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twwpress · 2 years

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Creator Spotlight: Week 6

Welcome back to our TWW Creator Spotlight! For every spotlight, we’ll ask each featured creator the same ten questions as well as questions submitted by you. This week, we’re chatting with @sam-loves-seb (sam_writes_fics on Twitter and AO3). Sam writes, edits, and draws, so we’re very excited to get this unique perspective!

1) What are your top 5 desert island TWW fics?

don’t need those other numbers when i got my number one -- thotsandfeelings https://archiveofourown.org/works/27371038

This is the ultimate jealous!Donna fic and I read it at least once a month. It’s short and sweet, and the Chiefs of Staff era j/d is phenomenal. I always recommend this one to anyone who hasn’t read it, along with all of this author’s work, to be honest.

where the oleander grows -- kairach https://archiveofourown.org/works/27211249/chapters/66468748

This fic is the epitome of soulmate au. Whenever I think about soulmate AUs, this is the first story I think about every single time. It’s just so beautifully thought out and written, and I could read this a hundred more times and never get sick of it. I’m in awe of this fic, and I know I’m not the only one. Ao3 user kairach, if you’re out there, this fandom sings your praises constantly, as we should.

what if i told you, i feel like i know you? but we never met. -- annmeredithperkins https://archiveofourown.org/works/29700924

Okay I debated swapping this fic for another one like three different times, but the ‘my best friend’s brother’ vibes of this fic just hit like nothing else, so I had to keep it in the list. It’s criminally short--I could read 100k on this AU premise--but it gets the tone and the vibes of highschool/college aged j/d just right. I’m a sucker for highschool and/or college AUs, and this short little one shot is my favorite.

Pieces Form the Whole -- eowyn_of_rohan https://archiveofourown.org/works/5859391/chapters/13506073

[deep breath] When I tell you that this is the ultimate sam/josh fic… I’ve read it all the way through like three or four times now, and it’s absolutely worth the word count. Sam and Josh meet when they’re really young and fall in love, and it’s currently updated through a sort of canon divergent Bartlet era where they’re still together. It’s fluffy, it’s angsty, it’s action packed, it’s tender--it does it all. I cannot recommend a better fic to read, this one has kept me up until 2am on several occasions because I can’t put it down.

a safe place to land -- joshllyman https://archiveofourown.org/works/19134469

This is a really fun sam/josh modern-ish au, where Josh meets Sam on tinder during the Bartlet campaign. They hit it off instantly, and from there it’s a mostly fun and cute little story with a few curveballs down the line. It’s a great Sam/Josh read, with a little implied background Donna/Joey which is just delightful with how exasperated they both always get with Josh.

2) Do you have a favorite character to write/edit/draw? Favorite ship(s) to write/edit/make art for? Are there characters or ships you'd like to write/edit more of?

My favorite character to write is probably Sam Seaborn. His idealism and optimism are just so fun to play around with in any scenario. My favorite ships to work with are Josh/Donna and Sam/Josh; I love to create for both of these ships. For me, Sam/Josh is more of a pre-canon indulgence, and Josh/Donna is more post-canon. Both are great for AUs.

I would love to write more CJ/Toby fic in the future. I’ve written background CJ/Toby a couple of times, but I’ve really only written one short little one shot for them specifically. I think I have a hard time finding their voices, but practice makes perfect so maybe if I keep writing them it’ll come easier to me eventually.

3) Tell us about your creative process (setup/location? Night or day? Snacks/beverages? Computer/phone/notebook? Music or silence? Anything else you want to share is welcome!)

I don’t really have a set location for where I create, I can do it from just about anywhere. Most of it happens in the afternoons or at night, but there is the occasional weekend where I wake up and need to start writing immediately first thing in the morning. I almost always have my emotional support water bottle right next to me when I’m creating, and most of the time it has to be silent (or white noise). I can’t write with music on, my brain doesn’t compute, though it’s great for brainstorming, and I can’t edit with it because I have to be able to hear the audio of the video while I work. Drawing is the one exception--I have to have music or an audiobook or something to listen to while I work with that.

My computer is where I get most of my creating done. I can write on my phone if I’m not at home and I need to jot some things down, but typically I like the full keyboard I can type with two hands. I also edit on my computer; I wish I could tell you I use some fancy editing software, but it’s just iMovie. I’m familiar with it, and it’s free--can’t beat that.

4) What video advice do you have for other creators who may be reading this (you can answer this about any of your creative mediums)?

I think my best piece of advice is: just go for it. Whether it’s editing or writing or whatever, don’t overthink it, just do it. Fortune favors the bold. If you want to get into a new medium and are nervous about producing something worth watching/reading--don’t be. The only person you need to impress with your creations is yourself. If you like the idea, then just do it. Don’t worry about everybody else.

