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amillionmillionvoices · 5 years ago

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i couldn’t stop myself. river/doctor fic, based on steven moffat’s dream final episode. tooth rotting fluff, this is. pg.

time is everything, time is nothing, time is ours

She’s been dying for weeks.

Slowly, painfully, using the last of her regeneration energy to stave off death. For good, this time—her last body, last go around. She supposes it’s fitting, that her final hours would be spent trying, once again, to defeat them. It makes her a bit sour, if she thinks about it too long—there are so many things she’d rather be doing, people she’d rather be with—but she can’t leave. Not now. Not when this little planet needs her, and, she supposes, if she’s going to die for good she wants to die the way she’s always lived—saving the universe.

Being an idiot, the voice in her head says, one that still, after so many lives, sounds suspiciously like her wife.

The Doctor smirks to herself, and tries to avoid the screeching behind her, the door that won’t hold much longer. She tries to tune out their cries, familiar and robotic, with that hint of frenzy she’s never quite understood.

She understands it now. Their desperation.

The Dalek fleet is the last of its kind—the rest, destroyed in this grand battle, the one she’s been waging—leading—for years. The Doctor’s Last Stand, they’re calling it. It sounds far too dramatic for her tastes, but it’s not entirely off point. She’ll die here, she knows—on this Dalek ship, by Dalek weapons, alone.

It’s for the best, really.

The people fighting down below, they’re counting on her. Not to destroy the ship—no, that would be too easy, or perhaps, too hard, she isn’t sure which. No, the plan is much more ridiculous, much more her style. The Captain of the army had called it ludicrous.

She likes that a bit.

Behind her, sparks fly as the Daleks burn down the door, and she knows she has so little time left.

Typing quickly, she does her best to ignore the searing pain in her side, the pounding in her head she’s felt for days. Everything hurts with the effort of not dying, and there’s no regeneration energy left to pull at her skin. But she has to try. Has to give just one more thing to the universe, and pray that it works.

Yanking out wires and entering codes, the Doctor finally manages to find what she’s looking for—access to the hive mind. Clara had found it once, when she was an echo, and the idea has lingered so long, just out of reach. There’s no way to destroy them all—she’s tried that before, and always failed. She’s tried deleting herself, but they always remember. She’s tried time locks and explosions and everything else, and they always come back.

This time, she’s trying something new. This time, she’s going to change them.

Groaning when she finds the slippery entrails, Dalek bits that writhe and slither, the Doctor keys in the last few commands, and takes a deep breath.

Geronimo, she thinks, from somewhere in her memory, and smiles, and plunges her hand into the mainframe. It’s frankly disgusting, and she makes what she’s certain is a horrible face, but it’s only a moment before the Daleks realize she’s there, in their heads, and they scream. Scream, and fight, and the Doctor slams her eyes shut and tries to breathe.

She’s always thought about giving the Daleks a piece of her mind, she just never meant literally.

But she can feel it, feel their anger and their hatred, feel everything they abhor. It tries to sink into her, a two-way link, and she pushes back against it, fights it with everything she has, and remembers:

Ian and Barbara, their strength and their love. Ace, and the Brigadier, and Martha, and Kate and their bravery, their fierce protectiveness, their love. She thinks about Clara and Danny, dying for love. Thinks about Bill, finding love after death. She thinks about Rose and her happy life with another version of her, in love. Thinks of Amy and Rory and their undying love and Jenny and her love and Yaz and her love and Ryan and his love and Graham and Grace and their love and Susan and Mickey and Sarah Jane and all of their heart, their kindness, their generosity, their love. She thinks of Donna and her love, her mercy, of Davros, and mercy, and the Master, and mercy, the Cybermen, and mercy, the Daleks, and mercy. She fills her head and her hearts with every moment, every memory from her long, long life of love and mercy and kindness.

She can feel the Daleks fighting back, feels them claw at her mind; part of her is aware the door behind her is caving in, but she needs more time.

She thinks of Jack and Jackie and Adric and Romana and Wilfred and Nardole. She thinks of Astrid and Rita and Jabe and Nasreen and anyone and everyone she’s ever loved, who’s ever loved her, who’s ever loved anyone at all and pushes it all toward the Daleks.

Blew them up with love, she thinks, though she isn’t trying to kill them, not this time. Just trying to save them. Maybe that was the answer all along.

And maybe it wasn’t.

She isn’t sure, but she knows it’s getting harder and harder to fight, to prove to them that it’s worth it—all the pain and loss and suffering that comes with kindness.

So she does what she knows she needs to, though she’s reluctant—desperate, almost, to keep her to herself, to share not a moment of their lives together; but she can’t think about love and not think about her, so she lets it spill over, all those times:

America, and Leadworth, and Stormcage. She thinks of Asgard and Trenzalore and Elvis. She thinks of Sontarans and she laughs and thinks of the Library and she cries. She thinks of Darillium, and smiles so wide her face hurts more than the pain in her chest, her lungs. She thinks of 24 years and so, so much longer, nipping off in the TARDIS for adventures. She thinks of River’s smile and River’s warm hands and River’s skin. She thinks of River getting ready for bed, wrestling with her hair, River getting up in the mornings, grumpy as all hell. She thinks of dancing with River under so many stars, and catching her every time she jumped or fell. She thinks of I hate you and you’re standing right behind me and loving the stars themselves. She thinks of not one line and more than any living thing in the universe and or you and when one’s in love and this is the reason above all I love him, my husband. My madman in a box. My Doctor.

She thinks of next stop, everywhere, and behind her, the door comes down.

She can hear them, the hiss, the almost questioned, exterminate? that doesn’t sound so sure, and yet when she looks over her shoulder there’s a gun aimed at her chest and frantically, she tries to remember more, remember louder and more clearly and more lovingly because they’re almost there, almost, so close—

The Dalek aims, and the Doctor shuts her eyes.

The gun goes off, and she waits for pain and failure and death.

Instead, the Dalek groans, and the Doctor opens one eye, confused.

“Really? An end of the world battle and you didn’t call me? I’m insulted, sweetie.”

Her voice is a surge of oxygen, sunlight and joy. The Doctor can’t help the smile the splits her cheeks—there’s recognition in River’s voice, fondness and devotion and worry, always, but determination, too.

“And what sort of time do you call this?” The Doctor echos, and River steps around the Dalek, holstering her weapon.

“The nick of it, I’d say.”

“As always,” the Doctor agrees, wants to pull her in close, but pain spikes through her head, and she can feel the Dalek’s fighting back. She hisses, turns her attention back to the mainframe and grits her teeth.

River appears at her side in less than a second, a steadying hand on her arm.

“What have you done?”

“Ah,” the Doctor says, wincing in anticipation of River’s ire. “About that.”

It only takes her wife a moment to figure it out, to realize what she’s doing, and River gasps. “You idiot! You’ll burn yourself up!”

The Doctor shrugs. “Last regeneration,” she says, half her focus on keeping the Daleks—all that anger, all that hate—at bay. “I’m dying anyway.”

“No, you’re not,” River snaps, “Let me do it.”

The Doctor glares. “Not a chance.”

“Doctor—” Her voice is desperate, terrified, and the Doctor tries to smile, to be kind.

“No, really, River. I’m dying. Have been for weeks. I’m on borrowed time.”

River’s eyes flicker over her body, looking for wounds. She won’t be able to see it—the shot she took to the stomach, courtesy of a lone Dalek—but River reads her face, the calm acceptance, and knows.

Still, she shakes her head. “It’s not too late. We can get you to hospital—”

“And leave all these people?”

“Yes,” River says, but she doesn’t sound so sure, and the Doctor smiles.

“Liar.”

River makes a kind of desperate sound, one that tears through her. “There has to be something—”

The Doctor shakes her head. “There’s no stopping it, River, not this time. I’m sorry.”

It’s the apology, she thinks, more than anything else, that makes River break, her expression falling, bright tears in her eyes.

“No,” she says, tightening her grip on the Doctor’s arm. “I can’t let you die.”

“River,” she says, so soft, and with her free hand, pulls her closer, their hips pressed together. She reaches up, and brushes a stray tear from River’s cheek with her thumb. “Where are we, then?”

River swallows. “Last time I saw you was the Bone Meadows.”

Her Eleventh self, she thinks, and remembers: River, still in prison, still learning. Himself, still trying to prove something to her, both of them right at the start of such wonderful falling.

“You’ve got so much more to come,” she promises.

River bites her lip, and a surge of affection flows through the Doctor at the sight. “We could have more now,” she tries, but the Doctor shakes her head, leans forward, and kisses River’s cheek.

“Soon enough,” she promises, and River nods, and finally looks down at the wiring, the open Dalek wound the Doctor is currently hooked up to.

“What can I do?” she asks, so brave, so kind.

The Doctor doesn’t think about it, not for a moment. “Give us a kiss?”

River half laughs, but doesn’t hesitate, leans forward and slides her hand into the Doctor’s hair and kisses her, soft and salty and she’s trembling slightly, and the Doctor pulls her in tighter, curls her free hand around the back of River’s neck and opens her mouth, kisses her harder.

River whimpers, hands clinging to the Doctor and she’s warm and soft and safe and alive, so so alive under the Doctor’s hands and she loves her, has loved her for centuries, millennia, will love her forever.

She thinks of the screwdriver tucked safely in her pocket, the code she’d written, not two days ago, and prays that it works.

Under her hands, River moans softly and the Doctor grins against her lips, nips at her gently, refuses to let go. If it’s her last chance, her last moments, this is where she wants to be, who she wants to be with.

She supposes maybe the universe isn’t so terrible, after all.

There’s a spark, and a surge that knocks them backwards, the Doctor’s hand, burnt and bloodied, flying from the console.

“No,” she says, “no, no, no—”

“Doctor, look.”

She pauses, and follows River’s gaze out the large window to the planet below. Everything has stopped. The explosions. Even the ship is silent. And then, the crackle over the speakers, a familiar voice with a strange humility.

“Mercy,” it says. Below, the Daleks start to withdraw. “We bring mercy.”

The Doctor laughs. It may not work for good, may not last long, but the Daleks are retreating, or turning to each other, to the people, and she can hear bits of questions, “How can we help you?” and “We mean no harm.”

“What happened?” River asks. “Are they—?”

“Good, now,” The Doctor says. “At least for a while. At least as good as I am.”

River smiles. “The best, then.”

“Only with you,” she answers softly, and River shakes her head.

“Sentimental idiot.”

The Doctor makes to answer, but pain overwhelms her and her knees buckle. She hears River cry out, feels hands lower her gently, but she isn’t on the cold floor, where she though she’d be. River cradles her head in her lap, brushing her fingers through her hair.

“Please, sweetie—”

The Doctor grips her hand and forces her eyes open, wants to see her one last time.

“River.”

“Please don’t leave me.”

Her hearts break, and she reaches a shaky hand to River’s face, holds her cheek in her palm. “I need—I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything.”

“The TARDIS. Bury me in it, and leave her… on Trenzalore.”

“Trenzalore? Why—”

“Long story,” she says. “Has to be lived. Promise me.”

“I promise.”

“You’ll be the only one… who can open it.”

“How?”

“Spoilers.”

River glares, but the Doctor smiles, even through the pain. With her free hand, she grips River’s tightly.

“I can’t—” River shudders. “I can’t do this without you.”

The Doctor shakes her head. “You‘ll never have to. It’s okay,” she murmurs. “You've got so much more to come. You and me, River. Time and space.”

“Promise?” she whispers.

“I promise.” The Doctor coughs, and it hurts so badly, but River is there, and she’s like sunlight through the dark. “Darillium.”

“What?”

“Make sure I take you,” she says breathlessly. “Don’t go without me.”

“I won’t.”

She feels one of her hearts give out, and draws in a ragged breath. “River.”

“I know,” she says, and there are tears on her cheeks as she cradles the Doctor close. “I know, sweetie.”

“Tired,” she manages, and forces her eyes open. “But happy.”

River exhales. “Only you would be happy to die.”

The Doctor shakes her head. “Happy you’re here. My wife.”

“Always.”

With all her strength, the Doctor curls her fingers in River’s hair and rugs her down gently. “You watch us run, love.”

The last thing she feels is River’s lips against her own, River’s hand in hers.

—

Waiting for River is tedious at best. He’s got a new body now, such as it is, made up of lines and code. He needs glasses—well, not really, but he thinks they make him look rather distinguished—and he’s partial to suits. He takes care of Charlotte as best he can, but the mainframe is overwhelmed and even he can’t fix it from the inside. He knows it’s only a matter of time, however, and tries to be patient.

He’s a bit better at it this go around, but the way time moves is agonizing, feels awful under his skin and he can’t quite grasp anything, any moment. The years tick by, or maybe it’s only hours, he isn’t sure, and then there’s a surge, and the computer feels like it’s rebooting or dying or maybe neither and then—

Everything calms. The itch under his skin goes away, replaced by an entirely new anticipation.

He follows Charlotte outside to the courtyard, blue skies everywhere, green grass, and blessed stillness.

She appears in white, which he can’t help but find a but humorous, a bit fitting.

“The Doctor fixed the data core,” Charlotte says, and brings River her friends, which, while he’s happy for her, makes him just a tad jealous, for the way she recognizes them and hugs them close.

He waits, answers their questions dutifully, gives them a tour of the mansion, explains how it works, now that they’re not quite alive, not quite dead. River keeps her eyes on him the whole time, something discerning, calculating in her gaze, but she’s a bit distracted, and he supposes that’s only fair.

He waits until everyone disperses to find their rooms and settle in before he turns to her, forcing back a smile. “Professor Song, might I have a word?”

River nods, and follows him into the backyard—there are tables and chairs and beautiful bird baths and all kinds of quaint things he can’t wait to show her, doesn’t care about at all right now.

“How are you feeling?”

“A bit overwhelmed,” she admits. “I never thought—though of course he would, that daft man.”

“Are you happy?”

He holds his breath as she blinks, looks startled by the question.

“To be alive? Certainly.”

“To be here,” he amends, and tries not to shift his weight.

River stares off into the distance for a long moment. “I could be, I suppose. It’s just—” She shakes her head, and gives him a wane smile. “I’ve never been fond of confined spaces. Staying in one place.” She shrugs. “I’ll get used to it.”

The Doctor steels himself. “You seemed content enough on Darillium.”

River’s neck snaps up and her gaze hardens, so suspicious, his wife.

“How could you know about—”

He smiles. Soft and warm, and with every ounce of devotion he has in him.

“Doctor?” Her voice cracks. “How can you be—”

“You didn’t really think I’d let you spend eternity without me?” he chides softly. “I’m much too selfish for that.”

