Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey McCall/Dan Rydell
Author on LJ: villainny
Author Website: None known

Why this must be read: Dan's acting weird, Dana fears no-one likes her hair, Jeremy and Natalie may or may not be dating, and the vending machines are evil. Oh, and did I mention that Dan's acting weird? Because that, and the reason why, are really the crux of this story, all wrapped up in a sparkly bundle of Sorkinese so convincing you have to wonder whether Aaron got bored one day and … nah, probably not.

Split into three parts as the author posted it (it also links internally):

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

This is my last Sports Night rec for crack_van this time around. I hope people have read and enjoyed the stories, and will continue to do so in the future, and I hope to be back with another batch of recs at some later date. Many thanks to the crack_van mods for giving me the opportunity to rattle on about my favourite show and, possibly, with luck and a good tailwind, even introduce it to some new readers.

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey McCall/Dan Rydell
Author on LJ: cereal
Author Website: None known

Why this must be read: Post-takeover again, and after the boys have got their groove back; the network sends them out of town – why doesn't matter; there's a shared hotel room, a late night, some drinking, Casey being Casey, a lot of video games, and, at the end, some boykissage. It's fluff, the author says so herself, but sometimes fluff is what you need. It helps if it's really good fluff. And this is that.

Start Button

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey McCall/Dan Rydell
Author on LJ: paradise_city
Author Website: None known

Why this must be read: It's another post-series fic, another where the buyout and the new regime aren't enough for one or the other or both of the boys and where a decision has to be taken – and then another decision, because where one boy goes, the other will surely follow.

Won't he?

This is the only Sports Night fic by this author, but perhaps if you write one good fic that's all you ever need.

Manifest Destiny

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Natalie Hurley, Dan Rydell
Author on LJ: inlovewithnight
Author Website: Exaggeration and Blank Verse

Why this must be read: There are other relationships in the Sports Night universe, besides Casey/Dan, that are worth exploring from time to time. Dan and Natalie quite clearly share a close bond that could easily turn into something more. Here we're several years post-series, post-Sports Night, at Dana's wedding; but Dan is still the same Dan we know, sweet and gallant and fraying a little at the seams, while Natalie is, to a great extent, his female equivalent – except that, being a woman, she hides it better. This is an incisive look at our characters' future through the eyes of two of the most perceptive of them all. Oh, and it has a Springsteen title; that's just the cherry on the cake.

Waitin' on a Sunny Day

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey McCall/Dan Rydell
Author on LJ: mardia
Author Website: None known

Why this must be read: The author's own summary really says it all: " A fic comprised of seventeen connected drabbles.* The good, the bad, the sublime, and everything in between." The story's told from Casey's point of view, and sometimes Casey's point of view looks like this:

It starts with Dan asking for a pen, and Casey handing it to him. Their fingers tangle for a split-second, and Casey wonders if his fingers are supposed to feel so hot suddenly, if that spark that he felt can just be put down to static electricity.

It starts with that and it grows from there, until Casey is sneaking looks at Dan, Dan’s mouth, Dan’s hands, the half-inch of skin that appears when Dan twists and raises his arms above his head to stretch out his back.

Casey can’t stop looking.

Simply put: this is wonderful. Read it!

17: Both a Constant and Ever-Changing State

* [and snippets, and fragments, and ficlets]

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey McCall/Dan Rydell
Author on LJ: missdeviant
Author Website: None known

Why this must be read: The last rec I made on here was for a fic by torchthisnow. This fic is a companion piece to another of hers, Time Grabs You By The Wrist. That fic is from Dan Rydell's point of view: three times Casey McCall was the best friend anybody could have. This one tells Casey's side of the story. Through his eyes we see Dan as an almost unpleasantly cocky young intern, gradually learning what lies behind the brash façade; we get a glimpse of Casey's own life, his unhappy marriage, and how his friendship with Dan contributes to that; there's a brief, flurried bout of drunk, impossible, heartbreaking sex; and there's enduring friendship, seamed through with a rich vein of love.

