![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Wow. I did not intend to spend all damned day finishing a fic that I have had in progress for...years, now. But here it is twelve hours later, and I just uploaded it and posted to the community. (Trope Bingo; today is the last day of amnesty for this round.)
Final Draft
Dec. 16th, 2017 08:01 pmIt took me rather longer than I had hoped tonight to edit the last section of my Yuletide piece, so I've decided not to try to upload it tonight. I'll read it through one more time tomorrow morning, and upload then.
I hope....
I hope....
Aaaaand that's a draft.
Getting There
Nov. 26th, 2017 07:45 amI had intended to be finished with this thing by today. That's not going to happen. I do have a pretty respectable word count, now, and even with massive cuts would still be above the 1,000 word minimum. So, hurray for our side, as my grandmother would say.
I really don't have that much more to do. I need to finish the section I'm working on, then I have one more to go. Maybe two, if I decide to do some sort of epilogue. It's not story so much as a series of conversations among the various characters, but I'm hoping it more or less fulfills the request. Hopefully more, rather than less....
I really don't have that much more to do. I need to finish the section I'm working on, then I have one more to go. Maybe two, if I decide to do some sort of epilogue. It's not story so much as a series of conversations among the various characters, but I'm hoping it more or less fulfills the request. Hopefully more, rather than less....
Not Going Well
Nov. 11th, 2017 07:02 amMy Yuletide piece is Not Going Well. I have an idea, but I can't find my way into it. (Well, I have two ideas, but I can't find my way into the other one, either, not with the characters/pairings that were requested.) I've tried to start it and failed a few times. The other day, I decided to NaNo it -- just sit down and type. I ended up with about 500 words of utter garbage, but it's a start, and maybe it'll get better.
Maybe I chose the wrong viewpoint character. Maybe it's the tense; I'm writing in present tense, which always seems gloom-and-doomy to me -- at least when I write it -- but normal past tense wasn't working, either.
Anyway. It's a three-day weekend. I spent yesterday basically goofing off, so today and tomorrow, I need to bash my head against this thing until I either knock myself out or get a story out of it.
Maybe I chose the wrong viewpoint character. Maybe it's the tense; I'm writing in present tense, which always seems gloom-and-doomy to me -- at least when I write it -- but normal past tense wasn't working, either.
Anyway. It's a three-day weekend. I spent yesterday basically goofing off, so today and tomorrow, I need to bash my head against this thing until I either knock myself out or get a story out of it.
This Is Not So Easy
Oct. 17th, 2017 08:07 amThis is ending up being harder than I thought. I would absolutely love to do the time travel/au that is one of the prompts from my recipient, but I can't quite figure out logistics. It has to make sense to me first.... But I could use it to save some of the characters who were killed off in the sequel movie.
I also considered a Five Christmases spanning the twenty years between movies, but then I remembered that one main character is Jewish. Five Thanksgivings, instead, maybe? In a post-apocalyptic, re-building world, people would be more likely to come together for Thanksgivings, anyway, right?
There's a canon novel that bridges the span between movies, but I'm not certain I want to read it. Well, I do want to read it, but I'm not certain I have time. I got a used copy, though, just in case....
I need to sit down with a piece of paper and see if I can map out a time travel plot....
I also considered a Five Christmases spanning the twenty years between movies, but then I remembered that one main character is Jewish. Five Thanksgivings, instead, maybe? In a post-apocalyptic, re-building world, people would be more likely to come together for Thanksgivings, anyway, right?
There's a canon novel that bridges the span between movies, but I'm not certain I want to read it. Well, I do want to read it, but I'm not certain I have time. I got a used copy, though, just in case....
I need to sit down with a piece of paper and see if I can map out a time travel plot....
Inigo Montoya Time
Oct. 12th, 2017 06:26 amSo...I have a bit of time this morning, and I am reading a fandom wiki related to my assignment. There is a whole lot of "I don't think it means what you think it means going on," such as "unambiguous" for "unambitious," or "uninspiring" for "uninspired." (And I'm pretty sure they want "unambitious" for that latter, too.) People are also trying to sound smart by using "whom," but they're using it incorrectly....
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif){kind=small}
A Gift For Donna
Oct. 7th, 2011 06:14 pmI have always detested the narrative device wherein a character has wonderful, life-changing adventures and then forgets-- or is made to forget -- them. I especially hated it when they used it at the end of the fourth series of (the new) Doctor Who because Donna Noble is my favorite Companion (and I say that as a fan of the series since the '80s). Here's my answer to that.
This does, of course, ignore the established continuity of later seasons as well as The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood, neither of which I have seen. Yet.
A Gift For Donna
"Hello, sweetheart," Wilf said, as his granddaughter crested the hill. "Don't see you up here very often anymore."
"Sorry, Granddad, you know how it is with kids. Busy, busy, busy, all the time." Donna rested a hand on her gravid belly and blew her fringe out of her face. "I swear that hill gets steeper all the time."
"Have my chair, sweetheart."
"Naw, Granddad, I can't stay. I was just dropping Benjamin off with Mum and this package came for you. It looked important, so I thought I'd bring it up to you."