River makes a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob and throws her arms around his neck. He nearly wilts, holding her so close, buries his face in her hair and breathes her in and she feels solid, feels warm and alive and real and part of him can’t believe it worked, it all worked, and they’re here and together and—

She slaps him, hard, and he grunts, and rubs at his cheek. “I suppose I deserved—” he starts, and then she’s kissing him, mindless of his new face, his new body made of code; mindless of anything or anyone around them. She kisses him fiercely, desperately, arms around his neck and he holds her so tight he’s afraid she might bruise.

“My River,” he whispers against her lips when she finally parts to breathe. “My wife.”

“Doctor,” she murmurs. “You’re here.”

“Where else would I be, dear?” he asks, and she shudders in his arms. “We’re alive.”

#river song #drfic #river x doctor #catherine writes fic #MARRIED OTP #steven moffat #that bastard #giving me all the hope and feels

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livinginsunnyhell · 4 years ago

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Ask game for fanfic writers! ⌨️🖊📓📝

1. What fandoms do you write for?

2. What pairings do you write for?

3. What is your most popular fanfic?

4. Do you write original stories as well?

5. What fanfic of yours should everyone have read?

6. What is a fandom you will never write for?

7. What is a ship you will never write for?

8. Archive of Our Own, FanFiction.net, Wattpad, Tumblr, etc. which platform do you prefer?

9. What are your favorite fanfics?

10. How do you stay motivated to finish what you’ve started?

11. What’s your longest fanfic?

12. Do you want to break your readers‘ heart or make them laugh?

13. What is your planning process?

14. What have others criticized about your fanfic?

15. OCs or no OCs?

16. Do you use sentence starters, writing prompts and/or fandom headcanons for your fanfics?

17. Do you use/follow advice from writing blogs/posts?

18. What is your favorite writing prompt?

19. Dead or overused tropes?

20. Can we get a list of all of your current available fanfics?

21. What’s your shortest fanfic?

22. Do you listen to music during your writing process? What music do you listen to while you’re writing?

23. Long chapters or short chapters?

24. How many WIPs (work-in-progress) do you’ve got?

25. How many WIPs will you finish?

26. First-person-narrative or third-person-narrative?

27. Do you take requests?

28. I will name you three things (drunk Ian — shared bachelor party — Gallavich): write a paragraph or two!

29. What’s more difficult? Fanfics or original work?

30. What writing software do you use?

31. Do you use beta/sensitivity readers?

32. Past or present tense?

33. Do friends and family know that you write fanfics?

34. How did you find the magical world of fanfics?

35. What is your favorite review?

36. Did you ever delete a work of yours?

37. Did your work ever get plagiarized?

38. Do you partake in any fanfic/writing events? (Big bangs, zines, NaNoWriMo, etc?)

39. Collaborations or working solo?

40. Do you have any rituals before uploading a fic?

41. What is something you don’t like about your writing?

42. Rudest review?

43. Guilty pleasure tropes and scenarios?

44. Does fanart of your fanfic exist?

45. Do fanfics of your fanfic exist?

46. Few long essay reviews or many short reviews?

47. What fanfic of yours is truly underrated?

48. What is your favorite sentence that you’ve used in a fanfic?

49. Where do you draw inspiration from?

50. Can we get a teaser for an upcoming chapter?

(Don't feel obligated to answer. Thought if you're into these kinda things, that'd be a nice ask. ;))

Oh this is so nice!! Thanks for sending this @annansmith

I chose a few of them to do.

1. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently, I’m writing for Shameless (Gallavich) but I’ve written for:

Veronica Mars (LoVe), Veep (Amy/Dan), Arrow (Oliver/Felicity), Once Upon A Time (Hook/Emma), The Old Guard (Joe/Nicky), That 70′s show (Hyde/Jackie), Sons of Anarchy (Tara/Jax), Vampire Diaries (Klaroline), Hart of Dixie (Zoe/Wade), Gilmore Girls (Rory/Jess), X-men (Rogue/Pyro), One Tree Hill (Haley/Nathan), and a few others.

2. What pairings do you write for?

Now I write Gallavich.

But I’d say my top ones I love writing for now (my fanfiction writing has spanned about 14 years) are Dan/Amy, Veronica/Logan, Klaus/Caroline, Mickey/Ian.

3. What is your most popular fanfic?

My most popular fic on Ao3 is The Course of True Love (Arrow) and on FF Of Bloodshed, Babies, and Epic LoVe (Veronica Mars)

4. Do you write original stories as well?

Yes, I do. I’m working on a book, well, two books. But it’s going very slowly. The first is a memoir of my travels from around the world and the second is a vampire urban fantasy one. We’ll see how it goes, but I’d like to finish them by next year and see if I can get them published, but it’s hard so who knows.

10. How do you stay motivated to finish what you’ve started?

Well, recently I’ve really been trying to finish everything I write. I have a lot of WIPs from years and years ago and even within the the last year, so this answer is pretty new. Basically, I focus on one fic at a time and write a little every day to stay motivated. Now, I try to update once a week on a certain day. I think comments/reviews and kudos and people being genuinely encouraging helps though. It’s also what’s gotten me considering finishing my older fics.

11. What’s your longest fanfic?

Of Bloodshed, Babies, and Epic Love (over 165k)

13. What is your planning process?

Now, it’s different. I have a doc of ideas and I wait to see which one I can’t seem to shake. Then I plan out each chapter with a few sentences and I have a list of things I want to focus on in the story. Usually, each story now has a kind of theme to it and a main focus. I sometimes will just want to write a certain situation/scene/focus and the story is born from there. But what really helps is writing down chapter 1, 2, etc. and having a sentence or two for what I want to happen. It doesn’t always go according to plan, but I never get writers block or forget what happened in previous chapters now.

16. Do you use sentence starters, writing prompts and/or fandom headcanons for your fanfics?

Probably a mixture of fandom (or my personal) headcanons. I don’t start with prompts unless it’s a challenge or sentence starters. Usually, I have a scene I already want to write in my head and then I sit down and write it.

17. Do you use/follow advice from writing blogs/posts?

Yes, I’ve read several books on writing. My undergrad was creative writing too, so I learned a lot there. I also follow writing instagram accounts which are helpful. I take everything I learn with a grain of salt and I see what is best for me. The best advice I heard recently was short sentences and so now I’m experimenting with that.

20. Can we get a list of all of your current available fanfics?

There’s a lot from many different fandoms. I used to be on FF.net as Psyc0gurl0 and now I’m ProstheticLoVe on a03. I like writing on ao3 better cause it’s easier and I love the tagging process. Plus the gallavich fandom on there is unreal. So to think about going back to ff.net to finish my WIPs seems like such a process now.

Currently though, I’m writing an Ian’s POV 5 chapter fic called Chocolate. It’s not out yet, but it’ll focus on Ian from 1x06 to 1x09 or so and how his feelings for Mickey change and evolve. It’s the second part to a series called Chocolate and Cigarettes. Mickey’s POV was Cigarettes.

22. Do you listen to music during your writing process? What music do you listen to while you’re writing?

Yes, I listen while writing but I need silence while editing. I have a Love (lol) playlist. It’s basically all the love songs that remind me of couples I ship. So for example, The Acid is in there a lot because their music is great, but also Basic Instinct is so haunting. Overall, I like all music except country, so sometimes I’ll listen to my larger playlists while writing.

23. Long chapters or short chapters?

So this has changed over the years. Initially, I wrote short chapters, then when I got back into fanfiction while writing klaroline they got a lot longer and now it’s just basically where the chapter has a natural ending. So the chapters are between 4 - 10k words depending. I try to get over 4k though. Right now, once I’m done with my current fic, I really want to write something over 100k.

24. How many WIPs (work-in-progress) do you’ve got?

A lot...none in Shameless though. Well, I guess my current one, but I haven’t posted that yet. I’d say I probs have about 10 WIPs spanning different fandoms. I know. But my goal for 2021 is to pick two and finish them.

25. How many WIPs will you finish?

Not all of them. Some of them are from years and years ago. But I’d like to finish the ones that I still get reviews on. So there’s a SOAs fic I want to finish cause that fandom is so lovely. I also want to finish a klaroline one cause that was fun to write. And my Amy/Dan ones I’d like to finish. I would like to finish my Veronica Mars ones (I have two) but they need a lot more attention, so when people message me about them I tell them the planned ending.

28. I will name you three things (drunk Ian — shared bachelor party — Gallavich): write a paragraph or two!

“Fuck, Mickey, I probably shouldn’t have had the third Hot Toddy,” Ian grimaced as the world around him spun.

Mickey laughed at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Ian wanted to think his future husband just wanted to pull him closer, but he had a feeling it was to steady him.

“Probably should’ve cut you off earlier,” Mickey said tugging Ian closer.

Ian wobbled and plopped down on the back steps of the porch. Mickey followed suit a moment letter and they both looked out toward the backyard where the Gallaghers, Balls, and a few of the Milkovich cousins were alternatively huddling around a fire, drinking, and dancing.

“I blame Lip for making us have this stupid shared bachelor party in the first place,” Ian grumbled.

Mickey kissed him on the forehead as Ian lay his head on his shoulder. “It’s Sandy’s fault too.”

Ian hmmed in response and Mickey knew he was going to fall asleep any moment. He ran his hand up and down Ian’s arm and watched as Debbie bounced over to them.

“Jesus, you aren’t even married yet and you two are like an old married couple. Are you going to come dance or what?” she whined.

Mickey looked down at Ian, whose eyes were already closed, and then back up to Debbie. She was watching them with knowing eyes.

“We’ll dance at the wedding. Go grab Lip, I need his help to get Sleeping Beauty upstairs.”

Debbie turned to go get her eldest brother and Mickey looked back down at Ian. In his sleep, he nuzzled Mickey’s shoulder, breathed deeply, and a gentle smile appeared there.

3 more days and they’d officially be husbands.

34. How did you find the magical world of fanfics?

I was about 10 and my cousin used to write a buffy the vampire slayer zine. There was a link to a site called buffyworld.com or something like that. And I found fanfic that way. There was a link on the site to ff.net and that’s how I stumbled across that. I stayed there for many many years until my second time in the veronica mars fandom around 2014 when I was lead to a03 and then I’ve been there ever since. On and off, my writing has fluctuated through the years based on my personal life.

49. Where do you draw inspiration from?

Everywhere! omg. It’s insane. Gallavich I love writing for. There’s so many different facets to them, but truly everywhere I find inspiration. I have a whole doc of gallavich ideas that have stemmed from other fanfics, headcanons from me and other people, rewatching episodes, what’s going to happen in s11, cute moments i’d like to see happen, holidays, and just general life. I saw a pic of WW2 vets who were in a long term relationship and i was like mickey and ian! another idea is born.

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artificialqueens · 4 years ago

Text

Left with the baby (Jankie) - Juno

English -> Basque -> Czech -> Dutch -> Gujarati -> Irish -> Russian -> Turkish -> English

A/N: Initially this was a drabble based off a prompt, original is here, but even the prompt has been lost in translation! And I forgot to translate the title so at least that’s normal. I hope you enjoy this one-shot. It made me laugh anyway.

Also, the only people featured are Jan, Jackie and a baby. However many names are floating around.

When Jane opened the door, her heart was pounding faster than ever. As if it needed a warning. A friend’s smile lit the door, and his brown eyes glowed with joy from Jaan’s condition.

“When you told Netflix tonight,” Jackie said, “I wasn’t even expecting kindergarten!”

Jane laughed. … Do children like it too? “

In fact, Jane didn’t cancel that night for any particular reason - Jackie always said she loved kids. Jane can make her famous parmesan eggplant out of cake, right? He turned his attention to the oven that was already being prepared. Excellent.

While Jackie was controlling everything in the kitchen by throwing the remote in the air and trying to catch her before joining Jackie, she knew where the living room was and was placed on the better side of the bed. Weapon.

"So where do you start?”

“Flying weddings?”

“I don’t know scary things,” Jackie nodded. “Maybe you can leave me.”

“Customizable!”

Jackie didn’t come to the end of Jaan’s bed before waiting for an invitation, taking Jaan’s hand, tucking it around her shoulder, and crossing her fingers. She leaned against Jane and sighed happily as Jane held her breath. He let his boyfriend sit down and wondered if he was asleep and wanted pressure.

Ian remembered his breath, his heart beating so hard he was afraid that Jackie would not hear him. Did it really happen? This was all he wanted as a friend of two years …

He pulled the covers over his legs and reached Jackie with the remote control.

“Then let’s delay it!”

The longer he sat, the more easily he became aware of the increased sensitivity associated with John Jackie’s small movements. Light movements of her shoulders, Jane’s grip, pressure that slightly lifts her legs. Ian had hardly seen what was happening on TV, the room was full of feelings and was in charge of the shampoo for Jackie’s apple friend.

At the same time … the smell of dizziness burns.

Hashtags.

The kitchen ran away, but …

“Is this a boy?” Searching for him upstairs, Jackie came from the living room.

“Yes…” Jane was standing on the stairs, one foot down in the kitchen, and Katina burst into tears. “Jackie, you …”

“And that’s all!” Jackie climbed the stairs before John could finish it. Jaan smiled. Maybe he was trying to do too many things at the same time. When he put the food on the plate, tears receded, and Jackie was still lovingly downstairs.

“Do you have a quiet cat?” Too fast? “

"You know what the coach said: ‘Get it for the team’!”

Jane laughed. “Little shark?”

“Yes, shark.” Jackie laughed and answered the phone. I hate it! Wonderful! But even my niece won’t be disappointed! “

“I think my lunch is a little bit over,” he said, looking at the burnt edge of the dish and tapping his finger on the plate. "Slightly burned.” I’m sorry Jacques. “

Looking up, Jackie took an inch and smiled shyly.

"I’m sure it will be perfect.”

And Jackie’s lips parted from Jane’s sweetest kiss, as if Jane sighed; Jackie looked closely at her face, wondering what she was doing.

Making her breathing normally, she kissed Jackie and rolled her eyes to answer any questions. Yes, he wanted it too. Their food must be cold but Jane doesn’t care.

#rpdr fanfiction #jackie cox #jan sport #jankie #lesbian au #fluff #drabble #google translate #fic challenge #juno #submission

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blueboxesandtrafficcones · 5 years ago

Text

Queen of Hearts - Chapter 14

Thirty-year-old Rose Tyler’s matchmaking business is doing very well indeed, bringing her clients such as celebrities, athletes, and the now-happily-married son of the mayor. All of which brings her to her newest client - one whose royal rank is a far cry above her own title as Queen of Hearts.

Ian, King of Gallifrey, calls off his wedding four weeks before the happy day as he realizes he can’t spend another minute of his life with his betrothed. The catch - he must take a wife before his Coronation, only a month away. In desperation, his sister and aunt conspire to find him is happy ever after - and it’s going to take a master matchmaker to do it.

Based on the Hallmark Movie ‘Royal Matchmaker’. Chapters will be posted every Sunday.

As always, beta’d by the wonderful @stupidsatsuma! @doctorroseprompts

Masterlist | AO3

---

Wednesday, April 24th

Wednesday dawned bright and early, and once again, Ian watched from his desk chair.

