#forever love the doozers

[nexahexagon]

Oomf: hey guys this person’s a Freak.

Me, a simple Sneegsnag viewer: Where! :D

The “Freak” in question: I’ve practically stolen a persons identity and sexualized creators who stated they’re uncomfortable with it.

[the5n00k]

(middle aged dad trying to make small talk voice) Been drawing a lot of fraggles lately

[genevawrenn]

I am just going to put this at the top : this post is going to be a long vent about missing Technoblade, please scroll on if you do not wish to read.

We are coming up on two years without him.

We are also coming up on three years since I discovered his content.

I thought I was at the point I could watch one of his videos tonight, as I used to often do when I am doing tasks or writing he was always the background noise I used. I remember calling into work when he streamed for the sheer sake of enjoying them while they happened the few times I caught them before...well. I think you know. He was the reason my passion for writing came back to life and I believed I could actually follow my lifelong dream of eventually publishing a story.

But I suppose the part I always forget about grief is the absence of the unique spirit that person brought to your life. I found his content and engaged with it instantly, developing one of the longest running fixations I have had in a good while. The sheer excitement I'd have getting the notification he went live for one of his rare streams.

I don't think it truly sunk in when he announced his diagnosis. I remember discussing it with the irl friend who got me into watching him and both of us laughed, saying he's strong enough to fight off anything.

A few months pass with his rare posts and there was always this tiny little bit of intuition I had where he never told us what severity of cancer it was. Like he was a very private guy, yes, but this seemed extra...odd.

Then I remember the way my heart sunk when 'so long nerds' popped into my notification bar. The dashing of my heart against the floor texting people as I tearfully listened to Technodad tell us the words his son Alex wished for us to hear.

Its been a long two years. Its been great ones, tbh. I found a new passion with QSMP and Hermitcraft after the finishing of DSMP [tho c!Techno will forever remain close to my heart]. I kept writing, with over half a million words in published fics on ao3 and several WIP including 3 original novels.

But the only one I ever wanted to thank for helping me find my creativity again I can't, and I never will be able to.

I miss Technoblade.

I will never stop missing him.

I wish he could have laughed with his friends for many years yet, being silently proud of their accomplishments while he messed with people on the QSMP. I wish he could have had another MCC with friends.

I wish his unique soul wasn't taken from us so soon, as we weren't done following our hero yet.

But the only thing I can do now is continue to speak his tales. The first book I properly publish, the gratitude page is going to be addressed to him. I will continue to tell others about his accomplishments and tell them to go watch his content on his Youtube channel [get him to 17 million!]! Buy some of his merch [when it comes back in stock]! Support his family & friends!

Though he would call us nerds for crying, I think its beautiful how many lives he touched and how many thousands mourned his passing. He was a light all corners of the MCYT sphere and beyond saw and respected, and not too many creators can claim such an honour.

I'll always be a Voice at my core. Even if I spend my time these days as a crow, a huevito, a ferret, a tubling, a doozer and many more, my heart will forever belong to Technoblade.

Please keep creating art and writing in his name. I love scrolling the fanart tags and adore every piece I come across with my favourite piglin in them. Please, please, please keep saying his name. Sing his legends. Make references, continue the jokes, hang out in one of his friends chats and support the people he loved.

Support those who are still here, even if your heart hurts.

It's only painful because we all loved him so much, which is a beautiful type of sorrow.

