Joy in Whoville
Dec. 23rd, 2009 05:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tardis_stowawayDoctor Who and Torchwood do darkness really well. Many of us here in fandom like it to some extent: why else would we be watching a show about the last survivor of an otherwise extinct people? We create fics and other fanworks that delve to the depths of the shows' angst potential. However, in these anxious days as we await The End of Time, I think it's worth remembering how much joy and love exist in this show and this fandom.
With that in mind, I wanted to link to some fics and vids that fill me with happiness every single time. I could call this a rec post, but since I'm not making any effort to stick to lesser-known works I think it might be better called a reminder post. My goal is less to help you find something new (although you may) than to remind you of how much fun this show and this fandom can be. Some of this stuff is sweet and entirely fluffy, some briefly acknowledges the darkness but moves thoroughly into hope, and some is just zany crack to bring you laughs.
Check out these fics and vids. Smile. If you feel inspired, comment with a link to whatever in Doctor Who fandom fills you with joy (or post about it in your own journal). If you aren't feeling like fics or vids, rec something else, like a picspam, fanmix, macro, meta post, or whatever gives you the warm fuzzies and/or the giggles. Share the celebration!
Fics
Days and Hours by rosa_acicularis. [Ten/Rose] To call it a post-Doomsday reunion story with a timey-wimey twist set in a grocery store really doesn't begin to do justice to the humor, brilliant characterization, and wonderful feeling of sorrow dissolving into hope.
Passing Notes by Adalia Zandra [Ten/Simm!Master] This story makes me laugh so hard I risk damaging an internal organ or two. Who needs The End of Time when you can have crack about the Master (in an alternate post-LotTL where he survives as a captive on the TARDIS) propositioning Ten with a series of increasingly blatant post-it notes in Gallifreyan? With pictures of the post-its?
Man-Whores and Wealthy Women by honorh [Nine/Rose/Jack] This is fantastic silliness that will send you into fits of giggles. Nine and Jack are auctioned off as concubines; Rose has to save them by impersonating a buyer. The banter between Nine and Jack is excellent, and you've got to admire Rose's great resourcefulness.
One for the Road by orange_crushed [TenII/Rose] TenII and Rose go on a road trip through America's desert west. This is a tiny little ficlet, but it still takes you on a journey from goofy fun to a beautiful moment of truth and hope.
Mistletoe by dameruth [Ten/Jack] Just what you need for the Christmas spirit: Ten and Jack flirting on a rooftop on Christmas Eve while referencing Monty Python and Shakespeare! This is part of dameruth's "Flowers" AU, but all you need to know for this story is that in this 'verse Time Lords and humans are chemically and physically incompatible, but post-LotTL Ten and Jack have started up an intermittent relationship anyway with the help of a chemical called the Holy Grail.
Vids
I Love the World (Boom de Yadda Song) by hllangel [music from Discovery Channel ad, tons of DW & Torchwood characters] Silly, sweet gen vid filled with unapologetic joie de vivre.
Ordinary Day by Mrs Cake [music by Great Big Sea, tons of S1-S2 and classic Who characters] Bouncy uptempo song that acknowledges "in this beautiful life there's always some sorrow" but keeps the emphasis on the positive. You will want to do Nine's silly shoulder dance along with him. Plus, scenes with Four, Five, Seven, and Eight emphasize the continuity of the vid's themes.
La Vie Boheme by superherogrlcat [music from the musical Rent; many characters from S1-S2 plus Doctors Four-Eight] This song is a celebration of living life a little differently from the norm, and no one does that better than the Doctor and his companions. I dare you to watch without grinning during the clip where the song toasts "to being an us for once, instead of a them" while the Boom Town TARDIS team does their little high-five.
Seasons of Love by alierajean [music from the musical Rent; many characters from S1-S2] Yes, I'm reccing two vids based on songs from Rent, but they're both so perfect for the purpose of this post! The youtube link for this video is broken (grr copyright enforcers), but it looks like the download link still works. If not, let me know and I will look into reposting. I adore this sweet "Seasons of Love" vid with all my heart. It reminds us of the many different kinds of love that bind together the characters, the love that lies at the heart of Doctor Who.
Even when the Doctor frightens us by going way, way too far when taking a decision from others or pushing back against the laws of time, he does so out of love. That makes him especially dangerous, like all people who are convinced that they're right even as they do wrong, but it also offers a hope of redemption. As this show knows, love is intertwined with loss. Sometimes the latter feels overwhelming, but we can choose to measure in love.
And so, as the David Tennant and RTD eras wind to a close, I think it's time to take some advice from Rent:
It's time now to sing out
For the story never ends.
