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clocketpatchBecause being egotistic is good clean fun for the entire family, I've stole this memeage from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jjpor :
Pick a paragraph (or any passage less than 500 words) from any fanfic I've written, and comment to this post with that selection. I will then give you a DVD commentary on that snippet: what I was thinking when I wrote it, why I wrote it in the first place, what's going on in the character's heads, why I chose certain words, what this moment means in the context of the rest of the fic, lots of awful puns, and anything else that you'd expect to find on a DVD commentary track.
www.whofic.com/viewuser.php
... if you really want to you can grab one of the ones on my lj that hasn't made its way over there yet. But beware, for they are not organized at all.
jjpor :Pick a paragraph (or any passage less than 500 words) from any fanfic I've written, and comment to this post with that selection. I will then give you a DVD commentary on that snippet: what I was thinking when I wrote it, why I wrote it in the first place, what's going on in the character's heads, why I chose certain words, what this moment means in the context of the rest of the fic, lots of awful puns, and anything else that you'd expect to find on a DVD commentary track.
www.whofic.com/viewuser.php
... if you really want to you can grab one of the ones on my lj that hasn't made its way over there yet. But beware, for they are not organized at all.
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That will be hard to try to limit to. Can I do more than one, CP? Please?
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NO CAT FOOD FOR YOU!!
lol, you know what happens when you open that can; next thing you know every feline from miles around is circling, tripping you up, and ultimately mauling you to death with their cute, bitty, little kitty claws when you fail to deliver.
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Oh, okay. *sigh* ;)
Then, I'll have to think about it for a bit before prompting you for one.
btw, I did the meme questions you asked me and posted them on my lj, if you're interested. Some of them were toughies, but still, they were fun. :)
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He held it in one hand. Power. the Key to Time, the Key to Everything, the Right to every Wrong.
"We have the power to do anything we like," he told her.
"Absolute power over every particle in the universe. Everything that has ever existed and ever will exist. As from this moment — "
Everything
It washed over him, leaving a hiccup in his speech.
He could see everything
"Are you listening to me Romana?"
"Yes of course I'm listening..." she said, not listening.
"Because if you're not listening, I can make you listen."
But he would never do that.
Would he?
He could.
"Because I can do anything."
Anything
Everything.
He held all of the cards. He had the power. All power. He could set himself up as dictator of the universe if he wanted to, but he hadn't liked any of the dictators he had met during his lives; the majority of them being megalomaniacs and rather tiring.
He briefly enjoyed fantasies of being the owner of every jelly baby in existence, but decided that using the Key to Time to procure sweets would be a bit silly even for him.
He held in his hand the Right to every Wrong.
And the universe was full of so many wrongs. He saw all of them in a mind-numbing instant. His eyes flickered and his soul wavered. Darkness, a red spot approaching to block everything else out. Falling. He saw the war. He saw the death. He saw his planet burn. He looked at Romana-who-wasn't-listening, and saw her ashes floating in space.
He could force her to listen or he could save her life.
"As from this moment there's no such thing as free will in the entire universe. There's only my will because I possess the Key to Time."
She listened. She looked at him with concern.
"Doctor, are you all right?"
He was fine. He was better than fine: he was about to save the universe.
But did he have the right?
Gallifrey burned. He burned. She burned. Flames licked at the hand holding power. A button was before him. A choice: the universe or her? His scarf was suddenly too tight. He was choking. No. He was falling. He was lying crushed and she was somewhere else. Another dimension. No, she was in this dimension. She was president. No, he was president. She was ashes floating in space.
He wished he could float with her.
If he remained true to his goals and untainted by power he could wield The Key. It could be done. He could prevent every death and maintain free will. But the power was already burning his hand, singeing his nostrils, destroying his mind. If he could maintain control he could save her. Or cause the apocalypse.
Could he take that risk?
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He held it in one hand. Power. the Key to Time, the Key to Everything, the Right to every Wrong.
"We have the power to do anything we like," he told her.
"Absolute power over every particle in the universe. Everything that has ever existed and ever will exist. As from this moment — "
This was probably the first fic I wrote which used extensive quotations. I haven’t written much in this style since, as it’s a bit too close to song!fic for my liking, but in this case it seemed essential to make the point, and I think it worked rather well all considered.