[dez-wade]

as a foolish viewer for 3 years now, a lot of twitter doozers make me feel like i should be apologizing for being a fan.

idk how you can be a foolish main and then get actually mad over the tiniest things. in minecraft. and then insist that they're right because its foolish and hes silly funny /rp. as soon as leo and sunny interacted i knew they would be like this.

you would think that watching a streamer who is known for their chill attitude would make them less likely to be unbearable, but if anything they just use the /rp no hate!!!! as a means to actually hate.

i have this running theory that even if you stuck foolish and leo in a box where literally nobody could hurt them, talk to them, etc. those same fans would then complain that "nobody remembers them" "why isnt anybody interacting with my favs :(" its why im on tumblr and not the other site, at least here its easier to block the annoying ones.

im only posting this as anon bc if you reply i dont feel like being harassed by the community of one of my fav streamers. and thats a bit sad isnt it.

also i hope your night is going well sorry if none of this makes sense they just bother me ever so slightly

Despite already knowing what they're capable of after the massive hate Forever got after hitting Leo, I thought it was just an egg thing since people take them seriously (now I know the QSMP fandom is more selective and extremely hypocritical when it comes to eggs).

It was in the Tazercraft jail arc that I realized how annoying they can be. So I stopped taking them seriously. They're very sensitive and get offended easily by things that are so random? The amount of times I saw on Twitter people upset over Foolish's behalf over something that isn't being discussed anywhere is wild.

I understand (but not approve) taking your favorite character and CC's pain if they're, you know, expressing any type of pain and hurt over something but it's always in situations that Foolish is just fine? They really get mad on his behalf over things he doesn't even react or negatively comment about. It's a weird parasocial relationship where they act as if they know more about the CC and the character than they do. It's really weird. I rarely go to that side of twitter but any that popped up had to be blocked because it's always goddamn awful takes if not straight up hate.

Which is a shame because Foolish is such a genuine, amazing person. I love seeing him on QSMP because I feel like everything is just funnier with him around. But sometimes I'm just relieved when he's not interacting with some people I care about because I won't have to worry about Twitter Doozers getting mad over something very specific and going on and on about how they hurt Foolish's feelings.

Also you don't need to apologize for anything, anon. These people should be the ones apologizing for being weirdos.

[bellascarousel]

What I'm Reading Wednesday

Hey look! I'm actually writing this on Wednesday! What sorcery is this? Anyway... here's what I've been reading this week:

Fanfiction

Five Words by RosesAtDawn A cute one-shot canon divergence. The point of divergence is the convo between Kate, Anthony, and Edwina in the chapel after the wedding. Edwina takes things a bit better than she did in the show, gets them to admit to loving each other and gives her blessing right then and there.

Good Morning Starshine by Stars_of_Kyber An absolutely adorable one-shot. It's a modern-day AU. Somebody is getting Kate and Anthony's Alexa to play I'm Still Standing very loudly at 5 in the morning. They are not amused - at least until they find out just who is doing it.

Lilies And Soap by Doozer Anthony and Kate are a musical duo who are both in denial about their feelings about each other. I've so far read 3 chapters. Then hit a part that promised to be angsty, and I don't know what happened after that. Definitely want to get back to it, though. It's really good.

Novels

Percy Jackson And the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. I finished it this week. And now I'm looking forward to the tv series even more than I was before. I cannot wait to see this properly brought to life.

Some Winter's Evening by Erin Langston. This just released today, so I'm only on page 25. But, I am already in love with these two. I've loved Gavin since reading Forever Your Rogue. I fell in love with Emilia during the prologue. They just had the most hilarious meet cute. Gavin stuck his foot in his mouth - but only because Emilia phrased her question stupidly. So looking forward to watching this play out (And Cora, Nate, and the kids getting involved).

And, that's it. Nano started today, so I might be even lighter on reading this month than I have been. We shall see what happens.

[justkc9]

Bad! My guys got very cozy vibes and his streams absolutely reflect it, but hes also incredibly devious and I think we could get up to some proper shenanigans

Ngl probably Bagi- she seems super chill and I feel like conversation would be easy Either Tubbo or Fit cause both of them tend to be homebodies and Sunny and Ramon are just the sweetest things Bets on Roier giving banger hugs but actually I think Phil cause I love his little cubito and he desperately needs a hug FIT PLEASE LET ME FIT IT UP SLIGHTLY PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Ngl I feel like as much as Pac 100% could kick my ass, I think it would be fun to spar n shit Avoiding Foolish at all costs cause I just know that if hes roped into something I will be dragged down with him (I was a doozer during the mansion building back in Feb of 2021... Toad Chandelier will forever haunt my brain)

which qsmp cubito would you want to:

- spend a day with, getting up to shenanigans

- get a coffee/beverage with

- spend a day babysitting their egg(s) with them

- hug/high five

- renovate their house/base for them

- get into a fight with

- spend the whole time avoiding on the island

and why?

