Pinned: So You Want to be Damned-A Guide to 'Damnatio Memoriae'
'Damnatio Memoriae' is an interlinked series of fan fiction stories set in the Doctor Who universe. It is an alternative universe series, with certain changes effected by time travel. It includes multiple stories of various lengths and relevancies to the overall story arc, so I thought I would create a little Q&A guide for those interested in starting in.
Q: What is Damnatio Memoriae about?
A: It's about the Doctor making a terrible mistake, and the consequences catching up with him over time. He wants to undo what he considers to be a key decision in his own past, and the results change the universe. It takes place on alien worlds, in deep space, on Earth, and on Skaro. The cast of recurring characters currently includes various incarnations of the Doctor, Davros and his Daleks, Torchwood, and Tragan the Naglon.
It is mostly action/SF, with a generous leavening of drama, humour, horror, and sex.
Q: What does the title mean?
A: Damnatio Memoriae literally means 'the damnation of memory'. It was the Roman 'erasure' of treacherous Roman citizens or even disgraced Emperors from all official records, including destroying statues of them and blotting out their names from coins. And although you may not see currently how the series title is relevant, it will relate to the story as the arc progresses.
Q: There is an overall story arc then?
A: You bet! I've got it all plotted out.
Q: Can you tell me the ending now?
A: No. I can tell you that the last word of the last story will NOT be 'scar.'
Q: What are your stories rated?
A: Generally they are PG-13/T (suitable for more mature teenagers) or higher, as along with the action I have a rather violent cast of villains, and also a fair amount of sex in various combinations.
Q: Are you concrit-friendly?
A: Constructive criticism is always welcome! So are reviews, comments, or just general appreciation (or even condemnation)!
Q: I want to read the whole series in order; where do I start?
A: I have the entire series archived at the marvellous 'A Teaspoon and an Open Mind' Web site. You can find all the stories in the series listed in the order of plot (which is not necessarily the chronological order) here: The Damnatio Memoriae series.
Q: I'd like to sample your work before diving right into a long series. Could you give me some examples of your writing that are short and self-contained?
A: Certainly! In the Damnatio series, Slumber at Dawn is a Second Doctor story that can be read by itself.
A Domino Falls stars the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria.
The Man Who Would Be Nyderis an origin story for Davros' feared second-in-command, Security Commander Nyder. It is a very grim story, with rape, abuse and characters deaths.
Cultural Contamination of the Daleks is a short but sweet humour piece.
Suffering in Silver is rather highly regarded, although some background in the Damnatio series might be helpful. It's a drama/tragedy, not particularly comic.
I am also rather fond of Genesis, Rewritten with the Fourth Doctor, and The Consistency of Sayings with the Ninth Doctor.
Q: I'm interested in the 'major' stories in the series. What are the high points?
A: The longest and most complex stories, that also relate the most to the overall story arc, are:
A Roll of the Dice
Reflections on Skaro
Doctor Who and the Dawn of the Daleks
Doctor Who and the Hive of the Daleks
Doctor Who and the Enmity of the Daleks
Doctor Who and the Exodus of the Daleks
Q: Did somebody say - Torchwood?
A: I've got a Torchwood 'prequel' (set before the events in the series): Torchwood: Starts With An 'S' And there will be more Torchwood stories in the future.
Q: I'm just interested in stories with the Doctor (in his various incarnations)!
A: Plenty of those! Try:
Slumber at Dawn is a Second Doctor story.
A Domino Falls stars the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria.
Doctor Who and the Dawn of the Daleks with the Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane, and Harry on Skaro.
Doctor Who and the Hive of the Daleks with the Fourth Doctor and Leela on Skaro.
Doctor Who and the Enmity of the Daleks with the Fourth Doctor and Romana II on Skaro.
Doctor Who and the Exodus of the Daleks with the Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Turlough on Gallifrey.
Back on Skaro has the Fifth Doctor and Turlough, er, well I guess it's fairly obvious where they are.
A Roll of the Dice with the Tenth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith in outer space.
And although it's not part of the overall arc, there's also The Consistency of Sayings with the Ninth Doctor on Earth.
Q: I'm just interested in stories with Daleks!
A: Then you've come to the right place! Check out:
Doctor Who and the Dawn of the Daleks
Cultural Contamination of the Daleks
Doctor Who and the Hive of the Daleks
Sexual Sublimation of the Daleks
A Day on Skaro
Assassination
Getting A Leg Up
Standards of Combat
Reflections on Mary-Sue
The Present (warning: smut!)
Further Cultural Contamination of the Daleks
Directions
Doctor Who and the Exodus of the Daleks
Q: I'm just interested in stories with Tragan!
A: Good choice! Tragan was a marvellous villain from the Third Doctor audio 'The Paradise of Death', and I've taken the liberty of bringing him into a number of my stories.
A Pair of Dice: Tragan is indeed rated NC-17 for sex & violence.
