Because it really is easier to find when you have everything in one place...

( Doctor/Rose )

( Ten on His Own )

( 10.5/Rose )

Title: What's in a name
Author: spikewriter
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: 10.5, Rose, Pete Tyler, Jackie Tyler
Spoilers: Through Journey's End
Word Count: 743
Disclaimer: The Beeb owns it all and these characters are only borrowed.
A/N: Written for Challenge 2.01 of writerinatardis, the prompt being the quote "The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter -- 'tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning." --Mark Twain. Part of the "Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth and her faithful companion, the Doctor (Oi!)" series.

My Master Fic List can be found here.

( "For one thing, the name sounds like you're sneaking off to some seedy hotel for illicit purposes." )

Entries for the second round of Challenge 2 of writerinatardis are up. Eighteen entries this time, each under a thousand words. Go. Read. Vote. The writers will love you for it.

Yes, it's a marketing ploy to draw you to their site and promote their product, but I can think of worse ones.  The UK coffee company Carte Noir has video of Dominic West reading an extract from Pride and Prejudice. I have to say, that was a very pleasant way to spend 12 minutes.  (I will confess to catching up on my Twitter feed on Tweetie at one end of the screen while I listened and watched.

Definitely needed that break today.

Title: Celestial Navigation
Author: spikewriter 
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Nine/Rose, Ten/Rose, 10.5/Rose
Spoilers: Through Journey's End
Word Count: 1,420
A/N: Written for Challenge 2.01 of writerinatardis, the prompt being "the first time." Inspiration for the story itself comes from the First Doctor episode, "The Edge of Destruction," where Susan comments about a planet on the viewscreen, "That's where we lost the TARDIS." There's also a nod to the classic Seinfeld episode "The Parking Garage."

My Master List for Doctor Who fic can be found here.

* * *

( I haven’t lost the TARDIS, Rose. I just…misplaced it somewhere. )

Not surprisingly, much of my friends list is filled with the news of Michael Jackson passing. I see lots of talk of Thriller, Billie Jean, or Can't Stop Til You Get Enough, often with the phrase "that's how I first remember him" attached.

I know he said childhood wasn't a happy time for him, but I first remember him as the incredibly talented boy just a few years older than myself that every girl in our class had a mad crush on (and this was a pretty much all-white schol in Texas). I got the Jackson 5's album with "ABC" for my birthday and played the song until it drove my mother crazy.

It wasn't the height of his career – that was yet to come – but looking back on this incredibly poor quality video, this is how I remember first learning who Michael Jackson was and he was incredible, so full of life, energy and talent.



Rest now, Michael. I hope you've found peace at last.

The entries for the first challenge in this round of writerinatardis have been posted with 21 pieces. For those who aren't familiar, this is a "last author standing" competition centered around the Doctor/Rose pairing.

Part I is here.

Part II is here.

You may vote here.

Word of warning: the formatting on all stories is a little funky. debs7 has posted that she will fix it, but she has to get in her office first (and she's in Australia) so it's probably not going to be until a bit later today.

Voting deadline is 7PM EDT, Monday June 28. Go. Vote. Leave feedback. The writers will thank you for it.

I have five invite codes for Dreamwidth. If you'd like one, please leave your email in the comments -- I've got comments screened.

I have achieved a kill in the Sock Wars -- and Team LJ has destroyed Team R2Sock2.

Woo hoo!

Even if my death socks are waiting for me when I get home, at least I got to enjoy this small moment of victory.

Shaun Lyon, owner of Outpost Gallifrey and the Doctor Who Forum, has announced that the Doctor Who Forum will be closing as of July 31, 2009.

For many, this will come as an enormous surprise. For some, probably not so much. Two years ago, I shut down the day-to-day operations of the Outpost Gallifrey website, retaining its News Page as a continuing entity administered by news editors, as well as the Forum run by a moderator team. But all good things must come to an end, and several months ago, I began planning the eventual shutdown of the website and forum by taking a first step: the cessation of taking paid patron memberships, in order to run down the cash coffers (which I projected could last around five to six months without any additional input from new or renewing members -- current patrons were simply extended indefinitely as we announced). At the end of July, any remaining funding (expected to be very little, if any) will be donated to a noted charity, save for costs for the one item that *will* (and actually must) continue to function at gallifreyone.com -- the web space for our long-running Doctor Who convention, Gallifrey One, which enters its twenty-first iteration next February.

