#Fugative Doctor

[redeemed-wren]

Everytime I find myself getting too annoyed at the idea of random non-numbered incarnations of the Doctor I remind myself of the valeyard and then calm down a bit

[unablethethird]

i will worry abt it

sorry abt that

[jerseydeanne]

I'm thinking about coming back

Hello Fandom,

Yep, it's me, jerseydeanne!

OMG, so much has happened to me.

Medically, I'm a hot mess that landed me in the ER and pushed me right into the OR. Fugging doctors suck beans guys. It was a big merry-go-round. As you may remember I was in pain and Dumb Docs didn't know why, it turned out to be my appendix burst and the scar tissue saved my life. UGH! Seven days in the hospital with no food or barely edible food.

This is what I'm thinking: You guys catch me up on Harry and the grifter through ANON ask. They should be done soon. It's time, and she can't keep rebranding another bad idea. Nobody likes you, so eat worms.

Also, the Pedifile and Pederast action is really getting hot and I want those Fuggers to fry. You can talk about Diddy and friends or the Epstein client list.

Did you guys hear the latest that Tampon Timmy is really Touchdown Tim, allegedly but the victims lawyered up.

Florida has had a hot hurricane season that has left all of us with PSTD and a boatload of anxiety. My hubby and I said that's it! We bought a new BLOCK home with a hefty monthly payment. We make settlement on October 30th.

[riverharkness]

doctor who fans be like:

fugative… 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 war 9 10 10.5 10too 11 12 13 14(10 again) 15

[softagenda]

fortune's expensive smile (leander)

leander x reader(f)

first meeting / leander's pov

originally posted on ao3

masterlist

Preview

“Now, who could use some good luck?”

Leander spun on his heel, surveying the tavern with a grin as his hounds cheered, slapped their hands on tables, jostling bottles and glasses, some leaning in and tugging at the end of his cloak to plead with him. He resolved to pick a recent client to further the good tides from good business when an unfamiliar face peered up from the crowd.

Once he’d met her gaze through the dust and dusk of the tavern, a strange charge had settled in the air. 

Luminous magic clung to his fingers, the lilies born of his magic curling toward her as real flowers might toward the warmth of the sun. The green light washed over her face, brushing away the shadows of her hood. Bright eyes peered back, embraced by thick lashes and a faint sense of wonder. Silken hair tumbled from the side of her neck and down her chest.

Leander felt his breath still for a moment, until he caught his stride and said, with a slow smile, “How about you?” He held them out to her, as a suitor might for a new love.

In all honesty, she likely could use some luck. 

Bruises beneath her eyes, mud slicked boots. A weight and slump to her stance, as though she had shouldered a heavy burden long enough to steel her spine and chip away at her soul. He breathed in the air around her, and beneath the smell of the bar that pressed against his senses like the misty fug on a brimming pint lay an unmistakable, acrid trace of magic. Old magic.

She hesitated for a moment. Then a slender hand reached from beneath her sleeve. Bandages wrapped every inch of her skin. His stomach lurched at the sight, an old ache echoing from inside him pricking a tenderness with pity and curiosity.

Her fingers touched the flowers. Instantly the magic faded. 

At her surprised look, he shrugged easily. “That’s the problem with flowers. They don’t last long, but they leave an impression, right?” He grinned, clapping his hands to diffuse the remnants of magic clinging to his hands. His willowisps drifted upward before dissipating, little more than twining spirals of dust beneath the light.

The stranger paused, her brow furrowed. 

Then a small but sweet smile spread over her face, softening her features and the edge of grief that dogged her steps.

Leander’s heart gave a sudden, strong thump against his ribs at the sight.

Well, hello there . 

______________

He watched the stranger from the corner of his eye, his curiosity growing. 

Her eyes seemed older than her appearance would suggest, perhaps hewn from a hard life or misfortune. At the same time, she stalled at even his gentlest of flirtations, as though unused to the idea or uncertain how to respond to them. She’s careful with her drink and her distance, drinking a tall glass of water and curling her shoulders away from him at the bar. Less so with her words.

Uttering the word Senobium in the Wet Wick had earned scores of men and monsters broken bones, cracked teeth, and a thousand pleas for mercy ignored. His hounds were better trained than most, but he knew that many nursed a grudge where the institute was concerned. He’d helped sort many of them himself. 

They’d calmed at his words, but he led her from the bar anyway, after finishing his beer to wash the sour taste from his mouth. 

Out in the alley, Leander turned and asked, in a low voice, “Kuras didn’t send you here for help with the Senobium, did he?” Though he had yet to pry the doctor’s pristine shell apart for the pearls within, he knew the other man well enough to know he’d never turn someone with a genuine need to the institute’s door. 

She glanced away, frowning. “He suggested I find an alternative.”

“Yet here you are, asking about them anyway,” he continued, folding his arms over his chest and appraising her. “What do you need the Senobium for?”

Her mouth tightened. Her reticence was obvious. 

The first thing that had clued him in to her recent arrival to Eridia was the openness of her expressions, how easily he could stare into her eyes and glean her thoughts. Well, that and her looks. He hadn’t lied - he couldn’t imagine ever forgetting a face as stunning as this.

“Well, I see you’re already aware of the city’s currency. Information’s worth its weight in gold here.” He gaged her expression once more before adding, “Kuras told you the truth. The Senobium’s dangerous. Get on their bad side and they’ll imprison you if you’re lucky, or torture you if you’re not.”

The image of a sulky, sneering fox broke through his thoughts in a vision of fiery red hair and black leather, before he shook it off.

Her face fell. “But the Senobium’s supposed to be a place of learning, a sanctuary…”

Leander grimaced. “That’s what they want you to think, but things that seem too good to be true are often just that.” If he felt a pinch of guilt at the words, he forced it deep down inside. Clearing his throat, he clapped his hands to dispel the bleak thoughts. “But as I always say: there’s a solution to every problem, and alternatives to every solution.”

She was watching him warily, her shoulders slumped. Clearly the hard truth about the Senobium had come as a low blow - he could only imagine the hard journey that had brought her all the way here, only to be told that the institute was a facade.

He smiled, eager to turn the mood around. “That’s why Kuras pointed you to the Bloodhounds.” He leaned his head to the side, glancing humorously at the posters plastered all along the alley way, his own face grinning back at them. “Let us help you. Whether it’s hunting Soulless, finding people, or recovering stolen valuables, we can do it all. And free of charge.” … at least, in terms of currency.

Even as he delivered his speech, she shook her head. Her hood fell back to her shoulders, exposing her hair to the gaze of the sun. His eyes followed the slow unfurling of a lock down her neck, teasingly slow as drizzled honey.

Her mien was far from sweet, though. “Listen, I appreciate the offer. But my problem can’t be solved by a group of good samaritans.”

