Your ship

[Neptunienne]

So, we could open up a different thread for each popular Brassh ship (rabid shippers, feel free to do so!) but for the time being, why don't you guys tell us about how you ship Jim - who and why?

As you can probably guess from the way I collected fanfic for multiple ships for this site, I'm open to everything, pretty much. I haven't found a pairing that really squicks me, even in slash (I think Brass slash is really hard to pull off credibly, though; he seems pretty straight even to my perverted little mind).

So, do you enjoy to see our favourite detective paired with? (be it fic or on-screen prospects)

[beaujolais]

Hmm, let's see.

My main ship is Brass/Catherine. I came into CSI during S5 and then went back and bought all the previous season DVD's. I really liked the chemistry between Brass and Catherine when they were working together. Maybe it's because they're older or maybe because they're parents but whatever it is, they just click--so much so that I thought there actually was something between them. Also, at the time a great deal of the Brass fics I found online were Brass/Catherine so it seemed to me that others saw that same shippy vibe that I saw.

I think my second ship has to be Brass/Annie. I love that they have a past together and that it's so undefined. As fic writers, we can have a lot of fun with them. One of the things that I'd like to explore a little more is why Annie left Jersey. And yeah, I do have a WIP that gives my take on it (it's something hinted at in "Open Ends") but my muse has taken a bit of a holiday on it.

Last but not least is Brass/Sofia. I got the first hint of a shippy vibe back in S5, when Brass called her Sofie and then when he was checking her out in "No Humans Involved". But it really struck me after watching "I Like to Watch" in S6. They shared a very traumatic event with Bell's shooting. It stands to reason that Sofia would be there for Jim after he was there for her. And then, the way she was looking out for him in "Way to Go", well, that just screamed shippy to me. I know there's all the arguments about it's unlikely that the writers would have another May/December romance but who knows. Maybe they'll surprise us. If nothing else, I'd just like to see a deep friendship.

[Brassfan24]

My first and foremost ship is definately Jim/Catherine. I've been a BrassCat shipper since season 1 ep 4. Their lunch scene in that eppy convinced me they were right for each other. Although, Cath turned Jim down. I mean they have similar backgrounds, in that sense, I mean ex- wife/husband wise. Both Jim and Catherine have been majorly burned by their ex's. Cath caught Eddie cheating on her and we all know that Nancy cheated on Jim. Not to mention their daughters. There's times I saw Lindsey and I couldn't help but notice a little bit of Ellie in her. Also I think Jim would be a great role model for Lindsey and I think she could use a strong male influence in her life. That said I'm praying before the show ends I see these two hook up.

Second - I would choose Annie for Jim. First off, they had great chemisty in Hollywood Brass. Secondly, Annie's from Jersey too and knows what Jim went through when he put O'Toole and the rest of those dirty cops away. I think she's really someone that Jim can truly be himself with.

Third would be Jim/Sofia. I've really loved the scenes they've done together, starting with Formalities. I loved that Jim called her Sofie. I thought that was cute. I think my fave Jim/Sofia moment would have to be in I Like to Watch, when he asked her to pop a few buttons. That was a classic moment. I loved the look on Sofia's face when he asked her. There's just moments like that that really make them click. Then of course there's A Bullet Runs Through It. I was happy to see Sofia at the end when she offered to stay at the wake with Jim. At least she had the decency not to turn her back on him. Not that we expected her to do otherwise.

So, they're my three favorite ladies for Jim. I really want him to hook up with Catherine but if he hooks up with any of these three women before the show ends, I'll be very happy.

[Neptunienne]

So... what about Brass/Sara?

Honestly, of all the fic I've read, it's the ship that seduced me most. And that's very weird, because I don't like Sara very much, as a character, she's one of the rare CSIs that makes me snark at my TV screen. But there's something about Brass/Sara that I find interesting. It's possibly because they *aren't* old friends, like Cath/Brass or colleagues who know each other well, like Sofia/Brass. There's still an element of mystery in the Brass/Sara relationship that can easily be translated into sexual tension, in fanfic.

There seemed to be lots of Brass/Sara around a few years back, but not much anymore. Is if because the ship has no chance of getting on screen? Is it because everyone and their brother is a GSR?

Or maybe I just have a taste for unconventional relationships, it certainly wouldn't be the first time.

[beaujolais]

Okay this is the third freakin' time I've tried to post. The stupid site keeps having a problem loading. Thankfully, I was able to save what I had written.

