promethia_tenk | Fic inertia: the Leadworth AU

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Fic inertia: the Leadworth AU

Remember a long, long time ago when I was working on a big, long fic with, like, plot and other uncharacteristic things like that that was all about a weird post-Big Bang AU in which Amy wakes up back in Leadworth and River and Eleven are her parents? Well . . . *cracks knuckles*

Long rambling, my first ever Amy/Rory scene, and a plea for Amy recs under the cut:

First off, for anyone who wants to catch up and/or remind themselves of what's going on, here's what I have already:

Part one. Two. Three. Four. Five.

I essentially gave this one a break for two main reasons. The first was that I needed to get a better handle on Amy and Rory. That's definitely still a work in progress, but I'm feeling better about it. Therefore I'd like to submit for your consideration the following scene between the two of them (Amy's going to reference a scene in the third link above, in which Rory's friend Brian asks about her Scottish accent):

This hairpin seemed promising. Amy held it in front of her nose, carefully bending it into shape. Rory, who was acting as her assistant, was standing by with a small screwdriver, also bent.

“That shed has been locked for years, why do you suddenly need to get into it now?”

“Because I like a challenge.” Amy paused, squinted at the pin, made another adjustment. “And because I suspect that my old red wagon--from when I was a kid--is still in there, and I want it back.”

“Oh, yeah . . . you’d make me ride down hills in that with you. You nearly got us killed . . . a whole bunch of times.” Rory winced in recollection. “We’re not doing that again, are we?”

Amy shot him a glare.

“No? Ok then. . . . No one’s tried picking that lock before?”

Amy thought for a moment. “Not that I know of. Dad lost the key so long ago . . . I guess we none of us ever really felt the need to get in, and Dad likes the excuse to go chat with the neighbors and borrow their lawn mower.”

“He’s been borrowing the neighbors’ lawn mower since you were a kid?”

“Yeah . . . I don’t think they know how to say no to him. On the other hand, he did help them out with their badger problem, so it’s not all one-sided.”

Rory nodded agreeably to this and handed Amy the screwdriver when bidden. Amy started in on the lock, and they went on in companionable silence for several minutes.

“Rory?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you remember . . .” Amy stopped her work to look him in the eye. “Do you remember in the car the other day, when Brian asked about my accent?”

“Yeah, of course . . . of course I do.”

“Did any of that seem weird to you? Like . . . I dunno . . . just off?”

“I . . .” Rory scratched his head, confused. “Maybe . . . I think . . . Brian apologized, didn’t he?”

“No, it’s got nothing to do with Brian. I mean me, and my mum and my dad. Did anything seem weird about us?”

“More than usual . . . you mean?” Rory said this very hesitantly, somewhat afraid of Amy’s reaction.

“Yes, more than usual, dummy!” Amy gave him a playful swat. “It was like . . . none of us knew why I have my accent. Why on earth would we not know that? That’s a pretty big thing to just not notice, isn’t it?”

“I guess so.”

The second reason I took a break is, essentially, the question of what this story is about anyway. I know the things that make me enjoy writing this story on a superficial level: the happy domestic fluff, the surreal Roald Dahl-ish-ness, the chance to make clever allusions to the particulars of everybody's "real lives" . . . . But the thing that always justified the story in my mind, from the very beginning, was my discomfort with how easily the issue of Amy's crack-eaten parents got dealt with in the show. One minute the Doctor is telling a disbelieving Amy that she really ought to have parents, the next she's successfully remembering them back into existence, and the next she's waking up in an apparently happy and settled and parent-filled life, the scars of having grown up without them healed and all the time she spent growing up as a lonely child relegated to dream status? Now, the sixth season may very well surprise me and come back to explore these things, but as the situation stands now, it all happened just a little too fast and pat for me. So, in my mind, this AU is a way to draw out that psychological resolution, to give Amy some time to explore the idea of having parents at all and to give her the opportunity to really "choose" her parents. I've come to see Amy's storyline over the course of season five as essentially being about defining relationships, of discovering the best, healthiest ways to relate to the important people in her life--specifically Rory and the Doctor--and so much of the season is spent with her testing out various ways of relating to both of them. And I'm satisfied with the way that area of Amy's interpersonal life got explored and resolved. I want this story to somehow do the same for the other half of her life--the relationship with her parents and the way the Doctor made himself into a surrogate father figure for her. I kind of want this story to be the "Amy's Choice" for that dynamic.