Wilf accepted the flat, curiously heavy courier envelope, hoping Donna didn't notice the excited trembling of his hands. Though motherhood had sharpened her observational skills, she still wasn't quite as she had been. Before.
"You should rest a bit before you go back down the hill," he said, as casually as he could. "Sit here, while I read this and then you can carry it back down the hill for me."
Donna smiled. "All right." She lowered herself into Wilf's lawnchair, while he moved a few paces away and opened the package.
Inside was a single sheet of paper and a golden object that looked like a piece of jewelry. He turned his attention to the letter first.
"Dear Wilfred,
In the two years since you approached us regarding the matter of your granddaughter, Jack and I have been hard at work trying to find a solution. We discussed it with Jack's team at Torchwood, and we finally decided not to approach Donna's friend Martha, even though Jack is also well-acquainted with her. Dr. Jones is a fine woman, but as a member of UNIT, she is responsible to report to her superiors, and the Doctor is well-known to UNIT. I also have friends at UNIT, but Jack and I both concur that they do not need to know about Donna; the existence of a human being with Time Lord knowledge would be too tempting for terrestrial governments. Jack, as head of Torchwood Three has much more latitude, especially as Torchwood is not really affiliated with any government. Besides, although UNIT would like to deny it, Torchwood has more access to alien technologies than they do. Between Torchwood, Mr. Smith, and my own occasional visitors from the stars, we were able to construct the enclosed device. I shall spare you the technical details, but it is our fondest hope that it will restore Donna's memories without endangering her life.
The device is meant to be worn like a MedicAlert bracelet (and if it works, I would suggest having it permanently welded around Donna's wrist). We have built a tiny perception filter into it, so only those who are aware of its existence will be able to see it, and even they will have to concentrate to do so. This will guard both the device and Donna from interference. It is possible that with her memories restored and access to Gallifreyan knowledge, Donna may be able to come up with a better solution, but this was the best we could do.
I hope it works, but if it doesn't, the failsafe that the Doctor himself put in place should keep Donna safe until the bracelet is removed. Torchwood and Mr. Smith are monitoring the device and if anything goes wrong, Jack and I will know instantly and will respond.
Good luck.
Sincerely yours,
Sarah Jane Smith"
Wilfred shook the bracelet out of the package. He took a deep breath and turned toward Donna.
"Sweetheart, I have a present for you."
This does, of course, ignore the established continuity of later seasons as well as The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood, neither of which I have seen. Yet.
"Hello, sweetheart," Wilf said, as his granddaughter crested the hill. "Don't see you up here very often anymore."
"Sorry, Granddad, you know how it is with kids. Busy, busy, busy, all the time." Donna rested a hand on her gravid belly and blew her fringe out of her face. "I swear that hill gets steeper all the time."
"Have my chair, sweetheart."
"Naw, Granddad, I can't stay. I was just dropping Benjamin off with Mum and this package came for you. It looked important, so I thought I'd bring it up to you."
Wilf accepted the flat, curiously heavy courier envelope, hoping Donna didn't notice the excited trembling of his hands. Though motherhood had sharpened her observational skills, she still wasn't quite as she had been. Before.
"You should rest a bit before you go back down the hill," he said, as casually as he could. "Sit here, while I read this and then you can carry it back down the hill for me."
Donna smiled. "All right." She lowered herself into Wilf's lawnchair, while he moved a few paces away and opened the package.
Inside was a single sheet of paper and a golden object that looked like a piece of jewelry. He turned his attention to the letter first.
"Dear Wilfred,
In the two years since you approached us regarding the matter of your granddaughter, Jack and I have been hard at work trying to find a solution. We discussed it with Jack's team at Torchwood, and we finally decided not to approach Donna's friend Martha, even though Jack is also well-acquainted with her. Dr. Jones is a fine woman, but as a member of UNIT, she is responsible to report to her superiors, and the Doctor is well-known to UNIT. I also have friends at UNIT, but Jack and I both concur that they do not need to know about Donna; the existence of a human being with Time Lord knowledge would be too tempting for terrestrial governments. Jack, as head of Torchwood Three has much more latitude, especially as Torchwood is not really affiliated with any government. Besides, although UNIT would like to deny it, Torchwood has more access to alien technologies than they do. Between Torchwood, Mr. Smith, and my own occasional visitors from the stars, we were able to construct the enclosed device. I shall spare you the technical details, but it is our fondest hope that it will restore Donna's memories without endangering her life.
The device is meant to be worn like a MedicAlert bracelet (and if it works, I would suggest having it permanently welded around Donna's wrist). We have built a tiny perception filter into it, so only those who are aware of its existence will be able to see it, and even they will have to concentrate to do so. This will guard both the device and Donna from interference. It is possible that with her memories restored and access to Gallifreyan knowledge, Donna may be able to come up with a better solution, but this was the best we could do.
I hope it works, but if it doesn't, the failsafe that the Doctor himself put in place should keep Donna safe until the bracelet is removed. Torchwood and Mr. Smith are monitoring the device and if anything goes wrong, Jack and I will know instantly and will respond.
Good luck.
Sincerely yours,
Sarah Jane Smith"
Wilfred shook the bracelet out of the package. He took a deep breath and turned toward Donna.
"Sweetheart, I have a present for you."
