#cjandy

[bartletslesbians]

The West Wing + text posts (9/?)

[twwpress]

Creator Spotlight #14: fleurfemme

Welcome back to the TWW Author Spotlight! For every spotlight, we’ll ask each featured author the same ten questions (as well as questions you submitted on Twitter!). This week we’re pleased to be chatting with abby (@jenniferjolie on Twitter and fleurfemme on AO3)!

1) What are your top 5 desert island fics by other authors? 

1) kiss me and crucify me (by crossingdelancey)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32800243 

I feel like I have this fic permanently open in a tab on my phone's browser. Cjtoby hate sex — hot and passionate and angsty.

 2) Salomé (by crossingdelancey) 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/41530527 

Another fic by my fave author :') This cjandy hate sex fic was a gift for me. It's a little more intense; I love when CJ gets to be fiery ♥️

 3) Lather. Rinse. Repeat. (by Michelle K.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/37590034  

This Donna-centric fic has a little of everything. It's a wonderful taste of early-2000s charm that only fics of the time can capture. So many layers, so many women.

 4) Stuck in the Middle with You (by JediAnnieScrambler)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34346431 

A cjtobyandy kinktober oneshot ♥️

 5) something else (by jazzjo)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43045845 

A sweet little CjDonna fic Eli gifted me after I made a CjDonna tropes edit ♥️♥️ so cute 

 2) Do you have a favorite character to write? Favorite ship(s) to write? Are there characters or ships you'd like to write more of? 

I think Margaret might be be my favorite character to write. I don't write Margaret centric stories, but the second I bring her in to any scene, I can't stop giggling. Jed and Donna are also really fun to write dialogue for.

So far, when it comes to ships, I've had the most fun writing Ellie Bartlet x Sidney Prescott in my crossover fics. Also AmyDonna! Donna is just the sweetest woman and she deserves all the love in the world.

I plan to write more CJ fics in the future and look forward to it!

 3) Tell us about your writing process (setup/location? Night or day? Snacks/beverages? Computer/phone/notebook? Music or silence? Anything else you want to share is welcome!) 

I’ll write on my phone on the train at 6:30am or on my laptop while lying in bed at 2am. I’m very chill when it comes to a routine; I like to keep it loose so I can get into a good creative flow. 

 4) What writing advice do you have for others who may be reading this? 

Don't be afraid to write outside of what's popular! Don't create pointless rules for yourself as a way to stop yourself from writing.

 5) From where do you usually draw your inspiration? (Other forms of media, music, tropes, etc?) 

My ideas are most often based on what area of a given relationship (romantic or platonic) I'm interested in exploring.

 6) What is the fic you've written that you're most proud of and why? 

Probably Red, White, and Boo! (https://archiveofourown.org/works/41606586/chapters/104361426) Completed for Halloween, it’s a campy horror-comedy/whodunnit, and a crossover with the Scream trilogy. Combining the worlds of some of my all time favorite characters (in a way that made sense for folks who've never seen Scream), two styles of humor, and the stakes of a horror with TWW's dramedy tone was a huge challenge, but I'm so proud looking back at it. I had a blast writing it and getting to hear reactions to the drama and elements of the mystery has been so rewarding.

 7) What's the fic trope/concept/AU you'd read 1000 of? What's the fic trope/concept/AU you'd write 1000 of? 

I love reading fics about hotel room hook-ups during the campaign.

I'll write a thousand soft and awkward and giggly smut fics ♥️♥️ I also never get tired of using scars during intimacy scenes 

 8) Is there anything you'd like to try writing-wise that you haven't yet? 

I've never written an au for tww, but I've been thinking about a girl band au! CJ on bass, Andy lead vocals, Amy on drums, Abbey as the band's manager. We'll see if I get around to it!

 9) What's your go-to Starbucks/coffee shop/other drink order? 

I don’t drink coffee but I do enjoy a double chocolate chip frap from Starbucks!

 10) Do you have any current projects you'd like to promote or anything upcoming you'd like to tell us about?

My first CJ x Joey Lucas fic is currently in progress, so stay tuned for that!