I had to watch the end of Armageddon Factor several times with pen in hand before I’d successfully transcribed it though. I’m rubbish at transcribing things. I forget sentences I’ve just heard half-way through writing them, a definite problem when taking lecture notes… right, where were we?
Everything
It washed over him, leaving a hiccup in his speech.
He could see everything
And this would be where Tom started his Evil Doctor act that he’d do on occasion. He makes for a terrifying villain; see that episode with Leela and Andred for proof.
"Are you listening to me Romana?"
"Yes of course I'm listening..." she said, not listening.
"Because if you're not listening, I can make you listen."
But he would never do that.
Would he?
He could.
"Because I can do anything."
And this bit really fascinated me, because, what would the Doctor do with ultimate power? He wouldn’t try to rule the universe, not intentionally anyways, but…
Anything
Everything.
He held all of the cards. He had the power. All power. He could set himself up as dictator of the universe if he wanted to, but he hadn't liked any of the dictators he had met during his lives; the majority of them being megalomaniacs and rather tiring.
He briefly enjoyed fantasies of being the owner of every jelly baby in existence, but decided that using the Key to Time to procure sweets would be a bit silly even for him.
He held in his hand the Right to every Wrong.
It would be like Four to think of jelly babies right then.
Stupid word limit
He could force her to listen or he could save her life.
That last line there gave me pains and still does, because if he forces her to listen then she lives. If he doesn’t, blah, blah, blah, Time War, dead, here comes angst!Ten. Thus it is inaccurate. What I was trying to say was that, if he forces her, then eventually everything he loves about Romana will die. Eventually, the whole universe will be destroyed, or reordered and brought down to the point where living doesn’t really matter any more. It’s kind of damned if you do, damned if you don’t, but at this point the only way to save her is by letting her go.
"As from this moment there's no such thing as free will in the entire universe. There's only my will because I possess the Key to Time."
It struck me a bit as being like that moment in Lord of the Rings when Sam’s looking for Frodo, and he’s got the ring, and he’s looking at it, and he thinks that he could stop Sauron, and save Middle Earth, and turn the Shire into a beautiful garden for all of the Hobbits to enjoy… Of course, Sam quickly realises that said garden would be maintained by slaves and fertilized with terror, but he does briefly enjoy the fantasy.
I’d say that the Doctor would have been going through a similar temptation here. Worse, maybe, because unlike Sam, I’m thinking that the combination of Time Lord timesense and ultimate MacGuffin Key would have give him a painfully accurate look at what was definitely going to happen if he didn’t act. Sam still had the other hope of the ring being destroyed to cling to. The Doctor, in destroying the Key, lost any other way out.
She listened. She looked at him with concern.
"Doctor, are you all right?"
He was fine. He was better than fine: he was about to save the universe.
But did he have the right?
Hmm… I’m quoting again. I must quote that line in every other fic. Seriously. It’s a good line, but I waaaayyy too much over use it.
Gallifrey burned. He burned. She burned. Flames licked at the hand holding power. A button was before him. A choice: the universe or her? His scarf was suddenly too tight. He was choking. No. He was falling. He was lying crushed and she was somewhere else. Another dimension. No, she was in this dimension. She was president. No, he was president. She was ashes floating in space.
He wished he could float with her.
Here be shippiness and angst. Because I totally ship those two.
If he remained true to his goals and untainted by power he could wield The Key. It could be done. He could prevent every death and maintain free will. But the power was already burning his hand, singeing his nostrils, destroying his mind. If he could maintain control he could save her. Or cause the apocalypse.
Could he take that risk?
And now I’m back to comparing it with Sam and the ring again, because that was really my prime inspiration for this; that, and the fact that I was sure certain sure that Four could see the future and the war that was coming when he held the Key. The Trickster’s comment on it in that Sarah-Jane Adventure’s episode has pretty much confirmed this for me (as well as making me squee uncontrollably at the Classic-y goodness of the reference)
Re: Stupid word limit
Official canon is coming into line with your fanfic? Hey, Clocket, you don't know where the Key is, do you? :lol:
Re: Stupid word limit
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She tossed him the book, just a thin paperback, rather worn. He caught it, and it was only then that he realised his mistake. He'd ignored this yellowed book for years, buried it in the very depths of the library next to the textbooks that belonged to a certain young Alzariun he'd travelled with for a while. That was a section of his life he liked to block out — too many ghosts.