Same thing goes to creators who are already producing content. If you have an out of the box idea you think is maybe a little too wild, or something you think is just absolutely insane--do it anyways. Don’t be afraid to create something that stands out, as long as at you like it at the end of the day.

5) From where do you usually draw your inspiration? (Other forms of media, music, tropes, etc?)

Music is my biggest source of inspiration. Sometimes I’ll hear a song, and I have to listen to it five or ten times in a row while my brain works out whatever idea just popped into my head. It’s not always about the lyrics, though sometimes it is, but the music itself can be just as influential to me. It’s all just vibes that get rearranged in my head to create a scene or a fic or whatever.

Next to music, I think other media can be a huge influence for my creative process, especially with AUs. I’ll see characters from another fandom doing something (whether it’s fic or art) and I’ll start to think: can my characters do that? Most of the time the answer is yes, even if I have to build a whole new world around it to make it work. For example, my Sam/Josh camp counselors AU was originally inspired from a piece of fan art I saw from a totally different fandom. The stories are totally different, but just seeing that piece of art and thinking hm, what if I wrote a camp counselor AU? It really gets my brain buzzing.

6) What is the fic/edit/artwork you've written/created that you're most proud of and why? (Shout out to @joshatella for asking a similar question!)

I think I’m still most proud of my season 7 trilogy (series title: this hope is treacherous). I wrote the first installment almost a year ago, and God knows I’ve written an absurd number of fics since, but this trilogy will always hold a special place in my heart. I just love the possibilities of this unexplored time period between The Cold and Election Day, and I think these are my fics that I go back and read the most. I just love them.

7) What's the fic trope/concept/AU you'd read 1000 of? What's the fic trope/concept/AU you'd write 1000 of? And/or, are there any editing tropes/artists/themes you can't get enough of?

My favorite fic concept to read and to write is probably anything set in that fictional season 8 time period. Post-canon, but not too far post-canon. I refer to it as bf/gf era for Josh/Donna, just anything between Transition and whenever you hc them eventually getting married/engaged. I love to explore that part of their relationship, where everything is sort of new, but also not so new at all, and they’re just trying to figure everything out while balancing their new jobs and the new administration as well. I’m a sucker for early Santos Administration stories.

For editing tropes, I think my favorite one is parallels. Any time I watch a video that points out the parallels between two characters or two scenes, it just always hits right for me.

8) Is there anything you'd like to try in any medium you currently share work in that you haven't yet?

I had to laugh at this one, because there are a million things I’d like to try that I haven’t gotten around to yet. I have an idea doc that has over 100 fic ideas on it, and that doesn’t include any WIPs I have laying around in my folders. I do have one particular fic concept that I think I want to try in the coming months, but it’s kind of ambitious so I think I’ll keep the idea to myself until I know I can actually do it. I get protective over my ideas before I've written them! If it works, I’d like to start posting it sometime early next year, but that’s all I’m willing to share for right now. :)

9) What's your go-to Starbucks/coffee shop/other drink order?

I actually can’t stand coffee and most tea. I hate the taste, no matter how much sugar or creamer you add to it. My go to is usually just a plain hot chocolate--simple, yet delicious.

Though, in the warmer months I do enjoy the occasional Refresher at Starbucks. My go to is a venti strawberry açai with light ice and no berries.

10) Do you have any current projects you'd like to promote or anything upcoming you'd like to tell us about?

Yeah! For current projects I have august, honey (you were mine) which is my Sam/Josh camp counselors AU that I’m (hopefully) going to finish this month. It’s just a really fun and fluffy story about two teenagers trying to have a fun summer, and maybe fall in love a little bit along the way. It’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever done.

As for upcoming projects, I may or may not have some Halloween related stuff I’m hoping to get up in October, so be on the lookout for that.

Submitted questions:

(some questions have been edited to avoid repetition!)

From @flowersinapril_: i absolutely adore your AUs - 3am is *chefs kiss* you do such a good job of finding a new angle for an established trope or jumping so far out of left field with an AU but it still works perfectly w the characters. I gotta know where the inspiration comes from for these!?

Ahh, you’re too kind, thank you! Honestly a lot of my inspiration just comes from a simple prompt, the AU bot on twitter (@au_idea_bot) is a great source for me. I used to say that I can make any AU prompt about Josh/Donna, so Jess (@jessbakescakes) would send me random ones from the bot and I’d send back paragraphs in our messages about how I would structure every single one. Most of them were just fun little brainstorming exercises, but some of them actually turned into full fics!

From @jessbakescakes: What is the story you've written that you had the most fun writing? Which one was the toughest to finish but made you proud when it was all said and done?

