Stealing the good plots

[beccaelizabeth]

So I was talking about Doctor Who the other day and someone said that the big difference between classic and new series was the classic series ripped off everything and the new series only rips plots from the old.
Which I don't quite agree with, because if the classic series has already ripped everything then anything borrowed will look like it comes from Doctor Who already.
But.

I was thinking: Take plots from one series, apply them to characters from the other.

I'm mostly thinking Torchwood, because I mostly do.

And, say, Buffy. Because both I and the Torchwood writers like it.

The tricky part is to transfer the metaphor. Buffy is about high school and young adult life as hell, and the monsters, at their best, reflect some precise aspect of the experience. You could transfer Beer Bad to the Torchwood team - in fact please do, it could be bloody hilarious - but it would mean something rather different. For Buffy and Xander it was about latching on to this symbol of mature adulthood and trying to fit in with some idealised grown up social group. Team Torchwood... well, they've already been drinking for long enough the former really doesn't apply. The latter might. And makes me tempted to make it a Tosh story. Or, make it an Owen story post non-drinking because he'd get really wound up about possibility of drinking and if he then discovers a substance that duplicates the effects, well...

So, can be done. But requires alchemy.

Some of the plots are naturals for particular characters. It would be oh so easy to Marcie Ianto. Especially since if someone takes invisible people away for secret training in the Torchwood 'verse it should be Torchwood.

Xander's love spell meets Owen's aftershave quite neatly.

I can't currently think of much for Gwen to do. If I want to write proper Torchwood stories I'm going to have to rewatch with an eye to Gwen. Because really all I've noticed her bringing to the story thus far is whining about humanity and yet not being able to cope with it when she finds it. Which, actually, hello Angel? Maybe? Hmmm. ANYway, must pay attention to Gwen to write her properly.

Anyone else want to play?

Torchwood or Doctor Who characters, Buffy or Angel plots... who needs to meet what and why?

Comments

[shahar-amar.livejournal.com]

Hey, this is fun.

Gwen is also the only one who appears to have a life outside Torchwood. She struggles with what she can't tell Rhys or her family. And often she is so busy with her work, that other people (Rhys, Andy) don't even register with her. Both of these things remind me of Buffy herself. I can't remember a specific plot at the moment, its more an ongoing theme in the series.

"Band Candy" could be fun with Rose least affected and wondering about the Doctor, Jackie and Jack acting silly. The original was about Buffy and her friends taking responsibility for their actions, I think. So maybe it could be about Rose taking off with the Doctor for a year and never telling her mother.

For Torchwood I could imagine something like the fourth season Angel episode where they want to help Cordy and accidentially strip away all their adult memories. Helping Ianto with is grief after Lisa? Jack needing to remember something from his past he burried? Or they could just be fiddling with an alien artifact and start the process at random. Then there are five teens waking up in adult bodies in the hub. Jack would already have th guilt about his brother and he is not from this time. If they dare to wander out, only Gwen and Ianto are local. Tosh could take a bit of Freds role, the smart kid, maybe an outsider at school.

"Hush" might be interesting in Cardiff as well. Jack remembering such tales from other planets, maybe Ianto or Gwen having those dreams about the song. If they need military to barge in, they could always email Martha and Unit. Could aslo be a way for Tosh and Owen to get closer, like Willow and Tara did on Buffy. Or Jack and Ianto if its early/mid season one, when they were still very non-verbal.

[beccaelizabeth]

Gwen and Buffy's life seperation issues works well. Gingerbread with Rhys bringing her packed lunch? Lots of possibles.

The Doctor at 16... sooooo long ago, specially when he considers himself at 90 as just a kid. The Doctor at his most irresponsible moment instead? Um, unlike the Doctor most days because... ;)

Stripping back memories is one I've read a few places. Someone wrote it with Ianto as permanently stoned, which was amusing. I liked the idea of turning Jack into a teenage girl. At the time we had no actual proof he hadn't been a girl once. Still don't, if we don't mind annoying that young actor. Is just the idea that fanfic turns characters into teenage girls on accident so often, why not do it on purpose for once.

Hush is a good one, solid horror idea, but with all the tech available it would look a bit different. And UNIT might turn up without asked, if it's large scale, which could be fun. And the basics of non-verbal communication be fun to play with, yes.

[shahar-amar.livejournal.com]

Right, the Doctor isn't exactly a posterboy for responsibility, so no Band Candy in the Tardis. Besides, if he ate too much candy, he could never keep up all that running. But I still like the idea. Maybe Ten and Martha then, traveling to some planet where people are first a bit stiff and all about duties, but then start to act like kids. Martha is usually a pretty responsible character. Think of her first episode alone, where everyone calls her about her brothers birthday and how to handle different family members. And in the new series she is the only companion to leave the Doctor willingly and stick to her decision. So she is affected in the same way as the people on that planet and the Doctor has to figure out what is wrong and learns a bit about responsibility himself along the way.

Well if the Hush-like silence were caused by aliens instead of demons, they might have a way to interfere with communication technology as well. Unit would barge in unasked, you are probably right about that. Maybe a black market for human hearts as delicacies as motivation for the aliens. And of course lots of non-verbal communication and a few misunderstandings to lighten the mood.

[melannen.livejournal.com]

I tried to do this, but then I kind of landed on the idea of "Ethan Rayne goes to the end of time and meets the Toclafane" and got stuck there.

Which is not in fact where I think you were going.

But it would be awesome.

[beccaelizabeth]

hmmm... I can see Ethan making Toclafane, in a careful what you wished for hey you're alive and happy what more do you want way, but I don't know what he'd make of them after they'd made, sort of thing.

But Ethan is, of course, awesome.