From the Archives
With this set of reviews, we introduce another one of our new reviewers: eve11. We're especially glad to have her, as she has an extensive knowledge of Classic Who. Welcome, Eve!
Today's Featured Stories Include:
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What Is Mine by amberfocus
Category: PWP in New Who
Characters: Nine, Rose
Rating: Adult
Details: One shot, very smutty, features Dark!Doctor.
Why It Rocks:
This is a Nine/Rose fic that centres around how the Doctor feels for Rose, viewed from an introspective beginning in his internal monologue. The emotions of the Doctor are laid bare by the use of language so descriptive and evocative, that you feel the anger and pain of his discovery of Rose tied to a boulder as the victim of a fertility rite, his barely contained rage as he confronts her abductors, and his gentleness with her as he confirms that no harm has come to her. It also brings to the fore not a small amount of guilt at his bringing Rose to this place, and putting her at risk. You feel these emotions in your guts, the author’s words so powerful and descriptive; for example...
‘She’s draped across the boulder like so much baggage, like so much refuse, like someone threw her away without thought, without emotion, without care. Like it didn’t matter to them that she was something so important, so precious, so beautifully alive, with a spirit that crashes against his, constant in its reassurance that she is there. His soul roars out in its need of her and his furious desperation to keep her whole, safe, alive, fills up every cell in his body. He resonates at a frequency that will bring only death if she’s been harmed.’
It conveys a love so precious that he would kill for her if necessary, and this is best demonstrated by a later couple of sentences.
‘They are like cowards in the only corner time has not destroyed as he progresses across the dirt floor of the ancient ruins, open to the air on two sides, the roof long since gone, the floor never having existed. Like some kind of avenging angel, or perhaps demon, who will smite them all, he moves steadily but like a predator, a predator that will cause the blood of the wicked to run red in the streets.’
This is such a descriptive, visceral image you feel his rage at the audacity of these people who dare to touch his Rose...and the barely controlled need for vengeance radiating from him so powerfully depicts him as a very dark and dangerous being. Which in essence he is - just not with her. There is an intensity to it that grabs you by the throat, while showing Rose as a strong, almost fearless human, perfectly capable of fighting her own corner, but just as capable of fighting for what she wants most; the Doctor.
It is an adult rated story, as it contains some beautifully graphic and loving sex, but I would say that it is more erotic than smutty, as Amber describes the emotions the couple are feeling as well as the mechanics of the act itself beautifully, not needing to resort to using swearing to convey the sheer intensity of the eventual consummation of their love. His superior olfactory senses are also used to great effect, showing just how alien he really is, all the while giving you an insight into his almost primeval need to brand Rose as his and his capitulation to the inevitability of it all, for example;
‘like jasmine and vanilla and the distinctive scent that is Rose, only ever Rose, that has filled his nostrils too many times and driven him to distraction, when he thought he shouldn’t want, when he thought he couldn’t have.’
Amber’s descriptive words sweep you up and deposit you completely in the moment, generating some absolutely incredible and mind-melting mental images throughout the story, but it was this that truly made this memorable for me. The barely harnessed sexual energy of those scenes flows outward with such vivid, visceral, almost raw visual imagery that I’ll guarantee you will need lots and lots of ice to cool you down. If you like Nine and adult fic, you will absolutely and unreservedly adore this one.
Amberfocus is not just an author, she is an artist who paints pictures with words, and if you have yet to read any of her fics, I would suggest that you do so as soon as possible. I can promise you will become addicted to her writing, as I have, and that you will never regret it for a single moment. I would even go so far to say that she is one of the most talented writers I have read, and when a notification pops up to say she has posted, I have been known to jump up and down in glee.
This is truly a master class in writing Nine as the angsty, dark, and lovelorn Timelord we adored.
*
I Have Measured out My Life... by qthelights
Category: Jack Harkness in Torchwood
Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto, various
Rating: PG-13 for sexual situations
Details: One-shot, 1323 words, Jack/Ianto at the end.
Why It Rocks:
Any fic that takes its title from a T.S. Eliot poem is already a winner in my book. The title is from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufock," and the line in the original is "I have measured out my life in coffee spoons." This short story does the same with the life of Jack, as he lives through the 20th century waiting for his Doctor to return. It is a beautiful story about the loneliness of those days, months and years, and the people whose lives he touches. It is about the path that leads him to Torchwood Three, and ultimately to Ianto.
The story starts in Berlin, early in the century, and we learn how Jack discovers the addictive qualities of both caffeine and young philosophers in coffeehouses and clubs.
He makes a point of sitting next to the shy, quiet ones, who sit in the corner and enjoy the arguments from the sidelines. He takes them home and makes sure their cheeks bloom rose-pink like their louder outgoing classmates. His method doesn’t involve lively debate, though it certainly is lively.
He moves on to America in the 1920s, during prohibition, where "[t]hey call him The Cat’s Pajamas and he holds court in the smokey jazz halls, surrounded by ruby-lipped beauties and dapperly dressed eager young men." The imagery and description in this section is particularly vivid and effective, as "[h]e wakes, bathed in shards of sunlight that filter in through the grimy skylight of his loft..." and brews coffee for whichever pretty young thing he woke up with that morning.
After America, he's back to London in the 1940s, and seducing Algy with freeze-dried instant coffee as he poses as an American and tries to cover up his familiarity with the city. Then we see him in Paris in the 1980s, where he's seduced by the espresso and the young men and women of the city. The author gives us more vivid description, including this passage:
Jack loves them all. ... The women who clatter past him in their colorful highest high-heels, their shoulders padded and bodies swamped in shapeless double-breasted suits that Jack wants nothing more than to unwrap.
Finally, Jack's path reaches Torchwood Three, and Ianto with his "tailored pewter pants and waistcoat." Ianto provides him with an endless supply of coffee - and something more. The shy, quiet Ianto debates Torchwood philosophy and holds his own against Jack. The author nicely ties together the pieces from throughout the story, and we are left hoping that Ianto will provide some relief for Jack's loneliness.
Torchwood, of course, appears throughout the story, usually as the catalyst for Jack being where he is. At its heart, the story is about Jack, and his struggles to fit in wherever he is. The prose is wonderfully descriptive throughout and paints vivid pictures in few words. I love stories that deal with this part of Jack's life, when he had to take the slow path and live through the 20th century here on Earth. This one beautifully captures both his loneliness and his openness to new experiences. One of Jack's more appealling characteristics is his ability to be a chameleon - to blend in wherever he is, and adapt to his surroundings. The author shows us what - and who - Jack finds to love in the places he land, and ultimately what draws him to Ianto. It certainly is a worthy contender in the category.