On Christmas Eve, Casey learned about Sam and the accident. He listened to the words spill out of Danny's lips. As the thin sounds of Christmas carols floated over the porch, he wished that he could wrap his hands around Danny's heart, to mend what was broken.

Landlocked Blues

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey McCall/Dan Rydell
Author on LJ: torchthisnow
Author Website: None known

Why this must be read: Nothing lasts forever. In the final episode of Sports Night, the station is bought out by a rugged-jawed venture capitalist who, the implication is, will ensure the show's survival ad infinitum. But, as we all know, the real world doesn't work like that. Everything ends, and it's easy to take that fact and spin a bleak, dark story full of sadness. It's much more difficult to take the same fact and turn it into a beacon of hope for the future, but this is what torchthisnow has done here. Some of our characters have already moved on, some of them are still assessing their different circumstances, but all of them will survive; and all of them have at least the chance to be happy – even without Sports Night.

Which isn't the easiest thing in the world.

He’s glad, suddenly, so glad that they’re ending this together. It would all be so much worse if the show hadn’t been cancelled and it was just Casey’s last night, if the show had gone on without them as a team, a pair. Partners. They started it together and they’ll finish together, and it seems right and just.

Spin Another Line

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: CaseyMcCall/Dan Rydell
Author on LJ: leiascully
Author Website: No Parenthesis

Why this must be read: Last time I did a Sports Night selection for crack_van, I included leiascully's Casey McCall Alongside Dan Rydell, in which Casey gets in between Dan and his love life and has cause to regret it. In this, its companion piece, we see the aftermath of those events: the talk, the regret, and the reconciliation. The bare bones of the story shape a tale we've seen many times before in one form or another, but leiascully's skill as a writer sets this apart, and turns it into something as special and lovely as the author herself.

Dan Rydell Alongside Casey McCall

Title: Rooms by epigone
Pairing: Dan/Keller, Keller/OMC, Dan/Casey)
Author on LJ: likethesun2
Author Website: Finishing the Hat

Why this must be read: Sports Night has more than its fair share of lightweight, fluffy fics – which are fine in their own way, in the same way that desserts are fine in their own way … but you wouldn't want to live on them all the time. (Those of you who would: hush, now, and eat your greens, or you will get spots.) Much rarer in the fandom are good, meaty, dramatic fics, stories that you can get your figurative teeth into, and which will leave you satisfied for a long, long time after.

The introduction here of a character and some backstory from Oz, a show not noted for its fluff, goes a long way toward remedying this situation. Not every author could have made it work – but likethesun2 is not just any author; she's one of the best in whatever fandom she's currently writing.

Here a restless Dan Rydell goes looking for something to fill a void in his life; finds something more than he had bargained for; and comes altogether too close to not being able to regret it.

Rooms

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Gen; Characters: Casey McCall, Dan Rydell
Author on LJ: fahye
Author Website: None known

Why this must be read: One of the most striking things about Sports Night is the relationships – the deep fondness that the characters have for one another, the way that, snarky though they may be, every one of them supports and protects the others. Whether it's Dan and Casey, Natalie and Dana, Isaac and … well, everyone; whether you look for slash subtext or whether you don't, the deep, abiding love is there, and it's undeniable.

This is a gen piece, humorous in parts, serious in others, and the gifts that Casey gives to Dan are, by turns, thoughtful, generous, gently malicious, selfless, understanding and supportive. You could say the same about the characters themselves.

Five Gifts Casey McCall Has Given Dan Rydell

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey McCall, Dan Rydell
Author on LJ: soupytwist
Author Website: None known

Why this must be read: It's not listed in the credits, but the show would not be the same without it: New York is a vital part of what makes Sports Night - both our show, and the show within it – the thing we love. Dan loves it too, as well we know. Casey? Casey sometimes needs convincing. That's just one of the things that Dan's there to do for him.

