rec: May The Best Woman Win by starjargon

Hello all! This is my first time reccing, like, ever, and I am so excited to share some really excellent stories with all of you! My two ships are Ten/Donna and Doctor/River, but I enjoy anything that's really well written. Fics I enjoy are often of a happier or more emotional persuasion, often containing many giggles and fun banter.
This first fic I'm reccing is by the lovely [livejournal.com profile] starjargon, for whom I am honored to beta and who kindly returns the favor. I think you'll all really like it.

Story: May The Best Woman Win
Author: Starjargon
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2948
Author's Summary: Martha and Rose both care deeply for the same man. So of course, the only logical thing to do is fight for him. With jousting poles. AU, obviously.
Characters/Pairings: Amy Pond, Canton Everett Delaware III, Donna Noble, Harriet Jones, Harriet Jones, Jack Harkness, Jack Harkness, Lynda Moss, Martha Jones, River Song, River Song, Rory Williams, Rose Tyler, Rose Tyler, Sarah Jane Smith, The Doctor (10th), The Doctor (11th), The Doctor
Warnings: None

Recced because: This is a very fun, enjoyable fic that has pretty much every nuWho companion out there, as well as three different Doctors. Incredibly well written, with a strong, even representation of opposing characters, and some fantastic plot twists. It's one of my favorites that she's written, because she handles the complexity of dealing with so many different characters and emotions all at once in such a masterful and brilliant way.
nonelvis: (DW blue TARDIS)
[personal profile] nonelvis2014-06-25 10:10 am

Rec: A Portrait of Goodbye

Story: A Portrait of Goodbye
Author: Styrofoam monster
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 376
Author's Summary: Strange how one can say so much without uttering a word. The Doctor and Martha converse.
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor, Martha Jones
Warnings: none

Recced because: Ever since the Third Doctor greeted Liz Shaw in the eyebrow-waggling language of Delphon, we've known that the Doctor can converse in non-verbal tongues. So when Martha's body language inadvertantly reveals her feelings, the Doctor is compelled to reply in the same manner, even if his companion can't understand what he's saying – which is really for the best from the Tenth Doctor's perspective, as it always was easier anyway for him to hide his most personal thoughts rather than express them outright. This is a short story (too short for an excerpt), but it packs quite an emotional punch for something that doesn't even hit 400 words.
nonelvis: (DT oh shit)
[personal profile] nonelvis2014-06-20 11:30 am

Rec: The Pandora Project

Story: The Pandora Project
Author: Calapine
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 53,658
Author's Summary: At the end of series three, the Doctor and the Master end up travelling together and totally manage not to destroy each other or the universe. More or less. Meanwhile, Martha gets a job offer from UNIT, Jack fails to realise his team are a bit useless, and there's a giant squid for no good reason whatsoever.
Characters/Pairings: Ten/Simm!Master, Jack Harkness, Martha Jones

Recced because: This story has been on my to-be-recced list practically since [livejournal.com profile] calapine first posted it to LiveJournal, but I haven't gotten around to reccing it until now because I wanted to re-read it first, and could never quite find the time to sit and read a 53,000-word fic. But I thought I'd spend a few minutes at least skimming it this weekend ... except that "skimming" suddenly turned into "do nothing else until you finish reading this amazing fic in its entirety."

Seven years after Series 3, fandom has long since turned "the Master survived the events on the Valiant and travels with the Doctor instead" into a well-worn trope, but rarely is it handled as wittily, in-character, and compellingly as it is here. There are cameos from Classic Who characters, endless snark between the Tenth Doctor and the Master, and yes, a giant squid -- a vampire squid, to be exact, because if you're going to have a giant squid in a Doctor Who story, it might as well be a vampire, too. And there is also, of course, a fine plot holding all of this together, one that seamlessly blends the classic series with the new one, but saying more would spoil it. If you didn't have weekend fic-reading plans before, I hope you do now.