But I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to do that yet, which is why I want to ask for your help. Specifically, I need to do research to get my brain working, and I want recs. Anything you can point me towards (fic, meta, discussions, whatever) about:

Amy and her parents
Amy growing up without parents/growing up with Aunt Sharon
Parental-type interactions between Amy and the Doctor
And any fics from Amy's p.o.v. that you think do a really good job capturing her voice

Alternately, if you know what's the best Amy comm for me to start poking around in or if you know a particular "Amy expert" who I could shake down for recs, I would be most obliged. Thanks for any and all help.

I've also got a somewhat related concern about handling Amy and Rory's relationship in this fic. Basically, the fic isn't about their relationship, but it's not about not being about their relationship, if that makes any sense. Basically, for the purposes of this story I consider their relationship a settled question (because I think season five did a good job of settling it, and sure there's always more to explore there, but I'm not really the one to do it), but I can't really have Amy marrying Rory right now in story. The highly scientific mechanics of time cracks and universe resetting logically says that this story should open on Amy's wedding day in the same way that she woke up on her wedding day in "The Big Bang." But then there would be a honeymoon and presumably moving out of her parent's house and all that moving on to another stage of life type stuff that would pretty much destroy the entire premise of the fic. Basically for the purposes of this AU I want to assume that Amy and Rory are securely on their way to getting married in a few years' time. The question is, should I just write it that way and ask the reader to go along with it? Cause that seems sloppy to me. Is there some logical, character-driven way to justify the delay with the wedding? Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Phew. That seems like enough for today. I'm glad to have gotten that down, though. Gives me a better idea of where things stand.

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This is probably going to be completely unhelpful to you, but I recall this fic (with Amy/Rory as a base, but told via the Doctor to River)that has a post-BB storyline where Amy has parents and whether it's enough to help you or not you should read this anyway because it's wonderful :D http://wordmythology.livejournal.com/5012.html It is quite long though, so be prepared to need some time.

As to why would Amy put off the wedding? Hmmm ... let me think on that a bit. I have a niggle of an idea but it needs teasing out.

Edited 2010-12-09 23:12 (UTC)

Ah, thanks! That looks like it could be very useful. I've just gotta find an intensive way to immerse myself in Amy thoughts and get the juices flowing. May need to set aside a big chunk of time to tackle it, though.

Yeah, the wedding. I mean, I'd always assumed as the season was going on that Amy was getting married so *young* at least in part because she was so otherwise alone, but the finale put lie to that, so I'm at a bit of a loss as to why things should be different in this situation.

First, I realised I explained that story a little wrong. It details the Amy/Rory thing as if they grew up in the universe with parents and no crack.

Second, I worked on my idea! (actually I slept on it and it appeared this morning and it's still early so I may be totally incoherent) Part of why I see the pair getting married early is Rory's insecurities. He has this vibe of 'hold onto her or she'll run away' so in a reset universe where she 'grew up' with parents she's likely to be less broken and flighty so he's less likely to need to rush into it. 'Let's wait a bit' or even just still being boyfriend + girlfriend with an engagement imminent but not fait accompli yet would be less threatening with a less volatile Amy. So then, a longer engagement isn't unlikely either and could give you the time to explore the parents dynamic a bit more. So, yeah. Dunno if that would work for you -- but it's character-based even if not Amy.

That doesn't help with your 'wake up on the wedding day' dilemma, though.

You are my hero--that is exactly the angle to come at it from. The difficulty with Amy's motivations is that she is so stubborn, and it seems like even in the universe where she grew up with her normal parents a lot was still the same--so it really feels like she is bound a determined to live out her life in a particular way. Even in this AU I have her as a kissogram and resisting the Doc's efforts to convince her to volunteer abroad instead. So it's like I'm not really sure to what extent the influence of having the Doctor and River as parents might directly affect *her* motivation to marry sooner versus later. Rory, however, is an entirely different matter. So I wonder what the difference would be between Rory's feelings about Amy when she has her normal parents versus Rory's feelings when she has the Doc and River as parents. Perhaps since the Doctor would be inclined to befriend Rory anyway--as is his wont--Rory would really feel like a part of the family already?

I wonder what the difference would be between Rory's feelings about Amy when she has her normal parents versus Rory's feelings when she has the Doc and River as parents. Perhaps since the Doctor would be inclined to befriend Rory anyway--as is his wont--Rory would really feel like a part of the family already?

