Drabble: Vigil

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Title: Vigil
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Jack.
Rating: G
Written For: Challenge 415: Silence at tw100.
Spoilers: Nada, but probably set pre-series.
Summary: Jack’s favourite time of day
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.





In many ways, this was Jack’s favourite time of day.


A hush hung over the whole world, or at least that was how it seemed. The last of the late-night revellers had finally wended their way homewards, the streets were temporarily devoid of traffic, and as sunrise was still an hour or so away, even the earliest of early birds were still sleeping, no doubt dreaming of catching juicy worms.


Up on one of Cardiff’s highest rooftops, with the city spread out below him, Jack could bask in the pre-dawn silence and gather his thoughts, preparing for the day ahead.



The End

Comments

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Oh yes! Jack on that very tall building in the Torchwood intro...

How did he climb up there?

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No idea, but I know they used a stuntman for that shot, because no one would stick JB up there, he's too valuable.

I suppose there must be stairs to the roof, and after that... a ladder?

Thank you!

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Jack is an immortal and capable of many things but is he good at climbing tall buildings ala Batman. Maybe he used rock climbing equipment?

Was that even a real person?. I thought it was a store mannequin?

Didn't Angel do that as well? . What is it about the tall, dark brooding types that have this urge to look down at the city their protecting?

Thanks for answering my silly questions as normal as possible. I don't expect you to answer all of them. I just have this tendency to waffle on.:D

I just have an image of the Eleventh Doctor riding Claras motorbike up the side of the building when he made it anti-gravity.

[bk_forever]

Oh, that was such a cool scene, I LOVED it!

Yeah, it's really a stuntman. I think he had safety lines on though, because it would've been windy up there.

I bet Jack has a skeleton key or an alien device so he can get into any building he wants and take the lift or stairs to the roof. It would be hard to scale a building in that coat and boots.

RTD probably got the idea from watching Angel. It's a very hero-type thing to do though,watching over their adopted cities.

You ask a lot of fun questions =)

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

I love it, when the Doctor is in "Action Man" mode. Particularly Eleven. Although Twelve using a remote to get the TARDIS to catch him as he was falling was pretty cool.:)

Sorry stuntman. It was far away so I can't tell. My eyesight must be bad. Its strange how some stuntman can look like the actor their pretending to be or sometimes when they absolutely do not look like them at all.

Freema had a stunt woman to do some of the driving because it was too technical.

My version of Angel on a roof:

Cordelia: Do you know where Angel is?

Wesley: Probably up on a roof brooding.

Cordelia: Can't he do that inside?. What happens if it rains?

The Tenth Doctor brooding was in a hot air balloon.

Its good that you fine my questions amusing.:D

[bk_forever]

LOL! I guess if it rains, Angel gets wet and has more to brood about. Same with Jack!

Stuntmen and body doubles have all the risk and none of the recognition. I used to want to be a stuntwoman, but I'm scared of heights, speed, fire... I don't think I would've been very good.

It is funny when the stunt person doesn't look enough like the person they're supposed to be. Must be hard getting a close enough match sometimes though.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Angel would stay even if it was raining!. He would have to watch out if it got sippery though. Same to Jack.

You could have tried your luck as an extra instead.:)

DT's stunt double was very convincing, especially from the back. The guys really a musician so I wonder how that came about?

Pierce Bronson's stunt double for "James Bond" got actual plastic surgery. It sort of wierded Pierce out. I don't know how its useful now.

[bk_forever]

Maybe the stunt guy wanted to be better looking. If he was homely before he might have figured "This is my chance to look really good and pass it off as being for work" lol!

I couldn't tell which was DT and which was his stunt double. Crazy that a musician would take such a hazardous job though.

Both Angel and Jack can survive practically anything, they don't really have a lot to worry about.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

That is an extreme way of going about it.

I think they got this guy specifically for "Journeys End" to be a body double. I don't think he did the stunts previously. But I don't know for sure, just speculating.

In "The Girl In The Fireplace" where the Tenth Doctor was suppose to go through the mirror while riding "Arthur" the horse, the stuntman looked nothing like DT.

Although DT had to do one stunt in "The Lazarus Experiment" that they just strung on him. It was mentioned in the DWC.

I guess Angel and Jack don't mind the physical pain of a fall.

[bk_forever]

I noticed that, it was jarring so I focus on the horse instead. Always did like horses!


I know a lot of actors like to do as many stunts as they can because it looks more realistic that way. Plus, I bet some of it is fun, so to see someone else do stuff as your character must make an actor feel he's missing out on the fun parts. Does that make sense?

Angel and Jack can take the pain.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

If it was the old series you might overlook these things. Its so obvious when the hair isn't the same like a wig they used for the Robin Hood episode with Twelve.

I like horses. I rode one just like Arthur at camp. I wish the Doctor had kept the horse.

