we'll tear down the buildings
So, I did that writing meme thing that Claire did recently. And failed. Dismally. I got a grand total of six out of ten done, but it was fun, so I'll probably finish it tomorrow (will probably edit this post). I've also included downloads of all the songs, so if you have a moral objection to that, I apologize. Oh! I included the lyrics that particularly inspired the stories because I'm strange and thought that would be interesting. There are probably insane amounts of grammar problems and they may not make any sense, so feel free to tell me never to write again. I won't listen to you, but feel free to tell me anyway! xD (Will cross-post once I've done all 10)
1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.
2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!
4. Do ten of these, then post them.
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Characters: Rose, the Doctor (Ten), Jack, Martha, Gwen, Ianto, and Owen
Pairings: Doctor/Rose, unrequited!Doctor/Martha, secret!Jack/Rose, Jack/Ianto, Ianto/Owen (could be seen as friendship), more Doctor/Rose, misc, unspecified pairing
Warnings: None. Spoilers for Doomsday, The Shakespeare Code, Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel, and Adrift. Angst and fluff abound!
Ratings: All G, but a maximum of PG because I’m bad at ratings.
Disclamer: Do not own, blah, blah, blah.
1. Sundays - Daphne Loves Derby (She sees herself in her Sunday dress)
It was dark and dreary and Rose hated it. She absolutely did. Part of her wanted to be able to scream and shout, complaining that every Sunday should be bright, should be pleasantly breezy and yet calm at the same time, but most of her realized that this was probably less important than the situation at hand: Twelve alien life forms hovering around the Doctor and her, eye stalks twitching every so often. She wiped a rain drop off of her cheek and turned slowly to the Doctor, their eyes meeting. "So," she whispered conversationally, "how are we going to get out of this one?" He smiled, stretched out his hand, and waggled his fingers, eyes sparkling. "Run," he said simply. Rose grinned back and placed her hand in his, her smile widening as he squeezed her fingers tightly. "Run," she echoed, standing and sprinting away, pulling him with her.
2. Silver - David Cook (When writing your history,/I will always be a footnote ... The silver leaves me longing for gold/Second place has never carried me home)
Martha lay there on the bed, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. No, she willed herself, you are stronger than this. Better than this. You've only just met him, she reminded herself sternly. She stared at the Doctor's long neck stretched in front of her, so close and yet ... And yet he wasn't thinking anything like she was thinking. He was thinking of Rose and she hated her at that moment, hated her so strongly the emotion threatened to escape from her body in a scream. Maybe that would make him notice her. Because, honestly, nothing else would, she saw that now. If her body, stretched on a bed next to him in a dimly lit room, didn't make him notice her, nothing ever would. She would always be second best. But ... at least he seemed ... well, happy wasn't quite the right word. But nostalgic, lost in the world of his mind. And, she supposed, that would have to do. She closed her eyes and smiled, happy for the Doctor, happy that he had someone to think of like that.
3. AC - David Cook (Please know I love you and I miss you every day)
Jack crept around the bushes, watching a young girl with blonde hair laugh with her dark-skinned friend, watched as the fair girl tossed her hair over her shoulder in a joking manner, watched as her friend laughed, doubling over with the force of her mirth, watched as the girl giggled herself, face breaking into a wide smile that light it up. If anyone could be said to have a smile stretching from ear to ear, Jack thought, she would be the one. His foot moved involuntarily, his body trying to inch him closer to the two girls, trying to make some contact, trying to breathe their air, as if that would help him feel closer to them. Snap! He had stepped on a twig, a damn twig! How undignified, being found spying on two girls because of a twig. He inhaled sharply. Shit. They were looking in his direction; obviously the twig had been louder than he thought. He couldn't be seen, he couldn't, so he dived behind another bush, silently cursing the rustling bushes, and sprinted away. He would find Rose later and he would be much more secretive then.
4. Belt Loops - The Films (I said it's hard to focus with your fingers in his belt loops)
"Oh. Oh!" she mouthed, staring at Jack and Ianto, intwined and half naked, with an open mouth. They stared back at her. If possible, Jack's mouth was even wider than Gwen's. She really, really, didn't want to think about why it would have been open before she walked in. Not a good train of thought. "Um, I'll, I'll go then, shall I?" she said loudly, her stutter betraying just how nervous she was. She pointed behind her to the door and fled, walking quickly across the floor to the Hub exit. Her cheeks burned and she couldn't help muttering about how they really should put a warning on the door or something when they were ... engaged. It would make things so much less awkward. She shook her head to clear it and stepped outside, leaving the muffled sounds of grunts and moans behind her. Boys will be boys ...