Yeah that could work. I think a Rory who is a bit more confident wouldn't need the validation of marriage if he was more secure of Amy's affections. And if she was more stable I think he would be more secure (that's definitely the impression I get from him in the last episode), so I don't think he'd need the Doctor as validation but it would be an added bonus :D

I need to re-read what you've written before I say much of anything (I have somehow totally missed parts 2-5), but re: the Amy/Rory marriage thing – if you simply can't come up with a logical reason (and here the views/influences of River and the Doctor might carry some weight?) you could always subvert it in a super-obvious way, like overbooking (um, for years, in Leadworth), or... the perfect dress is nowhere to be found, or... the old family friend Captain Jack just *has* to be at the wedding and he's abroad for three years, or something like that.

I completely understand that you want a character-driven solution, though. *thinks*

And what I'm trying to say with all those ridiculous examples is that the pacing might be different in Amy's life, and that they won't mind it if takes two years to plan the wedding.

And with River-Doctor influences I mean that Amy might want to travel or study abroad or something before settling down.

(I always have Additional Thoughts just when I hit post, sorry.)

(I have somehow totally missed parts 2-5)
I think we may not have actually been on each other's friends lists when I wrote those (the first part got posted in the ficathon over the summer).

(and here the views/influences of River and the Doctor might carry some weight?)
I think that's my best bet. Although, I've already established them as pretty laissez-faire parents . . . I can't help but think it might drive Amy to get married at a young age to a nice, stable boy as a means of rebelling (and having some structure in her life) ;-) The thing that makes it tricky is that she got married so young even in her life with her normal parents. The obvious assumption during the season proper was that she was kind of rushing into it because she had nobody else in her life, but evidently not . . . So, yeah, I think it does become a question of what would be the difference between having the Doc and River as parents and having what I'm going to assume are somewhat more conventional parents?

or... the old family friend Captain Jack just *has* to be at the wedding and he's abroad for three years, or something like that.
Lol--I like this. If it comes down to it, that's my excuse. He's helping out the Brig in Peru, obviously.

And with River-Doctor influences I mean that Amy might want to travel or study abroad or something before settling down.
That's a nice thought, although I've already had the Doctor trying to convince her to do some volunteering abroad instead of being a kissogram, and that doesn't seem to have worked. I think the lesson of Amy may end up being that she's stubborn and is going to do things her way no matter what--although rumplesnorcack's had a good idea about Rory's motivations above--that might be the way to go.

(I always have Additional Thoughts just when I hit post, sorry.)
Oh, god, don't apologize. Happens to me all the time. Thanks so much for sharing some thoughts. It's like sometimes I just need any kind of input from somebody else in order to get things going . . .

I think we may not have actually been on each other's friends lists when I wrote those (the first part got posted in the ficathon over the summer).
Oh, right, of course! I am smrt. I even remember reading it via the ficathon, now that you mention it. :)

I've already established them as pretty laissez-faire parents . . .
Well, that does complicate it a bit. :) (I really need to read all the parts... I'm so curious to learn more about their parenting.)

The thing that makes it tricky is that she got married so young even in her life with her normal parents. The obvious assumption during the season proper was that she was kind of rushing into it because she had nobody else in her life, but evidently not . . .
Yeah, that is the confusing part, isn't it? Kind of does make it a matter of the personalities of Amy and Rory. (If Amy didn't somehow remember to get married at that date because the Doctor lurked somewhere in her mind, in which case it's still his doing.) I get the whole fairytale ending thing, but still... that's hardly why Amy wants to get married.

He's helping out the Brig in Peru, obviously.
Obviously. *g*

I've already had the Doctor trying to convince her to do some volunteering abroad instead of being a kissogram, and that doesn't seem to have worked. I think the lesson of Amy may end up being that she's stubborn and is going to do things her way no matter what--although rumplesnorcack's had a good idea about Rory's motivations above--that might be the way to go.
Lol, that kind of destroys the travel idea, yes. It does strengthen the idea of Amy's stubbornness. Oooh, I really like rumplesnorcack's reasoning -- it's neat and logical and I can definitely see that!

Oh, right, of course! I am smrt.
But you are! (I think there was a long period when I just kind of assumed we were actually friends because we were having long involved comment exchanges, and then one day I looked at my flist and was like WTF?)

I'm so curious to learn more about their parenting.
I think awesome or atrocious, depending on your point of view, would be a pretty good summation. Me, I think I'm jealous of Amy ;-)

If Amy didn't somehow remember to get married at that date because the Doctor lurked somewhere in her mind
I've been pondering if I need to get into what I see as the slightly more dubious and manipulative aspects of the whole "rewriting Amy's life" thing. I think I might just. It could very well be where the story resolution comes in.

Oooh, I really like rumplesnorcack's reasoning -- it's neat and logical and I can definitely see that!
IKR?