Excerpt: after the cut )

Rec - The Sound of Running Water by Firefly

Next, another story from the Year that Wasn't, in which Gwen gets help from an unexpected source:

Story: The Sound of Running Water
Author: Firefly124
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 9950
Author's Summary: Staying behind to mind the Hub while the rest of the team went to investigate an anomaly in the Himalayas had sounded boring to Gwen, but that was before the Prime Minister announced First Contact, Jack was declared a terrorist and then killed on live television, and a mysterious stranger popped into the Hub from nowhere.
Characters/Pairings: Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Jack Harkness, Martha Jones, Martha Jones, Rhys Williams, River Song, The Master (Simm), Toshiko Sato
Warnings: Explicit Violence, Swearing

Recced because: A lovely story by an author who hasn't been recced here before, in which River Song takes a hand in the events of the Year That Wasn't.

A short extract )

Rec - Through the Spaces of the Dark by Twitchbell

My next rec is pure Who, featuring Martha and Tish Jones and the aftermath of The Master.

Story: Through the Spaces of the Dark
Author: Twitchbell
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2702
Author's Summary: The present collides head first with the Year That Never Was: Martha and Tish come face to face with the painful memory of a day when the Master changed the rules.
Characters/Pairings: Martha Jones, Other Character(s), The Doctor (10th), The Master (Simm), Tish Jones
Warnings: None

Recced because: It's easy to overlook the human cost of the Doctor's career. Here Martha helps Tish Jones deal with some memories of her captivity on the Valiant.

A short extract )

I'm travelling over Easter weekend so I've set up my remaining recs as timed postings for Friday and Saturday, in case I can't get web access. Apologies in advance if anything goes wrong.
nonelvis: (DW Amy hat)
[personal profile] nonelvis2014-01-17 09:03 pm

Rec: The Pond Continuum

Story: The Pond Continuum
Author: kaydee falls
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 5,407
Author's Summary: Five people who have never heard of the Ponds (but might have met them anyway), and one who has.
Characters/Pairings: Amy/Rory, Amy/Rory/Jack, Martha, Sarah Jane, Rose, Ninth Doctor, Canton Everett Delaware III
Warnings: Swearing

Recced because: "The Angels Take Manhattan" left a giant-sized hole in canon for fic writers to fill: namely, how Amy and Rory spent their years in the past. Kaydee Falls posits quite reasonably that they could have met any number of characters with whom we're already familiar -- Martha during the Depression, Rose during Elizabeth II's coronation, Jack during World War II, and others. The characterization and voices are spot-on, and there's a gentle sense of humor that feels completely in keeping with the Ponds' unconventional relationship to each other, not to mention their unflappability when it comes to accepting the unusual, like a stranger in Barcelona, Spain berating himself for not mentioning something travels in time.

Excerpt: after the cut )

rec: 'They' by Prochytes

first of all: a happy new year to everyone!

Story: They
Author: Prochytes
Rating: teen
Word Count: 2295
Author's Summary: Remarkably, the Doctor was the easy one.
Characters/Pairings: Gwen Cooper, Kate Stewart, Martha Jones
Warnings: none

Recced because: What a great year it was for Doctor Who in its fiftieth year. Lost episodes found, regenerations shown and so many new stories told. One of my favourite characters in the fiftieth special was Kate Stewart. After  her (re)introduction on the show I immediately went looking for fic, but sadly, there isn't much available. The Teaspoon hosts less than fifteen stories featuring her, of which 'They' is the newest addition. Luckily, it's a great story, featuring not just Kate, but many others, too. The dialogue (and it is mostly dialogue) is truly great, with lots of references and name dropping for the careful reader. It had me smiling, laughing and, at the end, almost crying.

'They' is a heartwarming story about 'them'; the people around the Doctor, those who stay on earth and do the very best they can do. It's about Kate Stewart working to get UNIT back on track, with Martha Jones and Gwen Cooper guiding her along the way. It is about Torchwood and UNIT and all those other people, who sometimes make the wrong choices and cannot travel back in time to put them right. It's also about the Doctor, and how he touches the lives of those around him: both of those who travel with him and those who don't. It's not pretty and it's not forgiving, but it's beautiful regardless (or perhaps because of that).

enjoy!

rec: days that should have been by lyricalprose

My final rec for these two weeks! Thanks for bearing with me, especially through the bonus anniversary recs, and I hope you found something new to read. And if you did, don’t forget to feed the authors – love and comments make the world go round (or something like that).

