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Womenverse drabbles 20in20: Doctor Who, single-episode characters
Not gonna lie, some of these are really rough. But it's due tomorrow and it's what I've got.
Disclaimer: as always, not mine.
Fandom: Doctor Who (classic series)
Notes: I don't know enough about One's era to do anyone from there justice, so these are 2-7 people, some of them more obscure than others. A few of them wanted to become epic fics. I don't know why.
1. Fandom: Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Isobel Watkins, The Invasion, Laura Cameron
Prompt: Crossover (with Pan Am)
Title: Chance Meeting
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: None for DW, slight one for Pan Am
Word Count: 147
Isobel caught a glimpse of her current target for an instant in the gallery ahead of her and felt a moment of pleasure. The photos that were still on display in some of the more select collections in New York hadn't done the woman justice. Laura Cameron was stunning, even after six years.
Taking a deep breath, she sped up, catching the woman just as she stopped to admire a black and white display. "Miss Cameron? I'm Isobel Watkins--my agent spoke with you about some photographs?"
"So he did." Laura Cameron didn't look as happy about the prospect, but she rallied and pasted her smile back on her face. "Why don't we discuss this over coffee, Miss Watkins."
Grateful that she hadn't simply turned her down, Isobel gestured. "There's a great place just round the corner. And I promise not to talk your ear off."
2. Fandom: Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Galleia, The Time Monster
Prompt: Defining Moment
Title: Unrest
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: For the serial, I think.
Word Count: 150
One would think being Queen would be enough. But Galleia feels restless, different (she always has, she knows--her ambition drove her to Dalios' side; won her his admiration and love).
There are worlds out there to conquer, more places to spread her wings than her hand-maidens would ever consider.
Sometimes, her fingers clench and her hands ache with how little she has to do. Pampered, feted, loved--no one has a better life. Yet she chafes and wishes for otherwise. Wants conquest and blood on her hands, considers her name carved into stone for generations to come.
I could become something no one would forget. But the words are just idle speculation, buried dreams that drift into dust.
The prospect of power, of change. Oh, for that, she would betray even her husband.
Somehow, it seems right that she does. In the end, her name is dust; forgotten.
3. Fandom: Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Vira, The Arc in Space, Vira/Noah
Prompt: Dork
Title: Not Dull
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: pre-serial, so none.
Word Count: 150
"You're always staring at that dissertation."
Vira glanced across the table at Noah. They weren't close, but he was something of a rising star, or so she'd heard. She touched the screen and paused the playback of the written word. "I suppose I am. Is there something else I should do?"
"I've never seen someone so dedicated to their studying."
"It's a great honor," she shot back, parroting the re-broadcast of the minister's speech.
Ah. There was the grin. Really, there was something wrong with how often he seemed to grin around her. Vira squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes at him. He leaned down towards her and whispered, "I know a much more fun honor."
She snorted. "I'm certain you do. Now go away, Noah."
He went, of course. She wasn't the only one cramming for the upcoming assignment. But a tiny part of wished he hadn't.
4. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Della, Nightmare of Eden
Prompt: Dream
Title: Subconscious
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: nightmare imagery, spoilers for the backstory of the serial.
Word Count: 148
She had the same nightmare every night. Eden, and Stott's death. Blood on Tryst's hands and the taste of salt and copper from biting her tongue to stay sane.
It always changed, Tryst becoming something horrid.
A monster who chased her forever until she couldn't run, until there was nothing but a cliff and a long fall.
The jungle left marks on her clothes, rips in her skin. The stench of the decaying vegetation always clung to her (she'd taken showers every day after, could still taste it just a little).
She always woke up before the fall, fingers clenched in her sheet and sweat soaking her skin.
Never a scream, though. Della was always proud of that fact, even as she wanted to scream at the others, to know why they weren't having nightmares and regrets over their last mission.
Then the Empress happened, and everything changed.
5. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Mags, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
Prompt: Friendship
Title: Learning Change
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Vague ones for the serial.
Word Count: 129
Mags has always felt awkward at this--usually, people have run before now. They catch a glimpse of who she is and that's the end (only the Captain ever stayed). It's always been difficult as Mags likes people. They can be cruel, horrid and also amazingly kind.
The things she has seen over the years of her travels with the Captain would have once frightened her.