A collection of vignettes, witty and warm and wise and filled with unforgettable images (Spamalot, opening night on Broadway, Dan and Casey in the audience and, at the other end of the scale, Dan and Casey on a sticky bus ride to nowhere much) and lines (Danny's grin was now such that the canary was probably toast, and even the dog was feeling kind of nervous) and, at one point, a half-hour spent defrosting Jeremy who had apparently risked too much in the name of quality toasted bagels. New York can be cold; but the boys know its warm, beating heart.

Some Time Spent in New York

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: None; Casey McCall, Isaac Jaffee, gen
Author on LJ: laylee
Author Website: None; fic archived in her LJ memories and on snarchive

Why this must be read: one of the things that lifts Sports Night out of the run-of-the-mill is its secret weapon: Isaac Jaffee. His is the formidable brain behind the show and, to a great extent, also its heart and its soul and its conscience. He runs his studio with an iron hand, always ready to smack down anyone who gets uppity – but at the same time he's strongly supportive of his people, and will fight the network tooth and nail for them. Hit by a stroke midway through season one, he comes back fighting, strong as ever. He's the surrogate father many of us dream of; the Sports Night crew are lucky enough to have him. Oh, and he has the world's most evil sense of humour.

Here, it's some time post-series, and Casey has left Sports Night to move to Chicago and head a show of his own. He's a little lonely, has lingering doubts and insecurities, and misses what he's left behind – but, luckily for him, there's help and advice just a phone call away, from a man who understands exactly how he's feeling.

This was written in December for the sn_holidays challenge. I don't, as a rule, rec challenge fics, on the grounds that they'll already have reached a wider audience than something posted only in the author's blog, but, since this was quite a teensy challenge – and since the fic itself is so damn good – I'm making an exception here.

Hangin' On the Telephone

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Gen: Casey, Dan
Author on LJ: callmesandy
Author Website: lowercasekcollected

Why this must be read: Generally when I recommend Sports Night fan fiction here, I prefer to choose newer material. Why? Because if you perform a Google search for the words "Sports Night" + "fan fiction" or "fanfic", probably the first site you'll hit is a recs page that apparently hasn't been updated since 2001. It's an excellent site, mind you, full of very useful links, those that still work, and it's not my intention to denigrate it, but still – there's a danger that the casual reader might be left with the impression that Sports Night fandom did not long outlast the ending of the series. A glance back over this month's recs, almost all of which were written within the last year and which represent a tiny fraction of the new fic being written, should be enough to show that that is manifestly untrue.

But there are older fics, too, that are a little harder to find and that slip between the cracks (oh, how I miss the Trickster Sports Night fan fiction archive!). This is one of them. It's by k, and it's a story of the days following Draft Day 2000 – words which are enough to make my slashy little heart beat a little bit faster. But this story isn't slash; it's not about sex. It's about love; about forgiveness, and reconciliation, and compassion. It's about the history of Dan and Casey and how their lives, their pasts and their presents and their futures, interweave one with the other. And it's quite unutterably beautiful. Besides … I like the song.

One hundred thousand times Danny had smiled at him. One hundred thousand times Danny had looked pissed at him. One hundred thousand times Danny had said his name. Meaning accumulates, Dana said all those years ago. He could hear her in his head. He had heard Danny saying that the people around here liked him, that he would've been great on Conan, that he should've been higher than 92. Six messages on his answering machines or voicemail on Saturday night saying sorry.

That's the last of my choices for this month's Sports Night guest appearance. I hope you've enjoy them; I hope you enjoy this. I hope that, if you've followed the links and read the fanfic, you've left the authors feedback to show your appreciation. And I hope to be back here with another batch of new and wonderful fic to share before too very long.

