👾 category "torchwood three for every day" 👾

6. the type of fading smile "you should have been dead for a long time - yes, I know 🌚"

torchwood fanfic resources

so i'm a chronic livejournal archaeologist, and fixating on 2000s media is particularly fun for me because it means i get to go digging on lj / dw / old fanfic forums. below you'll find some of the excavations from my torchwood fixation (give it up for month 6!) it's pretty much got every comm i've ever stumbled upon and found useful, or thought others would find useful. it's largely fanfic-oriented, though there's some more generalized comms, too. i hope you guys enjoy!

i was originally going to include a link to my reclist on this post as well, but it's still a wip, so i'll just post that separately in the future.

general disclaimer: most of the content here is from 2006-2013 or so. period-typical attitudes may pop up in places. i'm not sure if most modern tw fans have witnessed the original fandom at all, but i felt a need to say this anyway, because i've seen some icky stuff. i've warned for anything notable. gwen bashing in particular may unfortunately pop up in some of these comms, especially in the comments, so tread carefully.

if you're new to probing through old lj comms, remember to always have the wayback machine on hand, because you're going to run into a lot of purged accounts and seemingly lost fics, but sometimes you get lucky and something's been archived :)

as of the date i'm posting this, all of these comms are still accessible, but if you're from the future and some have been deleted, again, go ahead and give the wayback machine a try. additionally, livejournal has a system that includes 'cross-posting' in which, if authors choose to (and the majority of them do, to get their fics more visibility), fics get posted to multiple comms at once. so chances are, even if one comm gets deleted, the contents will survive through other comms. kind of like how reblogs continue to exist even when the original blog is deleted.

finally, ctrl + f is your best friend if you have a specific ship/character/trope you're invested in, especially in comms with less than ideal tagging systems. if a comm does have a substantial tagging system, you can find all of its tags by adding '/tags' the end of the urls i've provided.

ok... let's begin :-)

assorted livejournal communities

✎ torch-wood: this is essentially a torchwood subreddit. it started before the show even aired, and one of the highlights of it is episode reaction posts (easily accessible on the right side of the lj) that document how everyone immediately reacted to the eps, which is pretty damn cool, fandom-history wise. only thing i should mention is there's quite a lot of gwen and owen bashing in the comments of some of those reaction posts, so just be wary of that if you love those two like i do, 'cuz it's a bit of a bummer.

✎ torchwood-three: this comm is an extremely cool then-daily newsletter (that still updates sometimes?!) that compiled as much fan-content as it could find into cleanly organized lists. the posts made immediately after new episodes aired contain reactions, discussions, meta, theories, new fic, fanmixes, just about everything. very very cool to go back and see the way the fandom was thinking as the show was airing and as they were getting to know the characters. here's a direct link to all posts made in late 2006, during the airing of s1.

✎ torchwood-fic: exactly what it says on the tin. desktop layout is easy to navigate, tags are all there!

✎ torchwood-fic's profile page also features a list of affiliated accounts that's pretty handy. it's worth taking a peek at, in case i've excluded anything in this post that you might be interested in.

✎ twgenrefinders: handy dandy comm where people would ask for fics of a certain variety & be treated with reclists, or hyper-specific fics... pretty cool stuff, ive got several threads bookmarked to sort through the links later. ofc, please note that some of the things people asked for might be stinky. particularly i've seen a lot of ppl requesting gwen bashing fics :/

✎ twstoryfinder: cousin to the above comm; here, people would ask for a very specific fic they'd lost. it's kind of fun to find fics through because you get someone describing memorable scenes + hyping it up, so it's different than just a standard summary. this one still gets posted on, too, which is crazyyy.

✎ tw-unpaired: for gen fics! no romance allowed! there's some good character studies + friendship fics in there. stuff's tagged by character + authors are even tagged, in case you find one whose writing you particularly enjoy. this is v useful for when someone's main journal has been deleted.

✎ torchwood-decaf: a comm where janto is BANNED. nah i'm kidding, it's not anti-janto, it was just made because janto is so huge that it overshadows everything else. pretty smart, tbh; wading through the sheer mass of janto content can be tiresome.

✎ jack-in-cuffs: for dark tw fic, or uber smutty tw fic. as a fan of dark!fic, there's some goodies in here, but of course it's not everyone's cup of tea. most of the writers included warnings, but if you go a little further back, some people weren't as courteous; navigate with caution.

✎ jack-owen: for fic featuring our captain and his (second favorite) doctor. i know this pairing's kinda divisive nowadays, but i enjoy it a lot. the comm's got a dismal tagging system and, ngl, i don't truly like any of the fics there (i'm very intrigued by jack and owen's relationship but i've never found fic that really does them justice, and i still haven't figured out how to write them myself) - but i'll include it anyway.

✎ odetojoi: for fic featuring owen in the middle of a janto sandwich, for those of us who are allergic to women (/sarcasm). there's an oddly impressive supply of fics of the three of them, and a good chunk of them can be found in this comm. (everytime i see this comm i think of a certain abbreviation found in p/rnogr/phy... but i digress)

✎ halfwee-and-tea: for ianto x owen fic. haven't gone through this one much, truthfully. i hate when comms have no tagging systems agh.

✎ owenharper-fans: a comm for the saddest undeadest bisexualest doctor around. also features a few burn appreciation posts, which is nice to see pre-pac rim era. mostly just features a shit ton of owen fic, particularly owen x ianto fic. mostly sufficiently tagged. if you need me once i post this, btw, i will be balls deep in this comm.

✎ the pro-owen alliance: another owen-focused comm - i think this one was made directly in response to owen bashing. haven't combed through this one much but it's got a fair amount of fics.

✎ house-of-cooper: a gwen comm! made in response to gwen bashing. haven't gone through it, but i'm glad it exists.

✎ torchwoodcoffee: ianto comm! this one's hugeee. the majority of it's janto, but the pairings aren't tagged, which is really frustrating. about 6k fics on there, though! just untagged. fff.

✎ tw-femficfest: a comm for fic about any and all of the torchwood ladies. tagging's cleanly done & there's some handy fic round ups, too.

✎ tw-femslash: yuri!!! wahoo!!! a comm for f/f tw ships. there's quite a lot of fic on here, but unfortunately there's no tagging whatsoever. sigh.

✎ tw-classic: a comm for 'all things series one and two of torchwood'. was made after s3 and was popular around s4 out of nostalgia for the golden age <3 good amount of fic, discussions, etc.

✎ torchwood-house: this comm is, like, letterboxd, but for torchwood fanfic. basically a group of individuals who thought of themselves as having Good Taste would read Good Fic and then go in this comm and write a post about why they recommend it. it's well-made, easy to scroll through, and sells the fics v well, and it kinda gets you more excited to read them when you get to see someone hype them up with Fancy Words. it's like a little torchwood yaoi bookclub. we're eating quiche

✎ tw100: a drabble challenge; this thing's full of 100 word drabbles. ngl i hate drabbles but i'm throwing it in here anyway

✎ touchyerwood: i love kink memes... i love kink memes less when my favorite character/pairing is unpopular. the pac rim kink meme's been a blessing bc i'm a basic ass newmann - the torchwood kink meme? not so much. it's got a fair amount of shit, though, so maybe someone else will appreciate it. this one isn't the original, that one's been wiped off the internet, to my chagrin. keep in mind before digging that people in kink memes are horny & gross. that's your warning.

✎ reel-torchwood: for any and all movie aus... ok i have a bone to pick with this comm. i'm a big movie nerd, i love film, i've seen dozens of films i've thought would make good aus - i combed through this and there is not a SINGLE fic in there that piqued my interest. NOTHING. needless to say my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. i'm sure my experiences aren't universal though.

✎ torchwoodslash: ah, remember when we called it slash? gee whiz. i'm not big on this comm, it's not very user friendly + there's like no tags whatsoever so it's extremely hard to navigate. enter at your own risk & good luck, lol.

✎ rounds-of-kink: this isn't a torchwood-exclusive comm, but it's got a sizeable torchwood tag, which can be found here. pretty organized tagging system; makes me happy.

✎ tw-declassified: this comm was mainly used for running a 'torchwood bingo', which, i've been in other fandoms that do episode bingos and it's usually cute... this one confused me a little so i didn't bother peeking around too much, but still a cool little bit of fandom history.

✎ writerinadrawer: this was an annual torchwood writer's challenge that ran for four years... it's kinda hard to navigate but it does have some fic in it so i'm putting it here.

✎ dmarley-recs: a recs journal someone ran for compiling torchwood fic; it's got a l o t of recs on there, largely jack/ianto.

ok and straying from lj briefly for two other places to find fic...

✎ kink_bingo: this is a dreamwidth comm, and it's not torchwood-exclusive, so i've linked straight to the torchwood tag. this comm has a livejournal equivalent, but for some reason the tw tag is pretty barren on that one? not sure why. but on dw it's got a fair amount. the tagging system is rough, it tags fandom and kink but not pairing, which is irritating, and every post is hidden under a cut AND makes you go through a discretion barrier every single time (but probably only if you don't have an account? i'm not logged in) which makes navigation a pain. but i dunno, more smut, if you want it.

✎ whofic.com: this site is for doctor who fic, but it's got a very substantial amount of torchwood fic. i do not, however, like the formatting at all. i'm being overly nice; i HATE the formatting. it's very reminiscent of fanfic dot net but, like, worse. it reminds me of adultfanfiction dot org which was a NIGHTMARE to use. but! there is torchwood fic there so it's going in here.

aaaand there we go! that's all i have. i hope these prove handy! enjoy :D

[Image description: Preview panel for the comic strip at the link. Prime Minister Green and Mr. Frobisher of Torchwood: Children Of Earth sit talking in Green’s office. Frobisher is saying, “Torchwood didn’t have their headquarters on the Plas for the convenient shopping, you know. There’s a space rift there and they were protecting the Earth from what comes through it.” Unfortunately there are not image descriptions at the main Hero Of Three Faces site. End description.] 

The Hero of Three Faces is fanfiction crossovers, but it’s comic strips with stick figures, but they’re triangles. Preview panel only. Click here for full cartoon. Or see the on-site navigation tutorial. Or see this blog’s FAQ, or my archive tumblog’s FAQ. Cartoons may contain unmarked spoilers. Cartoons linked from Tumblr 10:00 (Central US time) daily are the previous day’s new update and the posts are pinned to the top of this blog. Cartoons linked from Tumblr 22:00 daily are from the archive and the posts are pinned only during annual summer hiatus of new updates.

Thanks for reading.

🎁

🎁name a published gift fic someone has given you that you love and can’t recommend enough (be sure to tag the author. Or if you don’t have an AO3 or haven’t been gifted a fic, what kind of fic would you like to be gifted?)

hmmm, i'm going to cheat and choose three!

mission impawsible: welcome to corgiff! by fitzroysquare

a torchwood fic that sees the torchwood team chasing an alien corgi (also known as a korhi) while cardiff is caught in the grasp of a corgi con. excellent fic that i still think about on a daily basis bc i helped inspire and edit the chaos

for the one who stands outside the prison-wall by stanzas (@dorochas)

because i like the idea i can drive elian to such terrible heights /j

overnight salad by MonsterMince (@monstermince)

i'm starting to realize a lot of these gift fics originated from me coming up with a terrible or chaotic idea and driving my friends to writing them. thank you so much mac for giving me one more thing to laugh about for my favorite snl skit

send me an emoji ask about my wip and published fics

Hey steph!! This might be a specific ask but could u like recommend me some fic thats like slow burn, unresolved sexual tension, and some bottomlock. And please please please let it be long so that it hits the sweet spot of satisfying your fic needs but also not stupidly long. Also I love your blog

Hi Lovely!!

AHHHH I’m glad you enjoy!! I try my best, LOL. 