But here and now, she has people who care for her. Friends. It's strange and heart-stopping and almost everything she's ever wanted.
It's why, when Kingpin asks her to change for him, to make herself part of the act, that she doesn't say no. How can she? These are the people she will always be there for, as they are for her.
6.Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Natasha, Revelation of the Daleks
Prompt: Fun
Title: Memory
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: inferred spoilers for the serial?
Word Count: 149
There are things Natasha remembers from her childhood in her darkest moments. Memories of her father and the games he would play with a four-year-old terror with too much sugar in her system and mischief on her mind.
"Let's play hide and seek!" She'd shout, and he'd laugh, letting her scuttle under a table, behind the curtains or into the bathing cubicle.
He'd always find her, catching her with a quick lunge and swinging her into the air so she'd shriek with mock terror. When they were both breathless, he'd drop her onto the bed and collapse to the floor, claiming she'd put him in an early grave with her antics.
Giggling from her perch, she would throw pillows or stuffed animals.
Always, they would end with her exhausted with happiness.
Perhaps that's why she's so determined to find her father amongst the madness of Tranquil Repose.
7.Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Nancy, The Green Death
Prompt: Hope
Title: Ambition
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Er, overbearing parents? (idek)
Word Count: 149
"And that's another first for our Nancy, of course."
They enjoy talking about her. Parents are always the outliers, but she's learnt to cope with their enthusiasm. It's better than the alternative.
"We have great hope in you, darling," her mother always says. All of the things she wants and expects for Nancy. All the things she never had for herself.
Her father isn't any better, standing over her, shouting if she misses one question on an exam (all the other girls her age talk about dates and marriage, children and boys).
But they're so excited and pleased for her prospects.
(later in life, it's not something she talks about, if ever. She is very good at her job, the science and experimentation comes easily, but no one ever asks about where it came from; she's just Nancy with the laughing face, to them. The care-giver who never complains)
8. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Shou Yuing, Battlefield
Prompt: Kickass
Title: Tactics
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Word Count: 142
"I've met your kind before," Shou sneers at the creature stalking towards her. It's all bravado, of course. She has no bloody clue what the hell the thing is. But bravado has gotten her through plenty of other situations, and she's definitely got at least one edge on the thing.
Her words made it freeze for a moment, long enough for her to pull the ancient canister she's had in her purse for months out, and ready it. A very good friend had said it would come in handy, one day.
One decent throw is all she has a chance for, and then she turns and runs, throwing herself into the ditch at the side of the road.
Behind her, there is a very satisfying explosion. "Ace!"
Just a pity that her car is now covered in purple slime and unmentionable things.
9.Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Thalira, Monster of Peladon
Prompt: Song lyric
Title: Coming Into One's Own
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: vague ones for the serial
Word Count: 137
And don't tell me what to do
And don't tell me what to say - Lesley Gore, "You Don't Own Me"
Men like Gebek had respected her for the office of Queen. Men like Ortron would always see her as a girl, the child who had chased after her father in the corridors, and learnt at a young age that everything came to an end.
Men like the Doctor saw her as more than that. He and Sarah Jane Smith had made her realize she could be more than a figurehead. She had the right to rule, and the brains to know her own mind and what was best for her planet. Peladon might have its barbaric ways, but it also had the means and resources to maintain a good relationship and trade agreements with the Federation.
Thalira settled in her throne and raised her chin. There would be no more letting others make her decisions for her.
10. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Ann Talbot, Black Orchid
Prompt: WTF?
Title: A Proposal Scene
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Vague ones for the serial.
Word Count: 150
"Ann, you have been often in my thoughts. I hold you in the deepest of affection." Edward took her hands in his, smiling as though already certain of the outcome. "Would you do me great honor and be my wife?"
For a moment, Ann thought of telling him no, running from his side out into the darkness, where she could lose herself forever and forget all that she knew of the Cranleighs. She'd loved George--still loved him, with a passion that sometimes frightened her.
Edward was a pale substitute for that.
After six months of being out of mourning, she had found no other to court her. Not as Edward had, so assiduously he'd frightened all others off.
It was a trap, for both of them. She could see that, but she would still step willingly into it. A smile filled her lips. "Yes. Oh, Yes, Edward, I will."
11. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Captian Briggs, Earthshock
Prompt: LJ mood - angry
Title: One Less Idiot to Share the Bonus
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Word Count: 147
"You've done it again, Dorian!" Briggs restrained herself from strangling the useless, lazy and idiotic 'security' officer she'd been advised to hire by the company. Pity they hadn't told her his record included incompetence and letting smugglers pass by right under his nose.
He raised an insolent gaze to hers, and drawled. "Done what, Cap?"
"That's Captain Briggs, to you. And it won't be for much longer. I'm firing you." She pointed at the just-entered cargo officer. "Carmel, escort Mr. Dorian to his cabin. See he clears his things and gets off my ship within the hour."
"Yes, Captain." Straightening, Carmel gave Dorian the sort of glare he'd give to an extra piece of cargo that wasn't on anyone's manifest. "Let's go. Now."
"You'll regret this," Dorian threatened.
Briggs didn't need to get the last word, but she managed it. "Don't be more of an ass."
12. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Gia Kelly, The Seeds of Death; Gia/OFC
Prompt: LJ mood - exhausted
Title: Always Nice To Go Home
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers:
Word Count: 150 (ngl, I could apparently write an epic Gia/Kate fic, given how many times I had to cut stuff and re-write)
Movement across from her made Gia Kelly look up from the paperwork she'd dropped on the counter. There'd been something she was trying to remember, but it was a jumble deep in her brain. And just at the moment, she didn't think she cared about it very much. T-Mat had already failed spectacularly, there wasn't much else it could do now the Doctor had helped her fix it.
"Earth to Gia, come in Gia." Kate called, hand waving.
Grateful to have a human connection that didn't need her to give an order, Gia reached across and took Kate's hand. "Very long day, darling. Sorry."
"I know." Kate squeezed her fingers, then tugged her sideways. "Now go sit at the table, I've got food and then you can sleep."
Strange to have someone else in charge, Gia thought even as she stumbled over to a chair and collapsed into it.
13. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Ray, Delta and the Bannermen
Prompt: LJ mood - hot
Title: Escape and Travel
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Word Count: 150
It wasn't nearly so warm in Spain as she'd expected. Ray let the bike take her across the border, down long roads and up hills and through scrubby forest. All the while, she wondered if this was what she'd planned for her life.
Between her legs, the motorbike rumbled a counter-point to the thoughts, tugging her onwards to adventure and change.
She'd always wanted that, even while she'd followed Billy round like a lost duckling. Perhaps that was why she'd learnt mechanics. For the thrill of the adventure. Or maybe she'd just liked the feel of grease on her skin. Knowing she wasn't the perfect little woman that all her classmates had slowly turned into.
When she stopped for the night, she built a fire and held her hands too-close. The heat built into her skin until it nearly burned--she yanked them back in time, of course.
14. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Adelaide Lessage, Horror of Fang Rock
Prompt: LJ mood - sad
Title: Perils of Industry
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Word Count: 150
Well, really, Adelaide fussed at herself in the mirror. It wasn't as though she'd truly liked the man. Father or not, he'd never been particularly close to her, always too busy with her brothers or off with his mistress.
Yet, here she was, tears in her eyes. Mascara streaked down one cheek.
It really wasn't to be born.
She had an appearance to maintain, an air of competence and respectability, or her employers would let her go. It had been difficult enough to get the half-day to participate in the funeral. Returning in disarray would bring Miss Haversham's wrath upon her.
There was nothing for it but to apply a little more backbone.
Adelaide ignored the tears welling in her eyes and sternly began reciting the last set of dictation she'd taken. Nothing was sure to sober her up more than the accounts of the driest bookmaker in London.
15. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Vena, Timelash
Prompt: LJ mood - excited
Title: Aftermath
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: For the end of the serial
Word Count: 107
Vena had never thought she'd feel this way again. After everything that had happened to her planet, her people, she'd never thought to be happy or moved in such a way. But standing in the control room as the first reports came in from around the city, hearing the people cheer as the supplies were delivered--
It moved her, made her blood flow faster. She felt like smiling again, felt like cheering herself. As though she were a small child given an amazing gift.
Perhaps she was. Perhaps they all were.
The Borad was gone, and her people were free. Their lives were now their own again.
16.Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Belasz, Dragonfire, Belasz/Kane
Prompt: author's choice You've got to move if you want to stay - Civil Twilight, 'Move/Stay'
Title: The Choices We Make Prove Our Worth (Even the Bad Ones)
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Serial
Word Count: 148
"You'd be a fool not to hire me."