Leander nodded, sorting through the information with quicksilver decisions. “Then your problem must be fairly serious. And if the Senobium’s your first choice… you’re searching for a magical solution, aren’t you?”

Her face once again gave her away, all wide eyes and slack jaw. 

He straightened, rolling his shoulders back and lifting his chin. “I’d be happy to help you out. That is, if you tell me what ails you.” 

She seemed torn for a long moment, her teeth biting the corner of her mouth as she stared hard at the cobblestones below their feet. Either she would confide in him, or she would seek her answers somewhere else. He would support her either way, though he’d prefer she take a chance on him and let down those stiffly high walls a bit.

He gave her room for her thoughts, taking his own time to allow his gaze to inspect her cloak, the dagger strapped to the curve of her hip, shapely legs that hinted of lith muscle. 

Then a whisper stole across the silence. “... I’m cursed.”

The admission seemed to cost her dearly. 

“Cursed?” he echoed, now inspecting her with a more clinical mindset. “Oh, now I’m very curious. Something ancestral or more recent?” 

“It’s your hands, isn’t it.”

Her immediate flinch was answer enough. She curled in on herself, her hands stowing away in her pockets, shame twisting the gentle eves of her face. His beautiful stranger forced herself to continue, short and hushed, “My touch is dangerous, it changes people, hurts them –” 

He tugged his glove off his right hand, stretching his fingers after their release from the sticky leather. An anticipation settled over him as he recalled that scent around her in the bar, that taste of magic that lingered on the back of his palette. 

“Let’s see it,” he coaxed easily, offering his hand as he cast his strongest protection spell over his body. Exceptionally few enchantments or curses would be able to break through this one - Vere had been gracious enough to test that for him several months ago. 

She balked immediately. “I can’t. Believe me, this isn’t an ordinary curse.”

And I’m no ordinary mage, beautiful . “I’ll be fine. Perhaps where you came from, your affliction was strange and one of a kind. But spend a year in this city, and you’ll see a thousand curses and thrice as many cures.” He frowned slightly as a thought occurred to him. “Do you really think Kuras would send you here if I couldn’t handle it?”

She shrugged. “How should I know? I only met him today.” 

Ah. Leander took a breath and calmed himself. He wasn’t used to this much resistance to his offers of help - and perhaps his and the good doctor’s notoriety had gone to his head in some ways. 

Still, he tipped his chin up with pride and said, “I’m as good as any mage in the Senobium. Better even. If they can help you, so can I.”  And he’d do it without a sanctimonious lecture to boot. 

“You don’t know what you’re asking of me.” 

Her eyes watched him as though from a great distance. Leander recognized that look for what it was - a lifetime of suffering, enduring, loathing oneself to the point of desperation. He knew that feeling all too well.

The thought of freeing her from that hell was compelling. Dangerously so.

“I’m asking you to trust me,” he murmured. 

His stranger looked from his hand to his face, caught in between hope and fear. Leander smiled to set her at ease and waited patiently. 

With a barely audible sigh, she began to unravel the bandages from her hands. “Fine. But if you lose control, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Lose control ? Leander bit the inside of his cheek and replied, “You can tie me up first if it makes you feel better.” His face heated at the thought: strapped down on a bed, bared and open, at the mercy of a gorgeous stranger…. He’d certainly been in worse situations.

She ignored him, her face grim. Whatever she’d experienced as a result of this curse, she clearly wasn’t one to crack jokes about it.

He watched, fascinated, as each inch was revealed. 

Her skin flowed a murky gray from the tips of her fingers and up her arms, the color of summer storms or puddles of rain forming eddies on the street. More strange than that was the rivers of gold etched across her skin, forming gleaming branches across her wrist, hand, and fingers. Ebbing, seeping, as though flowing like veins under her skin.

He’d never seen anything quite like it.

His stranger lifted her hand above his.

“Ready when you are,” he said softly. She seemed liable to startle at any loud sound or sudden movement, like an animal toeing around a spring-loaded trap.

Scant inches hung between them now as she hesitated. Leander studied her expression, the sweat studding her brow, fear shadowing her eyes.

“Three… two… one…” she said, barely above a whisper.

Her fingers dipped down another inch. She hesitated just a hair away, even as he surged forward, his hand wrapping around hers.

The effect was instant.

A wave of magic broke across his shield, torrential, overwhelming. Leander braced himself against it, his smile falling in concentration as he fought against the invading presence. Something snaked around the edges of his senses, flowing over the surface of his magic as though searching for entry. She’d been afraid of this power - physically afraid, flinching even - to the point that he had expected pain at her touch, but this was - this was worse.

It was pleasure. 

Blistering, tingling, syrupy sweet. Whispering into the back of his mind, sultry as smoke, to touch. To consume . The power pushed at the hot blood inside him, sewing lust and temptation into his veins as though those same gold rivers across her hands now flooded into him. 

He’s hard as stone in his pants. His hands ache, as though the urge to touch her was a physical need . His gaze bored into hers, saliva pooling in his mouth, spell-bound by her quickly paling skin, her wide eyes, the bob of her throat.

He let his spell of protection weaken just slightly so that he could analyze the feeling, a shudder running down his back as the curse tried to push deeper. 

Leander had assumed it would be a fairly powerful curse. Otherwise, Kuras might have handled it himself. This was unexpected, though. Powerful. Old. Wild and beguiling and singing to primal instincts. Almost… ancient in nature.

“Leander?”

She’s tugging at her hand, trying to pull away - her words brush like a breeze across his mind. She’s closer than before - no, he’s closer than before, his arm rising without conscious thought. Her voice, trembling, terrified, broke the fog like the swift cracking of an egg. 

His magic barreled up from within him and bit back at the curse until the golden fog receded from his mind.

His stranger flinched away from his hand. “No, you’re - “ 

“Just fine,” he reassured her with a gentle smile, dropping his palm on her shoulder. “Interesting! That’s one hell of a curse.”

Her body trembled, at the precipice of fear that had quickly dissolved into a shaky relief. 

Bright eyes stared into his face, searching, so intense that he had to glance away when heat rose in his cheeks. His grip on her hand softened, just enough that she could move, and move she did. 

Gray fingers, surprisingly tender and achingly gentle, began to map out the lines of his palm, brushing along the curves of each finger, before tracing up his wrist and forearm. Her thumb smoothed across each fingernail and lingered at the pulse pumping fast beneath his wrist. So careful was she that Leander felt himself growing hyper aware of the feeling, her touch almost ticklish, drawing goosebumps across his skin.

There’s something like awe in her face, earnest and pure and wondrous - so opposite to the lustful thoughts circling the back of his mind that he felt like a wolf allowing a lamb to brush and play with his fur coat. 

He wanted to bite, a little.

He could still feel the electric hum of her power, each gossamer touch seeking to land a hook into his mind. Even at his strongest shield, it pressed fervently against his defenses, not enough to overtake and control him but enough that he could feel the insidious presence.

