JohannesVIII's Doctor Who liveblogs archive: Camera Obscura

Some highlights of the latest EDA I’ve read (Camera Obscura).

I took these screens while reading, along with my reactions. As usual, this is full of spoilers.

I adore this book. I had a blast reading it.

It’s also somewhat frustrating.

Oh, it’s good. In fact, it’s extremely good - I’d put it among my favorite ten or fifteen EDAs so far without batting an eye, somewhere between Seeing I, The Blue Angel and Anachrophobia. The imagery is completely unhinged, the prose is excellent, the characters are on point. I took nearly two hundred screenshots while reading it. It’s great.

It has the same kind of flaws as City of the Dead (sidelined companions being the biggest flaw, and it’s even more pronounced here), but I was willing to forgive those and still give that previous book a 10/10 because it felt extremely satisfying in the end. This one doesn’t, not really.

See, the question at the core of The City of the Dead was something like “What makes a monster and what makes a person? And is Eight a monster or a person?” and the ending gave us enough answers to feel satisfying without being completely clear-cut. Meanwhile, the question at the core of Camera Obscura seems to be something like “What is identity?”, but it never really tries to dig into it. We meet several people whose identity is reflected or fractured in various ways, but the ending doesn’t really reflect (pun intended) on that - the story just ends.

So yeah. Technically, this is the worst Lloyd Rose story I’ve ever experienced out of three! And it’s a 9,5/10. Read it immediately.

What a way to start a story

Oh shit, are we talking about Eight’s missing heart again? Hell yes

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Yes yes YES can we please talk about this too

'Octave' lol

I see what you did there you can’t fool me

Never ask the Doctor to participate to a magic trick

Oh how I missed this particular author's unsettling descriptions of Eight

Ooooooh are we investigating impossible magic tricks?? I love this

Not gonna lie, I'm really, really glad to be enjoying this story from the get go after the previous two

The GIRLS are FIGHTING

It's ok Chiltern, Fitz is just waiting for Anji to slap that guy

ASAP (Assigned Stupid At the Parlour)

sdfgHGFDGHJ ANJI

sdfgHELP

Wait are we investigating impossible seances as well? If so, I'm HYPED

Ok so the mysterious voice has no chill

what the fUCK

Nice trick. This is cool

You two aren't exactly talking about the same thing, just saying

Eight can you please try to concentrate

Meanwhile: Fitz is in hell

You know... for a Victorian doctor, this Chiltern guy is quite nice?

what is going onnnnnn

Ok so there’s at least an alter who appeared after a trauma. Doesn’t explain how that other one knows about the future and the TARDIS, though.

Consider me intrigued

A MPD-inducing time machine?? Hello???

I already said that but I'll never get tired of how this author describes Eight

Oh shit he was the guy calling for help, wasn't he?

Multiple identities linked to a single person again, uh? I'm spotting a Theme

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Hi yes I really love this entire scene and its vibe

Consider me very intrigued

So the main theme of the story is clearly “what is identity”, and also there’s a suicidal character

How many personal buttons is this story going to push

AZSEDFGHJKLM

sorry for the long screenshot but look at the VICTORIAN PALEONTOLOGY NERD I LOVE HIM

I love him your honor

Also did. Did Fitz accidentally got hit on by a guy. AGAIN

this author is good at describing and naming characters by the way

Ohhhh so here's the titular camera obscura

sdfghjk EIGHT

YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HIS NAME IS LITERAL THIS IS SO COOL

I am feeling An Emotion

Well, it's not an EDA if Eight doesn't get hurt

iT's nOt aN EDA if EigHt dOesN't gEt hUrt

holy shIT

thIs iS fiNe

Fitz trying to be casual, everybody

I mean. horrifying. but also. Mood

CRACKS IN SPACE & TIME ARE BACK, BABY

why am I emotional about Sabbath's serial killer companion discovering the universe

It’s the tell-tale heart under the uh uh theater floor

God I love this character

You’re really bad at being a heartless murderer, aren’t you, Octave

Now might be a good moment to say that the bird-guy in my icon is also called Octave

wait does he need 2 hearts to REGENERATE? is that it??

I burst out laughing

Thank you Eight

Now we have Eight invading Sabbath’s mindscape to annoy him. This is like reverse Caerdroia

Sorry, I'm screening this entire scene because it's hysterical

Ooooooooooh so THAT'S why he stole his dying heart!

SDFGHJKLMMLKJHGF

Harsher in hindsight

You know... I really like the fact Sabbath isn't behind all of this

Dialogue that makes you go FERAL

Eight... you do realise comparing people to the Master isn't good, right

Oh you mean Doctor Who fans on Twitter

Gotta say this part is a bit too expository and rehashes stuff we already knew

Look at them look at my childrennnnnnn

Also here’s Scale being as faceblind as I am

Everyone is looking at Eight like

ASDFGHJKLKIJHGF

Oh now we're in a Victorian version of the movie Freaks

Also I’m nearly vibrating because of this slightly creepy detail about Eight

Fitz you traitor lmao

Excuse-me

Did you just kill a character I really liked and who also seemed to be important enough to be developped with his own point of view and everything

ONE OF US ♫ ONE OF US

Wait - she killed Octave??