Kane gazed at her, tilting his head just that little bit. It was the way he always would look down on people, but Belasz chose to ignore it. There was something wild about her that felt a connection in him. He pushed her to be better. "Would I?"
Gritting her teeth, she narrowed her eyes at him. "You already know I can shoot better than half of those convicts you call guards. Put me in charge of them."
"And what makes you think I'd fall in with that plan?"
Drawing in a deep breath, she found herself straightening, meeting his gaze with none of the desperation she could feel bubbling under her skin. Freighters were few and far between, none of them hiring unskilled labor. "I'll owe you."
He stilled and then almost smiled. "Yes. I rather think you shall."
17.Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Olive Hawthorne, The Daemons
Prompt: author's choice
Title: Formation of a Witch
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: None.
Word Count: 150
You are a witch, tried and true. These are words Olive writes to herself every morning. You are a good witch, you understand the balance of nature, the movements of the stars...
Some would say she is too young for such a belief. But Olive has watched the world turn, the bombs fall. She can feel in her bones the ways the world should truly be, the goodness in every spirit.
Holly and ivy, laurel and foxglove. An incantation, a murmured word. This is the way a spell fits together.
Olive delights in it, revels in the smell of green things, the taste of the wind at the back of her throat.
And she does not listen to the whispers. They know not what they say, nor whom it might injure. It does not matter--hatred and distrust are not new.
Perhaps one day, she will have courage to explain.
18. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Janet, Terror of the Vervoids, Janet/Oswin Oswald (idek where that came from)
Prompt: author's choice
Title: Leaving
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Word Count: 147
"Oswin, I've got to go--" Laughing, Janet lunged towards the bed where her girlfriend was trying to hide the jacket to her uniform.
"You can't go," Oswin objected, rolling out of reach and nearly toppling from the other side of the bed. "We haven't even had a whole night to ourselves."
"I know, love." With a sigh, Janet sat on the edge of the bed, checking that her stockings were in place. "But it's a starliner, a great job. And you said it yourself--"
"You'll hate me forever if I stop you from going."
"Perhaps not hate."
Oswin sighed and shook out the jacket, shuffling back across the bed on her knees. "All right. But if you don't see me the next time you're in port."
"I'll never forgive myself. Now be good."
"Aren't I always?"
Janet's snort as she stood and picked up her case was answer enough.
19. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Lady Jennifer Buckingham, The War Games
Prompt: author's choice
Title: Accomplishing Great Things
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Word Count: 150
With one last twist, Jennifer felt the make-shift fan belt settle into place. She huffed out a breath and quickly went to try the engine. It sputtered, then coughed, then turned-over properly and began growling normally. A grin crossed her face, and she hoped that it wasn't amidst a muddle of dirt and grease as she returned to close the bonnet.
It wouldn't do for one of the ambulance drivers to have a hair out of place. Though it would be a distraction from her missing stockings.
The thrill of having accomplished her task made her smile again as she got behind the wheel and began manipulating the gear-shift. At least the next stop would be the hospital where they would have a spare belt.
And to think matron had doubted her fitness for the job! She'd like to see Sister Margaret elbow-deep in an engine.
20. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Todd, Kinda
Prompt: author's choice
Title: Discorporation of Reality (Wheel Turns)
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: For the serial, I guess?
Word Count: 150
There is nothing Todd misses about Deva Loka. Her life after leaving the planet has been full of entertaining people and science that has left her breathless (this is a lie; at night, she can still feel utter peace from the shared vision)
On her best days, her experiments are a success, her notes succinct and clear. There are multiple theories to test, disprove--she'll go through all of them, of course.
(on her worst days, nothing goes right and she spills things on her notes, burning holes in her fingertips and wishing for silence of the mind)
And yet (and yet), it is enough that she was on Deva Loka, for a turn of the wheel. It is right that she takes apart the theories of her colleagues, disproves their evolutionary clap-trap and publishes for posterity.
(there is nothing like the crystal clarity of a world with purpose)
Disclaimer: as always, not mine.
Fandom: Doctor Who (classic series)
Notes: I don't know enough about One's era to do anyone from there justice, so these are 2-7 people, some of them more obscure than others. A few of them wanted to become epic fics. I don't know why.