*
My Doctor, by Arabian
Category: Episode Tag in New Who
Characters: The Doctor (10.5), Rose Tyler
Rating: PG
Details: Set during Journey's End. Fluffy ficlet.
Why It Rocks:
In the Confidential for Journey's End, Russell T. Davies discusses how hard it was to film the Bad Wolf Bay scene. No one could quite decide if it was supposed to be a happy ending, or a sad one. By far, most of the fan fiction writers who have taken up the task of Pete's World have latched onto the angst, probably as a result of Rose's expression in that final moment, but that wasn't the only choice available. The really interesting aspect of the scene is that it is essentially a question: where do we go from here?
In her story, My Doctor, Arabian chooses to answer that question by giving us a little taste of something new. Something fun, and sexy, and wonderfully optimistic. She starts by taking us back to that final moment, as Rose and the Doctor exchanged their serious gaze, sizing each other up.
The first thing she noticed was that while his hand was still cool, it was warmer than the hand she'd held only a few hours ago aboard the Crucible. And that was it; she knew that everything was different. He was different. This wasn't her Doctor.
But then Arabian steps away from the usual track, and takes us in a decidedly different direction. Just as Rose is about to launch into a full pitiful diatribe of everything the new Doctor isn't, he interrupts her. She looks into his eyes and sees so much that is familiar, and vulnerable under her scrutiny, that she realizes she isn't so certain he is different after all. And then he kisses her. And the kiss, well, the kiss is both tender and hot.
And then she felt his lips against her hair, his hands were on her back, his fingers drawing loops, and then he was shifting, the angle of his head moving, nudging against her until hers was raised and his lips were on her face, soothing the tracks of tears with soft kisses, murmuring sounds of hush.
But it doesn't stop there. Oh no, the snogging continues, as the Doctor realizes just how much he enjoys it, and begins to babble about its brilliance. Rose finds herself completely won over by his chatter. What better way to prove himself, than to launch into an infectiously cheerful speech about something he finds fascinating? Amazing discoveries must always be shared. And the gob is pure Doctor.
I love this ficlet, and not just because the Doctor's explanation of his sex drive is the one I always think makes the most sense. Yes, he's had sex before, but without the biological imperative, the urge just wasn't the same as it is in this new human body. I also love My Doctor, because I believe Arabian has hit upon something that may have been part of Russell T. Davies' original intent.
Anyone who has read The Writer's Tale knows the Bad Wolf Bay scene went through many incarnations. In the original draft TenII proves to Rose that he is a little bit better in this body by grabbing her and snogging her senseless. Now, that version was no where near as powerful as the final script, but there is an idea lurking there. The tragedy of Journey's End is that the original Doctor, after being gloriously surrounded by his new family, is left horribly alone again in the end. It isn't necessarily a tragedy for TenII. Instead it is entirely possible that he may be quite pleased with his new circumstances.
The Doctor has often spoken of the adventure he could never have with a hint of romantic yearning. Perhaps he would truly like to experience that adventure after all. Arabian's Doctor is ready launch into his human life with the same enthusiasm he has always had for every new experience. This is an unexpected chance, and he is prepared to make the absolute most of it. That is not to say the entire road ahead will be without bumps, but for right now, he is definitely a cup is more than half full kind of man.
Hilariously, he even has the same gleeful attitude as Russell T. Davies' version did about kissing. Rose and her Doctor share this exchange:
You're you … so you. You're just …" He was silent, his eyes prompting her to continue. "You're talking and talking and just babbling away and your eyes, and your scent and your arms and … you’re babbling and babbling," she broke off, laughter bubbling.
"And the snogging." He winked. "That makes me even better than the other me. Oh, mustn't forget the snogging, Rose Tyler."
Arabian's My Doctor is a lovely foofy ficlet. It has a wonderfully babbly Doctor, amazing kissing, and handles the Bad Wolf Bay scene with a tender optimism that gives it a wholly different flavour than most Pete's World stories. If you haven't read it already, see the link above and get moving.
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Threads, By Vali (violetisblue) Link goes to Teaspoon
Category: Classic in Classic Who
Characters: Four & RomanaI
Rating: All Ages
Details: approx 14000 words. Fourth Doctor and Romana (I). Set prior to and following through the Key to Time series (season 16). References Gallifreyan physiology and reproductive science loosely based on/modified from the novel Lungbarrow, but it's not necessary to know the book to understand the story.
Why it rocks:
It’s a story about Romana I. Need I say more? Ah, I suppose I should.
So first, let me talk about regeneration.
It's easy to forget that back in the early days of Doctor Who, regeneration arose solely as a plot device for recasting an actor. It was a common occurrence at the BBC-casting new actors into an established role, or re-using actors in new roles (heck, Colin Baker played a Gallifreyan Constabulary Guard named Maxil in the Fifth Doctor’s Arc of Infinity episodes before taking up the role of Doctor number Six). In the case of Doctor Who, producers and writers took advantage of the sci-fi setting and alien-ness of the main character to write "character renewal" into the mythos of the Time Lords.
I mention this because, like any generic plot device for any long-running, constantly evolving serial show, it took the writers a while to figure out exactly what regeneration was. Eventually, it became what we recognize: upon death or grave injury, a Time Lord can harness their artron energy to rejuvenate, rearrange, and renew every single cell in their body. This leads to a new face, and perhaps some personality alterations and strange behavior for a short while afterward. They can do this up to 12 times [1]. But early on, like much of Doctor Who canon, the concept was a lot more . . . malleable.
Case in point: when the actress Mary Tamm, who played Romana, decided to leave after filming only one season. the writers decided that since Romana was a Time Lady, she should regenerate. And Douglas Adams, who was writing for Doctor Who at the time, decided to play it for laughs. So, in Destiny of the Daleks, Romana (I) chooses to regenerate for a fashion statement as much as anything. She “tries on” several bodies, showing them off to the Doctor, before deciding to take the form of a princess named Astra (Lalla Ward) that she and the Doctor had recently encountered in their search for the Key to Time. So Lalla Ward became Romana (II). Recasting, folks: it’s not just for breakfast anymore.
Even for those of us who are experts at handwaving and retcon, this regeneration has become a tough pill to swallow. The “how” is more easily explained: Time Lords can choose their forms if they choose to regenerate [2]. The Doctor is eccentric/lives away from Gallifrey/has an old TARDIS/is half-human and because of that is pants at regenerating and really just makes things difficult for himself. As I said, plenty of reasonable answers.