The story I had the most fun writing was probably my window neighbors AU (it’s 3am i must be lonely). It was just a low stakes prompt that turned into this (mostly) fluffy idea that I couldn’t let go of. Every week I would get excited when I got to start working on the next chapter. I loved writing that one, the experience was incredible.

I think my childhood best friends AU (all i’ve ever known) was probably the toughest for me to finish. I loved the concept from the moment I started writing it, but somewhere around just after the halfway mark I started to get cold feet with it. I was second guessing all of my planned chapters, wondering if the ending was going to be satisfying enough for the story I was building. I was a mess. I took a break from it for a little while in the middle, but eventually I went back and finished it, and I’m so glad I did. It’s one of my favorite stories, and I’m really proud of how it turned out in the end.

From @kennysroys: What’s your favorite part of being apart of this fandom?

The community! The sense of community in this fandom is incredible, and I’ve met some of my best friends through our shared love of this show. It’s one of those smaller fandoms (pros and cons of being off the air for over 15 years) where everybody knows everybody, and I think I prefer that to the chaos of being in a bigger, more “popular” fandom, especially one with a show that hasn’t ended yet. There are merits to those kinds of fandoms as well, but I like our small-ish TWW bubble. Everyone I’ve met through this show has been really kind!

From @EOCabot: Icon!!! When you are creating any type of art what do you find is your biggest inspiration ? What do you find to be the biggest obstacle when creating something - and how do you overcome that roadblock?

I sort of answered a similar question to this earlier, so in short I guess I’d say my biggest inspiration is music. Though, the more I think about it the more I realized that a lot of my inspiration also comes from real life. Not things I’ve done, necessarily, but things I’ve observed. People watching is a surprisingly helpful way to get the creativity flowing.

From @mlea7675: What made you decide on your HC for J/D’s kids?

So, for those who don’t know, my J/D kids hc is: they have twin boys, Leo and Noah, and then a little girl, JJ. I wish I had a better explanation for this hc, but I really don’t. I always loved the idea of boy dad!Josh and boy mom!Donna, but I couldn’t decide whether I wanted them to name their first son Leo or Noah, so I gave up and said why don’t they use both. After that I kind of got attached to the idea of their two little twin boys, and it’s stuck ever since.

As for JJ, well, I think every family needs the attitude that only a younger sister can provide.

From @thehellisL: is there a fic you've always wanted to write but haven't yet?

Ever since I first started writing for this fandom I’ve always wanted to write a Hawaii fic. Just my own take on what went down on their vacation at the end of Transition. I have one started in my docs, but it’s only the first few chapters; it’s nowhere near done. I’d love to one day really sit down with it and figure out how to write the rest (and then, you know, actually write it). But yeah, a Hawaii fic is definitely at the top of my fic writing bucket list.

From @thingswithpaper: if you could take anything from any episode of ANY tv show (or tww if this is meant to just be for that!) what would you take? (can be a prop, clothing, hug, anything!)

What a good question! If I could take anything from TWW it would probably be Jed Bartlet’s ‘Fighting Irish’ Notre Dame sweatshirt he wears in Five Votes Down. I love that scene, I love that episode, and I think the sweater just looks really cozy. I’d probably wear it all the time.

From @sinistercherubs: if a genie came to gift you a completed dream fic of your choosing, what would it be?

This is such a tough question, but if I had to pick one I’d probably say something along the lines of a high school AU. There’s just something so sweet about young love. I also think a family AU could be a really cool read, something like Toby, Josh, and Sam are all brothers. That could be fun.

From @sinistercherubs: you get to talk to (1) tww character irl for 5 minutes, who is the character and what would you say to them?

I think if I could talk to any character for five minutes it would probably be Sam. I’d ask him about writing, how he balances the prose and the poetic. Maybe talk about the risk and reward of leaving a stable job that you hate for an unlikely chance at a dream job. I don’t know. I just think he’d be interesting to talk and listen to for a few minutes; I think we’re somewhat similar.

And a lightning round from @S4MWILSON: fave rarepair? fave side character? most underrated ep? underrated Season? what inspired ur first edit + what app/software do u use? most outlandish au idea? music that u feel fits your work? tips for beginner creators?

Fave rarepair: probably CJ/Andy

Fave side character: Joey

Most underrated ep: The Stackhouse Filibuster

Underrated season: Season 5

What inspired my first edit: I was training for a 10k race and one of the songs on my running playlist (Memory by Sugarcult) always made me think of Josh/Donna. I’d listen to it three or four times in a row on my runs, and eventually I had most of the edit already compiled in my head. So, I decided to try and actually create it for others to see what I was seeing.

What apps/software do I use: I just use iMovie. I know there are better programs out there, but this is the only one I’m familiar with at the moment.

