DW Fic: River Song and the Lost Tomb of Ardûn

[nancybrown]

Title: River Song and the Lost Tomb of Ardûn
Author: nancybrown
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters: River, Jack, OCs
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: some violence and torture (think Indiana Jones films level of gore)
Spoilers: up through "DW: The Angels Take Manhattan"
Words: 5000
Beta: fide_et_spe, who also helped with those fiddly little details of time-travelling British people

Comments

[bookwormsarah]

Oh this was gloriously twisty and I loved the little threads kept coming back to tickle the story. I liked how subtle the name was, how it slowly crept through the story until the "Ohhh!" moment near the end. I enjoyed the take on future archaeology too, and the tomb descriptions were pure Indiana Jones. Good stuff.

what were Margaret Thatcher's five greatest accomplishments
I had to bite back my own answers to this one...(very much not a fan).

[nancybrown]

I liked how subtle the name was, how it slowly crept through the story until the "Ohhh!" moment near the end.

Yay! As soon as I realized it was going to be the thread, I was worried I was using it too much. V. glad that worked.

I had to bite back my own answers to this one...(very much not a fan).

I doubt River is, either, but it was fun to give the nod to the Nixon cameo from Impossible Astronaut. ;)

Thanks for reading!

[tymewyse]

Oh...! This is gorgeous! Just exactly the kind of thing I needed today. Timey-wimey, full circle, things happen because they *do* - just brilliant. If only you could have seen my face when the penny dropped. *clappyhandsandsquees*

[nancybrown]

(Which penny? I think I threw the whole jar up ... )

I am delighted you liked it, and thanks so much for the Tumblr rec! :D

[lawsontl]

I love all the little references sprinkled throughout, and the detail given to the classroom time, the OCs, and especially the Tomb. I particularly liked the "married" question and wondered as soon as he repeated it the first time what it was going to mean. Old fashioned guy, huh? :) It's a good, meaty story that could easily be expanded but doesn't feel at all neglected by being so brief. Well-crafted start to finish (though I did get a little lost during the awesome Doctor is a woman moment, probably from the squee). Much love, as always, for your work.

[nancybrown]

I particularly liked the "married" question and wondered as soon as he repeated it the first time what it was going to mean.

:D You have no idea how evilly I giggled when I realized that was going to be the bit that tied this all together.

It's a good, meaty story that could easily be expanded but doesn't feel at all neglected by being so brief.

This? Was supposed to be comment fic. So. *cough*

I rewrote the Doctor-is-a-woman bit a couple of times. I wasn't 100% happy with it still, so hey, good to know for future: keep playing with the scene until it actually works. :)

Glad you liked the fic!

[rabecka]

Oh wow. This is brilliant. Love the timey-wimey, and got Jack from the start (well, it was my bonus request after all...). His pushing her cause he needed her to be the best. You know what really smacked me upside the head though, was the references to the screaming. I kept taking that as hyperbole, you know, part of the legend, and probably something like wind thru the rock. I even guessed that she was going to be rescuing Jack, and it still didn't register. Slam.

Loved the whole tomb section in fact, from Alon and the Trill-Bears, to River's initial dismissal and then respect for the traps, to, well... yeah... Oh Jack...

I was reading a story by prochytes a couple of days ago, and she had a line in there that I loved. "We’re riding a predestination paradox. Hold on tight, and try not to throw up." Strikes me that it fits this story just as well. Must say that it's wonderful to get several top-notch TW stories. (Hey, if it has Jack, I consider it at least partly TW. Not to mention that the Dr Jones is more than a little ambivalent.) They'

[nancybrown]

Oh wow. This is brilliant. Love the timey-wimey, and got Jack from the start (well, it was my bonus request after all...).

It was and thank you! Pretty much once I read your prompt, the story was set, and it was just a matter of finding time to get it all down. :D

You know what really smacked me upside the head though, was the references to the screaming. I kept taking that as hyperbole, you know, part of the legend, and probably something like wind thru the rock. I even guessed that she was going to be rescuing Jack, and it still didn't register.

Oh, I'm so glad that worked. I wanted to tease it out, because you know, tombs and legends and weird, but also, I loved playing with the idea that they cause some of the myths they themselves have learned. Because time travel.

Loved the whole tomb section in fact, from Alon and the Trill-Bears, to River's initial dismissal and then respect for the traps, to, well... yeah... Oh Jack...Yay! It's been a while since I've seen any Indiana Jones movies, but I did get to see some

[rabecka]

Ooo, I really like that quote. I should go track the fic down.
It's Merlyn Sickness, and it's a TW/Arrow crossover. I've never seen the latter, but after a little initial confusion it made perfect timey-wimey sense. If you don't know anything about Arrow either, google the main character in the story (Malcolm Merlyn).

>> thanks for being there when otherwise I think I'm talking to myself <<
I tend to follow people more than comms, and you're one I follow. I just haven't always been good about commenting, something I'm trying very hard to improve...

[nancybrown]

Thanks for the link! (I've watched Arrow, but I kinda got bored and stopped. May have to fix that.)

You have been lovely, let no one tell you otherwise. :D

[fide_et_spe]

Aaaw, Jack took his husband's name, so sweet. I still like thinking about how enigmatic he is being in this story, I can really imagine him being like this.

I like this version, it's snappy.

[nancybrown]

It is entirely possible he ended up married to Tish because I ship it but I think leaving it open to the expectant imagination was a better call. :D Thanks for your help putting it together!

[fide_et_spe]

Well I don't think I did much but cheers anyhow!

Just putting my fingers in my ears at mention of Martha or her family. I try to forget the awful mess that was those DW episodes. Although of course if you'd had that as background in your story I would have just been sad on my own, that's OK :)

[nancybrown]

Fyi, when I go asking for a beta for the AU: apocalypse square fic, you'll want to skip that one. :)