![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jjporFic: Dancing
Well, I blame community.livejournal.com/calufrax/ for stoking up my innate Four/Romana shippiness with their reckless and inflammatory recommendations of various fine examples of said ship during the course of the past week. I also have had this idea about Four/Romana "dancing" together (either literally or in the Stephen Moffat sense) for some time now, from where I came by it I could not say. So, even though I have WIPs in progress, I wrote this instead. It maybe gets a bit racy, but rest assured I bottled out when it came to portraying, er...actual physical relations. Feedback etc. always welcome. As always, while it would certainly be nice and possibly financially rewarding were I to own Doctor Who and its associated properties, alas I do not; they very definitely belong to the BBC:
www.whofic.com/viewstory.php
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-02-26 11:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-26 11:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-27 12:14 am (UTC)*reads*
Apparently, you can request to have your story submitted.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-27 04:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-27 08:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-27 07:27 am (UTC)I'm reading a story of yours that I found via a rec of a fic of your, on
He wiped all some of the blood and soot from his face to reveal it unscathed, and flashed a blinding white grin at all of them:
Should be, wiped off some of etc. It's in Chapter 11.
I'm enjoying the humour ('Bloody Torchwood!' said by the policeman, how well known they were, even then, to the people of Cardiff and how London would have a coronary if they knew) and the relationships.
In your previous story in the 'King and Country' series, I liked the role reversal of Jack and Ianto from the current show with Jack the boss and Ianto the teaboy, to Jack being the teaboy and Gerald the boss.
I also really liked Harriet's appearance to Gerald in this story, "Scareship" and how he realized he must meet her in the future and that she knows him. Very well done, his thoughts.
Congratulations on finishing it, and only a week or so before I started reading it.
Off to read more.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-27 04:45 pm (UTC)I don't think TWood can ever have been a secret in Cardiff, the way they carry on and the weird stuff the Rift keeps throwing up. And it amused me to think of ways Gerald could be mean to Jack, while at the same time actually needing him to solve the case for him...
Scareship - Chapter 15
Date: 2009-02-27 09:27 am (UTC)Well, his name is Jack Harkness, an he’s somewhat of an expert in these matters, and he thinks that whatever you did with that little brass gadget to go back in time has caused a serious problem with space and time; something that might destroy everything. Not just Britain, but everything, Germany as well.”
Should be, and he's somewhat, not an he's somewhat.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-27 04:09 pm (UTC)And I'll take a moment to express my admiration for the Equalizer - great, great stuff; Messrs McCall and Kostermeyer are not the kind of people you'd want to get on the wrong side of, especially not when McCall shows what a bad-ass he is by... threatening... you... very... slowly... and... quietly...
Chapter 16 and other thoughts
Date: 2009-02-28 07:24 am (UTC)Chapter 16:
“Before I made an honest woman of you?” Harriet teased, and he bent down slightly to kiss her again. A little reckless, he was willing to admit, but the office door was quite securely closed, and her lips were just so damned kissable. For a moment, he had a lunatic urge to clear the desk and just do it there without waiting to get home; he had to remind himself that there was still some work to be done before this matter could truly be considered to be closed, and moreover that he had his principles; he was not Harkness, thank you very much. Principles could be a bit of a bugger, actually.
Should that be, 'an honest man' instead of 'an honest woman'?
Hee! about 'and moreover that he had his principles; he was not Harkness, thank you very much. Principles could be a bit of a bugger, actually.'
Earlier chapter, loved Jack seeing himself at a different time and flirting with himself... and you certainly get points for bringing up the 'Blinovitch Limitation Effect' in that scene!
Owen sounded more like S1 Owen in his first cameo (he didn't swear as much in S2, did he?) and I also really enjoyed Jack, Owen and Ianto being seen and Gerald's thoughts about them all.
I noticed (so far) neither Gwen nor Tosh have had a spooky encounter; is that because they did in the episode itself, or you just didn't want to put them in it? Just curious.