1. Fandom: Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Isobel Watkins, The Invasion, Laura Cameron
Prompt: Crossover (with Pan Am)
Title: Chance Meeting
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: None for DW, slight one for Pan Am
Word Count: 147
Isobel caught a glimpse of her current target for an instant in the gallery ahead of her and felt a moment of pleasure. The photos that were still on display in some of the more select collections in New York hadn't done the woman justice. Laura Cameron was stunning, even after six years.
Taking a deep breath, she sped up, catching the woman just as she stopped to admire a black and white display. "Miss Cameron? I'm Isobel Watkins--my agent spoke with you about some photographs?"
"So he did." Laura Cameron didn't look as happy about the prospect, but she rallied and pasted her smile back on her face. "Why don't we discuss this over coffee, Miss Watkins."
Grateful that she hadn't simply turned her down, Isobel gestured. "There's a great place just round the corner. And I promise not to talk your ear off."
2. Fandom: Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Galleia, The Time Monster
Prompt: Defining Moment
Title: Unrest
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: For the serial, I think.
Word Count: 150
One would think being Queen would be enough. But Galleia feels restless, different (she always has, she knows--her ambition drove her to Dalios' side; won her his admiration and love).
There are worlds out there to conquer, more places to spread her wings than her hand-maidens would ever consider.
Sometimes, her fingers clench and her hands ache with how little she has to do. Pampered, feted, loved--no one has a better life. Yet she chafes and wishes for otherwise. Wants conquest and blood on her hands, considers her name carved into stone for generations to come.
I could become something no one would forget. But the words are just idle speculation, buried dreams that drift into dust.
The prospect of power, of change. Oh, for that, she would betray even her husband.
Somehow, it seems right that she does. In the end, her name is dust; forgotten.
3. Fandom: Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Vira, The Arc in Space, Vira/Noah
Prompt: Dork
Title: Not Dull
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: pre-serial, so none.
Word Count: 150
"You're always staring at that dissertation."
Vira glanced across the table at Noah. They weren't close, but he was something of a rising star, or so she'd heard. She touched the screen and paused the playback of the written word. "I suppose I am. Is there something else I should do?"
"I've never seen someone so dedicated to their studying."
"It's a great honor," she shot back, parroting the re-broadcast of the minister's speech.
Ah. There was the grin. Really, there was something wrong with how often he seemed to grin around her. Vira squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes at him. He leaned down towards her and whispered, "I know a much more fun honor."
She snorted. "I'm certain you do. Now go away, Noah."
He went, of course. She wasn't the only one cramming for the upcoming assignment. But a tiny part of wished he hadn't.
4. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Della, Nightmare of Eden
Prompt: Dream
Title: Subconscious
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: nightmare imagery, spoilers for the backstory of the serial.
Word Count: 148
She had the same nightmare every night. Eden, and Stott's death. Blood on Tryst's hands and the taste of salt and copper from biting her tongue to stay sane.
It always changed, Tryst becoming something horrid.
A monster who chased her forever until she couldn't run, until there was nothing but a cliff and a long fall.
The jungle left marks on her clothes, rips in her skin. The stench of the decaying vegetation always clung to her (she'd taken showers every day after, could still taste it just a little).
She always woke up before the fall, fingers clenched in her sheet and sweat soaking her skin.
Never a scream, though. Della was always proud of that fact, even as she wanted to scream at the others, to know why they weren't having nightmares and regrets over their last mission.
Then the Empress happened, and everything changed.
5. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Mags, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
Prompt: Friendship
Title: Learning Change
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Vague ones for the serial.
Word Count: 129
Mags has always felt awkward at this--usually, people have run before now. They catch a glimpse of who she is and that's the end (only the Captain ever stayed). It's always been difficult as Mags likes people. They can be cruel, horrid and also amazingly kind.
The things she has seen over the years of her travels with the Captain would have once frightened her.
But here and now, she has people who care for her. Friends. It's strange and heart-stopping and almost everything she's ever wanted.
It's why, when Kingpin asks her to change for him, to make herself part of the act, that she doesn't say no. How can she? These are the people she will always be there for, as they are for her.
6.Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Natasha, Revelation of the Daleks
Prompt: Fun
Title: Memory
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: inferred spoilers for the serial?