Little wonder that she kept her hands so tightly bound. He could see now, how a simple brush of her bare skin would drive a man completely mad. 

He watched as her hands travel curiously up his arm, fingertips dancing over the edge of his scar at the edge of his sleeve. Quicksilver eyes flicked up to his jaw, to the matching band across his cheek, before dropping once more to his skin. He’d feel like a lab specimen, except for the almost reverent way she touched him, as though this were a wholly new experience.

Leander paused at the thought before venturing to ask, “Am I the first person you’ve been able to touch like this?”

She froze. “...so far.”

Warmth settled in his stomach. He couldn’t deny that the thought was strangely satisfying, filling himself up with a heady, eager buzz like a stiff drink. “I’ll admit your touch does make it somewhat difficult to stay level-headed. But not due to your power… “ 

Leander grabbed her hand again and twined their fingers together, before drawing them up by his pin.  “Look, we match,” he joked softly, hoping to ease the tension. 

His stranger stared at their clasped hands before another shy, genuine smile appeared. His heart gave another insistent leap in his chest. 

When she drew her hand back, he felt the loss in the cold air seeping back over his palm, the sound of the busy street behind breaking into the quiet solemnity of the moment. She wrapped her hands absentmindedly, more habit than anything, and adds in a small voice, “I can’t believe that worked.”

Leander nearly offered his hand again immediately, possibly forever, but managed to hold on to his air of mystery and dignity. 

He offered her another slow smile. “You were right to hide this from me. That curse of yours… it’s unlike anything I’ve ever dealt with. I can tell you’re discreet, but you’d best not go showing that off to anyone else.” 

“I didn’t plan on it.”

“Are you staying in Lowtown?” At her shrug, Leander clapped his hands and guided her back to the Wet Whick with an open arm. “Let’s get you settled then. Bloodhound rates.” 

As she led the way back into the inn, the door opened with a flood of oak, sawdust, grease, and beer-stained air. Just beneath that was the delicate scent of her, herbs and leather, and that faint bite of magic. 

Leander paused on the threshold, his eyes lingering on her form as she glided swiftly through the tables, her hair tumbling down her back, candlelight dancing across her face. His pin sparked, his skin tingling where she’d touched him. His stomach seemed to hollow for a second.

He felt… strangely empty, hungry. Alive in a way he hadn’t been just hours before. 

Eridia never slept, never stalled - the city was always changing, always adapting. Mysterious strangers were a dime a dozen. 

And yet, this felt different. She felt different. 

Leander curled his hand into a fist, hoping to stretch out the prickling sensation, to no avail. It was as unsettling as it was addicting.

He wondered how he might convince her to touch him again. 

Soon.

___________________

a/n: thank you for reading!

[northern-punk-lad]

My theory on why the fugative doctor had a police box tardis is that it was a glitch with that model of tardis because we know the doctor stole an old model we also know the time lords where destroying those models so my theory is that was just an issue with that type of tardis

[doctorwhonerdadi3]

Ranking New Who Villains

When you go onto google and type in "top Doctor who monsters", you get given a handy little list. Now, obviously there is a lot more than just monsters/villains on this list in doctor who, but for the sake of trying to keep this blog post a bit shorter, I am only going to be ranking the ones on this google list. I'm going to remove a couple of them as well as they are old who villains. So now that's established, let's begin!

Number 21: The Great Intelligence

What a waste of Sir Ian McKellen. So the Great Intelligence starts out as a dome full of snow, making evil snowmen in New Who. Then it moves on to making whisper men and taking the Doctor to Trenzalor. Safe to say I am not impressed.

Number 20: Cybermen

A classic villain, which did honestly used to scare me as a child. Then they made it all sleek looking and it just didn't read as scary any more. They made a wooden Cyberman... This villain is just over used now and if they aren't going to do anything new with it then they should just stop bringing it back- however I do like the cyberman design for Bill.

Number 19: The Autons

A great way to revive a show. As a child I was scared of shop window dummies thanks to these creatures. Looking at it now though, that bin scene was a bit crazy wasn't it? Also... plastic Mickey. Either way though, these creatures still give me the willies a little bit.

Number 18: Clockwork Droids

Unique and imaginative. They were never scary in any way to me, but the episode they are in is a great one. The way they drive the plot forward works wonders. I'm so glad they never brought them back- oh wait... they brought them back for Capaldi's first episode and sort of ruined them...

Number 17: Ice Warriors

Another Classic who creature brought back and revived. I have always loved the design for Ice Warriors, and I love that they are from somewhere as simple as Mars instead of having to create a new planet for them. But I don't remember what happened in the Ice Warrior episodes very well for New Who.

Number 16: Davros

All the creatures and villains on this list have some merit, and Davros is no exception for that. When he was revived for The Stolen Earth and Journey's End, I got chills. And I still cringe a bit when he opens up his top to show where he made the new Daleks from. But I think they ruined him a little bit in Capaldi's episodes.

Number 15: Zygons

It was interesting when Doctor who brought these creatures back, because they are so fun. Shape shifting aliens give you a lot of wiggle room to play around with, and I think they had fun with them.

Number 14: Slitheen

I could argue that the Slitheen are below Zygons, but frankly I just enjoy them a little bit more. Call me childish, but fart humor is funny on occasion. Plus Boom Town is a great and underrated episode. The Slitheen kind of steals the show there.

Number 13: The Beast

The Beast, or Satan. Terrfying. The idea that the Doctor is facing off against the actual Devil is a great concept, plus this episode gives Rose a chance to shine as a companion. If you have read my previous posts you know I don't like her very much, so her impressing me in this episode says a lot.

Number 12: Judoon

Space Rhinos. Space police rhinos. They don't really do very much but they are just fun. We all know that the old lady was the scary one in Smith and Jones. But they are in all leather like some kind of biker gang, and use white board markers to show that people are human. Its just classic Doctor who... Lets ignore Fugative of the Jadoon.

Number 11: Sontarans

New who does like to bring back its classic villains. They then like to milk said villains if they do well. The Sontaran Stratagem and the Poison sky are great episodes and the Sontarans are brought back in a great way.

Number 10: The Master

Each actor who plays the Master, brings something new to the role. And the character is fun... and hungry.

Number 9: The flood

Terrifying. No notes.

Number 8: Midnight Entity

I feel like I have to start justifying why I like these creatures over others. The midnight entity is scary because you never actually see it. It causes so much chaos- but most of it is just humans being scared.

Number 7: The silence

A creature that you forget as soon as you turn your back could have been incredible- and it was. It was fun the way they tied it into the moon landing as well. I enjoy the slenderman vibes they have.

Number 6: Gas Mask Zombies

Are you my mummy? The first actually scary episode of New who. Also the scene where the gas mask comes out of that doctor's mouth and eyes lives rent free in my head.