[foolishlysunny]

My girlfriend knows me so well <3

[isaacthedruid]

PART 7: OUT OF CONTEXT FOOLISH QUOTES

[PART 1] [PART 8]

currently missing mr foolish underscore underscore gamers right now so have this extra long list of quotes :)

“I forget the context to everything.”

“That’s hot.”

Dono [referencing a Tiktok song]: “What you know about rolling down in the deep?”

Foolish: “As in Adele?”

“It ain’t much but it’s somethin’”

“I’m out like sliced butter on popcorn.”

"Do you guys know the average size of a walrus?"

“Anyone want my sacks?”

“Absolutely dab.”

Referring to the Doozer tee, “I’m wearing your guys’ merch.”

“Lesbian rights, hell yeah.”

“I was quick with the hippity hoppity steps outta there.”

“I’m just gonna get the bubonic plague now.”

“I’m gonna be the start of zombie apocalypse.”

“Listen, a zombie apocalypse would be terrible but it would be kinda fun... at the start.”

In a deeper voice, “... for those dirty, dirty diamonds.”

Chat: You’re like a 5 year old

Foolish: I wouldn’t say a 5 year old, more like 7

“I will not whip or naenae. You have to save those for special occasions.”

Dono: Can’t wait to see you in MCC tomorrow! Get that coin shark boy!

Foolish, sadly: Yeah. Go team.

“I don’t die, I’m kinda immortal.”

“There’s something therapeutic about absolutely mauling these squids.”

"Math isn't really my strong suit, I'm much more of a philanthropist.”

“Pain is temporary, but beauty is forever.

“The whole pyramid should be conduit-isized”

Getting shot with an arrow, over and over again, “I love the pain!!”

“A little blackmailing’s always healthy to build a relationship.”

“At least I’ve still got my little quartz maker, that’s right you little quartz maker, you.”

“Yeah like BBH! That little psychopath!”

“Penguins are one of those animals that I would want to slap me in the face.”

“Would a penguin actually hurt me if it slapped me?”

“I’m a respectable person, who only does it [meowing] from money.”

“Alright, I’m takin’ the glasses off and my dignity.”

Replying to a dono, “Yes you are, my little unhelpful doozers.”

“Your streamer’s a genius!!”

“I was gonna say a little swear here and there...”

"Meow with the glasses? No I only do it for money-" [50 subs are donated] “-Oh, you mother fucker!”

“I think I just successfully didn’t make any noise for like 8 seconds!”

“Everything I thought I had figured out is just out the window.”

“I feel like I could look British.”

“I gave one mouse a cookie, and before I knew it, there’s three properties back-to-back-to-back.”

“I never thought I needed a trampoline in my life, but here I am, trampolining.”

“What the hell’s a fish finger?”

“I’ve never eaten Teletubbies.”

“You pissed on my bed.”

“Never say never, that’s what I actually always say, and so did the Little Mermaid.”

“What happens in Vegas, stays in...Nevadas.”

“You say implausible, I say...snowflake.”

“I’m like a robo-cop.”

“I’m a scaffolding dispenser-er.”

“Either there was not sex or way too much sex.”

“These motherfuckers. This is my land. This is my land!”

“Is anyone’s last name Calcium?”

“No. I don’t eat sand. Too many calories.”

Eret: Gaslight gatekeep girlboss

Foolish: What about my elbows??

Eret, a few moments later: Fuck your elbows

“Settle down there, beacon boy.”

“I partook.”

“Am I colorblind?”

“My eyes don’t have color.”