In just under twelve hours now, he would be introducing Gallifrey to Reinette, introducing her as their soon-to-be queen.

The very idea made him heartsick, but he was determined to put it behind him – except his mind refused to yield.

It drifted, giving him unwelcome visions of an impossible future with Rose. A kiss, in front of the Archbishop and the national telly station, presenting to his subjects their new Queen. Being coronated together, taking nearly the same vows they’d just made to each other and making them, together, to his people. A newborn cradled in her arms, more gorgeous than ever despite her pain and exhaustion, how he’d never known it was possible to love someone so much, so immediately. A lifetime of happiness, service to his country that didn’t feel like a sacrifice, not with her at his side, in his heart, in his bed.

There’s me, she’d promised him so earnestly. She’d had a caveat, ‘until you find the one’, neither of them knowing at the time that she was that one.

Please don’t make me go through with this, he begged the fading stars. Please don’t show her to me then take her away.

He received no response.

Rose lay curled up in her bed, crying softly as she buried her face in one of the extra pillows. The King would announce his engagement that night, and she didn’t know if she had the heart to be there.

Mel called her name from the other room but she ignored her, not wanting her friend to see her in such a state.

You are a professional, Rose lectured herself, blowing her nose into a tissue clutched tightly in her hand. Act like it!

“Oh, Rose,” Mel’s sympathetic voice came from near the door, only bringing more tears to Rose’s eyes as she sank further into her cocoon.

“I caught something,” Rose sniffled, adding in a cough for effect, not sure Mel would buy it but needing to try for dignity’s sake.

Her friend perched on the side of the bed, clucking sympathetically. “I know.” Her kind smile said she knew exactly what Rose had ‘caught’, which only served to make Rose whine and pull the covers over her head.

“He’s in love with Reinette,” she mumbled, voice further muffled by the relative safety of her cocoon.

“No, he’s not.”

“Yes, he is! And he should be, they had a ninety-five on the index.” Rose freed her face. “What do you mean he’s not?”

Mel shrugged. “I’ve seen him out the window a few times, usually walking alone. Doesn’t look like he’s on top of the world.”

“Don’t do that.” Rose shook her head. “Don’t give me hope. Oh, God, do you think he knows?!”

“What, that you’re in love with him?”

Rose flinched, the question a truth far more honest than she was ready to handle. “I don’t know. I do know that you’re in love with each other. But… it’s not your fault.”

Rose sat up at that, brow furrowing. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Mel gave a sheepish smile. “I… ran you through the program. Ninety-eight point five. And honestly, I think that is just because of your background.”

“What do I do? What- what am I supposed to do?”

“Tell him?”

Rose let out a scream of frustration, pulling a pillow over her face. “I can’t do that,” she wailed. “It has to- it has to come from him. I can’t.”

“Okay,” her friend said soothingly, tugging the pillow away from Rose’s face, “but… can you live with him marrying her instead?”

Rose had no answer for that one.

After a tasteless lunch he shared with Reinette, who spent the entire time chattering on about her plans as queen and didn’t seem to notice his lack of interest or response, he went for another walk through the Palace.

He found himself back in the guest wing, rapping on the door of the mystery woman Jackie.

“Yes?” she threw open the door, eyes going wide at the sight of him. “You’re the King!”

“I am.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, before she suddenly dipped into a curtsey. “Um, can I help you?” she asked, uncertain, and Ian shook his head.

“No, I… I don’t know why I came here. Sorry to disturb you,” he turned to go, when she stopped him.

“Now, hang on,” she touched his arm before quickly pulling back. “Sorry, but… clearly you came here for a reason. Cuppa tea?”

He let the woman pull him into the room, guide him to the chair next to the sofa and began preparing him tea.

“I hear you’re to be married,” Jackie started, handing him a teacup and settling on the couch. Today she was dressed in a tracksuit, bright pink, making herself right at home.

“Saturday. We announce the engagement tonight.” He stared down into his mug, wishing he had his flask and could add something to it.

“You don’t look too happy about that.”

Not meeting her eye, he admitted, “She’s not the one I want.”

“Why not? Why don’t you marry the one you do?”

“She’s engaged to someone else.”

Jackie snorted. “So? You’re a bleeding king. Pardon my language, but that’s hard to beat.”

“She doesn’t care about that sort of thing. She’s not… she’s not like that.” Ian sighed. “Besides, if she’s happy, who am I to interfere? Maybe I’ll learn to love Reinette. Anyway, I’m sure my family considers her to be much more suitable than… than the woman I want.”

“D’you want to know what I think?” She didn’t wait for him to respond. “I think life’s too short for that. You know, you meet someone, you think you’ve got the rest of your lives to spend together… but you don’t. I lost my Pete when our daughter was just a baby. It’s been her and me for thirty years ‘cause I knew I’d never love no one like I did him. And as for what your family wants… so what? My daughter, she’s got this old boyfriend who I love to pieces. He’s family, the three of us are really all we’ve got. If they got married, it’d make my day, right? Only she won’t have him, and he went off and found someone else and now they’re getting married. And Martha’s a lovely young woman, they do seem happy, but… I always imagined Mickey’d be my son-in-law someday. But I’ve got to let that go, and let my girl find someone else. She spends too much time setting up other people- oh. Well, point is, you’ve got to fight for the love you want.”

Ian’s head jerked up, mouth falling open as he studied the woman. “You’re Rose’s mother.” It made sense, from the vague familiarity to the strong resemblance. Plus, the pink tracksuit closely matched the scarf Rose had been looking at when they met at the festival.

Jackie’s eyes went wide, a guilty expression flashing across her face and confirming it even as she tried to stutter, “Oh, no, I don’t think-”

“You are!” He stood, mind racing as he tried to process what she had said. “D’you mean- Rose- she’s not getting married? To Mickey?”

“Really, you seem to be misunderstanding-”

“Please!” Ian shouted, voice lowering to a rough tone as he repeated, “Please. Is Rose involved with someone?”

Still looking terribly guilty, Jackie slowly shook her head.

“Thank you.” On impulse, he darted forward and kissed the woman’s head. If all went well, she’d be his mother-in-law by Monday. “Oh, thank you.”

And he ran out of the room.

It took time, but eventually Mel was able to cajole Rose out of bed, into casual clothes, and out onto the couch. She was still teary-eyed, but she’d been fed and was now no longer crying, though tears occasionally leaked out.

A banging on the door jerked Rose out of her half-asleep state, as she exchanged worried looks with Mel.

“Rose!” The King’s shout echoed through the thick doors. “Rose, I need to talk to you!”

“What do you want me to do?” Mel asked, as Rose scrambled up and towards her bedroom.

“I’m not here, or I’m sleeping, I don’t know,” she hissed over her shoulder. “Make something up!”

Shutting her door almost all the way, she peered out as Mel let the King into their suite.

“Good afternoon, Your Majesty.”

“Yeah, is Rose here? I need to speak to her at once.”

Mel’s glance darted towards Rose’s bedroom, and she shut the door a little more to keep from being spotted. “No, Sir. She… I believe she said she was going for a walk.”

“A walk? Where? Please, this is important.”

“I don’t know, Sir. She mentioned the lake, but also Arcadia… She might have walked into town again. Can I take a message?”

He nodded sharply. “Tell her I must speak to her at once. Before the ball. It is critically important.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Message given he practically sprinted from the room, and Rose gave him a minute to be sure he was really gone before creeping back out. “What was that about?”

“He wants to talk to you.” Mel shrugged, crossing her arms. “I think you should.”

“No.” Rose shook her head, sighing softly. “No. I… I bought a ticket home. The train leaves at eight. I need you to cover for me.”

“Rose-”

“Please,” she spoke over her. “I don’t want to hear it. Just… please.” Returning to her room, she shut the door.

Ian stopped every servant he saw and ordered them to give Rose the same message, running his fingers through his hair anxiously as he stood in the hallway, uncertain of where to search first.

“Your Majesty? What is going on?”

He turned to find Reinette behind him, peering out from her suite. After Monday afternoon’s proposal she’d been checked out of her hotel and moved into the Palace in preparation for the announcement.

“Nothing.”

Her expression was soft, and she let out a little sigh. “Perhaps we should speak, non?”

Reluctantly Ian followed her into the room, settling on the couch beside her. “Is something wrong?”

The French beauty tilted her head, watching him carefully. “You are in love with her.”

“Her who?” he responded automatically, even as he wondered if he was really that obvious. How can everyone but Rose know I’m in love with her? And so easily?

“Your Majesty…” Reinette placed her hand over his own, squeezing gently. “We cannot go through with this. You are too in love with another woman. And… and I deserve someone as in love with me as you are with her. I have faith it will work out.” And she pulled the ring off her finger, offering it out to him.

Ian’s shoulders slumped, unable to fight for something he didn’t even want. Especially with what he did want so close to coming true. “I’m sorry.”

“I know, cher, but we could never truly make each other happy. I hope we may remain friends, but that, I think, is all we are destined to be.”

“Yeah.” Taking the ring, he ran his other hand over his face and sighed. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome. I will make my arrangements, and leave in the morning. Bonne chance, et felicitations.”

Ian climbed to his feet, pocketing the ring and giving her a hug. “And you.”

Returning to the hallway, his spirits brightened at realizing no impediment existed now to keep him from Rose. For her mother to be in the Palace, Sarah and Donna must have invited her – and they would have no reason to do that if they didn’t know where his heart stood, and support it.

Rose is going to be my queen! Now, I just have to find her.

#bbatcfic #doctorroseprompts #ficandchips #Doctor Who #12xRose #12th Doctor #Rose Tyler #AU #Queen of Hearts #royalty AU

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angryrabbit42 · 5 years ago

Text

Bonus Tracks 6

All for the lovely: @a-rose-by-any-other-doctor @dwsecretsanta

Welp, here’s the end. I hope You enjoyed it. Merry Christmas!

Read on AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/21925084/chapters/52331086

Track 4: Remember

“I don’t live here,” Rose whispered in his ear as they entered the mansion. His eyebrows went up. “Only, you were looking a bit worried and I thought, ‘Oh, he’s forgotten and is afraid I live with Mum and he’s going to have to live with Mum and there are an awful lot of carpets here.’ Thought I’d remind you that I don’t live here.”

“Oh,” he breathed glancing down anxiously at the carpets. “Do you--”

“I’ve got hardwood floors.”

“That’s alright then,” he murmured as the tension drained out of him. “I didn’t want to be rude.”

“Liar.”

“Alright, I didn’t want to be homeless my first night in a new universe,” he murmured in her ear. His palm was a bit clammy where it gripped hers. “You know me and mums, they ah,” he trailed off, tugging an ear.

“Slap you?” Rose whispered back as Jackie turned to glare at them.

“Rose has a flat,” Jackie announced tersely. “But Tony hasn’t seen either of us in a week. He’s asleep by now,” she worried. “I don’t suppose there’s any real point in offering you your own room?” she asked the Doctor.

“Oh, I could kip anywhere, a sofa, a pool float, a low wall…” he began enthusiastically.

Rose shook her head. “I’ve got him. He’s fine, Mum.”

The new Doctor flashed her an interested look. “I don’t want to impose if it’s too soon, or you don’t want...If it’s too soon or weird or--” he stopped talking when Jackie cleared her throat. He stepped behind Rose. “I didn’t mean… we…” Helplessly, he kneaded her shoulders.

“We agreed to a fortnight in eyesight...” Rose remarked. “Your memory is terrible…”

“It’s not my memory,” the Doctor muttered as his eyes darted around.

“Still daft, is he?” Jackie asked with amusement.

Taking pity on him, Rose told her mother, “Leave him alone. We’re too tired for anything your dirty mind is going to imply, Mum. He’s new.”

“Mint condition,” he reminded her.

“Right, in mint condition,” she agreed and glared at her mother continued, “I want him kept in mint condition, ya hear me? No slapping.”

“I wasn’t implying anything, sweetheart. He hasn’t done anything to earn a slap...yet,” Jackie kissed his cheek and whispered something in his ear. The Doctor turned beet red. His expression was a mix of pleased and revolted as Jackie Tyler rolled her eyes at Rose.

Rose started walking. “Ignore her. You can meet Tony tomorrow and I’ll show you my, erm, flat,” Rose stumbled almost saying ‘our’ flat. She didn’t want to pressure him.

“Yes,” he agreed. “Your place would be better than Jackie’s place… Do I ah, need my own place? Nope, no, nevermind. Too soon to answer that one. With the talking and the reuniting and the sleeping and talking and--”

Rose slapped a hand over his mouth. “Our flat then. Yours for two years rent-free… Then I’m turfing you out.”

He snorted and murmured something too low for her to hear. If she had to guess it was, “In two years we won’t need a little flat.”

“Have to warn you, it has curtains and doors.”

He made a disgruntled sound. Rose laughed then whipped her hand away. “Ugh! You licked me!”

“Wanted to earlier when you covered my mouth,” he replied, grinning.

“You’re such a child,” Rose grumbled, smirking at him. Every minute spent with him felt like old times. Rose felt her own tension easing. Being with the Doctor had always felt natural as breathing. It was everything else that had been difficult. “This is me, us.”

She opened the door for him and ushered him in. He kicked off his shoes immediately to leap onto her bed. He gave it a few bounces to make the headboard rock against the wall in a parody of lewdness. Rose glared. “My mother is down the hall.”

“I know,” he teased bouncing a few more times before flopping down on his back. “Your bed is comfy. Perfect place for one last memory…”

Rose kicked her own shoes off. She shrugged her way out of her leather jacket and climbed up onto the bed to flop down beside him. “One more?

He nodded. “Mm-mm, one single memory left. Shame, I like remembering my old personalities. That scarf-wearing one was fun, wasn’t he? Do you think I can get drunk on ginger still? I’d quite like to eat more gingerbread cookies…”

“You don’t know?” Rose asked, taking her earrings out and plopping them on the nightstand.

He shook his head, “New, new, new Doctor, new new new rules,” he cocked his head to the side considering his change in biology, “still, can’t be that different. Tastebuds feel the same? Second stomach is still there…”

“A second stomach? Of course, you have a second one…” Rose rolled over onto her stomach, pillowing her head on her arms. “That’s why you ate all the toast…and jam and my last two birthday cakes!”

“You only wanted the frosting!” He rolled his eyes. “I’m down a kidney,” he remarked, making a face. “I feel,” he dragged the word out like taffy, “mostly the same.”

“How do you feel different?” Rose asked as he settled down next to her, rolling up and leaning his head against his palm.

“The heart… feels wrong. The beat is slower and lonely. Everything else is fizzy,” the Doctor ran a hand through his hair. “When I licked you I could tell that you were dehydrated, your temperature is up by two degrees and you are exhausted.”

“Great,” she drawled.