Number 5: Daleks

They are classic. They are iconic. They are a little bit over used and that is why they are not higher up in the list- but given that theyve been around since the 1960s they must be doing something right.

Number 4: Silurian

I love the design of these creatures. I love their stories, and Madam Vastra is one of my favourite New Who characters.

Number 3: The Ood

Making it into the top 3 spot for me means 1 of 2 things. 1) I love the creature and everything theyve done with it or 2) it is just a terrifying villain. With the Ood it's both. I both love them and are scared of them. Even Nephew was scary. And the scene where the guy turns into an ood- so unsettling. I love it.

Number 2: The Weeping Angels

I bet a few people reading this was wondering where they would turn up. I love them, especially when they were first introduced in Blink. The idea of them snapping your neck was offputting for me at first but I still don't think you can go too far wrong with stone statues. I even liked when they turned the Doctor into an angel.

Number 1: The Vashta Nerada

This creature had me counting my shadows and freaking out when I had 2. I'm glad they haven't returned since the Library because what we were given was perfection.

Hey, Who turned out the lights?!

[miraculousalamode]

cake decorators, we need your help! our bakers (writers) have been working hard in the kitchen preparing something delicious, but now we need your help to make it look as good as it tastes!

throughout the week, we will be posting snippets and summaries from our bakers with a fic ID attached to them in order to keep the writer anonymous. please write down the fic IDs of the fics that you would be willing to work with, as well as the fic IDs of the fics you would absolutely not under any circumstance want to collaborate with.

at the end of all of these posts, we will post the artist applications for you to submit your answers!

FIC ID: S06

Pairing: Chloe Bourgeois/Felix Fathom

Rating: G

No Warnings Apply

Trigger Warnings: None I can think of. Not a Trigger warning but like, point of interest? Aro/Ace Felix.

Summary: Felix prides himself on his skill and self control. When he forgoes the perfect chance to obtain the peacock miraculous out of pride, he must redouble his efforts to obtain it another way. An unexpected encounter with Chloé Bourgeois upends his world, disrupting his neatly ordered emotions and self-image all in a go. While plotting against Gabriel Felix must come to grips with both life and himself being more complex than he had thought. A brat becomes an ally, then a friend in need, and finally a... partner... associate? A something. Life comes with many labels, and yet sometimes none of them fit.

Snippit: Gold- He found it. He found her. She froze as he burst from the stairwell, her keycard still clutched in one hand. Felix skidded to a halt before her, fists clenched, blurred vision coalescing. The words broke free. “I am not Adrien.”

He was hunched over, gulping the cold conditioned air. It burned worse than the sewer fug had. There was more.

These words were a defiant growl, “I am Felix!"

Chloé's deep blue eyes were saucers. A protracted silence grew between them; no motion and the only sound in the hallway was Felix's panting breaths.

After an eternity her head snapped to the side. With eye contact broken her posture shifted into that easy aristocratic dismissiveness. Yet her first response was something mumbled and sincere, "Of course you are."

The spring unwound.

She, too, was not done. She looked back at him with her chin up and her smirk restored, "You're also filthy! Where have you been, playing in the sewers? Eewww. I always knew you were strange, Felix, but this is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous."

Relief; relief more acute than freeing himself from death's grip below. Felix very nearly collapsed on suddenly shaking legs. No- he did. Down on one knee, he gritted his teeth around a taunting smile of his own. "It's called work, Chloé. You might have heard of it."

"Of course I've heard of it. Plenty of little people do-" she paused, craning her neck to look around him. "Felix, you're bleeding. Ewww- all over the marble, and the rugs!"

He hadn't even regained his feet when she had his arm. His exhaustion made him weak and she yanked him along, keycard opening the door to her suite. She didn't even slow down, pulling then pushing him into her bathroom. Felix stumbled, still mentally reeling from so much contact. His hackles were up but she didn't give him time to bite back.

"Clean yourself up! Oh my God, you're such a mess. Wash! Wash everything! No, forget it. We'll burn those clothes." She swept around to her vanity and opening it pulled out bottles, boxes, and scissors, throwing them in his general direction. "That's something- hold on-"

She pulled out her phone, pacing.

"Daddy! I want the doctor up in my suite right now! Yes, now!" Chloe stabbed hang up and glanced back at Felix. "Why are you just standing there?"

[envisarts]

Imagination Has Brought Me Back to Life

One minute me, Tripeye the Reek-O, Howler the Hedge Grog, and Trustless the Teddy Bear Nightmare were raiding some family's fridge and everything was going as planned. The next thing I knew, things went terribly wrong and I have no one to blame but myself as I was the one to put Trustless on guard duty. What the hell was I thinking? Trustless, of all Fugglers! The one who's name was clearly warning me not to trust him to watch our backs!

Regardless, Trustless failed to warn Tripeye, Howler and myself that a human girl was leaving her bedroom. The three of us raiding the fridge didn't hear her door open since we were rifling through her food. I heard Trustless mutter something and when I peeked out to ask him to repeat himself, he was gone. Motherfugger!

"Grumps, what are ya doing?" Tripeye asked, one of this three eyes turning independently of the others to see what I was doing while also allowing him to keep searching. I tried not to growl at the name. Being named after my species was quite insulting, considering my whole team had unique names. But there wasn't much I could do about that. Unoriginal parents and all that.  "Human incoming, Trustless bailed." I whisper-yelled, fur standing on end. Tripeye groaned, muttered an "I told you so" and warned Howler. Despite our scramble to escape, as the human rounded the corner into her kitchen she saw me trying to dart behind the door, and as per usual, she screamed. By now humans had to know about us, right? Why was this such a shock?

Long story short, that brat of a human turned us in. I'll spare you the details of our confinement, it was boring paperwork and other strict to-the-letter stuff. I figured they'd banish us back to our own kind, maybe ban us from the city. But no, we were turned in just in time for another "restock". Which meant a spell in the form of a shot with D.W.W.A.S. in it and getting shoved in a box. What spell was in the syringe, you ask? Why, "Doctor Who Weeping Angels Serum", of course! It turns us from flesh monsters into stuffed toys, and to add insult to injury we aren't able to move when we're in the presence of any human. Yes, much like that Toy Story movie, except we don't decide to flop over, the serum does it for us.

But we are aware, too. Whether that's a curse or a blessing is up for debate. For me, it was a blessing. See, when we're put in boxes and shipped off to stores they set us up on display. But I hardly felt like I was the one on display. I had a front row seat to crazy customers that acted just as bad as any Fuggler! Karens, thieves, bossy managers, people arguing; what a show!

But then there was this man. He saw me and the others and came closer as he pulled out a phone. Ah, pictures. At least this guy was decent enough to have his flash turned off. He hung around for a bit, talking and texting… and then he grabbed my box off the stand! He put me in the main basket - not where the humans put those screeching toddlers - and I knew I was done for. He was gonna buy me, throw me on a shelf like a collectible, and I'd never be able to find where Tripeye, Howler, and Trustless were. Actually, fug Trustless, he needed to be attacked by a dog and have his fugging stuffed innards ripped out! But the others? I was missing them already, and this was just salt in the wound.