Story: days that should have been
Author: lyricalprose
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1584
Author's Summary: He tries not to go back to the places he took Susan. (Or, the Doctor and memory – things remembered, and things forgotten).
Characters/Pairings: First Doctor, Susan Foreman, Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Eleventh Doctor, Clara Oswin Oswald
Warnings: None.

Recced because: It’s a beautifully written fic that’s the perfect blend of old and new. The Doctor now, and at the beginning, Susan and the TARDIS, and his most recent companions, tracing parallels and spaces between them, and memory and forgetting. As I said, it’s really beautiful and a lovely reminder of how this one sprawling series does all connect up in the end.

rec: Deus Ex Liborum (The Circle Has Six Sides) by Glinda

Story: Deus Ex Liborum (The Circle Has Six Sides)
Author: Glinda
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 2672
Author's Summary: The Library contains all possible knowledge. The TARDIS contains all possible time and space. Never the twain should meet.
Characters/Pairings: The TARDIS, Tenth Doctor, Martha Jones
Warnings: None.

Recced because: It’s a gorgeous, wonderfully mysterious, eerie, and beautiful TARDIS POV fic in which the TARDIS battles the Library on behalf of her Doctor and his companion. It explores the two entities, the TARDIS’s relationships with those she carries, and the power of stories and names, and it's an amazing piece.

Excerpt:

Those who created her, had the power to tame stars, to shape time and space to their will. They paid a terrible price for their knowledge, to keep their secrets safe. Safe within their citadel sending their creations and their renegades out among the dreaming stars. Boxes within boxes, knowledge locked one with another like so many Russian dolls. A tiny part of the greater burden shared within each of them, and in each of their creations. She remembers so much that all others have forgotten, if she forgets they will be lost for ever, for good or ill she must remember.

Purpose by Kesomon

Story: Purpose
Author: Kesomon
Rating: All Ages
Author's Summary: Anyone who had chosen to stop and listen, to say a few words, to step inside his frankly magnificent time ship, had been there for a reason, even if they, or he or anyone else had yet to discover what that reason was.
Word Count: 541
Characters/Pairings: Ace McShane, Adric, Barbara Wright, Evelyn Smythe, Ian Chesterton, Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Jo Grant, Katarina, Martha Jones, Mel Bush, Nyssa, Owen Harper, Peri Brown, Steven Taylor
Warnings: None

Recced Because: It is an odd little story, exploring the idea of predestination paradoxes. Usually with this kind of thing, the Doctor is the one who changes the companion. He shows them the universe, and they become a better person because of that. It is quite easy to forget that the companions change the Doctor just as much as he changes them, and that is why I love this fic. It clearly shows the delicate relationship between the two, while also paying homage to the fact that the companions are amazing and usually go on to be amazing after their time in the TARDIS. The last line is a nice touch too, with the Doctor portrayed not as the all-knowing Time Lord, but the wanderer, the traveller who marvels at the beauty and mystery of the universe.

Rec: Making It Stranger by Bad_Dickens

Story: Making It Stranger
Author: Bad_Dickens
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 26,771
Author's Summary: The Doctor arrives in Arkham Asylum while Jack Harkness meets Batman. Cardiff must brace itself for a visit from the Clown Prince of Crime. A Batman/Nolan!verse cross over with Doctor Who and Torchwood.
Characters/Pairings: The Doctor (10th), the survivors of Torchwood S2 (Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, Captain Jack Harkness), Martha Jones, Mickey Smith, plus crossover characters.
Warnings: Some violence, both physical and psychological and all of the attendant creepiness and tastelessness you'd expect from The Dark Knight version of the Joker.

Recced because: Who doesn't like a good crossover? Well, some people probably don't, but I'm not one of those people. I love a good crossover, and this is a very good crossover indeed.

Cast your minds back to the distant, heady days of 2008. We'd just picked our jaws up off the floor, for a variety of reasons, after watching Journey's End. We still had the festive rollercoaster thrill-ride that was The Next Doctor to come in a few months' time. How to kill some time while we waited? Well, the announcement that David Tennant would be leaving the role of the Doctor, eventually, and the attendant media scrum did that to an extent, but before that a lot of us, in the UK at least, went to the cinema and watched... Mama Mia. Not me, though - I was in the screen next door watching The Dark Knight and loving it.

