Stories

Doctor Who 4x13

2008-07-06T00:22:47Z

such_heights in shock finale-liking scandal! God. Without even looking at many reaction posts I already know this makes me out to be some weak and feeble fangirl. Pfft. I will freely admit that having only seen it once I will have missed finer points, compounded by both alcohol and watching it with a whole crowd of other people (omg. so much fun.), but all the same. Squee, I has it! Please not to be harshing it in this particular post, thank you kindly. 10 points, off the top of my head, on 'Journey's End'.

01. There was so much hugging in this! Yay! A couple we were denied, but mostly speaking, loooots of hugging which was made of yay. Rose & Martha possibly my favourite, eeee. (Girlslash now, plz?)

02. On that note, EVERY COMPANION FLYING THE TARDIS. I DIED OF GLEE.

03. Mickey! Jackie! Just seeing them was fantastic, and omg Mickey in Torchwood? WITH MARTHA? *goes boom* I really didn't want to believe those rumours in case they were too good to be true. Other people are 'meh' about this, I know, but I think it's FANTASTIC, so there we are. Plus, to be honest, it's sensible in terms of writing for the shortened Torchwood S3.

04. Jack and Martha, bffs, ftw once more!

05. Tosh saving Gwen and Ianto! That's my woman! ♥ ♥ ♥

06. I adored the way they took the arcs of What It Is to be a companion and What It Is to be the Doctor and really blew them outwards in such a direct way. I've been thinking and thinking about what was said in this episode and I still haven't got it all sorted. Brain food, mmmm, so tasty. Loved all that.

07. Time Lady!Donna! NEVER HAVE I SEEN SUCH AN AMAZING THING IN ALL MY DAYS ON THIS EARTH. Aaaaaaaaah!!!! I want to watch those bits FOREVER AND EVER, and undoubtedly shall over the coming months.

08. I know I'm forgetting a whole bunch of other things that were fantastic. Oh! Jack's imagined fourway with the various Doctors, hahahaha, I can has that fic now please? And oh there was a massive laugh at the screening I was at with his INCREDIBLY PHALLIC bit of TARDIS flying. Oh, Jack. (Needed moar snuggles with his team post-Daleks, but alas.)

09. I am still thinking on the whole Rose/alt!Doctor thing, have yet to get my head around it. Veeeery interesting, though.

10. Oh, and most importantly, DONNA. D: There's a distinct possibility I'm never really going to recover, Jesus.

FIC: The Basic Art Of Communication [Harry Potter]

2008-07-04T15:58:29Z

The Basic Art Of Communication
Harry Potter
Remus/Sirius
PG-13, 3500 words
Summary: Wherein chaos is unleashed, Lily Evans proves corruptible, and Sirius is trying to say something important, probably.
Notes: Written for Round One of the rs_games.

A trumpet sounded. "Rise and shine, brethren!" Peter called. "Today is our day of jubilee!"

"Nnnngh."

"Sorry, James, what was that?"

"Peter," came a muffled voice from James' bed. "What are you doing?"

"I am waking you up! Just like you told me to, last night, you said to wake you up at half past six sharp so we could all prepare for the day."

"So this is your fault?" came Sirius' aggrieved and sleepy tones.

"'M sorry," said James, already sounding as if he were drifting back to sleep. "Moment of madness."

"Now now, come on," Peter scolded, "Prongs, Padfoot, get up!"

"No," Sirius snapped. "And I'm going to kill you when I do."

"No call for that kind of talk this early in the morning."

"I think now is exactly the time," grumbled Sirius.

Peter sighed.

"Good morning, Peter!" Remus poked his head out of bed.

"Ah, Moony!" Peter bounded over, revitalised. "Are you ready for our day of jubilee?"

"I wouldn't say no to some tea first. And possibly some of those nice sausages they've been doing lately."

"Ooh, sausages. Now that sounds good. Don't the sausages sound good, Prongs?"

"Go away," James told him.

A feeble hand emerged from Sirius' bed. "Wormtail. Sweet, most excellent Wormtail. Did you say sausages?"

Remus laughed. "Pete and I'll be back in a bit, while you two geniuses get started, how about that?"

"Merlin bless your children, and your children's children…" James called faintly.

Still chuckling, Remus grabbed his clothes, and in a few minutes he and Peter were happily ambling downstairs, leaving loud snores behind them.

"Nice trumpet playing back there, by the way," said Remus.

"Thanks! Knew that was a skill I'd need some day."

"James really told you to do that?"

"Like he said, I think it was a moment of madness."

"Yeah." They reached the Great Hall, and Remus opened the doors to find a room mercifully empty. "Right, good. Now then, load up!"

"How much do we you think we need?"

"As much as we can Leviosa if you ask me."

Peter nodded, and they strolled over to the Gryffindor table.

"Morning, lads!" Frank Longbottom was piling up on bacon, grinning much too broadly for the time of morning.

"Hi, Frank," Remus said. "What are you doing up?"

"Oh, you know," he answered through a mouthful of food. "Got to get my protein, you know. I don't suppose either of you fancy joining me for a quick jog round the lake in a few? It's going to be a beautiful day!"

Remus and Peter exchanged horrified glances. "You're very freakish, Longbottom, do you know that?" Remus asked faintly.

"It's been said, it's been said," Frank replied with very little concern about the fact, all things considered. "I take it that's a no, then? Pity."

"Uh, right." Remus turned to Peter. "Quick, grab things, let's go!" he hissed. "Well, Frank, you know, great to chat and all, but we've got to dash."

"Sure. So, what terrible chaos are you unleashing on us today?"

They froze in their tracks. "I'm sorry?" Remus asked.

Frank laughed. "No worries, your secret's safe with me. Only there's no other earthly reason you'd be up this early, and I'm not an idiot."

"Oh, no..." Peter said slowly, "we're just... hungry, that's all. You know, all those late night revision sessions and whatnot."

Frank waved a hand. "Go on then, run along, run along, try not to break anything too irreparably."

Remus and Peter took their cue. Waving wands, they conjured a mound of food to float off the table and set off, steering toast and sausages and kippers between pillars and out of the room. Upon arriving back in the dormitory, James and Sirius were looking much less zombie-esque. Remus dished out provisions and as they dug in happily James began to go through some of the last minute details while Peter took notes.

"Wormtail, are the second-floor hexes in place?"

"Yes, sir!" Peter said smartly, ticking an item off on the parchment in front of him.

"Moony, you're sure you're prepared for the Oncoming Evans?"

"Oh yes, I should think so."

Another line checked, and Peter rolled up the list with satisfaction.

"And one final thing," James said, glaring at Sirius while Peter looked up in surprise. "I want to hear no tell of you absconding with our Moony today, is that clear? You have a sacred duty to the cause and there are to be no extraneous dalliances."

Sirius snorted derisively. "Just because you haven't been dallying recently."

James reddened. "That's quite beside the point. The point, by the way, being matters such as truth! Freedom! Justice! Using the medium of laughter to create a better world!"

"And they say I'm the one with the delusions of grandeur," Sirius said, ruffling James' hair fondly.

"Also, I rather think the point is to get rid of the terrifying amount of dungbombs the three of you have collected recently," Remus added, glancing over at the enormous pile of said bombs as they nestled at the foot of his bed. Quite why they were on his bed in particular was just one of life's little mysteries, Remus supposed.

Peter took out an old pocketwatch he'd acquired for such occasions. "Men, it is three quarters past the hour. Might I propose we make a move?"

"An excellent notion!" James leaped up, eyes glinting with ever-increasing mania. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he intoned with a salute.

The others followed suit, then racing downstairs to watch their work unfold.

"Hey," Sirius hissed in Remus' ear as they descended, "I want to talk to you about something."

Remus looked over, noting that Sirius had developed a look that seemed to be a halfway between earnest and gravely ill, resulting in an unusually cross-eyed expression. "What is it?"

Sirius blinked, then readjusted his features into much more normal alignment with a mouthed 'later' and loped off to join James, who was flailing his arms around wildly in his excitement. Remus shook his head wonderingly.

*

The school was submerged in chaos. "Beautiful, beautiful chaos," Remus murmured, impressed.

"Woah," Peter breathed.

Shrieks of mingled panic and laughter emanated up through the halls, and Sirius grinned from ear to ear as he pointed at the many dots fleeing towards the Slytherin dungeons. "Guess those firecrackers under their table were a bit of a shocker, then."

They looked out over the corridors below them with the contented sighs of a job well done. A rumbling explosion shook the ceiling above them, and James clapped his hands together. "Right, I'm going to go prepare the next salvo - comrades, you know what to do."

He dashed off, and Sirius looked sideways at Remus. "Hey, Peter, how about you go and infiltrate the Hufflepuffs or something, find out what's going on with the common people and all that."

Peter chuckled. "Nice try. But James told me not to leave the two of you alone today."

"Oh, God, we have a chaperone," Remus said faintly.

Peter looked scandalised, then his eyes widened with dawning truth. "Bastard," he hissed with feeling.