No, it’s the why that stumps us. Romana was young, healthy, beautiful, and to a certain extent rather full of herself. So why should she decide to change? Why set aside everything she is in a fit of pique and adopt a blonde head and the persona of an unfettered, precocious child?
As fandom is wont to do, there are as many explanations as there are people to dream them up. Some of those people also happen to be paid to write spin-off materials, so we’ve gotten some official wikipedia frontrunners for the "real" reason for Romana’s regeneration.
Some other of those people happen to be Vali. And she happens to have written "Threads", which, as one of its minor accomplishments, motivates and explains this outwardly frivolous act as the ultimate, most intimate expression of learning, who am I?:
What had been done to her? To him, the Doctor, that he screamed for mercy, cried out to escape? And why was she suddenly thinking of the Loom, anyway, what did these strange (ludicrous!) existential fears have to do with the Loom at all? She had entered the Loom as a nonentity, an infant, mewling babbling know-nothing Rom, and had emerged triumphantly as herself. Never, she was almost entirely certain, had she ever been anyone else.
"Threads" is the life story of Romana the First, from a 20-year-old girl whom the Time Lords considered no more than a blank slate, through the alien Looming process that first shapes her DNA with the precision needed for Time Lord anatomy, to her life in decadent, ancient and incestuous Gallifreyan society, to her travels with the Doctor and ultimately her decision to change herself. From the opening paragraph, Vali gives us a Gallifrey whose structures are imposing and incomprehensible, and whose people are alien in their blanket acceptance of such grandeur, though recognizably human-like in their lives led among it:
When she was twenty years old and showed enough skill in quantum mechanics to be judged no longer an infant, she was taken to her Chapterhouse and escorted down the endless, triple-spiraled stone stairs to a small, white room deep underground. The room was bare and unfurnished, save for the sarcophagus-like structure rising higher than her head from the exact center of the floor; the Loom was so much larger than she had imagined it, taller and more imposing and as shiny black as a gleaming blind spot in a great godlike eye, and her parents must have sensed her nervousness for they gripped her wrists imperceptibly tighter as they led her through the doorway.
Vali adds her own imaginative touches to Time Lord society, from naming conventions to the existence of Shobogan [3] brothels. I haven’t read Lungbarrow which, I believe is the novel that explains most of the looming process, but however Vali has chosen to extend or incorporate the information, it works brilliantly. She gives the Loom its own voice, and written into its character is the seed of a very humanist kind of search for self and purpose (Are you a primitive pleading to its god? the Loom responded, with unmistakable disdain. I do not create, I only unearth and refine.). But Vali balances the rich literary references and the existential questions and character-driven narration with well-written character dialogue. I love the way she introduces Romana's first real information about the Doctor-- through gossip and innuendo, impeccably narrated with actions to convey tone and set the scene:
" 'Grandfather,' " Cavisanatrelundar repeated, unbuttoning her gloves for her with swift, practiced fingers. "That's very good and respectful, calling him that. Hardly think he deserves it. Did they let you see his bio-data extracts?"
"Do I look like the Castellan? Of course they didn't." She shook her hands free of the loosened gloves. "The Lord President told me everything I might need to know--"
"Did he tell you about the old boy's Looming?" Her cousin paused, the abandoned headdress draped artfully over her arms. "His aborted Looming?"
Romana's relationship with the Doctor is the impetus for a lot of why and how she changes. The bickering and verbal tennis matches they engage in add a lot of humor and life to the piece, and really help the reader to empathize with Romana. The Doctor of course is a catalyst; ever the unflappable, underestimated anti-establishmentarian. And well, one can certainly see how he would be an often-times frustrating companion for someone like Romana, who has spent her life (unknowingly to her, of course) as a big fish in a small pond. But, for its inauspicious beginnings in the above closed-door court gossip, it turns into a "discovered love" story-- friendship and self-discovery, rather than romance-- delivered in a most forthright and no-nonsense style (a characteristic Romana keeps from her first incarnation):
"You know, Doctor," she said, as coolly as she could manage, "I believe I understand. You are disconcerted, and understandably so, that I've just asked you an unforgivably personal question, and you are attempting to displace your embarrassment via a series of cheap jokes."
"You are disconcerted," he replied, "understandably or not, that you seem to have developed an oddly physical curiosity about me, and you are attempting to distract yourself from acknowledging it via randomly chosen bits of psychoanalytical verbiage. Why are you so flustered, anyway? It's hardly as though you're the first creature in time's creation that's ever wanted to kiss me, you know, there are whole species which consider my 'alarming teeth' a marker of raging virility--"
"You really are terribly self-congratulatory," she said, not bothering to disguise her contempt. "It's disgusting."
"And you are even more terribly self-important." He tilted his head to the side, thrusting his hands into his pockets. "And terribly naïve, and terribly inexperienced, and terribly annoying, and terribly vain, and terribly humorless, and terribly intelligent, and terribly resourceful, and terribly stalwart, and terribly pretty, and terribly amusing without intending it which is the best sort of amusing, and being backed into a corner by your wrathful temper was a strangely compelling experience I wouldn't mind repeating--so you see, if you did want me to kiss you, it is a sacrifice I would be willing to make in the interests of putting this whole matter to rest once and for all." He leaned forward, shoulders knotted up in a vulture hunch. "So will you, or won't you?"
"You really think I'm pretty," Romana said.
I don’t think that the author set out with "Romana regeneration fix-it fic" as her only motivation (though there's nothing wrong with it if she did, and I certainly commend her thorougness!). For me, it is one of the big hallmarks I come away with when I think about "Threads," hence my rather rambling introduction, but to describe it as just a fix-it doesn’t really capture the richness of the story. Instead of handwaving away Romana's choice, Vali embraces it, and weaves it into the fabric of Romana as a character, more than the TV series ever could. By the end of it you realize that this act of regeneration is just a part of who Romana has become, an expression of what her life with the Doctor has taught her. It makes perfect sense, and it doesn't rely on aliens or body-swapping or time key sickness or any other tropes. Strength of character development, and the ability to spin a fascinating tale around it, puts "Threads" in its own category: my personal canon.
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1: Unless they’re the Master, who gets lots of freebies, albeit sometimes from the bargain basement body repository.
2: Unless, isn’t that the same as committing suicide? In which case they change sex? *handwaves*...
3: non-Time Lord "commoner" Gallifreyans who generally live outside the Citadel.
