Several months ago, a fan on the dw_cosplay community list on Livejournal had the opportunity to speak to Louise Paige, the costume designer for the Tennant era of Doctor Who. One of many questions they asked her was the origin of Martha’s iconic necklace that she wears in almost every episode where she appears. When she responded that it had been handmade by an artisan who has since disappeared, this idea was born. From pretty much that day, I started saving and staring at pictures of Martha’s necklace to see if I was up to creating a replica. (Since she’s my favorite new series companion, this was not a hardship. ;-) ) I finished a prototype version in time for Gallifrey One, but missed getting in on the art show, so while I showed them to a few people, I didn’t sell any. Just as well, because this is a work in progress: every time I think I’m happy with it, I notice a new detail I want to refine. ;-) This version is the closest I’ve gotten yet, and I’m pleased enough with it to put it up for sale. We’ll see if the next one I make ends up being the same or slightly edited. :-)
The hardest part of the design was finding the center charm, which–as near as I can tell from the pictures–appears to be a small slide pendant with a scalloped diamond or inverted scallop shell shape. This was the closest I could find, but I think it reads gorgeously, so, while I’m still on the hunt for something closer, if I don’t find it I’ll definitely keep working with this. :-)
If you like this necklace, you can buy it at my Etsy shop:
We don’t get as much professional guerilla set reporting as we used to. There is something wonderful about getting that picture of the actors essentially in character. The crew may have hated it 10 years ago but our record of the era is so much bigger now because of it.
And this right here is where Martha Jones shows that she IS The Doctor.
RIGHT HERE.
And he goes ‘that’s never an option’ when he knows damn well that it IS when shit hit the fan for Gallifrey. Because HE was the one who had to stop it all. And that kind of weight weighs heavily on his heart because there’s no going back.
SHE IS HIM.
And THAT is why he pushed her away.
Because he saw himself in her and he couldn’t take seeing himself become what he was all over again.
She was bout that life and Ten was acting like a little bitch.
She was wiling to sacrifice the entire planet rather than become a tool for the Daleks.
There’s a reason Martha Jones is my favourite Dr Who companion and it’s her parting scene where she talks about her friend being in love with a guy who doesn’t love her back and will never love her back, and Martha is talking about her friend in reference to the Doctor because she loves him and finds him extraordinary but he’s never going to feel like that about her. So, she has a choice to stay or leave and she chooses to leave saying something like ‘This is me saying goodbye’. She gives up her exciting TARDIS adventures and life with the doctor because as wonderful as it is, she needs to move forward with her life and avoid the ghastly crash of reality when the adrenaline leaves.
This is a roundabout way of saying that I believe I’ve written my last fic. I started writing fic around fourteen years ago and for a time it was the absolute pinnacle of my existence. Obsessive but also fulfilling, I’d finally found an outlet for my creativity and the frustration I felt with everything around me. It served me well and I honestly think it gave me a sense of worth not much else has (acting perhaps?)
But the fic crash after I post hasn’t changed and although I was able to push through that with more writing or the influx of kudos/comments etc, that has become so much harder in recent times.
(Behold the wangsty pity party starts below)
From first thought to actual posting, I spent two years on one fic. (Not the last one) Two years. Not that I thought about it every day, or spent as long writing but there was a process rumbling away and the fic was as near to the vision in my head as I could have got it. And it barely scraped double figures in kudos and hits. I did receive some lovely comments and I truly appreciate that, but I look at the two years and think, ‘wow, so not worth it!’
And there’s what I call my Hirugami moment where the realisation that no one will die if I give up, makes so much sense and the relief is immeasurable. But then again, Hirugami was an amazing middle blocker and I’m not in that league.
And other thoughts rumble in my head, because a few years ago, while I wasn’t a BNF by any means, there was a thrill of anticipation when I posted. Cake or Break was a wild ride, and Icarus was wilder. (I will absolutely never forget the Christmas Day when I posted a chapter which led to IwaOi reuniting - ahhhhh good times)
However most of that has gone, and even though the comments I can get are glorious, there’s a very real feeling at the back of my head and a thousand whispers telling me not that I’m a bad writer, but that I’m an unpopular. Not necessarily an unpopular writer - I’m probably too boring for that - but an unpopular person … and I’m finding that incredibly hard to face up to. Like, there are issues with friends in rl and issues with some ppl online and there comes a point where I’m either overthinking and that’s unhealthy or I accept that actually it’s a me problem and I’m the issue. Ah well, my dog loves me. (Ends pity party. Sorry for the wank but need to get off chest.)