Submitted questions: 

From @S4MWILS0N:

fave season & ep? season 3, Dead Irish Writers!

fave character and ship? Characters: Toby, CJ, Amy, Abbey Ships: AndyToby as an endgame ship, but I love CJToby, AmyDonna, and CJDonna

most underrated character and ship? CJDonna!!! Also JoshJoey - not as an endgame thing, just a little treat

what was ur fave part of writing rwb? the humor and the girl bossery

two ships to have a double date? AndyToby and CJDonna

fave and least fave plot arc? I looove CJ’s season one arc of being treated like shit to being respected. Also love her arc at the end of s3! I hate the leak arc but I’ve only watched 80% of seasons 6-7 because I’m not really a fan of the election plots in general

funniest canon one liner? everything Toby Ziegler has ever said tbh

fave detail in one of ur fics? in RWB when Margaret says she can't count sheep before bed because her dreams take place prior to the domestication of sheep

draft snippet that never became anything? a JoshDonna fic based on the line about him looking good in a collar. Maybe I'll finish it... we shall see

From @claudiasjeans: ABBY MY LOVE what is your favorite ship that you’ve never written? what got you into tww?

cjtobyandy probably! I started watching TWW when I was like 14 because I was a huge Kristin Chenoweth fan!!

 From @kennysroys: What inspired you to take the risk of writing Red, White and Boo? What was your favorite part? The hardest part? What motivated you to write this AU?

A joke Alyssa (@abbeybartlet) made about Danny and Will being Ghostface inspired RWB! I'd also already written a 20k+ word tww/scream crossover, so I knew how well the characters worked together. My favorite part was having the girlies from both canons interact... CJ/Gale is such an interesting dynamic, Amy/Jennifer are chaotic bffs, and Ellie/Sidney make such a good couple. I love them sm.

The hardest part was balancing such a large ensemble. While the story focuses largely on the story of CJ, Donna, and Gale Weathers as their support, I wrote scenes centered on Mandy, Zoey, Ainsley, Josh, Ellie, Amy, and more. Such a whirlwind, but I had a great time.

I stayed motivated thanks to the handful of readers leaving encouraging comments after every chapter. Couldn't have done it without that ♥️

 From @kennysroys: Since you’re such a big Amy fan what would you ask or say to Mary Louise Parker about her if given the chance?

I'd love to ask her about Amy's dynamic with various characters—specifically Abbey and Donna. I'd also be curious to hear her perspective on playing a supporting character who represents such a large group's voice on the show... How did she approach the responsibility? Also, how did she shape her performance to fit into a show that was already on its third season? Things like that ♥️

 From @kennysroys: Favorite TWW fan content to consume (fancams, edits, fics)?

I love gifs and silly screenshots

From @donnamossburner: If you could rewrite an episode - what episode would you write and what would you change?

I would add Ellie to Dead Irish Writers. Let her drink on the couch with Abbey and Amy and drunkenly ramble about her mother as a Doctor and call her father a jackass <3

 From @donnamossburner: What is your present day head canon for the characters?

TobyAndy endgame, Andy runs for President, CJ becomes a professor and marries a beautiful and charming woman, Donna works for a non-profit with Amy.

 From @sameschtick:

Which minor character(s) do you wish we got to see more of and why? On my knees begging for more Andy Wyatt.

Favourite post-canon hcs? CJ (and Donna) take a six-month long trip to Europe for a tour of hot romantic conquests. 

One detail of canon you’d like scrubbed from the record? Ellie's marriage... They truly set her up as a relatable sad lesbian and then 5 seasons later made a joke about how she's actually not a lesbian and made her marry a man... 0/10 stars

Thanks again to abby for participating in the spotlight, and thanks to everyone who contributed questions! If you’d like to be featured in a future spotlight, drop us a DM here or on Twitter (@twwpress), or email us at weeklypressbriefing@gmail.com.

xx, What’s next?

[smallblueandloud]

AYYY YOU DID IT i know nothing about fsk but i’m still probably going to read this bc i’m obsessed with this concept and your writing!!! congrats on the finished fic!!

AAH THANK YOU <3 it’s such an honor that you’ll read my fic for fandoms you’re not even in, oh my god, thank you so much. i hope you enjoy it!!

(the fic, for general referece)

[regardstosoulandromance]

and your eyes looked like comin’ home

CJ Cregg was feeling a bit lost.