AHH I’ve SO MANY slow burn fics, it’s ridiculous, and I do have separate lists for bottomlock, so I can direct you to those.... BUT I DON’T HAVE A LIST FOR MY U.S.T. FICS YES. So can I do that??? Please??? ANY EXCUSE TO START A NEW LIST :| Hee hee. Forgive me??? 

AND as per usual, all my fics are in word-count order, so you can start at the bottom and work your way up, hee hee. CHEERS!

As usual, add your own, friends!!

First, here’s the lists you asked for:

Love Confessions / Slow Burn / Dev. Rel. (Fluff Version)

Falling In Love / Slow Burn / Dev. Rel. || [MOBILE POST] (April 2019)

Platonics & Domestics Pt 2 / Hugs, Cuddles & Kisses Pt. 3 / Tooth-Rotting Fluff Pt. 5 / Love Confessions, Slow Burn & Dev. Rel. Pt. 2 / Established Relationship Pt. 3

Slow Burn / Dev. Rel. / Falling in Love Pt. 3 (Nov. 2019) 

Slow Burn / Dev Rel. Pt. 4 (Apr 2020)

Bottomlock (April 2019)

Bottomlock Pt 2

And now, check out my UST/URT list :)

UNRESOLVED SEXUAL / ROMANTIC TENSION

The Other Shoe by thewaitwasworthitlove - (NR, 1,053 w., 1 Ch. || Pining Sherlock, Angst, URT, Post-TSo3) - Sherlock realizes how deep in love he has fallen for John. Only Sherlock Holmes would manage to be more shattered than crystal dropped on concrete.

Clarity by socomessnow (thoughtfulwishing) (NR, 1,283 w., 1 Ch. || Post-HLV, POV Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Tarmac Scene, Stream of Consciousness, URT, First Person Present Tense, Implied/Referenced Drug Use) - During-and-post-HLV piece tracking Sherlock’s thought process from his phone call with Mycroft to his return to the airfield. Part 1 of Rifts

Untouchable by greengrapegaze (T, 1,368 w., 1 Ch. || Pre-S3, UST/URT, Oblivious John, Lonely Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt / Comfort, Emotional Sherlock, POV Sherlock, Pining Sherlock) – “He never would. Petty, childish, immature-bitter. Jealous. She had all that he wanted. All he could never have.” Part 1 of Steps to a Bittersweet Symphony

Love Hurts by Grac3 (T, 2,215 w., 1 Ch. || Magical Realism, Pining Sherlock, One-Sided Pining / URT, Sherlock / John Whump, Angst, Ambiguous Ending) – In a world where someone's physical injuries manifest themselves on the person who is in love with them, John didn't think that there would ever be anyone who was willing to risk falling in love with him - until he got shot on a case, and it didn't hurt. Unrequited Johnlock.

The Dance Lesson by bittergreens (G, 4,596 w., 1 Ch. || TSo3 Missing Scene, Dancing, Pining Sherlock, URT/UST, Romance, Angst, POV John) – Sherlock teaches John to dip. Part 1 of Goodnight, Vienna

There's Something Living in These Lines by teahigh (orphan_account) (M, 4,676 w., 1 Ch. || Mutual Pining, Love Letters, Angst, Mutual Pining, UST / URT, Dirty Talk) – Two men, complete opposites in almost every way, who speak only in letters and pages torn from books.

You Can't Always Get What You Want by hubblegleeflower (E, 4,804 w., 1 Ch. || Pining, Sexual Tension, UST / RST, First Time) – John wants. He always has, but now that he's living with Sherlock again, it's all he can do to hold it back. And Sherlock isn't helping...

Wasted Hours by songlin (E, 4,973 w., 1 Ch. || Omegaverse || O!John/A!Sherlock, Pining, UST, Angst & Porn) – John is respectful. John keeps his distance. He doesn’t look at Sherlock when Sherlock decides trousers are for dull people. He doesn’t breathe in and savor it when Sherlock flings himself onto the couch first thing in the morning, wafting alpha scent, dressing gown settling around him in a cloud of blue silk. He doesn’t linger when he’s piecing Sherlock back together after a fight, even though he’s half-dressed and beautiful and right there. He can ignore it. He can control it.

Captain John Watson, Genetics, and Other Crazy Things by cyerus (M, 5,581 w., 1 Ch. || Torchwood Crossover ||  Humour / Crack, Jealous Sherlock, Sexual Magnet John, Captain John, UST / RST, Three Continents Watson) – The explanation for John "Three Continents" Watson? Jack Harkness is his father. Sherlock doesn't know whether he's going to die from jealousy or sexual frustration first.

No Light, No Light (in your bright blue eyes) by orphan_account (G, 5,915 w., 1 Ch. || Angst, Pining, Songfic, Mutual Unrequited Love, Unresolved Tension, UST/URT) – Relates to both Sherlock's and John's feelings for each other and highlights select moments of hurt and inner turmoil starting from right before the fall all the way to HLV.

Drawstring by May_Shepard (E, 7,412 w., 1 Ch. || Post S3/TAB, Friends to Lovers, UST/RST, Fluff and Smut, Post-TAB, John POV, Sherlock’s Pyjamas, Rimming, Wanking) – John is bothered by Sherlock’s slowly-falling jim-jams… as in hot and bothered and he is trying to deal with a sexy dishevelled Sherlock while also keeping his pining in check.

High and Tight, Soft and Loose by cwb (E, 7,429 w., 1 Ch. || Jealous John, Miscommunications / Misunderstandings, First Kiss / Time, BAMF John, Insecure Sherlock, Clueless Sherlock, POV John, Embarrassed John, Adorable Sherlock, Junk Size, UST / RST) – John pressed the knuckle of his index finger against his mouth and sighed. “So, you're coiled like a spring and ready to be ... sprung?” “If you want to be pedestrian about it, yes.” “Like I said, you should do something about that.” “And like I said, pedestrian. What would you have me do? Take up jogging? Yoga? Oh! Unless you mean –” “I don't mean anything. Let’s drop it.”

Alone On the Water by Mad_Lori (G, 7,725 w., 1 Ch. || MCD, UST/URT, Angst, Euthanasia, Love Confessions) – Sherlock Holmes never expected to live a long life, but he never imagined that it would end like this.

All the Times Something ALMOST Happened by allonsys_girl (T, 9,049 w., 6 Ch. || POV Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Canon Compliant, Angst, Friendship/Love, UST) – John and Sherlock dancing around what they dance around in canon.

Someone I Love by hudders-and-hiddles (M, 10,002 w., 2 Ch. || Canon Compliant, HLV-Filler Fic, Pre-Slash, Jealous John, PIning Sherlock, Angst & Fluff, UST/URT, Dog Tags) – John gets married and Sherlock finds comfort in wearing John's identity tags around his wrist.

Ravish Me by amalnahurriyeh (E, 10,025 w., 1 Ch. || UST / RST, Makeup / Lipstick, Sympathetic Sally, Experiments, Pining John, First Kiss, Face Fucking / BJ’s, Cuddling) – Sherlock is experimenting with patterns of wear on lipstick in daily encounters. John is going to go insane.

Their Great Reward by BeautifulFiction (T, 10,095 w., 1 Ch. || UST, First Kiss, Fluff) – Boxing day, in John's opinions, is the worst day of the year. Christmas is over, the tree is wilting and stripped of gifts, and there's a week of dead-time until the clean slate of the new year. However the combination of a blizzard, a power-cut and Sherlock might just make it a day to remember.

The Five Stages of Mourning, Plus One by SunnyRea (T, 10,557 w., 1 Ch. || MCD, Pining / Grieving Sherlock, URT, Heavy Angst, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Drug Use, Graphic Death, Depression, Unhappy Ending) – Sherlock did not want this, did not want another stalemate with John in the middle, a gun in Jim's hand. This cannot have happened without a sign. There has to be something he missed anything which said today is the day I kill for real.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder by cypress_tree (E, 10,669 w., 1 Ch. || UST/RST, For an Experiment) – John helps Sherlock with an experiment: for an entire month, they are not allowed to touch each other and must remain at least one metre apart at all times.

I'm content as we are (but) by inqui (The_Circus) (E, 13,086 w., 1 Ch. || Jealous John, UST/RST, Pining, Victor Trevor, Minor Whump, First Kiss / Time, Misunderstandings) – In which John Watson sees something unusual, becomes jealous, and makes too much of a small thing as an old friend of Sherlock's shows up in the middle of a case.

Say For Me, Love by MirabileLectu (T, 13,147 w., 1 Ch. || UST, First Kiss, Drama, Pining John, Victor Trevor) – If you had asked John this morning what the result of his quiet afternoon at home would be, discovering a truth about Sherlock's past startling enough to shift the foundations of their friendship would not have been his first guess. So naturally, that was what was bound to happen.

Barricade by stitchy (M, 14,127 w., 1 Ch. || HLV Fix It, Friends to Lovers, Angst, Happy Ending, UST, Mary’s Not Nice, First Time, Pining Sherlock, Time Skip Filler, Drunkenness) – Sherlock has been struggling to keep his feelings at bay for everyone's sake. Part 1 of Barricade

Second Chance by SilentAuror (E, 15,816 w., 1 Ch. || Post-HLV, Post-Divorce, Friends to Lovers, UST, Romance) – Now that John's divorce has gone through and the dust is settling, Sherlock thinks that he would very much like to see if there is any possibility of moving their friendship in another direction. The only thing is, he has no idea how to go about doing that...

Anytime by SilentAuror (E, 17,995 w., 1 Ch. || UST, Porn With Feels, POV Sherlock, Romance, UST/URT, Happy Ending, Drunken Endeavours) – Sherlock blinks and attempts to focus. There is a little too much vodka in his veins at the moment and it’s having an unfortunate effect on his brain and retinas both. There are two Johns sitting across from him, and both of them are frowning at him. “You’re drunk,” the Johns tell him. Sherlock blinks some more. “Says the man with Mrs Hudson’s doily on his head.”

John Watson doesn't have a Boyfriend by naughtyspirit (E, 18,932 w., 7 Ch. || UST / URT, Fluff & Smut, Voyeurism, Masturbation) – John's date has gone very well. Sherlock requires tea. John wishes he hadn't resolved that their relationship was strictly hands off and isn't about to address it. Unless he has to. Smut, fluff and shower time for a naked John Watson.

For you, there's only me by shock_blanket (E, 19,557 w., 7 Ch. || Jealous Idiots, Virgin Sherlock, UST/RST, Pining, Miscommunication, First Kiss / Time, Insecure Sherlock, Masturbation) – Sherlock realizes he has fallen in love with John, but believes he is unlovable. Cue lots of pining and jealousy on Sherlock's part, followed by our favorite cuddly marksman making it all better. Because for Sherlock, there's only John.

Love Is by SilentAuror (E, 21,508 w., 1 Ch. || Angst, UST / URT, Post HLV, Romance) – At Mrs Hudson’s urging, Sherlock finally decides to tell John how he feels about him. Part 1 of Love Is

Brief Conversations with the Woman by May_Shepard (E, 21,906 w., 20 Ch. || Pining, Love Fairy Irene, Filler Fic, UST/URT, Drug Use, Clueless Sherlock, Relationship Advice, Angst w/ Happy Ending) – Sherlock has a puzzle to solve, and his name is John Watson.

Sonatina in G Minor by SilentAuror (E, 22,574 w., 1 Ch. || Case Fic, POV Sherlock, Angst, UST, Sherlock’s Violin, Post-S3, Romance) – John has come back to Baker Street, but Sherlock doesn't understand the strange tension between them, even after he begins teaching John to play the violin at John's request.

Knotted by naughtyspirit (E, 23,166 w., 4 Ch. || UST/URT, Cuddling, Sharing Body Heat, Confessions, Kissing, Masturbation, Frustration, BAMF!John) – John has to cancel a date because of Sherlock's case, which leads them to be tied up in a basement from which they have to escape. They get wet, get tied up close and John has to step up and save them. Because he's pretty. And hot. And just a little bit of a BAMF.