Word Count: 149
There are things Natasha remembers from her childhood in her darkest moments. Memories of her father and the games he would play with a four-year-old terror with too much sugar in her system and mischief on her mind.
"Let's play hide and seek!" She'd shout, and he'd laugh, letting her scuttle under a table, behind the curtains or into the bathing cubicle.
He'd always find her, catching her with a quick lunge and swinging her into the air so she'd shriek with mock terror. When they were both breathless, he'd drop her onto the bed and collapse to the floor, claiming she'd put him in an early grave with her antics.
Giggling from her perch, she would throw pillows or stuffed animals.
Always, they would end with her exhausted with happiness.
Perhaps that's why she's so determined to find her father amongst the madness of Tranquil Repose.
7.Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Nancy, The Green Death
Prompt: Hope
Title: Ambition
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Er, overbearing parents? (idek)
Word Count: 149
"And that's another first for our Nancy, of course."
They enjoy talking about her. Parents are always the outliers, but she's learnt to cope with their enthusiasm. It's better than the alternative.
"We have great hope in you, darling," her mother always says. All of the things she wants and expects for Nancy. All the things she never had for herself.
Her father isn't any better, standing over her, shouting if she misses one question on an exam (all the other girls her age talk about dates and marriage, children and boys).
But they're so excited and pleased for her prospects.
(later in life, it's not something she talks about, if ever. She is very good at her job, the science and experimentation comes easily, but no one ever asks about where it came from; she's just Nancy with the laughing face, to them. The care-giver who never complains)
8. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Shou Yuing, Battlefield
Prompt: Kickass
Title: Tactics
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Word Count: 142
"I've met your kind before," Shou sneers at the creature stalking towards her. It's all bravado, of course. She has no bloody clue what the hell the thing is. But bravado has gotten her through plenty of other situations, and she's definitely got at least one edge on the thing.
Her words made it freeze for a moment, long enough for her to pull the ancient canister she's had in her purse for months out, and ready it. A very good friend had said it would come in handy, one day.
One decent throw is all she has a chance for, and then she turns and runs, throwing herself into the ditch at the side of the road.
Behind her, there is a very satisfying explosion. "Ace!"
Just a pity that her car is now covered in purple slime and unmentionable things.
9.Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Thalira, Monster of Peladon
Prompt: Song lyric
Title: Coming Into One's Own
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: vague ones for the serial
Word Count: 137
And don't tell me what to do
And don't tell me what to say - Lesley Gore, "You Don't Own Me"
Men like Gebek had respected her for the office of Queen. Men like Ortron would always see her as a girl, the child who had chased after her father in the corridors, and learnt at a young age that everything came to an end.
Men like the Doctor saw her as more than that. He and Sarah Jane Smith had made her realize she could be more than a figurehead. She had the right to rule, and the brains to know her own mind and what was best for her planet. Peladon might have its barbaric ways, but it also had the means and resources to maintain a good relationship and trade agreements with the Federation.
Thalira settled in her throne and raised her chin. There would be no more letting others make her decisions for her.
10. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Ann Talbot, Black Orchid
Prompt: WTF?
Title: A Proposal Scene
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Vague ones for the serial.
Word Count: 150
"Ann, you have been often in my thoughts. I hold you in the deepest of affection." Edward took her hands in his, smiling as though already certain of the outcome. "Would you do me great honor and be my wife?"
For a moment, Ann thought of telling him no, running from his side out into the darkness, where she could lose herself forever and forget all that she knew of the Cranleighs. She'd loved George--still loved him, with a passion that sometimes frightened her.
Edward was a pale substitute for that.
After six months of being out of mourning, she had found no other to court her. Not as Edward had, so assiduously he'd frightened all others off.
It was a trap, for both of them. She could see that, but she would still step willingly into it. A smile filled her lips. "Yes. Oh, Yes, Edward, I will."
11. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Captian Briggs, Earthshock
Prompt: LJ mood - angry
Title: One Less Idiot to Share the Bonus
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Word Count: 147
"You've done it again, Dorian!" Briggs restrained herself from strangling the useless, lazy and idiotic 'security' officer she'd been advised to hire by the company. Pity they hadn't told her his record included incompetence and letting smugglers pass by right under his nose.
He raised an insolent gaze to hers, and drawled. "Done what, Cap?"