“It is great! My magnificent tastebuds remain magnificent,” he enthused and gave her a once over. “I like licking things.”

She slapped at him. “Terrible!”

He giggled. “Donna’s fault. She read every bodice ripper ever made.” The Doctor made a disgusted face then reconsidered.

“C’mon,” Rose reached out and he snuggled up against her.

He hummed happily as he wrapped his long arms around her. “Ah, much better, two hearts again!”

Touched, she let him snuggle for a bit before she reminded him about the memory. Enthusiastically, he reached out to touch her temples. Wisps of happy pinks and golds and blues sparkled around her like fireflies. She tried to send the same enthusiasm back. He beamed.

Once settled into one another’s minds, he whispered a word and Rose stepped into a wood-paneled office.

“Control,” Rose called out. “I’m in a principal’s office? I think? Or at least a teacher’s…” The air was thick with the scent of tea, books, ink, and biscuits.

“Twenty minutes, Rose, any sign of the Tardis?” Pete asked.

Rose surveyed the room. There was a desk with several sonic screwdrivers in a cup. “Looks promising, there’s some alien tech here.”

“Alright Rose, no time for sight-seeing on this one love, move fast,” Pete reminded her and cut the link.

Rose examined the desk. There were framed photos of a young girl with dark hair and big eyes in 60s kit and a blonde elegant woman with laughing eyes in the picture opposite her. Rose liked her immediately. She looked like a woman who wanted to get into trouble. Rose saluted the woman as she rooted through the cup of sonics, finding the one she was familiar with. Stealing it, she slipped it into a pocket before turning around. There was a record player with several familiar bands, Ian Dury was on the player.

A wind kicked up in the room. Rose felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. The key she wore warmed against her skin. The screeching, grinding brilliant sound of the Tardis materializing filled the room. Rose felt like her heart was going to burst. It had to be the right him now. The cannon had been getting her closer for weeks. She had even seen him for a second when these adorable aliens had been floating up through the sky. This was her time. This was her Doctor. She was here for sure this time.

The Tardis settled with a thump. Rose’s heart leaped into her mouth. The door opened and a young woman walked out backward. She was a slim black girl, tall and pretty in high waisted jeans and a Prince Tee. “And then he says, ‘what sort of bird are you?’ And you, you idiot, you just had to say, ‘Big’ as in BigBird from Sesame Place? You had to know I’d break character then! You nearly got us beheaded--” She spun around and spotted Rose. Her eyes were wide as saucers. “Doctor.”

“Yes,” a gruff, Scottish sounding voice replied with amusement, “I couldn’t resist. It was there! And I couldn’t help myself… Besides, you started it, Oscar, the--”

“Doctor,” the young woman said again. “There’s someone in your office,” she stage whispered.

Rose arched a brow. The young woman arched hers back and gave her a once over worthy of Jack. Rose smirked. The young woman smiled back. From within the Tardis, the gruff voice asked, “Is it Nardole in a wig? He’s very sensitive about his invisible hair.”

“No, it’s, she’s a blonde,” Bill called. “A hot blonde, a very hot blonde. Hi, I’m Bill. This is a decorative closet,” she said pointing at the Tardis. “And we, well, we were um, just getting pencils, right Doctor? Out of the closet--that is decorative. This is not strange at all.”

“Yes,” the voice inside rumbled, “Sorry, Bill, there aren’t any more pencils in there, just pens…” The Doctor said playing along. Rose suppressed the urge to giggle. He pulled the doors shut, locking them before turning around to face her.

Rose knew right away from his voice that he wasn’t the right one. He was tall, Scottish sounding, with lovely wild silver hair and musician's hands. She was ready to put a brave face on when he did a double-take. His entire presence swelled. He was somehow taller, looming, his eyes fixed on hers, a soft smile playing around the edges of his mouth. “Bill, this is Rose Tyler. Rose, this is Bill Potts. Bill, she ah, she well, you know, travels with me.”

“Hi,” Rose said to the room but her eyes were magnetized to his. The Doctor’s expression was intense as he drank her in. This was a later Doctor. A Doctor that knew her. And she wasn’t with him. Either she had failed, or they had had their time together and she was… Rose swallowed all that down as he stared at her, blue eyes warming.

“That closet sure looks like a type 40 Tardis,” Rose teased. “Friend of mine stole one of those once.”

Shyly, he hugged an elbow. “Yeah, that can happen. I once blew up a friend’s job to get a date.”

Rose laughed.

Bill glanced between them, eyes getting wider all the time as she drawled, “What? No. Are you like actually flirting right now? With her?” She turned to Rose. “With him? Unbelievable.”

“How long have you got, Rose?” the Doctor asked, “before Pete drags you back to Pete’s world.”

“Fifteen minutes now.”

A sigh escaped him. “Never enough time.”

Rose dove into his arms, surprising Bill so much that she took a step backward. The Doctor surprised Bill more by wrapping himself around Rose. Rose didn’t notice anything but the scent of him then, so tantalizing familiar. He picked her up and swung her around a bit.

“Is nobody going to tell me the story behind this?” Bill asked.

“No,” the Doctor told her. “Later. Go away now.”

“Right, okay, bye Rose.” She gave Rose another flattering appraisal before the Doctor glared at her. Rose waved as Bill went to the door. She left and Rose would be money the girl was leaning against the door listening.

The Doctor let her go but not completely. “Let’s speed things up, so we can get it all in. I know where you are in your timeline. Give me the recall disc.”

Rose handed it over and he sonicked it. “There you are. Next jump will be the big one. I’ll be waiting. Take a big gun. Take the biggest gun you have.”

“I did reach you,” Rose said with relief, “in time?”

“Yes, Rose Tyler,” he said softly, “you found me right on time.” His smile lit up her insides.

They stared at one another until he covered his mouth in a slow show of distress. “Oh, this, why couldn’t this moment get the four hours or the week? Rose, I have so much to… No, it doesn’t matter now.” he turned his back for a minute. “Another face can handle that… I have to… I always get the worst parts.”

“What do you mean?” Rose asked, drawing closer to him.

“You young lady, have been bumping into younger versions of me and causing all sorts of heartbreak. Each and every one charmed,” he said with mock disdain.

“And you? Aren’t you charmed?” Rose asked, trying not to get excited. The next jump… he said the next jump.

“Oh, completely, tremendously, desperately charmed. You’re Rose Marion Tyler. I couldn't help myself. I’ve always been susceptible to your charms. A sucker for that smile of yours. A goner for it. You’re so brave and jeopardy friendly. It was like traveling with Calamity Jane.” He reached out to cup her cheek. “That was so long ago now.” He studied her face.

“Me?” she barked out a laugh. “Who saved who from the Daleks? Who saved who on that space station? You get into trouble ordering chips.” Rose leaned into his hand.

“I do manage to get into the most ridiculous situations. Ah, maybe we both attracted a bit of chaos in our day.”

“Did it all turn out alright?”

“Of course, we saved the day. We saved all the days because we saved the Universe! We had a little help,” he said, grimacing. “You’ll find out all about him soon enough.” He let out a sigh.

Her watch beeped.

“Five-minute warning, right, hurry up Doctor,” the Doctor grumbled. “Oh, there’s never enough time!” He pulled her in for another hug. “I’m going to block this memory for you Rose, and a few others that might interfere with your future. You’ll get them back when you need them. Do you trust me?”

“Always.”

“Wow, no pressure,” he teased. “I’m also going to have to go back in time and muck about with my own memories… You’re an awful lot of work, you know.”

“I’m worth it.” Rose said, clinging to him.

He snorted, not disagreeing.

“Are you happy?” Rose asked, cutting through his nervous chatter. “I know...I know I must be um, dead by now. Were we happy?”

“Rose, yes, I’m alright, I’m even sometimes less grumpy and almost cheery...sometimes.” He winked. “You’ve met Bill. She keeps me out--no, she doesn’t. She attracts trouble too.”

“You wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“No. Stop asking questions! I can’t tell you your future.”

“So? Tell me yours. Did you move on?”

His eyes flicked to the picture on the desk. “Yes. And no. And that’s it. No more spoilers. I have work to do and precious little time to do it in.”

“You’re going to erase anything you say,” Rose argued, feeling a flash of annoyance with him. “C’mon, you can say anything you want to me than just delete it. Be brave.” Rose’s mouth went dry.

“I’m only blocking them, not erasing them…” he muttered. “And you know more than anyone that I choose coward every time…” He drew her closer to him until they were breathing the same air.

Rose huffed. “Stop running away. This is the last time you’re going to see me, probably. I might die in the big battle. Or not,” she trailed off.

“Fishing for spoilers again? You are relentless.” he pulled away, folding his hands together, gathering his thoughts.

Her watch beeped. “Thirty seconds, Doctor, now or never.”

His fingers uncurled reaching to her temples. “I could never deny you anything.”

Rose felt the Doctor’s mind brush up gently against hers. She imagined inviting him in. His thoughts slip and sifted through hers looking for the memories he needed to hide. The colors were rich dark navy and a lovely royal purple sliding down into indigo then darkness as Rose felt parts of herself locking away. She gripped his biceps.

He counted down as he tidied up her mind. “The last memory, the one we’re making right now will vanish when you do.”

“Make it good,” she dared.

He whispered in her ear.

The Doctor gave her a little shake. “Rose, Rose it’s okay, I’m here. I’m here.”

A sob escaped her and she clutched her new new new Doctor. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

Rose gave into the tears as the memories cemented themselves back into place. The Doctor’s eyes were wet too with worry as he tried to comfort her. Rose could tell he hadn’t gotten any of the memory from the confusing swirl of his thoughts weaving in and around hers. Rose squeezed him before letting go to wipe ineffectively at her tears.

“What did you see? Did he upset you?” The Doctor’s eyes grew hard. “I’ll go back to that universe and kick my own--” Rose put a finger to his lips. He stilled.

“I’m fine. I didn’t expect…” she trailed off. “I didn’t expect him to ever say it.”

“Say what?” he asked, clinging to her a bit.

Rose dashed more tears out of her eyes. “He said goodbye.”

“Right, I’ve said goodbye to you before…” the Doctor said, his adorable face confused.

“No, he ah, whispered it in my ear, just like you did, on the beach…” Rose trailed off. “He did love me.”

“Don’t be stupid,” the Doctor growled.

Rose stared.

“Of course he loves you. I’ve always loved you.” The new new new Doctor said in exasperation.

“Well, sometimes it needs saying, alright!” she shouted.

The Doctor closed his mouth. He looked devastated. “I can’t take you back to him. The walls are sealed. I can leave if you want. I can--”

“Why would you leave?” Rose asked.

“If I remind you but I’m not…enough--”

“No, no, no,” Rose protested as he tried to leave the bed. She dragged him back down. “He still left me.”

“Rose, the Doctor, any of those Doctors, their first loyalty has to be to the universe.” He began.

“And you gave that up?”

“Not completely, I still plan on protecting my new universe…” he said.

“And you stayed…” Rose added.

“Because he left me here…” the Doctor answered unable to meet her eyes.

“Would you have chosen me?” Rose asked.

“Yes, yes, every time!” he exploded. “You have no idea what it was like for me! I spent so much time wishing you were with me. There wasn’t a chance in hell that I wasn’t going with you.”

“You gave up space and time for me,” Rose said, choking on a fresh flood of tears. She felt a flood of guilt for that. He’d clipped his wings for her.

“No, I didn’t,” he blurted. Rose sat up straight. “I would have. Easy. Or we could have stolen a spaceship or built one if we wanted. I’m a genius.”

“You gave up the Tardis.”

“Yeah, I gave her up. But I didn’t give up the universe or anything for you. I gained you.”

Rose wiped away her tears at his distress. “But you chose to stay here…”

“In this universe… But I didn’t choose between the universe and you. I didn’t have to do that… I’m not exactly as selfless as him.” He reached into his left-hand pocket, searching again. “I mean sure, he had to make a choice between you and the universe. I was under no such obligation. I wanted you, of course, I did. More than anything,” he paused glowing with warmth, “He chose the universe. I chose both.” Triumphantly he pulled a piece of something that looked an awful lot like the organic parts of the Tardis. “As for the Tardis… well, we’ll just grow our own.”

“Oh, you crafty thing,” Rose said and took the little Tardis cutting. “I love you,” she cooed at the cutting.

“And me?” the new new new Doctor asked hopefully.

“Yeah, you too.”

“Him too,” the Doctor said looking out the window.

“Yeah of course. Is that a problem?”

“No, he’s me. Bit mad to be jealous of a man I was less than twenty-four hours ago. And if the memories did anything, they proved that every version of me that meets you falls in love with you.” The Doctor replied, eyes soft and gooey.

“Oh, now I know you’re human,” Rose teased. “You’re all sappy and sentimental. It’s a bit domestic,” she drawled.

He fell back against the pillows. “I’m dead. Kill me now. I like the domestics? Oh, no, I can’t…Oi, not human, never all human.”

“Human enough,” Rose teased.

“Just human enough,” he agreed. “Still mostly alien though… that alright?”

“Yeah.” Rose agreed easily reaching out to mess up his hair.

“Yeah?” He asked reaching out to return the favor.

Giggling, Rose Tyler said, “Yeah, but two stomachs?”

“Ask me what else I’ve got two of.”

Rose hit him with a pillow.

#dwsecretsanta #doctorwho #Rose x tentoo #Twelfth Doctor x Rose #rose tyler #tentoo

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sunflowershayne · 6 years ago

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uwu stealer masterlist

just like. a reference for the uwu tags i use for these Nerds

Ian: uwu stealer 42. 42 is the answer to the universe, as is ian hecox thus sayeth the lord

Keith: uwu stealer 8675309. that’s literally the first number that popped into my head after thinking of numbers in music

Noah: uwu stealer 420. he blazes it my sweet multicolored son i love you and i respect u

Shayne: uwu stealer 9000. his power level... it’s 9000. not quite over, but. yeah. he’s strong nonetheless

Olivia: uwu stealer 21. idk why but i just get the weirdest vibes from that kid on vine that said “21″ and those vibes? say olivia sui

Courtney: uwu stealer 69. bc let’s face it courtney is a 69 ass bitch

Mari: uwu stealer 90210. she’s fancy and free and full of drama and beauty and she’s just v beverly hills. love her

Lasercorn: uwu stealer 911. hi 911? i’m afraid of this chaotic flame-headed DILF

Boze: uwu stealer 1337. she’s the leetest motherfucker always has and always will be

Joven: uwu stealer 34. like. rule 34. he’s just a gremlin goblin of a man and i wholeheartedly support him for it

Damien: uwu stealer 1. he’s number 1 in my heart and if anyone else tries to tell me i’m wrong i will physically snatch their soul from their body like shang tsung

Sohinki: uwu stealer 80085. you can’t tell me that sohinki as a middle schooler wouldn’t just type that number into his calculator and snicker under his breath

Kimmy: uwu stealer 0. bc of the bit where she had 0 followers? and also 0 is before 1. kimmy jimenez wins <3

Saige: uwu stealer 505. arctic monkeys song name. idk why but arctic monkeys make me think of miss saige. queen!!!