Time After Time

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey/Dan
Author on LJ: catwalksalone
Author Website: First You Show Up …

Why this must be read: catwalksalone is another of our very best writers, but for this round of recs, instead of picking one of her more conventional (for want of a better word) fics, I've chosen this wee moral tale in graphic novel form. Danny's putting on weight and jumps to conclusions. Casey thinks he's crazy … but he didn't reckon on the power of the internet. Wicked and hilarious, this almost reconciled me to mpreg. Almost.

SN GraFic: Oh Baby

Vidder: Ishaira
Musical artist: Tantric
Pairing: Casey McCall/Dan Rydell
Vidder on LJ: exitmusic__
Vidder's website: Underground (link below goes to the LJ entry for this vid)
Why this vid kicks ass: Short but sweet, this is 1 minute 18 seconds pretty much entirely given up to That Thing Dan Does With His Mouth. I can't think of a better use for the time.

Breakdown

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey/Dan
Author on LJ: sliver
Author Website: None known

Why this must be read: There are certain themes that recur throughout fandom, familiar and comfortable as an old sweater. Details vary, of course, and so does execution, but you know the story: it's the one where the two cops (or the two doctors or, this being SN, the two sports anchors) have worked together for years, almost live in one another's skins, but have never quite admitted their real feelings. And then, one day – oftentimes there is beer involved; in this case, there is beer and also Natalie – they do. You know it, and you love it, and you'll gladly read it again and again, because, however familiar the theme, each telling of it takes on the writer's own personality and becomes fresh and new and different. Here, sliver takes that story, adds imagery and banter and a glimpse into the depths of Danny's heart, and turns out something simply marvellous.

The blurry contentment Dan had managed to create slowly disintegrates into something else when it’s just the two of them left, something he can’t identify in his hazy state. The bar is smoky and crowded, and they sit close enough to occasionally touch, casual brushes of knees and skin. Dan feels himself flush, not from embarrassment or from the heat of the room, but from something else entirely: want. Putting a name to the feeling is jarring, and he shifts uncomfortably in his seat, before excusing himself to go the bathroom. So much for moving on, he thinks.

Good Morning

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey/Dan
Author on LJ: lordessrenegade
Author Website: cosmic debris

Why this must be read: It's subtitled Five Times Dan Rydell Doesn't Cry, and doesn't that say it all? On the surface Dan appears to be bright, sharp, witty, clever, capable, strong and loving and, in fact, he is all of those things. But there's something inside of him that's broken, something that he's spent all his life hiding, and any time his mask slips our hearts go out to him. These five drabbles centre around Dan's brother, his father, Casey McCall, his boss, and an ending, and fans of the show will need no further explanation. And fans of lordessrenegade's writing will need no better reason.

"I'll be on Friday, at six," he said instead, and knew that his father wouldn't watch.

Boys Don't Cry (except when they do)

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey/Dan
Author on LJ: scout_kent
Author Website: None known

Why this must be read: Because sometimes you need porn. You need Dan, hot and sweaty and shirtless; you need Casey, unable to tear his eyes away from him. You need fumbling, urgent, first-time kisses, and frantic, thrusting, needy sex. And you need them laced through with love and tenderness and passion and desire. When you need those things, then this is the fic for you.

Dan smirks a little, and reaches up to remove his shirt. Casey smacks his hand away. "No. Stay still. Don't move." Dan drops his arms back down to his side, and Casey slowly slides the shirt off his shoulders and lets it drop to the floor.

The sun is slanting through a high window in the shed, bathing Dan's body in light and leaving his face shadowed. Casey just stares at him for a long moment, and Danny, clearly embarrassed, ducks his head but doesn't move. This strikes Casey as the hottest thing ever, and he wonders if Danny's always this obedient when he’s turned on.