“I never imagined I’d see this many balls at one time.”

“What’s a grape?”

“You know what rhymes with bear? Hair.”

“I don’t believe in Happy Feet.”

“I am bilingual, I am, and some times I might even meow.”

“I will attornize myself.”

“Please give us your money, and we’ll get you sand.”

“ ‘Milk the sand?’ That’s a really weird phrase-ology.”

“Sounds like you are conspiracizing right now.”

“Can I get high?”

Micheal: [talking about AO3, the fanfic website]

Foolish: Isn’t that a rootbeer?

“I don’t know if that’s fair, two for one head deal.”

“So what’s worse, Puffy, being colour blind or left handed?”

[atkinson-kate]

Favorite new songs of the week (in no particular order)

Lemon Poppyseed - The Doozers

Cheap Queen - King Princess

Sad Forever - Lauv

Love Yourself - Sufjan Stevens 

Mother’s Daughter - Miley Cyrus

7UP - Boy In Space

little light one - flor

Into Happiness - Phantogram

Stronger - Raveena

Emerald - Origami Angel

Glad He’s Gone - Tove Lo

Almost It - SACRED PAWS

[jbharrisauthor]

Episode 1 - Timing Is Anything - Chapter One

London 2009

Timing. Funny word, timing, considering time and space were more like a big ball of tangled yarn, rather than the straight line people tended to think it.

But in this case, the timing had to be just right. Too early, and certain people who needed to be avoided would still be in the way. Too late, and he’d be really dead. No chance of saving him.

And Ianto Jones really needed saving.

The Doctor aimed to land the TARDIS in a janitorial closet of the high school where dozens of bodies had been laid out under red sheets in the gymnasium. But of course, when she opened the door and stepped out, she nearly tripped over a cello.

Music room. Right, not as inconspicuous as a closet, but as long as she had the timing right, then the rest was all semantics.

Letting the door of the TARDIS swing closed behind her, she paused to listen as voices echoed from the corridor. Male, talking in short, sharp sentences. Probably the military or UNIT. No one she wanted to run into when she didn’t want anyone to know she was here. If they knew The Doctor was in town, they’d expect her to do something about the alien-children situation, and Torchwood already had that well in hand, even if they didn’t realize it yet.

Ianto’s death was the catalyst for Torchwood’s leader, Captain Jack Harkness, to finally work out how to stop the alien threat the humans were calling the 456. This was one of those pesky fixed-point-in-time situations where The Doctor couldn’t, shouldn’t interfere.

Right now, Jack was devastated about losing the man he loved, almost broken. Almost. But not quite. Because now he was also desperate and angry. And while the 456—who were actually a parasitic, low-life race of gas-breathing creatures called the Sohanidd—hadn’t worked it out yet, thinking they’d claimed victory and the ten percent of the world’s children they were demanding, killing Ianto had been the one thing they could do to guarantee Jack would find a way to beat them once and for all. No matter the cost. Because that cost… Oh, that cost was too much. But the only way Jack would follow through was if he already felt like he had nothing left to lose.

So, no, she didn’t need anyone to find her here and get her involved, because then Jack would look to her for answers, and it could change the outcome. There was only one outcome she was here to change, and that was the finality of Ianto’s death. She’d seen patterns developing, things that made her decide she needed to take a gamble and change the course of Ianto’s fate.

He was meant to die today; an entire timeline had unfolded with just that eventuality. But something was happening in the dark corners of the galaxy, something she didn’t understand yet, and her instincts were shouting at her not to ignore it. So, even knowing it could actually make things worse, she was going to change history and save Ianto’s life, while hopefully still keeping the balance of events that had to occur today.

Once the voices had faded away, she crossed the room and peeked into the corridor to check it was clear before slipping out. She let the sound of muffled voices lead her to the gymnasium, pausing to look through a small square window in one of the two double swinging doors. She had to stand on tip-toes to see. Damn short legs. Most of her last regenerations, she’d been tall. Of course, she’d also been a man. So there was that.

