MPreg time travel bunny
Jan. 28th, 2007 08:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccaelizabethThis evening's plot bunny: A serious, angsty, dark in places but snuggly in other places mpreg story. With Jack/Ianto. And possibly Jack/Doctor, because in my head I can see the Doctor talking to the baby bump and it's Really Cute. And with a Shock Surprise Ending.
And also themes straight out of lit essay: Career + Carer = ? or How to look after a baby when you get shot at and invaded a lot.
... I feel like this bunny should go up for adoption, because, really, where's my audience? And is this the fic I want to write?
... I have a mental image of Ianto + baby and it's, like, totally snuggly sweet. So, today, yes. Other days I'll be *facepalm* at it though.
Anyways - the thing about Jack is, he's a time traveller.
He's also currently believed to be a he, but given that that's the most advantageous option in the last few thousand years that could be more of a professional choice.
So pretend he's got the equipment for baby-having. Among other things.
And Ianto, er, knows, quite intimately.
So, then there is pregnant!Jack, and all is sweet and snuggly.
... in a world that is not Torchwood. Because sweet and snuggly Torchwood is not.
There's the medical problems. Say Jack's a hermaphrodite, say everything will work out fine and natural childbirth is possible, he still would have to worry. Because natural? Not actually exactly safe. In any century. Medecine has made a very helpful difference.
But if he takes advantage of local medecine he will make a splash. Leave marks in history.
Torchwood is what he's been using to cover that kind of thing up, but Torchwood means Owen, and Owen is many things but I don't believe midwife is one of them.
So, Jack has some personal biology problems right there.
But much larger - and making this 'verse specific and not just your usual mpreg fun - he has time traveller problems.
Because the 21st century is when it all changes...
... and what change is larger than a whole new life?
A life that could not have existed had Jack not travelled in time.
If the 'changes' make a future where Jack *doesn't* travel in time? Say a future with no Time Agency? Then that baby right there is a paradox.
This would be the kind of thing that Time Agents would logically worry about.
And it has a very simple, obvious, and painful solution.
... But thankfully another lot less simple, still obvious, and only a bit painful solution too.
A baby in the 21st century born to someone from the 51st has the possibility of grandfather paradoxing themselves out of existence. Or great-great-great-grandmothering, or something.
A baby born in the 51st? Not a problem.
So for the safety of the universe, and making sure Time Agents don't take a more direct approach, they need to get the kid to the 51st century, at least. Maybe a bit further forward. Maybe make sure she'll never cross Jack's timeline.
But Jack can't time travel freely. Probably, anyways. For the sake of this fic, he has some very strict limits on time travel. And using the available methods would mean travelling alone and risking the baby. (For maximum angst, you understand, not for actual physics or continuity reasons.)
So, call the Doctor!
... which after next season Jack will be able to do because obviously the Doctor will give him a mobile phone like Rose had, or just take the number of his wristcomp and set up something with that. Because leaving Jack unable to contact would be ... sort of convenient, but really dumb.
So anyways, they call...
... and the Doctor, with his usual accuracy, answers. Well, promises he's on his way. Well, has every intention of arriving inside five minutes.
Basically there's a few months there when there's absolutely nothing they can do but wait.
And it all gets horrible angsty. Because paradox is end of the world stuff. If the baby is a paradox, then all kinds of bad can happen - eaters like from Fathers Day, or the Rift go boom, or all sorts. So for the sake of the mission they have to think about Very Bad Things. And, if I want to put a plot in here, so do visitors from uptime.
So anyways, there is running around and trying to protect Jack and Jack getting all big with baby and all that time passing stuff.
Possibly some bits about throwing up and suchlike, which seem to be the usual point of mpreg.
But then the Doctor gets there
and is all *erk* about figuring out relative personal timelines
until Jack assures him he's not the father
and then he's all sad, but trying to hide it, because it's not exactly his to be sad about, sort of thing.
Somewhere in here Ianto has Issues.
Because now the Doctor gets to fix things. And, more importantly on a personal level, now Jack feels safe.
Ianto feels just the tiniest bit useless, in general, since Jack is doing all the biology and all the risk and Ianto is doing... coffee. Not in actual fact, just in his mind. So here he gets to feel quite entirely useless and, er, possibly sulk or angst a bit.
If this was the DWverse the Doctor would do something magic, maybe cast an augury and tell them the baby was going to be safe, or in fact useful, and they'd have a prophecy child with fairytale blessings and all live happily ever after.