"Quite, quite," Sirius said, taking his arm soothingly. "Now then, why don't you give up your life of drudgery and babysitting and go be our eyes and ears, eh?"

Peter still looked a little hesitant, but at Remus' encouraging smile he threw his hands up and dashed off without a backwards glance.

"Probably looking to canoodle with Druella de Souza or something, you know," Remus said wisely.

Sirius said nothing, and when Remus looked over he was startled to see him looking almost-- nervous. Which probably meant the world was shortly to explode.

"Remus," he said with some urgency.

"What?" Remus was going through a list of possibilities and alternatives. He's got some hideous malady. He's just found out Snape's his secret half-brother. He's decided he's going to murder me and doesn't know what to do with the body.

Sirius grabbed his arm. "Like I said, I want to talk to you about something. Can we, oh, I don't know. Come over here, will you?"

Eyes darting around the corridor, Remus reckoned it was reasonably safe to move closer to his evidently deranged boyfriend. "What is it?" he hissed.

"Just..." Sirius groaned and pulled him into a nearby store cupboard.

Remus quirked an eyebrow. "A closet? Seriously?"

Sirius stared at him for a moment before he started laughing. "Which pun do I use first?

"How about you get on with it so we can get out of the closet again?"

"Yes, yes, right." Sirius put his hands on Remus' chest, toying with the edge of his collar. "I…"

"Something you wanted to say?" Remus prompted.

"Mm, yes, very good. Well, so glad we could have this little chat, now if you'll just excuse me I'll be…" he babbled, turning for the door.

"Sirius?"

"What?"

"You didn't actually tell me."

"Oh?" Sirius wandered back guiltily. "Oh. Well. I just wanted to say that I, you know--" he hesitated again.

"CODE RED! We have a code red, I repeat, code red! LUPIN!"

The dulcet tones of one James Potter were rapidly bounding down the corridor, and Remus laughed. "Right. Don't think you're getting out of this so easily, mind."

Sirius grinned, looking sheepish. "Yeah, ok. I'll just stay here while you go and appease him, shall I?"

"Probably for the best." Remus swiftly exited the cupboard, almost running smack into James.

"Moony!" James pounced on him, grabbing his shoulders. "Right, yes. Code red-- wait, hang on." He frowned. "What were you doing in the store cupboard?"

"Oh, you know. Looking for stores."

"Hmm." James narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't have been, ah, 'looking for stores' with Sirius by any chance?"

"I should think not!" Remus replied, looking deeply affronted and quietly promising to hex Sirius to net Tuesday if he so much as twitched. "Anyway, you were saying we have a code red on our hands?"

"Right, yes! Oh, Moony, she saw me just now and chased me down three corridors, it was terrifying. There is anger in her soul and murder in her heart and you need to go do something about it!" James implored.

Remus hefted up his bag. "She's down that way is she?"

James nodded, looking pale. "I'm going to go -" he waved in the opposite direction, "- over there, somewhere, must be something going on, terribly important I'm sure." He saluted. "Godspeed, sergeant!"

Remus walked off, managing to keep his laughter at bay until he'd rounded a corner.

It didn't take long to find Lily Evans. When she was angry - which, where James was concerned, was often - she tended to express her displeasure at volumes that had a rather carrying quality.

"I'm going to KILL him," Remus heard as he approached the Gryffindor tower. "I am going to kill him and then I'm going to bring him back and kill him all over again."

Remus peered into the corridor to see Lily holding forth to most of their year, who varied between looking similarly enraged or secretly amused.

"You!" she shot at him as she spotted him, marching over to haul him elbow first into the common room. Remus couldn't help but note he seemed to be being manhandled an awful lot just now, and made feeble attempts to tug out of her vice-like grip.

"Potter is an idiot, you know. It's not even the pranks themselves, though frankly I could do without, but you're all so stupid - I mean, the spellwork for the water balloons out in the grounds is downright shoddy and while I'll give you that the theory behind the word-trigged farting is impressive, that's the kind of humour usually enjoyed by six year olds. Though, I suppose it's wildly optimistic of me to expect anything resembling genuine wit from you four. And another thing, what on earth has possessed you to go after the Hufflepuffs, I mean, what have they ever done to you--"

Her tirade carried them all the way up the stairs and into Remus' deserted dormitory. "My, Evans," Remus said as she paused for breath and he shut the door, "you and I, all alone up here, tongues will wag."

"Oh, shut up. So, what have you got for me?"

Remus unrolled his parchment. "Right. I would first like to remind you of the following: we have been remarkably good this year. You may recall our restraint on Valentine's Day, our very contained April Fools' celebrations. In short, we've been building up credit for some time now."

"Mm," Lily said, folding her arms. "What else?"

"Here's a list of tips for places to avoid during certain periods of the day. In particular, I wouldn't go anywhere near the dungeons after five." He wrinkled his nose. "That's going to be unpleasant."

She nodded. "And?"

Remus passed the bag over. "In there are three bottles of very dubiously-obtained Russian Gillywater, plus something blue and glowing from Rekjavik that's meant to be quite the eye-opener, so to speak."

She peered in approvingly. "Not bad, not bad. All right then, we have a deal. I'll stay out of your business all day today. If Professor McGonagall or anyone else asks, then I know nothing, and furthermore believe you all to be reformed characters and it must be some young imitators. I will not threaten to castrate or otherwise terrorise Potter, and I won't tip anyone off to upcoming events." She shook his hand firmly.

"There we are, then," Remus said, satisfied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have mayhem to be getting back to. Pleasure doing business with you, Evans, as always."

As he turned to go, she asked, "Does it even occur to you that the prefect system is profoundly corrupt?"

He looked back. "All of us are in the gutter, but some of us are..."

"Looking at the stars, yeah yeah, don't you Wilde at me." She grinned. "Go on, get out of here, try not to destroy the whole castle."

Remus gladly escaped.

*

James was doubled over with laughter in the disused Arithmancy classroom they'd claimed as headquarters. "Moony!" he called happily between guffaws. "Come over here!"

Sirius grinned as Remus settled on top of a desk. "Go on, Wormtail, tell him what you've got."

Peter sat up straighter and held up his notes proudly. "Out of an informal survey of thirty or so students from a variety of houses and years, I've gathered some fun results. There's wild speculation about who's behind it, though most of the Ravenclaws seem to be onto us. Other candidates for chief pranksters include Davey Gudgeon and cohorts, the Delaney sisters, and even - get this - Sirius' dear brother and other assorted Slytherins."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "The state of youth today, I ask you."

James was still smirking. "Get to the best bits!"

"Right, right. Looks like tales of our escapades are getting bigger and bigger by the hour." Peter handed the list over and Remus read it with astonishment. "We… what? No, no way, that's physically impossible, how does anyone think we could possibly have--"

"My favourite," Peter added, "is the one about turning the Great Hall into the Spanish Main with Dumbledore as the pirate king."

James slowly slid off his desk onto the floor, clutching his sides. "We're geniuses!" he crowed. "We should be given medals! Awards! Sainthoods! We are gods!"

"Yes, dear," Sirius said before fixing Remus with a meaningful look.

Remus coughed. "Right, yes. Well, should probably dash now, things to jettison off the Astronomy tower and so on."

He sauntered up flights of stairs, sure that Sirius would be along in a bit and idly wondering what on earth he was getting his knickers in such a twist about. He's ditching me for James. He's ditching me for Peter-- no, wait, don't be stupid. He's running off to join the Bulgarian circus. He's secretly an alien. The possibilities appeared to be endless, and Remus decided that this was probably merely a sign of their mutual growing insanity that this non-conversation was even occurring in the first place. Mutual growing insanity, that had a good ring to it, and a pretty apt way to describe this thing, too, this thing that mostly involved Sirius behaving in an alarmingly canine-like fashion and doing things like sticking his nose into Remus' neck and licking his collarbone, which was quite like... well, like this, actually.

Remus turned around in surprise, and Sirius looked up, grinning. "Hello, you."

"Hello yourself. Gave them the slip, then?"

"I am a master of stealth."

"Ah, yes. I always forget that one. So, you wanted to say?"

"Mmm," Sirius hummed in a distracted sort of way, seeming much more interested in Remus' tie, and the speedy removal of any functional purpose it once had.

"This is a little conspicuous, isn't it?" Remus asked.

"What do you take me for. McGonagall herself couldn't break through the locking charms on that door. Although," Sirius added with a waggle of his eyebrows, "maybe in that case she wouldn't have had to."

Remus suppressed the urge to shudder at the thought, and settled for whacking Sirius upside the head instead. "Christ," he muttered. "Anyway, this thing you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh, that." Sirius glanced at the heavens for a moment. "Eh, it can wait." And with that he cupped Remus' head and stuck his tongue in his mouth. Remus really had no particular inclination to protest.

*

Keeping up extended mischief and mayhem was harder work than you might imagine. Add to the mix a determined yet incoherent disowned pureblood and a red-haired woman with fear-inspiring powers the like of which have rarely been seen on this earth, and Remus was having a hell of a day.