In the middle of the gym, Jack sat with an arm around Gwen Cooper, the other surviving member of Torchwood. The only surviving member of Torchwood. Apart from Jack who couldn’t die, the rest had all perished in one way or another. But every single one of them had given their lives to save the planet from destruction at different points in time.

Jack and Gwen were staring down at Ianto, neither of them looking like they planned to move anytime soon.

“Come on, Jack. Say your goodbyes and be on your way. Before it’s too late,” she mumbled to herself.

“Can I help you, Miss?” A pair of soldiers had walked up behind her while she’d been distracted looking through the door glass. Every now and then, she still looked over her shoulder to find the Miss people were referring to, until she remembered that she was the Miss. Or ma’am. Or hey lady depending on what she was doing that day.

“Oh, no, I’m fine.” She sent them what she hoped was a friendly, not-up-to-anything smile. “Just waiting for someone.”

The soldiers nodded and then continued through to the gym, chatting to each other.

Once the doors swung closed again, she went back on tip-toes to steal another look. Jack and Gwen were finally on their feet, still with their arms around one another, walking slowly, stiffly away from the body. Though Jack was aging immeasurably slower than a normal human—he still had thousands of years to live—he looked so much older than the last time she’d seen him, as if losing Ianto had stolen hundreds of years off that vast lifetime of his.

If only she could tell him he would see Ianto again. But that was for another day. For today, Jack needed to keep on believing that Ianto was gone forever.

By the time Jack and Gwen had disappeared from sight, she was practically hopping on the spot with impatience. The window of time she had to revive Ianto was rapidly shrinking. The pair had barely left the gym through the outside doors before she went rushing out. If they came back, she was banking on the fact that Jack wouldn’t recognize her—at least not right away. Last time Jack had seen The Doctor, he’d had brown hair. Among other more noticeable changes.

It was getting late in the evening and people were gradually leaving, plus with the alien threat still hanging over them, no one was worrying too much about the already-dead when there were millions of children who needed saving. No one paid her any attention as she crossed the rows of bodies, but she kept her head ducked just in case, doing her best not to attract attention to herself. Jack and Gwen had left the red sheet off Ianto’s face, as if they couldn’t bear to fully cover him like the rest of the bodies.

He certainly looked dead as a doornail. She hoped she wasn’t wrong about this. His lips were blue and his skin was grey. She pulled her sonic screwdriver out of her pocket and gave him a quick scan before checking the reading. Ah-ha. Just what she’d been hoping to find. He wasn’t dead yet. Just in a very, very deep sleep. Exactly like sleeping beauty.

Ianto Jones, however, was much prettier than sleeping beauty. And unfortunately, true love’s kiss wasn’t the cure to this disease.

Actually, if the virus was what she suspected, it really was the same thing sleeping beauty had caught. Not the Disney version. The real-life sleeping beauty the story was based on. A German princess from around the mid-17th century who’d eaten what she’d thought was an apple, but had actually been a piece of contaminated fruit thrown out of a passing tourist spaceship. Gosh, had that been a doozer of a day. The king nearly had her drawn and quartered before she’d worked out what was wrong with his daughter.

The secondary analysis on the sonic screwdriver finished with a whirr and confirmed the diagnosis. She slipped the device away again and then reached into a different pocket, pulling out several small vials and sorting through them to find the neon purple one with the anti-viral to counteract the effects. Tasted like death, but was preferable to actual death.

“Down the hatch, Ianto Jones.” She pinched his chin to part his lips, glancing around to make sure no one was watching before she tipped the contents of the vial into his mouth. The room was now empty, apart from the two soldiers who’d spoken to her out in the corridor. And the dead.

The truth was, none of these people were actually dead. Oh, they would be within ten to twenty minutes. And she would have saved every one of them if she could. But she didn’t have enough anti-viral to go around, and while she didn’t want to say Ianto was any more important than anyone else here—their lives cut tragically short when the 456 aliens had released the fast and deadly virus into Thames House—the fact was, she needed Ianto alive. The entire universe possibly needed Ianto alive. She just hadn’t worked out why yet.