Totally. I guess they wouldn't have let DT do it if it was really dangerous and he does like doing scenes where the Doctor jumps away from an explosion. :)

I wish I had a stunt person take over when I use to fall over as a kid. I was so clumsy.:(

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I still wish I had stunt person, lol!

I've ridden quite a few horses, the closest to Arthur was a big grey called Soldier who I road on holiday in North Wales back when I was in my teens. He was a good ride. I've always preferred bigger horses over small ponies, at least since I've been fully grown (if you can call 5ft tall 'fully grown').

Yes, we overlooked a lot when it came to Classic Who. Special effects weren't as advanced back then, neither were props, but it was the same for all TV and movies so it was just accepted. Nowadays, with everything state-of-the-art, w're more picky.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Your right!. It would be handy to have someone do all the physical activities that put a strain on our own bodies.

I remember CT said that if she had a clone of herself,she would make it exercise. But then she realised that she wouldn't benefit from it.:D

Now I feel bad for not knowing the name of the horse I rode. The horse reminded me of "Mr Ed" from the old TV series. I rode on a donkey but it was more of a stroll.

My grandmother use to own horses as a little girl because my great grandparents had a farm.

The lack of CGI in the old series was like when you play pretend as a kid so you just went with it. Actors say its hard to imagine something that's not there for the green screen.

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LOL! Yeah, if you want to benefit from exercise you have to do it yourself =D

It must be so hard to react to something that isn't there. Hard enough when there IS something but you know it's fake and not really scary, but when thee's nothing...

We used to have donkey rides every day oh holiday when I was little. I've ridden many donkeys and horses over the years, and even had two riding lessons! My parents couldn't afford more than that. It was fun, and I learned enough that after a few times at the pony trekking centre in Wales, they started sending me and my friend out on our own, mu=y friend on a pony and me on a bigger horse because they considered me a good rider. No idea where they got that idea from, I can rise to a trot but anything faster I have trouble staying on.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

That tid bit was from DT and CT answering fans questions. CT is funny when shes ignorant.:D

Try being scared of a ball on a stick?!. I wonder if the actors are given a picture or something beforehand to imagine?

I was discussing horses with Helloprilly a while back. It sounds like a lot of work to look after a horse but she loved it.

I think it would hurt physically if you had to gallop on a horse for quite a while. It was funny how the actors had to pretend to ride a horse for the DW series 5 finale.:)

[bk_forever]

It hurts just riding at a trot for a while, lol!

Oh, I was watching some outtakes on TV the other night, and there was one of the end of a horse race, as the horses went across the finish line, we were treated to a lovely view of one of the jockey's bare bum, his trousers had fallen down during the race and of course there was nothing he could do about it but just keep going! It was hilarious =D

I don't know, but I guess they're either shown a picture or told what it will look like so they can try to imagine whatever creature is going to be put in later. I think actors need a good imagination.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

I think I saw the same footage on TV!. Poor jockey. At least it wasn't his front.

Freema Agyeman said in the commentary that she doesn't have to act when the baddies are chasing her. It feels genuinely real for her.

I think it would be more easier to imagine being scared of something that you can't see literally like the Shadows of the Vashta Nerada...

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Yeah, because the whole idea of those is just so creepy it makes you scared and you don't need to see it to fear it.

Getting chased would probably be scary too.

I've always loved outtake shows where you get to see all the things that go wrong during filming. It shows how completely human actors really are, and most are good sports about it, laughing when they get their lines wrong, or fall over. Nobody's perfect all the time. I love that Matt Smith is so clumsy, it makes me want to hug him. He's like one of those gangly, long-legged baby animals just learning to walk =)

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Didn't Moffat describe Eleven as being like a drunken giraffe?.:D

Sounds like your quite smitten?
The light hearted moments with Eleven were the best parts about Matt Smith playing the Doctor.:)

Those who like angsty Ten didn't but thats understandable if thats their preference.

Too bad they stopped filming DWC. We never saw Matt and Jenna doing that.:(

[bk_forever]

I've never heard that, but it really fits him =D

Oh yes, completely smitten with Matt, especially as Eleven. Ten was too angsty for me by the end of his run, I like Doctor who to be scary but fun.

Yeah, I used to like DWC.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

The look he gives after he does something clumsy, like a cat that accidently falls and pretends it meant to do that.:)

I wish Ten could have been more happy but the odds were stacked against him. Thats what I think Moffat was implying by: "Ten regrets, Eleven forgets".

When Karen was doing race car driving without even knowing how to drive, I was wondering if they had ran out of ideas?

[too-beauty.livejournal.com]

I have always loved that scene, he looks so majestic there!

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The king of all he surveys! It's a proper hero pose.

Thank you!

[owensheart.livejournal.com]

Great drabble.

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Thank you =)