"Hide me!" James yelped, cowering behind Remus as Lily walked onto the staircase below them and it swung upwards.

"Don't worry, Potter, you're safe for now," Lily called as she went past, though not without a decidedly evil edge to her laughter.

"I think I've got it," Sirius whispered next to him. "Really, this time, soon as you've got a second, I'm just going to, you know. Say it, just like that. Yeah?"

Peter stood on the landing expectantly. "Come on, Moony, I need you to help me down in the dungeons!"

"Merlin give me the strength to accept the things I cannot change," Remus remarked to no one in particular.

Nonetheless, the day turned out a resounding success. "No permanent injuries caused," Peter announced as they gathered back in the dormitory later that evening, many Slytherins successfully harassed, our legendary status affirmed, and we haven't even been nabbed for detention yet."

James puffed his chest out with pride. "Good work, my noble lieutenants. I'd say that was mischief managed."

"Right then, that means celebrations are in order," Sirius said as he pulled out a box from beneath his bed, bringing forth bottles that clinked together alluringly.

Remus threw open the window. They'd long since discovered that there was a patch of roof that served as a suitably roomy balcony provided you were prepared to shimmy across some very narrow ledges and clamber over a chimney or two.

Once they were ensconced, it took very little alcohol at all before all four of them were slumped in various states of response, a half-silence spreading out and being punctuated at intervals by amused recollections of the day.

James held a hand aloft, and it was almost steady for a moment before it slumped down to his side again. "To victory," he said thickly, and Peter grunted in agreement.

Sirius rolled over and propped himself up.

"I've been trying to tell you," he began, one eye falling shut even as he looked at Remus.

"It's all right," Remus told him, laughing softly. "You don't have to say it."

"No, no. Don't be... stupid." Sirius slid back onto the ground, clutching at Remus' robes to emphasise his point.

"You're the one who couldn't string a sentence together all day." Sirius' breathing was already beginning to even out and deepen, and Remus looked around to see the others in similar blissful states. He leaned over and kissed Sirius' forehead. "I love you too, you complete idiot."

"Oh," Sirius said from the edges of the sleep. "S'all right, then."

Thanks to the combined fumes of firework smoke and other miscellaneous explosions of the day, the sky was more of a haze than a vista tonight. But as Remus kicked back against the parapet, listening to the melodious snores of the people he loved best and basking in the contented glow of a most successful day, he fancied that he could still see the stars.

June Round Up

2008-07-02T15:33:47Z

Written In June:

Harry Potter

Baby Names
James, Lily, Sirius
PG, 600 words
Coming up with names proves more challenging than previously imagined. For trowicia.

Torchwood

I've Got A Diary, You Have All The Time In The World
Jack/Ianto, Gwen
PG-13, 2000 words
Jack's never really understood the point of celebratory days. For onehundredmoons.

Night Of The Living Dead
Team Torchwood
PG-13, 1000 words
The zombie apocalypse comes to Cardiff. Inspired by Blog Like It's The End Of The World.

Doctor Who

Everybody Knows That--
the Doctor, Donna
PG, 600 words
"So," she says. "So," he agrees. A coda to 'Forest of the Dead'.

Because there are too many days in the week that aren't Saturday

2008-06-30T17:27:21Z

Gosh, it seems like a long week until next Saturday! So, a bit more on episode 12.

I love Wikipedia for looking up info on TV. In particular, they have excellent continuity sections on big programmes like Doctor Who, and from the article on The Stolen Earth I picked up a couple of things that had passed me by while watching.

01. I knew the Mr Copper Foundation that invented the subwave network rang a bell, and for anyone else that was slow on the uptake, I have worked out why - he's the guide from 'Voyage of the Damned', last seen wandering off into the snow at the end of the episode. So that's what he's been up to, then. A nice touch, I thought.

02. Haha, and I'd forgotten that Clom was the twin planet of Raxacoricofallapatorius, home of the Abzorbaloff from 'Love and Monsters'. "Clom, who'd want Clom?!"

03. The gun Jack zaps away with to find the Doctor? The modified defabricator gun from Satellite Five! Hee, that's fantastic, and appropriate as this is the most Who S1!Jack we've seen since, well, Series 1.

So, I am of the opinion that the section of the episode from 27 minutes in to 35:00 is everything you could possibly want from Doctor Who, and I can't stop watching it. Subwave network of epic awesome! Flirting, teamwork, in-jokes, fantastic soundtrack, improbable technology, a heroic death (or is it?) complete with an 'oh the humanity' moment, and then culminating in the TARDIS flying into the GIANT RADIO WAVES OF DOOM. ♥ ♥ ♥

Lastly, and mostly because coming up with some of the names amused me far too much not to share, a poll!

This was the episode wherein everyone and their mother, quite literally, was awesome, but who was the greatest of them all? I've assembled what should be an fairly all-encompassing shortlist.

View Poll: #1213793

I really can't decide yet, gosh. I was so flaily about them all! For now, I am owned by Wilf and his paint-gun. :D

Doctor Who 4x12

2008-06-28T19:47:13Z

All the characters got amazing moments, and it's only the first part! Good heavens! I loved this. Why is it not on iPlayer yet?? Must... watch... again. Omfg.

MARTHA FUCKING JONES. GOD, THE BEGINNING, WITH HER IN NEW YORK AND BEING ALL AMAZING. AAAAAH.

TEAM TORCHWOOD, HI HI HI! I ADORE YOU ALL SO MUCH.

Attempting to reign in the capslock, seriously. Some points in no particular order.

* I love how this basically had no plot so we could have every single character being entirely fantastic, yay!

* That whole subwave network conversation was the best thing ever, and I shall be rewatching it for all eternity.

* Omg Roooose. I was quite gutted she didn't get to have a proper conversation with ANYONE except Donna's parents - I mean, the big reunion thing with the Doctor was bound to go horribly wrong somehow, but I would have loved to see her talk to Harriet Jones or Jack. Hopefully Rose&Jack reunion of yay next week, yes?

* TORCHWOOD AND MARTHA. Omg. I adore how Jack and Martha are bffs more than I can possibly express. And we got Gwen on the phone to Rhys, and that one line of Jack/Ianto that was all I was after. :D

* Although, it's now official: Jack/everyone FTW. Sarah Jane! Donna! Heeee!

* Gwen and Ianto. Way to BREAK MY HEART. Knowing the Daleks are about to arrive, and letting Jack leave to find the Doctor anyway, especially when neither of them believed he'd come back in any case. *wails* He loves you both, he does, he does! And they're going out fighting like Owen and Tosh and oh dear how embarrassing I appear to be a little emotional even as I type. RTD YOU BROKE ME.

* Sarah Jaaaaaaaane. Ilher. That's all, really. ♥

* Catherine Tate - best actor in the whole thing, y/y? Oh, guh, she is so amazing, I love Donna so much, she had such presence and importance even as she hardly did anything in this episode.

* A Dalek saved Davros from the Time War, WTF? :O And the Medusa Cascade! Zomg zomg.

* The Doctor is regenerating whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???

* Can no one die next week, please? Please? D:

FIC: I've Got A Diary, You Have All The Time In The World [Torchwood]

2008-06-26T10:56:04Z

I've Got A Diary, You Have All The Time In The World
Torchwood; Jack/Ianto, Gwen
PG-13, 2000 words
Summary: Jack's never really understood the point of celebratory days.
Notes: Set speculatively after Doctor Who S4, so casting spoilers for the finale. Undoubtedly makes a botch job of lefaym's excellent Torchwood timeline. Written in celebration of onehundredmoons' own anniversary - happy birthday!

When Jack arrived at his desk that morning, he found it miraculously tidier than the night before, where he'd left files everywhere in a fit of pique (the rage inducing paperwork being to do with a primary school and a hopscotch chalking that had come to life - long story). Accompanied with a mug of hot coffee before he's even seen Ianto, neither of these are unheard-of kindnesses, not that Jack isn't grateful. But now he's looking at his schedule for the day, and it seems suspiciously free of all the things he was sure had been his tasks as of late last night.

"Ianto!" he yells.

Ianto appears at the doorway moments later, a picture of composed innocence. Something's definitely up.

"What happened to today?" Jack asks.

"Which bit of it?"

"Well-- those interviews out at the nursing home?"

"Rescheduled," says Ianto, " some sort of do up there today, they'll all have had too much shandy to be much use speaking to us, apparently."

"That call out to the B&B?"

"They reckon it was just kids mucking around now, we can go out tomorrow."

Jack frowns. "What else - oh, weren't we running diagnostics on the network systems this morning?"

"Ran it last night," Ianto says, shrugging.

"Huh. So what exactly are we doing today?" Jack asks, suspicion gradually changing to intrigue.

"Well, we do have all of those artefacts that have been waiting to be examined for quite some time now. Seeing as we've got a clear day, it's probably high time we take a look at them," Ianto tells him seriously.

"So, let me get this straight," Jack says, laughing, "you cleared the diary today so we could play with alien toys?"

