No, we don't," Kim replied.
"We do. We live in a society that dictates our lives. Our jobs, our clothes, our appearance." Dan levelled a glare at Dana. "Our facial hair."
"You're shaving after the rundown, Dan." Dana looked down at her notes. "Now, about the US Open-"
"I want to grow a goatee," Dan interrupted.
Dana sighed. "You're not growing a goatee."
"I want one. Just for the Olympics. It could be an Olympics special. Two weeks of facial hair." Dan pointed at Casey. "Casey could grow a beard."
Casey raised his hands in defence. "Leave me out of this. I'm perfectly happy with my smooth-cheeked, boyish good looks."
"Thanks for the support, man," Dan said, scowling at him before turning back to Dana. "I still want to grow a goatee."
"Daniel?" Dana asked sweetly. "If you try to grow a goatee over the next two weeks, I am going to personally make sure that you do the soccer play-by-play coverage. For every game."
"Fine." Dan sunk down in his chair. "But after the Olympics, I'm taking a week off and growing a goatee. You'll see how good it looks and then you'll regret not letting me grow one for the Olympics."
"I doubt that," Dana said sarcastically.
"I'll take a week off and I'll grow it!"
"Go ahead."
"In two weeks time," Dan announced, "I am going to grow a goatee."
"Hope that works out for you." Dana stopped, obviously realising what she'd just said. Then she caught Casey's eye and they both started sniggering.
Dan's brows lowered in concentration as he looked from Dana to Casey speculatively. "I'm still growing my goatee," Dan said suspiciously.
***
"Dana's upset about the mascot."
He stopped typing and found Eliot standing in the doorway. Casey shared a quizzical glance with Dan and then asked the age old question. "What?"
"She's upset about the mascot."
"Why?"
"It's an eel," Eliot replied.
"So?"
"It upsets her."
"How could you tell?" Dan asked snidely, now cleanly shaved. He was still sulking over the threat of soccer coverage. Casey suspected that disappointed pout would be making a guest appearance in tonight's 'I dream of Danny' special.
Eliot grinned. "I think the people in graphics are trying to use the shredder for ritual suicide as we speak."
Dan snickered. "Dana's being her usual charming, diplomatic self?"
"Hey," Casey objected. "Dana can be charming."
"She can't be diplomatic," Dan replied in an amused tone and Eliot nodded sagely.
"That's part of her charm."
Danny shot him a fast look. "Well, maybe you should go tell our charming producer to stop freaking out about the eel?"
Casey sighed, feeling like he'd drawn the short straw when he wasn't looking. "The goatee really wouldn't suit you, you know."
Danny flicked his wrist at him. "Go away."
"She's in her office?" Casey asked as he stood up. Eliot nodded.
***
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-05-20 10:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-20 11:59 pm (UTC)Me, too. *snuggles Dana*
But then again, you already knew I was a total Dana fangirl, didn't you? *g*
no subject
Date: 2004-05-21 12:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-21 12:20 am (UTC)squeee!
Date: 2004-05-21 03:48 am (UTC)I logged on special this morning because I knew this would be waiting for me. Sometimes I absolutely adore having friends on the other side of the world.
again with the squeee.
Re: squeee!
Date: 2004-05-21 09:22 pm (UTC)You know, I had to go back and check the entry. But, yeah, that's the frown/pout. He just does it so well.
I logged on special this morning because I knew this would be waiting for me. Sometimes I absolutely adore having friends on the other side of the world.
*beams*
*feels all cosy*
no subject
Date: 2004-05-21 04:17 am (UTC)An eel?
no subject
Date: 2004-05-21 09:13 pm (UTC)I'll figure out a way for this to logically work.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-21 05:56 am (UTC)Poor, sweet Danny. If he was 'wondrously optimistic' in 2000, he must've been having a really shite time over the past few years ...
In the broad scheme of things, over-reacting to a kiss wasn't too farfetched. In fact, it made far more sense that he was just blowing this way out of proportion. - *glares at Casey* Don't you even think about rationalising this out of existence, young man! In between Danny being heroically self-sacrificing and you trying to explain it away, the two of you are never going to get around to the gay homosexual lovin' ...
... oh, I'm shouting at an imaginary person. Sorry.
There should be a set reaction for someone telling you they're gay - there is. It's "Hurrah!"
Casey suspected that disappointed pout would be making a guest appearance in tonight's 'I dream of Danny' special - I'd put money on it.
The goatee really wouldn't suit you, you know - it would, so. (See icon.) Cute. Hot.
Gay.Nitpick of the day - 'Blaze' should be 'blase' I think. With an acute accent over the 'e', if you know how to do that in here, which I don't.