Boy, TW needs a show bible, don't you think? You're right, it's Gerald Carter on the bbc.co.uk/torchwood page, where the game is played and the information for the S2 episodes are, and Kneale (ancestor/relative of Nigel?) in The Torchwood Archive with no names given to anyone except Gerald and Harriet when the picture from the website is shown.
Yay! Another EQ fan! Robert McCall and Mickey Kostmayer are one of my favourite teams, ever, in terms of deadliness and banter.
Re: Chapter 16 and other thoughts
Date: 2009-02-28 04:04 pm (UTC)I don't know if even Jack is that self-obsessed, but I thought it was fun. Owen was nicer all round in S2, really; I think he was swearing because he was a little bit shaken. Having him and Ianto appearing was just a little last-minute thought, so I didn't leave the other two out on purpose; I just didn't find space for them...
Yes, the backstory information is all very contradictory and confusing, isn't it? I stick to the stuff on the website, because that's what I saw first, and because I've only heard about the Archives book rather than reading it. I sort of acknowledged it by saying that Kneale was a false name Gerald had used at some point, him being a secret agent type dude and everything.
I haven't seen any Equalizer in far too long; they don't seem to rerun it as often over here as they do some of the other 80s shows, but I used to love it. Edward Woodward is a classy actor whatever he's in. It was really nice to see Keith Szarabajka in The Dark Knight, actually; he had a great little scene with the Joker.
Re: Chapter 16 and other thoughts
Date: 2009-02-28 07:42 pm (UTC)Yeah, I figured it was a joke and the phrase is 'an honest woman', just wondered if you wanted it to accurately reflect Gerald's gender. *grin*
I don't know if even Jack is that self-obsessed, but I thought it was fun. Owen was nicer all round in S2, really; I think he was swearing because he was a little bit shaken. Having him and Ianto appearing was just a little last-minute thought, so I didn't leave the other two out on purpose; I just didn't find space for them...
I thought it was cute, Jack flirting with himself. I'm also fine with Gwen not appearing, since she's my least favourite character, and Tosh did have her big moments in the episode, being seen by Harriet and Gerald, and appearing to Tommy.
Yes, the backstory information is all very contradictory and confusing, isn't it? I stick to the stuff on the website, because that's what I saw first, and because I've only heard about the Archives book rather than reading it. I sort of acknowledged it by saying that Kneale was a false name Gerald had used at some point, him being a secret agent type dude and everything.
Yes, it is. Doesn't Gary Russell try to co-ordinate all that stuff, continuity, backstory? You'd think having a bible where you can stick stuff in would be helpful, like October 200?, Halloween, such-and-such took place, so you don't get two or three things happening
I haven't seen any Equalizer in far too long; they don't seem to rerun it as often over here as they do some of the other 80s shows, but I used to love it. Edward Woodward is a classy actor whatever he's in. It was really nice to see Keith Szarabajka in The Dark Knight, actually; he had a great little scene with the Joker.
Did you know that the first season is out on DVD? At least in North America and the U.K., you're in the U.K. somewhere, right? Search for it as The Equaliser on amazon.co.uk and it should pop up.
It was great to see Keith Szarabajka in The Dark Knight, I saw it three times in the movie theatre and have it on DVD. :) If you want to keep an eye on some more recent appearances, he's in the current season of Eleventh Hour, Prison Break, Cold Case. The first one, he had one scene, the second one listed, he was in a fair bit in the first 2/3 of the episode and the third one, he had a couple of scenes.
If you're interested, Edward Woodward is supposed to be in EastEnders for a few weeks, starting March sometime.
Chapters 17 and 18
Date: 2009-02-28 09:07 am (UTC)That comes across, to me, as minimizing Lydia's legitimate feelings. I don't know if that's how you meant it to sound.
I'm glad Jack and Jimmy shared a kiss, despite how the men there were feeling.
Somehow, I don't think Jimmy would be at all happy with Jack, if he ever found out that the German prisoners were 'dealt with'.
I like this bit:
"I’ll talk to Lydia and Charles,” said Harkness. “I’ll explain it to them.” And quite possibly he would; he seemed to be able to persuade the pair of them of practically anything. Sometimes Gerald wondered why he himself seemed to be immune to Harkness’s alleged charisma. “We could dose them with Compound R,” Harkness suddenly suggested.