"Absolutely not. I'll go get the crate then, shall I?"

Jack grins. "Fine by me."

---

"What's going on?" Gwen asks as she enters the Hub. "Oh, brilliant!" she says, catching sight of the open box below her and dropping her coat to race down and join the others, where Ianto is currently laughing uncontrollably.

"You started without me!" she scolds, smacking Jack's arm. "And what on earth have you done to Ianto?"

Jack's laughing pretty hard himself. "It's this thing," he tells her, holding up a small blue rod. "Aim this at your victim and it's like you've just told them the funniest joke in the world."

Ianto clutches his ribs as a particularly loud guffaw sends him over sideways.

"And then, I think, if you just do this," Jack continues, retracting the rod back in on itself, "it stops again."

Ianto wheezes for breath. "Ow," he groans faintly.

"Yes, I'd say that was a successful test - wouldn't you agree, Gwen?" Jack says with satisfaction.

Gwen's about to reply when Ianto makes a sudden recovery, lunging for the rod and aiming at Jack. Within seconds, Jack's sprawled back in his chair, giggling madly.

Exchanging a grin with Gwen, Ianto pulls out a pen and paper and starts making notes.

"You know," Gwen muses, "for the purposes of complete records we should probably have photographic evidence of the device's effects."

Ianto nods swiftly in agreement.

"Hee hee hee," is all that Jack contributes.

---

Though the Giggle Stick -- Ianto's suggestion -- is eventually put away, laughter continues to fill the Hub for most of the day. They set aside anything that looks like a weapon and instead find musical instruments, intricate puzzles, even an innocuous-looking pod that turns Gwen's hair blue for three hours.

Jack finds he can't stop smiling, because what with everything that's been happening, even he had forgotten just how much fun the universe could be, all the wonders contained even in the simplest things. They find what looks like some kind of home video, filmed half a galaxy away, and finally get it integrated with their own computers. Gwen and Ianto watch in rapt attention as three Hath teenagers act out the story of Soldier Ethkella vs. The Desert, the drama and enjoyment of it practically undimmed by the Hub's difficulties with the bubble-like language.

As Ethkella faces off against the Great One (which looks like little more than a kitchen table with drapes over it and someone pushing it around from underneath), Jack sits back, arms around them both, and all he can only think that they should have more days like this.

---

Gwen eventually tears herself away - as she puts it, she can't in good conscience tell Rhys she's working late when in reality she's spent the past hour playing space snooker.

"Well," Ianto says, "we certainly got through a lot of our backlog today."

"Yeah, good work, team, now back to reality in the morning, ok?"

Gwen sighs. "I suppose. I'll come with you to have a chat with that old codger in St. Edward's, shall I?"

"Please do, could use those police instincts there," says Jack.

"All right, see you in the morning. And I wouldn't mind having another go at that voice modulator sometime," she adds with a grin.

"Good night, Gwen."

Laughing, she pulls on her coat and heads out.

The Hub's quiet after the entrance rolls shut again, and when Jack turns back he finds Ianto gathering up the debris of the day, smiling. Jack wanders over to hang off the railings, admiring the view as Ianto bends low to retrieve an errant mug from underneath a seat. "Right," he says reluctantly after a while, "I'd better go deal with all the calls and emails I've left hanging all day."

Ianto nods, holding up the notes he's been making. "I'll just file these away, then."

Jack's just about finished teasing out any messages of real importance that came through today when Ianto appears again, coffee and the remainder of lunchtime's pizza in hand.

"We really must talk about your diet sometime," Ianto says as he hands them over.

Jack waves him off. "So, what was today all about, anyway?" he asks "I mean, it's a good idea, we could use a break."

Ianto shrugs. "It did need doing at some point."

"Ianto."

Ianto looks up. "Well, according to the records, it's your birthday today."

Jack blinks. "Really? I didn't realise."

"Surely you don't mean to suggest they're inaccurate in some way?" Ianto asks, mock horror on his face.

Jack laughs. "Sorry to disappoint."

"Well," Ianto says, "better to be safe than sorry."

"Your attention to detail is, as ever, impressive."

There's a twitch at the corners of Ianto's mouth that's threatening to be a smile as he swings himself round to perch on the edge of Jack's desk, wilfully blocking Jack's access to the files he'd been working on. Jack suspects that's the sort of thing he ought to object to (this management gig is still tricky to get right, after all), but instead he grins at the interruption.

"So, do you have a birthday? You weren't grown in a loom or anything?" asks Ianto.

"A what?" Jack raises an eyebrow, bemused.

Ianto shrugs. "It seemed like a possibility."

"No no, born like everybody else. As it happens, it was on the 421st day of my home planet's solar orbit, so it's kinda tricky to convert into this calendar."

"We could have a system," Ianto suggests. "You could pick an arbitrary day, like the Queen. We'd take a day off like today, drink to your health, that sort of thing. You might even coax me into a party hat if you're very good."

"Aw, and I'd only get to see it once a year? That's no fun." Jack smiles. "I'm good without, thank you." He's quiet for a moment, unsure whether to voice his thoughts. "When I was growing up," he says eventually, "there were never any of these anniversaries like you have, personal days to mark the annual passing of things. Time was measured communally, I suppose - solstices, harvests, that sort of thing. Then I came here, and you all have your individual dates and seasons, birthdays and weddings and deaths that you observe each year, like trying to stamp your own mark on time itself."

Ianto's silent, but he's listening, interest clear in his eyes. And even though Gwen and Ianto have both been here a good while now, it still feels strange to Jack, their open minds and sharp insights that almost scare him even as they allow him to speak more freely than he ever has before on Earth.

"Course, my own timeline's shot to hell in any case, has been since way back when," he continues, mostly talking for the pleasure of not having any particular point to make nor any great secret to keep hidden. "Time Agency used to make us keep records of how long we spent on missions, trying to keep a track on our length of employment - doing payrolls must have been hell, I shudder to think. Anyway, plenty of agents would keep their own logs too, days noted down even as they delved into time loops and ran through the vortex, but I never did. Not sure whether I'm glad about that or not."

"So start here," says Ianto. "It's--" he only stops to think for the briefest of moments "--a year, two months and fifteen days since you came back to us."

"A year before that when I hired you," Jack continues to a nod from Ianto.

That's the other thing about dates. They blur out time as much as they make a note of it. Jack doesn't have to say that it's almost exactly two years ago that a cyberman was let loose in the Hub, twenty days after that before anything was fixed again, ensuing months when Ianto still wasn't right and Jack still wasn't helping, not really. Anniversaries also show how far you've gone, how much has changed.

"Two months since the Doctor," Ianto says (and two weeks before since Tosh and Owen, he doesn't add).

"Five weeks since the incident with the jellyfish--"

"--of which we will never speak again," Ianto cuts in darkly.

Jack chuckles. "Ten days since you took me to that restaurant round the other side of the bay."

"Yes, and ten days minus half an hour you got us both unceremoniously chucked."

"Hey!" Jack protests. "I thought we'd both agreed that was entirely not my fault."

"So you say."

Jack steers into different territory. "Two days since you had me spread out in here, doing that incredible thing with your hands."

"Mmm," Ianto agrees, "and three hours since you last tried to get me to do it again."

"An hour and a half since Gwen went home," Jack points out hopefully.

Ianto pauses, and Jack almost thinks he's going to find a cue to leave, but then he leans forward, his hands reaching out to cup Jack's face as he looks at him for a moment. "And a day too long since I did this," he finishes, meeting Jack's mouth with his own.

The kiss is familiar with the days that have gone before, but also always with the hint of what's to come, the new dates to be forged against the whole expanse of time. Jack clings to this, makes a mark of it, the finite moment set against forever. Ianto's pulling them both up, saying something about a particularly interesting bit of alien tech they hadn't quite got the chance to thoroughly test out yet. They should have more anniversaries, he decides, more celebrations in amongst everything else that they do. And as Jack is moved down the stairs, work entirely forgotten, all that he can really think is how much he needs more days like this.

"I thought it was just the Doctor we needed. But it's both of you."

2008-06-22T13:50:16Z

All right, and now some thoughts/enthusiasm about 'Turn Left' and one of the series arcs that was continued therein.

I could say lots of things about 'Turn Left', but I think what I loved most about it (out of a great many things that I loved) was the way it continued the companion arc that's been going so strongly this series. To wit, I have a few examples out of the many, many discussions about what it is to travel with the Doctor, and what it is to live afterwards:

*

"Still on your own?"

"Yup. Well, no. I had this friend, Martha, she was called, Martha Jones, she was brilliant. And I destroyed half her life. But she's fine, she's good. She's gone."

"What about Rose?"

"Still lost. I thought you were going to travel the world?"

"Easier said than done. It's like I had that one day with you, and oh, I was going to change. I was going to do so much. Then I woke up the next morning, same old life. It's like you were never there."

Donna & the Doctor, 'Partners in Crime'

"Oh, I have missed all this, but you know. I'm good here, back at home, and I'm better for having been away."

