"The most original thing a writer can do is write like himself. It is also the most difficult task." ~Robertson Davies
Updated 2/23/04
The West Wing
Recommendations
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All
Who Are Hungry by Jane St Clair
Sweet, drunken kisses between Josh and Sam. Yes, even though I'm
a diehard Josh/Donna shipper, I can see the sweetness of mooshy,
smoochy boys. (Slash) (V)
As
Chaste as Ice by Heather Jarman
Beautiful, sad story in which Josh contemplates Donna's betrayal,
and comes to a decision about their relationship. (V)
Back
to School by Jennifer
Cute fic in which Josh helps Donna overcome Math Anxiety. (V)
Beautiful
Ink by Jori
A lovely story about what happens to Josh and Donna over the years.
Keep the Kleenex handy... (V)
The
Best of Me by Perri Smith
Josh spends some time thinking about Donna on during a long flight
home. Beautifully written and so true to character. Sigh. Have I
mentioned I love Josh, even when he's an idiot? (V)
Better vs. Nice by Bramble
I lurve this fic. Josh shows us why Donna is better than
he is, and nicer, too. (V)
Beyond
the Sunrise by Jori & Mojo
Josh takes Donna with him to Florida to meet Mike Piazza. Something
even better happens. (NC-17) (V)
Blowing
Bubbles in the Park by sniggles
Josh, a dirty joke and the AFLAC duck. Just read it. You'll laugh.
You'll thank me. Archived at Fanfiction.net (V)
Bouncing
Sunday by Baked Goldfish
An absurdly sunny Sunday morning in the West Wing. Hilarious, just
read it. Archived at Fanfiction.net (V)
Boys of Summer by luna and k
Lovely J/S summer vacation story (Slash) (V)
Brothers
In Arms by violet
A wonderful post-ep fic for "Two Cathedrals" (V)
Burning Bridges, Burning Buildings by CazQ
A Cosmo quiz leads to some revelations for Josh. (V)
Camelot
by Pix
A beautiful reworking of the Arthurian legend, in which two best
friends find themselves tangled up over the same woman. (NC-17,
S/D, J/D) (V)
Cartography
by Tori Morris
Donna contemplates ways of knowing where you are in the world. Just
lovely. (V)
Cautious
by Lacy
A wonderful TWW/JAG crossover. Harm and Donna? What will Josh think?
(NC-17) (V)
Celtic
Circles by Lynn Jepsen
A lovely story wherein Donna realizes the implications of bailing
out Mexico, and the interconnectedness of everything. (V)
Chasing
Perfection - Tori Morris
Donna deals with Josh dating someone else. Painfully lovely. (Links
to the index)(V)
Chesapeake
by Allison
A sweet tale of a Christmas in DC with Josh and Donna. (V)
Cinderella
Moss by Jo March
Josh, Donna, the night of the Inaugural. Romantic and heartbreaking
and true. Sigh. Read the sequels as well: Prince,
Smirking by Ryo Sen and Midnight
by Jo March. (NC-17) (V)
The
Company of Women by Allison
Donna tells CJ about Josh's remarks in "The Portland Trip." Then,
in Downtime,
Josh and CJ have a conversation that highlights how close these
two really are. And finally, in Lessons,
Donna reflects on friendship, and learns that someone may have feelings
for her. They're not really a trilogy, but they go together. (V)
Connections
by Lynn Jepsen
Oh, what an amazing story of Josh and Donna and how two people just,
well, connect. See - the title actually makes sense! (V)
Crash
Into Me by Pix
A fabulous series in which Josh and Donna watch the stars and learn
how to be in love. Twenty separate stories, and I think I cried
at least once during each installment. (V)
Dare
to Love by Jori
Josh/Sam hotel fic - best friends playing Truth or Dare - and you
know Dare is always lots of fun...<g> (V)
Death
Becomes Her (Taxing the Undead Remix) by White Star 2
An absolutely great take on cgb's
Sunnydale DC, in which CJ is the Slayer. The reactions of
Bartlet's staff to the fact that vampires are real, and CJ has been
Chosen to kill them, are dead on and often hilarious. (V)
Down
the Shore: Burn by Puck and Zillah
What's the cure for what ails the West Wing staffers in the wake
of Two Cathedrals? A trip to Ainsley's shore house on the Outer