*
A Letter to the Doctor by never_more_cat
Category: Ficlet in New Who
Characters: Ten2/Rose
Rating: G
Details: One-shot, fairly fluffy, set up as a letter to the Doctor. Pregnant!Fic, but not quite in the way you expect.
Why It Rocks:
A Letter to the Doctor is the first time I’ve read anything by never_more_cat, but it was a lovely introduction to the author’s writing for me. It’s a bit ironic that I lit upon one of the few Ten/Rose fluff fics; a g-rated story in the author’s repertoire of Torchwood-leaning slash, but after enjoying the writer’s style so much I may be heading towards those next. As for this story, it’s a cute, fluffy little ficlet that is nearly impossible to review without ruining certain elements of surprise in the story for those who haven’t read it, but still I’m giving it a go.
A Letter to the Doctor is simply that, a letter from three years into the future, written to our Doctor, our Time Lord, by the human Doctor and Rose Tyler, and placed in the Torchwood vaults in the hope that one day there will be an opportunity to transfer it between universes and that our Doctor will receive it one way or another. It is no more or less than a written missive. There is no reaction on the part of the letter writers or any reaction on the part of the letter reader. It simply is the letter itself, and yet it is so much more than that.
It is a captured moment in time full of the happiest of news. Rose and John Smith are having a baby. In one fell swoop the reader discovers that everything the Time Lord had ever hoped for Rose and his half human counterpart has come true. They are happy, delightfully happy, they have built that life together and they are now adding to it, becoming a family of more than just two. The joy radiates from the letter writer, the peace at this new life so obvious.
I do love it though. Every day I feel this tiny life growing inside me, getting bigger and stronger, and more impatient to make his way into this big bright world. This alternate Earth where I have made my home. Where we’ve made our home.
It feels like home, now that I’m not lonely anymore.
Little details of the pregnancy share the sense of wonder and really make me wish I could see our Time Lord’s reaction to reading it. They muse over baby names, whether or not the child will be ginger because of the touch of Donna in his father, whether or not any Gallifreyan genes will be passed along. There is such sweetness in it and yet so much reality, too, as fears for the future are expressed.
I’m a bit scared, of course. Not just of the birth, but of the whole concept of us bringing up a child. This is a big responsibility, a huge life-changing experience. I suppose all new parents go through this, but - even so.
As happy as John Smith and Rose are there is still a touch of longing apparent in the written words, the hint of what this version of the Doctor has lost still infringing lightly on their life together, beautifully displayed by this sentiment:
It’s strange only having one heart. I’m still getting used to it. Before the bump got too big, I liked to lay close to Rose, so close that I could feel her heart beating against my chest, hear that double thump and remember what it felt like to be a Time Lord.
I think that this one thing, the human Doctor not having two hearts, is the biggest physical adaptation he’s had to make, that this is the one thing above all others that he would miss the most. I adore the idea of finding that double heartbeat elsewhere, in his closeness to Rose and their child.
I really love the fact, that despite their joy, they take the time to reassure the Time Lord over his loss of Donna and the fact that he is most likely alone now.
By the way, I know what must have happened to Donna, in the end. I hope you managed to save her, before it was too late. And - I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I hope the consequences didn’t hit you too hard. Although - knowing me, it will have taken you a while to get over it.
You’ll be alright. You always are. Just - keep on running. I miss that, sometimes, the running, but I’m sure this little one is going to keep me running around enough to last me a lifetime.
The most amazing part of this fic is that even though the writer doesn’t go there, I am still led by this story to the image of the Tenth Doctor sitting in his study somewhere, reading this letter, looking at the picture that’s been enclosed with the quickly scribbled post script talking of the child’s birth, and smiling fondly as he remembers what could have been and what now is. In this vision I’m left with, he’s happy. And in the reading of this love letter, for that it surely is, so am I.
*
Breakfast at Woolworth's by jinxed_wood
Category: Fluff in Classic Who
Characters: Four and RomanaII
Rating: G
Details: Very short one-shot.
Why It Rocks:
The fourth Doctor and Romana are an especially engaging TARDIS team because it’s one of the few times in the run of the series that both Doctor and Companion are alien. In fact, both are Time Lords; Romana (aka Romanadvoratrelundar, or as the Doctor threatens to call her, "Fred" since her name is too long) is a Time Lady given an assignment by the Time Lords to help the Doctor assemble the Key to Time. When that task is completed, she regenerates (by choice!) and stays on with the Doctor for more adventures. Breakfast at Woolworth's is a snapshot piece with Four and Romana in her second incarnation.
While the Doctor usually has human companions to ground him when he goes to Earth, in the Four/Romana era, stories arise that view our little blue planet wholly through alien eyes. The Doctor’s bohemian attitude in this incarnation, coupled with Romana’s extremely honed intelligence but somewhat lacking experience, are fertile ground for humor. Breakfast at Woolworth’s embodies this dynamic wholeheartedly, with a very brief vignette echoing back to serials like the classic City of Death (Paris, sightseeing, holding hands and an off-screen romance between Tom Baker and Lalla Ward. Oh, also, aliens, The Mona Lisa, and a stellar blink-or-you'll-miss-it cameo by John Cleese).
The backdrop isn't Paris for this story; it's an undisclosed Woolworth's circa 1980. Jinxed Wood gives us a short, sweet interlude showing Romana’s first encounter with the bargain music bin:
“Oh, look! Cassette tapes!” Romana said, delighted, as she rooted through the bargain basket. “How splendid, memory storage on magnetic tape, but wait...Doctor?”
The Doctor, stooped over the bottom shelf, untangled himself from his scarf as he stood. “Yes, Romana?”
“Are they supposed to be already used?” she asked, puzzled. “There is data stored on this one.”
The whole exchange, short as it is, showcases the jaunty devil-may-care attitude of the two travelers with spot-on dialogue and perky description. It's a microcosm of the relationship between the Doctor and Romana; far from Madame President of Gallifrey, Romana is younger, more enthusiastic, and has both smarts and an ego to match the Doctor. On screen it comes off as two best friends sometimes pretending to only tolerate each other, but Jinxed Wood gives us a glimpse inside Romana's head-- she picks her battles, she knows the Doctor likes to take the lead, and she humors him from time to time. But she's also quite sure she'll get the two of them out of more scrapes than she gets them into.
Charming and funny, this is a short gem that ends on just the right note.