My box was put in a big brown bag, and I couldn't help but wonder if the man who bought me would keep me not just as a collectible, but like I was one of those "in pristine condition" items humans hold onto until the value of the item skyrockets decades later. Decades of silence, what a joyous life was awaiting me. At least I was able to zone out of the scenario and fall asleep. I could only close my mind's eyes, so if I try hard enough I can remember what was said and done, but I don't want to bother. After all, I'd rather focus on the reason I'm telling you all of this.

It's because of her.

I was dragged out of sleep when I felt the bag I was in being shuffled and the name of a season being yelled. Then a bit of quiet commotion and ecnouragements to "come here"; what were they expecting to happen? It was Spring, a totally different season! To my surprise however a curious, apprehensive female voice asked what was going on. The owner of the voice came closer and another female replied with a question. "Right or left?" I decided to fully commit to being awake out of pure curiosity. There were a few quiet questions - something about a left hand, April Fool's, and a "for me?" were spoken as my bag was handed off to another human. I tried my best to look up, I wasn't in anyone's line of sight, but I guess the D.W.W.A.S. wasn't content with my hiding place.

"This?" The seasonally-named female asked, and laughter burst out around me. What was so funny?! Ugh, I despise being out of the loop, especially when it came to jokes! "April Fool's!" The one holding me shouted, and my bag was moved once again. I felt hands grab the bag above my head, heard it crinkle as hands parted the top, and my heart was (metaphorically) racing as light shined over me. I closed my eyes - sort of, more like blocked out reality - and braced. Was I about to face my new captor? Was I really just some item thrown from one person to another? Was this my li-

"That actually looks ridiculously cute."

Wait, what? I (sort of) opened my eyes and stared up at the human holding me. Female, wearing a long leopard pattern coat of some sort, the hood up and hiding a bit of her face. Laughter from three other humans surrounded me as I inspected this female closely. She didn't scream. She didn't cringe. In fact…

"I want it! Can I keep it?" "Yes!" "Yay!" "Did you think I was gonna take it?!" "Maybe!"

The one holding me and another female laughed as they spoke, one seemed confused by the short exchange and the other seemed hesitant to accept that she was now my, ugh, "owner".

"I thought that was your kinda thing," said the man who had taken me off the display. Was he referring to me? The female holding me gripped the top of my box and started to tear it open. "EEE!" She shouted joyously as she lifted me to eye level with her, mentioning something about… a gremlin? Gremlin was an odd choice of word. Did she not know what I was?

She truly didn't, I came to realize as she looked from me, to my box, to the tag on my leg. She then began to preen the fur around my eyes and mouth, cooing over how cute the mismatched sized eyes I had were, that my teeth were horrifyingly cute, and how I was "so fluffy".

What the heck was wrong with this human?! I mean, she wasn't wrong - I'm adorable - but most humans were off-put by my appearance. Despite that, for the next little while, she was hugging me and talking to two other females about me. My "gremlin ears", the button on my butt that was apparently "special", all spoken of fondly. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad, after all.

Eventually, after she took a few pictures of me, the human I was gifted to took me into her room. She set me on her desk, then with a considering look she put me on a smaller stand atop the desk and let me lean against a computer. So now here I stand (lean technically), staring at her as she types and giggles and hums - is my presence somehow comforting? This is the strangest human I've ever met. She looked up at me and smiled, leaning closer as she listed off a few nicknames I could use to refer to her. I don't think she actually expects me to answer, thankfully, but it's a nice gesture.

All in all, I guess this isn't too bad. Her family seems to think I'm cute but a little creepy, but at least they don't outright shun me so that's a bonus! I wonder what happens next? Only time will tell if I end up left to collect dust or if this human decides to keep surprising me.

Oh, and my new name is Ewok. That made me (internally) laugh my button off.

[zippers]

So I've been experiencing REM rebound almost every night for the past several months. sometimes the dreams are really cool but tonight I had THREE distinct nightmares. and every time it's a nightmare it has a connection to my ptsd. I haven't been prone to nightmares in the 10+ years I've had ptsd, it only affects my daytime, and I've been fairly symptom free since finding the right medication and therapy earlier this year. except now with these nightmares. I wake up at a reasonable time but am just so exhausted that I can't stay awake, fall back asleep, and have another REM rebound!!

does anyone else experience this, and have any tips on how I can manage it? my new health insurance doesn't start until Jan 1st so I can't go to the doctor until then. Tysm!

as a side note, I am 100% convinced that people who experience "shifting" are actually experiencing REM rebound. the dreams and the people I meet in them feel so real, the relationships feel so real and I actually mourn the fact that some of them were just figments of my imagination. Shout out to Silly from the Chinatown next to the Texas school for magic who helped me find my Prius just in time to stop the evil headmistress from crushing my car with her boat because she hated NAMPs. And shout out to the fugative who wouldn't tell me her name for my own safety, who was wanted by the FBI for tweeting about her plan to kill CEOs. I wish y'all were real ♡

[tunneldweller]

scent signatures in the lift of my building

- the octogenarian couple: root cellar - the Very Talls: occasional faint tang of ferret; BITCH!!! [imperceptible to humans, irresistible to mr mutt] - the retired nurse: cigarette smoke and perfume when she's on the wagon, cigarette smoke and booze breath when she's not - the Vietnamese couple: warm rice; floral cleaning products - the Ukrainian refugee family: BITCH!!! [imperceptible to humans, irresistible to mr mutt] - the mutual boycott: dense heavy fug of cigarette smoke - her husband: old sweat and heavy fug of cigarette smoke - the friendly aging doctor: rich meaty gravies

[emerson-the-psycho]

L-Like in space?

In the black abyss of death and scariness and all that is terrifying?

(I may of may not have the slightest tad of astrophobia. just a lil' bit.)

Don't get me wrong, I'll definitely come. Who would pass up that opportunity??? But if I freak out nobody judge me.

(YOU CANT BREATHE IN SPACE AND ITS DARK AND ENDLESS AND FREAKY AND FLOATY AND OH MY FUGGING GOD)

I'll pack all my stuff tonight!

(WHAT THE HECK DO YOU PACK FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS)

We can all have insomnia together!!