Martha, 'The Poison Sky'

"I've got the whole universe. Planets to save, civilisations to rescue, creatures to defeat, and an awful lot of running to do."

Jenny, 'The Doctor's Daughter'

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, positive. I can't do this any more. You'll be the same, one day."

"Not me, never! How could I ever go back to normal life after seeing all this? I'm gonna travel with that man forever."

Donna & Martha, 'The Doctor's Daughter'

"When you run with the Doctor, it feels like it will never end. But however hard you try, you can't run forever. Everybody knows that everybody dies, and nobody knows it like the Doctor."

River, 'Forest of the Dead'

"But if he was so special, what's he doing with me?"

"He thought you were brilliant."

"Don't be stupid."

"But you are. Just took the Doctor to show you that, simply by being with him. He did the same to me, to everyone he touches."

Donna & Rose, 'Turn Left'

*

We all know all of this, of course, have done since 'Parting to the Ways' especially, but ooh how I'm enjoying it coming up again and again this series. Because, gradually, the tone's changing. Rose and Martha were broken, destroyed in some way by their experiences with the Doctor, with Sarah Jane and Jack serving as previous examples of the same heartbreak. And now it's all turning around, because all four of them are back, and they've found resolution and because they all are irrevocably changed by the Doctor, they've got new purpose, defending the Earth in all their different ways. They've become the Doctor, and this is made very clear time and again, reinforced once more last night with Rose even talking like him.

The influence spreads outwards, as Martha tries to improve UNIT, as Rose's travels end up making heroes of Mickey and Jackie too, as Jack and Sarah Jane find their teams and change their lives. And now, with Donna at the crux of it, it's all coming back around.

In 'Turn Left' we have the bleak version, where one by one they all die saving the world (I cannot begin to describe how much it kills me that Martha dies heroically when she hasn't even met the Doctor, gah). Now it's time for the flipside, for this chain reaction of heroism all started by the Doctor to come into play and save the whole multiverse, looks like. Because he isn't alone, not any more, and one of my favourite things about the newer series has been how the world of Doctor Who has been expanded outwards, through Torchwood and UNIT and recurring characters and a whole scale much grander than when it was just one lonely alien in a leather jacket with a blue box, who met one girl that led to all this.

The universe is in good hands, don't you think?

Doctor Who 4x11: Turn Left

2008-06-22T00:21:42Z

*screams*

GOOD GOD. SWEET MOTHER OF RASSILON. THAT WAS JUST.

*screams some more*

I am really, really not sure I can be in any way coherent. I think I am going to have to rewatch tomorrow and then write thinky thoughts on why that was THE GREATEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN.

But, fuck. Everybody died. It was AWFUL. Even the kids from SJA! And DONNA NOBLE, the most epically awesome woman in the universe!

Followed by ROSE FREAKING TYLER! Bam! I loved her in this WAY more than I was expecting to, and I was expecting to love her! Wow. Wow wow wow. EPIC.

AND THEN THE PREVIEW, FOR WHICH I CANNOT TURN OFF THE CAPS. GWEN AND IANTO. ARE GOING TO BE IN DOCTOR WHO. AAAAAAAAAH. AND THERE IS OT3 WE'RE ABOUT TO DIE HUGGING. OH MY GOD.

*runs around flailing*

Um, yeah. Off to see what you guys thought now, and capslock in your journals! And then some sanity, maybe, tomorrow.

FIC: Baby Names [Harry Potter]

2008-06-20T13:02:47Z

Baby Names
Harry Potter
James, Lily, Sirius
PG, 600 words
Summary: Coming up with names proves more challenging than previously imagined.
Notes: Inspired by JKR's recent prequel. Written for trowicia - happy birthday, darling! ♥

"What about Alfred?" James suggested.

Lily made a face.

"What? What's wrong with Alfred? I have an uncle Alfred, you know."

"Indeed I do know, and you really want to name a son after said uncle?" Lily asked her indignant-looking husband.

James frowned at that.

"I remember Alfred," Sirius said wistfully, "he let me smoke cigars one time your parents took you out to buy dress robes and I was clattering around the house by myself. He kept talking about my classical features and how I would make a magnificent model for his next sculpture."

James and Lily exchanged a glance, and then Sirius' face fell. "In retrospect, that was probably a little peculiar, wasn't it?"

"Well. . ." Lily said in an attempt at diplomacy, "I'm sure he meant well."

Sirius sighed. "Alas, another childhood innocence shattered."

Lily patted his arm.

"Anyway, racing swiftly on," James said quickly. "Names! Baby names! A name to do proud to our imminent offspring. So, if Alfred's a no-go, what about your family? If it's a girl we could call her after your Aunt Verity."

Lily laughed. "Last time Verity met you she whacked you with an umbrella!"

"Yeah, well, I like that in a woman," replied James, grinning.

"I'm vetoing all family names right now," Lily told him. "Sirius, how are we doing?"

Sirius looked down at the list he'd been keeping. "So far. . . none, actually."

"None?" Lily groaned. "We are hopeless. We are terrible, terrible parents already."

James sat up. "You know, there's one more I've got up my sleeve." He turned to Sirius, whose eyes widened.

"What is it?" Lily asked in trepidation.

"Elvendork," James announced impressively.

There was suppressed laughter emanating from Sirius' corner.

"Excuse me?"

"Elvendork! A noble wizarding name, handed down through generations, and ideally suited to our son or daughter."

"Elvendork," Lily repeated faintly.

In his chair, Sirius looked about to keel over from silent laughter, and after a moment's pause James began to cackle.

"Elvendork! It's unisex!" crowed Sirius before dissolving into what were unmistakeably giggles.

Lily looked between them in bewilderment. "What in the name of all things is going on?"

James coughed and took a steadying breath. "Oh, it's a long story. Involving a encounter with deadly assassins, a daring escape, and, ah, Muggle policemen."

"Trust me, Evans," said Sirius, "this is one of those occasions where you really don't want to know." He then resumed laughing fit to burst.

"You are both entirely addled," Lily informed them. "I should have you sectioned. Now, when you've finished cracking yourselves up over your own undoubted brilliance, could we please turn our attention back to the fact that currently we have no better ideas for this defenceless unborn child than to bring it into the world and call it 'sproglet'."

"You know. . ." said Sirius thoughtfully, "Harry's quite a nice name. For a boy, I mean."

Lily opened her mouth to begin a withering retort, then paused. "Actually. Harry is a nice name. Well done, Sirius, write that down, and you may remain on the child-naming committee. As for you," she added, glaring at James, "you are officially fired, now go make yourself useful and make tea or something."

James shuffled off obediently and Lily rolled her eyes. "Elvendork, honestly."

Sirius began to laugh again, and by the time James returned both of them both had collapsed into mirth.

"I really don't see what's so funny," James said, pouting. "My parents always said they'd nearly called me Elvendork."

Lily bit her lip and took a mug of tea from him. "Then we'll put it on the list," she told James gently, privately resolving never to let him have any say in naming so much as a pepper pot ever again.

Epic Finale is Epic

2008-06-19T18:27:16Z

That promo photo what everyone is posting (Doctor Who S4 season finale casting spoilers ahoy!):

*goes boom*

How can there be that much awesome on the screen at the same time? Aren't there laws about that? Actually, I think the person I'm most excited about is MICKEY, because I really wasn't sure if the rumours about him and Jackie coming over were true, and LOOK THEY ARE. Yaaaaaay!!!

My squee about this finale, it is already pretty much unharshable. :D :D :D

eta: and now it is my desktop! Desktop of INFINITE JOY.

son of eta: so, I may have been examining this a fair bit now. Some thoughts!

1. Sarah Jane is rocking the long boots and waistcoat look.
2. Jackie's expression of terror is quite hilarious, oh, Tyler clan how I have missed thee!
3. Glad to see Martha's got her special world-saving outfit out for the occassion.
4. So has Mickey.
5. When I say I am not having a crazy shipper moment over the Doctor's hand on Jack's shoulder, I mean that in the way that I completely am, um. I have no shame. As you were.

In Progress

2008-06-15T14:23:43Z

There is an Impromptu Pep Talk Meme going round! Cheerlead the writers and artists and designers of fandom as they soldier on with projects. You can find me here as I boggle at all the different things I'm trying to write just at the moment. [eta: now, err, with working links]

Here, have some snippets from some of the non-exchange WiPs that are at least semi-currently being written. All Doctor Who, no spoilers past 4x05.

A UNIT-ish Martha/Tom story, or, how exactly did that happen, then?

---

Martha shrugs. "As for me, well. Not a lot to say, really, came here straight out of medical school."

"Ah. Now, see, people only say things like that in our line of work because they've got rather more going on than most. Look at me?"

Martha glances up and Charlie looks at her thoughtfully for a while. Martha smiles a little, awkward under the scrutiny, but she knows Charlie's security clearance and she's got nothing to hide.