Ianto gasped suddenly, his eyes snapping open, gaze frantic as he looked around. She set her hands on his shoulders to stop him from getting up right away.

“Jack—Jack. We have to stop them—”

“Calm down, Mr. Jones. Just take a minute to get your breath back.” She glanced over her shoulder, but so far, Ianto’s miraculous resurrection had gone unnoticed by the two guards sitting at the very far end of the gym.

He focused on her, blue eyes impossibly bright.

“Who are you?”

“I’m The Doctor. And you, Mr. Jones, need to come with me.”

“The Doctor?” Ianto pulled out of her grasp, confusion in his features. “The Doctor. Jack told me about you. He said you had something to do with it, why he can’t die. He said you helped him. He said—he said you were a man.”

She wrapped her arm around his shoulders, urging him up so they could make their getaway before the two guards finally noticed something was going on.

“Yes, I was a man. Now I’m a woman. Things change. Bodies regenerate. Now are you coming with me, or not?”

He did his best to get on his feet, still weak, swaying slightly against her.

“What happened to me?”

“You were sick, I made you better.” She got a firm arm around him to help keep him upright and led him away from his place among the dead.

“Where are we going?”

“Away from here for a start.” They skirted the bodies, and Ianto paused as he suddenly seemed to realize where they were.

“All these people, they’re all dead.” He swayed again and she tightened her hold on him, snatching another glance at the soldiers.

“We can’t help them now. But if you want to help everyone else, then you need to come with me.”

“They’re dead because of us. Because we went in there and told them we weren’t going to give them the children.” They started moving again, but it wasn’t much more than a slow shuffle.

“You did the right thing, Ianto. It might not seem like it now, but you did the right thing.”

“Where’s Jack? Is he under one of these sheets? I don’t want him to be alone when he wakes up.” He paused again, casting a searching glance, like he was thinking about going back to search the bodies until he found Jack.

“Jack is gone. I’ll explain everything—”

“Gone?” Ianto pulled out of her hold, managing to stay upright, seeming a bit stronger now. “What do you mean Jack’s gone? He wouldn’t have left me. Not unless—”

The dawning realization on his face was heartbreaking. On both her hearts.

Ianto gasped a breath like he was in physical pain. “I have to go find him. He thinks I’m dead, doesn’t he?”

She held out her hands, trying to keep him calm. “Ianto, I know this doesn’t make any sense right now, but you can’t see Jack. He needs to think you’re dead. It’s the only way he’ll do what needs to be done.”

“That’s ballocks.” Ianto’s voice went up by twenty or so decibels, his blue eyes wet with unshed tears. “How can it be better to let him think I’m dead?”

The shouting finally got the attention of the two guards, who were looking like they were going to come over and intervene.

“Please, I’ll explain everything. I’ll take you to see Jack. But can we get out of here first?”

“Hey! You two!” One of the guards yelled out suddenly.

“Ianto, are you feeling any better yet?” she asked, watching the two guards dance around the bodies as they tried to hurry toward them.

He sniffed, wiping a hand over his face. “No, actually. I feel like microwaved death.”

“Then I’m sorry for this, but, run!”

She grabbed his arm and yanked him into action. They sprinted the remaining distance across the open floor of the gym and slammed through the doors into the corridor. Almost right away, Ianto pulled to a stop, gasping for air and bending over to brace his hands on his knees.

“I can’t— Need a second. Can’t run anymore.”

She yanked her sonic screwdriver out and locked the doors, scrambling the tumblers so even the key wouldn’t work. It’d give them a few extra minutes until the guards either broke the door or found another way around.

She took Ianto’s arm and helped him straighten. “Come on. No more running for now. I promise.”

