Seeking help/input
May. 1st, 2009 10:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
namasteTwo things. First the non-fic and fandom related thing ...
I don't know if any of you have contacts in Virginia, but just in case, a friend of mine has gone missing on the Appalachian Trail. He's very visually impaired, but an experienced hiker. Search and Rescue is out looking for him, but any info can help. Find out more details here. Thanks.
Now for the fic related input. Got any suggestions for obscure sports that would be shown on ESPN?
I'm working on a House and Wilson fic combining sports watching with avoiding personal issues/realities and want to use non-typical US sports. (No football or baseball for instance.) There is a section on the 2002 World Cup, but that's probably the most mainstream I'd go. Yeah, I know, that's very mainstream everywhere but the US, but ...
Ideas? Feedback? Crit? I'm intending this as a little fluffier sports fic kind of thing as an alternative to the end of season angst I'm expecting the next few weeks.
Here's the first part, unedited, for reference:
“Ping Pong?”
“The preferred term is table tennis.”
Wilson looked over at House, who was sprawled out on the end of the couch. “It’s ping pong.”
House shrugged. “Whatever.” He put his beer down on the end table, next to the lamp. “Ten bucks says Taiwan’s still going to kick some major ass.”
On the TV, two men were on either side of the table, the small white ball flying between them.
“Which one’s Taiwan?”
“The good one.”
Wilson watched a few moments longer. He was still wearing his coat. He’d told Bonnie he was only going to be gone for a few minutes.
“I promise,” he’d said before he left the house. “I’ll pick up his food, drop it off and be right back.”
“And why can’t he pay for delivery like everybody else?” She’d held his keys captive in the palm of her hand, grabbed them off the hook before he’d even hung up the phone.
“They stop delivering after eleven o’clock.” Wilson had held his hand out for the keys and tried to be patient, but worried that the food would get cold while Bonnie dithered. House hadn’t been hungry earlier, when Wilson had stopped by on the way home. His appetite had been unpredictable ever since they’d tried swapping out the Vicodin for Oxycontin. The experiment hadn’t lasted long.
Wilson hadn’t bothered trying to explain that to Bonnie. She already knew the last week had been off kilter. He’d checked his watch instead. The shop would be closing soon. “Twenty minutes. Tops,” he’d said.
She’d stared at him a few more moments.
“I promise.”
She’d finally opened her hand. Wilson had snatched the keys and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, but she’d walked away. House’s food was waiting when he got to Panda Express, and was still warm when he picked it up.
“You going to keep that for yourself?” House asked as he nodded at the bag in Wilson’s hand.
Wilson walked the rest of the way into the room and handed it over. House bypassed the rice and dug into some lo mien.
Someone scored on the ping pong match and the numbers changed to show that one of the players -- the guy with a red stripe on his shirt, Wilson guessed -- had taken a 10-8 lead. Wilson listened to the announcers updating the score.
“Is that Chinese?”
House shook his head. “Korean.”
“Since when do you understand Korean?”
“What’s to understand? It’s ping pong. I can figure it out on my own.”
“Table tennis.”
“Whatever.” House held out a container and Wilson could smell the spices without even opening it. “Ten bucks on the guy from Taiwan. You in or not?”
Wilson glanced at his watch again. It’s already been thirty minutes since he left home. It’ll be another ten minutes even if he leaves now. Maybe if he waited a little longer, Bonnie would be asleep and wouldn’t notice the time when he got home.
He took off his coat. “Ten bucks,” he said.
I don't know if any of you have contacts in Virginia, but just in case, a friend of mine has gone missing on the Appalachian Trail. He's very visually impaired, but an experienced hiker. Search and Rescue is out looking for him, but any info can help. Find out more details here. Thanks.
Now for the fic related input. Got any suggestions for obscure sports that would be shown on ESPN?
I'm working on a House and Wilson fic combining sports watching with avoiding personal issues/realities and want to use non-typical US sports. (No football or baseball for instance.) There is a section on the 2002 World Cup, but that's probably the most mainstream I'd go. Yeah, I know, that's very mainstream everywhere but the US, but ...
Ideas? Feedback? Crit? I'm intending this as a little fluffier sports fic kind of thing as an alternative to the end of season angst I'm expecting the next few weeks.
Here's the first part, unedited, for reference:
“Ping Pong?”
“The preferred term is table tennis.”