"Mm," Charlie says, "you've got that look about you. Starstruck, I guess I'd call it. Like you've seen things you're still not sure you quite believe, somewhere up there." She gestures up at the afternoon sky. "We get people like you from time to time, who get bumped up through the ranks and know things no civilian should. And, well. There's usually only one way that happens."

---

Horrifically belated Rose/Martha fic for churchontime: our heroes have found themselves in a strange land, beset by cats wielding pitchforks!

---

"And you--?"

"I travelled with him, just for a while."

Rose nodded. "God, there's so much I want to. . . but now's not exactly the best time, really, is it?"

"Probably not, no." Martha peered as far forwards as she could. "The terrain's flat for miles, I don't think making a run for it's really going to work out."

"Well, you never know. Maybe they really don't want to eat us. I mean, last time we ran into cats they were doing these awful medical experiments, but there's no call to make judgements."

Martha looked over at Rose, whose mouth was quirking. She met her eye and burst out laughing.

"You will continue walking," a cat snapped, stepping between them.

As silence fell, Martha ducked her head to keep her amusement to herself. Even by her own warped standards of sanity, this was entirely mad. She heard something that might have been a giggle from Rose's direction.

---

And then there's this one (5000 words and counting) which has been eating my brain for a good while now, a somewhat epic intergalactic Jack/Doctor story:

---

Jack doesn't even know how to measure his age any more - he doesn't want to in any case. But he's been around for a long, long time when it starts happening, when the Earth begins to move beneath his feet. He doesn't notice straight away, because in a life that's lived at breakneck pace it's a rare thing indeed just to stand, to think, to be aware.

He's standing at Cardiff Bay, watching the hoverships go whizzing past, waiting for a delivery, and underneath the hum of engines and the crashing waves he feels it, the ground spinning beneath him. He clutches at a railing, startled, then shuts his eyes in an attempt to regain his balance. Instead, in the darkness, his stomach lurches because the whole world is plummeting, careening wildly through galaxies and constellations, faster than he can think but he sees it all anyway.

It's terrifying, and when he stumbles back into base he's pale and shaking

Over the following decades, the whole of creation seems to fall apart and come together anew, reshaped. He sees time, and starlight, misted possibilities and definite points, and all the while he becomes acutely aware of himself at the centre of it, immutable and utterly, entirely wrong.

When he sees the Doctor again, he has new questions.

---

Doctor Who 4x10 - Midnight

2008-06-14T20:27:41Z

Oh! Oh, that was incredible! Wow! Fantastically atmospheric and an inspired plot for a companion-less Doctor. I don't feel like I have all that much to say about this one other than it was brilliantly done and really, S4 is shooting into the stratosphere about now. A few notes:

* Ack, Rusty. Did you just give us an evil dead lesbian? Really? And kill off two out of three non-white characters? *sigh* Those squicky tropes appearing once again being the only off-note in an otherwise totally wonderful episode.

* Excuse me while I make dolphin noises at that opening! DONNA AND THE DOCTOR, YOUR LOVE IS EPIC AND AMAZING. They just-- *hands* You know what I mean, yeah? Yeah. Eeee! And then the end, oh the end. A beautiful coda, and my goodness how much I want the two of them to go travelling around the universe forever and ever. Doctor & Donna is my TARDIS-travelling OTP even more after this, even though she was barely there.

* A really nice chance for us all to remind ourselves of how great the Doctor is as well, I think. I know I get distracted by the awesome of the characters surrounding him and sort of take his role for granted from time to time, so it was good to focus in on him here, and without any epic Time Lord angst or similar still highlighting just what a strange position his life experience puts him in. And David Tennant continues to knock it out of the bloody ballpark. ♥

FIC: Night Of The Living Dead [Torchwood]

2008-06-13T19:34:37Z

Night Of The Living Dead
Torchwood; Team Torchwood
PG-13, 1000 words
Summary: The zombie apocalypse comes to Cardiff.
Notes: Spoilers through 2x07.

The Hub was silent, with only a few lights flickering against the gloom. Owen froze, then began to creep across the main expanse, hand sneaking instinctively to the gun tucked into his jeans. He could hear movement somewhere in the depths of the building, the scuffling sounds and light breathing of someone trying to go unnoticed. Someone, or something. Owen strained to hear what he could amidst the echoes, if there was any sign of any of his team.

Then came a sound of someone speaking. It was too quiet for Owen to tell much about the voice, but it was coming from near the lift and he sprang into action, crouching low and keeping to the shadows. The lights shone a little brighter for a moment and he could make out huddled figures by one of the computer stations. He moved in slowly, trying desperately to see whether it was his team there, or some alien assailant. As he edged nearer, he began to make out voices.

"This is Torchwood Three," Tosh was saying in low and scared tones, "we've done all we can, but we're sealed in now, we had to protect the base against the onslaught from above." Owen frowned. There'd been nothing on the Plass that he'd noticed as he'd walked across it a few minutes ago. "We think one of them has managed to get inside - we're going to neutralise the threat if we're able, but if I don't check in within a half hour, Protocol 007 will be brought in and the self-destruct will commence."

Owen nearly dropped his gun. He might occasionally let the odd bit of paperwork slip through skim-read, but he was sure as hell there was no such thing as a Torchwood self-destruct protocol. He began to run through the possibilities - some kind of mind-altering drug, maybe Tosh was being impersonated by a shape-shifter, or maybe the inevitable had happened and at least one member of the team had finally succumbed to total and irrevocable paranoia. He moved a little closer, more on edge than ever.

"I've got to call Rhys," Gwen said miserably.

"No, no way," Ianto told her. "That could lead the hordes straight to us - besides, you don't know he hasn't already been turned."

"Don't you dare say that," she hissed, "Rhys can look after himself, he's going to be fine, I know it."

"We don't know if there's anyone still alive up there," Ianto said dully.

"Shut up, both of you," Tosh said with panicked urgency. "I can hear something."

Owen whipped around in a tight circle, but he could see nothing in the darkness. He wondered if he was close enough to chance a call out to the others, to let them know he was here. In their current state, however, maybe best not to risk it until he had a good position. He tiptoed down the stairs, seeing an opening to get around the back of the three of them, hopefully keep them from doing anything stupid.

"Oh, oh my God," Tosh murmured, talking to the computer again. "There's one of them coming up behind us right now. Bullets do nothing; we've tried. I guess this is the end - for pity's sake, don't send anyone down here, we don't want this spreading any further than the city limits."

In a fluid movement, Ianto grabbed a torch and whirled around, shining the light straight into Owen's face. "Oh, God, it's hideous!" he shrieked before letting out a blood-curdling scream.

Owen yelled despite himself, pointing his gun straight at Ianto before all the Hub lights came flooding back on, and he had to squint against the sudden light. There was silence, but when he managed to open his eyes fully again Gwen looked at him for a moment before bursting into helpless giggles, doubling over the video camera in her hand.

"What the hell is going on?" Owen snapped, an uncomfortable feeling settling in his stomach that he'd just been played.

Tosh collapsed against Gwen's shoulder, taking her glasses off to wipe away the tears of laughter. Ianto, all composure save an insufferable smirk plastered across his features, leaned over and brought up a new window on the monitor.

If Owen was still in the habit of breathing, he would have taken a deep, seething breath at this juncture. As it was, he settled for spitting, "oh, har de fucking har. Aren't you all hilarious?"

"Yup," Ianto informed him.

"Yeah," Tosh agreed.

"Pretty much, yeah," said Gwen.

"You're going to be a hit on YouTube, I can tell you," Ianto added.

Owen stared at him, clutching his gun a little convulsively. "I could shoot you, you know," he muttered.

Ianto shrugged. "Been done, bit unimaginative."

"Oh, you want imaginative? Jones, Cooper, Sato, I'll have my revenge on all of you, you can be certain of that."

Gwen and Tosh glanced at each other, and Owen smiled until they both laughed uneasily. He tried to make a grab for the camera, but Gwen held it out of reach.

"What's going on here?" Jack had appeared at his office doorway, and was staring at them all in bemusement. "Did we have a powercut just now?"

"Ah, very temporarily, Jack, not to worry," Ianto said hastily.

Jack looked at them suspiciously. "Have you been having fun without me? I thought we had a policy in place about that."

"No, no, not at all," Gwen replied. "Nothing to see."

"O-kay," Jack said slowly, shaking his head. "Ah, Owen, just the man - I need those lab reports from yesterday's autopsy ASAP, the Prime Minister's been on my back all morning - not in a good way."

"Yeah, right, I'm on it," Owen said with some relief, stalking past the others and affixing them each with deathly glares. "I'm onto you," he whispered in Gwen's ear, "just you wait," he added as he passed Ianto. "Oh, and Tosh?" he murmured, bending down and moving a stray loop of hair from next to her ear. "Brainsssss. . ."

Tosh let out a not-quite-muffled yelp, and Owen grinned to himself as he went over to his workstation. Zombie invasion indeed. Like he had the time or energy to go roaming around the streets with his arms held out in front of him like a drunken idiot anyway. He cricked his neck to the side and rolled slowly around in his chair, letting a glassy-eyed stare cross over his face as he met Gwen's eye, who visibly gulped.