"I choose it 'cause it was the first thing I opened that didn't have quantum math or physics or something in it. Where do you keep all of the book books on this ship anyway?"
He didn't answer. She shrugged.
"Nature's first green is gold," she began, and he sucked in a deep breath and tried to keep himself expressionless. It was a failed attempt.
Rose's eyes were screwed up in concentration, oblivious to the effect her stumbling words were having on her audience.
So, so long ago… He had told her that he didn't remember a thing.
"Then leaf subsides to leaf," Rose went on, too cheerfully, getting the rhythm all wrong, and clashing tone with meaning, "So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay."
Instead he had badgered her about ruining his scarf. Never a thank you for his life. Only nagging, day after day, until she sat down and knitted him a new scarf, twice as long as the first. He couldn't complain after that.
Rose opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Blimey, I'm not that good," she said.
The Doctor quickly cuffed away a tear. When he spoke his voice rasped in his throat.
"No, proper poet you are, picked just my favourite one."
Rose smiled and hugged him and bounced out of the console room. The Doctor leaned heavily against a support strut. While Rose had been reading his mind had been playing tricks, replacing Rose with another blond, a natural one; a smaller woman with more delicate features and an aristocratic bearing.
The face of a princess. The face of a ghost.
He remembered the feel of her hand in his. The flitting smell of Paris in springtime. The pride in his heart, and the sorrow when she disappeared into E-space, the joy when she came back… He remembered hiding in the back balconies of the Panoptican when she accepted the presidential sash. A petit form bowed down by purple velvet, ideals, and a sparkling smile staring down a million years of stagnation and corruption. She had refused to wear a collar since she was a free agent and a new beginning. Never had he been so proud of her.
His Romana.
He remembered her cracking voice over the TARDIS phone telling him that all was lost and he must be the one to pay. Telling him with brave words that everything withered in the end. That was life. He shouldn't be afraid - she always knew when he was lying.
And then static had overtaken the line and she had gone. Forever.
But still alive in his memories, gold as ever. The present came back into focus slowly. The memories slow to loose their grip. The Doctor raised his eyes to where the phantom had stood. He could hear Rose humming and laughing in the hall, and he swore that he would never let her go without telling her how much he cared.
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She tossed him the book, just a thin paperback, rather worn. He caught it, and it was only then that he realised his mistake. He'd ignored this yellowed book for years, buried it in the very depths of the library next to the textbooks that belonged to a certain young Alzariun he'd travelled with for a while. That was a section of his life he liked to block out — too many ghosts.
Everyone who travelled with Four past Sarah-Jane would be gone by this point, one way or another. Leela, Andred, that version of K-9, and Romana, and her version of K-9… they’ve all been blown up, or fob-watched, or something. And Adric, well, we all know what happened to Adric. From what I understand, Tegan didn’t meet an especially happy fate either in the spin-off media.
And, knowing the Doctor, he takes all of these deaths as his responsibility (and admittedly, some of them are more his fault than others)
"I choose it 'cause it was the first thing I opened that didn't have quantum math or physics or something in it. Where do you keep all of the book books on this ship anyway?"
He didn't answer. She shrugged.
Initially in this sequence Rose said something like “You’re always spouting off bits of poetry, so I thought I’d learn some to keep up”, but, as
"Nature's first green is gold," she began, and he sucked in a deep breath and tried to keep himself expressionless. It was a failed attempt.
I really like that poem. It’s one of the few poems I’ve got completely memorized and tucked into my head. I like Frost – well – I like some Frost, because he also has those big epic poems that bore me to death. This whole story is somewhat based around his poetry, and this one particular poem formed the backbone.
Rose's eyes were screwed up in concentration, oblivious to the effect her stumbling words were having on her audience.
So, so long ago… He had told her that he didn't remember a thing.
"Then leaf subsides to leaf," Rose went on, too cheerfully, getting the rhythm all wrong, and clashing tone with meaning, "So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay."
It’s been a theme in NuWho that the Doctor loses everyone, and so it seemed appropriate given the circumstances.
Instead he had badgered her about ruining his scarf. Never a thank you for his life. Only nagging, day after day, until she sat down and knitted him a new scarf, twice as long as the first. He couldn't complain after that.