Jackie: uwu stealer 100. bc she’s 100% perfect and she keeps it 100 all the time, and i absolutely adore her for it

Nathan: uwu stealer 54321. literally have no numbers left, i just love him

Tommy: uwu stealer 123. to be read in the voice of britney spears as she counts to 3 in her hit song “3.” absolute madlad i love him

Spencer: uwu stealer 9001. like, just bc i love the idea of him being v into memes from 2008. he’s lovely i care him

Ify: uwu stealer 20. bc i love his character on escape from the bloodkeep on dimension 20 and i love him still <3

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timeagainreviews · 6 years ago

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A Case for Older Companions

Back in 2013, before Doctor Who aired its 50th Anniversary special, there was a lot of speculation as to which Doctors would return. Would Christopher Eccleston make an appearance? Would any of the classic era Doctors return? Aside from a suitably strange appearance by Tom Baker as "The Curator," the answer would be "None… sort of." While Peter Davison’s age was explained away in "Time Crash," it would appear this explanation could not withstand the feature length of the episode. We most likely would not see the likes of the Fifth, Sixth, or Seventh Doctors. Enter John Hurt, the War Doctor and cypher for the classic era of Doctor Who. An old man to balance out the young faces of Matt Smith and David Tennant.

Perhaps it harkens back to the First Doctor, but it seems an important aspect of the War Doctor was to be a bit of an old curmudgeon. In many ways, the blueprint of Doctor Who has always lent itself to having a mature presence in the TARDIS. Usually, this role was reserved for the Doctor himself. Up until the Fifth Doctor, the Doctor had been portrayed by men in their 40’s and 50’s. However, it’s not always the Doctor who is the mature figure onboard. Sometimes, it’s the companions themselves.

While not old by any means, both Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright are perfect examples of older companions. Compare their ages to someone like Vicky, Zoey, or even Rose Tyler, and the difference is clear. These adults bring a different sort of energy to the role of companion than say a young woman working in a shop. I’ve touched on this before with Graham O’Brien. The ways in which an older companion can be a more realised person, have a capacity to change the dynamic of the Doctor/companion relationship. And with this, we get a different perspective on this relationship.

One of the things I hear constantly is how Edward Cullen-esqe it is for the Doctors to fall in love with their companions. People call it creepy that a 2000-year-old Time Lord would date such a young person. While I think this argument is often an excuse not to want to see romance in the TARDIS, it does bring up an interesting point about impressionability. Rory Williams said it himself- "It's not that you make people take risks, it's that you make them want to impress you... You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you're around." If you're going to make the point of a companion being too young to kiss the Doctor, you could also make the same argument about travelling with the Doctor.

This is where older companions have the upper hand. While many young companions join the Doctor in a whirlwind of confused emotions and self-discovery, an older companion such as Graham, or Evelyn Smythe bring a sort of self-realisation. The concept of choice is less muddled, as their lives are not threatened by peaking in their early twenties. They've seen the world, had their hearts broken, and become stronger people because of it.

Mind you, this is not always entirely the case. Donna Noble entered the TARDIS in a whirlwind of her own unhappiness, but even her problems were grown-ass woman problems. Stuck in a dead-end job, looking to do something of importance, and to see more of the universe, her bags were packed. Her choices were not made due to an infatuation with an older, dashing man. This isn't "An Education," this is a friendship. This is a choice. Compare this to Amy Pond, whose bags were also packed, by no choice at all. The Eleventh Doctor comments on the imprint young Amelia left on him as the first face his face had met. But in truth it was the other way around. The raggedy man left such an indelible mark on her, that it almost ruined her life.

Please don't construe this as me condemning the show. I think in many ways, Doctor Who is a bit of light entertainment that doesn't need to answer such heavy issues. And as with Amy Pond, it has explored this concept in depth. What I'm mostly getting at is that an older companion's maturity can bring a more active quality to the story. There's a sort of forward progression inherent in a character knowing why they choose to travel with the Doctor. And in many ways, this strength of choice bolsters their relationship to something more reasonable. Something responsible.

It's not just the rationality of the companion that is bolstered either. Older companions have a way of balancing the Doctor as well. After being followed around by two young women like puppy dogs, the Tenth Doctor's arrogance was put in check by Donna Noble's "take no shit from anyone," attitude. The result was her having a balancing effect on his more reckless tendencies. The same could be said about the relationship between the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe. With Peri, he was often over-bearing, selfish, and difficult. But with Evelyn, he seemed to be on better behaviour. His tantrums afforded him less capital with her patience. He strived to impress her with his scientific knowledge, over say, his own bravado. Because of this, she's my favourite companion of the Sixth Doctor era.

While maybe not full-on companions, both Jackie Tyler and Brian Williams had similar effects on the Doctor. In many ways, I like Jackie Tyler even more than Rose. As parents to companions, both characters act as a sort of reminder to the Doctor that his friends aren't just fodder. Their presence demands a responsibility on the Doctor's part that can be both sobering and grounding for the Doctor. They understand the importance of the Doctor's work, so much that they even join the fight on occasion. But they do so with little room for the Doctor's ego.

Thankfully, babysitting a petulant Time Lord isn't the only quality an older companion can bring to the table. Their perspectives often have a way of helping the Doctors understand themselves, or even the situation at hand. Wilfred Mott and the Tenth Doctor spoke like two old soldiers, allowing the Tenth Doctor a rare moment of nostalgia. It's easy not to look back when you have a young person with you. Everything is in the future (even when they're in the past). An old man like Wilfred gave us a surprising glimpse into the Doctor's sensitivity and vulnerability. Their adventure together in "The End of Time," remains one of my favourite Doctor/companion dynamics to this day.

Not only can an older companion bring perspective to the Doctor, they also possess the capacity to shed new light on the role of companion. Not only can their maturity aid their approach, but it can also add new levels of tension. A man like Graham, or even ersatz companions such as Jago & Litefoot, don't possess the same vitality of companions like Leela or Jamie McCrimmon. Instead, they have to rely on solutions that require less physical exertion and more planning. Think of women's roller derby or even the WNBA, where fundamentals of the game are given focus over the more aggressive approach of their male counterparts. These are companions with practicality by necessity. The wrong decisions could be even more disastrous when the outcome could mean relying on weak knees and stunted mobility.

It's easy to see why a young companion is an obvious choice for the show. They're often gorgeous people through which the audience can experience the Doctor. We watch them grow over time, to varying degrees of success on the writers' behalves. Martha Jones becomes a stronger, more independent person by choosing to leave the Doctor. Ace confronts some of her deepest fears. It's rare that an older companion brings the same vigour to the role. Bar maybe River Song or the Brigadier, few of them are action heroes. But almost without fail, these seasoned heroes exude charm and character that only age can bring. Even one-time companions (such as Amelia Rumford from "Stones of Blood,") remain popular within the fandom, due to their unique personalities. So much, that one may make the argument for their status as honorary companions.

Series eleven has been polarising on many different levels, but one of the most common bits of praise I hear was the choice to bring Graham onboard the TARDIS. In classic Doctor Who, we got companions out of time, companions from other planets, and even some robots. But in modern Doctor Who, not so much. Even futuristic Oswin became modern day Clara Oswald, for better or worse. The show was suffering from a line of predictable companions, from relatively similar backgrounds. You'll understand then, the pure excitement I had at the prospect of a granddad running around the TARDIS. It's sometimes easy to forget that the Doctor started out as "Grandfather." It's an important energy that was present at the genesis of the show.

Having companions always portrayed as young and attractive is about as believable as every superhero being a beautiful person. The truth of the matter is that you'd get the occasional old codger or school matron. This isn't American television where everyone has perfect teeth and washboard abs. It’s important to remember the value of the aged and elderly. Having aged companions is true to life. It is, essentially, rather British.

#doctor who #companions #Graham O'Brien #donna noble #river song #amelia rumford #brigadier lethbridge stewart #brian williams #jackie tyler #wilfred mott #evelyn smythe #sixth doctor #tenth doctor #Ian Chesterton #Barbara Wright #war doctor #eleventh doctor #amy pond #rory williams

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sceptilemasterr · 6 years ago

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Catalysts Play Open Heart: Chapter 2

Summary: The shenanigans continue as Michelle and the others play through the second chapter of Open Heart!

Previous Chapter: Link

Note: The things in bold are scenes from the actual Choices chapter. Ian and Alyssa are my twin Endless Summer MCs.

“Guys?” asked Raj, poking his head out of the kitchen. “Has anyone seen Furball?”

Estela turned to look at him, frowning. “Huh. Now that you mention it… no, not for a while. Think Quinn would know?”

Ian, sitting beside her on the couch, shrugged. “Yeah, probably. Furball seems to like her the best, after all.”

“Good point,” said Raj. “I’ll see if I can find-”

He was interrupted by a blue blur zooming between his legs and out of the kitchen, followed a few seconds later by Alyssa and Craig, holding glasses of water that were spilling everywhere as they ran past Raj. “Get back here, you stupid fox!” yelled Craig.

“We need you to make ice cubes!” Alyssa yelled. “So Craig can pay me ten bucks!”

Ian rolled his eyes and scooped up Furball as he ran past them. Raj rubbed his forehead in confusion as Estela sighed, trying desperately not to laugh. “Alright, ‘Lyss, what the hell…?” asked Ian.

Alyssa hid behind Craig. “Are you… hiding from him?” asked Raj.

“...Yes?”

Ian held his stern expression for about two seconds before bursting out laughing. “You’re lucky that worked out better for you than it did in the story,” he said, and Estela, Craig, and Raj all started laughing as well when they realized why the situation seemed so familiar.

“Mrrrr?” mrrrred Furball. Ian rubbed his head and set him back down. He immediately sprinted as fast as he could away from Alyssa and Craig.

“Speaking of the story, by the way… shouldn’t we keep going?” Raj asked. “We’re done with the dishes. Wonder where everyone else is?”

“Dunno, somebody should go find them,” Craig said, pointing to Ian.

“What? Why me?”

“Uhh… because… I pointed to you?” Craig explained.

Estela let out a dramatic sigh and stood up. “I’ll do it, then,” she said, walking off to go find the others as Raj, Alyssa, and Craig all sat down in the same chairs as before.

Several minutes later, Estela had managed to get everyone rounded up and back in the lobby, ready to continue playing Open Heart. Michelle and Quinn were sitting by the projector as before, so that they could use the phone. Quinn had gotten another fruity drink from somewhere, and she’d made one for Alyssa as well. Jake, Raj, Craig, Zahra, and Ian all had fresh glasses of whiskey. “Same rules as before?” asked Jake.

“If there’s as many one-choice options as last time, we might have to cancel that rule,” Quinn suggested. “That was a lot.”

“It was pretty funny, though,” said Zahra. “Alright, let’s do this.”

“LEEEEEEROY JEEEEEEEENKINS!” yelled Craig, right in her ear.

“God dammit Craig, ever heard of inside voices?!”

“...No?”

“Come on, let’s just start the story already!” said Diego. “I can’t stand another minute of waiting on that cliffhanger!”

“Okay, okay, calm down,” said Michelle. “I’m starting it now!”

Everyone cheered as she selected the option to start Chapter 2.

OPEN HEART: Chapter 2

Code Blue

“Hey, it says ‘Code Blue’ and it’s written in blue! I wonder if that was on purpose?” asked Quinn.

“There is a slight possibility,” Aleister deadpanned.

Jackie: What were her symptoms?

“Are we voting?” asked Michelle, hesitant to pick what she knew was the right answer.

“It was the hemo… thing, right?” asked Jake.

“No, that was the President’s secret vampire twin,” said Diego.

“I do not understand,” said Varyyn, looking bewildered.

Aleister rolled his eyes. “You certainly aren’t the only one, Varyyn,” he said.

“Come on, let’s not mix up the patients,” said Sean. “Michelle, just go ahead.”

Michelle shrugged. “Okay,” she said, picking the ‘headaches and nausea’ option.

Jackie: Look! She’s breaking out in hives.

“Sounds like an adverse reaction to the antibiotic,” observed Michelle.

MC!Michelle: She’s in anaphylactic shock!

“Damn, Michelle!” said Estela. “Good call.”

Michelle smiled at the compliment before continuing.

MC!Michelle: Allergic?

“Well, how was I supposed to know that?” asked Michelle, frowning. “She said she had no known allergies…”

Quinn giggled. “Your reaction is right there as one of the options!” she pointed out.

Everyone laughed. “Alright, guess we’re picking that one,” Michelle said.

Defibrillator: Pull it closer!

Everyone stared at Jake expectantly. “What?” he asked, before he tore his gaze away from Alyssa and noticed the one-choice option on the screen.

“If you’re done gazing into your wife’s eyes, you’ve got a line to say,” Zahra reminded him.

“Right… Drink, y’all!”

MC!Michelle: What do I do?

“Whoa, timed choice alert!” shouted Diego in surprise. “All you, Michelle!”

“Got it,” Michelle replied, easily clicking through the correct options. “It’s funny, we’re going to be doing our actual ACLS training next month.”

“‘ACLS?’” echoed Craig. “Wait, does that stand for… Awesome Craig Likes… uh… Spatulas?”

Everyone facepalmed. “Since when do you like spatulas?” asked Zahra.

“What?” said Craig defensively. “It was a good guess!”

“No. No, it really wasn’t,” snarked Michelle.

“Oh! I know!” said Raj. “Actual CPR, Lives Saved?”

“An acronym inside an acronym!” said Diego. “Acronym-ception!” He air-fived Raj.

“That was… actually pretty reasonable,” admitted Alyssa. “Better than Craig’s guess, anyway.”

“Hey!” shouted Craig.

Michelle shook her head. “Good guess, Raj, but no. ‘Advanced Cardiac Life Support.’”

“My guess was more awesome, though!” said Craig.

Zahra sighed. “Literally nobody cares.”

“Alright, let’s move on,” said Quinn.

Defib paddles: Clear!

“Drink, y’all!”

The monitor beeps once… twice… Annie’s heartbeat returns, accelerated but constant!

Everyone cheered. “We did it!” exclaimed Quinn excitedly, hugging Michelle.

“Cliffhanger resolved!” crowed Diego triumphantly.

“CHYEEEEEAH!” Craig bellowed into Zahra’s ear.

“God dammit I am going to buy 500 pairs of earmuffs now…” muttered Zahra, annoyed.

Dr. Ramsey: What the hell is going on in here, Rookie?

Diego started humming the Imperial March from Star Wars. “Dun, dun, dun, dun da-da, dun da-da…”

MC!Michelle: Dr. Ramsey!

“Shall we vote on this one?” suggested Grace.