I guess my main problem with Brass/Sara, besides not liking Sara until S6, is that I've never seen any sort of vibe between Brass and Sara. I mean, there were a couple of nice scenes between them (his yelling at her in PWF and the convo at the end of NHI) but other than that, I don't see enough to make me want them together or to believe there's even a possibility in the future. At least with Brass/Catherine or Brass/Sofia or Brass/Annie, there's a shippy vibe.

The other problem I have is that with a few exceptions, the majority of the Brass/Sara fic I've read are not very good. There are some very good exceptions and they really did convince me that the pairing might work but there just aren't enough of the good ones to really get me interested.

Oh, and since you mentioned fics of yesteryears, when I first found the CSI fandom and was inhaling as much Brass fanfic as I could, I found that most of the early fics (those that were written during the first couple of seasons) were Brass/Catherine. When I started watching in S5, I actually thought they either were together or had been together at one time.

[dmf1984]

Oh, and since you mentioned fics of yesteryears, when I first found the CSI fandom and was inhaling as much Brass fanfic as I could, I found that most of the early fics (those that were written during the first couple of seasons) were Brass/Catherine. When I started watching in S5, I actually thought they either were together or had been together at one time.

I've been a Brass-Catherine shipper from Day one or maybe Day 12. I got that vibe too, from the beginning, that Brass and Catherine were at least interested in each other, and perhaps had taken it to a "friends with benefits" relationship. I never did feel a shippy vibe with Brass and Sara, and still don't. (Still don't buy the Grissom/Sara thing, but whatever; Sara's not a favorite of mine, althought she is interesting. They need to explore her issues, solo, IMO).

I do see the Brass-Sophia thing, big time, especially with the "he's a cop, she's a cop" thing. Who knows what the writers will do?

[Neptunienne]

I do see the Brass-Sophia thing, big time, especially with the "he's a cop, she's a cop" thing. Who knows what the writers will do

You know, all of a sudden this reasoning jumped into my mind:

Brass seems to be feeling some kind of burnout...
Burnout apparently means that he doesn't seem to care so much and is frustrated with his job...
If he doesn't care so much about his job, would he risk starting something with Sofia?

... then again, what would make Sofia take such a risk for her job? I imagine that the superior officer would of course be in more trouble, but it's not a good situation for either, and Sofia seems to be the type to worry a lot about her career and to be quite capable of avoiding a relationship that would cause her yet another career setback.

Of course, this is keeping out of mind the "political" reasoning of the series. I also follow "Without A Trace", another CBS show, and some fans seem to think that the reason that the male supervisor doesn't have a relationship with his female colleague (again) is because of the too great similarity with Grissom/Sara (I disagree, in Without a Trace they actually have chemistry). If that's the case, the chances of another boss/employee relationship in CSI is nil. Bah.

[dmf1984]

Of course, this is keeping out of mind the "political" reasoning of the series. I also follow "Without A Trace", another CBS show, and some fans seem to think that the reason that the male supervisor doesn't have a relationship with his female colleague (again) is because of the too great similarity with Grissom/Sara (I disagree, in Without a Trace they actually have chemistry). If that's the case, the chances of another boss/employee relationship in CSI is nil. Bah.

WoAT? Yeah, that one is hot and believable.

[sfCSI]

I really just don't like Sara that much. And although that's down to Jorja Fox's really great acting, if she were to leave the show, I'd be like 'yah, bye now'. It's not that I don't get GSR, I'm just ambivalent to it. I don't go around thinking that if they kiss onscreen that's the yukkiest thing ever. I think the thing that bothers me about GSR is this whole chemistry thing. I'm really really big on subtext and whilst there may be plenty of chemistry in the written looks, smirks and whatevers between them, I just don't get the unwritten vibe from the pair. I do really like the way the writers are handling GSR so far and it'll be interesting to see how they ramp up the subtleties.
Now Brass and Catherine, however, have chemistry coming out their ears. It could be down to the actors connection or whatever, but they ooze chemistry written and unwritten. And for me, the unwritten stuff is the shit that really gets me going. I'll take Brass onscreen working with anyone, but when he's with Cath, I sit up and really pay attention, shippy eyes glued.
Also, I think one of the reasons I don't particularly see the Brass/Sara angle is that she's a lot less mature than Cath. She may have had more personal stuff growing up to contend with, that's debatable, but could you ever see Brass having to shout at Cath to put her gun away? I know there's a big debate over the whole Cath!Drama vs. Sara!Drama, but from my view, as much as Brass may have taken Sara under his wing at times, he's looking for a relationship where the woman can stand on her own.
Brass/Annie. It's canon. It's yummy. It's really got it all. Except that with the non-canon ships there's that extra delight of 'If only....'
I love Sofia and I love the playful interaction they have. I can't wait to see how this season progresses with them together.