Hellfire by testosterone_tea (E, 28,596 w., 9 Ch. || Fantasy / Magic / Mages / Elementals AU || Mage Sherlock, Elemental John, Developing Relationship, Torture, Powerful / BAMF John, POV Alternating, Dark / Blood Magic, UST, First Kiss) – Sherlock is a Mage that gets involved with a case involving Dark Summoning rituals, leading him to John Watson, a man with Berserker blood. The only thing is, Berserkers have been extinct for centuries. And of course, nothing involving Mycroft and his interfering ways is ever simple. This time, even Sherlock may have bitten off more than he can chew.

That Partitioning of the Things of Youth by wearitcounts (E, 35,353 w., 7 Ch. || Humour and Angst, Post-TRF, Fake Relationship, UST / RST, Friends to Lovers, Jealous John) – Victor Trevor is in town, and nobody's happy.

The Case of the Vanishing Pants by SwissMiss (E, 44,025 w., 6 Ch. || Five and Ones, Post-TRF, Case Fic, UST, Homophobia, Friends to Lovers, Pining John, Showering Together, Couple for a Case, Sherlock’s Bum, Fantasies, Jealous Sherlock) – Five times John and Sherlock lost their pants in the course of a case.

Wars We Fought, Things We're Not by blueink3 (M, 55,204 w., 10 Ch. || Post S3 / Post TAB, Parentlock, Fluff & Angst, Kidnapping, Whump, Post-TAB, UST/URT, 3G, Mild Peril, Slow Burn, Couple for a Case, Protective Mycroft, Infant Death Pre-Story, Friends to Lovers) –  Five months after John's world has fallen apart, Mycroft sends the consulting detective and his doctor on a case that neither is prepared for.

A Hundred Crimson Sols by elldotsee (E, 55,536 w., 16 Ch. || Astronauts AU || Mars Exploration / Space Travel, Slow Burn, Shy Sherlock, Scientist Sherlock / Biomed Engineer John, Alternating POV, Mutual Pining, UST, Angst with Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Injuries, Suicidal Ideation, Zero-G Sex) – Will Holmes is a chemical researcher recognized widely for his contributions to the new Mars exploration program. Thanks to his ground-breaking developments, the IMMC (International Mars Mission Corporation) is one step closer to Martian colonization. Will and his team of scientists are headed out on the first of three manned missions before the first group of settlers arrive. Three days before launch, one of the crew has to be replaced. Will panics because...new people. The replacement is of course one John Watson, biomedical engineer and space hottie who was pretty sure he had retired from actual space exploration and was now content to work in the nice, quiet research lab. Can the crew survive this TOTALLY ROUTINE trip? Will they be able to endure each other for the looooooong trip in close quarters? Gonna be a wild ride... prepare for blast off. Part 1 of SpaceBois go to Space

The Baker Street Nativity by SwissMiss (E, 99,662 w., 23 Ch. || Nativity! AU || Teacher Sherlock / TA John, Pining, Sherlock POV, UST, Angst, Christmas, Music/Song Fic, Anal / BJ’s, First Kiss / Time) – Fusion between Sherlock (BBC) and Nativity! (2009 movie starring Martin Freeman). Sherlock is a primary school teacher and John is assigned to be his classroom assistant. Together, they are charged with putting on the school's Nativity play. What could possibly go wrong? Part 1 of The Baker Street Nativity Verse

A Further Sea by i_ship_an_armada & ShinySherlock (E, 125,492 w., 23 Ch. || Historical Pirates AU || Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Doctor John / Pirate Captain Sherlock, Sailing, UST / RST, Masturbation, Action / Adventure, Mild Angst & Peril, Romance, Shaving, Molly/Janine, Bottomlock, Hand / Blow Jobs, Past Drug Use, Slow Burn, Mild Violence, Facial Shaving, Happy Ending) – Here be a tale of adventure for both body and soul, but beware if ye be not of stout heart, for this be piratelock, ya savvy? Luckless ship's surgeon John Watson takes a chance, and finds himself eye to eye with The Ghost, the scourge of the seven seas and a definite thorn in the side of the blaggard, James Moriarty. But when John finds there's more to this most cunning pirate than be meetin' the eye, he has to choose... is it a pirate's life for him?

The Adventure of the Silver Scars by tangledblue (NR [M], 142,458 w., 41 Ch. || S3 Fix-It, Post-HLV/ Post-TAB / Canon Compliant, Case Fic, No Baby, Angst, Humour, UST, Slow Burn, Angry John, Reconciliation, Not Nice Mary / Leaving Mary, Dependent Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Caretaker John, Fist Fights, It’s An Experiment, Virgin Sherlock, Dancing, Drugging, John Whump, Pet Names, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Scars) – It’s been thirteen months since Mary shot Sherlock and John finds he’s still pissed off about it. Sherlock had thought everything was settled: John and Mary, domestic bliss. But when John turns up at Baker Street with suitcases, the world’s only consulting detective might not be prepared for the consequences. A new case. Some old scores to settle. Certain danger. Concertos, waltzes, and whisky.

Midnight Blue Serenity by BeautifulFiction (E, 151,907 w., 19 Ch. || Friends to Lovers, Gay Bar / For a Case, Drugs, Pining, Case Fic, UST) – When Sherlock infiltrates a club in order to track down a serial killer, his altered appearance is enough to make John question his assumption that Sherlock is beyond his reach. However, is he the only one who appreciates his flatmate's charms, or is Sherlock at risk of becoming the next victim?

What your favorite torchwood ship says about you

as determined by me on five hours of sleep, two cups of coffee, and during a class I probably should have paid attention in:

Jack/Ianto: You’re a normie, a dime a dozen, a two buck chuck kinda guy. Basically: ya basic

Gwen/Rhys: You crave stability, probably because you don’t have any in your real life

Tosh/Owen: Your crush isn’t paying attention to you so you have to vicariously live out your fantasies through making Towen canon

Tosh/Mary: You’re a lesbian and you think all wlw were wronged by GBG

Tosh/Tommy: You love Tosh and want her to have nice things

Jack/John: You were wronged by one of your exes and you want them back. Also you think James Marsters could shred cheese on his cheekbones and you are into that.

Ianto/Lisa: You hate Cyberwoman and buy every Torchwood One audio to learn any kind of information you can about Lisa.��

Gwen/Owen: You are tired of your current life and you want to go feral

Jack/Gwen: You think Jack Harkness is hot and you want him to seduce you

Owen/Ianto: You’re bisexual and you think they both deserved better

Ianto/Gwen: You write/read fic solely to spite people who think that Gwen and Ianto don’t like each other

Gwen/Tosh: You’re a lesbian and you think they both deserved better

Jack/Owen: You need a strong father figure. But not a real one. A symbolic one.

Ianto/John: You love Ianto Jones and think James Marsters is hot

Andy/John: You love Andy and think he deserves a murder husband. Alternatively, you love John and think he deserves a golden retriever husband

Andy/Owen: You’ve listened to The Three Monkeys WAY too many times

Ianto/Norton: You listen to Outbreak on a near-daily basis

Jack/Ianto/John: You’re horny

Jack/Ianto/Owen: You’re horny

Jack/Ianto/Gwen: You’re touchstarved

Jack/Ianto/Lisa: You are the reigning monarch of Lisa Lives fics

Ianto/Owen/Tosh: You’ve watched Sleeper too many times

Jack/Ianto/Gwen/Owen/Tosh: You want a found family that you can also sleep with

Tosh/Adam: You don’t deserve rights

Life, For Dummies p4

a/n: any one out here wilding? i’m just vibing and writing comes when you ave zero braincells left...

Waking up was a struggle, you’d never slept that deeply or that well. The combination between a long, hot shower and Earth-shattering sex made it all too easy to sleep. You were so, so sore, but it was good. You admitted you hadn’t been fucked like that, heavens, at all if not for a long while. You looked at the large mirror across from your bed, lifting up your shirt. You had a few book-related bruises. 

Stretching and feeling out the fact that you obviously didn’t have your sea legs yet. Your knees and thighs were wobbling and weak.

Then you caught it in the reflection. The collar- your collar. You half- thought it was just a fever dream. But it was real, and it’s weight was light but suddenly very noticable. The ring pressed against your larynx, the bow at the back felt oddly graceful as you flexed your neck to get a better look. 

You finally allowed yourself to cry- this was what dreams were made of. (hey now, hey now!) You were exhausted already, you were happy. You felt light years away from where you were before the Master whisked you away. Hell, the last time you saw the Doctor seemed just a memory. 

So much had changed. You felt completely different. Yes, you had all your same traits, likes and dislikes. But a week with the Master? Chaotic, mind blowing, devastating, beautiful, enriching and most of all, beyond your wildest dreams and even your deepest darkest wishes.

You definitely were different. The collar around your throat and the bruises and sore, stiff muscles proved you were. Not only were you having a tea party with the Devil, but you were the Devil’s whore. 

It was wicked, and all too amazing. He treated you well for the most part. Very well. For only knowing you a week, he seemed to harbor no true ill will. 

You got dressed and wracked your brain, reconciling everything finally and putting thoughts in boxes where they needed to go. It was slow, but needed. And time really did not matter anymore. You splashed yourself with cold water from the sink and prepared yourself mentally for outside your solitary walls. You had no clue what was waiting outside and you needed to put yourself out of any more revieries that might pop up. You had a lot of thoughts, and a lot of places to add up. Obviously, pro and con lists were out of the questions these days.

You supposed if this was a standard exchange of power, that rules and limits would be in place, but there was already the imbalance of aliens with knowledge of all of history, time travel, and space. Humans were simpler and had an equal footing. Therefore it was always up for debate.

You were halfway through finishing your daily SPF and thought about what if’s. Where was this all going? You couldn’t ask, obviously. He made it all up as he went along as much, if not more than the Doctor.

Poor Doctor, you allowed yourself to think, picks you up from your mundane routine only for you to better fit in with her best enemy. 

Her loss, his gain.

Things added up, morals and ethics wise. The Doctor could be just as callous and just as insane, yet hid behind the greater good. She was a spoonful of sugar whereas he was castor oil. Twin sides of a coin…

You shook yourself from these thoughts. Too much to process in one morning for you, especially without caffeine to mainline. 

You finished up and made your way out after stretching and taking a few excedrin you found rattling around the medicine chest. This TARDIS was incredibly intuitive and even materialised all your usual products you used. Or maybe the Master read your mind and supplied them. Either way, it was a big help…

You made your way out and sat down to an already piping hot mug of coffee and a tinkering Master. Your heart and stomach gave a flutter. You rolled your eyes at your over-eagerness.

“You’re finally up, I was worried that I’d have to physically go in there…”

You sloshed into yourself, “How long was I actually asleep?”

“19 hours. I think that qualifies as a coma with you humans.” 

“I obviously needed to sleep.” You talked into your coffee mug. It tasted good. Strong, a little crunchy, very much the perfect cup you didn’t have to add anything to.

“Mmn, you made this?” You asked, pointing to the mug held loft in your hand.

“Of course, I know how to make coffee, spent years on the Outback of Australia, I got bored, I know how to be perfect at everything…”

“Yeah, sure, perfect at everything.” You rolled eyes again, this time at him. 

“I am the Master.”

“Alright, alright.” You gave a concessional hand. You stared into your coffee and contemplated breakfast. You weren’t usually a big fan of eating in the morning, but all things considered you scraped yourself away from the coffee and started looking through the cupboards to see if anything was appealing to you in the moment. Nothing seemed terribly tasty so you just grabbed a bowl of random cereal and some sort of liquid you assumed was oat milk by the scent. 

You felt his eyes studying your back the entire time, you didn’t know if it was in an observational manner or just perversely taking a peek at your backside. 

“You like the show?” You demanded jokingly. 