After years of searching, Andrea Wyatt had finally found the perfect fragrance. Unfortunately for her, it was clinging to the wrists of her ex wife.

a cjandy parent trap au here on ao3

[claudiasjeancregg]

CJTOBY AND CJANDY FOR THE BINGO! <3

cjtoby-

cjandy-

[bartletslesbians]

The West Wing + text posts (1/?) but it's literally just CJ/Andy because I'm indulging my own rarepair craving here

[bartletslesbians]

I'm losing my mind a tiny bit thinking about CJ Cregg's first kiss with a girl and her first kiss with a woman in a long time both being with Andy Wyatt. Because it could be SUCH a cute and kinda angsty but ultimately so sweet "falling in then out of love" and "falling back together" story and just !!!

Like there's just something about that idea of... they're these 18/19 year olds in college when Andy is her first kiss with a girl, and it's such an experience for her really, even if it won't last that memory is gonna stick with her. And they're naive and a little stupid and they're college kids with these grand dreams of what their futures will be and what they will accomplish. And some bad things have happened already of course; CJ's mom's died young for one. But really, at eighteen or nineteen, they've barely really lived and everything feels so damn possible. And it's this first kiss that's so exciting, so freeing, making something clear to CJ especially that this is something she's allowed to want at all.

And then you skip ahead to thirty years later, when so much has happened in their lives. And they've lost touch, Andy got elected and got married and had her babies, CJ did politics, did hollywood, did more politics, got married. (Your choice if she still has the baby). They've found their ways back in each other's orbits in unexpected ways over the years, but now it's different and it's not as purely friendly anymore. They're both divorced and life's been tough as hell but just? Here they are? Together after all? And they're nearing 50 now and life's just a little over halfway over, maybe, so there's still so much left to do and so much hope and dreams to be had, and it's gonna be okay. One way or another. It's gonna have to be okay.

And it doesn't really matter that they had thirty years of other people and being apart, it just feels so beautifully right when it falls back into place. Really just that sense of "yeah, it's you. I'm so glad it turned out to be you, after all."

[bartletslesbians]

Someone on twitter mentioned the concept of Andy running for President a while ago, and I'm lowkey so in love with that possibility now. Because that could honestly be so much fun?

She could! I think for some of the others it's a harder sell career wise (cause I love love love CJ for president but also, she's never in her life held public office and it'd be quite an adjustment to go from helping a politician run and govern versus being that politician herself, and one she might not necessarily enjoy, especially if she'd need to run for the house or the senate first, too.)

But Andy's been a Congresswoman for at the very least four terms by the start of the administration, probably longer bc in season 1 she's already a "prominent" member of the party in the house. She clearly loves the job and I can see her wanting to do more eventually, she's good at it, and she seems to be pretty damn popular getting 85% of the vote when most democrats were complaining that the president didn't do enough to help their races.

She did really struggle in the aftermath of the leak so I think it's possible that if that remains a problem, she's facing not identical but similar accusations as like Hillary Clinton in the sense of "how could your (ex) husband do this? What a horrible woman you must be"? And especially if she doesn't remarry, she's a single mom with two kids and that'd be a very easy target for conservative family values campaigns.

But I also think she likes that kinda thing. She enjoys making part of her personal life a political fight for something she believes in, we saw her willingly get sued over her pregnancy in season 4. She anticipates them going after her for being a single mom and she enjoys winning the battle.

This is the point where I'm turning into femslash, because it's a fun concept on its own but it ALSO could be so interesting in a CJ/Andy context specifically. Like... either they're married, and that's another obstacle and an extra layer to the Family Values attacks that they anticipate. Or, maybe, they're not out, and she runs as a single woman with her campaign manager and future Chief of Staff CJ Cregg always nearby. And you could even say they're not even together at the start of it, but things shift during the campaign and everything becomes tense in a good way and they're So Close.

(And in a modern era, you know that's the dynamic people are making tiktok edits about. The lesbians on twitter are going wild. But all that is easily passed off as a silly rumor even when it gets daaangerously close to the truth.)

Just !! She's a good person with a heart for politics, willing to throw everything into a good fight, she has experience in public office. I think she could make for such a fun candidate and President if the cards are played right??