[mokis]

My main ship for Brass is Sofia and it's kinda strange 'cause i didn't think about them as a couple until i read some fanfiction. They could really work as couple.

Second is Brass/Sara and it hasn't a reasonable base. It's just because i got tired of Grissom and found that i liked Sara better with Brass than with Nick or Greg.

[beaujolais]

I'll take Brass onscreen working with anyone, but when he's with Cath, I sit up and really pay attention, shippy eyes glued.

ITA with you on this one. I don't know what it is about these two but I love seeing them work together. They just have it but I have no idea what it is. Maturity? Snarkiness? A history of bad relationships? Evil demon spawn? I think what really did it for me though was watching "Fur and Loathing". There's a scene where Jim and Catherine are checking out the dead guy's house and at then end of the scene, Jim says something to Catherine and then leans his head in towards hers, as if he were about to bump foreheads with her. It's just so...shippy. That sort of sealed the deal for me.

Second is Brass/Sara and it hasn't a reasonable base. It's just because i got tired of Grissom and found that i liked Sara better with Brass than with Nick or Greg.

I've tried to write Brass/Sara but so far it just doesn't work for me. I haven't given up but I think it would probably be more of a friendship fic than anything else. However, I have read some very good Brass/Sara fics and I do agree with you that if Grissom ever dumped Sara, the best person for her is Brass. He's got the maturity to deal with her.

And can I just say that I don't get the whole Brass-as-Sara's-father-figure thing? Sure, Sara can look at him like that but I don't see his side of it. He might look out for her but I think he'd do the same for Sofia and Catherine. He's a cop. He's got a protective nature.

[xiatealc]

How about that Brass and Catherine just have that shippy feeling when they're on set together? Could that be a logical explanation? They don't have to be embarrassing CBS or threatening their marriages by fancying each other a bit. Same rules apply on set as apply in the office. Don't do anything extreme in the broom cupboard. So being sensible people they get on board a bit in front of the cameras, and from what I've seen written about this ship there are a lot of people who love it.

There again, there are those who've said that it's all in the hands of the director and the whole thing is an illusion created for the purpose.

I don't know, I just can't keep my hands off that lovely stroke of reality in the undercurrents.

[alice_day]

Hmm. After nine seasons, I'd have to say that my heart belongs to the Brasscat/Brillows/Fed Up Single Parents ship. The characters have this close, funny relationship that makes you think they can trade parenting horror stories over a couple of beers or complete each other's sentences when the crap hits the fan. Plus the actors have chemistry together, and I like the idea of over-forty folks falling in love and bonking like bunnies. Slightly arthritic bunnies, yes, but bunnies nonetheless.

I like Sophia very much, although at first I didn't see her as a romantic partner for Brass -- a good friend, the daughter he'd wished Ellie would be, yes, but not boyfriend material -- but the way he reacts to her in seasons 5 and 6 kinda changed my mind.

As for Gappy, I couldn't understand why Grissom wanted her when he could have had Lady Heather. For her to hook up with Brass -- I can't suspend my disbelief that high anymore.

[beaujolais]

So now that TPTB have ticked a few of us off at Catherine and a couple of writers have said that they aren't feeling the Jim/Catherine love any more, I'm curious to know:

a) will you stop writing Brass relationships altogether?
b) will you say screw it and keep writing Jim/Catherine, ignoring the events in S10?
c) will you ship Brass with another established (offscreen) character (Sofia, Annie, Sara, Lady Heather, etc)?
d) will you ship Brass with an original female character (OFC)?
e) will you stop writing Brass?

I'm opting for B and C myself but I'm wondering about the rest of you.

[spottedhorse]

For now at least, I think I'll lay off any Brass/Catherine stories. I'm just still too mad at this season's events in that department. Some of the writers say they aren't feeling the love there anymore...well, I'm not feeling the love for them right now!

I have a story idea swirling in my head for a Brass/OC right now so I'm sure it'll gel sometime and I'll write it and probably more Brass/OC. Brass/Sara just doesn't work for me (ugh) and I think I've exhausted Brass/ Sofia in my head. Brass/ Heather could be interesting but my fuzzy brain hasn't generated anything there. I've read some Brass/Annie that I totally get but when I see it on the screne, I don't feel it so I doubt I'll go there.

One thing is for sure, Brass will still be rattling around in my brain and in my stories. He's the only reason I watch anymore!