*
Today's reviews were written by:
tardismate: What Is Mine
time_converges: I Have Measured Out My Life...
gowdie: My Doctor
amberfocus: A Letter to the Doctor
eve11: Breakfast at Woolworth's, Threads
Today's Featured Stories Include:
*
What Is Mine by amberfocus
Category: PWP in New Who
Characters: Nine, Rose
Rating: Adult
Details: One shot, very smutty, features Dark!Doctor.
Why It Rocks:
This is a Nine/Rose fic that centres around how the Doctor feels for Rose, viewed from an introspective beginning in his internal monologue. The emotions of the Doctor are laid bare by the use of language so descriptive and evocative, that you feel the anger and pain of his discovery of Rose tied to a boulder as the victim of a fertility rite, his barely contained rage as he confronts her abductors, and his gentleness with her as he confirms that no harm has come to her. It also brings to the fore not a small amount of guilt at his bringing Rose to this place, and putting her at risk. You feel these emotions in your guts, the author’s words so powerful and descriptive; for example...
‘She’s draped across the boulder like so much baggage, like so much refuse, like someone threw her away without thought, without emotion, without care. Like it didn’t matter to them that she was something so important, so precious, so beautifully alive, with a spirit that crashes against his, constant in its reassurance that she is there. His soul roars out in its need of her and his furious desperation to keep her whole, safe, alive, fills up every cell in his body. He resonates at a frequency that will bring only death if she’s been harmed.’
It conveys a love so precious that he would kill for her if necessary, and this is best demonstrated by a later couple of sentences.
‘They are like cowards in the only corner time has not destroyed as he progresses across the dirt floor of the ancient ruins, open to the air on two sides, the roof long since gone, the floor never having existed. Like some kind of avenging angel, or perhaps demon, who will smite them all, he moves steadily but like a predator, a predator that will cause the blood of the wicked to run red in the streets.’
This is such a descriptive, visceral image you feel his rage at the audacity of these people who dare to touch his Rose...and the barely controlled need for vengeance radiating from him so powerfully depicts him as a very dark and dangerous being. Which in essence he is - just not with her. There is an intensity to it that grabs you by the throat, while showing Rose as a strong, almost fearless human, perfectly capable of fighting her own corner, but just as capable of fighting for what she wants most; the Doctor.
It is an adult rated story, as it contains some beautifully graphic and loving sex, but I would say that it is more erotic than smutty, as Amber describes the emotions the couple are feeling as well as the mechanics of the act itself beautifully, not needing to resort to using swearing to convey the sheer intensity of the eventual consummation of their love. His superior olfactory senses are also used to great effect, showing just how alien he really is, all the while giving you an insight into his almost primeval need to brand Rose as his and his capitulation to the inevitability of it all, for example;
‘like jasmine and vanilla and the distinctive scent that is Rose, only ever Rose, that has filled his nostrils too many times and driven him to distraction, when he thought he shouldn’t want, when he thought he couldn’t have.’
Amber’s descriptive words sweep you up and deposit you completely in the moment, generating some absolutely incredible and mind-melting mental images throughout the story, but it was this that truly made this memorable for me. The barely harnessed sexual energy of those scenes flows outward with such vivid, visceral, almost raw visual imagery that I’ll guarantee you will need lots and lots of ice to cool you down. If you like Nine and adult fic, you will absolutely and unreservedly adore this one.
Amberfocus is not just an author, she is an artist who paints pictures with words, and if you have yet to read any of her fics, I would suggest that you do so as soon as possible. I can promise you will become addicted to her writing, as I have, and that you will never regret it for a single moment. I would even go so far to say that she is one of the most talented writers I have read, and when a notification pops up to say she has posted, I have been known to jump up and down in glee.
This is truly a master class in writing Nine as the angsty, dark, and lovelorn Timelord we adored.
*
I Have Measured out My Life... by qthelights
Category: Jack Harkness in Torchwood
Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto, various
Rating: PG-13 for sexual situations
Details: One-shot, 1323 words, Jack/Ianto at the end.
Why It Rocks:
Any fic that takes its title from a T.S. Eliot poem is already a winner in my book. The title is from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufock," and the line in the original is "I have measured out my life in coffee spoons." This short story does the same with the life of Jack, as he lives through the 20th century waiting for his Doctor to return. It is a beautiful story about the loneliness of those days, months and years, and the people whose lives he touches. It is about the path that leads him to Torchwood Three, and ultimately to Ianto.
The story starts in Berlin, early in the century, and we learn how Jack discovers the addictive qualities of both caffeine and young philosophers in coffeehouses and clubs.
He makes a point of sitting next to the shy, quiet ones, who sit in the corner and enjoy the arguments from the sidelines. He takes them home and makes sure their cheeks bloom rose-pink like their louder outgoing classmates. His method doesn’t involve lively debate, though it certainly is lively.
He moves on to America in the 1920s, during prohibition, where "[t]hey call him The Cat’s Pajamas and he holds court in the smokey jazz halls, surrounded by ruby-lipped beauties and dapperly dressed eager young men." The imagery and description in this section is particularly vivid and effective, as "[h]e wakes, bathed in shards of sunlight that filter in through the grimy skylight of his loft..." and brews coffee for whichever pretty young thing he woke up with that morning.
After America, he's back to London in the 1940s, and seducing Algy with freeze-dried instant coffee as he poses as an American and tries to cover up his familiarity with the city. Then we see him in Paris in the 1980s, where he's seduced by the espresso and the young men and women of the city. The author gives us more vivid description, including this passage:
Jack loves them all. ... The women who clatter past him in their colorful highest high-heels, their shoulders padded and bodies swamped in shapeless double-breasted suits that Jack wants nothing more than to unwrap.
Finally, Jack's path reaches Torchwood Three, and Ianto with his "tailored pewter pants and waistcoat." Ianto provides him with an endless supply of coffee - and something more. The shy, quiet Ianto debates Torchwood philosophy and holds his own against Jack. The author nicely ties together the pieces from throughout the story, and we are left hoping that Ianto will provide some relief for Jack's loneliness.
Torchwood, of course, appears throughout the story, usually as the catalyst for Jack being where he is. At its heart, the story is about Jack, and his struggles to fit in wherever he is. The prose is wonderfully descriptive throughout and paints vivid pictures in few words. I love stories that deal with this part of Jack's life, when he had to take the slow path and live through the 20th century here on Earth. This one beautifully captures both his loneliness and his openness to new experiences. One of Jack's more appealling characteristics is his ability to be a chameleon - to blend in wherever he is, and adapt to his surroundings. The author shows us what - and who - Jack finds to love in the places he land, and ultimately what draws him to Ianto. It certainly is a worthy contender in the category.