“Sure, I don’t mind,” offered Michelle. They quickly had everyone raise their hands for the different options, and ‘We have it under control’ won 3-7-4.

Jackie: Just doing my job, Dr. Ramsey.

“Hey! Why does she take the credit?! That’s bullshit,” complained Jake.

“...And that is why you’d make a terrible doctor,” Michelle snarked.

Jake glared at her for a moment as if he was about to snark back, but then sighed and relaxed back into his seat. “You’re not wrong,” he admitted.

“You all have no idea how many times we had ‘Professionalism!’ drilled into our heads since day one,” Michelle told the group.

“Professionalism is an admirable quality in any profession, not simply medicine,” Aleister pointed out. “I vote we maintain professionalism in this choice.”

“Oh, are we voting again?” asked Estela, glancing up to look at the choices. “Well, I say we need to stand up for ourselves!”

“Professionalism, Estela,” Michelle reminded her.

They quickly tallied the votes, 8-6 in favor of “Dr. Varma really bailed me out.”

Jackie tries to read you, knowing she just took full credit for the save.

“She knows what she did…” muttered Sean, annoyed at Jackie.

Ethan pinches the bridge of his nose, mumbling something about ‘interns’ under his breath.

“Wow, twice in one day. Two chapters. Whatever,” observed Ian.

“Maybe that’s just his default reaction to everything,” suggested Diego. Everyone laughed.

Intern: Yeah… Too bad he doesn’t actually need to see Dr. Ramsey.

“Ha! Nice!” exclaimed Zahra. “Love this girl already.”

“Z, can you do that for me next time a professor asks me to stay after class?” asked Craig.

“No.”

MC!Michelle: You lied to Dr. Ramsey for me? That was so…

Another unanimous vote followed, for the “Sweet” option.

“Best character, seriously,” said Diego. “And she doesn’t even have a name…”

Sienna: I’m Sienna, by the way. Or Dr. Trinh. Whichever floats your boat.

“...Uh, spoke too soon.”

“Sienna is a nice person,” said Varyyn, stating the obvious.

Diego just smiled at him. “Yes. Yes she is,” he said.

When the next choice came up, everyone once again unanimously agreed to support Sienna with the “Safety in numbers” option.

MC!Michelle: I’ve already met a couple of sharks today.

“Wait, sharks? When did that happen?” asked Craig.

“Obviously not literal sharks, dumbass,” said Zahra.

“Oh. I was wondering how they’d swim in a hospital, anyway…”

MC!Michelle: So long as I don’t have to make the dolphin noise.

Before anyone could comment, Michelle turned around and glared at Craig. “The answer is no, I won’t try it,” she said. Craig opened his mouth. “And no, I won’t make a whale noise, either.” Craig closed his mouth again.

MC!Michelle: Am I really cut out for this?

“Um, YES!” chorused everyone besides Michelle.

Michelle smiled gratefully at all of them. “Aww. Thanks for the confidence, guys.”

Suddenly, the door swings open, and somebody walks in!

“Wait, if the person already stepped in, how do we get to choose who it is?” asked Diego, frowning. “I’m confused.”

“Uhh… Vaanu did it?” suggested Grace. Everyone laughed.

“Let’s vote, then,” said Estela, “though I’m still annoyed at Jackie. Backstabber.”

There was an awkward pause as everyone stared expectantly at Aleister. “What?” he asked. “I’m not the official vote-counter or anything. Why doesn’t one of you do it?”

“Uhh…” said Jake.

“I’ll do it, then,” said Ian, standing up and taking everyone’s vote. Bryce won, 11-3.

MC!Michelle: …

“‘I’m just looking for something?’ Worst excuse ever,” Diego commented.

“You’re not wrong,” Alyssa agreed. “Besides, this isn’t the moment to brush it off! You’ve gotta have a heart-to-heart!”

“...Pun intended?” Ian teased.

“Shut up,” his sister snarked back, throwing a pillow at him, which was easily caught by Estela. Everyone quickly voted for the ‘My first patient almost died’ option.

Bryce: But if every hospital employee who ever hid in a supply closet quit, there’s be nobody here but the patients.

Michelle chuckled at the line. “Ha. That sure sounds true enough,” she commented.

“No one at the hospital but the patients? That would be awkward,” said Craig. “Who would take care of them?”

Nobody responded to this.

Bryce: You’ve got two options. One, breeze through life with an unshakeable self-assurance like me.

“Amen to that,” said Jake, raising his whiskey glass in salute.

“Self-assured? Jake, yesterday you were calling yourself a failure because you forgot to bring along a blanket for me,” Alyssa teased him.

“That doesn’t count!”

“Do you have any idea how many blankets there are at a resort hotel?”

“...You’re never gonna let that go, are you?”

“Nope!”

MC!Michelle: ...Okay, I’ll try.

“No! Do, or do not. There is no try,” quoted Diego.

“That was a scarily good Yoda impression,” Sean told him. “What’s your secret?”

“Oh, I’ll never tell!” Diego responded, grinning broadly.

Bryce: Is there anything else I can get you?

When the choices appeared, Quinn giggled. “Ooh, we should definitely ask for a hug!” she said.

“Does this count as shameless flirting?” asked Jake.

“Only if we choose it,” Raj reminded him.

Jake considered this. “Okay, voting time,” he said. “Who picks the hug?” Everyone raised their hands except for Aleister. “That settles it, drink, y’all!”

You look up at him, your faces close.

“Please let there be a kiss option!” said Quinn excitedly.

“Seconded!” agreed Diego.

“Thirded,” said Jake, before adding “...So we can drink again.” Alyssa playfully smacked him.

Everyone laughed when the next choice appeared, and there was indeed a “Kiss him” option. But before anyone could actually vote, Michelle simply selected it without waiting for the vote. “Screw it, we all know it would’ve won anyway,” she pointed out.

“Sure, why not,” Zahra muttered, looking expectantly at Jake.

“Drink, y’all!”

You throw a leg around his side, pulling him even tighter.

“Damn, is it hot in here, or is it just me?” asked Alyssa.

“Why? You gettin’ any ideas?” teased Jake.

“Get a room,” grumbled Zahra.

“Aww, Z, don’t be like that,” Craig said.

...When suddenly, the door opens!

“Cockblocked by a door,” groaned Diego. “Ouch.”

Resident: Or, if I may be so bold… might you hand me a suture kit?

“Wow,” laughed Sean. “Nothing fazes this guy.”

“It’s just another Monday for him, I bet,” Ian said.

MC!Michelle: Maaaaybe we should get back to work.

“You don’t say!” Michelle said to her MC self, laughing.

Bryce: Hope I cheered you up a little.

“Oh, he sure did that!” blurted out Estela, before quickly covering her mouth with her hands and blushing furiously.

“Hey, no shame!” said Alyssa.

Ian looked at his wife, confusion on his face. “I’m not sure if I should take that as an insult or not,” he said.

Estela leaned in, speaking softly and intending for only Ian to hear. “He’s super attractive, mainly because he looks a lot like you,” she said, and now it was Ian’s turn to blush.

“Ian and Estela, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” chanted Craig, who had managed to overhear her.

“Craig. We’re literally married,” Estela reminded him, glaring daggers for good measure.

“Oh yeah…”

“Ahem!” said Michelle. “Back to the story!”

You look up, and realize you have no idea where you are.

“Sounds like the first day at Hartfeld, all over again,” Grace says. “God, that was nerve-wracking. I hate getting lost.”

“On the plus side, you met me!” Quinn reminded her. “So it wasn’t all bad, right?”

Grace smiled. “No, I guess you’re right. Silver linings?”

“Silver linings!”

Intern: Hey! It’s Harry Potter, M.D.! You know… living under a staircase and all.

Diego frowned. “Hey, he copied my reference!”

“Well, you predicted his reference, technically,” observed Aleister. “Since he is a fictional character and cannot hear you.”

“You know what I meant.”

“Indeed,” said Aleister, a hint of a smile forming at the corners of his mouth.

“Hang on…” said Jake, “was that… a joke? From Slytherin of all people? Somebody call the press, the apocalypse is starting!”

“I decline to respond to that.”

When the next choice appeared, Aleister was again the one to call for the vote. The choice went 10-4 in favor of “I’m completely and utterly lost.”

MC!Michelle: I swear this hospital doesn’t look this huge from the outside!

“Plot twist: The hospital is secretly a TARDIS!” shouted Raj excitedly.

“Hey, I was gonna say that!” said Diego, exchanging another air five with Raj.

As you get in, she shuffles away, her bare butt showing out the back of her hospital gown.

“That wasn’t a mental image I needed today,” Zahra said.

“At least they didn’t actually show it?” Jake pointed out, laughing.

“Oh my God, there’s an option for ‘Your butt is showing?!’ We’ve got to pick it!” exclaimed Raj.

“Why are butts funny?” asked Varyyn, confused.

He looked at Diego for clarification, but Diego was equally confused. “Honestly, I… have no idea. They just are.”

“Come on, guys. Professionalism,” Michelle admonished the group.

“Yeah, but this isn’t real life,” said Zahra. “Live a little! Alright, whoever votes ‘your butt is showing’ gets to drink.”

“Hey!” protested Michelle. “You can’t bribe people for votes with drinks!”

“I just did.”

Thanks to Zahra’s bribe, the vote swung 8-6 in favor of ‘Your butt is showing!’ Michelle sighed and reluctantly picked the option.

Mrs. Martinez: I’m teasing you, my dear. I like the breeze!

At that line, everyone burst out laughing, even Michelle. “Okay, I have to admit, that was pretty funny,” she said. “Mrs. Martinez seems super fun.”

Elijah: You should’ve seen your face, Michelle.

“That’s true IRL, too,” said Craig, still laughing.

“Excuse me, did you just say ‘IRL’ out loud?” asked Aleister.

“...Maybe?”

MC!Michelle: Ohmygod! I know what’s wrong with Annie!

“That was random,” Quinn commented.

“What is she, Dr. Sherlock?” asked Jake. “That was way too fast.”

“Hey, it’s Michelle,” Sean said. “Sounds about right.” Michelle blushed but said nothing, continuing the story. When the next choice came up, they ended up voting for “I solved the case!”

MC!Michelle: You also told me that you were prone to panic attacks when you were stressed out.

“Isn’t everyone, though?” said Diego.

“Ain’t that the truth,” agreed Sean.

“Hey, speak for yourselves. I never panic,” said Jake.

Alyssa rolled her eyes. “Sure, Pinocchio,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

MC!Michelle: And you resurfaced too quickly.

“Of course! Decompression sickness!” exclaimed Michelle triumphantly.

“Too bad your other you beat you to it,” said Craig.

“To be fair, she’s still got two more years of med school, you know,” Quinn reminded him.

Craig frowned. “Wait, real Michelle, or Choices Michelle?”

“Great, now my brain hurts…” complained Raj.

“Real Michelle, obviously!”

Dr. Ramsey: I wanted to give you a chance to right the ship, first.

“That’s… weirdly generous,” observed Estela.

“Shouldn’t he have just treated her, then?” asked Grace. “I think that would be more important.” A few moments later, she giggled when the next choice came up, and the ‘You should’ve treated her right away’ option appeared.

“Well. I believe we know which option we ought to select, then,” Aleister said. “Let us go with Grace’s comment.”

“What happened to democracy, Malfoy?” Jake said, smirking knowingly.

“I… er…”

Michelle sighed and selected the option before Jake could continue putting Aleister on the spot.

Dr. Ramsey: But if I don’t push you to grow, then how many lives will be lost down the line because you’re not ready?

“That’s… actually a fair point,” conceded Zahra. “Glad I’m not gonna be a doctor. That kinda pressure… no thanks.”

“He’s still a jerk, though,” Jake said.

“You’re not wrong,” agreed Michelle.

MC!Michelle: (Oh, crap! I totally forgot that I was working with Aurora on this case.)

“So did I, to be perfectly honest,” admitted the real Michelle sheepishly.

When the next choice came up, everyone was surprised. “So, what, we can throw her under the bus like Jackie did? Payback time!” said Estela, a little too excitedly.

“Or we could be the bigger person, seeing as Aurora isn’t even the person who threw us under the bus last time in the first place,” Quinn suggested.

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to go with Quinn on this one,” Michelle said. “Sorry, Estela.”

“Are we not voting?” asked Aleister.

“Uh… apparently not,” said Sean, watching Michelle go ahead and pick the “Apologize to her” option.

Aurora: ...It’s okay. I wasn’t here. This was your win.

“See? Kindness prevails!” said Quinn.

Sienna: Hey! You survived!

“Wow, I like that outfit,” Alyssa said.

“This is the first time we’re seeing any of the characters in casual clothes, isn’t it?” asked Grace. “She looks good!”

“They all do,” observed Diego, as the other characters appeared in their casual outfits.

Then the outfit choice appeared. “Hang on, if we say ‘no,’ will we still be in our scrubs?” asked Michelle. “Because that would be… awkward.”

“Don’t forget, Michelle, I have already offered to purchase-” Aleister started to say.

Jake interrupted him. “Only one way to find out, Michelle! C’mon.”

Michelle sighed. “Thanks, Aleister… but I really am curious.” She selected ‘No thanks.’

MC!Michelle: I’ll stay in this. This is all I brought with me.

“Drink, y’all!” said Jake.

“Man, I should’ve bet somebody on that,” Craig complained. “I could’ve won ten bucks!”

Elijah: Who cares? We’re all a hundred-K in debt anyway.

“God, don’t remind me,” groaned Michelle.

A toast! Cheers!

“Drink, y’all!”

“That’s hilariously great timing,” said Raj. “Should we make that count double, since they’re actually drinking in the story?”

Zahra shrugged. “Why not?”

Another toast! To new friends!

“On second thought… this might be a little much,” Zahra admitted. “Scratch that double-drink rule.”

“Aww… you’re no fun,” said Craig.

“Trust me, your liver will thank me in the morning.”

“Aah! Timed choice!” exclaimed Raj when the next choice appeared. Michelle quickly picked ‘To making the world a better place.’

Landry: And this… human needs to switch to water for a while so he doesn’t puke in a potted plant.

“Sounds familiar,” Zahra said, looking knowingly at Craig.

“I don’t remember that,” Craig said.

“Not surprising.”

MC!Michelle: She’s cute! Go and talk to her!

Both Ian and Alyssa shot knowing glances at Diego. Diego blushed and laughed softly. “Okay, okay, yeah, that’s me all right,” he admitted. “But it worked, didn’t it?”

“We’re forever in your debt, Diego,” said Ian mock-solemnly.

“Best wingman ever,” Alyssa told him, wrapping an arm around Jake.

“Well, that settles it,” said Michelle when the next choice appeared, picking the ‘Good thing I’m your wingman’ option.

MC!Michelle: Who knows, maybe she’ll think that whole staring-across-the-bar thing is romantic.

Landry: It is my go-to move.