Game Point

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: None; Casey, Dan, gen
Author on LJ: sarcasticsra
Author Website: None known

Why this must be read: Sports Night fandom, or at least the part of it that writes fic, is a fairly small and tight-knit community, boasting a few wonderful writers who turn out a consistently high standard of material. Every so often a new name arrives on the scene, and, when it does, it's always a cause for celebration. And, er, a certain amount of chanting of One of us! One of us! This is sarcasticsra's first and, so far, only SN fic: a mostly-dialogue piece of Casey-and-Dan banter that, for all its comparative brevity, captures the characters, their voices and their personalities quite beautifully. I hope it won't be the last we hear from her.

"I draw two conclusions from that. One, you fixate on random, meaningless pieces of information – "
"Everyone loves me because of that quality."
"Everyone loves you in spite of that quality."
"But you concede that everyone loves me."
Casey rolled his eyes.

The Antics of the Liberal Media

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey/Dan
Author on LJ: laylee
Author Website: N/A; fic is archived in her LJ memories

Why this must be read: I generally choose newer fics for these recs, but this goes back to the glory days of the second wave of SN fandom, after the DVD set had been released and the show started to air outside the USA, and when laylee was one of a small group of writers posting new fic on a regular basis.

This story gives us Dan and Casey settled and happy in a established, loving relationship; we see Dan through Casey's eyes as they share bathroom space, go out to ball games, go clubbing (Dan dances; Casey watches), conspire to get Charlie away from Lisa for a vacation, and as a news story rocks Dan's world and turns it briefly dark. But, overall, as the title says – it's a wonderful life. And this is a wonderful, wonderful story.

laylee still turns out the occasional, always excellent, SN fic, and also finds time to maintain snarchive; I recommend checking both out.

Casey is asked to sign as well but it's Danny who basks in the afterglow of recognition for the remainder of the day. Casey knows Danny loves the attention. He will pretend to blow it off as nothing, but really he loves it. It makes him feel needed and appreciated and loved. Casey wants to point out that he needs and appreciates and loves him but Danny knows that already. It's the rest of the world he's unsure about.

It's a Wonderful Life

Title: Bright Lights Big City by inlovewithnight
Pairing: Kevin Walker/Dan Rydell
Author on LJ: inlovewithnight
Author Website: Exaggeration and Blank Verse

Why this must be read:

There has been so much wonderful new Sports Night fiction written in the past few years that choosing just twelve recs in a month is always a weighty – though welcome – task. And crossovers, for some reason, have been coming thick and fast lately. I've come to the conclusion that Sports Night (and specifically Dan Rydell) is one of fandom's little black dresses: suitable for every occasion, and goes with everything.

I have to admit that I know nothing at all about Brothers and Sisters - until I found this fic, which came about via a convoluted process involving Google alerts and, well, stalking, I don't believe I'd ever heard of it at all – and so I can't speak for the accuracy of the Kevin characterisation. The feedback the story's already received does that for me though and, if it's anything near as good as the Danny characterisation, then we can rest assured that it's pitch-perfect. This is an older, slightly harder, post-series Dan, screwed over by the network and potentially facing the end of his career, but still open and giving, kind and warm and sweet - and sexy as hell.

Apparently Rydell had covered enough defeats in sporting events to recognize a total loss when he was in the middle of one. Kevin had to approve of the way he was taking it. Dignity intact, at least.

He also approved of Rydell’s cheekbones, and his eyes, and the way he wore his suit, but that was neither here nor there and Kevin was really supposed to be learning about screwing a guy out of his contract, not thinking about any other form of screwing whatsoever. Not on the company’s time.

But company time ended at six …

Bright Lights Big City

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Gen, Casey McCall pov
Author on LJ: 2ndary_author
Author Website: N/A

Why this must be read: it's a series of linked ficlets from Casey's POV, giving us insights into his marriage, his work, his colleagues, his thoughts and his feelings. It's an unusually sympathetic and perceptive depiction of – arguably - Sports Night's most private and complicated character that permits us also equally well-rounded glimpses of the rest of the cast, along with the occasional flash of humour:

