They Say What They Say

And thus my (belated) first contribution to china_shop's Fandom Appreciation Week challenge. Today's task is to rec five challenge fics. Therefore...

Sports Night
Chimera by phoebesmum: Written for the sn100 Silver/Gold challenge, this drabble turned into a ficlet and gave us Muppets, Dan never picking the right girl, and Casey wondering who really is right for his partner. Hilary always plumbs the inner depths of our boys so beautifully, and this is no exception, with the added fun of a cameo by one of Josh Charles' former co-stars.

The Sensational Truth by out_there: Written for fandompoolside's "Choose you own adventure" challenge, Casey is spotted by the tabloids with a mystery woman and Danny is none-too-pleased. I remember when Annie was writing this and it was great fun voting on what would happen next. And as usual her Sorkinese is just so wonderful you can almost imagine it being an actual episode of the show, except for the whole gay subtext being more actual 'text' than 'sub'.

due South
Dancing Bear by lamardeuse: an AU written for the ds_flashfiction Summer of 79 challenge, I love this fic so much and just about die each time I read it. A wonderful story of unexpected love and longing, teen-aged Ben Fraser and Ray Kowalski meet when they both take summer jobs at a Canadian holiday resort, and along the way they both learn more about themselves as they teach each other how to dance.

Beauty in the Breakdown by visionshadows (Zillah): This was my favourite offering from last year's ds_seekritsanta challenge, a beautifully written and very understated fic that just oozes with emotion. Post Call of the Wild, Fraser and Ray Kowalski are together in every way except geographically. Once evey three months they meet up in Vancouver for four days, where they work on not letting the distance get to them and Fraser takes a final step toward freedom.

My life as a Dog/Buried on Sunday Crossover
Chansons de marin by aukestrel: Anyone who has seen it will tell you that Johnny Johansson in My Life as a Dog is just the cutest of cute things on this planet, while Gus Knickel, Mayor of Solomon Gundy, minister and mini golf proprietor is way too hot to be a man of the cloth. And when Johnny and Gus meet unexpectedly in Ottawa, their attraction is instant and its not long before the sparks fly. Written for the Midsummer Skeerit Santa challenge last year, aukestrel once again proves why she is one of the better writers in any fandom with a beautifully constructed plot that combines both passion, longing and loss, plus the promise of bright new beginnings.