“Of course, pet…” He leaned back and placed the device he had down. It was a long silver and gold rod with three prongs at the tip. “I see my pretty little pet has found her pretty little treat.” He went over and flipped a strand of your hair and fingered the collar at your neck before stroking at your sternum. He smiled down and flexed his lips open. The lighting made his teeth glitter dangerously. 

The dim lighting really brought out a beautiful tone to his lips. You tried to return to your cereal, but you pecked him on the cheek and steered yourself to a seated position. Temptation could take a temporary back burner. You had to get some semblance of nutrition into you.

He joined you at the table. 

“I was thinking of a few ideas, but I wanted your input.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes, really, I can more than enough make my own choices, but to spice it up, why not get some feedback? What chaos shall be wrought today?” He bent over the table, disregarding the personal space needed to eat a bowl of cereal and let actual brain-processing happen. 

“What all did you have in mind?” You scooted back infinitesimally and tried to finish breakfast quickly. 

He quickly pointed to some post-it notes, “Here’s the name of an intergalactic crime boss who owes me a few favors, figured we could go and rough him up until he squeals, giving me the powerful weaponry we all know he has. Or, here’s a plan to visit a certain set of pepper pots and make some deals that most definitely will backfire, but it would be great fun to see them get frustrated and deny the fact that they can get frustrated. Or I was thinking of visiting Earth and teasing Torchwood and UNIT around early 2000’s Cardiff, you know, for funsies. Oh! What if we went back to Raxacoricofallapatorius and destroyed their nursery?” He was spinning around and fluttering between notebooks and sketches including one where he was strangling a person in an army uniform and a handlebar moustache. 

“Jesus, how fast does your brain go?” You massage your temples…

“Too much? Huh? What would you suggest then?” He pouted, placing a hand at his hip and jutting it out.

“Why don’t we just start slow and nothing Earthly? Crime boss seem good? Simple even…” You slurped the milk off the spoon, “But lemme finish Breakfast first!” Pointing it at him, “Slow your roll. Savor the day. Do you Time Lords even sleep?”

“Rarely.” 

“Wow, that explains so much.”

He querched an eyebrow, “And what would that be, love?” The love felt oddly formal, not like being called a pet. 

“I’ve only met two of you, mind, so I might be generalizing...but the high energy. Like... “ You pressed your fingertips together, “Napping? Don’t you enjoy finding a good place to sleep during the day and just sleeping and enjoying the restfulness and sensations of the sun through a window and maybe a breeze if you open it a bit.”

“No, I’d love to try it, sounds pleasurable…”

“And you said that you were the Master of Everything.” You false-scandalized then laughed, cupping his face and smiling at him. It was great. He really made you laugh in one of those cheesy, stupid ways.

“I could punish you for talking down to your Owner…” He teased right back.

“Oooh...dirty.” You gave a salacious wink.

You could feel the “You have no idea…” radiating from his pores.

“Come along, my pet…” He pulled you from the table and over to the console, “We got a crime boss to torture…”

He punched in the coordinates and grabbed his jacket, then pulled you out the door…

You were toasting your success in the newly acquired weapons-room that now belonged to, as he poured you a little more champagne. 

You oddly enjoyed helping torturing the poor sap. He squirmed and you enjoyed him blanching from pain. 

The machine you saw him working on was a laser screw-driver? And he gave it to you as he was attaching some high tech hand-cuffs to the man. He told you that the controls were intuitive and to “give it a whirl...see how that grabs you…” Watching the gross little green man scream and shake around, flushing and pleading- felt good. Felt powerful. It brought you a tingle of pleasure and you could see why the Master was fond of it. The device felt good in your hand and after the second whorl of your wrist, it felt like a natural extension. It felt right to hold it in your hand and be able to grasp such power. 

A bit of sadism? Then champagne? And the thrill of a steal? All felt like an adrenaline rush.

What were you becoming?

A shred of our conscience echoed about the fact that you, obviously, had to kill him, something the Master allowed you to turn into him and avert your eyes as he shrunk his body and flicked it into a drainage gate. He knew your limits and didn’t go past what he knew you could currently take. You grimaced a bit as you heard a tiny clink. That was a tad harsh. 

All in all, a busy day... 

He was busy cataloging and cooing at all the tech he had access to his as he put it “fun, evil plans”...

It was hilarious and so endearing to watch. He was like a kid in a candy shop. Soft, feral, incorrigible. 

You determined that a small nap whilst tipsy and moonstruck was a great gift to yourself. You felt the collar and played idly with the diamond heart until you blacked out. 

You woke up to him watching you. “One of those fabulous little naps you talked of?” He stroked your thigh and massaged the fabric of your shorts. You pulled yourself up and propped yourself up on your elbows and coyly smiled, “Care to join me?” You winked, “Take a walk on the wild side. It’s a real treat. After that...who knows?” You teased him. 

He considered it and then loosened the buttons, and took off his jacket before laying it down and rolling up his sleeves. He laid down and you offered him to slide up to you. He obliged stiffly but soonly gave in. You spotted his chest hair and stared at it for a moment. You then acted, you traced it, mildly twirling your finger in its mass, he shuddered and then left you to continue. You laid down your head on his chest and felt his hearts pounding between two different beats. 

He murmured, “Keep the screwdriver. A little gift. From me to you…” You felt his hearts hitch a bit.

Sighing, you told him, “Relax." You let out a sleepy little moan. You embraced the warmth of his body and soothing echoing in his chest like a whitenoise machine. "You're doing excellent.." The Master eased up and you felt yourself ease up and drift off. You dreamt of falling through water and waves and the scent of fires and musk. You could feel a pair of eyes watching you, but they felt nonjudgmental, just guiding you deeper down. Deeper under the spell of sleep and total darkness. 

Fic meme!

I was tagged by @totallysilvergirl​, and I’ll be lazy AND greedy and tag everyone reading this who is willing to share and hasn’t done so yet: I want to read your answers!

Ao3 Name: hophophop/amindamazed

Fandoms: Elementary mostly, which eventually expanded into a few other Holmesian realms. My first fic was for Torchwood. Unless otherwise specified, all the works in this post are Elementary.

Number of fics: 89 works posted on Ao3; 83 of those are Elementary. 12 of them are compilations of multiple ficlets and prompt fills.

1. Fic you spent the most time on: Probably “Personal Reasons”? And a WIP I drafted for NaNoWriMo 2015 that I haven’t 100% given up on yet. (But haven’t worked on it since then, either)

2. Fic you spent the least time on: Some of my fills for the Watson’s Woes July Writing Prompts (collected in the “Doubts Don’t Deter Detectives” series) took less than an hour.

3. Longest Fic: Single, stand-alone work: “Personal Reasons”, 8845 words. Single work made up of daily, mostly unrelated, prompt fills: “Doubts Don’t Deter Detectives II”, 21477 words. Series that I now consider to be a single work, though I didn’t start it as such: “Dark and Deep”, 33091 words.

4. Shortest Fic: I’ve got a number of drabbles-strictly-defined (100 words) and 221Bs.

5. Most hits: “In Case of Emergency”

6. Most kudos: “In Case of Emergency”

7. Most comment threads: “Doubts Don’t Deter Detectives III”

8. Fave Fic you wrote: ?? I don’t really think about my work like that, and I’m not sure most of it has aged well. That is, a lot of my Elementary works are episode tags or otherwise in extremely close conversation with canon, often written and posted within a week or two of initial air date. Without the context of total immersion, they fall a bit flat, I think. This is not self-disparagement; there are plenty of sentences, scenes, and character insights I think are great. (I’m still quite amused by the JWP fill that gave me the title of that series (Doubts Don’t Deter Detectives), for example.)

That said, I do like the way “Dark and Deep” intersects with and diverges from season 1, the external POV OC of “What the Beekeeper Saw”, and all the times I explored Joan’s character and backstory (and Mary Russell’s). I’m pleased with my Mary Russell/Charlotte Holmes fusion, and the way it brings together different generations of Holmesian women from those adaptations.

I also enjoyed the experience of working with other writers with remixes, inspired-by/related works, and a little bit of co-writing. (It’s probably cheating to say “For Science” is my favorite of these in the context of this question, because the chapters I like best are the ones @beanarie​ wrote, not me.)

9. Fic you want to rewrite/expand on: My oldest not-definitely-abandoned WIP is probably the fourth chapter of “What the Beekeeper Saw”, and then there’s that NaNoWriMo draft I haven’t decided whether to commit to or let go. At times I’ve toyed with revising/expanding the set of connected JWP fills about a reverse-Reichenbach in DDDD III, but I remain entirely uninterested in figuring out the necessary plot machinations to make it coherent.

I would like to read an Elementary fix-it AU with Mycroft done properly (which for me would mean Joan & Mycroft rather than the [spoiler?] rather limited Joan/Mycroft the show threw together haphazardly; a lot more development of Holmes sibling dynamics past, present, and future; and an entirely different outcome for the character at the end). I don’t want to read it badly enough to write it myself, though.

10. Share a bit of your WIP or share a story idea that you’re planning: Sorry, but nope. I’ve found that describing WIPs and nascent story ideas makes me less likely to actually write them (i.e. that Elementary!Mycroft fix-it). I have previously shared bits of all three WIPs in other tumblr writing memes over the years. And sadly I don’t currently have any ideas to spill anyway.

Interactive: The Great Shift (2)

The cop's gun dropped from his hand as he looked around in shock.

"Oh no!" He cried. "Where am I now?"

I looked down at myself and let out a great sigh of relief. I was still in the body that once I could have only dreamed of having.

"Who are you?" the new cop asked.

"I'm Tony Coletta." I said with a smile. "But you don't need to worry about that. Who are you?"

The cop looked down at his badge and said. "Well I guess I'm Officer Reynolds now."

I smiled again. It looked like I had found an ally who would come in handy if or when Tony came looking for his body. A cop would be hard to argue with.

"If you need somewhere to stay I've got plenty of room at my place." I said.

The cop instantly climbed into the passenger seat and I started the engine. As I drove I watched the new Officer Reynolds check himself out in the wing mirror.

"Very nice..." he murmured. "I can live with this."

Officer Reynolds was a big man, but in all the right places. He had broad shoulders, muscular arms and a face that said, 'Don't mess with me'.

I watched him pull a wallet from his pocket and flick through his I.D.

"Kieron Reynolds", he said over and over again before putting it away. He turned to look at me.

"So you're really you then" he asked a little suspiciously..

"Yes," I lied with determination in my voice. "Why?"

"You're a lucky guy", Kieron continued. "It’s happened twice and you've escaped it both times?."

"Weird shit like this doesn't happen to me", I said with a smirk. "I thought everyone was playing some kind of stupid prank on me at first."

"Nope," Kieron said holding up his hands and studied them. "It happened alright."

As we pulled up outside the house Kieron let out a slow whistle.

"Nice!" he said. "You've done alright for yourself here."

"It's my house." I snarled at his remark.

"Yes, yes of course", Kieron said as he followed me inside. I began to wonder whether bringing 'Kieron' home with me had been the right thing to do. Was he going to mess up my plans of taking over Tony's life for good? I stopped to look at my new face in the hallway mirror. No-one was going to take it away from me now, not even Tony himself!

"So who were you originally?" I asked Kieron as I handed him some chicken from the fridge.

He let out a laugh and almost choked on the food.

"An ex-con down on my luck. Shitty apartment, slut of a girlfriend," he said. "Now look at me! I'm the fucking long arm of the law. Thank you very much Officer Reynolds!"

"What about the real Officer Reynolds?" I asked.

"Fuck him," he said. "Hopefully he’s permanently out of the picture. If not I'll arrest him for impersonating a police officer." He laughed long and hard at his own joke.

"Anyway Tony," he said and I realized I liked being called that. "I need to take a shower now. Get to know the new me properly, if you catch my drift." he winked at me before I guided him upstairs.

I found him a guest room with en-suite and left him to it. As I closed the door he was already half undressed and grinning like a cheshire cat. I dreaded to think what he was going to get up to in the shower.

