this entry is entirely fannish.
So, I guess WiP amnesty day was last week. I was kind of poking around at my old files earlier this week, completely unrelatedly, and I came across one thing I'm mildly sure I'm never going to finish. But I'm still going to hold onto it, at least for now.
Once upon a time, about a year ago, I really wanted to write a Sam/Will story based on Dar Williams' song "The Ocean." The problem is, the story wanted to go in a completely different direction than the song, and even though it wasn't a song fic, per se, I felt like the structure I wanted came from the song and throwing that away would leave me writing a completely different story. Which, you know, is kind of true. Plus, depending on which way you choose to interpret the lyrics and Sam and Will's relationshp, the story could put either guy on either end of the song and still make sense and remain true to their history. And I couldn't decide which way I liked it better.
Anyway, for those reasons, I think it will never, ever be finished. But still, although I like to share my WiP with people who are curious about them, I hate to throw them out to anyone because... I don't know. I like them. I like to keep them close, which is probably a stupidly selfish thing to say but... you know. Whatever.
Here's a bit of what I had written, though.
It was a narrow little strip of beach, cut off from the public beach to the left and the rough, rocky area to the right. Sam liked it best, of all the lonely haunts within walking distance of the mattress factory. He liked the mattress factory. He liked the idea of doing this the hard way, doing this so it hurt, doing it the way Will had done it. He didn't really want an office and he didn't really want the best in the business. He wanted Will and Elsie. He wanted...
He didn't know what he wanted. He wanted a reprieve. He wanted to be in the thick of it. He wanted to be back in Washington. He wanted to be here, doing this. He wanted a million contradictory things that made his head spin and made him think he was too old for this.
Mostly, though, he wanted to understand why his stomach bottomed out when Will Bailey looked at him. Why the soft, gentle kisses they had shared almost by accident were enough to keep him up at night. Why this fierce genius was stuck running races he could never win, but managed to win anyway. Why Will wasn't in Washington, making a difference. That was where he belonged, not running thankless races that no one cared about.
What he really wanted to know was why and when Will Bailey became important to him. He didn't believe in love at first sight, but he did believe in something like destiny, and while he didn't believe that Will won the race for him, he couldn't help but remember Will's half-smile and breathless laugh when he whispered at the airport, Well, then, I'll have to make sure you have a reason to come back.
So, yeah, there's not too much more than that. It's really a story that I've outline at least a dozen times, if not told outright. Wilde wins the race, Sam runs, Will goes back to Washington, they carry on a dangerous cross-country relationship, etc. I wasn't sure if I was going to have Sam win or not. I was taking it one of two ways, one of which I liked slightly more than the other. First there was the "Sam loses" route, in which... you know, Sam loses the race, disappears, gets in contact with Will months later and feels like he's been a disgrace. Will thwaps him and says, "No you idiot, you're clearly just too good for Congress. Now come back and let's have make-up sex!"
Route two was something new. Sam does some dirty dealing to help win the race and is so very happy he's got his house seat, but his less-than-stellar ways of getting ahead do not make for a happy Deputy Communications Director.
That ending would be more angsty, of course. I was kind of digging it.
But this is totally never going to get written, so it's all pointless anyway.
***
In Stop'n'Shop (aside: apparently it's Stop&Shop? You learn something new every day. I think I will always call it Stop-letter n- Shop. It's just cooler to look at than Stop-ampersand-Shop, I feel.), Alex and I detailed the ways that Lorne would be the perfect date to your eighth grade social. He would totally blush and stammer when he asked you out, even though he sat next to you in biology all year and made ridiculous jokes about the teacher's toupee with you. But he'd be entirely too nervous about the whole dance thing, which you would think is cute. He'd then ask you all sorts of questions about the color of your dress and if you want to go for pizza beforehand, mostly because his mom would prompt him each morning so he could order flowers with his allowance money. He'd show up at your house in his cute little suit and tie and he'd bring you both flowers and a wristlet, and be totally sweet and sincere when your dad joked about getting you home for curfew. In all of the millions of pictures your mom and dad would take before his mom drove you to the dance, he'd look kind of nervous about the whole thing, but hopeful too, because, wow, you're actually going to the dance with him and that is so cool.
And he'd slow dance with you, of course, because his little sister made sure to teach him before he left. At the end of the night, when his mom dropped you off at home, he'd walk to the door with you and kiss your cheek and say hopefully that maybe you could go to the movies together next weekend and that he'd see you in biology on Monday morning.
Anyway. I'm glad that we talked about that while we were buying pasta.
We also re-watched "Childhood's End" while eating said pasta and literally could not stop laughing about the following two things:
1. Rodney and small children
2. How much Keras kept STARING AT SHEPPARD'S ASS. And being in love with him. Seriously, if there was a drinking game for that episode that included the rule "take a drink every time Keras stares lustfully at Sheppard," the bottle of vodka in my freezer would be EMPTY.
Also, I nearly spit iced tea all over the living room at the line, "Of course it's not the same. Veal is delicious." I DON'T KNOW WHY. I swear I didn't find it that funny the first two times I saw the episode. I'm so glad I have a roommate who allows me to then stop and rewind once I've gotten myself under control.
Anyway. I'm going to maybe get some sleep or maybe study some Latin. We will see.