This was before it made a squillion dollars at the box office and the fan backlash set in, before last year's rather Marmite-ish conclusion to the Nolan Bat-trilogy muddied the waters still further. At the time, TDK was the hot ticket (it had Eric Roberts from the Eight TV Movie in it!) and the late Heath Ledger's nightmarish Joker was burning up the screen just like Jack Nicholson's had back in 1989 (scarily, I can remember the hype around that one when it came out too). Good stuff. Even better, though, when my enthusiasm for the film and its world was still at its height, this excellent crossover fic was posted to the Teaspoon. I remember following it avidly, checking every day for updates, and generally lapping it up.

Essentially, this story takes the Batman and his rogues' gallery from the Christopher Nolan films and, via a bit of Rift-related jiggery-pokery throws them up against the Tenth Doctor and Captain Jack's much-depleted Torchwood Three team, with Mickey and Martha thrown in for good measure. Everybody's in-character, and gets nice character moments to boot, but it's also all hung on a good, well-plotted story in which everybody gets things to do and a chance to shine. The Joker is, as you would expect, a force of nature, using the villainous plot-armour that is basically his non-super superpower to throw a spanner into our heroes' works and put them through the wringer. And, to be honest, who doesn't think the idea of the Joker versus a Dalek is a good idea? Oh, right. Well, I do.

All this and Weevils too! Seriously, even if you're not a Batman fan, or a fan of the Nolan/Bale movies, go and read this just for the Who and Torchwood characters and their reactions to the off-the-wall situation. You won't regret it. And when you're finished, please leave your words of appreciation for the author.

Rec: Last of Your Species Support Group

Story: Last of Your Species Support Group http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=10241

Author: Amy_Wolf http://www.whofic.com/viewuser.php?uid=1152

Rating: All Ages

Word Count: 2007 words

Author's Summary: Red Dwarf crossover, more or less.

Characters: Cassandra, Martha Jones, the Tenth Doctor

Recced Because: way back in the dark ages when I was an adolescent (also known as the mid to late 1990's) Doctor Who was on the local PBS station on Saturday nights. Right after, was Red Dwarf. In some ways, the shows were complete opposites, while in others there were a lot of parallels. This story has Mezelponian Mimic-Hawks and polymorphs, yay!

re: The Courtship and Marriage Rituals of Time Lords

Story: The Courtship and Marriage Rituals of Time Lordshttp://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=50276

Author:Lyakahttp://www.whofic.com/viewuser.php?uid=18628

Rating: All Ages

Word Count: 8855 words

Author's Summary:
Or, how the Doctor and the Master finally stopped courting and got married, to the relief of most of the known galaxy and the confusion of the humans in attendance.

Characters: Lucy Saxon, Martha Jones, 10th Doctor/the Master

Warnings: Spew alert! Do not attempt the ingestion of food or liquids while reading this!

Recced Because: This is probably the funniest thing I've ever read, hence the spew warning. I'm not into slash fics usually, but this one is too good to pass up. I laughed until I cried, then laughed some more. Man U, enough said.

rec: Within A Mile Of Home

Story: Within A Mile Of Home
Author: sleepismyfriend
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 3924
Author's Summary: Eleven takes Amy to Bannerman Road, only he encounters a few more than he expected once he arrives.
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Jack Harkness, Jo Grant, Liz Shaw, Martha Jones, Mickey Smith, Sarah Jane Smith, Tegan Jovanka, The Doctor (11th), Wilfred Mott, Luke Smith, Amy Pond
Warnings: n/a

Recced because: To round off the week, a return to the multi-era ensemble cast - just look at that list of characters!  Full disclosure requires me to say that the author is one of my friends, but this is one of those stories that I'd have to admit to loving were it written by my worst enemy.  Plot takes a backseat to a beautifully-written interlude of friendships and nostalgia that still manages to feel fresh, and the interactions between the Doctor's former companions and friends are delightfully genuine.  I particularly love the portrayal of Amy, who bounces around full of teasing energy but clearly holds a great deal of affection for the Doctor - and, of course, the centre of the story is the eternal relationship between the Doctor and Sarah, which is dealt with in a sensitive and nuanced manner.  It really is one of my favourite stories, and one that reminds me just why I love the show so much.