My problem now is I have nothing to move onto. There is the possibility of more plays, but I’m one of many auditioning for a dearth of parts. So I think about going back to my old job, but have some health issues which mean my wrists are truly fucked and you have no idea how many times you need to use scissors, or paper knives, or pick up books in a school. They’d drop off after a week.
In the end, Martha Jones was a doctor, who then worked at UNIT and Torchwood.
In the end, Martha Jones is a fictional character and I’m not.
But I’m off the TARDIS for a while because as much as I love writing, it ain’t never loving me back but moves on without me.
every day I think about martha jones and her family.
they went through something so god damn insane, just to have it technically never really happen (at least most of it)
I mean, what after that? It was 2008, society hadn’t deep dived into trauma recovery back then as much as we have now. It’s not like the family could go see a therapist; what would they say? “yeah we were imprisoned for 365 days by an alien prime minister”
They were left to recover entirely on their own
I think about Martha’s mom the most. she was so shattered, how did she come back from that? How did she stop flinching every time someone knocked on the door or rang the phone? She seemed the type I would expect to question everything - including existence. so did she sit and wonder every day why it had to happen to her? And did she ever recover? If I were her, I would’ve fallen so deep into that trauma, I wouldn’t have seen a way out.
In conclusion: Martha Jones and her family are so strong, they deserved better, and I can’t imagine how they survived the trauma of being on the valiant
“So tell me, Doctor Jones, why do you want to come back and work for us again?”
Martha Jones never thought she’d return to UNIT, not after leaving them following the business with Davros and the Daleks stealing the Earth. She and Mickey had got together, married even, and run around the place fighting aliens independently of either UNIT or Torchwood and Martha had, rashly it turned out, believe that this would be her life hereafter. Instead, she’d lost both Mickey and their son August to an attack by a lone Sontaran and finding herself unable to settle as a regular doctor, she’d decided to apply for a post with UNIT again. She’d been able to discover, through contact with Sarah Jane Smith’s adopted son, Luke, that UNIT were now under new management – one Kate Stewart, daughter of Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, whom she’d known in her previous UNIT days, and who had adopted the motto ‘Science Leads’ for UNIT, which Martha found vastly more appealing than the militaristic ethos they’d had before.
“I’ll be honest with you, Ms Stewart, I can’t settle as a regular doctor and, without wishing to boast, I think you could use my unique skills and experiences as one of the Doctor’s former companions.”
Kate Stewart (tall, blonde, and gorgeous, in Martha’s eyes) smiled, but it wasn’t a particularly warm smile. “I thought that you were done with UNIT?” she asked, glancing down at the tablet in front of her. “You reported that you had had enough of the military mindset.”
“I had,” Martha agreed, knowing it was better to be honest. “But I’ve heard that UNIT’s ethos has changed and that ‘Science Leads’, now. Your father told me once, that he’d learned that from the Doctor and I know the Doctor would approve that you’ve been changing UNIT’s thinking.”
A little more warmth crept into Kate’s smile at that, although Martha wasn’t sure if it was the reference to her father or the Doctor. “Still, though, what does your husband think? I understood you and Mickey Smith were happy in your role as freelancers.” She glanced back down at the tablet. “And what about your son? He’s four now, isn’t he?”
She looked back up and Martha wasn’t sure what her face was doing, but she’d bet her expression was fairly stricken, despite her attempts to keep it neutral. “Mickey and August are dead.” Martha managed to choke the words out without actually bursting into tears, but it wasn’t easy. It’d only been six months, after all.
“Oh Martha, I’m so sorry.”
To her surprise, Kate got to her feet, grabbed a box of tissues off the top of the filing cabinet, then set them on her desk in front of Martha before crouching down beside her, one hand clasping her forearm.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I had no idea. I thought our files were up-to-date.”