*
My Doctor, by Arabian
Category: Episode Tag in New Who
Characters: The Doctor (10.5), Rose Tyler
Rating: PG
Details: Set during Journey's End. Fluffy ficlet.
Why It Rocks:
In the Confidential for Journey's End, Russell T. Davies discusses how hard it was to film the Bad Wolf Bay scene. No one could quite decide if it was supposed to be a happy ending, or a sad one. By far, most of the fan fiction writers who have taken up the task of Pete's World have latched onto the angst, probably as a result of Rose's expression in that final moment, but that wasn't the only choice available. The really interesting aspect of the scene is that it is essentially a question: where do we go from here?
In her story, My Doctor, Arabian chooses to answer that question by giving us a little taste of something new. Something fun, and sexy, and wonderfully optimistic. She starts by taking us back to that final moment, as Rose and the Doctor exchanged their serious gaze, sizing each other up.
The first thing she noticed was that while his hand was still cool, it was warmer than the hand she'd held only a few hours ago aboard the Crucible. And that was it; she knew that everything was different. He was different. This wasn't her Doctor.
But then Arabian steps away from the usual track, and takes us in a decidedly different direction. Just as Rose is about to launch into a full pitiful diatribe of everything the new Doctor isn't, he interrupts her. She looks into his eyes and sees so much that is familiar, and vulnerable under her scrutiny, that she realizes she isn't so certain he is different after all. And then he kisses her. And the kiss, well, the kiss is both tender and hot.
And then she felt his lips against her hair, his hands were on her back, his fingers drawing loops, and then he was shifting, the angle of his head moving, nudging against her until hers was raised and his lips were on her face, soothing the tracks of tears with soft kisses, murmuring sounds of hush.
But it doesn't stop there. Oh no, the snogging continues, as the Doctor realizes just how much he enjoys it, and begins to babble about its brilliance. Rose finds herself completely won over by his chatter. What better way to prove himself, than to launch into an infectiously cheerful speech about something he finds fascinating? Amazing discoveries must always be shared. And the gob is pure Doctor.
I love this ficlet, and not just because the Doctor's explanation of his sex drive is the one I always think makes the most sense. Yes, he's had sex before, but without the biological imperative, the urge just wasn't the same as it is in this new human body. I also love My Doctor, because I believe Arabian has hit upon something that may have been part of Russell T. Davies' original intent.
Anyone who has read The Writer's Tale knows the Bad Wolf Bay scene went through many incarnations. In the original draft TenII proves to Rose that he is a little bit better in this body by grabbing her and snogging her senseless. Now, that version was no where near as powerful as the final script, but there is an idea lurking there. The tragedy of Journey's End is that the original Doctor, after being gloriously surrounded by his new family, is left horribly alone again in the end. It isn't necessarily a tragedy for TenII. Instead it is entirely possible that he may be quite pleased with his new circumstances.
The Doctor has often spoken of the adventure he could never have with a hint of romantic yearning. Perhaps he would truly like to experience that adventure after all. Arabian's Doctor is ready launch into his human life with the same enthusiasm he has always had for every new experience. This is an unexpected chance, and he is prepared to make the absolute most of it. That is not to say the entire road ahead will be without bumps, but for right now, he is definitely a cup is more than half full kind of man.
Hilariously, he even has the same gleeful attitude as Russell T. Davies' version did about kissing. Rose and her Doctor share this exchange:
You're you … so you. You're just …" He was silent, his eyes prompting her to continue. "You're talking and talking and just babbling away and your eyes, and your scent and your arms and … you’re babbling and babbling," she broke off, laughter bubbling.
"And the snogging." He winked. "That makes me even better than the other me. Oh, mustn't forget the snogging, Rose Tyler."
Arabian's My Doctor is a lovely foofy ficlet. It has a wonderfully babbly Doctor, amazing kissing, and handles the Bad Wolf Bay scene with a tender optimism that gives it a wholly different flavour than most Pete's World stories. If you haven't read it already, see the link above and get moving.
*
Threads, By Vali (violetisblue) Link goes to Teaspoon
Category: Classic in Classic Who
Characters: Four & RomanaI
Rating: All Ages
Details: approx 14000 words. Fourth Doctor and Romana (I). Set prior to and following through the Key to Time series (season 16). References Gallifreyan physiology and reproductive science loosely based on/modified from the novel Lungbarrow, but it's not necessary to know the book to understand the story.
Why it rocks:
It’s a story about Romana I. Need I say more? Ah, I suppose I should.
So first, let me talk about regeneration.
It's easy to forget that back in the early days of Doctor Who, regeneration arose solely as a plot device for recasting an actor. It was a common occurrence at the BBC-casting new actors into an established role, or re-using actors in new roles (heck, Colin Baker played a Gallifreyan Constabulary Guard named Maxil in the Fifth Doctor’s Arc of Infinity episodes before taking up the role of Doctor number Six). In the case of Doctor Who, producers and writers took advantage of the sci-fi setting and alien-ness of the main character to write "character renewal" into the mythos of the Time Lords.
I mention this because, like any generic plot device for any long-running, constantly evolving serial show, it took the writers a while to figure out exactly what regeneration was. Eventually, it became what we recognize: upon death or grave injury, a Time Lord can harness their artron energy to rejuvenate, rearrange, and renew every single cell in their body. This leads to a new face, and perhaps some personality alterations and strange behavior for a short while afterward. They can do this up to 12 times [1]. But early on, like much of Doctor Who canon, the concept was a lot more . . . malleable.
Case in point: when the actress Mary Tamm, who played Romana, decided to leave after filming only one season. the writers decided that since Romana was a Time Lady, she should regenerate. And Douglas Adams, who was writing for Doctor Who at the time, decided to play it for laughs. So, in Destiny of the Daleks, Romana (I) chooses to regenerate for a fashion statement as much as anything. She “tries on” several bodies, showing them off to the Doctor, before deciding to take the form of a princess named Astra (Lalla Ward) that she and the Doctor had recently encountered in their search for the Key to Time. So Lalla Ward became Romana (II). Recasting, folks: it’s not just for breakfast anymore.
Even for those of us who are experts at handwaving and retcon, this regeneration has become a tough pill to swallow. The “how” is more easily explained: Time Lords can choose their forms if they choose to regenerate [2]. The Doctor is eccentric/lives away from Gallifrey/has an old TARDIS/is half-human and because of that is pants at regenerating and really just makes things difficult for himself. As I said, plenty of reasonable answers.
