The Chaosverse Book Club: Week Two
Aug. 28th, 2011 02:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
earlgreytea68Things Continue to Progress
I admit this is another fic that isn't one of my favorites, although I'm not sure why, because there are bits of it I really like: the description of the Doctor's state of undress, which I find exta-sexy because of how dressed up he normally is; the first mention of the Doctor's propensity to keep count of their shags, which shows up in a few other fics and is finally resolved in "Whispers in Her Ear, from Across the Room"; the last line. I do also like their tone in this fic, I think they feel very much like two people who had just gotten together and were still in that honeymoon phase and couldn't believe their luck at finding each other. Not to say they ever completely take each other for granted but, even with no other cues, you can tell that this is an early story whereas a story like "Evasive Maneuvers" is a later story. At least, I think you can.
Questions for Discussion:
There should be a week-long ficathon where someone posts a fic each day about each of the shags the Doctor describes: One that was slow, one that was fast, the one with you on top, the one with the thing with your teeth and my hip, the one with the thing with my tongue and your belly button, the one where we fell off the bed, and the one just after I woke you up. This is another question for discussion that is not a question for discussion but a command.
I set up the Doctor associating cups of tea with less than respectable activities, but I never did do anything with that. Did you ever think back to this story at any of the many, many times my Doctor drinks a cup of tea?
What are your favorite bits of this paticular little fic?
A Supernatural Excursion
I love this story. It's strange, because I tend to forget about it, and I don't re-read it very often, but every time I do re-read it I'm struck by the fact that I think it is absolutely hilarious. I love the Doctor's insecurity and vulnerability in the fic when it comes to Rose, but I love the Doctor-y-ness of him, for lack of a better word, in the rest of the fic. I love the mocking salute he gives to the truck that almost runs him over, I love his no-nonsense competence when they encounter Sam and Dean outside the house and he's just like, "I don't have time for this, leave me alone," I love his mocking "Professional what?" at Dean after they kill the werewolf, which I find some kind of prediction of Sherlock being all "The police don't consult amateurs" a few years later, I love his "There's a Lord involved here, but not the Lord you're thinking." Really, I think the Doctor has some great lines in this fic. And I have to admit, this fic has one of my favorite lines of dialogue ever: "I’ve got a lupine-wavelength haemovariform who needs a tummy tuck" Hahahahaha! I have no idea why, because I'm sure I've written better lines of dialogue, but that line out of the Doctor cracks me up every time I read it. (I also like how Sam says "Doctor what?" instead of "Doctor who?" here. Just because I think an American would say it that way. I think.)
I also love this fic because it lets me engage in one of my favorite things: viewing the Doctor/Rose relationship from the vantage point of an outsider.
Questions for Discussion:
The Doctor mentions that Rose has something of the wolf about her, which is something that comes up in "Tooth & Claw" and then, frankly, seems to mostly be dropped from canon ("Bad Wolf" references aside, since those don't really have to do with the effect on Rose). Frankly, I drop the idea from the Chaosverse (other than, you know, the notable exception of "College," but I tie that to her heart's desire and not to her wolf-ness). What are your thoughts on the "something of the wolf about her"? What did the line mean in canon? What should it mean in fanfiction?
The Doctor has Rose carrying a gun in this fic. Thoughts on that? I admit I wrote it without really giving thought to the Doctor's aversion to guns. Did any of you find it noteworthy here in this fic?
Do you have any particular bits of this fic that you find hilarious the way I do?
Everywhere
Ah, a post-GitF fic. Such an infamous subgenre in the DW genre!
I admit that I think Rose could have gone either way in this fic. That this was the turning point in their fragile relationship. She forgives him--and we all know they end up happily ever after--but I think she could have walked away from him and I wouldn't have blamed her. So this was a tricky fic to write, because I had to have Rose forgive him, but I had to make sure that she didn't seem too forgiving, if that makes sense. I didn't want it to feel like she was sacrificing the strength of her character for him.
I've never really played around with the fact that the Doctor thought the relationship with Rose was a bad idea, even as he let himself get involved. I should really do something with that. Because he was clearly as wrong as he has ever been in that regard (at least, in my 'verse).
I love the way this fic ends, too. Where are they going? Everywhere. And they did. :-)
Questions for Discussion:
Do you love GitF? Do you hate GitF? Regardless of how you feel about it, how do you think this fic does dealing with GitF?
Do you buy Rose forgiving the Doctor here? Or do you think she gave in too easily?
Next Week: Like a Kid in a Candy Store, One If by Land, Two If by Sea, and Chapter 1 of Chaos Theory in Vortex Orbits in Relative Dimensions in Time and Space.