Since 1996, Outpost Gallifrey has served as a valuable source of news and information in the online world. Since 2001, the Doctor Who Forum has created an enormous sense of community amongst Doctor Who fans, far longer than I (or perhaps anyone) ever anticipated. When the BBC shut its own DW forums down, we underwent massive growth that created the largest focus for online Doctor Who discussion and debate in cyberspace, and I'm very proud of that fact. Of course, the announcement of the new series in 2003 certainly helped that, and its debut has seen our profile rise exponentially. But as they say, it's better to go out on a high, which is exactly what we're doing. Some may wonder if there is a catalyst for this decision, when in fact it's nothing but a simple and straightforward desire to move onto other things... a decision I made several months ago, counselled by many friends and supporters for a long time.

Plans are apparently underway for something called "Gallifrey Base" which will be headed by folks from the DWF; I'm sure we'll hear more about that soon.

For myself, it's a sad day. Having known Shaun for over twenty years, I know it's not a decision he came to lightly. But the forum is also where I first conceived the insane idea that I'd go ahead and make the trip to London in January to see David Tennant in Hamlet even without my husband. What started as a "maybe three or possibly four days" became a week that I won't forget. I've made friends and rediscovered some things I'd left behind. But all things end and all things change; what we make of what's next is up to us.

Just turned this up on the news services: Torchwood: Children of the Earth to run as part of launch of BBCAmerica HD.

The highly anticipated return of Torchwood: Children of Earth will kick off the first of BBC AMERICA's HD offerings. Told over five consecutive nights starting July 20 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, the series re-joins Captain Jack (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) as they are still coming to terms with the death of two of their closest friends. Yet despite their pain, they know they have a job to do. This time they are faced with their fiercest threat to date - one which throws the future of Torchwood and the entire human race spiralling into danger. Battling against the odds, do they stand a chance of saving mankind?

Planet of the Dead will air Sunday, July 26, at 8 PM ET/PT. Being Human begins its run on Saturday, July 25.

Okay, since one of the highlights of the weekend is flopping on the couch and watching a marathon of ANTM, you get an idea of where my mind is. (Oxygen is running Cycle 5; I've reached the point where I just mute Lisa every time she's on screen.)

On the knitting front, I managed to finish my socks for Sock Wars and those will be going out in the mail tomorrow morning. (Hand envelope to husband tomorrow, have him take to the post office and it's off.) Got beta work done this afternoon and need to get some more work done on my own writing this evening. Need to get wash done so I have clothes for tomorrow. Somehow, though, I can't get energy or enthusiasm for any of this.

Part of it is the news about Dr. George Tiller. They shot him in the lobby of his church, where he was acting as an usher. His church. The authorities have someone in custody and while they haven't released the name, there are rumors that the man in custody was a poster on Operation Rescue's website, which is currently down. Look, I believe people of good conscience can disagree on issues such as abortion. That's not what the calls for "justice" from Operation Rescue and other of their ilk are. That is believing so blindly that your cause is right that anything that is done to reach those ends is justified, even murder. "Thou shalt not kill" is the commandment, not "Thou shalt not kill except when you feel you the right to take matters into your own hands."

I believe there should be conversation between those on the opposite sides of any issue; that is the only way our society can continue to function is a sane manner. But there are those with whom conversation is not possible; those who would do such acts and those who condone them are in that number.

A bigger part of it, though, is what's going on with the Amalfi. ( Just not fun )

::sigh:: Off to get stuff in the wash.

Actor David Tennant has signed up to reprise his role as Hamlet for BBC Two.

The Doctor Who star recently completed a stint playing the prince on stage as part of a Royal Shakespeare Company production.

He will be joined by all of the key members of its original cast, including Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart, who plays Claudius.

Speaking as someone who was lucky enough to see the final performance in London, I'm thrilled by this news. It's not just Tennant as Hamlet (as incredible as he was), but the rest of a very gifted ensemble as well, especially Oliver Ford Davies as Polonius. 