“Sounds like somebody else we all know,” laughed Alyssa, gesturing at Ian and Estela, “though in your case, it was on a plane…”

“Hey! To be fair, Estela did the same thing,” protested Ian.

“Not going to comment,” said Estela. “Let’s just move on…”

Sienna: Or were you raised somewhere they didn’t teach manners?

“Ha! Sick burn! Take that, dick-rocket,” said Craig.

“‘Dick-rocket?’ Huh?” echoed Varyyn. “What is a-”

“NOT IMPORTANT!” shouted Diego quickly. “NEXT SCENE!”

Everyone laughed when the next choice came up. “She’s about to kick his ass!” everyone chorused. Michelle smiled and picked the choice in question.

He looks down at Siena, whose eyes are on fire.

“If this girl’s death glares are anywhere near as terrifying as Estela’s… yikes,” Craig said. “You do not wanna be on the wrong end of one of those.”

“You’re damn right,” Estela agreed.

What do you do?

“Alright, official decision time: are we gonna buy diamonds, or not?” Michelle asked the group.

Aleister nodded. “Honestly, it’s no trouble at all. Besides, it isn’t like we have anything better to do with our time.”

“Either way, since it apparently costs money to hang out with people… drink, y’all,” said Jake.

“So who do we pick?” asked Quinn. “Bryce?”

“Well, we went with him for the closet scene,” Michelle pointed out.

“Jackie, then?” suggested Jake.

“Yeah, let’s give her a second chance to make a good impression!” said Grace.

“Agreed,” said Ian.

Aleister crossed over to the phone and put in his credit card information to purchase some diamonds before Michelle selected “Dance with Jackie.”

Over Jackie’s shoulder, you see Sienna grinning at you. She gives you an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

“Oh my God, she’s a girl version of Diego!” laughed Raj.

“Was I really that obvious?” asked Diego.

“Umm… kind of?” Ian said. Everyone giggled.

When the next choice came up, Michelle looked back at the group. “Alright, the most important question ever: Sexy or Silly?” said Diego in an overly-dramatic voice.

“Umm, sexy, duh,” said Craig, getting up to demonstrate a supposedly ‘sexy’ dance.

Zahra facepalmed. “I have never seen a less sexy dance in my life. If you were going for ‘silly,’ though…”

“You know what?” Michelle said while trying not to laugh at Craig’s dance. “Just for that demonstration… I’m going with ‘silly.’”

“What, no vote?” asked Grace.

“Sorry, Grace! I already picked it!” said Michelle apologetically.

You do a ridiculous dance, kicking out your legs and flailing your arms.

Everyone laughed at the description that almost perfectly matched Craig’s demonstration. “What?” he asked them, oblivious. Then he read the screen. “Uh… that’s nothing like what I was doing! It’s a dance from Legends of-”

“Nobody cares, Craigslist,” snarked Jake.

Jackie: Where on earth did you see that?

MC!Michelle: A video game.

At this, even Craig had to laugh this time. “Okay, okay, this app wins the Craig-prediction game,” he admitted.

“What if… Quinn, is your phone psychic?” asked Raj.

Quinn looked at him, trying to decide if he was serious or not. “Uh… I don’t think so,” she said, not really sure what else to say.

“Whoa, now that would be a plot twist!” Diego said.

“Do telephones often predict the future?” asked Varyyn, completely seriously.

“Not… usually…” Sean told him.

Raj shrugged. “Hey, it could happen! I had a dream where my phone could talk to me in my mind once!”

“Fascinating,” said Varyyn. “I must obtain one of these telephones.”

“I’ll buy you one!” offered Diego. “Er… wait, when’s your birthday?”

“Twelfth Sanell, Rahena,” answered Varyyn.

Diego stared at him for a moment. “In our calendar,” he said finally when Varyyn didn’t clarify.

“Oh! Right, my apologies. I shall look it up later, for I do not actually know your calendar very well yet.”

Zahra held up a hand. “Hold on, back up. You two have been together for how long and you still don’t know his birthday?!”

Diego blushed. “It… just never came up!”

“Dumb excuse alert!” Alyssa called out.

“To be fair, Varyyn doesn’t know either,” Sean pointed out. “At least not in our calendar. And ‘Twelfth Sanell Rahena’ doesn’t really help Diego, or any of us for that matter.”

“See? Thanks, Sean,” said Diego gratefully.

“Anytime.”

“Alright, I’m continuing…” muttered Michelle impatiently, as she clicked through more of the chapter.

Jackie: It’s a cutthroat business, Michelle. I’m just trying to survive.

“You know, as much as I hate to admit it… if I’d been put on the spot like that I might have done the same thing, now that I think about it,” admitted Michelle. “She’s got a point.”

“And that’s why I’d never be a doctor,” said Raj. “Too intense. Cooking, you get plenty of time to just sit back and enjoy life. Besides, if everyone was a doctor, then who’d make the food?”

“Amen to that,” said Jake, raising his glass. Raj raised his and they air-toasted from across the room.

Then the next choice popped up, and Michelle shrugged when she saw the options. “Alright, maybe you’ve got a point about Quinn’s phone being psychic,” she joked as she chose the ‘I’d have done the same thing’ option.

MC!Michelle: What matters is that Annie survived. And now she gets to go back to school and live a full life.

Quinn smiled. “I can relate,” she said. “Michelle, I know you’ll make the same kind of difference in real life, too.”

“Meeting you, and hearing your story… honestly, Quinn, it really made me appreciate my career path that much more, on a different level,” Michelle told her. “It’s definitely a lot more personal. I want to give my patients the same kind of chance you’ve been given. Though, admittedly, I probably won’t have a magic Vaanu crystal in my medical bag…”

“That’s so sweet, Michelle. Thank you!”

“Oh God, I’m gonna get diabetes from this conversation,” groaned Zahra, and Quinn and Michelle both laughed before everyone turned their attention back to the screen.

Jackie: Oh, god.

“Wow, it’s even predicting you now, Z!” Craig said.

“No comment.”

Jackie: You’re smart, you’re pretty good under pressure, and way too good-looking…

“Sounds about right,” said Estela.

“Seconded,” added Sean, and the others nodded their agreement as well.

“Wait,” said Craig as Michelle blushed at the compliment, “are you talking about the character, or the real Michelle? I’m confused.”

MC!Michelle: (What do I do?)

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” chanted Quinn.

“Drink! Y’all!” chanted Jake, as he and the others took another sip.

Aleister huffed and crossed his arms as Michelle picked the ‘Kiss’ option. “So we’re completely ignoring the concept of democracy now, is that it?” he complained loudly.

Grace rubbed his back soothingly. “It’s a phone game, Aleister, not a company board meeting,” she reminded him.

Aleister’s entire body blushed. “Er, you’re quite right, I’m not sure what came over me, it’s nothing to get worked up about, indeed,” he stammered.

MC!Michelle: (The night’s still young. What should I do next?)

“What, we get to pick more than one?” asked Alyssa. “That’s nice!”

“Yeah, but it still costs money,” said Quinn, frowning. “And I really don’t want to keep borrowing Aleister’s money.”

“I’ve told you all twice now, I honestly don’t mind,” Aleister said. “I can afford it easily!”

“Rub it in, why don’t you,” snarked Michelle.

“Well, to be fair, we did already get a scene with Bryce and Jackie,” Sean pointed out. “So let’s save the diamonds for something else.”

Michelle shrugged. “Fair enough,” she said, choosing Landry’s option to stay at the table.

MC!Michelle: How’s that long game working out for you?

Landry: Great! I think she glanced at me!

Alyssa burst out laughing. “Sounds like Ian, all right!”

“Shut up,” her brother snarked, but then he started laughing in spite of himself. “Alright, I’ll admit it’s kinda funny, though.”

Glass of Water: Take one.

“Drink, y’all,” said Jake.

“Okay, but do you mean actual waterrrrrr?” asked Zahra, clearly drunk. “B’cause it says ‘glass of water.’”

“You know what he meant!” laughed Raj.

Sienna: What if we all got a place together?

“Hey, that’s an awesome idea!” agreed Craig. “We should all do that!”

“Craig, our schools and jobs are all literally in different states,” Sean pointed out.

“Jake could fly us!”

“Absolutely not,” said Alyssa, crossing her arms.

Jake frowned at his wife. “I’m not that bad of a pilot-”

“YES, YOU ARE!” chorused everyone besides Jake and Craig.

Jake sighed and shook his head. “You just don’t appreciate my maneuvers,” he muttered.

“You mean the completely unnecessary maneuvers that make me vomit?” Alyssa asked him.

“...Point taken.”

MC!Michelle: It would be a 24/7…

Michelle looked around at the others. “All right, since Aleister cares so passionately about this… let’s vote.” Aleister scowled while everyone else laughed. “Study fest?” Only Michelle herself, Grace, and Aleister raised their hands.

Zahra snorted. “Predictable.”

“Okay, party?” This time, Varyyn, Craig, Raj, Jake, Alyssa, Quinn, and Zahra all cheered and raised their hands (or drinks, in Jake’s case.) “Alright, that one wins, but… Netflix binge?” asked Michelle, just to be sure. Ian, Estela, Sean, and Diego raised their hands for Netflix binge. Michelle shrugged and pressed the ‘party’ option.

“By the way, Malfoy… Michelle voted ‘study fest,’ so you would’ve gotten your pick if we hadn’t done democracy,” Jake pointed out with a smirk. Aleister glared at him but said nothing.

Elijah: To Craigslist!

“What?” asked Craig.

“Not you, the actual website,” Michelle pointed out.

“Oh. Jake, stop confusing me with your nicknames!”

“Sorry, it’s my thing, y’know? ...Craigslist?”

Craig frowned, looking more confused than before. “I think… I think you, like, uh... broke him,” slurred Zahra, waving a hand in front of his face.

Michelle clicked through a few more times, and they got to the end of the chapter. “Whew,” sighed Diego in relief. “I was afraid we’d get another cliffhanger again!”

“That was a cute ending, I like it!” said Quinn.

“Yeah, honestly, this is surprisingly kinda fun,” admitted Jake. “Do we have another one?”

“Can we… uh… do this… tomorrow?” asked Zahra, before she fell asleep instantly and slid onto the floor.

“Lightweight,” snarked Estela, before yawning heavily and leaning on Ian’s shoulder despite being fully sober.

“Aaaaand that’s our cue to finish,” said Michelle, handing Quinn’s phone back to her. “Let’s do some more tomorrow, same time?”

“Sounds like a plan,” agreed Sean. “Doctor Nguyen.”

Michelle smiled at the title. “Just a few more years,” she reminded him. “Night, everyone.”

“Zahra, what should we do with…” Diego started to ask, before spotting Craig picking her up. She was still completely sound asleep. “Guess we just leave this projector stuff here, then… nothing bad could happen to it overnight, right?”

(Credit to @endlesshero1122 for the “Awesome Craig Likes Spatulas” joke!)

Next Chapter: Link

Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @endlesssummerfan @marmolady

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scorpio-karma · 6 years ago

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Let's Finish Season Fucking Two: 2x18-22

So in 2017 I started to rewatch the show but had to stop at 2x11 because Elena annoyed the crap out of me. I literally needed to take a step back and didn't restart my rewatch until 2018 where I have been basically trudging my way through 2x12-17 because I want to rewatch S3, as it's the season I've forgotten the most about.

So last week with a half of a bottle of wine I made it my mission to finish out the season so 2019 I can rewatch season 3 and maybe remember Kol, but I kinda doubt it. I'll probably come out shipping Klonnie more, if I don't see too many temper tantrums.

2x18:

First of all, this is a terrible episode to start with because it's the episode where Bonnie dies for the first time, so dealing with that is going to be annoying. Second of all why do the recap always explain that Elena and Katherine look alike. Not only is that the least complicated part of the show, but it's also the entire fucking premise of TVD. If you didn't know that by the end of season 2 you're really fucking slow, but I guess they planned according for their audience. Also, lots of people look like Nina, so I don’t know how this is the most “unbelievble part of the show.

Anyway, on to the episode. Matt Davis made a great Klaus. I may hate him, but I'm not ashamed to admit he was attractive to me playing the evil Original, but he equally creeped me out which is why I say he made a great Klaus. The way he kissed Katherine's forehead and basically leered at Elena and other students honestly made me more uncomfortable than watching Penn Badgley in You. Davis should play villains more often, seems to be his niche since Legally Blonde. (Although he didn't do a great job with evil!Alaric in season 3 from what I remember, it was a weak storyline that even I couldn't get into when I mindlessly watched the show, it was how I noticed the drop in quality then) Don't get me wrong I like JoMo's portrayal of him too just really only this season before they woobiefied him.

You know, rewatching all of this I’m noticing more and more that Nina isn't that great of an actress. Like, I was never overwhelmed with her talent before and I definitely am not now especially as I watch her play Katherine scared and there is no difference in the way she plays Elena scared. It's like how Elena with no Humanity is Katherine, well Katherine scared for her life is Elena. There's no nuance when she plays these characters. The only difference is the hair and when season 4 rolls around not even that.

Which brings me to Elena stupidity which I'm not even surprised. First, knowing her life is in danger she goes to school and endangers others lives, under the order of it's my way. Which first of all sweetie, your way has always sucked, until you yield good results maybe hold off on making plans. Second of all, the only reason you know you'll be fine is because Bonnie will save you which is a consistent pattern of hers--risking her life with the confidence that someone will always save her which annoys me because what about everyone else. First it was not staying in the car so she hindered saving Stefan, then it was manipulating Damon, and now it's risking everyone else's lives including Bonnie's because school? Which is where I get confused, no one, especially her, are particularly studious, so why the sudden need to go to school. You could ditch and no one would care because Jenna's out of town.

Which brings me to another thing which I'm sure I went over when Jenna left, but leaving teenagers alone for days at a time because you feel betrayed by your boyfriend and teenage niece you have guardianship over is just...I have no words.

When I was 15 my mom had to go out of town for a convention in San Francisco I couldn't come with her due to school. She was gone for 3 days and I had to stay with my Great Aunt and Uncle because even at 15 you don't just leave your kids alone for days at a time (and also my mom was over protective and paranoid but that's beside the point). At least leave an adult in charge, maybe John, he's probably got to be salty that Jenna was God parent and not him, he is in fact Elena's actual father. There were so many nuances with John the could have had, but I'll get to that in later episodes.

See I understand Jeremy being salty at John for killing his girlfriend, who by the way managed to get over it, but I don't understand Elena's disdain for him. It was there before she found out he was her father, before he enabled the device, she just didn't like him and it's never explained. Like honestly when I think about the reason Elena annoys me the most it isn’t that she whines (which has never really been my big complaint with her), it’s the reasons she’s whining and in this case I have extra annoyance because there are actual reason for her to be this salty towards John and none of them are the reasons she uses.