I think there was a long period when I just kind of assumed we were actually friends because we were having long involved comment exchanges
I think I assumed this too. *g*

I think awesome or atrocious, depending on your point of view, would be a pretty good summation. Me, I think I'm jealous of Amy ;-)
I've actually read it all now (it is amazing, btw) and it does seem like Amy had quite an awesome upbringing, yes. ;) And their house, srsly... It is amazing.

I've been pondering if I need to get into what I see as the slightly more dubious and manipulative aspects of the whole "rewriting Amy's life" thing. I think I might just. It could very well be where the story resolution comes in.
That would be rather incredibly interesting.

I've actually read it all now (it is amazing, btw) and it does seem like Amy had quite an awesome upbringing, yes. ;) And their house, srsly... It is amazing.

Thanks! :-) NGL, writing this is like shameless wish-fulfillment on my part--I want to live in that household. Fortunately others seem to share my particular fantasies and/or are willing to humor me ;-)

I adore the comments that are like "I'm not sure I want them to remember their old lives . . . "

It's a very Roald Dahl/Wonderland household... who wouldn't want to live there?

I adore the comments that are like "I'm not sure I want them to remember their old lives . . . "
That's a sure sign of success! (I'd like to join that line, also.)

First of all, YES TO EVERYTHING! XD I always eagerly await more of this story, no matter what form it takes. I don't really have anything useful for you though I'm afraid, my only rec is the fantastic fanvid Lullaby for a Stormy Night, which is a beautiful rendition of the Doctor/Amy paternal relationship. Awwww. :)

Yay! \o/ I'm so glad people are still on board with this. I'd let it hang for so long.

That vid: I'd forgotten about that one! God, it is gorgeous. Thanks for reminding me.

I've skimmed some of my bookmark tags and think these fics might fit some of your requests... I haven't re-read them, though. Basically these are the ones everyone rec all the time, it feels like, so you might have read them all already.

In a completely random order: + | + | + | + | + | + | +

Then there's the Calufrax tag and the Bowties are cool thing, if you feel like browsing.

Oh, and you could check out

pond_life

big_jumps

fairytale_thon &

eleven_amy.

Thank you so much! That'll keep me occupied for awhile :-)

I actually haven't read a great amount of Amy fic, so much of that is, in fact, new. The Doctor Who fandom is just so huge--I kind of anchored myself in the River sections and rely on others to filter the rest for me, lest I go completely scattered.

Let me know if you want recs that are kinda shippy but have beautiful beautiful prose, because there are a lot of those.

Well, Amy/Rory would be great, especially if it has a strong Amy p.o.v., as I've said.

But once I get into working on this one, anything Amy/Eleven becomes *super* squicky to me, for obvious reasons (as does Amy/River). (When I was in my first writing phase on this, I made the mistake of watching the seduction scene at the end of F&S, and it was horribly, horribly wrong to the extent that I had a very hard time watching, where before I had always found it adorably awkward. Yeah.) Not that I'm a great fan of Amy/Eleven in general, but I'm usually fine with it. Writing this AU REWIRES MY BRAIN.

I shall see what I've got bookmarked.

But once I get into working on this one, anything Amy/Eleven becomes *super* squicky to me, for obvious reasons (as does Amy/River).
Yeah, I'll avoid those 'ships... Will look for Amy+Eleven gen.

I guess anything that was sort of ambiguously shippy that I'd be free to interpret in a more platonic direction would be fine. My main concern is to get into Amy's psychology, though, so pretty isn't such a concern.
Oh, good! A lot of Amy+Eleven writers seem to write rather lyrical prose that is open to interpretation. (Um, I think, anyway. I've slipped more and more into the River fic lately, too.)

Sadly, there doesn't seem to be much fic strictly from Amy's POV. (Not in my bookmarks, anyway.) Have some where Amy is in character, though.

Amy/Rory
+ | + | + | + | + | + and + | + and basically this tag (from what I've seen, everything in that comm is quality.)

Amy+Eleven (should be platonic enough, if you read it that way)
+ | + | + | + | + | + | + | +

<33333

Thanks so much. You're a life-saver.

Hopefully they fit your requests to some extent.

I really had too much fun sorting through my bookmarks. It was very relaxing, took some December stress away.

I guess anything that was sort of ambiguously shippy that I'd be free to interpret in a more platonic direction would be fine. My main concern is to get into Amy's psychology, though, so pretty isn't such a concern.

Firstly, re the snippet, then it works very - the only thing I'd say is to maybe get someone to Brit-pick it for you, since some of the turns of phrase are more American than English. But other than that it works very well - esp Amy's inquisitiveness.