No, it’s the why that stumps us. Romana was young, healthy, beautiful, and to a certain extent rather full of herself. So why should she decide to change? Why set aside everything she is in a fit of pique and adopt a blonde head and the persona of an unfettered, precocious child?
As fandom is wont to do, there are as many explanations as there are people to dream them up. Some of those people also happen to be paid to write spin-off materials, so we’ve gotten some official wikipedia frontrunners for the "real" reason for Romana’s regeneration.
Some other of those people happen to be Vali. And she happens to have written "Threads", which, as one of its minor accomplishments, motivates and explains this outwardly frivolous act as the ultimate, most intimate expression of learning, who am I?:
What had been done to her? To him, the Doctor, that he screamed for mercy, cried out to escape? And why was she suddenly thinking of the Loom, anyway, what did these strange (ludicrous!) existential fears have to do with the Loom at all? She had entered the Loom as a nonentity, an infant, mewling babbling know-nothing Rom, and had emerged triumphantly as herself. Never, she was almost entirely certain, had she ever been anyone else.
"Threads" is the life story of Romana the First, from a 20-year-old girl whom the Time Lords considered no more than a blank slate, through the alien Looming process that first shapes her DNA with the precision needed for Time Lord anatomy, to her life in decadent, ancient and incestuous Gallifreyan society, to her travels with the Doctor and ultimately her decision to change herself. From the opening paragraph, Vali gives us a Gallifrey whose structures are imposing and incomprehensible, and whose people are alien in their blanket acceptance of such grandeur, though recognizably human-like in their lives led among it:
When she was twenty years old and showed enough skill in quantum mechanics to be judged no longer an infant, she was taken to her Chapterhouse and escorted down the endless, triple-spiraled stone stairs to a small, white room deep underground. The room was bare and unfurnished, save for the sarcophagus-like structure rising higher than her head from the exact center of the floor; the Loom was so much larger than she had imagined it, taller and more imposing and as shiny black as a gleaming blind spot in a great godlike eye, and her parents must have sensed her nervousness for they gripped her wrists imperceptibly tighter as they led her through the doorway.
Vali adds her own imaginative touches to Time Lord society, from naming conventions to the existence of Shobogan [3] brothels. I haven’t read Lungbarrow which, I believe is the novel that explains most of the looming process, but however Vali has chosen to extend or incorporate the information, it works brilliantly. She gives the Loom its own voice, and written into its character is the seed of a very humanist kind of search for self and purpose (Are you a primitive pleading to its god? the Loom responded, with unmistakable disdain. I do not create, I only unearth and refine.). But Vali balances the rich literary references and the existential questions and character-driven narration with well-written character dialogue. I love the way she introduces Romana's first real information about the Doctor-- through gossip and innuendo, impeccably narrated with actions to convey tone and set the scene:
" 'Grandfather,' " Cavisanatrelundar repeated, unbuttoning her gloves for her with swift, practiced fingers. "That's very good and respectful, calling him that. Hardly think he deserves it. Did they let you see his bio-data extracts?"
"Do I look like the Castellan? Of course they didn't." She shook her hands free of the loosened gloves. "The Lord President told me everything I might need to know--"
"Did he tell you about the old boy's Looming?" Her cousin paused, the abandoned headdress draped artfully over her arms. "His aborted Looming?"
Romana's relationship with the Doctor is the impetus for a lot of why and how she changes. The bickering and verbal tennis matches they engage in add a lot of humor and life to the piece, and really help the reader to empathize with Romana. The Doctor of course is a catalyst; ever the unflappable, underestimated anti-establishmentarian. And well, one can certainly see how he would be an often-times frustrating companion for someone like Romana, who has spent her life (unknowingly to her, of course) as a big fish in a small pond. But, for its inauspicious beginnings in the above closed-door court gossip, it turns into a "discovered love" story-- friendship and self-discovery, rather than romance-- delivered in a most forthright and no-nonsense style (a characteristic Romana keeps from her first incarnation):
"You know, Doctor," she said, as coolly as she could manage, "I believe I understand. You are disconcerted, and understandably so, that I've just asked you an unforgivably personal question, and you are attempting to displace your embarrassment via a series of cheap jokes."
"You are disconcerted," he replied, "understandably or not, that you seem to have developed an oddly physical curiosity about me, and you are attempting to distract yourself from acknowledging it via randomly chosen bits of psychoanalytical verbiage. Why are you so flustered, anyway? It's hardly as though you're the first creature in time's creation that's ever wanted to kiss me, you know, there are whole species which consider my 'alarming teeth' a marker of raging virility--"
"You really are terribly self-congratulatory," she said, not bothering to disguise her contempt. "It's disgusting."
"And you are even more terribly self-important." He tilted his head to the side, thrusting his hands into his pockets. "And terribly naïve, and terribly inexperienced, and terribly annoying, and terribly vain, and terribly humorless, and terribly intelligent, and terribly resourceful, and terribly stalwart, and terribly pretty, and terribly amusing without intending it which is the best sort of amusing, and being backed into a corner by your wrathful temper was a strangely compelling experience I wouldn't mind repeating--so you see, if you did want me to kiss you, it is a sacrifice I would be willing to make in the interests of putting this whole matter to rest once and for all." He leaned forward, shoulders knotted up in a vulture hunch. "So will you, or won't you?"
"You really think I'm pretty," Romana said.
I don’t think that the author set out with "Romana regeneration fix-it fic" as her only motivation (though there's nothing wrong with it if she did, and I certainly commend her thorougness!). For me, it is one of the big hallmarks I come away with when I think about "Threads," hence my rather rambling introduction, but to describe it as just a fix-it doesn’t really capture the richness of the story. Instead of handwaving away Romana's choice, Vali embraces it, and weaves it into the fabric of Romana as a character, more than the TV series ever could. By the end of it you realize that this act of regeneration is just a part of who Romana has become, an expression of what her life with the Doctor has taught her. It makes perfect sense, and it doesn't rely on aliens or body-swapping or time key sickness or any other tropes. Strength of character development, and the ability to spin a fascinating tale around it, puts "Threads" in its own category: my personal canon.
------------
1: Unless they’re the Master, who gets lots of freebies, albeit sometimes from the bargain basement body repository.
2: Unless, isn’t that the same as committing suicide? In which case they change sex? *handwaves*...
3: non-Time Lord "commoner" Gallifreyans who generally live outside the Citadel.