Banks. Burn is about Sam and Ainsley. And its companion story, Down
the Shore: Saltwater, is a beautiful fic about Josh and
Donna. (V)
Dream
Their Sleep by Puck and Zillah
Lovely CJ/Toby story where they dance around each other, trying
to decide if love is worth the possibility of loss. (V)
Ego
Trip by Kim
Josh, Donna, fondue and sex. What more do I need to say? (NC-17)
(V)
Exhibit
A by Bramble
Donna gets drunk and goes to Josh for the answers to a few ... personal
questions. Continued in the sequel 20
Hours in Wisconsin - Donna goes home, but her parents are
away. There's some Haagen-Dazs in the freezer. Whatever are she
and Josh to do? Yummy. (NC-17) (V)
Exit
Strategy by Jo March and Ryo Sen
A wonderful series wherein Josh and Donna realize a few things,
and actually do something about it. (V)
Fabric
by N.Y. Smith
Lovely short fic exploring the warp and weft of life. Archived
at Fanfiction.net (V)
Fifty
Ways to Leave Your Lover by luna
Not your usual songfic, violet once again captures the characters
perfectly. (V)
The
First One Hundred Days by luna
Incredible Post-Bartlet Administration story that once again leaves
me in awe of luna's writing talents. (V)
For
the One-time Low Price of Ninety-Five Dollars by Kim
There's Josh, there's Donna, there's porn, there's phone sex, and
there's regular sex. What more could you ask for? (NC-17) (V)
Forgiven
Not Forgotten by Maggieck
Beautiful meditation by an outside character - the drunk driver
who caused the accident at 18th & Potomac. (V)
A
Friendly Game of Poker by Kemuri
A hilarious Jed/Leo story - don't eat or drink while reading, you
might choke or spray your monitor. (Slash, PG) (V)
Galatea
by Pix
Stunningly beautiful (as all Pix's stories are; dammit, I wish she hadn't taken them off the net) reinterpretation
of the Pygmalion story with Josh and Donna. (V)
A
Glass of Water by Baked Goldfish
A pre-White House Leo-Margaret piece that damn near made me cry.
Archived at FanFiction.net. (V)
I
Don't Know If It's Going to Get Better by Sary
Lovely post-ep to "The War at Home" - a series of the
conversations we didn't get to see set in and around TWAH. (V)
In a Cold Season by Jennifer
Donna catches Josh's cold and he has to take care of her. Sweet,
sweet J/D fic. (V)
In
Heat by Heather
I can't say enough good things about this fic -- it's hot, it's
well-written, it's dead-on character-wise and it just kicks ass.
(V)
José
Cuervo, or How Will Bailey Stopped Worrying and Started Dating a Republican
by aerye
Utterly brilliant fic that totally captures Will, Joe and the Sorkinese with
a light hand and a hilarious take on the "wake up next to someone you can't
remember bringing home" cliché. This is my favorite of the yuletide stories,
I think. I adore it and want to have its babies. I can completely see both Will
and Joe saying this dialogue. (V)
The
Language That Gets the Job Done by Sary
Charlie and Deena have dinner - lovely piece that focuses on two
characters who are usually on the periphery in fanfic. And Sary
nails Charlie's voice. (V)
Like Making Love by Ellen M.
A beautifully written CJ/Leo story. I could hear them speaking in
my head, and you know that's not easy to do with Sorkin's characters.
(V)
Lions
and Tigers and Clowns, Oh My! by bramble
Motel fic! All the glorious clichés given life again in this
hilarious, yet hot, fic. (NC-17) (V)
The
Long Hot Summer by Dee
Donna takes care of Josh after Rosslyn. The evolution of a relationship,
one small step at a time. Followed directly by Loyalties,
where they finally make some decisions about what to do with these...
feelings they have. (Links to the index page) (V)
The
Love Couch by Bramble
Donna watches the Love Boat and wonders why her life isn't that
exciting... enter Josh. Utterly hilarious and smutty. (NC-17) (V)
Love
Me Don't Ever Stop by luckybug
Beautiful, heartbreaking -- Josh and Donna seek comfort in each
other's arms, but things don't always work out the way we want.