No, they weren’t running, but she did hustle him into a very fast walk. By the time they reached the music room, he was practically stumbling, coughing over every breath. Just inside the familiar blue doors of the TARDIS, she finally let him go. While he sunk down on the floor to catch his breath, she rushed over to the console and fired up the engines.

She circled around, pushing buttons, turning knobs and throwing levers until the TARDIS breathed into life.

“Where are we?” Ianto used the railing to pull himself to his feet.

“The TARDIS. My ship. I assume Jack told you all about that as well.”

Ianto took a few slow steps forward, looking around. “He might have mentioned it.”

“Well?” She spun to face him and held out her arms.

“Well what?” He coughed again, pressing a hand against his chest with a grimace.

“You didn’t say the thing. Everyone has to say the thing the first time.”

“I’m sorry, what thing?”

She went over and took his hand, leading him around the console and sitting him down in the seat, dropping down next to him.

“It’s bigger on the inside. Although, once someone told me it was smaller on the outside. Clever, impossible girl. Not so good with words.”

Ianto stared at her, blinking, his brow furrowed like he was having trouble keeping up.

“About Jack—”

She huffed as she pushed to her feet. “What is people’s obsession with Jack Harkness? Those 51st century pheromones aren’t that great, I’ve smelled better. He’s a good kisser, I’ll give you that. But really, is he worth all the trouble that follows him around?”

“It’s not an obsession.” Ianto’s features tightened with anger. “I love him. And right now, he needs me. I don’t care what you say, letting him believe I’m dead can’t possibly be the best thing for anyone.”

She leaned against the console and crossed her arms. “I told you I’d take you to see him, and I will. But there’s something I need to show you first.”

“Something you need to show me?” He got to his feet, fists clenched. “We don’t have time for sight-seeing. The whole world—all those children. They’re in danger right now.”

“And they’ll always be in trouble right now, because it’s a fixed point in time I have no interest in messing up.”

Ianto’s brow creased, clearly trying to figure out what she was telling him.

“The TARDIS can go anywhere in space and time. Which means we can spare an hour or two to see a few things, and then I can drop you right back where you were, two minutes after we left. You won’t miss anything. Jack will still be there, I promise.”

“Then take me back now. I don’t want to see anything, I need to help Jack and Gwen.”

The TARDIS gave a familiar whooshing-wheezing noise before powering down.

“But we’re here, Mr Jones. And believe me, this is something you want to see.” She pushed away from the console and held out her hand.

“But he thinks I’m dead. I can’t even imagine how much that’s hurting him.” Ianto coughed, breath getting short, the after effects of the virus still playing havoc on his body.

She walked by him and went to find a glass of water. But then she got waylaid digging him up a bowler hat and pair of glasses. He was definitely going to need a disguise.

She returned a moment later to hand over the water. “Didn’t I just get through explaining the whole TARDIS time and space thing? We won’t let Jack think you’re dead any longer than we have to, okay?”

Just long enough to make sure he saved the little speck on the edge of the universe called Earth and all it’s amazing, infuriating inhabitants.

Ianto drank down every last drop of water in the glass and then exhaled a long breath.

“Fine, I’ll go see whatever it is you want me to see if it’ll get me back to Torchwood quicker.”

“Now we’re in business. Put these on.”

She plonked the hat on his head and held out the wide, square-rimmed glasses.

“What do I need these for?” He took the hat off, but she slipped it from his hand and put it right back on again.

“Don’t worry, you look charming. Bowler hats are cool. And it’s because we’re going incognito.”

He actually looked her up and down. “I don’t see you wearing any disguise.”

“This entire regeneration is a disguise, believe me.”

Grabbing his arm, she tugged him into motion, but he paused to set the empty glass on the nearest horizontal surface.