But the thing that always justified the story in my mind, from the very beginning, was my discomfort with how easily the issue of Amy's crack-eaten parents got dealt with in the show.
Mmm, intriguing. Yes, I can see why that would fuel your muse!

I don't have any recs - I don't think, I might get back to you, and anyway, you seem to have a lot already - and I'm not quite sure how to help you with your delayed wedding dilemma. Unless maybe you can set the story a bit in the past so they're thinking about getting married, but haven't started planning yet? Not sure how you'd work that into the plot though.

the only thing I'd say is to maybe get someone to Brit-pick it for you, since some of the turns of phrase are more American than English.
Stick_poker generally comes through at some point and does an admirably thorough job of ripping my work to shreds in that way. And if not, I'm sure I'll be submitting this to a final brit pick when/if I actually finish ;-)

But other than that it works very well - esp Amy's inquisitiveness.
Thanks! I'm tempted to write a bunch of dialogue drabbles for these two the way I did with Doctor/River to get into the voices. I'm not sure if the humor is really there as much with them, though, which always leaves me a bit confused about how to proceed. Their phone conversation in TBB was funny--maybe I'll watch that a bunch of times.

I don't have any recs - I don't think, I might get back to you, and anyway, you seem to have a lot already
Yes, I think I've got enough to be getting on with, as they say. If you think of anything specific, though, I'd of course be grateful.

I'm not quite sure how to help you with your delayed wedding dilemma.
I think rumplesnorcack has found the solution, fortunately, and all it needs is a little finessing. I'm not sure it's even gonna show up explicitly in the story, but it's the kind of thing that I need to know for myself to make it all work. Plus it matters to the dynamics between everybody.

(P.S.: I owe you replies . . . had one of those "ack too many things in brain, must ignore internet and watch stupid TV instead" moments, lol. I don't think that's happened since the finale :-\ )

Don't worry about replies - I'm not going anywhere. Plus there's that thing called RL, which keeps intruding...

Bookmarking here for own use:

Amy vid Half Life

More notes for myself:

convo with elisi: http://elisi.livejournal.com/578746.html

-John Smith Effect
-decision to return to space/comparison to "Family of Blood"
-use and abuse of Time Lord powers/rewriting people
-Ten and wanting to "own" companions

I really loved the atmosphere between Amy and Rory in that little scene, I think you got them pretty nicely - Rory being sweet and following with Amy's plans and ideas, the challenge line, the fond memories of riding the wagon. I also liked the "weirder than usual?" line, the way Rory spoke it a bit hesitantly, and Amy's playful reaction. Pretty sweet, mostly, but you also nailed the accent problem, of course…
Now, your AN comments. Oh, first, can I say I thoroughly agree with the issue of Amy's parents. It's that kind of thing that make me frown sternly at Moffat, and be rather pessimistic/expect some things to be sorted out in very quick/borderline messy ways. If you ask me, Amy's character has got a shitload of thoroughly disregarded angst material, but that's another subject. Anyway… I just LOVE your view of Amy's evolution in her relationships in s5 - that makes me a lot more comfortable with her whole attitude somehow. Like, I get being romantically confused, but Amy's attitude to Rory in s5 and her throwing herself at the Doctor never sat right with me at all.
The research recs now… uh. I'm afraid I can't really help with that, I haven't really read much of Amy-centric stuff. I'll let you know if I can think of something.
The wedding… well, to be honest, in the series the wedding just feels too quick for me. Amy obviously isn't fully ready -merrily blocks out memories of her kissing the Doctor-, she's not only having cold feet, she's /scared/ and still seems to be adjusting to her relationship with Rory being that serious on the whole. Now, why would she go ahead and marry him anyway, in the series? The emptiness sounds like a valid reason. Amy doesn't have parents or a steady family context she can rely on, she doesn't have any future plans that we know of, she's a kissogram in Leadsworth, her imaginary friend came back and then left her again for two whole years. What's the steady part in her life? Rory. Rory is the rock. Quite concretely: she leans on him, he can get collateral damage when she gets lost or frustrated, and he gets vastly overseen at times, yet she realizes when she's close to missing him how important he is, that she NEEDS him. If Amy has parents and a happy life, however, her relationship with Rory can be… healthier. She can appreciate him more for what he is, and less for his being always there. She doesn't have to throw herself into a quick marriage, like she just needs to belong or to have a stronger claim, to own him somehow. Thus they can date longer, and marry somewhere in the faraway future :)
Haha, you probably resolved this centuries ago, but I went and gave you my two cents anyway ;)

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Fic inertia: the Leadworth AU

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