I went to Tony's, I mean my room and closed the door. Picking up a photo album on the desk, I flicked through it while studying every picture of Tony so as to learn as much as I could about him. I let Tony's face smile smugly as I acknowledged that these were now pictures of me, the hottest jock in town! My eyes wandered to a porn magazine I had seen earlier and I soon felt a stiffening in my jeans. Removing my shirt and revealing my muscular body, I picked up the magazine and was about to take off my jeans when the doorbell suddenly rang again. I cautiously made my way downstairs while repressing my raging erection and opened the door to see Phoebe, our school’s head cheerleader.

"Tony? Is that you?" Phoebe asked.

"Who else do you think it is?" I said in character. "Ain’t no one getting their hands on my body."

"Thank god," she said. "Can I come in?"

I watched her walk into the house. She was hot. Dark-skinned and petite in a Camila Cabello sort of way. Tony's hormone were rushing through my body. I knew what I wanted.

"Is that really you then Phoebe?" I asked.

"Yes," she said with a smile. "What happened to everyone?"

"I don't know," I said wrapping my big arms around her and smelling her hair. "But at least we're still ourselves."

"Yeah..." she said holding me tight. I felt myself start to stiffen but she only pushed tighter and it was pressed hard against her.

"Let’s go upstairs." she whispered and led the way. She obviously knew where Tony's bedroom was.

I lost my virginity as Tony Coletta. I couldn't have wished it to be any better. Me in control of his great body and with the Head Cheerleader as well. I lay back feeling the blood pumping through my veins. I felt more alive than I had ever been.

"Tony," Phoebe said. "You were amazing."

"Well I am Tony Coletta," I said with a smirk. "What did you expect?"

She let out a little giggle.

I lay on the bed and watched her go the bathroom to shower. I looked down at my penis and flopped it about in my hand. I smiled knowing that I was going to have so much more fun with it. That is if the real Tony didn't turn up... But even if he did, there’s no way I would let him take all this back. I was Tony Coletta now!

I went downstairs to find Kieron watching the television dressed only in his boxers. He was studying a tattoo on one of his big arms.

"Had a little action then," he said. "Could hear you both down here."

"Yeah, so what if I did?" I answered him with a snark.

"Nothing wrong with that," he said shaking his head. "Good-looking guy like you must get a lot of girls after you. Mind you I think the same is gonna apply to me now." He let a sneer cross his new face which seemed out of place. Suddenly Phoebe walked into the room.

"Oh I didn't know you had company." she said shyly.

 "Hi, I'm Kieron, a friend of the family." Kieron stood up to greet her, shaking her hand.

"Shhhh!" I said as a news report flashed up on the tv screen.

"Scientists have finally discovered a way to return those affected by the recent events to their own bodies. By capturing energy from the recent aftershocks Professor Ian George of the Torchwood Institute has created a device that will attach itself to the residual energy in a person’s body and transfer it to another. It will be a lengthy process but it looks as though things will soon be back to normal," the reporter said from inside the body of a stunning blonde. "And I for one will be looking forward to getting back to my daily weight lifting sessions. This is Bill Masters for CBS news."

There was a moment silence.

"Well that’s good then isn’t it?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh yes, great news." I said.

"Yes, couldn't agree more", Kieron said.

Then there was another moment of silence. Suddenly, my mobile started to ring. I picked it up hesitantly. Someone was trying to contact Tony and I had a pretty sure idea of who it was...

"Have you heard the news?" a strange voice said, but I knew it was none other than the real Tony.

"Sure. Good news alright." I said while trying to hide my dissatisfaction.

"Oh yes, the best news I've heard today! So, are you ready to go?" Tony said obviously unable to hide his excitement.

"Where to?" I played dumb.

"The Torchwood Institute, of course. I think I’m in the body of a wanted criminal, so I want to get out of it as soon as possible." Tony said hastily.

"Uh... okay. Just come here first so we can pick up some stuff, and we’ll go there together." I answered him. He simply agreed and then hung up. Sitting back on the sofa I started to think. If everyone already believed I was the real Tony, there was no need for me to give this body away! I just had to get rid of the real Tony and then I could stay as Tony Coletta forever! And that’s when I knew exactly what had to be done.

"What a weird guy!" I exclaimed loudly to attract Phoebe and Kieron's attention.

"Is everything all right?" they asked in unison.

I then told them about a bad guy who claimed to be me, and demanded I give my body to him. I also lied and said that he threatened to kill me after he got my body.

"What a horrible thing to do! To pretend to be someone else just so he could steal someone’s identity, who could do something like that?" Phoebe shook her head in disbelief.

"Don't worry about that, my friend. Since I’m a police officer now, it’s my responsibility to protect innocent people like you." Kieron reassured me. I simply nodded at him before we all gave each other a knowing look.

When the real Tony entered the mansion, Phoebe, Kieron and I was hiding behind the door. Before he could react we jumped on him and knocked him out.

"I recognize this guy. He was the most dangerous serial murderer in the city," Kieron said. “Thank god he never got the chance to switch with anyone.”

Taking the unconscious Tony to the police station, now in the body of the most wanted criminal, the police were incredibly satisfied with our work and gave us a great reward. As for the real Tony, he tried to explain the situation he was in but nobody believed him. After all, it was three people’s words against one. He was eventually sentenced to death and the execution was held on the same day. Removing one more dirt from the planet.

---

Eventually everything went back to normal, everyone was supposedly sent back into their original bodies, but with a few people missing. One of them was the outcast Evan who’s mind was never found. His parents were miserable, but they got over it soon when the government compensated them for the loss. The students also noticed a few changes in the school jock, Tony Coletta. It seemed as if he had become friendlier, more intelligent and mature. He was also often seen hanging out with the police officer Kieron or went out on long steamy dates with Phoebe. But it’s not like it mattered. Tony was the perfect guy before, and after The Great Shift he still was. It seems as if some people are lucky enough to be completely unaffected by The Great Shift, and Tony Coletta was definitely one of them.

The End

Source: “The Great Shift” Interactive Story on Writing.com

👾 category "torchwood three for every day" 👾

3. come to work in Torchwood, we promise full confidence in the future('s bottom)

          all you need to know about spyro’s original characters:                                           oc: oliver smith aka the scientist                                            fandom: doctor who                                            status: active.

THE BASICS

(current third regeneration)

Name: oliver smith (aka the scientist) Nicknames: olive (ana only), ollie, beta alpha (was going to be her academy name) Gender: female (atm) Pronouns: she/her [they/them] Sexual Orientation: pansexual Age (actual age): (earth age 36) actually almost 2500 years old Place of Birth: the citadel, gallifrey Citizenship: n/a

                                                  APPEARANCE

Age they appear: 30 Hair colour: black Hair style: this regeneration’s hair seems to always curl. Eye colour: dark brown Birthmarks/scars/marks: almost all over his body, only small but they always seem to follow him with each regeneration. Piercings: n/a Tattoos: a flock of birds across her shoulder blades. which always follow her through regenerations, this was given to them in their first face.

Build (curvy, toned, etc): slim and muscular, built like a model but with the added strength of being a gallifrayen builds are really deciving.

Weight: around 57kilos Height: 5′5″ Clothing style: dark clothes. leather pants and sometimes leather jeans, nothing as extravagant as her brother/sister, more so down to earth styles. Overall appearance: messy. but in the neat kind of way, her black clothes usually hides her figure and therefore hides what she looks overall.

Trinkets/jewelry: nothing Equipment/accessories (things they are never without; ex: a backpack or a notepad) oliver carries a sonic screwdriver herself. while not being a time lord, ollie has definitely learnt a lot from her brother.

                                          INNER WORKINGS

General mood: the third regeneration seems to be less broody and mean like her previous selves. three has a general sophistication about herself, but will absolutely string you along if it meant she would get to have a little fun. three can sometimes revert back into her broody and harsh self but she doesn’t like being like that anymore. Mental state (any mental illnesses?): well, three has seen a lot and has gone through a lot at this point in her life. but currently three is traveling the universe with her daughter in her own stolen tardis. Alignment (neutral good, chaotic evil, etc): chaotic neutral. Morals: family. Temperament: the scientist.

Quirks: three seems to crack her knuckles a lot. lip biting. Pet peeves: there’s just too many to put down.

Strengths: selflessness. loyalty.  Weaknesses: her daughter. ana. those muffins from the baker in cardiff.

Fears: she hates snails. Intelligence: even though oliver didn’t go to the academy and instead stole her very own TARDIS, she did come from a rather wealthy family, who could afford the best education.

Priorities: her daughter. Desires: to make sure that the universe doesn’t implode due to her brothers actions. Likes: it changes daily.

Vices: a short temper.

                                           RELATIONSHIPS

Friends: well, she doesn’t have a lot of friends. jack seems to like this version of her though.

Family: mother and father are dead. brother: kosechi.

Significant other: this is complicated.

Kids: daughter: grace, leah.

Enemies: just too many to count. the doctor. to a degree.

                         EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION

Jobs: did work for torchwood for a short while. Profession: time traveler.

Income (if any): psychic paper comes in handy.

Furthest education: gallifrey’s version of high school. Degree (if any): none.

                                   EXTRA INFORMATION

Criminal record: listen it’s too long to count, but also non existent to those that aren’t familiar with outer space.

Social media accounts (if any): none.

Reputation: oliver is known throughout the galaxy as the scientist, while not going to the academy, she is very good at what she does, experiments and testing. while also being known as the master’s sibling.

Skills: pretty much a talented fighter. excellent at maths and science.

Talents: makes a mean apple pie.

Hobbies: traveling the universe.

Special abilities (if any): well, she’s a gallifryean that stole regenerations when she stole a tardis. the stolen regenerations allow her to have extended lives and also to have faster healing abilities.

Transportation: a prototype of the tardis. one of the earliest models.

Living conditions: three’s version of a console room is exactly how an apartment in the city would be. this is mainly because she wants grace to feel like she has a home. without the windows, the console of the tardis resides in what would absolutely be the kitchen.

Pets: a robotic cat called FeeNine.

                                               AESTHETIC

Colors associated with: red and a pastel red. Their personal aesthetic: space. the stars and the moon. early mornings and cold evenings. Song that suits them: none yet

╳ BIO:

they were the older sibling - ten years older than kosechi. oliver didn’t want to conform to the high society of the time lords, didn’t want to stare into the time vortex and basically be brained washed to do what the council had decided for all the children on gallifrey. so when the younger brother was born - their parents turned their whole attention onto the new baby, which left oliver to do what they wanted, which was to be a scientist.

while their family was so focused on looking after kosechi and molding him to be what they wanted, oliver was a little bit of a rebel after he finally realised it was hard to do anything without having been to the academy. everyone thought it was theta that had stolen a tardis, but well oliver had been a couple of steps ahead of him. breaking into the academy - stealing a bunch of regenerations that would help them along their new life, they stole a prototype tardis and left gallifrey behind.

though it seemed like everything had come to oliver a bit too quickly. their parents hadn’t even noticed that they were missing until the academy figured out that one of their prototype tardis’ was missing. but by then oliver had ran so far away that they found themselves on earth in the early 80s and settled down, blending in as best they could.

twenty years seemed like a pit stop to them. things were quiet and they only ever kept tabs on their brother ( and of course the brothers best friend ) every once in a while. the doctor seemed to enjoy earth just as much as oliver with the amount of times he had shown up.

in the end, during one night in 2008, a young brunette stumbled almost into his tardis, bursting through the front door of the hidden tardis (as it took its place on an empty block next to apartments). she was bleeding and delusional, running from a pack of weevils, ana had misplaced her phone and had been unable to call for backup. so oliver, being the slightly placated person they were helped.

and this was the start of something unusual between the pair of them. learning that she had just lost her son, something that had left her rattled and ashamed - she needed a getaway, she didn’t want the doctor or jack to be prying into her life at the moment. maybe that’s why oliver agreed to take her on as a companion.

maybe that’s why the pair of them got so close. she wasn’t judgemental - she knew their brother, knew their family and yet - ana still decided to place her life in their hands. in the end, oliver helped the torchwood gang with miracle day and ended up getting ana pregnant in the summer of 2010.

torchwood is the most abnormal ive ever been about a fixation it's insane. im on month eight of thinking abt it daily (my fixations usually last three months at most). ive written at least 60k of misc fic it might be much more i have no idea. none of it has seen the light of day yet it will eventually pls help. i have been on tumblr for ten yrs this june and i have NEVER blocked anyone let alone for fandom shit and ive been blocking ppl left and right im SO opinionated and ppl make me SO mad. what is going on. im deteriorating my life is in shambles

@stickingplasters:

                             “ Well, I happen to be DEAD, Ianto. ” Owen says so nonchalantly that it may as well just be another fact of life.