I admit this is another fic that isn't one of my favorites, although I'm not sure why, because there are bits of it I really like: the description of the Doctor's state of undress, which I find exta-sexy because of how dressed up he normally is; the first mention of the Doctor's propensity to keep count of their shags, which shows up in a few other fics and is finally resolved in "Whispers in Her Ear, from Across the Room"; the last line. I do also like their tone in this fic, I think they feel very much like two people who had just gotten together and were still in that honeymoon phase and couldn't believe their luck at finding each other. Not to say they ever completely take each other for granted but, even with no other cues, you can tell that this is an early story whereas a story like "Evasive Maneuvers" is a later story. At least, I think you can.
Questions for Discussion:
There should be a week-long ficathon where someone posts a fic each day about each of the shags the Doctor describes: One that was slow, one that was fast, the one with you on top, the one with the thing with your teeth and my hip, the one with the thing with my tongue and your belly button, the one where we fell off the bed, and the one just after I woke you up. This is another question for discussion that is not a question for discussion but a command.
I set up the Doctor associating cups of tea with less than respectable activities, but I never did do anything with that. Did you ever think back to this story at any of the many, many times my Doctor drinks a cup of tea?
What are your favorite bits of this paticular little fic?
A Supernatural Excursion
I love this story. It's strange, because I tend to forget about it, and I don't re-read it very often, but every time I do re-read it I'm struck by the fact that I think it is absolutely hilarious. I love the Doctor's insecurity and vulnerability in the fic when it comes to Rose, but I love the Doctor-y-ness of him, for lack of a better word, in the rest of the fic. I love the mocking salute he gives to the truck that almost runs him over, I love his no-nonsense competence when they encounter Sam and Dean outside the house and he's just like, "I don't have time for this, leave me alone," I love his mocking "Professional what?" at Dean after they kill the werewolf, which I find some kind of prediction of Sherlock being all "The police don't consult amateurs" a few years later, I love his "There's a Lord involved here, but not the Lord you're thinking." Really, I think the Doctor has some great lines in this fic. And I have to admit, this fic has one of my favorite lines of dialogue ever: "I’ve got a lupine-wavelength haemovariform who needs a tummy tuck" Hahahahaha! I have no idea why, because I'm sure I've written better lines of dialogue, but that line out of the Doctor cracks me up every time I read it. (I also like how Sam says "Doctor what?" instead of "Doctor who?" here. Just because I think an American would say it that way. I think.)
I also love this fic because it lets me engage in one of my favorite things: viewing the Doctor/Rose relationship from the vantage point of an outsider.
Questions for Discussion:
The Doctor mentions that Rose has something of the wolf about her, which is something that comes up in "Tooth & Claw" and then, frankly, seems to mostly be dropped from canon ("Bad Wolf" references aside, since those don't really have to do with the effect on Rose). Frankly, I drop the idea from the Chaosverse (other than, you know, the notable exception of "College," but I tie that to her heart's desire and not to her wolf-ness). What are your thoughts on the "something of the wolf about her"? What did the line mean in canon? What should it mean in fanfiction?
The Doctor has Rose carrying a gun in this fic. Thoughts on that? I admit I wrote it without really giving thought to the Doctor's aversion to guns. Did any of you find it noteworthy here in this fic?
Do you have any particular bits of this fic that you find hilarious the way I do?
Everywhere
Ah, a post-GitF fic. Such an infamous subgenre in the DW genre!
I admit that I think Rose could have gone either way in this fic. That this was the turning point in their fragile relationship. She forgives him--and we all know they end up happily ever after--but I think she could have walked away from him and I wouldn't have blamed her. So this was a tricky fic to write, because I had to have Rose forgive him, but I had to make sure that she didn't seem too forgiving, if that makes sense. I didn't want it to feel like she was sacrificing the strength of her character for him.
I've never really played around with the fact that the Doctor thought the relationship with Rose was a bad idea, even as he let himself get involved. I should really do something with that. Because he was clearly as wrong as he has ever been in that regard (at least, in my 'verse).
I love the way this fic ends, too. Where are they going? Everywhere. And they did. :-)
Questions for Discussion:
Do you love GitF? Do you hate GitF? Regardless of how you feel about it, how do you think this fic does dealing with GitF?
Do you buy Rose forgiving the Doctor here? Or do you think she gave in too easily?
Next Week: Like a Kid in a Candy Store, One If by Land, Two If by Sea, and Chapter 1 of Chaos Theory in Vortex Orbits in Relative Dimensions in Time and Space.
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"Things Continue to Progress" & "A Supernatural Excursion"
Date: 2011-08-29 06:06 am (UTC)-Hmm, I can't say I ever thought back on this during all of those tea drinking scenes, though I guess kind of always thought the punchline of this piece was that the Doctor was so distracted by sex and Rose that he didn't notice he'd put spoiled milk in his tea? Though in hindsight perhaps there should be a follow-up to this with tea at Jackie's, lol.