(AAAHHHHH)

I'm gonna tag you all again just incase anyone missed Xino's idea

@raph-a-roni @angelo-the-doctor-of-feelings @neonleonsmessymindpalace @spaceacexino @veeswims @donniesexceptionalmind

Who can get @donniesexceptionalmind (and me) to go to sleep

who can do it

I’ll spray something for whoever does

@raph-a-roni @angelo-the-doctor-of-feelings @neonleonsmessymindpalace @spaceacexino @veeswims and @future-boy-casey

[timeagainreviews]

“The Power of the Doctor” is a mixed bag

Psychologist Barry Schwartz once said, "The secret to happiness is: low expectations.” His reasoning was that if a person approaches everything in their life with either low or no expectations, they leave themselves open to being pleasantly surprised. Last night’s episode “The Power of the Doctor,” had me thinking about that quote a lot. In my previous article, I mentioned I only had the faintest of hopes that now former showrunner, Chris Chibnall, could end his era well. The bar was so low that I really only dared hope he would not make yet another controversial change to the mythology. Anything beyond that would be icing on the cake. It would seem that after a five-year period of shoddy writing, my expectations were low enough to leave me pleasantly surprised.

Those of you familiar with this blog will know that my number one consideration for every story of Doctor Who is simply- did I have fun? While “fun,” is a rather subjective concept, it’s really why I love Doctor Who. I have a lot of fun watching it. Mind you, I don’t apply this to every piece of media. Some media isn’t meant to be fun. Some of it is meant to be challenging. Even Doctor Who can be more like a medicine than a treat. While theme and character development are important, sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants. Sometimes we love something in spite of its flaws. It was actually in Nash Bozard’s review of “Revelation of the Daleks,” that I first heard anyone take this stance. After ragging on about the absurdity of the story, he had to admit that when it was all done, he wasn’t bored. “The Power of the Doctor,” is by no means perfect, but it was fun.

As many great stories begin, this one starts with a train heist. I was reminded of the Capaldi era’s “Mummy on the Orient Express,” and also to some degree “Time Heist.” The Doctor and her crew aren’t able to pilot the TARDIS directly into the speeding train so they have to improvise with what is one of two ladders in this episode which must be dropped down from a less-than-ideal height. The fam tucks and rolls but gets a little too close to death for Dan’s comfort. Upon entering the train, they discover a group of Cyber Masters attempting to hijack a sort of coffin which presumably holds someone or something important. In what turns out to be one of a number of fake-outs on Chibnall’s behalf, it is revealed that it’s a mere child within the coffin. I say fake-out because it was my and everyone watching with me’s dreaded assumption that this little girl was the infamous Timeless Child.

Chibnall continues to utilise these types of fake-outs throughout the rest of the episode. You get the feeling that it’s his little way of nodding to the story he would have liked to have told under different circumstances. Coronavirus may have been a factor, but ultimately it felt a lot like a mandate from the BBC. While his era is not without its fans, it has been hugely controversial. What’s funny then, is that while a lot of this feels like Chibnall being restricted, it oddly makes him seem like a better writer. In having to hint at the story he wanted to tell, it allowed for subtlety that a story like “The Timeless Children,” lacked. When Vinder and the Doctor part ways, you could almost imply that he is her father by the knowing look he gives her. They even hold on this look for a moment in order to highlight its implied significance. I like being able to wonder if he’s her father. Just as I like to wonder if the woman from “End of Time,” was the Doctor’s mother. With room to wonder, there is mystery, or as David Lynch puts it- room to dream.

Dan leaves the show almost as quickly as he joined it. After breaking open his space suit during their mission, Dan decides life with the Doctor is too dangerous and leaves the TARDIS, presumably to end up with his love interest Diane. It was interesting to me that an episode that re-introduces Tegan Jovanka says goodbye to another companion for very similar reasons to her own when she also parted ways with the Doctor. The violence and death became too much. Speaking of re-introducing characters, how could I go any longer without mentioning Ace? As you may recall, Ace was my biggest worry about the centenary special. After seeing her in promotional photos, I worried they were going to make Ace a boring old woman with her business suits and fancy job, but I was pleasantly surprised by her portrayal. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that Sophie Aldred has continued playing the character in audio format for the last two decades, but it was reassuring nonetheless.

The introduction to Ace and Tegan is a bit of a head-scratcher. Somehow, over the years, they have come into contact with one another and frequently work together on their Sarah Jane Smith-esque adventures. Ace is investigating a series of missing paintings, while Tegan is on the other side of the world tracking seismic activity. For no reason whatsoever, they assume these two instances are linked, and for no reason whatsoever, they’re absolutely right. After being recruited by Kate Stewart to help with official UNIT business, it is revealed that the Master has been adding himself to priceless works of art, something which never comes up again. It’s weird then that they dedicate so much time to this aspect of the story. They even rent out a gallery where Ace investigates a digitally removed painting. Seriously, there’s some weird cropping going on in that scene that prompted me to ask a curator friend what was up. According to her, it’s entirely plausible that they may not have had the budget to move the painting and therefore it would have been cheaper to remove it digitally. This somewhat begs the question why they didn’t just build a set or choose a different location, but whatever.

The Master appears in many different forms in this episode. So many that I might suggest they lose track of things a bit. We first see the Master in St Petersburg at the Winter Palace, posing as the mad monk Rasputin. Sacha Dhawan’s beautiful dark eyes are hidden under milky blue contacts which really sell the look. While I was collecting my notes about this episode I came to one puzzling question- why was the Master posing as Rasputin? It’s implied at the beginning that he may be the catalyst for the Russian revolution, but what that has to do with the rest of the story is anyone’s bet. I asked my friends and I skimmed through the episode on iPlayer, and nothing. I genuinely don’t know why he did that. While it gave us the opportunity to watch the Master gyrate his hips to Boney M’s “Rasputin,” the only reason I can think they chose Rasputin is that it looks cool.

When the promotional photos of Dhawan as Rasputin were released, I figured Chibnall was going to incorporate the bizarre (if not slightly embellished) account of how he died. According to some accounts, Rasputin proved to be notoriously difficult to kill. He was shot, poisoned, beaten, and drowned. It would have been a fun thing to incorporate into the story, as being a Time Lord would make the Master equally difficult to kill. Oddly this never comes up, and from what I can tell, he really only wants the Winter Palace as a base of operations where he and the Daleks and Cyber Masters can enact their grand scheme.

As grand schemes go, the Master’s Dalek plan doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Basically, the Master lures the Doctor in by holding the Earth hostage with stock footage of volcanoes poised to erupt due to Dalek intervention. The Master’s TARDIS has also merged with a planet that has been fully cyber converted. The planet hangs in the sky like a second moon harkening back to the Earth’s twisted double- Mondas. The little girl from the beginning turns out to be an energy being that takes the form of something you want to protect as a survival technique. The Master harnesses its power in order to bring his Deathstar-like monstrosity to life. The problem with most of this is that a lot of these elements exist purely to look cool, which is a continual problem of Chris Chibnall’s- great ideas without much exploration. The Doctor as a Weeping Angel looks cool. A guy with teeth in his face looks cool. The Master as Rasputin looks cool.