[bartletslesbians]

CJ/Andy edit to "she's my religion" by Pale Waves bc I just love these two so much

[bartletslesbians]

TWW fic: let me look at you

Title: let me look at you Characters: CJ Cregg/Andy Wyatt Words: 1800 Rating: Teen Summary: At the young age of 45, CJ's pushed past 25 years of denying herself the chance and ordered a packer for herself. Trying it on for the first time in her life is both exciting and utterly completely overwhelmingly terrifying; Andy's there to make it all a little bit easier on her mind. Link: AO3

[bartletslesbians]

Written for the January 22 prompt marry from @taylorswiftmicrofic

Title: giving her away Characters: CJ Cregg & Toby Ziegler Relationships: Background Andy/CJ, past Andy/Toby Words: 648 (more than 500, sorry!) Summary: When Jed can't give CJ away at her wedding after all, Toby steps in, walking CJ down the aisle to give her away as she marries Andy. Rating: General

[bartletslesbians]

CJ/Andy ficlet of CJ becoming the First Lady when Andy is sworn in as President and just her general feelings about that really:

AO3

1200 words, G rating, just a quick oneshot for femslash february that's been stuck in my mind

[bartletslesbians]

top 5 cj ships? 💕 top 5 non-CJ characters?

Ask my top 5 or top 10 anything!

Top 5 CJ ships

CJ/Andy

Honestly the order of these is pretty arbitrary and can change depending on my mood, but I'm putting this one first because it's the one I've been writing for the most recently and therefore it's the first to come to mind. And also I love them. Obviously there's not much canon backing whatsoever (though I wanna say I love that one of Toby's proposal attempts is simply "don't you love this thing about CJ? Yeah? So marry me again" like, he gets her lmao). I like picturing them as college friends/girlfriends, but nothing in canon even suggests that. But they're both women in politics with a lot faith in the world and their ability and duty to improve it, and because CJ loses a lot of that faith after the hell she goes through as Chief of Staff, I really just want her to find some peace and genuine cause for optimism in Andy Wyatt and two stepkids when it's all over.

2. CJ/Danny

The amount of times I talk about writing fics where they get a divorce or don't get together at all should never be taken to mean that I don't actually love this pairing with my whole heart. I like writing her with women bc I'm a lesbian and there's not a lot of options in this show, but Danny truly deserves the world and I really am very happy for them every time they figure it out in season 7. It comes back to the peace thing, really; he just so wholeheartedly accepts and gets her, and that's exactly what she deserves imo. She doesn't make it easy on him, never has, and he knows exactly what he's getting into, and I love that that never makes him change his mind about her. He loves that woman SO much, and it takes her a while to acknowledge it, but she loves him SO much, too. The banter, the faith, the devotion and mutual respect, it's just so good. I love them.

3. CJ/Carol

We're back to non-canon femslash. Though for this one, I actually love Carol with an unrequited crush almost as much as I love an actual relationship or hook-up. And in the context of CJ/Danny (though really also CJ/Andy), I think Carol is someone who has it in her to be genuinely happy watching CJ enter a successful relationship with someone that's not her. I think CJ made her head spin with her "get on the couch, I'm gonna do you right now" comment. I think Carol admires her so much. I think they could be so happy if they chose to be in a post-administration world. Which really again comes down to just wanting to see her happy and loved by someone who truly sees all of her. She went through a lot! She deserves it.

4. CJ/Simon

While I am of the opinion that if he had lived, their relationship probably wouldn't have lasted forever, I think what we got was just so tragically beautiful and fix-it AU's are so fun, that I can't not include this one. Their banter was so good, they had such great chemistry, her SMILE after that first and only kiss was to die for, and the heartbreak of watching her react to his death? One of the best scenes. I also think that the tragedy of CJ/Simon really just influences and improves all of the above relationships. The grief and pain she carries from that into the next relationship she'll get into?? Kill me already.