Oh yes, Owen told himself as he logged into his computer, making a note to rent out some zombie films from Blockbuster on the way home and pick up a few extra moves. This was going to be fun.

---

FIC: Everybody Knows That-- [Doctor Who]

2008-06-09T22:28:30Z

Everybody Knows That--
Doctor Who; the Doctor, Donna
PG, 600 words
Summary: "So," she says. "So," he agrees.
Notes: A coda to Forest of the Dead; spoilers.

"Doctor," says Donna, as he walks into the TARDIS. "You did it? You saved her?"

He nods, and his smile is so happy and fragile that it nearly breaks her heart (probably would break her, if it weren't for the weight of loss that's already in her bones; it doesn't matter if none of it was real, because she felt it, and she understands why it is that parents never recover from the loss of their children, not really).

"So," she says.

"So," he agrees.

Usually, he'd be bustling with life and new adventures by now, telling her in bright and brittle tones about the next magnificent place he's got lined up for her, racing around his console like a kid on Christmas Day. Today, after this, he doesn't.

"Doctor," she says again, and then it's all coming out, a burst of thought and feeling, and she's not sure whether she's saying it to get him to talk to her or for her own catharsis. "Everyone I've met, everyone I've heard about who knew you, they--" Rose was trapped somewhere she was never supposed to be; Martha, a soldier fighting for what her family were almost killed for; Professor Song, who loved him so much that she gave her life just so she could meet him; Jenny, his own daughter that died before she'd even lived. A shiver runs through her, and Donna says, quietly, "They're not the same, not after they've met you."

The Doctor looks at her silently, and she struggles not to back away, because suddenly she sees it, the heartache in his eyes, the innumerable people he's already seen leave him, centuries before she met him.

"Oh God," she murmurs. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't--"

He shakes his head. "No, no they're not the same. But you're all so . . . so finite, limited, trapped in your own world, your own time, and I'm able to take you out of that, show you all the universe. Change you, maybe, for the better. And I can't . . ." he falters.

"Do this alone," Donna finishes. "I know. I really do know."

He falls back into silence, and starts pulling leavers and twirling dials. She leans back against the TARDIS wall, doing her best not to become utterly lost in her own head, the way she has been for years (or so it feels). The quiet is odd, because she can't actually remember a time both of them have stopped talking for this long before. And in the emptiness, the spaces, there are other voices. I'll find you, I'll find you . . . Who are you? . . . Spoilers . . .

Donna blinks, barely noticing that the TARDIS has already touched down.

"Come on," the Doctor says.

He takes her hand, and they slowly step out onto a new world. It's night, but the sky is full of blinding light. Stars shoot across the panorama, white and blue and silver, forming criss-cross patterns as they fall, as they fly. She squeezes his hand a little tighter, awed and a little in love with the beauty he's laid out for her.

Donna folds herself into his grasp, head titled back to catch the starlight, her heart lightening in her chest. "It's--" she starts, and then realises there's nothing else she can say save, "thank you."

The Doctor turns to her. "Donna Noble," he says, little above a whisper, "I will never let anything happen to you, I swear."

She smiles, exultant and alive in the cold night air, and she wishes she could believe him.

Doctor Who 4x09: Forest of the Dead

2008-06-08T16:17:16Z

Dear Mr Moffat,

I have something for you, you've earned it. Please, treat it well - I fully expect you to break it again, many times over, but as long as you put it back together when you're finished, we're good.

♥

Yours,
such_heights

*

I will freely admit this episode has made me a bit crazy. If I am reading one of your reaction posts and suspect that you don't have as much unbridled joy as me then you'll have to excuse me for backing out again rather rapidly. I am ignoring who_daily. I don't want to know. I just thought that this episode, this story, managed to go above and beyond what I usually enjoy in the show, because not only did this have all the fantastic character moments I've come to expect from Doctor Who, it also had a plot that was rich, complicated and layered as well as exciting and tense, and I loved every second of it.

The awful, epic tragedy of Donna, wow. The "I'm all right" conversation absolutely killed me. River's complete win and heroism and conviction, and then the Doctor knew he had to have saved her (there's a possibility I forgot to breathe during that bit). The way the Vashta Nerada were given a voice, a purpose. Everybody lived. I really, really can't wax lyrically enough about how much I adored this, and can't wait to watch and rewatch it.

eta: oh, and if you haven't listened to it, I highly recommend the commentary for this one - RTD, the Moff, and Tennant geek out about the show old and new and giggle a lot, it's hilarious. Spoilers for the episode, obviously, but it's often not really on topic. Download it here.

such_heights @ 2008-06-03T23:57:00

2008-06-03T23:13:15Z

(This post brought to you by exam skittishness and awful sleeping habits, woo!)

All right folks, it's been a while: prompt me!

Drop a line below, fandom, characters/pairing, some sort of a prompt, whatever you like, and receive comment!fic in exchange. Any fandom I know is fair game, so have at it!

eta - so far:

Harry Potter:
Remus/Sirius [summer]
Marauders [Sirius' sexual awakening]
Luna [Luna during school]
James/Lily [Remus/Sirius as they affect James/Lily, Ming vases]
Remus/Sirius [under the bed]
Andromeda & Lily [motherhood]

Whoverse:
Rose & the Doctor [Rose/Doctor, first episode]
Martha/Tosh [playing doctors]

Good Omens:
Aziraphale & Crowley [pseudocrossover - Aziraphale & Crowley sit down to watch some TV; Doctor Who 4x08 spoilers]

Thanks a lot everyone who's being playing, keep them coming!

Doctor Who 4x08: Silence in the Library

2008-05-31T21:20:16Z

In sum: I am so bloody scared right now and that was awesome and epic and suspensful and gut-wrenching and Moffat for the win and can it be next Saturday yet and I am never sleeping with the lights out again!

Post written as I watch:

* It's set in the 51st century! Eee, Jack! 2 minutes in and I'll already be watching the episode looking for ways to make new personal canon about this. I have Harkness on the brain lately, I don't mind telling you (epic Jack fic is on the way, while I mention it, though god knows when it'll be finally bloody finished).

* Did we just get more Doom Foreshadowing? D: "Always a death at the end." a;lsjdasj

* Oh, ack. I hate iPlayer. Well, no, I love it dearly for letting me watching Who before downloads show up, but dammit my connection can barely handle it. All of these notes are written in gaps where the programme's loading. I predict already there will be many more gaps than notes.

* GUYS. Donna + the Doctor = greatest Team TARDIS ever. I just. They are so great. Co-ordinated movements! I mean, I adore Rose and Martha and Mickey and Jack and everyone else, but these two are just so good as a team, whereas the others were all just fantastic characters in general, you know?

* Face with urgent message delivered in monotone! Freaking out already here, people. *clings* You know, I think the knowledge that it's a Moffat episode is seriously heightening my fear here, because I fully suspect things will only get creepier aaaah.

* Did Donna just kick down a door?? OMG LOVE.

* So it's interesting that the Doctor even lies to Donna, who he's very bff and on an equal footing with. Ah, you lovable psychotic bastard.

* "Almost every species in the universe has an irrational fear of the dark, but they're wrong. Because it's not irrational." ;alsdjkas that scared the bejesus out of me just in the trailer, and now? Eep!

* "I'm pretty boy?" "Yes! Ooh, that came out a bit quick." asl;jdas SO CANON.

* Who is Alex Kingston's character?? The suspense, it is mind-boggling! Haha. And omg, is that a TARDIS diary? How exciting! I want.

* ... wait. Are we doing a 'Time Traveller's Wife' plot? Is that what's happening? *dies of awesome*

* Hee! The extra buttons on TV remote controls really do do something! That's amazing!

* The Doctor really is in top form tonight. This, if such a thing is possible, may make me even more excited for the Moffat era.

* Gah. Ignored!girl is frustrating - she's going to die in a minute, yes? I never like this attitude of some people are a bit too rubbish to go on adventures, especially when they act much more like you or I would in these sorts of omgterrifying situations.

* That woman, and Donna, and oh my heart.

* "So why don't you know me? Where am I in the future?' iPlayer you rat bastard stop stalling on me oh my god oh my god Donna why are you so fucking doooooomed.

* FLESH EATING SHADOWS WHAT??? *shrieks* And they're on Earth???

* Okay now the unsolicited pauses are actually adding to the suspense. Aaaaaaah.

* No, seriously, I have a tendency to be a bit scared of my own shadow while walking home in any case. Now? Curse you, Moffat!

* Oh god oh god I can barely watch this any more and what the hell just happened to Donna and oh my god.

HP prequel fic, what?

2008-05-30T23:50:19Z

Man, the internet totally blew the surprise, JKR's writing me birthday fic! Yeah yeah, it's first seen the day before technically, but it's online on the 11th, so there you go! And it's about James and Sirius and everything. I am very amused and greatly looking forward to it; how badly can 800 words joss all our fanon anyway? ... wait don't answer that. (No, but seriously, I'm living in optimistic mode whereby I don't think this is really going to throw us any major curveballs.)