Avon and Beyond which is rated Adult for sexual content.
A Roll of the Dice
Torchwood: Starts With An 'S'
The Cleaners
Reflections on Skaro in the opening & closing chapters.
The Sarah Jane Adventures: Pursuit
Romantic Antics
Q: Could you give me a list of the stories set on Earth?
A: Most certainly. That would be:
The Consistency of Sayings is a Ninth Doctor humour one-shot. The Cleaners is set before the events in the Ninth Doctor story 'Dalek.' The Sarah Jane Adventures: Pursuit is set before the Sarah Jane Adventures premiere episode, 'Invasion of the Bane.'
The Sarah Jane Adventures: Lost in Plain Sight is set on Earth.
Torchwood: Starts With An 'S' is a Torchwood story with Jack Harkness.
Q: Got any stories with slash in them?
A: Now that you mention it, yes. In most of my stories I try to confine the explicit material to within specific chapter and mark those chapters {GSS} for Gratuitous Sex Scene. A chapter marked {GSS} can be skipped without interrupting the flow of the story or missing any important plot points.
Doctor Who and the Dawn of the Daleks Chapter 11.1 (Nyder/Harry Sullivan)
Reflections on Skaro Chapter 7.1 (Nyder/Ravon)
I Want You to See (Nyder/Ravon)
Relations in Triplicate (Nyder/Ravon)
Reflections on Ecstacy (Nyder/Davros)
The Present (Nyder/Fourth Doctor/Dalek)
Regret to Inform (Nyder/Ravon/Davros/female OC foursome)
Q: Any comedies?
A: Several of several flavours:
Cultural Contamination of the Daleks is a comedy short. Reflections on Mary-Sue
and Standards of Combat probably make sense only if you're read well into the Damnatio Memoriae series. The Consistency of Sayings with the Ninth Doctor is also definitely comic. And for some reason, the first chapter of Rare Affections strikes people as funny; it's a sex education class being given to a group of men who've never had sex with women, only with each other.
Q: Are there any crossovers?
A: There's a Blakes 7 crossover, Avon and Beyond which is rated Adult for sexual content (pegging and torture).
Q: Any essays or plays?
A: One of each, actually. Since the character of Tragan was originally from an audio play, I wrote a version of my first story with him in audio play format. A Pair of Dice: Tragan (Audio Play Script Format Version) is indeed NC-17 for sex and violence.
And I did an essay on the process of translating from story to audio script form, The Fic Whisperer
I hope that you are intrigued, and I look forward to reading your comments on 'Damnatio Memoriae'! And if there is any subcategory of stories that you'd like me to list here, or other questions you would like answered, please let me know!
Q: What is Damnatio Memoriae about?
A: It's about the Doctor making a terrible mistake, and the consequences catching up with him over time. He wants to undo what he considers to be a key decision in his own past, and the results change the universe. It takes place on alien worlds, in deep space, on Earth, and on Skaro. The cast of recurring characters currently includes various incarnations of the Doctor, Davros and his Daleks, Torchwood, and Tragan the Naglon.
It is mostly action/SF, with a generous leavening of drama, humour, horror, and sex.
Q: What does the title mean?
A: Damnatio Memoriae literally means 'the damnation of memory'. It was the Roman 'erasure' of treacherous Roman citizens or even disgraced Emperors from all official records, including destroying statues of them and blotting out their names from coins. And although you may not see currently how the series title is relevant, it will relate to the story as the arc progresses.
Q: There is an overall story arc then?
A: You bet! I've got it all plotted out.
Q: Can you tell me the ending now?
A: No. I can tell you that the last word of the last story will NOT be 'scar.'
Q: What are your stories rated?
A: Generally they are PG-13/T (suitable for more mature teenagers) or higher, as along with the action I have a rather violent cast of villains, and also a fair amount of sex in various combinations.
Q: Are you concrit-friendly?
A: Constructive criticism is always welcome! So are reviews, comments, or just general appreciation (or even condemnation)!
Q: I want to read the whole series in order; where do I start?
A: I have the entire series archived at the marvellous 'A Teaspoon and an Open Mind' Web site. You can find all the stories in the series listed in the order of plot (which is not necessarily the chronological order) here: The Damnatio Memoriae series.
Q: I'd like to sample your work before diving right into a long series. Could you give me some examples of your writing that are short and self-contained?
A: Certainly! In the Damnatio series, Slumber at Dawn is a Second Doctor story that can be read by itself.
A Domino Falls stars the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria.
The Man Who Would Be Nyderis an origin story for Davros' feared second-in-command, Security Commander Nyder. It is a very grim story, with rape, abuse and characters deaths.
Cultural Contamination of the Daleks is a short but sweet humour piece.
Suffering in Silver is rather highly regarded, although some background in the Damnatio series might be helpful. It's a drama/tragedy, not particularly comic.