"That's Captain Briggs, to you. And it won't be for much longer. I'm firing you." She pointed at the just-entered cargo officer. "Carmel, escort Mr. Dorian to his cabin. See he clears his things and gets off my ship within the hour."
"Yes, Captain." Straightening, Carmel gave Dorian the sort of glare he'd give to an extra piece of cargo that wasn't on anyone's manifest. "Let's go. Now."
"You'll regret this," Dorian threatened.
Briggs didn't need to get the last word, but she managed it. "Don't be more of an ass."
12. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Gia Kelly, The Seeds of Death; Gia/OFC
Prompt: LJ mood - exhausted
Title: Always Nice To Go Home
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers:
Word Count: 150 (ngl, I could apparently write an epic Gia/Kate fic, given how many times I had to cut stuff and re-write)
Movement across from her made Gia Kelly look up from the paperwork she'd dropped on the counter. There'd been something she was trying to remember, but it was a jumble deep in her brain. And just at the moment, she didn't think she cared about it very much. T-Mat had already failed spectacularly, there wasn't much else it could do now the Doctor had helped her fix it.
"Earth to Gia, come in Gia." Kate called, hand waving.
Grateful to have a human connection that didn't need her to give an order, Gia reached across and took Kate's hand. "Very long day, darling. Sorry."
"I know." Kate squeezed her fingers, then tugged her sideways. "Now go sit at the table, I've got food and then you can sleep."
Strange to have someone else in charge, Gia thought even as she stumbled over to a chair and collapsed into it.
13. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Ray, Delta and the Bannermen
Prompt: LJ mood - hot
Title: Escape and Travel
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Word Count: 150
It wasn't nearly so warm in Spain as she'd expected. Ray let the bike take her across the border, down long roads and up hills and through scrubby forest. All the while, she wondered if this was what she'd planned for her life.
Between her legs, the motorbike rumbled a counter-point to the thoughts, tugging her onwards to adventure and change.
She'd always wanted that, even while she'd followed Billy round like a lost duckling. Perhaps that was why she'd learnt mechanics. For the thrill of the adventure. Or maybe she'd just liked the feel of grease on her skin. Knowing she wasn't the perfect little woman that all her classmates had slowly turned into.
When she stopped for the night, she built a fire and held her hands too-close. The heat built into her skin until it nearly burned--she yanked them back in time, of course.
14. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Adelaide Lessage, Horror of Fang Rock
Prompt: LJ mood - sad
Title: Perils of Industry
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Word Count: 150
Well, really, Adelaide fussed at herself in the mirror. It wasn't as though she'd truly liked the man. Father or not, he'd never been particularly close to her, always too busy with her brothers or off with his mistress.
Yet, here she was, tears in her eyes. Mascara streaked down one cheek.
It really wasn't to be born.
She had an appearance to maintain, an air of competence and respectability, or her employers would let her go. It had been difficult enough to get the half-day to participate in the funeral. Returning in disarray would bring Miss Haversham's wrath upon her.
There was nothing for it but to apply a little more backbone.
Adelaide ignored the tears welling in her eyes and sternly began reciting the last set of dictation she'd taken. Nothing was sure to sober her up more than the accounts of the driest bookmaker in London.
15. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Vena, Timelash
Prompt: LJ mood - excited
Title: Aftermath
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: For the end of the serial
Word Count: 107
Vena had never thought she'd feel this way again. After everything that had happened to her planet, her people, she'd never thought to be happy or moved in such a way. But standing in the control room as the first reports came in from around the city, hearing the people cheer as the supplies were delivered--
It moved her, made her blood flow faster. She felt like smiling again, felt like cheering herself. As though she were a small child given an amazing gift.
Perhaps she was. Perhaps they all were.
The Borad was gone, and her people were free. Their lives were now their own again.
16.Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Belasz, Dragonfire, Belasz/Kane
Prompt: author's choice You've got to move if you want to stay - Civil Twilight, 'Move/Stay'
Title: The Choices We Make Prove Our Worth (Even the Bad Ones)
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Serial
Word Count: 148
"You'd be a fool not to hire me."
Kane gazed at her, tilting his head just that little bit. It was the way he always would look down on people, but Belasz chose to ignore it. There was something wild about her that felt a connection in him. He pushed her to be better. "Would I?"
Gritting her teeth, she narrowed her eyes at him. "You already know I can shoot better than half of those convicts you call guards. Put me in charge of them."