One of the things I set out to explain right from the get-go with this fic was “where the heck did that burgundy scarf come from anyways?” Because “JNT had action figure schemes brewing” was not an acceptable in-universe answer.
Rose opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Blimey, I'm not that good," she said.
The Doctor quickly cuffed away a tear. When he spoke his voice rasped in his throat.
"No, proper poet you are, picked just my favourite one."
Nine crying makes me sad. He tries to be all gruff and bad ass, and he IS all gruff and bad ass, but he’s got layers, and not like an onion or a cake, because they’re all mixed up, like he’s all mixed up. He might be laughing and goofy one minute, then fly into a rage the next. He tries not to cry, tries to bate it back with jokes, or anger, but he never quite succeeds.
I think Eccleston did an excellent job playing him. The level of acting in some of those episodes is just staggering.
Damned word limit strikes again!
Rose smiled and hugged him and bounced out of the console room. The Doctor leaned heavily against a support strut. While Rose had been reading his mind had been playing tricks, replacing Rose with another blond, a natural one; a smaller woman with more delicate features and an aristocratic bearing.
He always did go for the blondes…
The face of a princess. The face of a ghost.
Hmmm… I think I might have overdone it a bit with that sentence.
He remembered the feel of her hand in his. The flitting smell of Paris in springtime. The pride in his heart, and the sorrow when she disappeared into E-space, the joy when she came back… He remembered hiding in the back balconies of the Panoptican when she accepted the presidential sash. A petit form bowed down by purple velvet, ideals, and a sparkling smile staring down a million years of stagnation and corruption. She had refused to wear a collar since she was a free agent and a new beginning. Never had he been so proud of her.
Yes, I’m going with the spin-off canon that Romana came back and became Lady President. I think I recall seeing somewhere that RTD confirmed this; he also said something along the lines of “And she totally started the war yo” which annoyed me. Because if anyone started that war, it was Four making the Daleks aware of the Time Lords but not destroying them, and then waiting until he was Seven and the Daleks were spread across half the universe to BLOW UP THEIR PLANET and make them angry. Ahem (and yes, I did grab most of my Dalek canon from your fics JJ, it’s such tasty fodder to the thoughts).
Also, I need to find reference to the word I’m putting in Rusty’s mouth. Apologies to him if I’m just quoting y imagination.
His Romana.
He’s rather possessive of his companions…
He remembered her cracking voice over the TARDIS phone telling him that all was lost and he must be the one to pay. Telling him with brave words that everything withered in the end. That was life. He shouldn't be afraid - she always knew when he was lying.
And then static had overtaken the line and she had gone. Forever.
Damn, this bit was hard writing. The actual words flew out pretty quick, but the meaning behind them hit hard a second later. It’s funny that you picked this one, and
That right there is why Nine is so harsh to Cassandra, and where he got the words to damn her. The words that Ten keeps repeating. That he keeps trying to reaffirm in some feeble justification that everything’s okay, and he’s fine.
But still alive in his memories, gold as ever. The present came back into focus slowly. The memories slow to loose their grip. The Doctor raised his eyes to where the phantom had stood. He could hear Rose humming and laughing in the hall, and he swore that he would never let her go without telling her how much he cared.
I had to make it a bit lighter after that, to bring back the thing that the Doctor nearly forgot; maybe everything withers, and everything dies, and maybe nothing gold can stay, but there will be tomorrow, another day, and always the memories of what’s passed.
That said, I’m not sure this is the ending I’d put on if I wrote it now. This was published WAY before Journey’s End aired. It was meant to be a bittersweet comment on how the Doctor always forgets to do that one little thing, even though he thinks it, and feels it. He has now though, I guess that’s one of the few good things that came out of the whole Handy debacle. *shudders yet gain at the thought of Rose and Handy tongue*
Urgh, that is one mental image that all the brain bleach in the world cannot erase.
But moving on, I hope you enjoyed the commentary, because I’m really quite fond of this fic. I like the world, and the way it turned out, even if the actual resolution was a bit slapdash.
Re: Damned word limit strikes again!
And if you think about it (to go off on a tangent), the idea of the Doctor both starting and ending the Time War (and of things like Genesis and Resurrection and Remembrance actually being Time War stories even if nobody realised it at the time!) is just too perfect; sorry RTD, but it's true! ;D
Re: Damned word limit strikes again!
Naked Four is terrifying under any circumstance.