Martha grabbed a couple of tissues from the box and tried to stem the tears that had begun to flow. Part of her was surprised that Kate remained exactly where she was, her hand warm through Martha’s sleeve, but another part wasn’t. Martha discovered that she felt comforted by the older woman’s obvious care and concern for her.
Eventually her tears dried up and she blew her nose, then dropped several used tissues into the wastepaper bin that Kate offered her.
“Thanks,” she said, a little hoarsely.
“Do you want some water?” Kate asked. “As I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you, it’s always better to rehydrate after crying a lot.”
Martha nodded and Kate moved over to a corner of the room where an elegant oak sideboard held a coffee machine. She opened a door and revealed that it concealed a fridge, from which she removed a bottle of still water.
“Do you want to tell me what happened to Mickey and August?” Kate asked gently after Martha had drunk about half the bottle of water.
So Martha told her, as succinctly as she could, and without further tears, to her immense relief.
“Was this when there was that flap on in Conwy Castle?”
Martha nodded. “You were all busy dealing with those Hoix.”
Kate frowned. “And you know this, how?”
Martha huffed a weak laugh. “Luke Smith and Mr Smith.”
Kate’s face cleared. “I should’ve guessed you’d still be in touch with them.”
“Well, yes,” Martha said with an actual grin. “Us freelance alien fighters stuck together, you know.” Her grin slipped the next moment. “If Sarah Jane had been around –” She shook her head, leaving that thought unfinished. She knew that Kate and Sarah Jane had been friends and the pained expression on Kate’s face told her that she wasn’t over Sarah Jane’s death any more than Martha or Luke himself, for that matter.
Kate heaved a sigh. “I’m truly sorry for your loss,” she said softly. “If you’re sure that this is what you want to do, then we would be very grateful to have you back working for UNIT.” She held out her hand, across her desk, and Martha shook it, trying to ignore the tingling in her own hand at Kate’s touch. Developing a crush on her ultimate boss would be an unwise move.
“Thank you,” Martha said. “And yes, I’m very sure.”
“Then let me give you the tour.”
Kate got to her feet again and Martha followed her out of her office and into a corridor where a young woman with black glasses, a white lab coat, and an immensely long scarf came rushing towards them.
“Ma’am!” exclaimed the young woman, her excited demeanour making Martha smile involuntarily.
“What is it, Osgood?” asked Kate, a smile in her voice.
“An alien ship’s about to enter Earth’s atmosphere. It was – I don’t know, cloaked I supposed – before this, which is why we didn’t pick it up and I’m not sure whoever’s flying it has it under control.”
“Do you have a landing zone?” asked Kate.
“Yes, ma’am. Somewhere near Hastings.”
“Alright. I want Colonel Shindi and a couple of his men, including Captain Carter, Sam Bishop, you, and Doctor Jones here ready to move out in twenty minutes.”
“Doctor Jones?” repeated Osgood. “The Doctor Jones?”
Martha laughed softly. “Good to meet you, Ms Osgood.”
She held out a hand and Osgood shook it energetically, then began asking questions faster than Martha could respond.
Kate clasped her shoulder. “Breathe, Osgood,” she said firmly. “Let’s get the team assembled, first. You can quiz Doctor Jones en route.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She pulled an inhaler from her pocket and used it, then squeaked, “The Doctor Jones!” before disappearing.
“I’m sorry about that. I’m afraid you’ll probably find yourself bombarded with questions during the trip to Hastings.”
Martha laughed softly. “It’s fine. Not sure that I’ve ever had a fan before.” She glanced at Kate. “Do I have time to grab my doctor’s bag from my car before we head off?”
“Of course,” Kate said warmly. “I need to grab some things from my office, too. Why don’t we meet down in the car park?”
“Sounds good,” Martha agreed. She turned around and following the route she’d memorised on her way in, as she made her way to the underground car park that served UNIT HQ.
As she fished her bag out of the boot of her car Martha was surprised to feel a thrill of excitement run through her and felt even more astonished when she realised how much she’d missed this.
Perhaps re-joining UNIT was the best thing she could do. It certainly felt serendipitous that on the very day of her interview there was a possible alien incursion and she got to go and assist Kate and her team.
She shook her head, then locked her car with a grin.
