#Nine Eleven Ten

[henley-reeves]

The Doctor's fascination with ordinary human beings

[fedzzzart]

Doctors💙

[regenderated]

"rank the doctors" based on what!? which one is my favourite? which one i think is objectively the best? which one is most fuckable? which one has the nicest voice? best costume? best actor? best writing?

[evviejo]

doctor who 1963-2023

[wilkoakdraws]

Inktober 2023 , The Magnus Archives Edition - prompts 9-12 ~

[numbergore]

ALGEBRALEINS.. NEW XFOHV YES!!!!

the collection grows.

[khruschevshoe]

You know what? I'm gonna say it. As someone who is asexual and on the aromantic spectrum myself, I'm a bit tired of the Doctor Who fans who all say that Donna is the best companion of Ten's just because they were best friends and nothing more and that automatically makes her the best companion of RTD and for a lot of you, the best companion overall.

Listen, I LOVE Donna. Adore her. And I also think that her friendship with the Doctor is amazing. But it has always rubbed me the wrong way that the companions who have a romantic interest in the Doctor (and let me tell you, there is textual evidence for every one of them that the feelings were reciprocated in some way) are somehow considered lesser BECAUSE of that interest. That just because they fell for the Doctor means that their relationship with the Doctor is cheapened in some way.

I personally think that just as platonic relationships should not be considered lesser than romantic ones, the same goes in reverse. Amy, Clara, Martha, Rose, River, and Yaz's feelings may have some weak writing decisions attached to them, but so does Donna.

Personally, I love Donna's character arc/the tragedy of her ending, but I've always felt a little disappointed by the fact that her becoming the DoctorDonna in Journey's End was not predicated on her strong characterization/choices (Ala Planet of the Ood/Fires of Pompeii) but by "fate" pushing it to happen. It's honestly more Dalek Caan than Donna making all that happen.

This is NOT to say that I don't love Donna, but just to say that the fact that she had no romantic feelings for the Doctor doesn't automatically catapult her above the rest. Romantic feelings can lead to just as interesting, well-developed character arcs/complicated dynamics as platonic ones can, from the creator/created reciprocated question mark wanting but unable to choose each other over everything dynamic of 11amy to the fascinating destroying each other saving each other one taking all of the emotional toll but honestly craving that prophet-god relationship of 10martha to the shaping each other making each other kinder and braver reminding each other there is hope dooming and saving each other of 9rose to the full dooming each other but running straight at it full tilt because we are purposefully ignoring the turn back now signs of 10rose to the batshit insane codependent reflecting each other refracting each other who is Orpheus and who is Eurydice of 12clara to the there was always someone else in the room keeping us apart but you somehow became my whole world and I knew you from birth to death and we will never be anything more than a shut door of 13yaz to the you doomed me and saved me and you hate me but you might have loved me once and i will spend the rest of my life devoted to you dynamics of 10jack 11river and 12river.

Every relationship is interesting and personal preference might steer you in a certain way due the character arcs/ending preferences/etc., but elevating one over the other because the companion wasn't "foolish" enough to fall in love with the mad genderfluid alien in a box who ran away with you and stole you away to the stars doesn't sit well with me. Romance doesn't cheapen a relationship just as it doesn't automatically make it the ultimate relationship, either.

[doverstar]

it struck me today that a massive part of what makes the Doctor the hero and not the villain of the show is that he actually is not a good guy. he's not good. he's terrible, and he could be really bad for the universe, but the thing that makes him the hero is that he knows what he is really like sometimes and he is actively trying to do the right thing at every opportunity and be better, so in this essay I will-

[glimmette]

Whiteboard doodles of the Algebraliens! (made in preparation for the upcoming 2,763 short)

[ghost-bison]

<3 family picture <3

[thedisdainfullysilentvisitor]

What made you start watching Doctor Who?

[henley-reeves]

The Doctor + speeches

[khruschevshoe]

You know I'm starting to realize that my basis for my favorite Doctor Who pairings is people who change/affect each other on a fundamental level, character arcs entwined with each other's in some rather impossible (and often in both hopeful and tragic ways) and that's why although I like TenRose well enough, I ADORE NineRose (and NineRoseJack, under the same parameters). I will ship some version of TenMartha forever. TwelveMissy is my beloved. Even ElevenAmyRory functions somewhat under that same umbrella.

The trick is just that the change has to go both ways, so ElevenRiver and Thasmin (though both have their merits) just never vibed for me PERSONALLY.* River and Yaz were both changed on a fundamental level by their Doctors, but their Doctors didn't always seem to be changed fundamentally in return. Like, clearly, canonically, Eleven and Thirteen both loved River and Yaz respectively, but their character arcs and growth and/or devolution at characters were not inextricably linked by other's influence on their life.

*This is an extremely subjective opinion. Not trying to start any flame wars. Just my take on things.