Perfect, poignant explanation for the "Is this how it works?"
conversation in Two Cathedrals. (V)
Love's
Recovery by Puck and Zillah
Beautiful Sam/Ainsley fic in response to the July State of the Union
Songfic Challenge. Also, read History
of Us, the touching, lovely Josh/Donna companion story.
(V)
The
Magi's Gift by Seshat
Josh and Donna spend Christmas Eve together after the events of
Noel. You know I love the Christmas fic. (V)
A
Midsummer's Tale by Mich
Shakespeare meets Sorkin in this hilarious West Wing retelling of
the classic comedy. (V)
The
Odds of Faith in the Face of Doubt byKat
A lovely fic that shows just how strong the Bartlets' marriage is.
(NC-17) (V)
Our
Two Consciences Series by Laurel A. and Michelle H.
The whole series is here, but my favorite hasn't been added yet.
You can read it at here: Our
Two Consciences: Deru - a great meditation on truth. (V)
Penumbra
by Kat
Jed/Abbey fic that's note for note perfect. It's POTUS' 60th birthday
and he's a little cranky. (NC-17) (V)
Pocket Alchemy by Glimmerdark
A sweet Jed/Abbey fic, post Two Cathedrals. (V)
Ride
On by violet
Second in the Prisoners of Circumstances Trilogy, this is a great
fic where Sam explains to Donna how he is the man he is. (V)
A
Season in Hell by N.Y. Smith
Amazing, stunning fic dealing with the fallout from the President's
lie. (Archived at FanFiction.net) (V)
The
Secret World Series by Pix
Catch up with Josh and Donna as they catch up with each other several
years after the Bartlet Administration. Beautifully realized characters,
amazingly poignant writing -- all the things we've come to expect
from Pix. (V)
Soap
Operas and Soap Suds by Seshat
Josh is in the hospital and he's bored. What's he gonna do? Call
Donna, of course, and watch soaps. (V)
Spoils
of War by Bramble
You wouldn't think it's possible, but this is a hilarious post-ep
for Two Cathedrals. And to the winner goes the spoils. (V)
Tamburitza
Lingua by violet
An amazing CJ introspection piece. I could feel her tension. Marvelous.
(V)
That
Only I Remember by Marguerite
Amazingly written, understated, yet like a big emotional wrecking
ball, Marguerite takes us through something of what it must be like
to lose a parent. Absolutely excellent fic. (V)
The
Thinner the Skin by Jane St Clair
Josh. Sam. Comfort on a couch. Sweet. (Slash) (V)
Total
Grilling Experience by Ellen M.
In which Josh insists he knows how to barbecue, and Sam swears CJ
and Toby are having sex while he, Josh and Donna are grocery-shopping.
Continued in Cuando
tu Conoces in which we find out what, exactly, CJ and Toby
were doing while the others were at the store, and concluded in
Playful
Banter and Lively Foreplay, in which everybody gets back
together and Sam is proved right. (V)
Transcendence
by CGB
Donna figures out what she wants. Lovely Donna-voice in this one.
(V)
Transfigured
Night with a Strange Communion by Marguerite
A beautiful post-ep for "18th & Potomac." (V)
Two
to Tango Series by Erin and Shelley
A series of post-eps one each from Josh and Donna's POV. Just a
great set of stories. All of season one is done, and they've just
begun season two. Great stuff. (V) (In progress)
Vidui
by Marguerite
Beautifully moving fic about Toby seeking atonement in preparation
for Yom Kippur (J, V)
A
Winning Strategy by Jo March and Ryo Sen
Secret marriages. Government intrigue. Josh Lyman and Donnatella
Moss. What's not to love? (V)
Why
- Why Do You Want to Do This Again? by Sary
Lovely Gone Quiet post-ep, in which Jed explains why he wants
to be President again. Sort of. (V)
Women
by Sabine
Josh is confused. He and Sam have dinner. A wonderful meditation
on men and women. (V)
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