I am also rather fond of Genesis, Rewritten with the Fourth Doctor, and The Consistency of Sayings with the Ninth Doctor.
Q: I'm interested in the 'major' stories in the series. What are the high points?
A: The longest and most complex stories, that also relate the most to the overall story arc, are:
A Roll of the Dice
Reflections on Skaro
Doctor Who and the Dawn of the Daleks
Doctor Who and the Hive of the Daleks
Doctor Who and the Enmity of the Daleks
Doctor Who and the Exodus of the Daleks
Q: Did somebody say - Torchwood?
A: I've got a Torchwood 'prequel' (set before the events in the series): Torchwood: Starts With An 'S' And there will be more Torchwood stories in the future.
Q: I'm just interested in stories with the Doctor (in his various incarnations)!
A: Plenty of those! Try:
Slumber at Dawn is a Second Doctor story.
A Domino Falls stars the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria.
Doctor Who and the Dawn of the Daleks with the Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane, and Harry on Skaro.
Doctor Who and the Hive of the Daleks with the Fourth Doctor and Leela on Skaro.
Doctor Who and the Enmity of the Daleks with the Fourth Doctor and Romana II on Skaro.
Doctor Who and the Exodus of the Daleks with the Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Turlough on Gallifrey.
Back on Skaro has the Fifth Doctor and Turlough, er, well I guess it's fairly obvious where they are.
A Roll of the Dice with the Tenth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith in outer space.
And although it's not part of the overall arc, there's also The Consistency of Sayings with the Ninth Doctor on Earth.
Q: I'm just interested in stories with Daleks!
A: Then you've come to the right place! Check out:
Doctor Who and the Dawn of the Daleks
Cultural Contamination of the Daleks
Doctor Who and the Hive of the Daleks
Sexual Sublimation of the Daleks
A Day on Skaro
Assassination
Getting A Leg Up
Standards of Combat
Reflections on Mary-Sue
The Present (warning: smut!)
Further Cultural Contamination of the Daleks
Directions
Doctor Who and the Exodus of the Daleks
Q: I'm just interested in stories with Tragan!
A: Good choice! Tragan was a marvellous villain from the Third Doctor audio 'The Paradise of Death', and I've taken the liberty of bringing him into a number of my stories.
A Pair of Dice: Tragan is indeed rated NC-17 for sex & violence.
Avon and Beyond which is rated Adult for sexual content.
A Roll of the Dice
Torchwood: Starts With An 'S'
The Cleaners
Reflections on Skaro in the opening & closing chapters.
The Sarah Jane Adventures: Pursuit
Romantic Antics
Q: Could you give me a list of the stories set on Earth?
A: Most certainly. That would be:
The Consistency of Sayings is a Ninth Doctor humour one-shot. The Cleaners is set before the events in the Ninth Doctor story 'Dalek.' The Sarah Jane Adventures: Pursuit is set before the Sarah Jane Adventures premiere episode, 'Invasion of the Bane.'
The Sarah Jane Adventures: Lost in Plain Sight is set on Earth.
Torchwood: Starts With An 'S' is a Torchwood story with Jack Harkness.
Q: Got any stories with slash in them?
A: Now that you mention it, yes. In most of my stories I try to confine the explicit material to within specific chapter and mark those chapters {GSS} for Gratuitous Sex Scene. A chapter marked {GSS} can be skipped without interrupting the flow of the story or missing any important plot points.
Doctor Who and the Dawn of the Daleks Chapter 11.1 (Nyder/Harry Sullivan)
Reflections on Skaro Chapter 7.1 (Nyder/Ravon)
I Want You to See (Nyder/Ravon)
Relations in Triplicate (Nyder/Ravon)
Reflections on Ecstacy (Nyder/Davros)
The Present (Nyder/Fourth Doctor/Dalek)
Regret to Inform (Nyder/Ravon/Davros/female OC foursome)
Q: Any comedies?
A: Several of several flavours:
Cultural Contamination of the Daleks is a comedy short. Reflections on Mary-Sue
and Standards of Combat probably make sense only if you're read well into the Damnatio Memoriae series. The Consistency of Sayings with the Ninth Doctor is also definitely comic. And for some reason, the first chapter of Rare Affections strikes people as funny; it's a sex education class being given to a group of men who've never had sex with women, only with each other.
Q: Are there any crossovers?
A: There's a Blakes 7 crossover, Avon and Beyond which is rated Adult for sexual content (pegging and torture).
Q: Any essays or plays?
A: One of each, actually. Since the character of Tragan was originally from an audio play, I wrote a version of my first story with him in audio play format. A Pair of Dice: Tragan (Audio Play Script Format Version) is indeed NC-17 for sex and violence.
And I did an essay on the process of translating from story to audio script form, The Fic Whisperer
I hope that you are intrigued, and I look forward to reading your comments on 'Damnatio Memoriae'! And if there is any subcategory of stories that you'd like me to list here, or other questions you would like answered, please let me know!