"And what makes you think I'd fall in with that plan?"
Drawing in a deep breath, she found herself straightening, meeting his gaze with none of the desperation she could feel bubbling under her skin. Freighters were few and far between, none of them hiring unskilled labor. "I'll owe you."
He stilled and then almost smiled. "Yes. I rather think you shall."
17.Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Olive Hawthorne, The Daemons
Prompt: author's choice
Title: Formation of a Witch
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: None.
Word Count: 150
You are a witch, tried and true. These are words Olive writes to herself every morning. You are a good witch, you understand the balance of nature, the movements of the stars...
Some would say she is too young for such a belief. But Olive has watched the world turn, the bombs fall. She can feel in her bones the ways the world should truly be, the goodness in every spirit.
Holly and ivy, laurel and foxglove. An incantation, a murmured word. This is the way a spell fits together.
Olive delights in it, revels in the smell of green things, the taste of the wind at the back of her throat.
And she does not listen to the whispers. They know not what they say, nor whom it might injure. It does not matter--hatred and distrust are not new.
Perhaps one day, she will have courage to explain.
18. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Janet, Terror of the Vervoids, Janet/Oswin Oswald (idek where that came from)
Prompt: author's choice
Title: Leaving
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Word Count: 147
"Oswin, I've got to go--" Laughing, Janet lunged towards the bed where her girlfriend was trying to hide the jacket to her uniform.
"You can't go," Oswin objected, rolling out of reach and nearly toppling from the other side of the bed. "We haven't even had a whole night to ourselves."
"I know, love." With a sigh, Janet sat on the edge of the bed, checking that her stockings were in place. "But it's a starliner, a great job. And you said it yourself--"
"You'll hate me forever if I stop you from going."
"Perhaps not hate."
Oswin sighed and shook out the jacket, shuffling back across the bed on her knees. "All right. But if you don't see me the next time you're in port."
"I'll never forgive myself. Now be good."
"Aren't I always?"
Janet's snort as she stood and picked up her case was answer enough.
19. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Lady Jennifer Buckingham, The War Games
Prompt: author's choice
Title: Accomplishing Great Things
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Word Count: 150
With one last twist, Jennifer felt the make-shift fan belt settle into place. She huffed out a breath and quickly went to try the engine. It sputtered, then coughed, then turned-over properly and began growling normally. A grin crossed her face, and she hoped that it wasn't amidst a muddle of dirt and grease as she returned to close the bonnet.
It wouldn't do for one of the ambulance drivers to have a hair out of place. Though it would be a distraction from her missing stockings.
The thrill of having accomplished her task made her smile again as she got behind the wheel and began manipulating the gear-shift. At least the next stop would be the hospital where they would have a spare belt.
And to think matron had doubted her fitness for the job! She'd like to see Sister Margaret elbow-deep in an engine.
20. Fandom:Doctor Who
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Todd, Kinda
Prompt: author's choice
Title: Discorporation of Reality (Wheel Turns)
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: For the serial, I guess?
Word Count: 150
There is nothing Todd misses about Deva Loka. Her life after leaving the planet has been full of entertaining people and science that has left her breathless (this is a lie; at night, she can still feel utter peace from the shared vision)
On her best days, her experiments are a success, her notes succinct and clear. There are multiple theories to test, disprove--she'll go through all of them, of course.
(on her worst days, nothing goes right and she spills things on her notes, burning holes in her fingertips and wishing for silence of the mind)
And yet (and yet), it is enough that she was on Deva Loka, for a turn of the wheel. It is right that she takes apart the theories of her colleagues, disproves their evolutionary clap-trap and publishes for posterity.
(there is nothing like the crystal clarity of a world with purpose)
no subject
Because so many of these characters deserve more fic?
Anyway, the timing of this list given what I also just posted today is kind of priceless & you're awesome. I shall come back and comment more on the fics, but I have read most of them now & most of them are great. ♥
no subject
I totally got inspired by one of your earlier posts about it. I don't remember if it was in the back of my head, or if I read about what you were doing after the 20in20 challenge was opened.
But it was definitely your fault.
no subject
And, ha, I am proud to be at fault here!! (Btw, obviously, I would love to add these to the list - are you likely to post them elsewhere for linking?? I can link to this one, of course, but if you were, it'd be more sensible to wait, that's all. Thanks! ♥)