An eel???
no subject
Date: 2004-05-21 09:09 pm (UTC)*rolls eyes*
No. It was... oh, whoever sang "Strawberry Kisses" and... the song fromt he second Jungle Book? Young blonde thing, who was about 14-15 in 2000. Maybe younger. She wore a pale dress, and sung really well.
Man, can we tell the opening ceremony is the only bit of the 2000 olympics I actually saw? (And I wasn't too impressed...)
Poor, sweet Danny. If he was 'wondrously optimistic' in 2000, he must've been having a really shite time over the past few years ...
*chuckles* Well, yeah. I think he'd be unhappy.
*glares at Casey* Don't you even think about rationalising this out of existence, young man! In between Danny being heroically self-sacrificing and you trying to explain it away, the two of you are never going to get around to the gay homosexual lovin' ...
... oh, I'm shouting at an imaginary person. Sorry.
Bwahahahahaa! They'll get there. I promise. *tries to look trustworthy*
There should be a set reaction for someone telling you they're gay - there is. It's "Hurrah!"
Hee!
["Hey, Dan?"
Dan looked up from his script. "Yeah?"
Casey took a deep breath and then forced himself to meet Dan's eyes. "I'm gay."
"Hurrah!"]
Casey suspected that disappointed pout would be making a guest appearance in tonight's 'I dream of Danny' special - I'd put money on it.
Oh yeah. That mouth...
The goatee really wouldn't suit you, you know - it would, so. (See icon.) Cute. Hot. Gay.
It freaks me out. Freaks. Me. Out. That icon is just...
*shakes head* I prefer the boy clean-shaven.
Nitpick of the day - 'Blaze' should be 'blase' I think. With an acute accent over the 'e', if you know how to do that in here, which I don't.
I knew that was wrong, but couldn't think of the right way to spell it.
An eel???
I need to do some research, but I think one of the three offical cartoon mascots was Eddie the Eel. There was also an echidna, and a platypus.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-22 03:56 am (UTC)["Hey, Dan?"
Dan looked up from his script. "Yeah?"
Casey took a deep breath and then forced himself to meet Dan's eyes. "I'm gay."
"Hurrah!"]
Well, if (heaven forbid) you get writer's block before you finish, there you have it: instant happy ending.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-22 08:49 pm (UTC)Echinacea. *grins at the thought of sweet, dental hygeine mad, hypocondriac Sam*
Well, if (heaven forbid) you get writer's block before you finish, there you have it: instant happy ending.
*sniggers*
no subject
Date: 2004-05-21 09:21 am (UTC)1. This story could be summarized as: "Danny is a liar, but it's Casey's pants that are on fire." Me=12, heee!
2. Why hasn't Dana put 2+2 together? Natalie knows Dan has kissed guys, and doesn't Dana know what Natalie knows? Did Dan tell Natalie (as Casey assumed), or is Natalie just Clue!Girl?
no subject
Date: 2004-05-21 09:01 pm (UTC)*cracks up* If I get stuck for a story summary, I'm stealing that.
Did Dan tell Natalie (as Casey assumed), or is Natalie just Clue!Girl?
I'm answering this out of order to get my thoughts to make sense.
Dan must have told her, I think. I mean, once Natalie gets a bee in her bonnet, she tends to stick to it. She spent most of S1 trying to get Casey and Dana together. (Now, as a slasher, but even just as a fan of the show, I don't think Dana and Casey actually make a good romantic pairing. However, Natalie was fully convinced that they'd be perfect together, and really didn't stop pushing/supporting the pairing until S2, when the 6 month dating plan blew up in Dana's face.)
I think if anyone was going to notice sexuality, it would probably be Kim, who's portrayed as a very sexual woman (and very open about it). Jeremy's smart, but Jeremy doesn't notice signals.
Natalie knows Dan has kissed guys, and doesn't Dana know what Natalie knows?
Despite Natalie being a gossip, I think she'd be cluey enough to *know* it was a really bad idea to spread that knowledge about Dan. If she'd been sober, I doubt she would have.
I'm working on the assumption that Natalie wouldn't have told other people about it, and that Dana was drunk enough that she doesn't quite remember the comment about Dan.
Why hasn't Dana put 2+2 together?
Alternatively, Dana is a brilliant producer, but when it comes to personal feelings, she doesn't seem to trust her own hunches. Or, not enough. She *knew* that Casey's attraction to her in S1 was just his way of coping iwth the divorce (she makes comments that he's acted like this before, in LA, Dallas and college, that he flirts with her when his life is spinning out of control and then when it's okay again, he stops. He makes her think that he cares, when he actually doesn't), and yet, because everyone in the office, especially Natalie, was telling her that she should go for him, she kinda did.