This is Torchwood. That's far too easy.
So they have two problems - dangerous lives in this corner of spacetime, and a baby that could be dangerous to this corner of spacetime.
Obviously the solution is to relocate.
So the Doctor takes them way uptime, way way way into the future. Somewhere with good medecine and clean air and no wars scheduled for a good few decades. Maybe somewhere somebody owes him a favour.
There's that New Earth place where an entire new sentient race owes him a favour. That sounds like a good start.
So say he takes pregnant!Jack and Ianto way off into the future, that New Earth, finds them a nice place to live, says they can settle down there and raise the baby in peace.
... slight problem. 21st century? Not, in fact, going to look after itself. That was why Jack went back there in the first place. That was why Torchwood has to keep existing, despite the Doctor's objections.
... although, granted, Torchwood created damn near 100% of the problems it faced in it's first season, I'd quite like it if they got to be actual heroes, sometime. It would be like growing up. Character arc!
And they're definitely *trying*. Jack says they've got to be ready. They aren't yet. And without Jack? Maybe not going to be.
So Jack thinks his duty is back there.
At this point there's angsty Talks with the Doctor about leaving descendants behind. Because wherever the Doctor's granddaughter came from, they weren't on the TARDIS with them. And then we saw him leave her. And then there's a Time War and no more of his people anywhere, including descendants. Bad nasty angsty conversation that could best be had with another time travelling parent.
It would also bring up the fact that if you leave someone in a different bit of history you can't actually guarantee it will be there next time you look. Because Time War, and suchlike.
It could be of Woe.
But then, duty.
Ianto's take on the whole thing would be that there are other people that could do his job. There's only two people in the universe who have any reason to care about this tiny new life they just made. And if one of them thinks he's indispensible elsewhere, well, that leaves one.
Only the math as Jack sees it would be the other way around. There's half a dozen people trying to save the world. Ianto is far from interchangeable. He is unique, and brilliant, and Jack would hate to have to try and replace him. And that's just at work. Personally? Needs him.
Ianto has weak knees for the n word.
But, baby!
But... there's this entire race of New Humans who think this mini person is the coolest thing that's happened to them yet. The Doctor brought them a newbie. Will have many many many volunteers to look after new baby.
So suddenly the duty equation goes 6billion depending on 6 back home, and one with hundreds here.
Sadness! Woe! Duty says go back to 21st without baby!
... Still doesn't want to.
... they have a cross-time phone back at Torchwood 3 right then. An emergency phone call would make it a Right Now sort of decision.
I think they'd both go back.
Maybe the Doctor could promise to bring them for visits.
So, TW3 needs them, they save the day, all is good.
A Time Agent turns up, chasing the disturbance that they just went through.
She looks awfully familiar.
And on her wrist computer there's a holo, of the two men who gave her up for adoption when she was new born.
... oops. So, no visits then.
And also?
*Time Agent*
Has a little bleepy alarm to tell her there's significant genetic match with these two.
"So, I've been born already?"
"Yes! We only just left you!" Woe! Angst!
Time Agent brings her gun up and aims at them...
*cliffhanger of angst and terror!*
;-)
I feel like this is actually quite a promising story. It has Issues and Themes and stuff.
It probably also has far too much wiggle room to lock them into the decisions I put on them.
So it'll look a bit "and then the author decided to make things even worse!"
but that happens.
Thing is... do I really want to write baby stories?
I mean, really?
... *ponders* ...
And also themes straight out of lit essay: Career + Carer = ? or How to look after a baby when you get shot at and invaded a lot.
... I feel like this bunny should go up for adoption, because, really, where's my audience? And is this the fic I want to write?
... I have a mental image of Ianto + baby and it's, like, totally snuggly sweet. So, today, yes. Other days I'll be *facepalm* at it though.
Anyways - the thing about Jack is, he's a time traveller.
He's also currently believed to be a he, but given that that's the most advantageous option in the last few thousand years that could be more of a professional choice.
So pretend he's got the equipment for baby-having. Among other things.
And Ianto, er, knows, quite intimately.
So, then there is pregnant!Jack, and all is sweet and snuggly.
... in a world that is not Torchwood. Because sweet and snuggly Torchwood is not.