Thank you for having me for the week, guys, and if you enjoy the recs then don't forget to go and tell the authors all about it!

(no subject)

Story: Resonance
Author: Lurky McLurklurk
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 3533
Author's Summary: 1969 fic. Finding components for the timey wimey detector leads the Doctor and Martha to an encounter with Liz Shaw before she ever met any mysterious men who travel round time and space in a police box.
Characters/Pairings: Martha Jones, Liz Shaw, The Doctor (10th)
Warnings: n/a

Recced because: Liz Shaw is one of my absolute all-time favourite companions, and the period of her life before she worked with the Doctor isn't something that often gets explored.  Best of all, it's another one of those great era-crossing stories, this time working with the time the Doctor and Martha spent in 1969.  Liz is right in her element as a scientist, and the parallels between her and Martha are a bonus.  It's the brilliant minor details that make this fic for me, from the Doctor thinking that 'blending in' in the sixties involves dressing as hippies to Liz's unbothered assumption that he and Martha have snuck into the laboratory for sex.  Definitely one to enjoy.

rec: Trust Me (I'm a Lying Liar Who Lies)

Hello there! My name is Lamia, and I'll be your reccer for the week! I'm notoriously inconsistent with my interests so there'll probably be a reasonable mixture here of classic Who, old Who, funny Who, angsty Who, and shippy Who. I hope you like the stories, by wonderful people, as much as I enjoyed them.

Story: Trust Me (I'm a Lying Liar Who Lies)
Author: [livejournal.com profile] elisi
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 22,082
Author's Summary: In which River is enigmatic, Martha is frustrated, Mickey is intrigued and the Doctor is a Pond.
Characters/Pairings: Amy Pond, Francine Jones, Martha Jones, Mickey Smith, Other Character(s), River Song, River Song, Rory Williams, The Doctor (11th), Tish Jones
Warnings: Swearing, action

Recced because: This is one author that I go back to over and over again. Seriously! Go give her love. That said, the reason I chose this fic in particular is because of the range of things it covers that just ring 'Doctor Who' in my books. Martha being awesome (another reason is because of her qualification this week in [livejournal.com profile] f_march_madness), the Doctor not being perfect, people being people and difficult and just... real. And warm. It's got laughs, and it's got bits that really take out your heart and stamp on it, but it's also got heart, and really, that's what a fic should be all about... It's a long one to start, but well worth the time to sit down, maybe with a cup of tea, and drink it all in.

Rec: David and the Gorgon by Quean of Swords

Story: David and the Gorgon
Author: Quean of Swords
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 46,288
Author's Summary: It's been a year since David's girlfriend left to go travelling through time and space with the Doctor. Then one Thursday, David finds a statue that looks a little bit too much like one of his best friends. There's nothing to do but call the Doctor and hope he comes before more fall victim to a mysterious force turning young men into stone.
Characters/Pairings: Barbara Wright, Martha Jones, Mickey Smith, Original Companion, Original Companion, The Doctor (10th), The Doctor (11th), The Doctor (5th), The Doctor (8th)
Warnings: Swearing

Recced because: Although this fic is part of a series, this is the one I read first, so it's not necessary to understand who all the original characters are to enjoy this. And the original characters are a large part of the enjoyment. They're interesting and three dimensional and make you want to know more about them. The other reason I like this fic is the plot. It's a very Doctor Who-like plot, interestingly introduced and unfolded and solved. The fic also has its amusing moments, as in the excerpt, contrasted with the sad moments.

Excerpt )

If you like this, don't forget to tell the author!

rec: Hallucinations by Aldanon

Story: Hallucinations
Author: Aldanon
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 7,616
Author's Summary: It wasn't until Martha was on her way to America that the hallucinations began. A Year that Never Was story.
Characters/Pairings: Martha Jones, Amy Pond, Jack Harkness, Mickey Smith, Rory Williams, Tenth Doctor, Eleventh Doctor
Warnings: Sexual assault, violence, general YTNW-stuff.