Total side note, but I think that was why she came up with the 6 month dating plan. It basically forced Casey to get his act together and start dating, and once he got his confidence back, he basically told Dana that he didn't want to see her any more. Certainly, it would have been easier on Dana to just refuse Casey at the start, but she got confused.
Oh, anyway. Dana isn't as cluey or as confident when it comes to personal feelings. It's not that she's stupid, it's just that she has no faith in herself romantically. She does the right thing by people, she cares about them absolutely, but like Casey, she has a great capacity for self-deception. (If it hadn't been for Gordon breaking the engagement, she would have married him even though she found out that he cheated on her, even though he didn't value her career at all, even though the type of "good girlfriend" he wanted wasn't who Dana was. But she would have gone through with it, because she's 33, and she would have talked herself into loving him.)
I think Dana could possibly deal with the idea of Casey having personal doubts (I don't think she'd really believe he was gay. Not *really*.) but I don't think she'd ever put Casey (who she was once interested in) and Dan (who fell head over heels in love with Rebecca and got his heart broken, who's known as someone who has no trouble getting women) together in a sexual sense.
Her basic understanding of them is as two straight, sports-loving guys. I think she'd really need to be presented with the evidence before she believed it. (Much like the whole Gordon cheating thing: even though Natalie told her, Dana didn't believe it until Gordon himself confirmed it.)
Hmmm... does that make sense?
no subject
Date: 2004-05-21 01:22 pm (UTC)Can't wait for the next bit!
no subject
Date: 2004-05-21 08:01 pm (UTC)The voices are perfect, and the mixture of canon stuff like the goatee with Casey's little sexual wake up call is amazing.
As I was just mentioning to
I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Canon virgin question
Date: 2004-05-21 01:23 pm (UTC)I haven't seen the show yet, so my impressions are purely fanonical. I thought Dan is a few years younger than Casey, went to Dartmouth while Casey went to college in Texas or some such place, and that they met in Texas after Dan was out of college.
Re: Canon virgin question
Date: 2004-05-21 07:58 pm (UTC)Okay, what do we know about them canonically?
Danny:
- Went to Dartmouth
- Grew up either in Connecticut or New York (depending on which ep reference you believe)
- His younger brother died the day Dan left for college. As that happened exactly 11 years before the second ep of S1, we know Danny's 28
- Has known Casey for 10 years in S1, so would have met him during his second year in college.
Casey:
- He's serious about his alma mater's football team, but we haven't had an alma mater stated. He does, however, wear a "Wyoming University" sweatshirt during a scene in S2, so it's a logical assumption he went there.
- He met Dana and his ex-wife Lisa at college (and they've known each other 15 years, so I think it was second year). Not sure if you know, but he was married to Lisa for ten years before they divorced. In S1, his son Charlie is 9 (So was born when Casey was 24).
- Assuming he was in the same class as Dana, he's 33 in S1 (as Dana states she's a 33 year old executive producer in "Thespis"). Hence, he's five years older than Dan.
*thinks* What am I missing...
Careers.
Casey and Dana worked together in LA.
Casey was considered as a new host for the "Late Night Show" (Conan O'Brien), but choose to take a new job at "Lone Star Sports" in Dallas, Texas instead, because he'd be working with Dan. (Needless to say, Lisa was unhappy, and Casey states in "Thespis" that was the start of the end for him and Lisa.)
Dan, Casey and Dana worked at Lone Star Sports (a regional sports show, according to Dan) for about 2 and half years, and then got their jobs at Sports Night (national). S1 starts with them having worked there for a bit over two years.
So, as this fic is set a couple months after S2, Danny and Casey have worked together for over six years.
As you can see, I'm a bit of a canon junkie (I make notes whenever I convince friends to screen eps of SN *g*), so if there's anything else you were curious about, ask me and we'll find out if I know the answer.
Re: Canon virgin question
Date: 2004-05-22 09:18 am (UTC)Re: Canon virgin question
Date: 2004-05-22 08:56 pm (UTC)I have no idea canonically *how* they met, but I do just know the vague timeframe. Personally, I follow the idea that other fics have suggested: that Casey was working at a small/local station at the time and just met through co-incidence at a party as friends of friends.
Of course, there's also a fic that offers the theory that Dan could have studied one semester in LA and maybe boarded with Casey, which is a lovely idea too.
Or another commonly offered suggestion is that they met covering the same sport (Dan for the college paper, and Casey for whatever station he was working for at the time).