West Wing FF: In the Changing Seasons (Sam/Toby/Josh, R)

[black_eyedgirl]

Title: In the changing seasons
Fandom: The West Wing
Pairing: Toby/Sam/Josh, in all combinations thereof
Rating: Very much R, so be warned
Genre: Drama
Length: 4000 words
Disclaimer: All belongs to Sorkin and Wells.
Spoilers: Set four years post S7
Summary: "To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of

Comments

[hannahfmuk]

I really enjoyed this - the characterisations were wonderful and the mood you evoked between the guys was very moving. I think my favourite of the four was 'Summer' because I loved the idea of Toby finding it so easy to see Sam and Josh as little kids, and Sam promising Toby he would have liked him if they'd been at school together was perfection itself.

[black_eyedgirl]

:-) Thank you. Mood kind of got important in this one, so it's lovely that you pointed it out. And you know what? Summer is probably my least favourite of the four, because I was continually worried it was getting too sweet, so I'm *really* glad you liked it. Thanks again!

[raedbard]

I bloody LOVE this. It made me cry the first time I read it through and would have done again the second time had I not been here at work. I'm hand-to-god light-headed from the blood rush to my brain! And I think this is possibly my favourite of all the stories you've written maybe since 'End of A Missing Year' (which is not ever to be unseated as one of my favourite fics ever). But yeah. This also to make up for me not actually saying anything useful when you sent it to me ... *hangs head* but honestly, I don't think there was much of anything I could have pointed at really. Way too much is absolutely perfect

[raedbard]

'Summer' makes me grin. The ocean made Sam more fanciful than usual - all the way out of the marina the air had rung with odd hypotheticals. is *love*, Sam the Ponderer. :D And Sam and Josh the Bantering Brothers is also :D because they would so have been the sort of little lads that had a treehouse and a secret password and worried about essays and not being cool (Josh more than Sam *g*). I think 'adorable' is possibly the word I'm reaching for here. ;) I'm sitting in the corner with Toby, of course but that's the thing about them - you can't help loving them.

“I would have liked you in school,” Sam offered quietly. “You might have scared me a little, but I would have liked you.” It was a promise, as with everything Sam said to him. Sam did not need to pledge his love to Toby; he wrote it underneath every word he spoke.Yeah, again, no words. The language is beautiful and the voices perfect. I want to slap Toby a little for his pragmatism in the next sentence but this is one of the occasions that he's wrong and I agree with Sam. :)

[black_eyedgirl]

Okay, a word on structure... That it corresponds to the deepening and changing of the relationship between the three of them is all kinds of brilliant and smart, because it *adds* something, you know? It's not just an arbitrary breakdown ... Layers, baby. :)
Writerly crit :D It makes sense to me, kinda, that you would like this story best, because I think its the most consciously layered thing I've written in a while. Probably cause I had so long to think about it! I knew in my head for a while that there would be a Sam/Toby bit, then a Sam/Josh bit, then the *real* turning point which is the Toby/Josh, and then the sex... So I'm glad you think I pulled it off, because I really wasn't sure it was working in those last few read-throughs...

feeling *both* in danger of being replaced *and* later like he has a monopoly on Sam and unable to keep himself from showing that to Josh (“You’ll still be up.”//“Maybe not,”). I don't know if I'm reading all that right...
No, that was pretty much right!

absolutely correct for the three of them,

[inocciduous]

Just, wow. This is about three thousand kinds of intricate and layered and wonderful. I love the way you built up to the Josh/Toby. And really, I didn't think I'd buy that, because I never have without Sam there, but it's so believable and wonderful and Toby is so much ahead of Josh ... and I'm rambling.

There isn't much more that I can add that raedbard hasn't already said, other than that this is a wonderful and amazing story.

[black_eyedgirl]

This is about three thousand kinds of intricate and layered and wonderful.
Wow... thank you so much :-)

I get the not buying Josh/Toby easily, but there's a... a dynamic there that gets to me. Especially in S7 for some reason. But no, I don't think I'd ever start writing one without Sam around somewhere!

Thanks loads, and I'm really glad you enjoyed it

[moth2fic]

I've just read this, which I loved, plus two more of yours that I downloaded. So I'm not sure what came first! 15 things that never happened in the back of a movie theatre, and By morning won't exist.
I really enjoyed all of them. Thanks for writing. I liked the seasons one best - I enjoyed the way you described the seasons, but even more, I enjoyed the threesome, which is something I rarely readabout. So you surprised me, or made me surprise myself. I loved the bit about them being children and what they would have done. And I love the way you write these characters.

[black_eyedgirl]

Sorry I'm so late in replying to this!

I'm glad you enjoyed In the Changing Seasons - it's probably my favourite of the three you mentioned, partially because it's not my normal thing to write anymore than it's yours to read. But I liked doing it, so I might do some more now! Thank you so much for the feedback :-)

[anonymous]

Jesus, God!!! I found this late, but I really LOVED it.

I have a feeling I'm going to like alot of the writing here, but this was a wonderful start.

Thank you.

Beth