Let's celebrate,
Remember a year in the life of friends!
Remember the love... (Note: I've had to go back and fiddle with editing this entry's formatting and such after posting. Sorry to anyone who saw it funny looking, without cuts, or otherwise annoying.)
With that in mind, I wanted to link to some fics and vids that fill me with happiness every single time. I could call this a rec post, but since I'm not making any effort to stick to lesser-known works I think it might be better called a reminder post. My goal is less to help you find something new (although you may) than to remind you of how much fun this show and this fandom can be. Some of this stuff is sweet and entirely fluffy, some briefly acknowledges the darkness but moves thoroughly into hope, and some is just zany crack to bring you laughs.
Check out these fics and vids. Smile. If you feel inspired, comment with a link to whatever in Doctor Who fandom fills you with joy (or post about it in your own journal). If you aren't feeling like fics or vids, rec something else, like a picspam, fanmix, macro, meta post, or whatever gives you the warm fuzzies and/or the giggles. Share the celebration!
Fics
Days and Hours by rosa_acicularis. [Ten/Rose] To call it a post-Doomsday reunion story with a timey-wimey twist set in a grocery store really doesn't begin to do justice to the humor, brilliant characterization, and wonderful feeling of sorrow dissolving into hope.
Passing Notes by Adalia Zandra [Ten/Simm!Master] This story makes me laugh so hard I risk damaging an internal organ or two. Who needs The End of Time when you can have crack about the Master (in an alternate post-LotTL where he survives as a captive on the TARDIS) propositioning Ten with a series of increasingly blatant post-it notes in Gallifreyan? With pictures of the post-its?
Man-Whores and Wealthy Women by honorh [Nine/Rose/Jack] This is fantastic silliness that will send you into fits of giggles. Nine and Jack are auctioned off as concubines; Rose has to save them by impersonating a buyer. The banter between Nine and Jack is excellent, and you've got to admire Rose's great resourcefulness.
One for the Road by orange_crushed [TenII/Rose] TenII and Rose go on a road trip through America's desert west. This is a tiny little ficlet, but it still takes you on a journey from goofy fun to a beautiful moment of truth and hope.
Mistletoe by dameruth [Ten/Jack] Just what you need for the Christmas spirit: Ten and Jack flirting on a rooftop on Christmas Eve while referencing Monty Python and Shakespeare! This is part of dameruth's "Flowers" AU, but all you need to know for this story is that in this 'verse Time Lords and humans are chemically and physically incompatible, but post-LotTL Ten and Jack have started up an intermittent relationship anyway with the help of a chemical called the Holy Grail.
Vids
I Love the World (Boom de Yadda Song) by hllangel [music from Discovery Channel ad, tons of DW & Torchwood characters] Silly, sweet gen vid filled with unapologetic joie de vivre.
Ordinary Day by Mrs Cake [music by Great Big Sea, tons of S1-S2 and classic Who characters] Bouncy uptempo song that acknowledges "in this beautiful life there's always some sorrow" but keeps the emphasis on the positive. You will want to do Nine's silly shoulder dance along with him. Plus, scenes with Four, Five, Seven, and Eight emphasize the continuity of the vid's themes.
La Vie Boheme by superherogrlcat [music from the musical Rent; many characters from S1-S2 plus Doctors Four-Eight] This song is a celebration of living life a little differently from the norm, and no one does that better than the Doctor and his companions. I dare you to watch without grinning during the clip where the song toasts "to being an us for once, instead of a them" while the Boom Town TARDIS team does their little high-five.
Seasons of Love by alierajean [music from the musical Rent; many characters from S1-S2] Yes, I'm reccing two vids based on songs from Rent, but they're both so perfect for the purpose of this post! The youtube link for this video is broken (grr copyright enforcers), but it looks like the download link still works. If not, let me know and I will look into reposting. I adore this sweet "Seasons of Love" vid with all my heart. It reminds us of the many different kinds of love that bind together the characters, the love that lies at the heart of Doctor Who.
Even when the Doctor frightens us by going way, way too far when taking a decision from others or pushing back against the laws of time, he does so out of love. That makes him especially dangerous, like all people who are convinced that they're right even as they do wrong, but it also offers a hope of redemption. As this show knows, love is intertwined with loss. Sometimes the latter feels overwhelming, but we can choose to measure in love.
And so, as the David Tennant and RTD eras wind to a close, I think it's time to take some advice from Rent:
It's time now to sing out
For the story never ends.
Let's celebrate,
Remember a year in the life of friends!
Remember the love... (Note: I've had to go back and fiddle with editing this entry's formatting and such after posting. Sorry to anyone who saw it funny looking, without cuts, or otherwise annoying.)
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