5. Umbrella - All Time Low (Rihanna cover) (Now that it's raining more than ever [...] You can stand under my umbrella)
Rain again. Owen didn't know why they couldn't go on missions without rain and said so. "What about that time with the cannibles?" Ianto pointed out reasonably from the front of the SUV. "Well," drawled Owen, "the fact that there were cannibles at all cancels out the niceness of the bright sun, don't you think?" Ianto just shrugged and turned back to driving. Owen, deprived of anyone to talk to as Ianto seemed determined to ignore all of his brilliant observations ("It's raining Ianto." "Look, a cow." "Ianto, it's cold." "Ianto, did you bring an umbrella? Because I will be angry if you didn't.") looked out the window at the driving rain and dreary landscape. There wasn't even a cow to add a little bit of interest to the scenery; it was just rolling hills and the odd tree. Very boring. "I'll get wet," Owen whined. Ianto just smiled. "It is raining."
6. So Damn Clever - Plain White T's (Why do you have to be so damn clever?)
"We have to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow!" the Doctor called out, looking at Jack and Martha gleefully. His face fell a bit when he noticed their dumbfounded expressions. "The polarity of the neutron flow," he said more slowly, looking at them as if they were idiots. "Isn't it obvious?" They shook their heads in a remarkably synchronized motion. "Nope," Jack said bluntly. "Not obvious at all. Well, except to you," he conceeded. "But, then again, you are too damn smart, aren't you?" The Doctor looked hurt. "Too smart, Jack? Don't you mean 'incredibly brilliant'?" "Don't think so!" Martha chimed in. "You are too smart." She nodded earnestly and the Doctor sighed and dropped it.
7. Shoe Box - Barenaked Ladies (It's under my bed [...] my shoebox)
Rose knelt in front of the little box, lying alone on the floor, nothing else around it. She smiled and opened it, breathing in the smell that escaped with the lid. It smelled of him. After all this time, it still smelled of him, still had that musty odor that covered his body, the slight orange tang, the hint of peppermint. Pulling the tie from the box didn't take long, so she pressed it to her face in moments, rubbing her nose in it, surrounded by the memories, good and bad. A timer beeped. Her time was up for this week (she wanted to make the smell last, so she had a detailed schedule - one minute per week) so she placed it gently back into the box and closed it. Until next week.
8. Searchlights - David Cook (For these searchlights are growing dim [...] You make me fall forever/With no end in sight)
The tiniest speck of light peeked from beneath the TARDIS grates. "We've got it!" the Doctor yelled, clapping Mickey on the back and scooping it up, breathing on it when it turned dark. Slowly, ever so slowly, it went light again. A cycle. "We've got power!" The Doctor ran out of the TARDIS, telling Mickey to meet back at the TARDIS in 24 hours and not to get into too much trouble while he was gone, scanning the crowds for Rose. His breath caught in his throat when he saw her, turning in response to his call, her hair floating in the wind, her eyes glinting with unshed tears. "Rose!" he called again, sprinting towards her, raising the crystal above his head triumphantly. Rose looked confused for a second; a conflicted look crossed her face before she smiled, seeming to be swept up in the Doctor's infectious laughter. She ran towards him and he caught her in a spinning hug, the both of them grinning and squeezing and generally making fools of themselves.
9. You Do - Until June (If only I could see the way you do [...] It's hard to understand/How you could die for me)
She fell, arms stretching, reaching, grasping for the lever where there was nothing but air. Her hair was caught in an unearthly wind, floating around her face, obscuring it from his sight. He wanted to cut that hair, wanted it to be gone, if only he could see her face, see it for one last time. If only he could inscribe every lineament into his memory, if only he could make a point to remember it, but he couldn't, he couldn't, because her hair was in her face and she was falling, falling, and he couldn't stop her, he couldn't. He couldn't move and she was leaving him, leaving him like everyone seemed to in the end. But this was not right, this was not fair. She shouldn't be pulled from him in such a way, she shouldn't have to die for him. It's wasn't right.
A part of him died at the slight relaxation, slight relief, after she was saved. He was a traitor for feeling that way. But he still did.
At least she was safe.
10. Cradle - Michael Johns (Comfort me, cradle me)
When they hugged, magic happened. It sounded corny but it was true. His heart lifted, her smile broadened, everything became better. And the only word they could think of for it was magic. They had no other way to explain what it felt like to feel the joy or hurt of another living thing, how the room was literally brighter when the other was there and darker when the other wasn't. No other words existed to detail exactly how they felt so close to each other after knowing each other for such a short while, how a simple flash of the other's favorite colour brightened their day infinitely. Well, that's not exactly true. There was a word for it and they both knew it, but they couldn't bring themselves to say it. They couldn't utter the word 'love,' not when they were around one another, that was too permanent, too serious. They both knew it was love, yes, but they couldn't say it. So it remained unspoken, alive only in their actions, and that was alright, it all worked. They were happy.