                                                                            Oh, the irony.

“ Not much sleep for a deadman to get, don’t really have nerve impulses, don’t technically have brain signals… can’t really sleep. Pissed off my neighbours having the TV on at three in the morning so here I am. Wandering the office in the dead of night. ”

A shrug.

“ And you’re here because… why? ” Owen questions, folding his arms across his torso and raising an eyebrow. “ Why aren’t you SNOOZING by our captain’s side at four a.m? ”

THE CLENCH OF HIS TEETH at the mention of the medic’s condition is involuntary and all he can do is hope it goes unnoticed. though it had been ianto jones who’d said the words ‘ are you really going to let this beat you? ‘ the reminder that his colleague was NO LONGER ALIVE is more often than not followed by the twisting of guilt in his stomach.

however, that is a psychologist’s field day for ANOTHER TIME. 

instead head tilts in consideration, thoughts wandering back to the immortal man he’d left behind in their SHARED BED when sleep had performed evasive maneuvers in the wake of cybermen invaded nightmares, leaving him rather restless. jack, in a surprising turn of the tables, had been peaceful and though it near pained him to slip from the room after stating intent of return, he knew ALL TOO WELL his erratic heartbeat and inability to find a state of relaxation was sure to disturb his captain in the end.

and so here he is: coffee in one hand, WEATHERED FILE lying open in the other, feet taking him in aimless circles around the large table used to house their daily briefings. 

                  ❝ couldn’t sleep. figured instead of lying in bed either STARING AT JACK while he does-- ❞ which, on most nights would be the choice made, had he not already removed himself from between the sheets. ❝ or staring at the ceiling, i could, ah, see if i could dig anything up on what we brought in from the CRASH SITE the other day. ❞ 

he offers a folder found to be unusually useful in his research. apparently, torchwood had dealings with this lot BEFORE. 

            ❝ unless you’d rather continue in your wandering, this still needs going through. ❞ a pause and a lift of his brow. ❝ or, third option, a light chat about THE APPRENTICE. i do love the apprentice. ❞ deadpanned per usual, one could have trouble deciding if ianto jones is SERIOUS OR NOT.

Updated December 25, 2018

A collection of my yearly Holiday Fic Countdown recs, listed alphabetically by fandom & author and linked to the original recs (so you can click through if you want to read my lengthy notes). Recs below the cut, and happy holidays!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine as cuddly as a cactus, hardlygolden, 1k, General audiences "'There is an elf. On my shelf,' Captain Holt pronounces. It’s entirely possible he sounds more aggrieved than usual - Jake can never tell." Original rec.

Cabin Pressure Christmas in Helsinki, Lucyemers, 2.3k, General audiences “Ms. Knapp-Schappey?” “Yes?” “I’ve been sent to fetch you”, she responds, all smiles. “Don’t be ridiculous! Do you know what time it is?” She continues, ignoring her protests,“To Christmas in Helsinki.” Original rec.

Check, Please! Winner Bakes It All, akaparalian, 3k, Teen and up, Bitty/Jack "There are some truly, uniquely incredible smells coming from the Haus kitchen; in fact, more even than that, there are baking smells coming from the Haus kitchen. This, in and of itself, is far from unusual three semesters into one Eric Bittle's tenure as the unofficial bakemeister of Samwell Hockey. In fact, on such a lovely Sunday afternoon in early December, it might even be expected. Really, there's no cause for alarm. Except for the fact that Bitty's not here." Original rec.

From Me To You, IBoatedHere, 4.1k, General audiences, Jack/Bitty "Jack finds the book by accident. Knitting For The Absolute Beginner." Original rec.

Love And All The Other Intangibles, IBoatedHere, 4.8k, General audiences, Jack/Bitty "Eric Bittle's fraught and opaque relationship with Christmas." Original rec.

Only gift that I need, by Signe_chan, 2.7k, Teen and up, Ransom/Holster "Ransom had kind of been expecting something in the mail, but when he got home, his post box was empty. It was weird. It was the first night of Hanukkah and Holster normally loved Hanukkah." Original rec.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency Blood Is Thicker Than Water (But You Know What's Even Thicker? Cookie Dough. Tastes Better, Too.), DontOffendTheBees, 3k, Teen and up, Dirk/Todd "'Dirk… you know how to make cookies, right?' The detective glanced between Todd and the ingredients, brow furrowing. 'Actually, I was rather hoping you did…' Todd sighed. He was gonna need another beer. 'Let’s Google it.' In which Dirk and Todd ill-advisedly try to bake cheer-up cookies for Farah at 3am, and maybe confront some feelings in the process." Original rec. 

To Give Meaning, electricteatime, 2k, Teen and up, Dirk/Todd In which sometimes the meaning behind the gift is the most important thing of all, and sometimes Todd gets it all right (for a change.)"  Original rec.

all roads lead home, GabbyD, 3k, Gen "It’s the little things about Christmas that truly make it all feel like family. Or, how each character and group learns to cope with the events of the first season as they experience Christmas together for the first time." Original rec.

Baby, it's cold outside, HolisticPanda, 2k, Teen and up, Bart & Ken "Bart doesn't like the snow." Original rec.

Unimaginable (or, Six Different Flavors of Holiday-Themed Lip Balm), juniper_and_lamplight, 1.9k, M, Farah/Tina “She’s not the sort of person Farah would’ve expected to fall for, if she’d expected to fall for anyone, and just looking at her fills Farah's chest with a wild, buoyant tenderness, like her heart might actually be expanding. It’s the opposite of a panic attack, though it leaves her with the same dry mouth and racing pulse.” Am I reccing my own Christmas fic? YOU BET I AM.

If The Fates Allow, by lavellington, 6.9k, Teen and up, Dirk/Todd "Dirk was familiar with Christmas in theory but not practice. Todd and Farah were happy to go along for the ride." Original rec.

A Very Dirk Gently Christmas, thats_entirely_too_much_tuna, 20.5k, Teen and up, Dirk/Todd "'I’m going to teach you to love Christmas again, Todd,' Dirk informed him. 'I’ve decided.'" Original rec.

Mittens, yeaka, 1k, Teen and up, Panto/Silas "Silas attends the winter festival." Original rec.

Doctor Who & Torchwood The Education of Ianto Jones, Verasteine, 3k, Mature, Jack/Ianto  "Ianto Jones had grown up with a world view of straight couples. Now he knows different." Original rec.

Unsinkable, versaphile, 4k, Tenth Doctor/Jack "Post-Voyage of the Damned. The Doctor has nowhere to go, and ends up in Cardiff." Original rec.

Firefly Consecration, by fox1013, 3k, General audiences "We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty." Original rec.

Gilmore Girls Suggestions (And Mallomars), Mosca, 3.3k, Teen and up, Rory/Paris "Identity, chocolate, mother-daughter relations, and the importance of voting: scenes from the first 90 days." Original rec.

Good Omens How Crowley Saved Christmas, such_heights, 1k, General audiences, Crowley & Aziraphale "It was 1842, and Aziraphale really didn’t want to do it." Original rec.

Harry Potter God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, blamebrampton, 8k, General audiences, Harry/Draco   "Draco hasn't been seeking refuge in religion, just in London's most famous church. The fact that it's on the daily route of Britain's most famous Auror is total coincidence, he's really there for the music." Original rec.

Bitter Honey, Green Night, Faith Wood, 14k, Explicit, Harry/Draco "An inn, an Auror, a criminal, a mystery." Original rec.

As Souls from Bodies Steal, femmequixotic, 40k, Explicit, Harry/Draco “Hope may be found in the oddest of places, even in the bleakness of winter.” Original rec. 

Matchmaker, Matchmaker, firethesound, 12k, Mature, Harry/Draco "Sometimes Harry can't help but wonder why such strange shit always happens to him." Original rec.

All Our New Years, Frayach, 2k, Mature, Harry/Draco "It takes too many New Year's Eves without each other but eventually they get it right."  Original rec.

The Price We Pay for Wings, Frayach, read by raitala, 13k, 80min, Mature, Harry/Draco “Scorpius Draconis Eltanin Malfoy read the first book in the Alford Ocamy series over Christmas hols when he was eleven. Well, he didn’t so much “read” it as he devoured it.” Original rec.

Here’s the Pencil, Make It Work, ignatiustrout, 49k, Mature, Harry/Draco  "Harry thinks ‘Why is Malfoy working in a coffee shop in muggle London?’ is a much simpler question than, ‘Are you going to accept that auror offer and, if you don't, what will you do?'" Original rec.

An Act of Rebellion: Eight Nights of Hope, katmarajade, 1k, General audiences "During the Carrows' reign of terror, Anthony decides to bring his House together in a surprising way." Original rec.

Nine Regrettably Short Stories About Sirius Black and Things That Happened On or Around Christmas, librae, 3k, unrated, Remus/Sirius "The problem was, of course, that it was Christmastime. The problem, of course, being that Sirius had stolen them away in the night - or the daytime, if you wanted to be technical - all so they could have the inaugural Christmas feast in his flat, which was blaring white and freezing." Original rec.

Winter Like a Balm, Lomonaaeren, 2k, Teen and up, Ginny/Luna "The first winter after Fred's death, Ginny escapes into the Forbidden Forest with Luna and her unicorns." Original rec.

Let Nothing You Dismay, montparnasse, 19k, Mature, Remus/Sirius "There are a few things Sirius really didn't count on for Christmas of 1979. The extreme sexual confusion is one of them; Remus Lupin is approximately seventy-eight of the rest." Original rec.

Elucidation Practice, montparnasse, 21.3k, Mature, Remus/Sirius "Christmas, 1978. Remus, wrestling with the mighty problems of gift-giving on a budget, contemplates life, love, London in winter, and falling off the edge of the world with Sirius Black." Original rec. 

Christmas 1980, nightswatch, 4.9k, Teen and up, Remus/Sirius "Remus comes home from an Order mission on Christmas Eve. He's not so sure if Sirius actually wants to see him." Original rec.

Vector, by rageprufrock, 13k, Mature, Remus/Sirius "Mathematics: A quantity, such as velocity, completely specified by a magnitude and a direction. / 3. A force or influence." Original rec.

Six Christmases, thistle_verse, 4.8k, Mature, Harry/Draco "Care is a magic shaped by relation; it alters and winds its way through all spaces. It is always on the move, always changing its shape, and sometimes— it turned into love. Harry felt, finally, like all his various perspectives on Draco Malfoy over the years had clicked into place, simultaneous and one. He felt certain he could love this man through every view, from any side of before or after." Original rec.

Christmas at The Dog and Duck, writcraft, 9k, Explicit, Harry/Draco "Because life has a habit of conspiring against him, Harry finds himself on a weekend away with Malfoy. The fact he can’t forget that one, searing kiss is definitely going to be a problem." Original rec.

History Boys Driving Home For Christmas, surprisinglyOK,  6.4k, Teen and up, Scripps/Posner "This is just super fluffy romantic/family Christmas fun, in which David spends Christmas with the Scripps', and Don finally comes out to his parents." Original rec.