Inspired by the occasion, magnetic_pole has decreed that there should be 800_words: Use 800 words exactly, no more, no less, to tell us what happened in the years before Harry's birth. Stake your claim before unexpected new canon hits us! I'd love to contribute something, but um. In the process of being examined right now. We shall see. But fellow Marauder writers, go forth and flashfic away!

Neil Gaiman writing for Who in 2010?

2008-05-28T18:38:55Z

Rumour alert, unsurprisingly, but. A series of links led me to this insider info page that sometimes manages to get hold of the real goods, apparently. The article itself is pretty long and has lots of other topics (although if you fancy it, the writer's got a brief recap of Steven Moffat's resume as well as some speculation about the future of Who in general, which is a fun read). The Gaiman-relevant bits are under the cut:

I understand that Neil Gaiman has been approached to write for the popular TV series "Doctor Who," for broadcast in 2010.

So what's going on here? Let's find out.

[...]

Well, some people see Steven as transforming Doctor Who into something very different. That’s not true, Steven has been a cheerleader for Russell’s work on the project from Day One and will continue in that vein. Indeed, he may well fight aganst what is expected of him. But odds are we’ll get some more fun time travel stories out of it, maybe a slight tweak towards intricate structure, and some interesting geek-friendly names.

Such as the rumour running around my BBC sources that Neil Gaiman being approached to write an episode for 2010. That would be this Neil Gaiman, comic author, fantasy novelist, screenwriter, poet and writer of the Duran Duran Biography 1985. With possibly the most non-committal non-confirmation I’ve ever read. And I’ve read the responses of current Labour ministers.

In fact when I asked Neil if he’d care to comment, he pleaded the Francis saying, "You may very well think that, but I could not possibly comment."

I do very well think that. I do.

Of course, nothing will actually have been commissioned by the BBC at this stage, and there's many a slip 'twixt cup and prosthetic lip, but it's looking good.

*flaps* I cannot even! What would he write? Would it short circuit the network from its greatness? So, do we utilise the fannish hive mind now? All together, we do believe in a Neil Gaiman Doctor Who episode, we do, we do... Oh my.

VID: Wanting To Begin [Doctor Who; Martha]

2008-05-26T10:13:21Z

Oh, my God. In my spare moments, many moons ago, I started teaching myself to use the video editing software. It is very true what they say, vidding is a horrible, time-consuming, addictive, really really fun process. Recently, I stumbled upon an idea that seemed within my limited capacities, and spurred on by my current writer's block I actually have a finished product. I am quite surprised.

Which is a long-winded way of saying that this is my first time, please be gentle, and enjoy!

Wanting To Begin
A Martha Jones Vid

edited by: such_heights
spoilers: through Doctor Who 4x06; Torchwood 2x06
music: Ben Lee - Begin
lyrics: below
download: here [34MB, .divx]
stream: imeem here, embedded here.
summary: While you wonder if you should let me in, I only want it to begin.

Ben Lee; Begin

I'm walking down Broadway
Each footstep is a new love letter
I'm trying to make eye contact
With each and every stranger that I pass
Thinking about the city
It's living proof people need to be together
I'm thinking about how I just want to open up
And give and give and give
And it's ok for you to care
Cause I can feel you in the air
And while you wonder "how's this gonna end?"
I only want it to begin

I'm thinking about desire
I've had to learn how to sin successfully
I'm thinking about bliss
And bliss is all dressed up
And there's no one to dance with
Remembering her smile and the nuclear bomb
And the reasons I loved her
Walking through Central Park
I'm in a foreign country and I'm waiting for a sign
That it's ok for you to care
Cause I'm not going anywhere
And while you wonder if you should let me in
I only want it to begin

I'm still singing
Twisting new melodies, breaking arrangements
Thinking about my heart
I guess you've heard, sometimes it's heavy
But I just keep moving
When I hit a wall, I look up at the sky
I'm thinking about my maker
In spite of all this I know she won't give up on me
And its ok for you to care
Cause I can taste you everywhere
While it's true
All straight things must bend
I only want it to begin

I only want it to begin
I only want it to begin
I only want it to begin

Whoverse Links

2008-05-22T21:05:33Z

Let's have a post of links; it's been a while.

A comm rec!

* horizonssing, a prompt-a-day Jack/Ianto community that's going to be running through July a la HP's famous dogdaysofsummer. I'm sure it's going to be a hit and produce all sorts of stuff, I'm very much looking forward to it.

A fic rec!

* Far Off, Like A Dull Rumour Of Some Other War, by paperclipbitch
Torchwood; Gerald/Harriet; PG-13; spoilers through 2x12
“What’s the point of trying to save the world if it’s going to end anyway?”

Historical Torchwood fic, hurrah. A source of deep joy in of itself, and when it's an opus written by one of the best writers in the fandom, well. It's World War One beautifully brought to life, with added aliens. Honestly, this reads just as well as original fic, but there are wonderful, subtle ties into the modern day series too.

Two vid recs!

* History Repeating, by rhoboat
Doctor Who; spoilers through Series 3
History repeats for the Doctor.

I haven't been able to stop watching this, it's a little embarrassing. Fun, catchy, perfectly edited, and draws out all sorts of neat little parallels between Rose and Martha's tenures in the TARDIS.

* This Is Everything, by sol_se
Doctor Who/Torchwood; spoilers through TW 2x03; Jack/various
Baby, this is the last honest look I'll ever give.

Short, punchy, fantastic song choice, and makes me oh, Jack quite extravagantly, so a winner all round!

---

And lastly, a canon question - do we have anything solid, timeline wise, between Last of the Time Lords and The Sontaran Stratagem? Or does it just generally fall under that category of 'it's a been a while'. And where would Reset fit in? This, theoretically, is for the Martha/Tom fic I'd be writing if my brain was working, and so I ask mostly in order to check I'm not missing anything obvious such that I mess up before I even start.

such_heights @ 2008-05-19T21:58:00

2008-05-19T21:00:58Z

Friends trim for all the usual reasons - drifting interests, dead journals, people I've never really connected with - most of all, the fact I only have so many hours in the day and I don't like how much I end up skimming this friendslist. No personal offense is intended, you're lovely people. :) You are welcome to stick around or defriend as you wish, of course, like always.

Comments screened if you'd like to say something.

Doctor Who 4x05: The Poison Sky

2008-05-03T21:20:29Z

EEEE! MY FLAIL, LET ME SHOW YOU IT.

I have no thinky thoughts, really, just squee.

* DONNA! With the win! And the being terrified yet totally heroic - I love this reluctant hero thing on her part, it's really great to watch.

* Brig reference YAY! I had a little flaily dance at that and everything. What the hell is he doing in Peru, mind, and I would like fic about that plz.

* Speaking of, Colonel Mace for the complete and utter win! I thought so last episode too, but here he was just fantastic and completely deserving of being in charge of UNIT, even if he didn't get as much Doctor!love as he could have. He gets the pretty captain instead though so that's quite all right. :D Theirloveisso stiff upper lip.

* The UNIT theme music rocks my world.

* MARTHA JONES. With the compassion for her clone and the way she just gets on with saving the world and even when the Doctor's about to sacrifice himself she doesn't question it because she thinks he's right - and Donna does challenge him, because that right there is the contrast in their characters - and TEN'S COAT and there was snuggles and the way the two of them were in the episode was so, so lovely. And we got that 'thank you' moment which was perfect and exactly what was required and EEEE they love each other so much and ♥.

* And she didn't want to go with them even though it was wonderful because you go, and then you come back again better for it and can be happy with that, which to be honest is an idea that's been a little lost with some characters, and it's important Donna hears that, I think. But yay engagement ring and can we please get Tom back sometime?

* Basically, I am SO EXCITED about this team TARDIS, because between all three of them the epic win is astounding. And, God, as they keep throwing more characters into this season surely my brain's going to implode from all the awesome in the same place. Good way to go, y/y?

April Roundup

2008-05-03T11:18:02Z

Harry Potter:
The Tyranny of Petty Things (The Unconquered Skies Remix)
Moving into Number 12, Grimmauld Place is like starting a war. Sirius tries to fight it as best he can.
Remus/Sirius, PG-13, 5000 words. A remix of rian219's original.

The Rumour Mill
People really do focus on the strangest things.
Ginny/Luna, PG-13, 3000 words. Written for lgbtfest.

Torchwood:
Snatches of Time (Bring Me Back, Bring Me Back)
There are some events in one's life that seem set. Thing is, that rarely takes into account certain mysterious blue boxes.
Torchwood/Doctor Who; Owen, the Doctor, Donna, team; Owen/Tosh; 2000 words.

stumbling, stopping; we outran death and fell
It's a weight they can hardly carry.
Team, PG-13, 1600 words. An Exit Wounds coda.

---

In the works: churchontime (late! *hides*) and rs_games (deadline v. soon! *hides*).