I noted that Klaus had no plans of killing Bonnie until she became a legitimate threat. The only thing that’s honestly annoying me about this is the direction I know they take Bonnie and her magic in season three. She’s powerful and a legit threat against the original hybrid and yet she’s damn near powerless in later seasons it just irks me.

Also noted, I’m not making any arguments for Bamon, it’s just there is a stark difference in chemistry when Damon dances with Bonnie opposed to Elena. For one, when he’s with Elena he legitimately looks like he can’t dance, all his lines are stiff, as are Elena’s. I can at least forgive Nina since she’s supposed to be frosty towards him, but Ian, this is during a time he was dating her meaning he wasn’t pulling petty shit from the finale--he just legitimately doesn’t have chemistry with Elena.

When he’s Bonnie all of that changes, suddenly he does have dance skills, his lines flow naturally, even his acting improves tenfold and he can play nuances that aren’t eyebrow movement. There’s a reason why he’s only bearable when he’s in scenes with Kat unfortunately those scenes are far and few between and always about Elena.

In a weird twist of events Bonnie has the better costume than Elena--she doesn’t even look like a caricature of the 60s other than the go-go boots. Also Caroline dressed as Jackie O. has an amount of irony I don’t even thing she’s aware of.

Bonnie bossing Jeremy around was hot which is new for me as I don’t care anything about Beremy. That paired with Damon’s “not caring” it was an overall good episode for Bonnie...until she’s stuffed in the trunk of Damon’s Camero.

Bonnie’s line “If the situation was reversed would you do it for me?” just has me rolling my eyes because we all know the answer to that--no, Elena wouldn’t do the same for you Bonnie and she continually doesn’t do the same for you so cut your losses. In fact that’s my advice for the entire series, cut your losses, let Elena die, so many more people will get to live when she does.

So when we do finally get to Bonnie’s death I actually agreed with Damon’s sentiment of “it had to look real” Elena is a terrible actress (Elena not Nina though she has a lot of questionable acting), it’s so bad they trusted Jeremy more and he’s not so great either. Also why are they spending so much time on Elena’ pain at Bonnie’s death and not the character who actually died--it’s the Abby situation pre-Abby, like we should have seen that shit a mile away if this is any indicator.

Although, in an unexpected twist, the episode ends on a a decision of Elena’s I agreed with. Granted it came with me screaming at Elena for apologizing to Damon like??? even if I understood the reasoning she literally owed him nothing, but count on Plec with misogyny for the win, and Williamson lest we forget he’s also responsible for this mess. Anyway after Damon’s words, Elena undaggering Elijah was the best decision she made and this is before the betrayal, so I at least understand trusting him.

2x19:

We start with Nina’s god awful English accent. When she ran lines someone should have made her keep the Bulgarian on from the first Katherine flashbacks because Nina can’t fake an accent to save her life. Also much like the flashback in S7 the Katherine flashbacks with Elijah and Klaus are not only unnecessary, but explain very little. How exactly did Katherine escape? Why didn’t they compel her? Did she have access to vervain? Like little is explained about her duality then and why exactly Elijah had issues Katherine. All that was explained is that they were almost lovers. Honestly all we learned about Katherine is that she really likes for people to chase after her.

Damon is just as bad at plans as Elena. Like I hate them both, but sometime DE are a match made in heaven with how awful they are at things. Like I understand trusting Elena’s lead is actually pretty rational given her past decisions, but you way of thinking isn’t any better. Leave the thinking to those who can actually do it.

This is JoMo’s first episode and you know what? I really miss this Klaus. Also when they do the “Niklaus” reveal I thought it was absolutely ridiculous when I first watched it. I still find it ridiculous, but I realize that much like Mikael, Kol, and Rebekah, it was the “fancy” way of spelling Nicolas, and I’m even more pissed off. No wonder I equate the introduction of each Original to introducing another Kardashian--they really love their K’s.

Elijah trying to use OMG as a cultural reference was just cringe. “Our whole family was human” I wonder at what point they decided to retcon this? Probably around the time they realized they could do anything creative with vampires. Also this line “my mother bore seven children” I thought no one knew Freya existed. Finn, Elijah, Klaus, Rebekah, Kol, Henrik, and then Freya--how is she their long lost sister if they already knew about her?

You know I spent so much time away that I literally forgot about Andie, and now I’m very creeped out. They follow the classic domestic abuse formula where she keeps coming back when she has the option to leave. You know, when rape becomes Stolkholm Syndrome and in Plec and Williamson form they try to convince you that this is a normal vampire thing even having the victim saying “I’m perfectly fine with this”. There were so many Nos.

I remember that the whole Sun and the Moon curse was fake, what I did not remember is that Klaus and Elijah started it. I thought Esther started it to dupe Klaus and that the whole sacrifice was for no reason. I have yet to see S3 so that thought might still be correct. Also, white supremacy essentially causing the war between vampires and werewolves--not surprising, but still disappointing.

Jenna’s reaction to finding out about vampires is appropriate granted her cluelessness up until this point is a whole other level. And Stefan’s serious face towards Klaus seems to to just look at him cross-eyed which I never noticed. And of course we end the episode on on of the lamest vampire fights of all time--they really ran out of ideas around here.

2x20:

So Tyler’s back! Unfortunately it’s because Klaus threw his mom down a flight of stairs. Man, he’s been hurting his mom for quite some time. That sire bond really did a number on him to forget this shit. At least he has that excuse, all Elena ever had was “love” and “hope” like bitch,Damon’s been terrorizing your friends and family, he’s had more than enough chances to prove himself. Also Tyler came back for important things. Sorry, Caroline stans, but Caroline missing him isn’t important when his freedom is on the line.

“Damon s the problem, not Caroline,” listen to Matt, Liz.

I’ll give Matt Davis this, he was a pretty good actor here. The distinct differences between Alaric and Klaus were a lot better than the cliches Nina was using. But then again because he only put against her acting that’s probably why it seemed good. I’m sure there is a lot better (I’ve never seen Orphan Black but I don’t doubt she did a better job at playing her clones than Nina did with any of her doppelgangers).

It must be easy to brutalize Elena after brutalizing Katherine so much--he never missed an opportunity to hit her. Although him shoving vamp blood down Elena’s throat wasn’t as anger inducing as it should have been since it reminded me of a time when Damon being the wild card actually made sense. Not just so much that given how early it is in the show him doing random things makes sense, but that his random actions make sense, less man pain, and was actually strategic.

Also why didn’t Katherine drink vamp blood and then go through with the sacrifice--they had the same results except one less angry hybrid. Is this ever explained as to why vamp blood can’t be in your system for the ritual?

Which now that Elena is essentially taken care of, I suggest using the elixir on Bonnie so she can take down Klaus without dying and then we can avoid the whole thing.

Tyler really should have listened to Jules, but then again, I know she’s the one who dies in the end so maybe she should have followed her own advice.

Also I remembering why SE was never my jam--it was a lot of babysitting Elena and her “I don’t knows”. THEN STOP MAKING MAJOR LIFE DECISIONS UNTIL YOU DO KNOW. “I’m 17 years old, how am I supposed to know any of this?” you aren’t sweetie and that’s exactly the point however I don’t understand how being a vampire is worse to her than the possibility of being dead. From what she lists off as what she wants to do, they all can still happen as a vampire, not so much when you’re dead. And even if she does turn she doesn’t have to fully transition so I don’t get the mourning period she’s having especially since THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO FOCUS ON. Priorities, bitch.

I get Matt wanting to save Caroline--he clearly still loves her, but saving Damon? He said it himself--he’s the problem, he’s the reason your sister is dead, God! protagonist based morality really gets to me these seasons.

“You turned your back on me when I needed you” but did he, Caroline? If I recall, he saved you in the nick of time so...Also, you asked him to leave, what’s with playing victim all of a sudden (while equally forgetting the time you were a victim). Also, Caroline, you really need to listen to Tyler when he tells you to go, granted the other time she does this is in S5, but he’s literally in a position where he’s not in control of his actions and you are what he hunts. Go, when he says go! These women really need to stop with this “He’ll never hurt me” mentality when their monster is coming out because, bitch, how is that working out for ya?

Also the final scene with Klaus, Stefan, and Elena, I swear most of the dramaticism is in the music the scene isn’t heartbreaking enough for this music. And in a town filled with vampires Klaus needed to make a vampire? I remember not liking Jenna’s death and I like it even less here because it really was for no reason other than the writers don’t know how to write parental figures.

Which brings me to Greta. Her complete and utter indifference to her family being dead is really on par with TVD’s views on family. Even worse, it continues this black character forsakes all family for a white character mammy trope they always have with black witches. Although she does fit the Jezabel trope more, but I’m really tired of “loyal” black characters being loyal to everyone but themselves.

2x21:

This honestly should have been the season/series finale--it actually had a great natural ending. The only thing I’d tweak is Elijah following through, and then it would have been the perfect conclusion to this shit show. Instead we go on for another six seasons where they accomplished nothing other than more of a shit show.

So of course we start with Katherine “caring” for which honestly makes no canonical sense. Damon has literally always been a game for her so why either doppelganger bothers with him just honestly baffles me.

Also we start out with some classic Elena “pleading to their humanity” which was almost as laughable with Greta as it was with Kai. Like Bitch, did you not just see how she brushed off the deaths of her family, why is she going to give a flying fuck about you of all people?

Also Greta, sweetie, what are you doing? I get not wanting to serve nature, but Klaus? WHAT IS THIS NEW ORDER AND WHAT DOES SHE GET OUT OF IT? Because from where I’m standing, she’s in the exact same position as servant just now with an added side of “happy slave” because it wouldn’t be an episode of TVD without that trope. Despite TVD using black bodies as food, I will give Jenna props for going after Greta--someone finally using strategy and knowing Klaus has nothing without his witch.

Which brings me to how the MFG plans to defeat Klaus--they don’t and I’m not surprised since it focused completely on Elena. Elena is one out of three sacrifices and the only irreplaceable item--why not focus on the full picture and maybe accomplish something in the end. I’ll give it to Bonnie and her bad ass magic, but it’s honestly not enough. The entire plan hinged on Elijah who betrays them and Elena for some reason trusts again getting Abby killed and turned, but that’s salt for another review.

The salt for now is that Jeremy and Bonnie have been together in an abandoned house for days on end with really nothing to do, and they tried to convince me that season 5 was the first time her and Jeremy had sex, let alone that was her first time. I was suddenly reminded why I thought it was so weird to me that everyone thought that was when Bonnie lost her virginity--like I’d read it in fanfics and be just confused. Granted she hadn’t had a sex scene up until that point, but given the shows attitude toward sex I just assumed lack of virginity was everyone’s default. And then you had this shit, Beremy was never my favorite ship, but I wasn’t so in hatred of them that I would discredit them having a sex life because why wouldn’t they? Everyone else does, and given the shows attitude toward sex, if she was in fact a virgin that would have been known. Of course, my naive 16 year-old ass didn’t realize how asexual they were making her, but now at 25 and looking back at this I’m just pissed.

So when I looked back on season 2 I remember John being more of a villain, not surprising since the narrative treats him as such, but I literally remember him being turned into a vampire against his will and continuing the process. I’m realizing now I may have had him confused with Logan, but I was really surprised when throughout this entire rewatch John is human and then getting to this episode, knowing he dies at the end and the realizing he never was. I thought he was one before Jenna and that was just all kinda of wrong. I guess it’s because the episode had him apologize for all his wrong doings (none of which were his actual transgressions) and I guess my mind tried to rationalize.

Given my complete indifference towards Elena, it is kinda surprising that John’s letter to her still makes me cry, but I’ve always had the sentiment that John is the only person who made any sense sacrificing his life for Elena. TVD may not value familial relationships but I do. However his “prejudices” line gets to me because he was right--vampires are dangerous, and it irks me that Elena wasted the life he gave her. She doesn’t even manage to stay human for a fucking year, and not by her choice which he gave his blessing for. She just Elena’d it.

Overall this probably would have actually been a good episode if Klaus had actually died and it was the last episode. John dies for Elena, Elijah gets his revenge against Klaus, Damon is left for dead, and the series ends on the note that they’re no longer in danger--the end, finito, better than the acid trip series finale.

2x22:

If this episode needed to happen it should have been Damon’s farewell episode. Actually follow through on something with his character and have him make amends and having a heartfelt goodbye. End series and have every live happily ever after because Klaus and Damon are gone, and Katherine who had no relevance after this season leaves as she had no reason to stick around. Like this is where the series should have ended--it had a nice sense of finality missing from the actually series finale.

Anyway, on to the mess of a fucking episode it was first with Stefan, ever so loyal, ruining what could have been a great Damon death. Now this isn’t really because I dislike his character, it’s more that him dying especially here would have been at a time where that would be an actual loss, this anti hero role Plec kept insisting he was might have been able to have been accomplished with his death in this one episode. And best of all, I wouldn’t have had to deal with one more temper tantrum from him or Klaus.

Watching Alaric’s man pain is marginally easier to deal with because it’s not destructive, but then again he’s human so what would he have done. I’m sure original vampire Alaric would have went on some massacres because they can’t resist man pain destruction.

Caroline once again shoehorned, in today’s episode, a brother sister bonding moment between Jeremy and Elena that would, once again, suit Bonnie more, if even her at all because this is a scene that doesn’t require Caroline, but you gotta giver her that unnecessary screen time some how.

Stefan going to Emily literally makes no sense. As does Stefan’s entrance to the witch house. What do these women owe Stefan Nothing. What do these women owe Damon? Nothing. So the insistence that they help him makes no sense. But of course a black witch not serving a white vampire is useless to Plec so here we are.

The urgency of this episode was lost on me because it was getting in the way of a good plot--Damon’s death. Also after reanalyzing Jeremy’s death scene I’ve come to a few conclusions. First: in a crazy twist of events it is not in fact Damon’s fault. He was literally hallucinating out of his mind so I doubt he was thinking about anything logical. Second: Caroline snapping his neck before he officially died could have saved him. Bonnie even said it outloud--he needed to die a supernatural death to come back. In fact, it probably would have made more sense characterization wise given how she became a vampire. And lastly: even if Bonnie needed to bring him back the “spirits” shouldn’t have been so hard on her especially since they weren’t that hard on Stefan earlier. Like he shouldn’t have had to step one foot in that house--he’s still a murderous vampire, I don’t care how much of a “kind soul” he was as human that certainty didn’t translate into vampire form.

Overall this episode was abysmal but so is this series. My overall thoughts on season 2 is that it’s easily a stronger season, but still is god awful and has not aged well. Also the series would have really benefited if it was a two season vampire series from the late 2000s unfortunately that time period wouldn’t allow that. At the hype of vampires they were determined to milk that for everything they could and the still are with the train wreck that is Legacies. They need to let it die.

#tvd rewatch #tvd review #s2e18-22 #live watch #anti tvd #anti plec #anti williamson

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