-This is definitely a very sexy look for the Doctor (possibly only improved with brainy-specs).
"A Supernatural Excursion"
I think this is actually the first time I've read through this fic properly. I've never seen Supernatural, and I think that put me off a bit. I think I read up until they actually start hunting the, uh, lupine-wavelength haemovariform/werewolf. But I'm glad I've read it now :)
-Hmmm, in cannon I guess I always assumed they were talking about Rose as Bad Wolf. Despite that the Doctor "took it out of her," I always got the impression that the effects were long reaching. For me, Bad Wolf is a nice way to explain why the Doctor and Rose always make it out of so many close calls: she ensured that they'd always be okay during her brief stint as the Bad Wolf. The beauty of fanfiction is that it can mean whatever, though it always makes me think of TheLastWord's Something!verse (on whofic, I feel like her lj name is different). I feel like she basically molded that series around that line.
-Hmm, I think I dismissed her carrying a gun based on the fact that it's a crossover fic. Though now that you've pointed it out it does seem a little out of character. Especially if they're trying to get the poor thing to go with them. I'm not sure the Doctor would want it to think it was being escorted at gun-point. Perhaps some other type of insurance would be more in character? UV flashlight perhaps, lol? Something mostly harmless.
-Jealous Doctor is amazing in this fic. He's humorous and heartbreaking all at the same time. I think “I’m over 900 years old and a Time Lord and this is still all very new. Forgive me if sometimes I think you might want someone closer to your own age…and species.” is my favorite line in this whole fic, and the conversation that accompanies it is brilliant. You do a really nice job of capturing the different sides of the Doctor, not only in this part but the conversation about being lucky at the end too.
"Everywhere"
Date: 2011-08-29 06:07 am (UTC)I always thought it was interesting that you wrote a post GitF fic, seeing as you don't always have a companion chaosverse fic for every cannon episode, and it would have been so easy to leave out to avoid the angst and awkwardness. But honestly, I think you handle it very nicely. And in hindsight I think this fic almost has to happen at some point. It wouldn't be The Doctor if he didn't have a moment of panic before committing to the domestic life he shares with Rose.
-I buy Rose forgiving the Doctor here because I think she realizes that this is the Doctor's moment of panic, and it's not fueled by lust or desire for another woman, but out of love and fear for her and her humanness. And of course, she loves him, so she doesn't really want to go. I think it's very real of her to forgive him simply because of that. Plus, she knows it's something they can work through because they love each other, not something that's going to fall apart because they don't.
-I like GitF, mostly. In fact, my only real problem is that it seems very irresponsible for the Doctor to want to invite Reinette to travel with them (though as a male friend of mine once pointed out, Time Lord responsibility has nothing on epic cleavage). I enjoy GitF fanfic because I think due to the timing of the episode there's a lot to write about. For instance, whose idea was the horse? It could easily have been Rose's. Did she ask to come with him? Plus the fact that it follows School Reunion does explain a lot about why the Doctor might be motivated to distance himself from Rose. However, I don't like GitF fics where Rose basically goes of and cries and has a woe-is-me moment. I feel like she almost has to confront him and end the discussion on friendly terms because by the beginning of the next episode they're back in the "We're the Doctor and Rose, and we can't hear you over the sound of how OTP we are" club. I think some writers take the "I'm upset over this episode, so Rose must be too" approach to this episode, and I honestly think she's fairly understanding of what he's going through (Though I guess her reaction does depend on whether they're sleeping together or not, or even if they're a couple or not). Basically what I'm saying is I like GitF fic, but it can easily be handled poorly.
Anyway, looking forward to next week's fics! :D
Re: "Everywhere"
Date: 2011-09-02 03:40 am (UTC)Yeah, I think you're right about Rose's forgiveness of the Doctor. She loves him, so she's inclined to forgive him, but she also understands him, she always has, so she knows he's in panic mode.
There is a lot of wiggle room in GitF, a lot of room for interpretation and speculation about what happens in it, and what happens between it and School Reunion. The fact that it comes right after School Reunion really illuminates GitF. And I think Rose is upset, but she's too strong and self-confident to let him get away it. (Or she hasn't reached that level yet, but I think then she can't have a relationship with him, really.)
Re: "Things Continue to Progress" & "A Supernatural Excursion"
Date: 2011-09-02 03:31 am (UTC)Awww, I like the spin that they make it out of scrapes because Bad Wolf fixed it for them! That's just lovely!
Hmm, a UV flashlight is clever. It could have been that the fact that this was a crossover fic threw me off a little bit, so that I didn't notice how weird it was to have Rose lugging around a silver-bulleted gun.
Poor Doctor. I think it's a legitimate fear of his. Rose thinks he's the most amazing thing in the universe, and that's exactly why the Doctor fears she might not want a relationship with him.