Most outlandish AU idea: I don’t know, I have a couple in my ideas doc that are pretty out of the box for Josh/Donna, most notably an astronaut AU and a detective/criminal AU. But I think my most outlandish idea is (and I can’t even believe I’m admitting this) a Sam/Josh AU fic where it’s a tww x stranger things crossover idea. It’s absurd. I kind of hate it but it works really well (at least in my head it does), and I already have an outline for it so who knows what I’ll end up doing with it.

Music that fits my work: I know this is kind of a basic answer, but Taylor Swift songs have given me so much inspiration when it comes to writing that I’d be lying if I said anything else. I’ve used countless lyrics from her songs as titles, and even wrote an entire songfic around Enchanted (i’ll spend forever wondering if you knew). Outside of Taylor, I think most of the songs that have given me inspo or vibes have been sort of indie-rock songs. That’s probably the closest I can get to one specific genre to summarize the vibes of my work.

Tips for beginner creators: Just do it. I know it’s intimidating to start/post your first works, but the second one comes easier. And the third is even easier than that. Just start creating if you feel like it, and don’t let anything or anyone else stand in your way. Furthermore, make sure you’re creating for you. This is fandom, we’re just here to have fun. Don’t create what you think others want to see, write what you want to see. That’s all that matters at the end of the day.

Thanks again, Sam!

If you’re interested in being featured for a future spotlight, please drop us a line here on tumblr, on twitter, or email [email protected].

xx, What’s next?

#the west wing #tww #west wing fandom #tww fandom #tww fic #tww fic recs #creator spotlight #josh lyman #donna moss #sam seaborn #joshdonna #samjosh

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statusquoergo · 3 years

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Can we talk about how much of the ending montage of the finale was just marvey moments? They weren't even chronological, it was all these other moments with other people (the one clip of Jessica was from the 'How do you know I'm thinking about Mike Ross?' 'Who else would it be?' scene) interspersed with classic marvey faves especially from the pilot, like Harvey just kept coming back to meeting Mike as the thing tying it all together, his underlying theme at the end of his journey was Mike Ross.

p.s. re: the ending montage, it's even more obvious if you watch it without the music somehow

We sure can talk about that ending montage! (Before we get into the Marvey-ness of it all, though, I just gotta say that especially watching it out of context, and especially with the soundtrack muted, Donna approaching Louis at the elevators and then him biting his lip and them holding hands as the doors close definitely reads to me as a Lonna moment.)

So. Structural critique. A couple of things read weirdly about this whole setup; first of all, they cut immediately, and I mean immediately, from Harvey looking...nostalgically? Mournfully? Reverently? at the painting his mother gave him of baby!Harvey watching Lily paint that stupid duck painting to the first clip of the montage, i.e., Mike’s briefcase breaking open at the interview. So this is either a “Look how far we’ve come” overview, in which case I’m confused that it starts off with a reference to Lily, since she doesn’t come up again so the painting has no referential anchor point, and the montage itself doesn’t specifically reference Harvey’s childhood or life before coming to the firm in any way (which isn’t to say it’s not a nostalgic overview, but if so, it’s very poorly arranged), or it’s a commentary on important people in Harvey’s life, in which case it sure is interesting that we go straight from Harvey’s mother to Mike, given that literally the only link between them is that Mike showed up at her funeral to support Harvey.

Getting down to a granular level, the clips in the montage are:

1. Mike crashes Harvey’s interview (s01e01) 2. Harvey lectures Mike about the importance of a good first impression (s01e03) 3. Jessica advises Harvey to support Mike in being himself (s04e02) 4. [Flashback] Harvey and Louis give each other shit right after Louis becomes a junior partner (s02e08) 5. [Flashback] Harvey and Donna's first meeting (s04e16) 6. Harvey invites Mike to come with him to visit Ava Hessington (s03e03) 7. Harvey yells at Mike for not coming to him when Jessica threatened him (s03e01) 8. Mike tells Rachel he’s a fraud (s02e16) 9. General cycle of clips of everyone supporting each other over Harvey’s dialogue that “We’re not just colleagues, or even friends. We’re family.” (s05e10) 10. Mike does finger guns and Harvey swerves out of the way (s01e01) 11. “Life is like this. And I like this.” (s01e10) 12. Mike and Rachel reunite when Mike gets out of Danbury (s06e09) 13. Harvey and Donna make out (s08e16)

And for a bit of analytical commentary:

1. The start of the series and introduction of the premise, this is an obvious choice. 2. An interesting direction; possibly a commentary on Harvey’s general life philosophy, this could also be interpreted as a continuation of the Harvey-Mike dyad established in the pilot being the show’s central focus, particularly when one considers that it comes on the heels of Harvey’s rather...interesting first impression of Mike. 3. Lacking context, this is just an excuse to showcase Jessica in the montage as Harvey’s mentor; with context, it’s easy to interpret as another reminder that the show is centered around Harvey and Mike as a pair. 4. This is a weird moment to choose because while it fits the direction of Louis’s ultimate story line quite well, from struggling in Harvey’s shadow despite his considerable accomplishments to becoming head of the firm, it doesn’t fit in with the other incidents Harvey’s recalled up to this point; this is for the benefit of summarizing the show, not consistency with the direction of Harvey’s thought process. 5. Another moment for the benefit of summarizing the show that comes otherwise out of nowhere. 6. While this gets us back on track with Harvey’s train of thought prior to the Louis interruption, it really has nothing to do with anyone other than Mike and Harvey; in fact, it’s very much about a moment of reconciliation between the two of them. (On the surface, it’s merely circling back around to the Harvey-Mike dyad, but if you want to go full conspiracy theorist, it’s like...an apology to the viewer, or to Mike, that the narrative got distracted for a minute. And that’s an extremist interpretation that I’m not advocating as truth, but it’s also kind of funny, so I’m mentioning it anyway.) 7. Harvey needs Mike. Harvey needs Mike to need him. There’s not a whole lot of maneuverability in that one. 8. The interesting thing here is that the clip stops right before Mike and Rachel kiss. Showing it would require an extra two seconds of footage and could have been fit in, but the way it’s cut puts the emphasis not on them as a couple but on Rachel’s sense of betrayal after Mike’s deception. 9. The first clip of this montage-within-a-montage is of Rachel hugging Louis, which follows naturally from Rachel interacting with Mike as a way to ease the focus from Harvey-and-Mike to...literally anyone else, but also sets up this quick cycle of clips as kind of a catchall for “characters being supportive of one another because they’re not just colleagues they’re also family but also we need to fit in everyone who isn’t Harvey and Mike because this is technically an Ensemble Show™.” 10. Okay what the fuck, there’s absolutely no reason for this to be in here except to emphasize Harvey and Mike’s camaraderie and easy friendship. It’s from the pilot, for crying out loud. 11. This one is a little bit of a wildcard in that it both re-centers us on Harvey and Mike as partners (reading just slightly deeper into things, Harvey hired Mike in the first place in part because he likes taking risks, but also, having Mike around makes his life exciting), and could also serve as another general commentary on Harvey’s life philosophy. 12. Yet again, this is a Mike-Rachel moment that ends right before the Machel part. Mike walks out of the prison gates and Rachel gets out of the car, but they don’t noticeably move toward one another, let alone actually hug. Maybe this is out of sensitivity toward Meghan’s status as the Duchess of Sussex? (Or it’s a liability issue, I don’t know.) 13. This makes sense as a conclusion to the montage because the final season is largely focused on the Darvey narrative, or trying to establish the Darvey narrative, but it also comes out of nowhere in that very little of the rest of the montage has featured Harvey and Donna as a couple, or even a pair, with the exception of their first meeting (which was right on the heels of Harvey and Louis interacting, making it less an intimate start-of-something type of scene and more of a “Hey remember when the show was just about these six specific central characters, well, now we only have three of them left” tag).

In summary: Boy that sure is a lot of Marvey and Marvey-adjacent content for a series of clips that are supposed to be about everyone but are in fact badly disordered and don’t tell much of a cohesive story. Looking back, especially with this legend of episode citations, it really does seem to be a pretty slapdash collection of some editor’s favorite scenes, or more likely Korsh’s; it doesn’t even have a very smooth emotional trajectory, it’s just a bunch of stuff that happened in no particular order. Oh well, I’m sure they had fun putting it together probably.

Thank you for...asking? Well, thank you for bringing this up, anyway!

#marvey #analysis #Anonymous

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1-of-those-things · 3 years

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Fanfic Master List (All Doctor Who)

OneOfThoseThings on AO3

(Updated 8/19/21)

Doctor/Donna Standalone Fics

The Best of Times (Amnesiac Remix)

A mind-wiped Donna runs into Martha and gets some good old fashioned human help realizing her potential all over again. Word has gotten out through the twenty-seven planets she saved though, so there are a few more aliens following her around… including one very specific alien who really shouldn’t be there.

Ship: Tenth Doctor x Donna Noble

Also Featuring: Martha and Jack

The Noble Neverwere

A timey-wimey fantasy fic in which the TARDIS finds a way to keep Donna Noble, but has a little trouble with the details like anchoring her in time and space.

Canon-compliant in the sense that it's never been explicitly stated that there isn't a time-fluid echo of a certain ginger companion haunting the TARDIS.

Ship: Tenth Doctor x Donna Noble

Also Featuring: Missy and Twelve, with cameos by Ryan, Mickey, and Rory

Standalone Fics with Other Pairings

The Volatile Nature of Binary Stars

A dark(er) AU in which the Master happens upon a mind-wiped Donna and gives her a little boost the rest of the way to full Time Lord status. Then they both return to the TARDIS and an unsuspecting Doctor.