--
Give me a shout if the downloads don't work - it's my first time uploading something.
Also: Elise, can I post this to cat_kirk once I've done all 10? Because I was thinking that it might be cool for it to be a multi-media journal (meaning fics, icons, music downloads, etc.). Cheers!
ETA: Added the last four double-drabbles.
1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.
2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!
4. Do ten of these, then post them.
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Characters: Rose, the Doctor (Ten), Jack, Martha, Gwen, Ianto, and Owen
Pairings: Doctor/Rose, unrequited!Doctor/Martha, secret!Jack/Rose, Jack/Ianto, Ianto/Owen (could be seen as friendship), more Doctor/Rose, misc, unspecified pairing
Warnings: None. Spoilers for Doomsday, The Shakespeare Code, Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel, and Adrift. Angst and fluff abound!
Ratings: All G, but a maximum of PG because I’m bad at ratings.
Disclamer: Do not own, blah, blah, blah.
1. Sundays - Daphne Loves Derby (She sees herself in her Sunday dress)
It was dark and dreary and Rose hated it. She absolutely did. Part of her wanted to be able to scream and shout, complaining that every Sunday should be bright, should be pleasantly breezy and yet calm at the same time, but most of her realized that this was probably less important than the situation at hand: Twelve alien life forms hovering around the Doctor and her, eye stalks twitching every so often. She wiped a rain drop off of her cheek and turned slowly to the Doctor, their eyes meeting. "So," she whispered conversationally, "how are we going to get out of this one?" He smiled, stretched out his hand, and waggled his fingers, eyes sparkling. "Run," he said simply. Rose grinned back and placed her hand in his, her smile widening as he squeezed her fingers tightly. "Run," she echoed, standing and sprinting away, pulling him with her.
2. Silver - David Cook (When writing your history,/I will always be a footnote ... The silver leaves me longing for gold/Second place has never carried me home)
Martha lay there on the bed, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. No, she willed herself, you are stronger than this. Better than this. You've only just met him, she reminded herself sternly. She stared at the Doctor's long neck stretched in front of her, so close and yet ... And yet he wasn't thinking anything like she was thinking. He was thinking of Rose and she hated her at that moment, hated her so strongly the emotion threatened to escape from her body in a scream. Maybe that would make him notice her. Because, honestly, nothing else would, she saw that now. If her body, stretched on a bed next to him in a dimly lit room, didn't make him notice her, nothing ever would. She would always be second best. But ... at least he seemed ... well, happy wasn't quite the right word. But nostalgic, lost in the world of his mind. And, she supposed, that would have to do. She closed her eyes and smiled, happy for the Doctor, happy that he had someone to think of like that.
3. AC - David Cook (Please know I love you and I miss you every day)
Jack crept around the bushes, watching a young girl with blonde hair laugh with her dark-skinned friend, watched as the fair girl tossed her hair over her shoulder in a joking manner, watched as her friend laughed, doubling over with the force of her mirth, watched as the girl giggled herself, face breaking into a wide smile that light it up. If anyone could be said to have a smile stretching from ear to ear, Jack thought, she would be the one. His foot moved involuntarily, his body trying to inch him closer to the two girls, trying to make some contact, trying to breathe their air, as if that would help him feel closer to them. Snap! He had stepped on a twig, a damn twig! How undignified, being found spying on two girls because of a twig. He inhaled sharply. Shit. They were looking in his direction; obviously the twig had been louder than he thought. He couldn't be seen, he couldn't, so he dived behind another bush, silently cursing the rustling bushes, and sprinted away. He would find Rose later and he would be much more secretive then.
4. Belt Loops - The Films (I said it's hard to focus with your fingers in his belt loops)
"Oh. Oh!" she mouthed, staring at Jack and Ianto, intwined and half naked, with an open mouth. They stared back at her. If possible, Jack's mouth was even wider than Gwen's. She really, really, didn't want to think about why it would have been open before she walked in. Not a good train of thought. "Um, I'll, I'll go then, shall I?" she said loudly, her stutter betraying just how nervous she was. She pointed behind her to the door and fled, walking quickly across the floor to the Hub exit. Her cheeks burned and she couldn't help muttering about how they really should put a warning on the door or something when they were ... engaged. It would make things so much less awkward. She shook her head to clear it and stepped outside, leaving the muffled sounds of grunts and moans behind her. Boys will be boys ...
