Ship Love (In Celebration of Fandom Love Day)

[dipenates]

Apparently it's Fandom Love Day, and I ganked this celebratory meme from lusciousxander , despite the fact that I'm still not entirely sure whether I am, in fact, a shipper. 

Fave Ship: Dan Rydell / Casey McCall.

Canon Scene: My favorite moment between Casey and Danny, in a show absolutely full of Ho Yay, is the pause at the end of Dan's apology in 1.02 "Apology". Dan is forced by the show to apologise for a comment he made in a magazine interview, which suggested that he was not entirely in line with the policy behind the War on Drugs. He apologises to his brother Sam, who was killed while driving a car drunk and stoned, for the bad example he set in smoking so much dope.

After Dan finishes talking, Casey moves in, and reaches out to him, but then cuts himself off and goes back to talking about the Starland Vocal Band, which they had been discussing earlier. It's a tiny moment, but I like Casey's understanding that Dan couldn't bear his sympathy, or his touch, and the way that he metaphorically lets Dan lean on their banter as a way of making it through the next few minutes. (It is possible that I have overthought this.)

Honourable mention: 2.19 "April is the Cruelest Month".

CASEY: Anyway, I saw this guy... at my video store, and I started thinking.
DAN: What?
CASEY: That I wouldn't trade the last 10 years working with you for anything. Not for anything, Danny, I swear to God.

Fic Moment: Admit Impediment, by phoebesmum , which is my best hope for them. They're together, but closeted, and preparing for a wedding at which they will have to pretend not to be a couple. I've read a lot of other fic in which things turn out better, with extravagant declarations of love and public passion, but given that the sports world is more like this than it is like this, I feel like that is something out of their grasp.

(Bonus fic moment: In chasing down 'Adult Impediment' in my bookmarks, I re-read Mother's Little Helper, also by phoebesmum , which is a heartbreaking piece of Danny backstory.)

Wish Fic: For any at all, really.

Comments

[phoebesmum.livejournal.com]

Aw. I was coming in to comment - basically just to say "what she said" - and when I got under the cut I saw the rest of it. Thank you! That's improved my day enormously.

Admit Impediment was almost the first Sports Night fic I wrote - prior to that there were a few drabbles, a bit of pre-canon Family Rydell and an A/U - so it's lovely to know that someone remembers it.

[dipenates.livejournal.com]

You are so welcome. I'm full of regret that I wasn't around during the high-point of SN fandom, but there's so much still in archives and LJs that is full of loveliness. Your fic is a major part of my SN fandom experience.

[tiny-increments.livejournal.com]

You are totally not over-thinking the end of "The Apology" -- it's such a telling scene about Dan and Casey's relationship. Casey knew that Dan wouldn't need to talk about it any more and so didn't press him on the issue of Sam. When they're ready to have the talk, they'll have it. Friends or lovers - Dan and Casey are what every person should want for companionship.

[dipenates.livejournal.com]

Do you read it that Casey already knows, or that Casey is hearing all of this for the first time.

My reading has always been that Casey already knows, but I don't think there's anything in canon to support it.

[tiny-increments.livejournal.com]

I think he knew that Sam had died and that Dan had a past with drugs, but was maybe hearing some of the details laid out in a story for the first time.

[dipenates.livejournal.com]

Mmm, this makes total sense. I feel the slight urge to write fic about this.

[tiny-increments.livejournal.com]

Do it! There is always room for more SN fic.