There's the medical problems. Say Jack's a hermaphrodite, say everything will work out fine and natural childbirth is possible, he still would have to worry. Because natural? Not actually exactly safe. In any century. Medecine has made a very helpful difference.
But if he takes advantage of local medecine he will make a splash. Leave marks in history.
Torchwood is what he's been using to cover that kind of thing up, but Torchwood means Owen, and Owen is many things but I don't believe midwife is one of them.
So, Jack has some personal biology problems right there.
But much larger - and making this 'verse specific and not just your usual mpreg fun - he has time traveller problems.
Because the 21st century is when it all changes...
... and what change is larger than a whole new life?
A life that could not have existed had Jack not travelled in time.
If the 'changes' make a future where Jack *doesn't* travel in time? Say a future with no Time Agency? Then that baby right there is a paradox.
This would be the kind of thing that Time Agents would logically worry about.
And it has a very simple, obvious, and painful solution.
... But thankfully another lot less simple, still obvious, and only a bit painful solution too.
A baby in the 21st century born to someone from the 51st has the possibility of grandfather paradoxing themselves out of existence. Or great-great-great-grandmothering, or something.
A baby born in the 51st? Not a problem.
So for the safety of the universe, and making sure Time Agents don't take a more direct approach, they need to get the kid to the 51st century, at least. Maybe a bit further forward. Maybe make sure she'll never cross Jack's timeline.
But Jack can't time travel freely. Probably, anyways. For the sake of this fic, he has some very strict limits on time travel. And using the available methods would mean travelling alone and risking the baby. (For maximum angst, you understand, not for actual physics or continuity reasons.)
So, call the Doctor!
... which after next season Jack will be able to do because obviously the Doctor will give him a mobile phone like Rose had, or just take the number of his wristcomp and set up something with that. Because leaving Jack unable to contact would be ... sort of convenient, but really dumb.
So anyways, they call...
... and the Doctor, with his usual accuracy, answers. Well, promises he's on his way. Well, has every intention of arriving inside five minutes.
Basically there's a few months there when there's absolutely nothing they can do but wait.
And it all gets horrible angsty. Because paradox is end of the world stuff. If the baby is a paradox, then all kinds of bad can happen - eaters like from Fathers Day, or the Rift go boom, or all sorts. So for the sake of the mission they have to think about Very Bad Things. And, if I want to put a plot in here, so do visitors from uptime.
So anyways, there is running around and trying to protect Jack and Jack getting all big with baby and all that time passing stuff.
Possibly some bits about throwing up and suchlike, which seem to be the usual point of mpreg.
But then the Doctor gets there
and is all *erk* about figuring out relative personal timelines
until Jack assures him he's not the father
and then he's all sad, but trying to hide it, because it's not exactly his to be sad about, sort of thing.
Somewhere in here Ianto has Issues.
Because now the Doctor gets to fix things. And, more importantly on a personal level, now Jack feels safe.
Ianto feels just the tiniest bit useless, in general, since Jack is doing all the biology and all the risk and Ianto is doing... coffee. Not in actual fact, just in his mind. So here he gets to feel quite entirely useless and, er, possibly sulk or angst a bit.
If this was the DWverse the Doctor would do something magic, maybe cast an augury and tell them the baby was going to be safe, or in fact useful, and they'd have a prophecy child with fairytale blessings and all live happily ever after.
This is Torchwood. That's far too easy.
So they have two problems - dangerous lives in this corner of spacetime, and a baby that could be dangerous to this corner of spacetime.
Obviously the solution is to relocate.
So the Doctor takes them way uptime, way way way into the future. Somewhere with good medecine and clean air and no wars scheduled for a good few decades. Maybe somewhere somebody owes him a favour.
There's that New Earth place where an entire new sentient race owes him a favour. That sounds like a good start.
So say he takes pregnant!Jack and Ianto way off into the future, that New Earth, finds them a nice place to live, says they can settle down there and raise the baby in peace.
... slight problem. 21st century? Not, in fact, going to look after itself. That was why Jack went back there in the first place. That was why Torchwood has to keep existing, despite the Doctor's objections.
... although, granted, Torchwood created damn near 100% of the problems it faced in it's first season, I'd quite like it if they got to be actual heroes, sometime. It would be like growing up. Character arc!
And they're definitely *trying*. Jack says they've got to be ready. They aren't yet. And without Jack? Maybe not going to be.
So Jack thinks his duty is back there.