“Wow,” Dan said quietly, watching Monica walk away with his suit. “You got played.”
“I did not get played. The fact that Monica made a point, which I will take into consideration —”
“Hey, Dave?” Dan called “It sounded to me like Casey just got played, but I’m willing to hear another point of view … your thoughts on the matter?”
“In my studied opinion, Casey got played like a concerto,” the technical director smiled without even looking up from the camera.
At that point, Will wandered in with a clipboard of specs, which he started reading off, rapid-fire, to Dave.
“Uh, Will,” Dan interrupted. Casey growled. “Pay him no mind,” Dan added when Will shot Casey an alarmed look. “Did you hear any of what just happened?”
“Sorry; all I heard was the part where Casey got played. After that I kind of stopped listening,” Will said with a shrug.

And it would take a heart of stone to withstand Dan decorating Casey's fridge for him. With a special space for Charlie's stuff.

Home Truths

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey McCall/Dan Rydell – gen with some pre-slash undertones
Author on LJ: likethesun2
Author Website: Finishing the Hat

Why this must be read: because epigone is a truly marvellous writer. It's as simple – and as wonderful – as that. And this is as near to perfect Dan and Casey as any of us who are not Aaron Sorkin can ever hope to achieve.

Casey’s pushing thirty and still, every time he sees another faraway city, he believes it’s Mecca. Dan just turned twenty-six, and somewhere in their endless westward migration toward California gold he stopped being the baby of every office. Now there are techs and assistants and rising stars still working on their undergraduate degrees, and he’s not one of them. Not being the baby any more means not being the boy wonder; it means feeling tired and cynical and ended, some nights, when he stares into the black hole of the camera. Not being the baby any more means not really being anyone.

Scenes From a Route

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey McCall/Dan Rydell
Author on LJ: hyperfocused
Author Website: Hyperfocused: Poetry, Fics and Random Obsessions

Why this must be read: hyperfocused is, to my mind, and I hope she won't mind my saying so, typical of a certain breed of SN fan writers – I don't know whether the same sort of thing applies across other fandoms: she consistently turns out good, tight, enjoyable stories which somehow seem to pass slightly under the fannish radar and never quite receive the praise they deserve. In fact, I was all set to rec something more recent when, checking the crack_van memories, I discovered to my surprise that this, which is my favourite of hers (to date!), hadn't previously been listed. And so I'm making haste to rectify that omission. As for why I like it: I love the imagery of the boys, adrift in the uncertainties of a new, changed relationship, aimlessly riding a night train to nowhere; the changing points of view, the glimpses of the two of them through one another's eyes; the deft, lyrical touches scattered throughout; and, um, the boys having veryhotsex in an alleyway …

He was a work of art, like they hadn't seen at the MOMA, and Dan was having a Casey McCall renaissance.

Journeymen

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey McCall, Dan Rydell; Dan/other
Author on LJ: leiascully
Author Website: No Parenthesis

Why this must be read: leiascully's first foray into Sports Night fanfic (And We Are All Together, which I recced here back in November) became an instant classic, and quite rightly so. The question was, would – could – the second fic be as good? Would there, since she more usually writes House fanfic, even be a second fic? The answers, in reverse order, are yes, there would; and yes. It is. What makes it even better? leiascully, who turns out to be as dear a person as she is good a writer, wrote it for me, and I treasure it more than I can say. Gifts only grow with the sharing: enjoy it, as I did.

"I'm not gonna judge you, I just thought I knew you. I thought...I thought I knew you."

Danny's smile was bitter, more of a grimace, and looking at it was like touching broken glass. "Guess not." His face was like a steel vault door, an unbroachable blankness slammed down over something precious.

Casey McCall Alongside Dan Rydell

"I'm getting the call? I still don't know what that means."