5. Umbrella - All Time Low (Rihanna cover) (Now that it's raining more than ever [...] You can stand under my umbrella)
Rain again. Owen didn't know why they couldn't go on missions without rain and said so. "What about that time with the cannibles?" Ianto pointed out reasonably from the front of the SUV. "Well," drawled Owen, "the fact that there were cannibles at all cancels out the niceness of the bright sun, don't you think?" Ianto just shrugged and turned back to driving. Owen, deprived of anyone to talk to as Ianto seemed determined to ignore all of his brilliant observations ("It's raining Ianto." "Look, a cow." "Ianto, it's cold." "Ianto, did you bring an umbrella? Because I will be angry if you didn't.") looked out the window at the driving rain and dreary landscape. There wasn't even a cow to add a little bit of interest to the scenery; it was just rolling hills and the odd tree. Very boring. "I'll get wet," Owen whined. Ianto just smiled. "It is raining."
6. So Damn Clever - Plain White T's (Why do you have to be so damn clever?)
"We have to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow!" the Doctor called out, looking at Jack and Martha gleefully. His face fell a bit when he noticed their dumbfounded expressions. "The polarity of the neutron flow," he said more slowly, looking at them as if they were idiots. "Isn't it obvious?" They shook their heads in a remarkably synchronized motion. "Nope," Jack said bluntly. "Not obvious at all. Well, except to you," he conceeded. "But, then again, you are too damn smart, aren't you?" The Doctor looked hurt. "Too smart, Jack? Don't you mean 'incredibly brilliant'?" "Don't think so!" Martha chimed in. "You are too smart." She nodded earnestly and the Doctor sighed and dropped it.
7. Shoe Box - Barenaked Ladies (It's under my bed [...] my shoebox)
Rose knelt in front of the little box, lying alone on the floor, nothing else around it. She smiled and opened it, breathing in the smell that escaped with the lid. It smelled of him. After all this time, it still smelled of him, still had that musty odor that covered his body, the slight orange tang, the hint of peppermint. Pulling the tie from the box didn't take long, so she pressed it to her face in moments, rubbing her nose in it, surrounded by the memories, good and bad. A timer beeped. Her time was up for this week (she wanted to make the smell last, so she had a detailed schedule - one minute per week) so she placed it gently back into the box and closed it. Until next week.
8. Searchlights - David Cook (For these searchlights are growing dim [...] You make me fall forever/With no end in sight)
The tiniest speck of light peeked from beneath the TARDIS grates. "We've got it!" the Doctor yelled, clapping Mickey on the back and scooping it up, breathing on it when it turned dark. Slowly, ever so slowly, it went light again. A cycle. "We've got power!" The Doctor ran out of the TARDIS, telling Mickey to meet back at the TARDIS in 24 hours and not to get into too much trouble while he was gone, scanning the crowds for Rose. His breath caught in his throat when he saw her, turning in response to his call, her hair floating in the wind, her eyes glinting with unshed tears. "Rose!" he called again, sprinting towards her, raising the crystal above his head triumphantly. Rose looked confused for a second; a conflicted look crossed her face before she smiled, seeming to be swept up in the Doctor's infectious laughter. She ran towards him and he caught her in a spinning hug, the both of them grinning and squeezing and generally making fools of themselves.
9. You Do - Until June (If only I could see the way you do [...] It's hard to understand/How you could die for me)
She fell, arms stretching, reaching, grasping for the lever where there was nothing but air. Her hair was caught in an unearthly wind, floating around her face, obscuring it from his sight. He wanted to cut that hair, wanted it to be gone, if only he could see her face, see it for one last time. If only he could inscribe every lineament into his memory, if only he could make a point to remember it, but he couldn't, he couldn't, because her hair was in her face and she was falling, falling, and he couldn't stop her, he couldn't. He couldn't move and she was leaving him, leaving him like everyone seemed to in the end. But this was not right, this was not fair. She shouldn't be pulled from him in such a way, she shouldn't have to die for him. It's wasn't right.
A part of him died at the slight relaxation, slight relief, after she was saved. He was a traitor for feeling that way. But he still did.
At least she was safe.
10. Cradle - Michael Johns (Comfort me, cradle me)
When they hugged, magic happened. It sounded corny but it was true. His heart lifted, her smile broadened, everything became better. And the only word they could think of for it was magic. They had no other way to explain what it felt like to feel the joy or hurt of another living thing, how the room was literally brighter when the other was there and darker when the other wasn't. No other words existed to detail exactly how they felt so close to each other after knowing each other for such a short while, how a simple flash of the other's favorite colour brightened their day infinitely. Well, that's not exactly true. There was a word for it and they both knew it, but they couldn't bring themselves to say it. They couldn't utter the word 'love,' not when they were around one another, that was too permanent, too serious. They both knew it was love, yes, but they couldn't say it. So it remained unspoken, alive only in their actions, and that was alright, it all worked. They were happy.
--
Give me a shout if the downloads don't work - it's my first time uploading something.
Also: Elise, can I post this to cat_kirk once I've done all 10? Because I was thinking that it might be cool for it to be a multi-media journal (meaning fics, icons, music downloads, etc.). Cheers!
ETA: Added the last four double-drabbles.