(Also, I feel that "john sheppard: perpetually stoned" is an appropriate icon. Because. He is. It's canon. [In that way that I sometimes randomly decide things are canon.])
Once upon a time, about a year ago, I really wanted to write a Sam/Will story based on Dar Williams' song "The Ocean." The problem is, the story wanted to go in a completely different direction than the song, and even though it wasn't a song fic, per se, I felt like the structure I wanted came from the song and throwing that away would leave me writing a completely different story. Which, you know, is kind of true. Plus, depending on which way you choose to interpret the lyrics and Sam and Will's relationshp, the story could put either guy on either end of the song and still make sense and remain true to their history. And I couldn't decide which way I liked it better.
Anyway, for those reasons, I think it will never, ever be finished. But still, although I like to share my WiP with people who are curious about them, I hate to throw them out to anyone because... I don't know. I like them. I like to keep them close, which is probably a stupidly selfish thing to say but... you know. Whatever.
Here's a bit of what I had written, though.
It was a narrow little strip of beach, cut off from the public beach to the left and the rough, rocky area to the right. Sam liked it best, of all the lonely haunts within walking distance of the mattress factory. He liked the mattress factory. He liked the idea of doing this the hard way, doing this so it hurt, doing it the way Will had done it. He didn't really want an office and he didn't really want the best in the business. He wanted Will and Elsie. He wanted...
He didn't know what he wanted. He wanted a reprieve. He wanted to be in the thick of it. He wanted to be back in Washington. He wanted to be here, doing this. He wanted a million contradictory things that made his head spin and made him think he was too old for this.
Mostly, though, he wanted to understand why his stomach bottomed out when Will Bailey looked at him. Why the soft, gentle kisses they had shared almost by accident were enough to keep him up at night. Why this fierce genius was stuck running races he could never win, but managed to win anyway. Why Will wasn't in Washington, making a difference. That was where he belonged, not running thankless races that no one cared about.
What he really wanted to know was why and when Will Bailey became important to him. He didn't believe in love at first sight, but he did believe in something like destiny, and while he didn't believe that Will won the race for him, he couldn't help but remember Will's half-smile and breathless laugh when he whispered at the airport, Well, then, I'll have to make sure you have a reason to come back.
So, yeah, there's not too much more than that. It's really a story that I've outline at least a dozen times, if not told outright. Wilde wins the race, Sam runs, Will goes back to Washington, they carry on a dangerous cross-country relationship, etc. I wasn't sure if I was going to have Sam win or not. I was taking it one of two ways, one of which I liked slightly more than the other. First there was the "Sam loses" route, in which... you know, Sam loses the race, disappears, gets in contact with Will months later and feels like he's been a disgrace. Will thwaps him and says, "No you idiot, you're clearly just too good for Congress. Now come back and let's have make-up sex!"
Route two was something new. Sam does some dirty dealing to help win the race and is so very happy he's got his house seat, but his less-than-stellar ways of getting ahead do not make for a happy Deputy Communications Director.
That ending would be more angsty, of course. I was kind of digging it.
But this is totally never going to get written, so it's all pointless anyway.
***
In Stop'n'Shop (aside: apparently it's Stop&Shop? You learn something new every day. I think I will always call it Stop-letter n- Shop. It's just cooler to look at than Stop-ampersand-Shop, I feel.), Alex and I detailed the ways that Lorne would be the perfect date to your eighth grade social. He would totally blush and stammer when he asked you out, even though he sat next to you in biology all year and made ridiculous jokes about the teacher's toupee with you. But he'd be entirely too nervous about the whole dance thing, which you would think is cute. He'd then ask you all sorts of questions about the color of your dress and if you want to go for pizza beforehand, mostly because his mom would prompt him each morning so he could order flowers with his allowance money. He'd show up at your house in his cute little suit and tie and he'd bring you both flowers and a wristlet, and be totally sweet and sincere when your dad joked about getting you home for curfew. In all of the millions of pictures your mom and dad would take before his mom drove you to the dance, he'd look kind of nervous about the whole thing, but hopeful too, because, wow, you're actually going to the dance with him and that is so cool.
And he'd slow dance with you, of course, because his little sister made sure to teach him before he left. At the end of the night, when his mom dropped you off at home, he'd walk to the door with you and kiss your cheek and say hopefully that maybe you could go to the movies together next weekend and that he'd see you in biology on Monday morning.
Anyway. I'm glad that we talked about that while we were buying pasta.
We also re-watched "Childhood's End" while eating said pasta and literally could not stop laughing about the following two things:
1. Rodney and small children
2. How much Keras kept STARING AT SHEPPARD'S ASS. And being in love with him. Seriously, if there was a drinking game for that episode that included the rule "take a drink every time Keras stares lustfully at Sheppard," the bottle of vodka in my freezer would be EMPTY.
Also, I nearly spit iced tea all over the living room at the line, "Of course it's not the same. Veal is delicious." I DON'T KNOW WHY. I swear I didn't find it that funny the first two times I saw the episode. I'm so glad I have a roommate who allows me to then stop and rewind once I've gotten myself under control.
Anyway. I'm going to maybe get some sleep or maybe study some Latin. We will see.
(Also, I feel that "john sheppard: perpetually stoned" is an appropriate icon. Because. He is. It's canon. [In that way that I sometimes randomly decide things are canon.])