5. CJ/Amy

Now I'll admit that this is partially on here bc I'm writing a fic as we speak. But I like the chaotic and sexy nature this could have. Amy as a character is just dear to me because I think her character suffers immensely from how the show writes about feminist causes (I've said before that the thing that grates me about CJ's writing in Women of Qumar is really the basis of Amy Gardner's entire character), and I want better for her. Personally, I think a big step would've been to not make her an extension of Josh's character arc for the most part. I also just am biased and think she would've worked ten times better as a mean lesbian character. And I think she and CJ could've had a good time hooking up (for example if you say both their previous Emily's List jobs were around the same time) and being mad at the world and the administration's inaction together. I don't see them as anything long-term, but casual exes? casual hook-ups? they can have a fling.

Top 5 non-CJ characters

Sidenote I love the no-CJ stipulation because you're absolutely correct that she'd be first on the list.

Leo McGarry

This man has so much on his plate and so much going on it's a miracle he didn't have the first heart attack in season 3. But seriously, I love just... he's a cranky old man who loves his staff so much. He's harsh on them, he doesn't beat around the bush when they fuck up, but he has their back and he always looks out for them. I also love that he is both such a chauvinist at times while also having CJ's back so so well especially in season 6? I love that duality, it feels real, it works out, it's fun to watch. He's gone through so much in his life and has dedicated most of it to bettering the world and we just love that for him.

2. Andrea Wyatt

They showed me a beautiful sassy redhead whose very first line is "it's a beautiful day" looking out over a completely grey sky before she pushes the administration to actually talk about racism when they talk about drug sentencing, and her very last act in the show is requesting a pardon for her ex husband when no one else even wants to dare bring that up out loud. How am I not supposed to fall in love with that? But seriously, she's a small character in the show but she's such a presence. She's stubborn and fiery and has such an unwavering faith in the world as a whole and her own ability to improve it that shines through with her persistency trying to have her children, bringing pie to her government meetings, and huge foreign policy undertakings (there are so many faults in the Israel/Palestine storyline. so many. but I love that she fully believes it can happen, and one way or another that trip made it happen in the show). There's just a very strong will there and all that genuine belief that the world is good and can be better and she will play her part in it. I love that.

3. Josh Lyman

Impulsive little asshole of a man with the goofiest smile and such love for those around him. Love him to death. I love how unhealthily dedicated he is to his job, I love seeing his ego get the better of him sometimes. I think he deserves a smack over the head every now and and then and I say that with so much love. He is funny and sweet and an ass and just steeped in tragedy and I love that kind of character; he both doesn't let his grief and trauma impact everything around him, while it remains so obvious that so much of he is is rooted in it. That duality can be hard to pin down and Josh just !! scratches the itch. He's never truly going to move past the survivor's guilt of the fire and that breaks my heart and makes me love him so damn much.

4. Carol Fitzpatrick

I was considering making her an honourable mention because lbr there's not much for her character wise outside of being CJ's constant support. But fuck it, we love a minor character. Carol's hilarious and I love her constant presence in CJ's office. her "we're fixing the H!" in season one is gorgeous, the look she gives Josh and later Toby when they brief and screw up is gorgeous. She's the one CJ calls when she needs a getaway car after breaking the cat statue, and the one CJ calls when she can't figure out if the song "too sexy" is about a serious problem someone has. And Carol takes it all in stride. She's loyal, funny, clever, and can't spell, and I love that for her. I also firmly believe that it's Carol and a few interns who keep Gail's fishbowl decorated day in day out, and she has a damn blast doing that.

5. (.6?) Jed Bartlet/Toby Ziegler

This is why I was considering making Carol an honorary character. But no. So I'll combine them and try to keep that somewhat brief.

But it kinds fits to put these two together, honestly. Cause I love them both for their clashing/complimentary/contrasting at different points huge senses of morality, and just that extreme dedication to what they believe is right, and especially the sacrifices they make for that and then ultimately the way it clashes between them sometimes when really for the most part they're so appreciative of those qualities in each other. Two flawed yet loving fathers fighting to make the world a better place for their kids while that almost necessarily places their kids in not quite the first priority they say they are. The immense personal sacrifices they make in the form of spending the last few years he's healthy in the White House to continue trying to improve the world and voluntarily giving up his freedom and his career to save the lives of three people he'll never meet?? That's the shit right there. That dedication to the job and the cause in two otherwise kinda difficult to work with people is just so damn good, and especially when they're doing it together (whether that's in a complimentary fashion or because they're fighting) it's just such a sight

[bartletslesbians]

Title: a brief interruption Fandom: The West Wing Pairing: CJ Cregg/Andrea Wyatt Prompt: December 14, interruption, from @taylorswiftmicrofic Words: 498 Summary: CJ's pregnant, they're both anxious, there's cuddling. Link: AO3

Full fic under the cut:

The closing of a door breaks CJ out of her concentration.