Spoiler: Unlike most fix-its, in this one Donna is Not pleased that she was abandoned and does Not magically just get over that.

Ships: Doctor x Master (Simms) AND Doctor x Donna

The Beat Between Measures

A missing scene from Revolution of the Daleks, in which the Doctor and Jack get a proper reunion

Ship: Thirteenth Doctor x Jack

Universal Lost and Found

A fix-it in which Martha runs across a mind-wiped Donna and helps her (re)claim what the Universe owes her.

Ship: Donna x Martha

Note: Doctor x Donna and Doctor x Martha are implied, but this one is a Donna x Martha fic

Polymorphism

The companion polycule fic you’ve all been waiting for. The TARDIS pulls her Bad Wolf through to a parallel world where she’s still travelling with the Doctor. And Martha. And Donna. And things are a bit friendlier this time around.

Ship: Rose x Martha x Donna x Tenth Doctor

Note: This is really Rose x Martha x Donna with the (arguably canonically Ace) Doctor not left out in the cold. It’s not even a little bit a harem fic.

Series

Nice Things; Good Things

A blatant canon divergence from Journey’s End where Donna just lets the metacrisis Doctor and Rose right back onto the TARDIS and then they all just go back to traveling together. Pretty soon after that, Jack gets added in and then it’s just the whole team enjoying themselves for once instead of having just endless tragedy for the sake of character building.

As the series goes on, it gets more and more polyamorous, but it’s set up so that each fic can be an acceptable stopping point so that anyone who isn’t on board can just hop off whenever they like and not have to deal with a bunch of unresolved cliffhangers.

Individual fics are carefully tagged (which makes for a hilariously long list of tags for the series, in case anyone is wondering.)

It Has Been 0 Days Since the Last Incident

The most standalone of all the fics in this series.

Ships: Eventual Doctor x Donna and Tentoo x Rose (in the background)

A New Path (Optional backstory for Jack getting added)

Doctor x Donna

Tentoo x Rose (in the background, leading to Tentoo x Rose x Jack)

A Series of Perfectly Reasonable Misunderstandings

Doctor x Donna

Tentoo x Rose x Jack

(Starting down the poly path)

Indisputably Well-Laid Plans

Doctor x Donna x Jack

Background Tentoo x Rose x Jack

A little light Tencest (as a treat)

Hints at pretty much every combination of these 5

Note: this fic also marks the shift into explicit ratings territory

Proper Communication

Donna x Rose

All Together Now

Ten x Tentoo x Donna x Rose x Jack

Too many subsets of that to bother writing out— just call it shamelessly poly

Modern Arts (and Crafts)

Ten x Tentoo x Donna x Rose x Jack

Just a full stop poly PWP

Standard Courtship Rituals

All 10 pairing subsets of Ten x Tentoo x Donna x Rose x Jack

10 ficlet-style dates

Interspecies Compatibility

A series of semi-standalone, loosely-strung-together stories about the Doctor and Donna working through some of the many differences between humans and Time Lords.

This series tries not to actively contradict major canonical events. But a lot of liberties are taken around that.

Some of the stories are more or less crucial to the ‘plot,’ so the optional ones are handily marked ‘(Optional)’.

Ship: Doctor x Donna

Biological Specificity

A detailed lesson in Time Lord biology

Can be read as platonic, but only if one doesn’t keep reading this series

Acclimatization

Hard to call this one entirely platonic, but could be if one ignored alien cultural implications

Ecological Fitting

Probably not platonic unless you’re using an interesting definition of platonic

Symbiosis

Pretty solidly outside the boundaries of platonic here

Contact High (Optional)

A fun day out

Spandrel (Optional)

A casual day in

Synesthesia

This is where this goofy series starts to take a real turn toward shippy

Atavism

This is where the ratings should probably tick up

Exaptation (Optional)

An optional morning after

Coevolution

The obligatory Midnight fic

Survival Without Recovery

The fix and official end

Not particularly shippy

Lazarus Taxon (Optional)

An optional epilogue with a slightly less happy-go-lucky tone

Also Featuring: Cameos by Eleven, Twelve and finally Thirteen

Open to Interpretation

Less of a “series,” more of a “collection” of fics that are open to interpretation by the reader.

Platonic, shippy, ace-- you decide.

Just Act Natural

Donna gets the Doctor to Martha’s wedding. Shenanigans ensue.

There’s an optional sequel, “Compatible Lunacy” that is just straight up shippy.

Interspecies Communication

The Doctor fails to read the room and Donna has to deal with it.