Marvel Maqqaba, Domenika Marzione, 1.8k, Gen "Chanukah in the SSR." Original rec.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Last night you told me: tomorrow, lbmisscharlie, 2k, Explicit, Phryne/Mac/Jack "'Come on, darling,' she says, feeling daring. This is the edge of something, something that has been building since the first time Phryne stomped into the City South Police Station. Perhaps since Mac linked arms with her on the docks of the port, gleeful to be reunited with her friend after many years absence. Things will be different tomorrow." Original rec.

Sherlock (BBC) People Are Basically Fond, apliddell, read by lockedinjohnlock, 5.1k, 36 min., General audiences, John/Sherlock "John and Sherlock throw another Christmas party, with a little surprise for their guests." Original rec. from tender stem hath sprung, astudyinrose, 6.1k, Explicit, Sherlock/John "A few days before Christmas, a sprig of mistletoe appears in 221B." Original rec.

Snowlight, axemeaboutaxinomancy, 1k, Explicit, Sherlock/John "A snowy interlude, with daemons by the window and humans on the sofa." Original rec.

In the Bleak Midwinter (A Canticle for Advent), CaitlinFairchild, 3k, Mature, Sherlock/John "In the autumn of 2014, Mary Watson shot Sherlock Holmes. This is what happened after." Original rec.

A Winter Walk, cathedral_carver, 3k, Teen and up, Sherlock/John "Time is the longest distance between two places." Original rec.

Lab Book, copperbadge, 5k, Explicit, Sherlock/John "'The likelihood of finding a cab on Christmas Eve is fast approaching nil.' 'So was the likelihood of you kissing me in the middle of the pavement, and yet.'" Original rec.

On the Table (Eventually John Watson's Favorite Christmas Story), emmgrant01, art by numberthescars, 18k, Explicit, Sherlock/John "Set after The Reichenbach Fall. Someone's leaving John strange little gifts in the weeks before Christmas. But who could it be? (A bit of fluff, a touch of angst, a dash of smut, some holiday cheer – enjoy!)" Original rec.

The December War, igrockspock,4k, Teen, John/Sherlock "Sherlock's never been good at Christmas." Original rec.

Winters Delights, Kate_Lear, 21k, Explicit, Sherlock/John "Sherlock takes John home for Christmas to meet the extended Holmes family." Original rec. 

Resolution, by lifeonmars, 2k, Teen and up, Sherlock/John "'Maybe one resolution isn't a bad idea.' New Year’s-related unashamed fluff with a bit of case geekery on the side." Original rec.

Points, lifeonmars, read by Lockedinjohnlock, 54k, 7 hrs, Explicit, Sherlock/John "'The little things are infinitely the most important.' -- A Case of Identity, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. What if His Last Vow never happened? This fic picks up a few months after John and Mary's wedding, in an alternate universe where Magnussen doesn't exist, but Mary is still pregnant. Life continues -- just in a different direction. And slowly, Sherlock and John find their way to each other." Original rec.

Christmas Eve, 1939, lotherington, 2k, Explicit, Sherlock/John "They were in bed together, the Tiffany lamp alight in the corner, casting a gentle light across the room. The multicoloured pieces of glass that formed its shade glowed prettily in the dim and provided a welcome contrast from the pouring rain and darkness outside, concealed though it was by the blackout curtain. WWII AU. December, 1939. Sherlock and John share a lazy Christmas Eve at Baker Street in the midst of the 'Phoney War'." Original rec.

See Love Shine, Mazarin221b, 2k, Mature, Sherlock/John “The weight of time is pulling heavily on John’s heart of late. Short days and seemingly endless nights lend themselves to spending too much time pondering his future. Their future. John leans forward to press a kiss to Sherlock’s forehead. When Sherlock’s eyes blink open and he smiles sleepily, a half-formed idea that had been niggling at the back of John’s mind sharpens into a certainty.” Original rec. 

Goodness Gives Extras, mydwynter, 39k, Explicit, Sherlock/John "Christmas time. Tis the season to settle down with a drink, some food and a present or two, and to enjoy the quiet relaxation of the holiday. Instead, there's a case that drags them all over, missing presents,disappointed kids, angry parents, and a freak snowfall. On top of that John has to deal with Sherlock, who is being even more of a prat than usual. He really shouldn't have expected anything different." Original rec.

Entanglement, orphan_account, 3k, General audiences, Sherlock/John "On Christmas Eve, snow covers London, John visits Harry, and Sherlock and Mrs. Hudson untangle some knots." Original rec.

Ghost Stories, SwissMiss, 22k, Mature, Sherlock/John "Sherlock's parents think he and John are a couple. They might be onto something." Original rec.

First Night Out, verity-burns, read by the author, 3k, 22min, Mature, Sherlock/John "As John recovers from the effects of a brutal kidnapping, he and Sherlock attend the Yarders' Christmas Party. There are... developments on the dance floor..." Original rec.

Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) Also when 'tis cold and drear, garonne, 26k, Teen and up, Holmes/Watson "In the first months of their acquaintance, Holmes and Watson study each other from a distance, watching and wondering... Contains lunatic aristocratic poets, Christmas dinner, plenty of fog and snow, and other such stuff."  Original rec.

In the Shadow of the Past, garonne, read by hardboiledbaby, 6k, 45min, Mature, Holmes/Watson "Holmes would rather have avoided returning with Watson to the Alps, even years after the events at Reichenbach--from which he's not sure Watson has ever really recovered." Original rec.

The Holly and the Ivy series, MirithGriffin, 20k, Teen through Explicit, Holmes/Watson "Translator’s note: In 2010, a strange manuscript was discovered in a private country house long used as a hotel in Surrey. While working on plans for renovations, contractors discovered a dilapidated strongbox in the attic. The box contained, among other things, twenty yellowing sheets of paper covered from top to bottom in dancing stick figures. Upon further examination, the stick figures were revealed to be a form of code. Here is what the manuscript said." Original rec.

Splendid Night, Katie Forsythe, read by Heuristic Device, 14k, 90 min, Teen and up, Holmes/Watson A Christmas fic, set during and around The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, in which Watson gets ahold of the wrong end of the deductive stick and reacts in a histrionic and yet recognizably Watsonian fashion. Original rec.

Dwell Together Still, mistyzeo, 2k, Explicit, Holmes/Watson "Holmes and Watson celebrate the end of an important year." Original rec.

Glad With Our Carols, oldshrewsburyian, 1.6k, Gen, Holmes/Watson "Holmes loves music, Watson loves Holmes, and the author indulges her feelings about liturgical history and medieval music." Original rec.

Since First I Saw Your Face: First Christmas, Stavia_Scott_Grayson, 6k (this chapter), Mature, Holmes/Watson "During the Great Hiatus, Holmes, studying in Tibet, reflects on his first meeting with Dr John Watson." Original rec.

Waltzing & Wassailing, wordybirdy, 2k, Gen, Holmes/Watson "Should Holmes & Watson accept Mycroft's invitation to his New Year's Eve celebrations? What reservations could Holmes possibly have?" Original rec.

Star Wars Some Like It Hoth, fennecfawkes, 2k, Mature, Finn/Poe "Greetings from Hoth, where the climate isn't the kindest, but the company can't be beat." Original rec.

Supernatural Gone Away is the Bluebird, clockworkrobots, 1k, unrated, Dean/Castiel "'Well, perhaps I’ve been down here, with them, for too long,' Castiel admits to his sister as he drives. 'There’s seemingly nothing but chaos. But not all bad comes from it. Art. Hope. Love. Dreams.' 'But those are human things,' Hannah says, with unmasked confusion. She is not judging, just trying to understand. Castiel almost wants to smile. It's like looking in a mirror to the past. 'Yes.'" Original rec.

The Cold of Flesh and Stone, entangled_now, 9k, Explicit, Dean/Castiel "Maybe I'm sick of spending Christmas elbow deep inside something's intestines, or standing in a grave somewhere in the freezing cold waiting for bones to burn." Original rec.

Collateral Damage, komodobits, 7k, Explicit, Dean/Castiel "Castiel takes offense at being called awkward, and goes out of his way to prove Dean wrong." Original rec.

Softer and More Beautiful, by misslucyjane, 8k, Explicit, Dean/Castiel "Christmas is a human celebration, and Castiel is with a couple of humans." Original rec.

All the Neighbors Might Think, murron, 4k, Explicit, Dean/Castiel "It’s not like Dean needs company on Christmas Eve." Original rec.

One Cold Night, xylodemon, 16k, Explicit, Dean/Castiel "'Dean, are you all right?' 'Yeah. I'm just --' Dean shivers again. His teeth clack together. 'Jesus Christ, it's cold.'" Original rec.

The West Wing The DoD, by E.E. Beck, 2k, Teen and up "Sam had a plan. Sam had a secret plan. Takes place in the month following Noel." Original rec.

Fic bookmarks | Fic Recs Masterlist

Chapter Eleven

"Okay, how do we find them then?" Sophie inquires.

"Great question!" The Time Lord exclaims.

"You don't know, do you?"

"I have a plan. It just happens to require the TARDIS."

Sophie shakes her head, "So, to my flat then."

The Time Lord decides to not verbally answer the question, rather choosing to turn in the direction of the aforementioned flat. Sophia shrugs, offering an apology with her eyes to the Torchwood team. Jack offers her the crook of his elbow, not hesitating to follow the Doctor into potential danger. He raises his other arm, pointing two fingers forward as a signal to his team to move out.

"Actually, sir," Toshiko starts, causing the Doctor, Jack, and Sophie to freeze in their tracks, "I would still like to search the crater, just to see if there's possibly any clue. If that's alright."

The Doctor glances at Jack, who nods, he turns around to face team Torchwood "Sounds fine, smart plan, here, when you're done we can meet up here." The Time Lord tugs, from his inside jacket pocket, a small card.

"Why do you have business cards with my address on them?"

"Uh..." The Gallifreyan hesitates, "Spoilers?"

The woman sighs, rolling her eyes.

The Captain addresses all his team, except for Tosh, "Okay, let's go."

Sophia nods, and Gwen adds, "Actually, I'm going to stay with Tosh, she can always use help."

Jack agrees with a nod, turning toward Dr. Harper, a silent question blazing in his eyes. "I'm gonna stick around too, people are injured, I can help."

"Half an hour, no more, understand?" The team nods.

Jack and Sophie, arms still linked trail idly behind the Doctor, the Captain calls over his shoulder, "Ianto!"

The Welshman follows behind them with a quick, "Coming, sir."

*At Sophie's Flat*

Sophie quickly unlocks the door, hoping Morgan is out, because she has absolutely no clue how she'd explain coming home with three strange young men. She swings the door open, gesturing for the other three to enter. "Sorry about the mess, I mean, I literally moved in yesterday, but, still, sorry."

"I doubt you were expecting company, and it's a lot cleaner than the Hub, so I can't complain."

The Welshman looks at the Captain, "And whose fault is it that the Hub is a grungy mess?"

"Point," Jack cedes, then points a finger at the wall. "Is that a sword?"

Sophie turns her head to the wall that he's pointing at, "No, it's a very sharp, pointy metal stick." An eyebrow rises on Jack Harkness' face. "Yes, that's a sword. It was a gift from Queen Boudica."

Ianto approaches the hanging weapon, "There's a Welsh inscription, 'Live Long and Prosper', Star Trek, really?"

The Doctor, who had already casually strolled into his TARDIS, called out, "She won't stop quoting it. I've tried, and she just refuses to stop!"

"Resistance to my Star Trek quotes is futile!" she shouts back at him. She walks into the TARDIS, followed by Jack Harkness.

Ianto walks in behind both of them, and stops still, his gaze raking over every inch of the giant box, and then continues in his path, his face settling back into one of indifference. The Doctors head pops up from underneath the console, eyeing the Welshman, "Normally, they have a much different reaction."

