#justice for sarsha melenney

[clarasteam]

further spoilery reflections on the Rogue novelisation: post-audiobook random stuff edition

some things I enjoyed in the book that we didn't get in the show, though I see why we didn't:

the highly developed animosity between Ruby and Lord Stilton Barton, including her telling him "Don't hang out in a library unless you wanna get read" and standing him up in the middle of a quadrille, as a result of which he is actively planning to kill her

the description of the Doctor "giving the TARDIS a little comforting tap" in response to her indigestion groan

the Doctor ruthlessly breaking up Rogue's large weapon disseminator (variously described as his precious creation, his favourite gadget, etc) and using bits of it to reprogramme the trap (R: "I can't believe you broke my stuff!") - interesting that in this version Rogue is the one who's incautiously handing over his tech, rather than the Doctor handing over the sonic

the Doctor telling Rogue "Don't pout too much. When we're not trying to kill each other, we're a good team."

Rogue and the Doctor's dialogue in the garden after the Scandalous Gay Dancing/Fake Proposal OR WAS IT:

"Quite the show," Rogue said with a sly grin.

"You did pretty well yourself," the Doctor replied, adjusting his collar.

I hope someone is writing fic about Professor Sarsha Melenney of Capriskia University, the only survivor of the Chuldur invasion; my heart goes out to her. I like the grimness of this chapter, and how it moves from jokes about inheritance tax fraud to the way people would rather claim they'd been duped by a shapeshifter than "admit to being friends with, or related to, someone awful."

Ruby getting a stitch from "running about after eating all those finger sandwiches" and reflecting that you don't see that on tv

the Chuldur butler being fed up that not one person has accused him of murder, and being told it's the wrong era for it AGAIN (see tvtropes: The Butler Did It), and his pleasure when he finally gets to be the murderer (bumping off the vicar in order to perform the marriage)

more Duchess action, and the family tensions between her and [her annoying middle sister] Miss Emily Beckett, including the Duchess's plan to have a fling with Barton at her next event, "just to help her sister realise that their marriage was bogus" (& KH and BR generally having fun with poisonous family dynamics in this story)

in general, it feels as if Ruby gets more to do in the book than she does in the episode - there's more Ruby-and-Emily, more Ruby-and-Barton, more Ruby-and-the-Duchess. Ruby even makes sure nobody else gets killed by the Chuldur, at the point where Lord Frampton threatens to become "a grey-haired gentleman in a gold waistcoat" so that he can act as "father of the bride":

"Can we all stop messing about, please?" Ruby interrupted. "It's my wedding, and I want the Duchess to give me away." (at this point the Duchess still thinks Ruby is her annoying sister aka Emily, but she agrees to it anyway because she wants to be centre stage)

I am still happily cackling at the title and author of the book Ruby whacks Emily with :)

listening to the audiobook brings out different emphases, and changes the pace for me; there were other bits that made me laugh that I now can't remember, and some that made me have something in my eye...