“Not on the control console, you heathen.” She grabbed the glass and tossed it over the railing. A second later it broke on the lower level in a tinkle of shards. She pulled him into motion as he gaped over his shoulder at where the glass had disappeared. “Don’t worry, the TARDIS will take care of that. But we don’t leave things on the console. I have rules now, you see. Ever since Amelia Pond left a half-eaten chocolate bar on there and it melted into the primary rift matrix. We got lost in this one binary system for weeks. It was not as fun as it sounds. I’m still finding little sticky bits of cocoa and sugar in places those substances should never go.”

“Right, no leaving things on the console,” Ianto replied, sounding a little overwhelmed.

They stepped through the doors of the TARDIS, out into the orange light of a red dwarf star. They’d landed at the edge of a bustling city square. On one side was a funky little craft market selling handmade gifts and collectables. Another side held a transport hub where people were coming and going from mono-rail-like shuttles. Over further, some kind of rally seemed to be happening.

“Where are we?” Ianto seemed positively dazed now.

“A little planet circling a little red star, seven-hundred-thousand light years from Earth and approximately… oh, five hundred years in the future.”

He looked this way and that, as if he didn’t know what to take in first. “These people, they’re all—”

“Human. You lot eventually colonize one end of the universe to the other, like adorable little rodents.”

He cut her a lightly indignant look, but didn’t reply.

“Anyway, we didn’t come here just to see some boring city.”

“Boring? On a planet five-hundred-years in the future, a gazillion light years from home?” Ianto shook his head. “This is so—”

Apparently, he didn’t have words for exactly what he thought it was.

“Amazing?” she supplied. She’d travelled so far and for so long, she often forgot to take in the wonder of the things she saw. That’s why she needed them. Companions. Friends picked up along the way. Through them, she remembered to get a little star-struck and appreciate the moments day-to-day. “Spectacular. The most astounding, breathless moment of your previously tiny existence.”

“I was going to say normal.” This time when he looked around, it was like he’d finally got everything together in his head, shaken off the last cobwebs of the virus that’d nearly killed him. He was still a little pale, but all things considered, it could have been worse. “It’s just people, and it all looks so normal.”

“Oh.” Ianto Jones was not like regular people. He said the unexpected. She liked it, and she was beginning to see why the enigmatic Captain Jack Harkness had fallen so hard for the charming Welshman. “Well then, let’s see if we can find something not-normal to surprise that single heart of yours.”

The look he gave her in return suggested Jack probably hadn’t told him about the two-hearts thing, which no doubt made that last statement sound completely odd. Most people found the things she said completely odd at one time or another. But it just made things all the more fun.

She led Ianto across the city square, down a busy block and into a little building nestled between two taller structures. When they walked in, the scent of incense enveloped them. A special incense of mind-altering properties, if breathed for too long. They wouldn’t be able to spend too long in here with that incense seeping into every pore, or anything could happen.

Soft low music was coming from somewhere, while hushed, relaxed-sounding voices chatted and laughed without disturbing the peace.

“What is this place, some kind of temple?” Ianto asked in a loud whisper.

“Something like that.”

They came to a wooden door and she pushed it open, waving an arm to indicate he should go first. He spent a long second looking at her, before stepping through.

She followed after him, but unsurprisingly, he’d pulled to a halt just inside.

“What the hell is going on here?” His voice was tight, gaze fixed straight ahead like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. She studied his expression, since she’d already studied everything in this room for clues.

“I was hoping you could help me work that out.”

“That’s me.” He pointed, as if making sure she hadn’t failed to see it. Not that anyone with eyes could miss the sight. “That’s some kind of shrine with pictures of me all over it.”

“To be fair, some of them are of you and Jack.” There was another room just over from here that was solely dedicated to Jack. But considering she’d only just convinced Ianto to come with her instead of rushing back to let Jack know he was still alive, she didn’t think he needed to see that just now.

“But what the hell is it doing here. Why is it here? Are they—are they worshipping me or something?”

“Worshipping. Idolizing. Generally revering that gorgeous face of yours. Yup, they’re doing all that.”

“But, how? Why?”

“That, Mr. Jones, is what we’re here to find out.”

Read Chapter Two Here