"Yes, well, when you work with Jack Harkness and a giant Pteranadon on the daily, you begin to just accept what's around you."

The Captain checks his watch, looking around the TARDIS himself. "You've redecorated," he comments off-handed to the Time Lord.

"Yep!"

"My room still there?"

"You never had a room," The Gallifreyan scoffs, stuffing his head down into another storage cubby near the console.

Jack rolls his eyes, once again checking his timepiece.

Sophie watches their interaction, a smirk on her face. She sits down on the console room floor, next to the Doctor. "So," she says, pulling out an old journal from her backpack, "where are we?"

"In the TARDIS?" the Doctor answers.

"I meant in terms of timeline."

The Doctor seems to consider this question, as he digs through the storage cubby. "Um...who do you think my companion is?"

Sophie glances up, surveying the console room, trying to determine which look it is. "Amy and Rory?"

"Got it in one!" he shouts, jumping to his feet, some piece of alien technology being waved around slightly dangerously.

"Okay...have you done Mercy?"

"The town, or the concept?"

The girl looks at the Time Lord, her mouth a straight line. "I'll take that as a yes then."

"Yep, last place I went with the two of them. Wait, how do you know about Mercy, you're too young."

"Future you mentioned it to past me, I jotted it down."

"Right, okay then." The Gallifreyan spins on his foot, pointing the alien tech at Jack. "When does the rest of Team T arrive?"

The Captain checks his watch once again, "Should be here in around five minutes, why?"

"Cause they're not going to want to miss this."

Sophie rolls her eyes at the Time Lord, laying back onto the glass floor of the console room, looking up at the high domed ceiling arching overhead. She stretches her arms and legs out, laying spread eagle in the middle of the floor. The Doctor walks toward the woman, lighting nudging her side with the toe of his boot.

Sophie pops up, looking at her best friend, scandalized. "Did-Did you just kick me? How dare you. That's it, you no longer hold the seat as my best friend."

The Doctor rolls his eyes, stepping around her. "You don't have many options to take my place," he mumbles, lightly touching her head in a fond way.

Sophie smiles, grabbing his tweed clad arm, pulling herself up. Her thoughts drift to Morgan, and the other girls from the home, but knowing that the Doctor knows none of them, she grabs the Welshman by the arm. "Well, tough, because Ianto is my best friend now. You wouldn't kick me, right Ianto."

"Uh," the Welshman pauses, startled for a brief moment. "No, ma'am. My mother raised me to respect everyone. I don't normally kick people, unless they attack me first."

"See, Doc, manners. You should learn some."

"Oh, yes, I'll get right on that, Lyn" he mutters, sonicing some small machine, "Soon as I save the Earth...again."

Jack grins fondly at the exchange, "Aw, c'mon, Soph. You and I both know manners elude him."

"Well, I don't know about that, Captain Harkness. His fifth face was extremely well mannered. Don't know what happened."

"Change, my dear," the Doctor pipes up, leaning over Jack's shoulder, "and not a moment too soon."

Sophie rolls her eyes, as from her flat drift the sounds of voices. Ianto quickly turns, exiting the box to collect the rest of the Torchwood team. "You, my friend, are an idiot," she says, pointing a finger at the Doctor.

"I know you are, but what am I?" he grins, grabbing her from behind in a hug, kissing her hair in a friendly way.

"A clotpole," she answers.

He pulls back, a hand to his chest, gasping in offense. "Sophia Jacelyn McCoy, how dare you. Who even taught you that insult?"

Sophie smirks at the pouting Gallifreyan, "You, you turnip head."

He turns from her, crossing his arms like a petulant five-year-old. Before he's able to whine about the insult, the TARDIS doors creak open, admitting the rest of Torchwood.

"Oh my God!" Gwen comments, gazing at the interior of the ship.

A smile skirts across the Doctor's face, and he turns dramatically to face them. Flinging his arms wide, he states, "Welcome to my TARDIS. That stands for time and relative dimension in space, and yes, it is-"

The Time Lord is cut off by Tosh, as she says, "Dimensionally transcendental."

The Doctor, who hands had been open wide as he talks, snaps them closed, folding them in front of him clapping, "Well, yes." He points at her, snapping, "You, I like you. Smart, I like smart. But, please, don't interrupt me." He clasps his hands behind his back, as he looms over her, as he had walked forward.

"Right. I'm sorry, sir, I got excited."

A smile spreads across the Time Lord's face, "Oh, I'm just joking. And don't call me sir." He spins on his heel, practically skipping up the three stairs.

Torchwood: We Always Get Out Alive (Big Finish)

Latest Review: Writer: Guy Adams Director: Scott Handcock Featuring: Eve Myles, Kai Owen Big Finish Release (United Kingdom) Running Time: 1 hour Released by Big Finish Productions - May 2018 Order from Amazon UK “Not mentioning how raw your wife’s home-cooked lasagne is, I can do; apologizing to the Home Office because you’ve left a dead squid thing in the middle of St Mary’s –“ “You said you loved my lasagne!” In an ever-fluctuating world where political regimes collapse as fast as they emerge, where once-indestructible business behemoths perish like wanton flies and where the fate of any TV show hangs by a knife-edge daily, only one immutable truth is certain – nothing lasts forever. Just ask the original production team behind Torchwood’s TV run; the first proper Doctor Who spin-off show rapidly grew from strength to strength between 2006 and 2009, only for its divisive – to say the least – fourth season Miracle Day to abruptly bring about its on-screen demise. Big Finish’s intervention couldn’t have come soon enough, then, delivering fans with gripping new adventures that reveal both unexplored missions for Torchwood Three and never-before-seen facets of the wider secret agency. However, as with the show’s televised tenure, surely the studio’s luck will run out eventually? After several superb boxsets and almost 20 standalone instalments in the range, not least March’s riotously entertaining The Death of Captain Jack and April’s rib-tickling country getaway The Last Beacon, that question weighed heavily on this reviewer’s mind as he hit Play on the monthly range’s latest instalment, We Always Get Out Alive. It couldn’t have come to the fore at a more opportune time, however, since for all his experimentation with haunting horror-esque setpieces, Guy Adams’ focus lies squarely on the matter of mortality and for how long those bold – or reckless – enough to risk it as part of their profession can hope to outrun the tentacles of fate. Of course, many civil servants do beat the odds every day, returning home to their loved ones and living to fight the next battle, but those of us looking in from the outside can only imagine the intense emotional strain that such an unpredictable, risk-laden lifestyle would place on those relationships as time passes. Indeed, between facing down drug-addled aliens demanding 10% of Earth’s younglings as a gift, cannibalistic guests at their own wedding and at times the very worst of humanity, Gwen Cooper and Rhys Williams have amassed their fair share of emotionally traumatic baggage over the years. While we’ve seen their inevitable resultant tension bubble to the surface in fleeting moments of the show to date, nowhere has the subject been explored in greater detail than with Alive’s psychodrama-driven narrative. Adams manipulates the pair’s growing anxieties with magnificent aplomb; as they deal with the fallout of a recent mission-gone-wrong, his script masterfully reveals how, through Rhys’ fears surrounding his wife’s nonchalant attitude to brushes with death, even arguments over the right turn to take on a near-deserted rural road could pose just as substantial a threat to their challenged marriage as the mysterious forces manifesting in their vicinity. It’s as cunning a metaphor as any for the ongoing struggle surely faced by soldiers, firefighters or the like in relationships, delicately deconstructing this fraught dynamic while seemingly revealing huge admiration on Adams’ part for those couples whose love and loyalty endures regardless. This mounting tension extends far beyond the couple itself, their obligatory alien pursuer sure to unsettle even the most steeled listener on their own travels. As with many of the great antagonists in fiction and especially within the horror genre, it’s to Adams’ credit that he wisely leaves much of the nameless foe’s facets up to our imagination, cunningly keeping it just outside of our heroes’ field of perception while having its influence gradually rise through lost memories, spontaneous outbursts of rage from Rhys and Gwen as well as fleeting thuds from the Cooper car’s boot. The latter element is also aided in no small part by Alive’s brilliantly subtle sound design, which keeps us completely on edge to the extent that moments of silence ratchet up the fear factor just as much as the distant howls, ominous rustling and increasingly audible footsteps somewhere nearby the vehicle. A word of warning: don’t listen in the dead of night unless you’re well-versed enough in the realms of horror to endure Alive’s eerie gothic atmosphere. Suffice to say that this reviewer scarcely regretted his decision to hit Play in the broad daylight of his train journey to London. But as much as it goes without saying at this late stage, beyond its chilling script and technical strengths, by far Alive’s finest assets are the two performers tasked with delivering each and every line on this occasion: Eve Myles and Kai Owen. Gwen and Rhys’ tempestuous yet heartfelt dynamic has long served as the franchise’s emotional core thanks to the pair’s grounded performances and nothing changes here in this respect; Owen recapturing Rhys’ risk-averse approach – from tackling missions to heeding the highway code – perfectly, while Eve’s portrayal recalls Clara Oswald’s arc in Doctor Who Season Nine, her relentless energy as this undaunted yet reckless heroine a simultaneously thrilling and worrying ‘sight’ to behold. Nor does it hurt that Alive offers both thespians the opportunity to display perhaps Torchwood Three’s sole surviving recruits – depending on whereabouts in the show’s timeline Alive is situated after Children of Earth – at their most personally vulnerable, albeit with plenty of well-timed jokes such as the lasagne gag above enabling vital catharsis for the players and audience alike. Usually, you’d expect us to highlight one or two shortcomings holding the latest Torchwood release back from the Hall of Fame around about now, right? Well, think again – such is the scale of Adams and company’s magnificent achievement that almost no noteworthy flaws sprang to mind as the credits rolled. Similar to how Cascade left the door open regarding the eventual fate of Toshiko Sato’s consciousness, so too does Alive refuse to fully acknowledge whether the faceless threats – both extraterrestrial and psychological – besieging our ever-wearying protagonists have truly subsided come the play’s conclusion, particularly given Adams’ insistence upon subverting our sense of reality throughout. That ambiguity only serves to strengthen the play’s societal subtext though, speaking to the ongoing struggles inherent in any marriage and indeed the joint trauma that couples tested to the limit must learn to live with somehow, rather than finding any idyllic quick-fix solution to such woes. In contrast, however, this reviewer can wholeheartedly lay any fears surrounding the longevity of Big Finish’s Torchwood range to rest. Between the outstanding opening half of this fourth monthly run of one-off outings, the long-awaited gratification of the original team's reunion in Believe as well as the exemplary note on which Aliens Among Us concluded in February, far from spreading itself too thinly across myriad strands, the show’s never been on better form than it is today. For those wondering where to start with exploring the franchise in audio form, Alive represents an ideal entry point, its captivating thrills making 45 minutes feel more akin to 15 and its standalone nature – no Committee mentions in sight here – preventing the need to pick up ten prior releases in order to stand any chance of understanding what’s occurring. As for the rest of us who’ve grown alongside Gwen and Rhys over the past 12 years, the harrowing setpieces, multi-layered performances, stunning sound design and stirring societal themes make We Always Get Out Alive nothing short of an essential purchase. Next Time on Torchwood – Let’s do the time warp again as ex-Torchwood agent Norton Folgate invites us – along with Sergeant Andy Davies, doubtless as hopelessly confounded as ever – to 1950s Soho, where raunchy encounters, gun-slinging gangsters and an all manner of seedy dealings apparently lie in wait. What could possibly go wrong, eh? The pair’s initial encounter in Ghost Mission didn’t quite hit the mark for this reviewer back in 2015, but considering how Andy’s subsequent clash with Owen Harper in Corpse Day resulted in one of the range’s strongest hours to date, anything could happen later this month… http://reviews.doctorwhonews.net/2018/06/torchwood_we_always_get_out_alive_big_finish.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr