#corcorax

[tenth-sentence]

He tells me no more, answers me no more.

"Right Story, Wrong Story: Adventures in Indigenous Thinking" - Tyson Yunkaporta

[whats-in-a-sentence]

There's a red-eye crow on the powerlines outside my window in the city.

"Right Story, Wrong Story: Adventures in Indigenous Thinking" - Tyson Yunkaporta

[ridiculousbirdfaces]

White-winged Chough—repel boarders by I Am birdsaspoetry.com 

White-winged Chough (Corcorax melanorhamphos)

[hello-birdies]

Corcorax melanorhamphos by patrickkavanagh

[bunch-of-birds]

White-winged Chough (Corcorax melanorhamphos)

© Dan Forster

[allblackbirds]

White-winged Chough (Corcorax melanorhamphos)

© Dan Forster

[brownwork]

Memorial Concert for Ryan Walsh

[isagrimorie]

Okay, okay so here’s the thing I was going to do a fic rec post for @sunshinedaysforever (wreckageofstars) “Non sum qualis eram”, in fact, I still will because it’s fantastic. 

A brilliant character study of Thirteen, in a multi-chapter casefic GEN story. Everything in there is my jam. 

In fact, let’s start there:

Title: Non Sum Qualis Eram (I am not what I used to be).

Summary: Shadows are stalking Sheffield and the Doctor is not herself.

The story is an amazing and fantastic character study of Thirteen and the Companions slowly learning a tiny bit about the Doctor-- enough for them to realize she’s not always this cheery and bubbly figure they know, that this tour guide to the universe, their friend has something lurking underneath. 

It’s amazing.

And then the next story. This is a work in progress but it is glorious. 

Title: The Fisher King Comes Home  Summary: The Doctor's own past is on her heels, but her attempts to outrun it land her and her friends in the crosshairs of her greatest enemy – and the Daleks.

I shouldn’t like how much this story keeps pushing and pushing the Doctor, pushing her even beyond the limit of The Ghost Monument and The Tsuranga Conundrum but I do because it’s such a juicy character study of who Thirteen is, through the eyes of Yaz and the team. 

It’s seeing the cracks in the foundation, if ‘Non Sum Qualis Eram’ is about the Team slowly learning about the Doctor, in ‘The Fisher King Comes Home’ is all about ripping the carpet from under them, fast and so, so beautifully. 

The thing that pushed me to write this rec post is this whole passage from Chapter 4.

[BEWARE OF SPOILERS, PREPARE FOR AWESOME]

 Chapter 4 and the Chapter before stripped the Doctor of all comfort except for the Fam, who is there and slowly witnessing the mask falling off. Thirteen is desperate to leave a war zone they accidentally find themselves in but can’t and they find themselves conscripted against their will. 

It’s starting to be a terrible no good bad day, and it keeps on coming until the Doctor comes to this: 

“We will not evacuate,” he said darkly, stalking forward. Offended at the mere suggestion, and Yaz had to fight not to close her eyes, disgust rising in her throat. Fear, too. There was no easy way to help people that didn't want it. “We will not stand down. We have been here for a hundred years. Help us fight them, General. Help us win,” he said, quieter. Changing tactics. “And I will let you go.”

The Doctor shook her head, so slightly. Eyes narrowing. “You don't get it, do you.” It wasn't a question. “You really don't get it.” She shook her head again, mouth twisting unpleasantly. Yaz shivered. “You really have been blessed, Corcorax,” the Doctor said, eyes sharp and dark. “Well and truly blessed, and you don't even know it.” She took another deliberate breath, but her hands were shaking at her sides. She was, very carefully, Yaz thought, not looking at them at all. “I didn't just fight in the War, you see.” Her teeth gleamed white in the sickly gloom. “I ended it. Ask me how.”

Corcorax backed up a step, frowning. The Doctor stood, towering over him, mindless of the papers under her heel, the ominous wobble of the rusted desk.

“Ask me how,” she said flatly.

“How?” he asked.

She smiled gently.

“Blew it all up. Every last Dalek, every last Time Lord. My whole planet. Everything.” She tilted her head. “I suppose someone like you might call that winning. So, what do you think? Shall I have a go here, with your planet?” The smile dropped from her face. She jumped down from the desk, the metal under her feet vibrating with the impact, and stood very still. “You don't want me to fight your war for you, Corcorax,” she said, softly. “I'm a pacifist, you see.”

C h i l l s.

It’s the last part that gets me and I’m just. I re-read this bit five times. I am surrendering all my writing implements, because goddamn. 

(Yes, @sunshinedaysforever knows the Doctor saved Gallifrey but the man she’s talking to doesn’t know.)

Never has the word ‘pacifist’ been so terrifying. 

I can’t wait for the next update, meanwhile, everyone has to run, walk, beg, borrow and read this story. 

Because: God. Damn.

[cuteness--overload]

A White-winged Chough (Corcorax melanorhamphos).

Source: http://bit.ly/2MPdWOe

[isagrimorie]

Summary: The Doctor’s own past is on her heels, but her attempts to outrun it land her and her friends in the crosshairs of her greatest enemy – and the Daleks.

Writer: wreckageofstars | @sunshinedaysforever

It’s finished! It’s epic and heartbreaking. The story runs Thirteen into the ragged edge, and into the brink. She ran so far from herself that she circled back to the beginning and it’s fantastic. I can only hope series 12 threads the same path for Thirteen. 

Yaz is amazing and largely our POV. And Ryan, Ryan is a superstar. I particularly love his relationship with the Doctor, his brilliance sneaks up on you and then he grabs your whole heart. 

I love them so much. 

Here is an excerpt from one of my favorite moments in the fic: 

[BEWARE OF SPOILERS, PREPARE FOR AWESOME]

The Chapter before stripped the Doctor of all of her safety nets. Except for the Fam, who are slowly witnessing the Doctor’s mask falling off. Thirteen is desperate to leave a war zone they accidentally find themselves in but can’t and they find themselves conscripted against their will.

It’s starting to be a terrible no good bad day, and it keeps on coming until the Doctor is pushed to this point: 

“We will not evacuate,” he said darkly, stalking forward. Offended at the mere suggestion, and Yaz had to fight not to close her eyes, disgust rising in her throat. Fear, too. There was no easy way to help people that didn’t want it. “We will not stand down. We have been here for a hundred years. Help us fight them, General. Help us win,” he said, quieter. Changing tactics. “And I will let you go.”

The Doctor shook her head, so slightly. Eyes narrowing. “You don’t get it, do you.” It wasn’t a question. “You really don’t get it.” She shook her head again, mouth twisting unpleasantly. Yaz shivered. “You really have been blessed, Corcorax,” the Doctor said, eyes sharp and dark. “Well and truly blessed, and you don’t even know it.” She took another deliberate breath, but her hands were shaking at her sides. She was, very carefully, Yaz thought, not looking at them at all. “I didn’t just fight in the War, you see.” Her teeth gleamed white in the sickly gloom. “I ended it. Ask me how.”

Corcorax backed up a step, frowning. The Doctor stood, towering over him, mindless of the papers under her heel, the ominous wobble of the rusted desk.

“Ask me how,” she said flatly.

“How?” he asked.

She smiled gently.

“Blew it all up. Every last Dalek, every last Time Lord. My whole planet. Everything.” She tilted her head. “I suppose someone like you might call that winning. So, what do you think? Shall I have a go here, with your planet?” The smile dropped from her face. She jumped down from the desk, the metal under her feet vibrating with the impact, and stood very still. “You don’t want me to fight your war for you, Corcorax,” she said, softly. “I’m a pacifist, you see.”

[mutant-distraction]

Karra's Bird Photography

White-winged Chough (Corcorax

melanorhamphos)