“Lydia and Charles?” Gerald asked, a little horrified at the idea.
“No,” Harkness sighed. “The prisoners. A massive dose, wipe out eight years’ worth of memories.”
“It wouldn’t work,” Gerald told him, trying to remember the directions for use. “It’s for short-term memories only, and it is rather toxic, you know; it works by selectively killing brain cells. A dose that size would kill them.” He realised that somewhere or other he had ended up tacitly conceding the point, without really being aware of it; he had become drawn into Harkness’s conspiracy and was now helping him work out the details. Maybe he was not immune after all. “So,” he asked, fixing Harkness with a steely gaze of his own, because they both knew what they were talking about here, even if neither of them seemed willing to come out and just say it. “What do you propose we do?”
Gerald thinking he's immune to Jack's charisma, then realizing that possibly, he's not. I also like how Jack pushed Gerald into what Jack wanted, like he did with Jimmy earlier.
“I’ll do it,” said Harkness, suddenly. “Alone. I forced you to this, I should — ”
“No,” Gerald replied, with cast-iron decisiveness that he did not feel inside. Inwardly, he wanted to make Harkness do it, to forcibly march him into the holding cells and stand over him until the task was complete, rubbing his face in every moment of it. But he could not do that; that was not how a commanding officer conducted himself, and they all recognised the necessity of this even if none of them liked it. “We all do it,” he said. “That is my final decision, and I am in command here.”
I'm glad Gerald didn't give in to his baser impulse. He really is rather nasty, isn't he.
Very painful end to Chapter 17, with each prisoner murdered by Gerald, Jack and Charles.
Chapter 18:
On the occasions when he was at home of an evening,
'of an evening' sounds awkwardly phrased to me. Maybe, in the evening?
Good conversations between Harriet and Gerald and not coming to any real conclusion, other than perhaps being too good a man to be doing what he's doing (sounds to me like that would be the same about Jack).
Thanks for writing and finishing it and posting it.
Re: Chapters 17 and 18
Date: 2009-02-28 04:35 pm (UTC)I don't think Jimmy would be happy at all if he found out about the prisoners; he took Gerald's vague non-explanation a bit too trustingly, I thought, but no, I think he'd have something to say to Jack if he ever did find out. And yes, Gerald does have nasty thoughts sometimes, doesn't he? I think I wanted to suggest that you don't work for the sort of organisation he works for, doing the job he does, without it rubbing off on you a bit. At least he is vaguely aware that some of the things he does are wrong; I think Torchwood probably has some real monsters working for it overall.
The "of an evening thing" is just me lapsing into my native dialect, I think! :) Horrible turn of phrase, and I don't think the kind of thing an expensively-educated chap like Gerald would say...
I don't know what the last chapter achieves other than that I didn't want to just end it on Gerald blowing some poor guy's brains out, there were still some loose plot points to be explained away, and I just wanted some more Gerald/Harriet, if I'm honest.
Still, thanks for reading and feeding back, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Re: Chapters 17 and 18
Date: 2009-02-28 08:09 pm (UTC)I brought it up since it was written from Lydia's perspective. Just something to think about.
I don't think Jimmy would be happy at all if he found out about the prisoners; he took Gerald's vague non-explanation a bit too trustingly, I thought, but no, I think he'd have something to say to Jack if he ever did find out. And yes, Gerald does have nasty thoughts sometimes, doesn't he? I think I wanted to suggest that you don't work for the sort of organisation he works for, doing the job he does, without it rubbing off on you a bit. At least he is vaguely aware that some of the things he does are wrong; I think Torchwood probably has some real monsters working for it overall.
Are you going to write a follow-up with Jimmy finding out?
That's a beef I have about Jack, is that he just does these nasty, questionable things and doesn't think twice about it. I really hate that side of him. I was happy we got a 'We're going to save the alien and send it home!' moment in "Meat" (but how much of that was posturing because Rhys was there?) and I'm a bit ticked off that Jack didn't think twice about wanting Rhys RetConned. I would have liked it a lot better if Jack had decided on his own against using the drug, rather than because of Gwen's haranguing and 'Then RetCon me too because I'll quit if you do!'