*
A Letter to the Doctor by never_more_cat
Category: Ficlet in New Who
Characters: Ten2/Rose
Rating: G
Details: One-shot, fairly fluffy, set up as a letter to the Doctor. Pregnant!Fic, but not quite in the way you expect.
Why It Rocks:
A Letter to the Doctor is the first time I’ve read anything by never_more_cat, but it was a lovely introduction to the author’s writing for me. It’s a bit ironic that I lit upon one of the few Ten/Rose fluff fics; a g-rated story in the author’s repertoire of Torchwood-leaning slash, but after enjoying the writer’s style so much I may be heading towards those next. As for this story, it’s a cute, fluffy little ficlet that is nearly impossible to review without ruining certain elements of surprise in the story for those who haven’t read it, but still I’m giving it a go.
A Letter to the Doctor is simply that, a letter from three years into the future, written to our Doctor, our Time Lord, by the human Doctor and Rose Tyler, and placed in the Torchwood vaults in the hope that one day there will be an opportunity to transfer it between universes and that our Doctor will receive it one way or another. It is no more or less than a written missive. There is no reaction on the part of the letter writers or any reaction on the part of the letter reader. It simply is the letter itself, and yet it is so much more than that.
It is a captured moment in time full of the happiest of news. Rose and John Smith are having a baby. In one fell swoop the reader discovers that everything the Time Lord had ever hoped for Rose and his half human counterpart has come true. They are happy, delightfully happy, they have built that life together and they are now adding to it, becoming a family of more than just two. The joy radiates from the letter writer, the peace at this new life so obvious.
I do love it though. Every day I feel this tiny life growing inside me, getting bigger and stronger, and more impatient to make his way into this big bright world. This alternate Earth where I have made my home. Where we’ve made our home.
It feels like home, now that I’m not lonely anymore.
Little details of the pregnancy share the sense of wonder and really make me wish I could see our Time Lord’s reaction to reading it. They muse over baby names, whether or not the child will be ginger because of the touch of Donna in his father, whether or not any Gallifreyan genes will be passed along. There is such sweetness in it and yet so much reality, too, as fears for the future are expressed.
I’m a bit scared, of course. Not just of the birth, but of the whole concept of us bringing up a child. This is a big responsibility, a huge life-changing experience. I suppose all new parents go through this, but - even so.
As happy as John Smith and Rose are there is still a touch of longing apparent in the written words, the hint of what this version of the Doctor has lost still infringing lightly on their life together, beautifully displayed by this sentiment:
It’s strange only having one heart. I’m still getting used to it. Before the bump got too big, I liked to lay close to Rose, so close that I could feel her heart beating against my chest, hear that double thump and remember what it felt like to be a Time Lord.
I think that this one thing, the human Doctor not having two hearts, is the biggest physical adaptation he’s had to make, that this is the one thing above all others that he would miss the most. I adore the idea of finding that double heartbeat elsewhere, in his closeness to Rose and their child.
I really love the fact, that despite their joy, they take the time to reassure the Time Lord over his loss of Donna and the fact that he is most likely alone now.
By the way, I know what must have happened to Donna, in the end. I hope you managed to save her, before it was too late. And - I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I hope the consequences didn’t hit you too hard. Although - knowing me, it will have taken you a while to get over it.
You’ll be alright. You always are. Just - keep on running. I miss that, sometimes, the running, but I’m sure this little one is going to keep me running around enough to last me a lifetime.
The most amazing part of this fic is that even though the writer doesn’t go there, I am still led by this story to the image of the Tenth Doctor sitting in his study somewhere, reading this letter, looking at the picture that’s been enclosed with the quickly scribbled post script talking of the child’s birth, and smiling fondly as he remembers what could have been and what now is. In this vision I’m left with, he’s happy. And in the reading of this love letter, for that it surely is, so am I.
*
Breakfast at Woolworth's by jinxed_wood
Category: Fluff in Classic Who
Characters: Four and RomanaII
Rating: G
Details: Very short one-shot.
Why It Rocks:
The fourth Doctor and Romana are an especially engaging TARDIS team because it’s one of the few times in the run of the series that both Doctor and Companion are alien. In fact, both are Time Lords; Romana (aka Romanadvoratrelundar, or as the Doctor threatens to call her, "Fred" since her name is too long) is a Time Lady given an assignment by the Time Lords to help the Doctor assemble the Key to Time. When that task is completed, she regenerates (by choice!) and stays on with the Doctor for more adventures. Breakfast at Woolworth's is a snapshot piece with Four and Romana in her second incarnation.
While the Doctor usually has human companions to ground him when he goes to Earth, in the Four/Romana era, stories arise that view our little blue planet wholly through alien eyes. The Doctor’s bohemian attitude in this incarnation, coupled with Romana’s extremely honed intelligence but somewhat lacking experience, are fertile ground for humor. Breakfast at Woolworth’s embodies this dynamic wholeheartedly, with a very brief vignette echoing back to serials like the classic City of Death (Paris, sightseeing, holding hands and an off-screen romance between Tom Baker and Lalla Ward. Oh, also, aliens, The Mona Lisa, and a stellar blink-or-you'll-miss-it cameo by John Cleese).
The backdrop isn't Paris for this story; it's an undisclosed Woolworth's circa 1980. Jinxed Wood gives us a short, sweet interlude showing Romana’s first encounter with the bargain music bin:
“Oh, look! Cassette tapes!” Romana said, delighted, as she rooted through the bargain basket. “How splendid, memory storage on magnetic tape, but wait...Doctor?”
The Doctor, stooped over the bottom shelf, untangled himself from his scarf as he stood. “Yes, Romana?”
“Are they supposed to be already used?” she asked, puzzled. “There is data stored on this one.”
The whole exchange, short as it is, showcases the jaunty devil-may-care attitude of the two travelers with spot-on dialogue and perky description. It's a microcosm of the relationship between the Doctor and Romana; far from Madame President of Gallifrey, Romana is younger, more enthusiastic, and has both smarts and an ego to match the Doctor. On screen it comes off as two best friends sometimes pretending to only tolerate each other, but Jinxed Wood gives us a glimpse inside Romana's head-- she picks her battles, she knows the Doctor likes to take the lead, and she humors him from time to time. But she's also quite sure she'll get the two of them out of more scrapes than she gets them into.
Charming and funny, this is a short gem that ends on just the right note.
*
Today's reviews were written by:
tardismate: What Is Mine
time_converges: I Have Measured Out My Life...
gowdie: My Doctor
amberfocus: A Letter to the Doctor
eve11: Breakfast at Woolworth's, Threads