Wilson looked over at House, who was sprawled out on the end of the couch. “It’s ping pong.”
House shrugged. “Whatever.” He put his beer down on the end table, next to the lamp. “Ten bucks says Taiwan’s still going to kick some major ass.”
On the TV, two men were on either side of the table, the small white ball flying between them.
“Which one’s Taiwan?”
“The good one.”
Wilson watched a few moments longer. He was still wearing his coat. He’d told Bonnie he was only going to be gone for a few minutes.
“I promise,” he’d said before he left the house. “I’ll pick up his food, drop it off and be right back.”
“And why can’t he pay for delivery like everybody else?” She’d held his keys captive in the palm of her hand, grabbed them off the hook before he’d even hung up the phone.
“They stop delivering after eleven o’clock.” Wilson had held his hand out for the keys and tried to be patient, but worried that the food would get cold while Bonnie dithered. House hadn’t been hungry earlier, when Wilson had stopped by on the way home. His appetite had been unpredictable ever since they’d tried swapping out the Vicodin for Oxycontin. The experiment hadn’t lasted long.
Wilson hadn’t bothered trying to explain that to Bonnie. She already knew the last week had been off kilter. He’d checked his watch instead. The shop would be closing soon. “Twenty minutes. Tops,” he’d said.
She’d stared at him a few more moments.
“I promise.”
She’d finally opened her hand. Wilson had snatched the keys and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, but she’d walked away. House’s food was waiting when he got to Panda Express, and was still warm when he picked it up.
“You going to keep that for yourself?” House asked as he nodded at the bag in Wilson’s hand.
Wilson walked the rest of the way into the room and handed it over. House bypassed the rice and dug into some lo mien.
Someone scored on the ping pong match and the numbers changed to show that one of the players -- the guy with a red stripe on his shirt, Wilson guessed -- had taken a 10-8 lead. Wilson listened to the announcers updating the score.
“Is that Chinese?”
House shook his head. “Korean.”
“Since when do you understand Korean?”
“What’s to understand? It’s ping pong. I can figure it out on my own.”
“Table tennis.”
“Whatever.” House held out a container and Wilson could smell the spices without even opening it. “Ten bucks on the guy from Taiwan. You in or not?”
Wilson glanced at his watch again. It’s already been thirty minutes since he left home. It’ll be another ten minutes even if he leaves now. Maybe if he waited a little longer, Bonnie would be asleep and wouldn’t notice the time when he got home.
He took off his coat. “Ten bucks,” he said.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-01 02:24 pm (UTC)Curling. Canada, obv.
Logrolling. Seriously. Also known as birling.
Highland games. Scotland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_games
Fishing.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-01 02:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-01 02:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-01 02:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-01 03:08 pm (UTC)polo
fencing
tug of war
lawn bowls
A good place to look would be past and present Olympic sports, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_sports has a list
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-01 03:30 pm (UTC)Bowling
Poker (that's a sport?)
Synchronized swimming
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-01 04:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-01 04:14 pm (UTC)I was going to say cheerleading - my friend K and I watched it one time on TSN when I was sick and he brought me a pizza.
Not sure if any of these would be carried on ESPN, but I've watched all of them on TV. They're not obscure in my world, but they're not mainstream:
Rugby
Cricket
Field hockey
Rowing
Aussie rules football
I hope your friend is found safe and sound.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-01 04:34 pm (UTC)I hope your friend is found safe and sound very soon.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-01 05:29 pm (UTC)Best wishes to your friend.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-01 05:37 pm (UTC)What about that Highland sport where they throwing poles? Caber tossing, something like that? Curling, definitely. Fishing? This won't help much but I remember seeing on TV once this Asian sport that was exactly like volleyball except they used their feet instead of their hands. Watching them leap and twist to kick the ball in the air was thrilling.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-01 06:46 pm (UTC)I hope that he's found soon, and safe.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-01 07:29 pm (UTC)As for sports, most fun strange sports have been mentioned above. Curling is very outlandish. Gaelic football is pretty obscure as well.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-02 03:10 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-02 03:11 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-02 03:15 am (UTC)Things aren't looking that good right now for Ken (but we're trying to be positive). We have sworn, however, that "when" they find him, he's getting a guide dog whether he wants one or not. Our concession will be that we'll train the dog to sniff out Scotch as well as being able to tell north from south.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-03 05:46 am (UTC)Or not. *g*
And it was great to see the news about your friend.