Incredible out of context screenshot, 10/10 would screenshot again

Hi hello yes I'm screening an entire page of Eight invading Sabbath's mindscape again, just deal with it

I’m going insane over this entire sequence, I love this so much

It's like that scene in Caerdroia except version 1.0

I burst out laughing, I wasn’t expecting that

Nice try Anji

YES YES YES I was wondering when that lecture would happen

Also wait. Fitz, why are you embarrassed

Fitz

Is it a date

Oh shit, Fitz is nearly my age now, wow

Slightly frustrating that we’re not going to the lecture with him, though?

This cake is SO going to burn. Also: very cute scene!

EIGHT WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS

FITZ STOP BEING RELATABLE CHALLENGE (IMPOSSIBLE)

Why am I getting emotional over this

AZERESDFGHJKL

Fitz trying to distract Chiltern, everybody

Wait so... the nice Chiltern was the brother? is that it?

Top tier emo/goth imagery

I’m dead sdfghjklml look at Eight wondering if he can still metabolise drugs faster than humanly possible

And now he’s DECIDING to be drugged DFGHJKL

Quick reminder of how claustrophobic he is so that’s very brave

The circus people turn out to be the nicest rescuers ever

I love them

I LOVE THEM YOUR HONOR

I love this entire scene and I love these people oh my goddddd

LMAO EIGHTTTTTTT NO

BAD IDEA BAD IDEA BAD IDEA

This is hysterical h e l p

Yeah being inside a coffin during your own kidnapping is a good spot for a nap

Wait he did this for CHILTERN?? WTF

ASDFGHJKJHG IS THIS REALLY A GOOD TIME FOR A PSYCHANALYSIS

I’M DEAD

Mom said it was my turn to get shut up inside the box

This shouldn't be this funny

This shit is nearly as stressful and funny as the sacrifice in that other book

Wait so all the weird identity things were caused by the same machine?

STOP MAKING ME LAUGH

Oh so now we’re indirectly trashtalking Miles, I see

So apparently, Eight can't draw

sdfghGFDSFGHJKL

Some authors would beg to differ

Fitz being practical

Look at this fucking dialogue

The standards of 'comfort' are very low with Eight

He’s so blasé about it sdfghjklm

Ohhhhhh here’s the rest of the Camera Obscura

EIGHT IS IN A CELL THIS IS NOT A DRILL
TAKE A SHOT

ASDFGFDFGH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MONTRESOR

Save him

Save him²

Oh that is an interesting detail. His vision changed as well.

Hi hello what the fuck is that

And now here’s Eight leaning casually on the claustrophobic 4th wall

STOP BEING FUNNY

We WOULD understand if only you'd EXPLAIN Chiltern

This book gave us Eight in the foetal position, sobbing in the dark, in a tiny cell, in the cellar of a guy who wants to vivisect him

I’m fine I’m fine

I’m being normal about this

Achievement unlocked: WEAPONISED DOOR

That was brutal as hell

This is so cute?? I kinda want to draw it

Overall, that’s not the best night ever

This book is good but it's a bit slow and I’m starting to worry about all the plot threads not getting resolved at the end

It's okay Sabbath, I've read more confusing EDAs

Assigned Chaotic by the Multiple Personality Disorder

Imagine how stressful that would be

Do NOT leave her unattended

Distracted by butterflies!

Eight, eternal agent of chaos

Pop off, your eminence

My heart

MY FUCKING HEART

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MY 2 DAMAGED BOYS

DIALOGUE THAT MAKES YOU GO FERAL AGAIN

Eight: “Stop following me or I’ll break your bones”

Fitz: “Do it coward”

This book feels like some kind of mid-life crisis

I’ve had thoughts like this

Oh shit?? completely out of left field

ASDFGHJKJHGFDFGHJK

Welcome to this new edition of 'Eight tries to fix a problem by DYING'

A PLACE OF UNSEEING

I've had dreams like that. About that feeling of trying to push against an invisible unstoppable force or a wall of intangible water, or like I’m some kind of needle and the air is a giant cushion. Why is that so specific

HOLY F U C K

I'm genuinely shaking in real life

WELL

THAT WAS CHAPTER 20

HOW ARE WE FEELING EVERYONE

The PREVIOUS goddamn twist about Chiltern was a fake twist?? what the fuck

So the brother split in two?

adfghgfdsdfg of course Eight’s other heart dragged Sabbath in the afterlife to meet Death as well

Why is this so funny

He l p

Sabbath is like 'well... that place sucks' and Eight is like ‘yep’

Post-depression be like

What a fucking mood

No chill whatsoever

DAMN RIGHT HE DID, HELL YES

FUCK THE TROLLEY PROBLEM ALL MY HOMIES HATE THE TROLLEY PROBLEM

Oh I love this parallel so much.

'In your presence the odds collapse'

This book didn’t have to go so hard with its quotes, and yet it did

Fitz no

wtf

wtf WTF

HI HELLO WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCKING HELL

I have no words

Be honest: who thought Eight wouldn't be hurt anymore in this story

Holy s h i t

Wait he's going to try to recombine himself with his other half? Toaster included??

Eight no

Yeah yeah Nathaniel, I know that NIN song

Narratively, “magical cure” isn't a very good solution and I really hope there’s going to be more to it than that?

Oh. Oh no

Chiltern, don’t do it

sdfghjkl Eight, king of gallows humor

How to make reality explode 101

Why am I laughing

OH NO

Ok. So this is extremely cool. BUT I have to say that this is the most obvious thing that could have happened to Eight once he’d been put inside the machine.