such_heights | (no subject)

And lo, the Doctor Who post-finale creative explosion! Marvellous. A couple of recs below the spoiler cut, plus a brief chat on why I'm reading some types of stories much more readily than others.

See, here's the thing. I know there's a whole bunch of angsty fic out there, I'm sure lots of it is very good and I may end up stumbling into some of those stories, but. Much as 'Journey's End' didn't exactly give us much of a jumping-off point for this, I feel the need for hopeful! happy! fic, fix-it or not.

For Rose, whatever there is to say about her ending (which is a lot), what I don't get is the way some of fandom appears to think she's been saddled with/wants a life of total domesticity. Wait, what? It's still Rose and the Doctor (with added Donna, ftw), and Rose is clearly a hot shot over at alt!Torchwood, and just because they might not have a TARDIS doesn't mean they can't have adventures and save the planet and so on, now really. Actually, what I think I would like to read is how the Doctor fits into that version of Torchwood - does Rose tell them? Does he become a threat, an experiment, an ally? Now that's interesting!

And for Donna, well. Of course, the tragedy, and it's all awful and horrible, but I don't buy for a moment she's stuck in some kind of pre-Runaway Bride stasis forever. We've seen her develop out of herself and realise her potential not once but three times in the course of the series. The first in that epic first day with the Doctor, the second in the digital world of the library after she meets Miss Evangalista, and the third in 'Turn Left' with Rose. All of those occasions being pretty dramatic, of course, and all requiring a rather extraordinary person to be the catalyst, but nonetheless. I ~~cling to~~ spy a theme! Donna's lost memories of the most incredible experience of her life, but she's still the Donna we know and love, and there's hundreds of different ways she can tap into all that potential once again, Doctor or no Doctor. It's still all desperately sad, but from where I'm sitting, not as hopeless as canon left us.

eta: Oh, wait! I know the other story I want to read! Where's the Gwen & Ianto time-bubble story? The one where they swap stories about Jack and are possibly very flirty and Welsh. Someone must be writing that, surely.

Anyway, enough of my rambling, onto recs!

First, a comm:

still_brilliant, a prompt and general fest for post-S4 Donna. There's lots of excellent ideas for fics already, and you can leave your own prompts here, with claiming opening on Sunday. Alternatively, post non-prompt stories any time. Wizard!

Now, some stories, from the bittersweet to the downright silly.

The Rather Odd Couple by

rosa_acicularis
Rose/Doctor, Teen
"You can't spend the rest of your life crying. It annoys people in the movies." - Neil Simon's The Odd Couple. An angst-free look at life after...well, you know.

I'm not reading much Rose/Doctor stuff, as it's not really my bag these days, but considering I've set Teaspoon to email me every time

rosa_acicularis writes something I couldn't resist this one! It appears everyone in the world may have read this already. It's a delightfully light-hearted and witty looking at sudden unexpected co-habitation in a small flat.

Into Cool Night (Rescued from Rainy Dawn) by

eponymous_rose
Donna, Eighth Doctor, G

This is beautifully written, gives great Donna, and is a concept entirely made of win.

Long Way for a Shortcut by

netgirl_y2k
Donna, Tenth Doctor, G
I’m a human being with the brain of a Time Lord and he’s a Time Lord trapped in a human body. Which isn’t nearly as kinky as it sounds.

Bwahahaha. Oh, this is so cracky and delicious and SHOULD BE A SPECIAL, damn it all. A perfect fix-it, this made me laugh so much.

***

And thus a half-year of delightful Whoverse goodness comes to an end. *sadface* But! There is something to keep me occupied! Adventures in the Big Gay Multiverse Space Opera can continue apace what with SGA coming back on air tonight, so that's something. It does amuse me how you have Torchwood, which is actually really gay, Doctor Who, which is also pretty gay, and then Atlantis, which is incredibly gay by accident. And I have new evidence for this! For those playing along at home, the premier for Season Five has been touted via a lot of very bad, no good photo-shopped publicity shots, but this latest one, seen via

sheafrotherdon, has found a new level of unintentional hilarity.