Recced because: I mentioned earlier this week that I feel Martha was owed so much more by the Doctor for what she was through. I'm quite fond of fics where the Doctor is faced with all the horrors Martha that happened to her in his name, and Hallucinations is an amazing example of that genre. It's timey-wimey and a bit confusing and heartbreaking and a very realistic take of the world under Harold Saxon's rule. The splash of Eleven, Amy and Rory is a bitter-sweet addition.

I can't, I can't anymore, Doctor. Not after Japan. )

rec: Knocking by Asrai

Hi!

I'm [livejournal.com profile] saaammie or as I'm known over at Teaspoon, Cicci Green. I'm a Swedish college student who really should outgrow the whole fanfic thing, but so far I haven't. I'm also a pretty new member to the Who community, in fact, I only discovered DW back in May, but it only took one episode to get me hooked, and here I am.

I've slowly started to watch old Who, but haven't got far, so all my recs will be New Who.

So, let's start my reccing week! Are you excited? I'm excited!

Story: Knocking
Author: Asrai
Author's summary: Martha Jones always knocks.
Rating: G
Spoilers: Human Nature
Word count: 500
Warnings: None
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones

Recced because: This is a brilliant little fic that totally proves you don't need to use many words to perfectly describe situations and characters. While Martha isn't my favorite companion, I admire her strength and tenacity and I felt very keenly after Human Nature/Family of Blood that she deserved so much more of an apology than she actually got. I also believe the stay in 1913 probably affected her much more than we actually got see.

Asrai remedies this, but does in in a perfectly believable way. This is exactly how the Doctor, clumsy fool that he sometimes is, would act. Asrai proves, in a few short sentences, how much 1913 changed Martha and does it without a single unnecessary word.

rec: The Last Enemy by Prochytes

I'm [livejournal.com profile] ffutures, Marcus Rowland at the archive, and I'll be reccing this week. My mix this time includes some Torchwood, old school Who, new Who, and crossovers, and a couple of authors who haven't been featured here before.

Due to work problems I may not be around to post every day, so I'm posting all of the week's recs on Sunday night, scheduled to appear at 7AM each day, and hoping nothing goes wrong. Apologies if they all appear at once, or vanish into Limbo - I'll fix any problems as quickly as I can.

Story: The Last Enemy
Author: Prochytes
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 9946
Characters: Gwen Cooper, Martha Jones, Martha Jones, Suzie Costello, The Master (Simm)
Author's Summary: Christmas Day in the Master’s Cardiff. Gwen Cooper is still Gwen Cooper. She doesn’t have much time to work out why.
Warnings: Explicit Violence, Swearing
Recced because: Gwen Cooper was one of the best characters in Torchwood, and I thought it was about time I recced a story that featured her. This one is a beauty, a Doctor Who / Torchwood crossover in which Gwen has to handle the events of The End of Time, with a little help from a very unexpected source.
It didn’t work on cats. The ebony ripple that had pulsed across the road two streets (eighty-seven heartbeats) back was still a feline. Ears flat against its head; eyes staring. Kitty couldn’t know what had just pissed all over the planet.

No hive-mind. The one she had pistol-whipped outside Asda (four streets, nine hundred and sixty-three heartbeats) had looked — briefly — just as surprised to see her as... (don’t remember, mustn’t remember, hold the thought by the rim so it can’t scald) as the first one. They weren’t sharing information telepathically.

He didn’t know she was coming, and this was still her town. Alien mastermind, my arse; you could live in Cardiff for twenty years and still not have a bloody clue what to do there of a Friday night. If she got the drop on him, she could take him.

How many times, though? Three? Ten? A hundred? Cardiff wasn’t a battlefield, now. It was a video-game, and not one where she got to be the shooter. Gwen Cooper had become the obstacle; the adversary; the poorly pixelated mook. Every time she won, he could restart the level. Harold Saxon only had to win the once.

And so Gwen Cooper ran for her life through the December dark (still fast, still very fast — the first trimester hadn’t yet got around to pilfering her pace), measuring out the streets of her city in footfalls and prodigal heartbeats, twisting her options like a blackjack player, and not making it up as she went along. Captain Jack Harkness had made it up as he went along, and hadn’t that ended well for everyone? Jesus fucking Christ, Jack, you had to go and bolt to the stars like the cheap little hustler you always were. Left our town with an exhausted, pregnant basket case for a champion.