Another version of the Master that we see is the Master in the present day, giving a twisted lecture on plate tectonics and magma to a room of academics who have all been murdered by his tissue compression technique. UNIT comes and takes this Master away and he spends the rest of the episode giving Tegan, Ace, and Kate a hard time. The Master reveals that his tissue compression can be reversed and as he does, it is revealed that a small figure of the Lone Cyberman is actually a sort of Russian nesting doll full of Cybermen. This whole sequence was weird as the Master could have just used the Cyber Masters as he had been the whole time. I guess Chibnall wanted to see Ashad return. It’s fine though because the Master remarks how glad he is that he took the time to clone him down to every last detail, including battle damage! The line was about as shoehorned at Yaz saying “I love you,” to the Doctor at the beginning of the episode.

Speaking of shoehorned love, Thasmin is somewhat in effect, but I imagine not enough for the shippers out there. There’s no great kiss between the Doctor and Yaz, though there are implied moments of romance. More than the show ever implied before. Seriously, why pander to shippers? Have you seen some ships? They come out of nowhere at times, like this one. People want to see the Doctor and Yaz fall in love, so they invent a romance in their head. What I do like is that in this episode, Yaz is forced to view her own importance to the Doctor after seeing the number she did on both Tegan and Ace. We’ve seen it before with Rose and Martha. They’re not the Doctor’s first and they have to rectify that. Luckily, Dan has fucked off so the Doctor and Yaz get lots of downtime to partake in lesbian processing.

Did I say Dan fucked off? I meant to say the role of Dan will now be played by Graham. Now, if you thought the sudden appearance of Vinder was out of nowhere, just wait until Ace finds Graham inside a volcano! The episode shows us numerous times that there are multiple volcanoes set to explode, yet somehow Ace and Graham run into one another at the exact same time under one of many multiple volcanoes. Graham is down there doing his own Sarah Jane Smith-esque adventures. It’s sort of implied that this is what companions do after traveling with the Doctor- they continue her work. Fair enough, but still a bit too convenient. I’ll excuse it though because I rather like Graham, and watching him and Ace blow shit up with nitro nine is all I ever really wanted.

 In a somewhat cheeky fashion, Chibnall has the Master comment on just how messy and disparate his plan sounds. It felt like a moment of fourth wall breaking where Chibnall acknowledged some of the criticism his work has faced. That and the Master saying the words “The Master’s Dalek Plan,” made me smile. It takes guts to do such a bad pun. I was glad to see him having fun on his last outing. It’s odd that in his final moments, Chibnall finally seemed to be enjoying his role as showrunner. It felt more like a love letter to the things he admires about Doctor Who and less like a chore thrust upon him by the network. Part of me had wondered where this guy had been hiding for the last five years.

The Master manages to capture the Doctor in a Dalek. No dodgems jokes though, it’s all business. Luckily Yaz witnesses everything and begins to recruit a posse. The Master has amassed his new “fam,” and the Doctor has hers. Thus we reach the title of the episode as we learn that the real power of the Doctor is the fam we made along the way. Or as Davros would put it- she turns her friends into weapons. But this isn’t about that. New year, new me. And it’s a very new Doctor as the Master’s real plan would have it. Using his cyber planet as a source of power, the Master force regenerates the Doctor into himself.

Ok, let’s get this out of the way- it’s a bit John Simm. It’s a bit of a callback. I think that’s fine because it’s great to watch the Master parade around as the Doctor. It was fun to watch Missy do it, and it’s still fun now. The bit where he pulls out the recorder of the Second Doctor made me warm and fuzzy. The Master playing an eerie rendition of the Skye Boat song was mad and forlorn. Great imagery. You really get a sense that Sacha Dhawan’s performance is channelling a kind of deep melancholy. He sort of sits there like a pot about to boil over. He possesses a  demeanour which causes one to wonder if he were to lunge at you, would it be to kill you, or to kiss you? He may just break down and cry. He seems constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown and I really like his take on the character. I wouldn’t want to be him either.

What’s strange, however, is the Master once killed off the Time Lords within the Citadel all because he found out he might have a little bit of the Doctor in him. I kinda wish the Doctor had called him out on his own double standard. But that’s the Master. He is a contradiction. Plus he’s also actively profaning the Doctor’s name. In the Master’s own twisted way, he’s living his truth. Reclaiming his body as his own by taking over the Doctor’s. Sure, a big problem with the Thirteenth Doctor and the Spy Master has been that it often ends with him pontificating while she’s tied up, and that’s still present. But the Master’s arc as a guy who is disgusted by his new truth to a guy who creates the next truth is a complete character arc for him.

As the Master reeks hell with Yaz in tow, a plan begins brewing, though I largely am not sure how. Vinder stows away on the TARDIS unbeknownst to the Doctor. I rather liked him in this episode. He had a badass moment where he puts the Master in his place. To borrow from Mike Tyson- “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Or in this case, shot in the shoulder. Where I am most confused is where the Doctor’s AI comes into play. I’m assuming it has to do with the static charge, but I’m not exactly sure how it worked. I thought maybe it was a “Day of the Doctor,” scenario where over a course of years the TARDIS AI system makes a facsimile of the Doctor’s consciousness for the purpose of its use now? Is that what happened? 

What really matters is that none of that matters because we’re now at my favourite bit. Everyone quiet down. Alright, get this- David Bradley, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann all showed up. I mean, they were nearby, but they’re here… sorta! It was very much a Five-ish Doctors scenario. Sadly Tom Baker couldn’t attend and Madame Tussaud said no. Also, I think Shada’s canon now. The Thirteenth Doctor is also there, natch. She’s not quite crossed the rainbow bridge yet and the Doctor’s consciousnesses are here serving Missing Adventures book cover vibes in their matching red and black robes. All except the Eighth Doctor who looks suave as fuck. Love that for them.

One issue I feel has persisted throughout the Jodie Whittaker era is the BBC and the show’s desire to make her share the role of the main character. It’s incredible to see our favourite Doctors in one place, but even in her swan song, she’s forced to share the role. She doesn’t even get to have her own comic book, she has to share it with the Tenth Doctor. It’s like when Marvel used to try to sell books by throwing Wolverine in. I wish on some levels we could have gotten Jo Martin before or after Jodie. Part of me held out hope that she would regenerate into her in the end. I get that this isn’t just a regeneration episode, this is 100 years of the BBC, dammit. But still.

We did finally get to see Jo Martin do more and I couldn’t be any more excited about it. Somewhat surprisingly, and someone expectedly, they do not give her mystery away. What they do give is a lovely little bit of her coming in and being a chilly renegade, straight putting the hurt on the Master. What they did was leave me wanting more. More of her please. I’ll take one spin-off, thanks. I said it in the comments the other day that I was waiting for this episode before I could really take the entire era for what it was. Now that I know the Fugitive Doctor is to remain a mystery, I feel I know more about her, oddly. I mentioned last time that I was frustrated by the way she was written. Now I can quantify her character in my consciousness better. 