No news on when the production will air, when and/or if there will be a DVD, or if it will make it's way to America (though this sounds like perfect PBS material).  But after months of speculation, it's great to see confirmed news of the filming

'Doctor Who' returns to BBC America

www.variety.com/article/VR1118004221.html

"The Next Doctor," the series' Christmas special, will air at 9 p.m. June 27, and the next spec ("Planet of the Dead") is set for July. Dates and times for the final three shows are to be determined, but the next incarnation of the show is already in the works, with Steven Moffat (who worked on the Davies version) as showrunner and thesp Matt Smith as the Doctor.
 

The net's "Who"-centric summertime launches will segue into the rest of its sci-fi heavy lineup, which includes the previously announced fantasy series "Being Human" (six hourlongs, produced by Touchpaper TV and BBC America, starting July 25) about the relationships among three characters: a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost. The net has already made a deal for the not-yet-aired second season of the show.

Also on the sked: "Survivors," which follows the last members of the human race after a deadly virus has wiped out 99% of the population.

 

Finally.  Can I just say I'm glad it's going over to BBC America (which is adding an HD feed this summer) who I feel will treat the show with a bit more respect than SciFi.  And, yes, they've hacked it to pieces before, but they're apparently going to be running episodes such as "Journey's End" in a 90-minute slot the next time it airs.  I will lay odds that this deal means the specials will run within a reasonable amount of time after they run on BBC.  Now, if they'd just get "Confidential" as well...

Happy Birthday to hobbituk !

May the day be joyful and may happiness, love and success walk with you through the year.

For curious parties who would like to read the opinions, the ruling can be found here. It's 185 pages of PDF.

Those of you who are practicing attorneys, I'd love to hear your comment on this.

Title: Unexpected
Author: Spikewriter
Charactesr/Pairing: 10.5/Rose, Jake
Rating: PG
Length: 3,796 words
Spoilers: Through "Journey's End" (and the fact David Tennant is leaving the role), with a few references back to both the Second and Sixth Doctor's eras.
Disclaimer: The BBC owns it all and all characters used here are borrowed with the greatest affection
Summary: While working a case in London, something unexpectedly goes wrong for the Doctor and Rose
Author's Note: Thank you to the lovely jaradel for her excellent beta work, to my husband for being my first reader, and to papilio_luna for providing the inspiration for this piece.  I think I got most of the items on your checklist in somehow. This takes place several years after my story Snow in what I'm referring to as the "Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth and Her Faithful Companion, the Doctor (Oi!)" verse.

( I thought you said I looked good in blue. )

Title: Outside Looking In
Author: Spikewriter
Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose, Martha, Donna, Jack, and supporting cast
Rating: PG
Length: 1,582 words
Spoilers: Through JE (though really, really AU)
Disclaimer: The BBC owns it all and all characters used here are borrowed with the greatest affection
Summary: The Doctor and Rose stared at one another across the debris-littered street, then come slamming together as if drawn by giant magnets. A tight embrace with him lifting her from the ground, followed by some first-class, world and dimension-shattering snogging.
Author's Notes: This was written back in December 2007 when casting spoilers for Series 4 broke (and before Torchwood Series 2 aired) leaked out, but long before we had any hard and fast information other than Catherine Tate's return. Two scenes popped into my head which I dashed off and am now properly rewriting and putting together. What's amusing to see upon looking back is how certain elements I chose were the same as RTD opted to use (and how very wrong I was about others). This really is just fun and fluff, and was originally going to serve as the starting point for a series of stories, but as some now deceased Torchwood characters appeared in prominent roles later on, the series was abandoned. Originally posted as two parts, I've revised this into a single stand-alone.

****

( Martha couldn't wait to see how the South Wales Echo wrote this incident up, especially since Owen had been shouting all sorts of obscenities that had undoubtedly woken the neighbors, even if the sound of aliens invading hadn't. )

It appears David Tennant may have filmed his last scene today for Who (barring any pickups that might have to be done later), according to a tweet from Benjamin Cook. No description of the scene itself, just the simple words "It's a wrap."