I got the call to rec Sports Night as a small fandom for April on 1 April, a day of many a strange email. I had nothing prepared but, luckily, I've been keeping track in my memories of all the SN fic posted so far this year (for the record: around 160 entries, including drabbles, snippets and commentfic), so it's not as though I didn't have resources to draw on. And so, with my usual ineffable logic, I went back to late last year and chose this:

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey McCall, Dan Rydell
Author on LJ: quiesce
Author Website: N/A

Why this must be read: quiesce has been one of Sports Night's more prolific writers over the past few months. So, out of all her work, why've I picked this unseasonal Christmas ficlet for my first rec? Because it gives us an almost unique Casey/Dan point of view. Most SN fic is placed during series canon, or at most a few years after to bring it up to the present, with a substantial body of pre-canon, but this ficlet of quiesce's, and the ones she's written in the same universe, are almost the only future –far future – fic I know. (I am not forgetting Em Brunson's The Lake, to which I don't have a working and publicly viewable link.) Many of us write first-time fics, had-sex-by-accident fics, casual-encounter fics; few of us write the boys in an established relationship, still less one that's lasted fifty-odd years. quiesce does, and she makes it believable, and lovely. And the boys, forty years on, are still the boys we know and love: bantering, quirky, snarky, and adorable.

There's a link in the header of this fic that will take you back to the first story in this series, and check out also the ficfor1000 story in the same universe.

Traditions New and Old

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey/Dan - and a surprise
Author on LJ: cora_blue
Author Website: N/A

Why this must be read: Dan's in charge of the Sports Night staff Christmas party. And it's the best party ever. There are costumes (Natalie slid her legs apart and held her arms straight out from her sides. “I’m the star of Bethlehem!” she said, as though that should be obvious); there's dreadful music (Dana would have bet money that you couldn’t dance to Frosty the Snowman, but she would have been wrong); the booze is flowing like ... like booze at a really, really good party (Dana took a sip of the punch and promptly spat it back into the cup. There was enough vodka in there to kill a Russian horse). But who is Dana's Secret Santa? And who is kissing Santa Claus?

Also, how many fanfics do you see these days that reference Damon Runyan in their titles? Damn few, that's how many.

cora_blue has vanished from LJ now; she never used to post all that much, but I do miss her. Still, at least she left us with this before she went away.

Dancin' Dan's Christmas

This is my last rec for this month, and probably the last time Sports Night will be on crack_van for a while, so many thanks to the mods for the opportunity to pimp some of the wonderful fic the fandom's thrown up in the past 12 months. Lots more of it (speaking of pimping) can be found over at snarchive; popular rumour to the contrary, Sports Night fandom is alive, kicking, and writing like crazy. Go, read. And stick around.

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey/Dan
Author on LJ: thepurpleswitch
Author Website: and chimeras

Why this must be read: There's an element of self-indulgence in this: this is thepurpleswitch's contribution to this year's remixredux, and the story she based it on is one of mine (we ended up remixing one another, in fact; maybe next year there'll be more SN authors to go around. Or fewer. But that would be sad). It was interesting to me to see how another author could take a few words in common with some of mine and show all the other faces and facets potential in what was originally a pretty one-dimensional bit of fic. For everyone else? It's just a bloody good piece of writing. And as for the ending … good lord. I totally didn't see that coming!

Every Day a Little Death: The Killing Joke Remix

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey/Dan
Author on LJ: micehell
Author Website: N/A

Why this must be read: It's Valentine's Day; Dan's unhappy, Casey's an ass. So far, so standard. But then you get little tiny Dana and little tiny Lisa having a bitchfight on Casey's shoulders and kicking him with their pointy little shoes and suddenly you have something that's quite unique and special.

But we still hate Valentine's Day, just the same. And so does Danny.

Pieces

Vidder: gothams3rdrobin
Musical artist: The Feeling
Pairing: Casey McCall/Dan Rydell
Vidder on LJ: gothams3rdrobin
Vidder's website: Sammi's Webpage

Why this vid kicks ass: Because it's Casey and Dan, and their (canon! It really is!) love for one another. Set to music. By Sammi. Who did a bang-up job of it.

Link to Photobucket file: Never Be Lonely