Thanks to her friends and her AI selves, the Doctor gains control of her body once more. To stop the volcanoes from destroying the planet, the Doctor needs both her and the Master’s TARDIS. The Doctor gathers all of her friends around her TARDIS console like a remix of “Journey’s End.” By linking her TARDIS in tandem with the Master’s, they manage to jump the cyber planet forward to modern times when the volcanoes are erupting. The various stock footage shots of erupting volcanoes made me yearn for a bit of the RTD era which always felt like an invasion was happening everywhere. It wasn’t just the Doctor meeting Cybermen, they were showing up at your front door! Where are the people abandoning their homes and frantically rushing to leave the vicinity of their local magmatic spire? It seems small, but this involves the audience more than the knowledge that volcanoes erupt seemingly across the world at the same time of day. There aren’t time zones, silly. That’s why this episode wasn’t simulcast, it’s 7:30 pm everywhere!

The Doctor frees herself of the Cyber Masters. Ace and Graham have dispatched the Daleks in classic fashion, and Tegan and Kate prove themselves quite capable at demolition. Though I must say, I really need to know how 69-year-old Tegan Jovanka managed to drop into a dark hole and climb out unscathed. I’m 39 and I would have spent the next week in bed saying “Don’t touch me, I’m baby.” It’s the kind of discontinuity like Yaz and Dan seeing two old people get cracked like eggs by Weeping Angels and then appear in the next scene having somehow escaped. It’s not even that this is discontinuity, it’s that seeing Tegan with a serious limp would have ratcheted up the tension. Janet Fielding got some great moments that were very true to her character, but they missed a trick there. Imagine the next scene with her starting instead at the bottom of that lift shaft. Her leg is broken. She has to tie a bit of cable and rebar around her leg like a splint. She drags her way into the next room and still manages to save Kate from cyber conversion. It could have easily been more, but instead, it’s nothing.

The scenes which paired Ace and Tegan up with their respective Doctors left me feeling overjoyed. As a big fan of the Ace years with the Seventh Doctor, I was happy to see them get a proper emotional goodbye. Not just a voiceover done in post. It’s weird how natural it felt seeing them back together as if no time had passed. Both pairs. Having the Fifth Doctor say “Brave heart,” and Tegan say “Rabbits,” was fan servicey as hell, and I would have been upset if they hadn’t done it.

In a last fit of rage, the Master declares that if he doesn’t get to be the Doctor, then neither does she. The Master turns the floaty timeless child energy spider (I said what I said) and swipes the Doctor with it’s energy beam before collapsing. Yaz is forced to carry the Doctor back to the TARDIS like Kevin Costner in the Bodyguard. She then carries her over the threshold which I guess counts as the first Doctor Who gay marriage. The Doctor and Yaz are registered at John Lewis for anyone curious. Yaz takes everyone home like a good designated driver and later the Doctor wakes up from her blackout like “Whahappen?” She realises she’s regenerating so the Doctor takes Yaz on one last adventure- a bit of ice cream atop the TARDIS.

Whether or not you ship it, Mandip and Jodie are giving their whole ass in these scenes. I can count on my hand, maybe, the number of times we’ve seen the Doctor cry. Nine in “The End of the World.” Ten when the Master refused the regenerate. And the Eleventh Doctor when he’s pleading with Idris not to die in “The Doctor’s Wife.” It’s fitting then that the Thirteenth Doctor shed a tear for her oldest friend and semi-love interest. Both Jodie and Mandip left everything on the soundstage that day. It was a fitting goodbye for both characters. After Yaz gets dropped off, we learn that Graham and Dan have formed a sort of “friends of the Doctor,” support group. I liked this because it was more than a cute way of some great cameos (William Russell! William Russell!), but it was also an interesting take on the role of companion. Being the Doctor’s companion would leave scars, both physical and emotional.

The Doctor decides she needs to regenerate alone. She goes to Durdle Door, a picturesque vista overlooking a large body of water. She keeps her final moments short and playful, a bit like her. She tags the next Doctor in and braces for impact. Now, I know you probably all knew this was coming, but she regenerates into what BBC and Titan comics have always wanted- David Tennant. It’s always great to see Tennant, but I found myself strangely morose watching him appear. Seeing him in the trailer only compounded that feeling. Leading up to “The Power of the Doctor,” I had mostly ignored behind-the-scenes stuff other than what I saw on social media. It was a point of stress for me. But the David Tennant and Catherine Tate stuff I had absorbed a few months ago. I felt like I had gone from new Doctor Who to an older episode. But even more, I felt a tinge of regret at the state the show had gotten itself into. 

Part of me wonders what Chibnall may have done given more time and less restraint. Part of me shudders to think it, but part of me sees that his story was unfinished. What happened to Lenny Henry’s character? Who were the Division? What was up with that Irish cop? What was the weird house? What was the whole point of the Grand Serpent? Who put the universe back after the flux? Didn’t the Daleks and Cybermen get genocided by the Doctor at the end of that story? What happened to the future Master? Was he crushed in that building alongside the Cybermen? Chris Chibnall once said that no showrunner adheres to what came before them. I can see why he said that, he doesn’t even pay attention to his own stories.

Perhaps waiting til the last episode to help me square away this era was naïve. If I hadn’t enjoyed the era by then, it was pretty apparent I still wouldn’t. Maybe it was a sort of morbid Halloween Michael Meyers deal when I need to see the body to know he’ll never be back. I need to see the life leave his eyes. In hindsight, I find myself still feeling about the same, but maybe a little more open to revisiting the episodes at some point. I don’t suddenly like bad writing because it has an ending. It does, however, give perspective. It is now a definite thing. The Chibnall era has a beginning and an ending. I had fun watching the final episode, which is more than I really hoped to ask for. Regardless of how much I may or may not have softened to the show, one thing remains a constant- I can’t forgive giving a brown man up to the Nazis.

[zal-cryptid]

Patience is a character from the Doctor Who novel Cold Fusion who was the wife of the Other - one of the three founders of Time Lord society who threw themselves into the looms and was reborn as the Doctor. 

[preciousbeans]

[where-thefuck-is-the-pipis]

anyone else kinda hoping Ruth ends up not being the doctor??? Don’t get me wrong I’d love an older black woman doctor but I reeeeeally didnt like the way Ruth acted and treated 13 etc.

I’m pretty sure Chibs wouldn’t introduce the 14th doctor or anything this early but... she might be from the doc’s past?? Idk. I kind of hope it’s a “the next doctor” situation if I’m being honest.

I also like the idea of Ruth being the timeless child, in spyfall part 2, the doctor has a vision of this little girl who could possibly be Ruth

Maybe she thinks she’s the doctor for some reason? It’s probably all connected to the timeless child regardless... but in the credits it said “Introducing Jo Martin as The Doctor” so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway I’ve been having a terrible migraine for almost 10 hours now and I really shouldn’t be on my phone but also thank you chibs for jack back