Isn't Jack a 51st century kind of guy? So let's see it reflected in his thinking, his feelings about aliens and not just be all aliens are evil, evil, EVIL! Yet another area TW falls down, for me. *sigh*
The "of an evening thing" is just me lapsing into my native dialect, I think! :) Horrible turn of phrase, and I don't think the kind of thing an expensively-educated chap like Gerald would say...
So whereabouts are you from in the U.K., if you don't mind me asking?
I don't know what the last chapter achieves other than that I didn't want to just end it on Gerald blowing some poor guy's brains out, there were still some loose plot points to be explained away, and I just wanted some more Gerald/Harriet, if I'm honest.
Still, thanks for reading and feeding back, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Drive home how TW can warp you? Another solution they could have used was to cryogenically freeze them from 1908 and then thaw them out after WWI ended and send them home. That's what happened with Jack, after he was dug up in "Exit Wounds". Unfortunately, I do think it's in character that they would have just killed the prisoners.
Re: Chapters 17 and 18
Date: 2009-03-01 10:07 pm (UTC)Yeah, they could have frozen them, couldn't they? Well, maybe they weren't thinking straight in the circumstances, and as you say Torchwood seems to be the kind of organisation that shoots first and asks questions later.
Jack does have this very dark, ruthless streak. It's the other side of his character, I suppose, and it even comes out in the Who stories as well as TWood; I'm thinking of that bit in Sound of Drums when he suggests just walking up behind the Master and breaking his neck. So, yes, he's a professional, and he'll do things people like the Doctor would never do; I think the thing is he does have a sense of humanity that holds him back from becoming a total monster. As you say, though, sometimes he does seem a bit too quick to resort to the most extreme methods, almost enthusiastic in doing so.
"Companionship"
Date: 2009-02-28 09:39 am (UTC)But yes, I always had a soft spot for Adric (I did watch him when I was a teenager, as it happens), I would have stowed away too, and I thought he worked better with 4 than with 5. Poor, doomed Adric. :~(
Thanks for not bashing him in your story. You did make him annoying and real but also sympathetic and I really enjoyed the scene with Romana and him.
Re: "Companionship"
Date: 2009-02-28 04:09 pm (UTC)Re: "Companionship"
Date: 2009-02-28 07:52 pm (UTC)Poor doomed Varsh, and poor, doomed Adric. I'm pretty sure I won't be watching "Earthshock" as a story again, only to hear the commentary at some time.
I think it's pretty easy to tell when an author is bashing Adric, and I don't like it. Even when I don't like a character, I'm not into bashing the character although, admittedly, I'm sure I've read one or two that bash Gwen Cooper, one of them being pretty funny and the other, I actually could buy into her character being selfish, etc. But I do try to avoid it, so I'm glad you didn't bash Adric, and I'm glad that, so far, you haven't bashed Captain Jack.
Off to read "Last Man Standing" after this.
Btw, feel free to read my diatribe about The Episode That Never Was (too bad there was never a follow-up to "The Sound of Drums" :p and we were left hanging), my fluffy Captain Jack and Sarah Jane fic and I'm sure I have an EQ fic, over at my lj. Feel free to comment, if you want.
Re: "Companionship"
Date: 2009-03-01 10:00 pm (UTC)"Last Man Standing"
Date: 2009-03-01 07:30 am (UTC)“Only if I can call you “Sweetie”,” he shot back. The all had a good laugh about that,
Should be, They all had
Jack joined in the cheers, even though he felt cold inside; the rum didn’t even effect him all that much;
Should be, didn't even affect him
They ended up in one of town’s less reputable watering holes,
Should be, in one of the town's less
Damn, that's a heartbreaking fic. Poor Jack, alone indeed.
You need to write more, focusing on Jack!
Re: "Last Man Standing"
Date: 2009-03-01 09:57 pm (UTC)Yes, I was quite pleased with this one; I like writing about Jack, he's certainly an interesting character with a lot of facets. Hopefully, I will write some more about him in the not too distant future.