Originally written as part of Interspecies Compatibility, but it actually makes more sense as a cracky standalone.

Bathtime in B Sharp

Donna and the Doctor have to take a medicinal bath. Pointless fluff.

Cuddles in C Minor

A shag-or-die setup in which the aliens severely overestimate the Doctor’s mating drive and an indignant Donna gets a thorough cuddle.

Absolute Shameless Fluff

Compatible Lunacy

Optional sequel to “Just Act Natural.”

Split into two parts because “Just Act Natural” could be read as platonic but “Compatible Lunacy” makes the whole thing more shippy

Ship: Platonic or Doctor x Donna (If you read “Compatible Lunacy”)

Tension in D Minor

Donna tries to get some alone time with someone with matching human urges. The Doctor takes it a bit personally.

Ship: Tenth Doctor x Donna Noble

Morning Cuddles

Originally part of “Nice Things; Good Things” but it probably makes more sense as a little standalone cuddle ficlet.

Ship: Established Tenth Doctor x Donna Noble

Arguments That Did Not Go As Planned

Donna tries to train the Doctor, one argument at a time.

Ship: Sort of Accidental Tenth Doctor x Donna Noble

(Moody) Gen

(It Breaks You Down) A Little Bit More Each Time

Five times Donna Noble died, in escalating degrees of severity. (Not actual death, but y’know.)

Collaborations

Aurous and Auriferous

Aurous is a Journey’s End fix-it in which the metacrisis Doctor has to save the Time Lord from himself (Written for the DW HopeZine prompt “Plastered in Gold”)

Auriferous is an optional (significantly less “Gen”) sequel for people who think Gen Fixits are all well and good, but want a little Tencest to round it out.

A collaboration with the insanely talented @denzikken and @fritzmetzger

Ship: Ten x Tentoo (mildly implied in Aurous, actively happening in Auriferous) Also some light background Donna x Rose (for flavor)

Special thanks to anyone who’s read, given kudos, and/or commented on anything I’ve put together! Lots of love to the whole fandom!

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fossadeileonixv · 5 years

Text

FDL Season Preiew 2019-2020

Let’s blow this Popsicle stand!

Hola amigos! Mike, Av, and I have pieced together a little season previewy thing here much like we did last year where we answer only the most pertinent questions relating to Milan for the upcoming season. Feel free to answer these questions on your own below. Y’all ready? I’m ready. Let’s go.

What was the most important off-season move?

MIKE: I'm hoping by the end of the season the answer to that question will be Bennacer. Biglia, being signed at 32, was always going to be a placeholder for whomever management decided would be the long term replacement at that spot. And just as Biglia was our most important player 2 years ago when he signed, I think Bennacer needs to be our biggest signing and most important player this year. I'm not saying he's the best signing right now, but he sure as hell better be by the end of the year.

AVIA: It's got to be the new coach. The optimist in me thinks/hopes/prays that we will see Milan playing some genuinely good football via GMP. It's been a nightmare to witness season after season of Milan play football without any shape, soul or commitment, not to detract from the times were we have showed flashes of inspiration but we just generally have looked clueless since Dont-Boo-Me-Dorf was installed as coach. I have no idea how much of a hand GMP had in the new acquisitions but the new attacking additions combining with Paq could suddenly have a player like PTek9 firing on all cylinders. GMP, I'm praying, will have us playing direct & attacking football with a squad that knows their roles and stays compact when not in possession....is that too much to ask?

TR: Agreeing with Av, it is without question, Giampaolo. This club came within an inch of the Champions League with the capable, but affable Rino Gattuso. There were a lot of fantastic signings this summer, with Bennacer and Theo expected to make an immediate impact, but it may take some time for the payoff on the youngsters. Giampaolo's presence on the touch though? We've already felt that. I can already tell he might frustrate us with stubbornness, but there's not doubt in my mind that this was the most important change from last year.

What was a mistake that we may end up paying for this summer?

MIKE: The same as my biggest concern for the last 10 years now... that no matter who is running the team, who is managing the team or who plays on the team..... we still have a god damn MISSFIELD. Our entire midfield, save Jack, has been signed over the last 27 months. There's literally no stink left from the previous regime. yet by the end of last year it was still in limbo. It's like a scab that just won't heal. Every summer it heals up and by Christmas, EVERY DAMN CHRISTMAS it's itching and bleeding again.