John & Ronon! Kicking ass! Whilst holding haaaands! *laughs and laughs* Oh, show. Even though there is much about you that is really not so much with the stellar televisual output, I do heart you anyway.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

orange_crushed wrote a really adorable fic about how the Doctor and Rose can't stop adventuring even in their old age, if you're looking to an alternative to the domesticity stuff.

http://orange-crushed.livejournal.com/110321.html

Oh, awesome! *bookmarks* Thanks a lot, that sounds wonderful. :D

I agree with you so much about Donna. She is totally coming back in some way in my opinion.

If Catherine ever decided she wanted to come back then yes, absolutely, there was the Prominent Sparkly Ring and everything. And, oh my. My levels of squee would probably damage buildings.

*la la la ignoring the Who stuff because I have yet to see the finale*

DYING OF LAUGHTER HERE. I, just. OH DEAR HEAVENS.

Perhaps the people in charge of SGA have realised who half their target audience is, and have stepped up the bad-photoshopping to appeal to us? Pretty men in leather, fighting people and being ridiculously gay. I mean, it's my kind of show.

(STILL DYING.)

SHOOOOOOW. I wake up this morning, get your comment, and now I DIE ALL OVER AGAIN. By this stage, they CAN'T not know, surely. They must have twigged that basically their whole viewership consists of fangirls. Hee.

And haha, on that note. I was chatting to a friend of mine who's big into his sci-fi but not really involved in the finer points of fandom, and I mentioned that if you watch 'Outcast' and imagine that John's whole family think Ronon is his new boyfriend then the whole episode makes way more sense. I saw him the other day and he was all 'oh my god you're right.' My work here is done. Soon, all shall see the truth!

I LOVE MY BIG GAY SPACE OPERA.

I don't know how they'd have missed it really! I mean, the conventions and the interview segments are dominated by women asking questions, and then squeeing over the pretty and the gay and the leather.

Hee! You shall convert the world! The gay is how I convinced one of my friends to watch. She was all "umm, I don't know, I'm not sure it's my thing" so I pointed out that gay love between snarky scientist and adorably ruffled military commander was exactly her kind of thing, and she watched the first episode and rang me going "OMG I LOVE YOU." I was mightily pleased, it must be said.

Hahaha, yes, that's very true! Some of them at least must have a pretty canny idea. That fills me with glee.

:D You spoke wisely! For really, I do believe they attempt to have a plot occasionally but no one cares about silly things like that.

(Aaah, I appear to have the slowest torrent in the history of forever, woe. Wants my team now!)

It's the porn-less version of Plot? What Plot? Just with a lot of being pretty and shooting people.

(Aww, well I still haven't seen S4, because I'm waiting for the dvds, so you're ahead of me anyway! I have yet to embrace these newfangled torrent things.)

Yup. Reminds me of this xkcd strip, except replace it with John Sheppard.

(a;sldja I had completely forgotten you weren't caught up! Um, oops, accidental spoiler-age above. But omg, L, you are going to love S4 so much. It is EPIC. I am rather excited on your behalf.)

OMG COMPLETELY.

(No worries, I'm not unspoiled for the first half/three quarters or so of it, I just rely on the fact that I only picked up the fun bits and none of the serious. I can't wait! I think it's out now, or soon, so I'm going to see when I can get it in my little hands.)

You always rec the best stories! Love that crack!fic, that is my new canon as to what happened to Donna

Oh! And I definitely think Donna is going to develop on her on into something extraordinary. As you said, done it 3 times and she can do it a 4th. She will be AMAZING!

She will! I am filled with the possibilities - even if she doesn't hold any truck with aliens she could fight injustice or sort society out or do all sorts of fabulous things. Yaaay Donna.

And her grandfather will help :-p

Yes! Most definitely! That is the truth and no one can persuade me otherwise.