At this point there's angsty Talks with the Doctor about leaving descendants behind. Because wherever the Doctor's granddaughter came from, they weren't on the TARDIS with them. And then we saw him leave her. And then there's a Time War and no more of his people anywhere, including descendants. Bad nasty angsty conversation that could best be had with another time travelling parent.
It would also bring up the fact that if you leave someone in a different bit of history you can't actually guarantee it will be there next time you look. Because Time War, and suchlike.
It could be of Woe.
But then, duty.
Ianto's take on the whole thing would be that there are other people that could do his job. There's only two people in the universe who have any reason to care about this tiny new life they just made. And if one of them thinks he's indispensible elsewhere, well, that leaves one.
Only the math as Jack sees it would be the other way around. There's half a dozen people trying to save the world. Ianto is far from interchangeable. He is unique, and brilliant, and Jack would hate to have to try and replace him. And that's just at work. Personally? Needs him.
Ianto has weak knees for the n word.
But, baby!
But... there's this entire race of New Humans who think this mini person is the coolest thing that's happened to them yet. The Doctor brought them a newbie. Will have many many many volunteers to look after new baby.
So suddenly the duty equation goes 6billion depending on 6 back home, and one with hundreds here.
Sadness! Woe! Duty says go back to 21st without baby!
... Still doesn't want to.
... they have a cross-time phone back at Torchwood 3 right then. An emergency phone call would make it a Right Now sort of decision.
I think they'd both go back.
Maybe the Doctor could promise to bring them for visits.
So, TW3 needs them, they save the day, all is good.
A Time Agent turns up, chasing the disturbance that they just went through.
She looks awfully familiar.
And on her wrist computer there's a holo, of the two men who gave her up for adoption when she was new born.
... oops. So, no visits then.
And also?
*Time Agent*
Has a little bleepy alarm to tell her there's significant genetic match with these two.
"So, I've been born already?"
"Yes! We only just left you!" Woe! Angst!
Time Agent brings her gun up and aims at them...
*cliffhanger of angst and terror!*
;-)
I feel like this is actually quite a promising story. It has Issues and Themes and stuff.
It probably also has far too much wiggle room to lock them into the decisions I put on them.
So it'll look a bit "and then the author decided to make things even worse!"
but that happens.
Thing is... do I really want to write baby stories?
I mean, really?
... *ponders* ...
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-01-29 01:04 am (UTC)He's also currently believed to be a he, but given that that's the most advantageous option in the last few thousand years that could be more of a professional choice.
I love this. Plus, it fits in on how Jack tried to blend in with the population when he was doing his conman trade (and presumably when he was a time agency) and how he tried to press his advantage when he could (by taking the identity of an American voulenter, not quite getting the local culture could be explained away from not being a local boy, but still managing to get respect - plus, Jack's very comfortable posing as military.)
I'm also wondering where the hell all the pregnant!Jack fic is, because when they give you that scenario on a silver platter.
Plus, being hermaphroditic gives a good reason why Jack can taste hormones, at least in my mind, because if you can sense what hormones that are floating around you're more likely to be able to change you own hormone and reproductive systems against the available partners for more compatibility. Estrogen in the water = seems like there's more females around = less likely to reproduce as a female.
It's possible I've thought too much about this. But, the ideas that you laid out here sounds good either way. Though, if the Time Agency wanted Jack dead couldn't they just have shot him (/her) the first time Jack sold them space junk?
no subject
Date: 2007-01-29 01:35 am (UTC)Or he's just that charming at individual Time Agents.
His favourite strategies would all be ruled out with his own offspring.
interesting logic on the hormone thing.
Jack has such an adaptable identity in some things, yet we have him being military and keeping the 'Captain' part in several different times. Is interesting. Captain as an achievement is important but names as labels are not? All kinds of possibilities.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-29 02:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-29 05:41 am (UTC)So pretend he's got the equipment for baby-having. Among other things.
And Ianto, er, knows, quite intimately.
Thank you, I'll be polishing that mental picture for the next few hours! (I mean in a good way.) (I mean, GOD that would be fun to play with.)
no subject
Date: 2007-01-29 08:35 pm (UTC)There could be that thing, yes, and that could be the magic angst-free get out of jail card, except (a) Torchwood - angst? and (b) that isn't how it works in the DW 'verse, as demonstrated by Rose repeatedly. Future is not set even if it's the past from another perspective.
And playing with Jack is always fun.