AVIA: The smart money would be on not shipping Suso but as you know I'm neither smart nor for social norms .....This will no doubt illicit groans but I still think we will kick ourselves for not snapping up Conte. Yeah, he can be a fussy prick with Ladri blood in him but so what? I'm genuinely worried that he will kick start the rebirth of the merda..... blagh! I think he could even lead the merda to a scudetto.....yeah I said it....come at me! TR: My heart tells me Patrick, whispers it constantly in fact, but my head says retaining Silva. At the beginning of the summer I would have bet a significant amount of my sneaker collection that one of either Samu, Silva, or Suso would have been sold. Well, a few offers and a failed negotiation with Monaco later, we're here, with all three. Suso looks like he can contribute as a trequartista, but the other two haven't thrilled. Samu was never going to fetch much because he's a bad football player by almost every measure, but Silva still has an upside and could've raised some funds. I don't think there was a ton of interest, but absolutely would've cut losses and sold for much less than we bought him for. I'm a little curious to see if he finds footing under Giampaolo but am pretty pessimistic.

Who's someone we didn't offload that actually may work out for us?

MIKE: That's easy. It's our 2 best players, Romagnoli and Donnarumma. Last year we gave up the least amount of goals as a team since we had guys named Nesta and Silva still roaming around back there. That's pretty amazing considering Musacchio was the other CB and our fullbacks were.... meh. These guys are the rock of the team. Without them we are shit. With them there is hope. Luke Skywalker versus the Death Star level hope.

AVIA: Maybe Suso or Hakan but I'm looking at Donna to be honest, This time last year I was accusing him of possibly selling us short once the season started but he went on to be our MVP for long stretches. The kid is World Class caliber with a long future so hopefully arming him with a genuinely solid CB pairing will start making us serious contenders for Europe and IN Europe! He quietly went about his business last year in the hope of moving on from the previous years circus and it worked.

TR: Ah! You were expecting me to say the Kan-Man can pan out and reward his fans man, but I'm gonna go dark horse here and say Conti. He won't displace Calabria but will impress when the latter misses six weeks in February and March with an ankle injury suffered in a Coppa Italia tie. Conti will step in seamlessly leading to admiration from most of us here at FDL, with a few outliers calling for him to start. I think he finds a way to contribute in Giampy's setup, and provides a couple of assists at pivotal moments.

Where will we see most improvement?

MIKE: Hmmmm. That's a tough one. How about that Suso does indeed become the trequartista most of you are hoping he would be?

Nooooooooo.

The surprise for many will be that he sucks at it. He's too slow of foot and of mind, can't connect to the attack. He doesn't occupy the role past November 1st and is sold by January 31st.

AVIA: Our backline.......I'm hoping that Duarte is our new Silva tbh. There is simply no way that we can take ourselves seriously if we aint solid at the back and although we weren't the worst team defensively last season, the loss of Zapata and apparent implosion of Mussachio has me worried for the season going forward so here's to hoping the new guy ain’t just hype! Plus I'm going with the notion that Hernandez > RRod.

TR: Touchline. See Giampaolo above.

Where may we see a decline?

MIKE: My biggest disappointment this year is probably gonna be whoever fills the SS role, especially if we don't sign anyone specifically to do it. Besides Jack, I don't see a single player on the team cut out to fill the spot. Castillejo? No chance. That 96 pound spaghetti noodle couldn't stand up to a stiff breeze. Silva? GTFO. Calhanoglu? Suso? who else are we gonna try up there?

AVIA: I genuinely think we will be better across the board, no, seriously. Yeah I loved Rino but there's only so much you can achieve by threatening your players with broken legs. Although GMP aint the calibre of coach I've been bleating on about wanting to see installed at Milan he is still far better at technical coaching than Rino 7 days of the week. There's also the fact that we have removed the millstone of the Europa league from around our necks so we can finally just concentrate on securing a CL berth. The squad in theory has also gone up level with the new additions so its all good right??

TR: Defense, slightly. I'm not saying the backline falls apart or even really drops in quality. However, Giampaolo's squads have never maintained a great defensive record, often finishing middle of the back to the lower half of the league. His teams play advanced on both sides of the ball and I will take the good with the bad, but expect a slightly higher amount of goals conceded from last year.

What scares you most going into the season?

AVIA: Conte's Inter...We have a new coach with a new formation & several new key players, it's always a danger and could end badly. I'd like to see us take things nice and slowly towards the X-Mas break and build up a head of steam come the new year.

TR: Snakes.

Besides that, I'm worried we didn't add that quality second striker and Piatek suffers because of it. The fact we spent €120m and Samu has been paired up with Pia in the preseason isn't a great sign. Leāo isn't going to March right in and when he does get nods on the first team, I think it is going to inconsistent. It isn't a shortcoming we can't overcome as we have a lot of goalscoring quality behind these two, but I do worry it may hold us back some.

What does the top six look like at the end of the year?

MIKE: Juve, Inter, Milan, Napoli, Lazio, Roma

AVIA: Inter, Juve, Napoli, Milan, Roma & Atalanta

TR: Juve, Napoli, Inter, Milan, Lazio, Roma

Tommorow bitches!

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