She’s sitting on their bed, a heavy briefing book in her hands, when Andy walks into the room to join her.

“Do you have time for an interruption?” Andy asks her, sitting down on the bed. Her hair’s done up poorly — beautiful red strands sticking out of her bun in various places.

CJ beckons her closer at the same time she says “not really, no,” and Andy laughs as she climbs further onto the bed. “But I can read while you’re here,” she adds — closing her papers with her thumb between the pages. “If that works?”

Andy takes her place behind CJ before she says anything to confirm. Her head rests on CJ’s shoulder — her legs folded over CJ’s thighs. She kisses CJ’s cheek before placing one steady hand on the baby bump beneath her shirt. “Works for me,” she says softly, wrapped comfortably around CJ’s body.

She feels Andy’s quick-paced heartbeat when Andy’s pressed against her back, and as CJ picks up her briefing book again she feels it slow down

Ever since CJ got pregnant, Andy’s been anxious. Anxious isn’t the word — Andy’s been terrified. Terrified in a way she hadn’t even been for herself when she’d been pregnant with the twins.

CJ knows what’s on her mind, knows what she’s been afraid of since they made the call to try to give Molly and Huck a sibling. Andy’s as afraid of losing this baby — like she’d lost her own before the twins — as she is afraid of making CJ feel that kind of grief for herself.

It took them ages to decide that fear, that possibility, was worth it. 31 weeks into the pregnancy, and that fear has not quieted down just yet.

The pregnancy freaks CJ out, too. She doesn’t think she’ll ever want to do this again — doesn’t think she’ll ever again be ready to accept eyeballs and fingernails growing inside of her — and every movement inside her stomach reminds her that something’s alive inside her body. It freaks her out, too, but they’re trying to take turns being scared.

A kicking baby inside her uterus feels more manageable — easier to survive without getting lost in the panic and discomfort of it — with Andy’s understanding hands on her stomach, taking in the movements and telling her over and over and over again that she’s doing okay, that nothing’s wrong.

Andy says it for her own sake as much as CJ’s.

CJ turns a page and feels a kiss pressed to her shoulder. She covers Andy’s hand with her own when she feels a small kick in her stomach.

“You okay?” CJ asks quietly, as Andy tightens her arms and legs around CJ.

She feels Andy’s smile against her skin. There’s a tremor in her voice when Andy says “just fine,” and slight chuckle when CJ scoffs and Andy adds “alright, could be better, but you help.”

It’s more than enough for now.

[bartletslesbians]

I'm writing a CJ one-shot about her suffering from postpartum depression (technically it's a single parent AU fic for Andy/CJ, but that makes it sound way less heavy than it is) and I'm so !! the amount of guilt and fear and that terrifying lack of care about anything going on around here is devastating but I'm so excited to write the rest of it.

Like !! it's a single parent AU so in this she gets pregnant after a divorce with Danny (cause I just cannot feasibly write Danny as a remotely absent father or someone who wouldn't notice how badly CJ was doing if he were in the picture), and she's in California and no one is there so it's so so easy to pretend everything is fine.

Except Andy, who's been there, being a single mom to a newborn (or two in her case), and who never had PPD but who can tell even over the phone that something's wrong and who's been warned by plenty of her own doctors how bad things can get if you're all alone. And it's just that surprising support and understanding while also this strange way of reconnecting with an ex who you didn't quite realise you missed this much.

And it's just these little moments of the present, with their sweet happy blended family where everything's okay interspersed with just the amount of tears and heaviness that started that initially. And I hope to finish it soon for a fest but !! I'm just excited to write it atm

[bartletslesbians]

I honestly just want CJ and Andy to be That couple where one of them becomes President first and the other serves as a very present and involved First Lady, and a while later they switch roles and go back to the White House and have a grand old time