#Song of Darillium

[bee11037]

"wHAt wEre ThEy dOInG fOr 24 YeARs?" each other, next question,

[cbartonscoffee]

Headcanon that River remembers Donna kindly and with appreciation (as shown in Silence in the Library) because the version of his husband she got to spend 24 years with, the one that proved to her he loved her, the face that got to see her without her shields on, the one that finally knew as much as her (or as close as they could get) was born out of the memory of Donna and everything she taught him. And the Doctor never forgets, and she tells her, they have 24 years, they get to know each other better, and the Doctor can't not talk about his best friend, the one that doesn't remember him, the most important woman in the universe

[ryan-rigby]

"And they both lived happily ever after ..."

🥹❤

My new (re) painting inspired by The Husbands of River Song, one of my favourite episodes🥹🥰

Love these two💙💙

Prints on my Etsy🧡

[capaldiera]

locking twelve in the box with missy for his own enrichment as much as hers. he needs to say on it boss o7 to an insane bisexual woman once a week or his brain will be overcome with decay. and the madness

[doctorkinktraveller]

A night that lasted twenty-four years.

[illustoryart]

That last night on Darillium 🌟

A commission illustration for this magnificent story: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43771725 by @m-a-salter 💙💙

If you want a commission from me, just DM me, I'm always happy to help! ^^

[sarcasticchaosbitch]

A friend of mine (you know who you are, you whore) told me that they had the thought of Johnny and Simon in River and the Doctor's place (specifically "you don't expect a sunset to admire you back" and pretty much every other moment of emotional torment with my favourite Doctor Who couple) and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since.

On a completely unrelated note, I need someone to help me hide a body.

[who-datgirl]

Who IS Ruby Sunday?

My head is spinning over the secret identity of 15’s companion. Ruby is only in one season as Millie Gibson, something very important will have to happen to have her only appear in 8 episodes. At first I wondered if maybe Ruby was The Master hiding in plain sight as a human. Davies confirmed recently that The Master is taking a break from the plot, so that knocked them out of the running for Ruby’s identity. I am left with one headcanon that, regardless of it winds up true or not, exists rent-free in my mind.

I believe Ruby Sunday is the child of 12 and River Song. I think during their 24 years on Darillium, River wound up pregnant. Once she realized she was carrying The Doctor’s child, she took the TARDIS while 12 was busy with something (In the Husbands of River Song special she confirms that she often steals the TARDIS with The Doctor none the wiser). River carried out her 9 months of pregnancy in secret and used the Chameleon Arch on newborn Ruby. The TARDIS then chose the coordinates that landed her at the church on Ruby Road on Christmas Eve (A clue chosen by the TARDIS for The Doctor since River and 12’s time on Darillium started on Christmas Day). River then popped the TARDIS back on Darillium mere seconds after she left and lived out her remaining happy years with The Doctor, with the truth about Ruby weighing on her heart.

Why would River do this? Simple. The TARDIS is no place to raise a newborn. The Doctor would have stopped running and settled down on Earth to raise Ruby. River knew her time was almost up, but with a child The Doctor would have continued his 24-year vacation and extended it into Ruby’s adulthood. River loves The Doctor for their gallivanting around the universe and saving countless worlds through their travels. The thought that an untold amount of stars in the sky would vanish without The Doctor’s help broke River’s heart: “Maybe The Doctor would never have travelled again” was her fear. Rather than raising Ruby out of a mix of love for Ruby and grief for River, River chose to let The Doctor’s grief of River be their fuel for saving worlds instead. Also, River figured by letting a Ruby live a human life on Earth she would get a quiet and good life that is without Daleks, Cybermen, The Yssgaroth, Weeping Angels, and all the other horrors that The Doctor and his companions deal with. For anyone interested in seeing how I imagine 15 and River’s confrontation about Ruby playing out, I will post a dialogue I wrote between them at the end of this post.

NOW, onto the little easter eggs that I have noticed so far that give credence to Ruby being River’s child:

15’s run has had a ton of talk with Ruby about family and being adopted, The Doctors biological ties are definitely a theme of the season.

Ruby’s initials are R.S. Same as River Song.

As mentioned above, Ruby is born Christmas Eve. 12 and River’s time on Darillium began Christmas Day. The TARDIS chooses coordinates that best suit a Time Lord/Time Lady when a Chameleon Arch is used. I believe The TARDIS chose that time and place as a clue for The Doctor to eventually find Ruby.

Coincidence seems to be forcing Ruby and The Doctor together. Almost as if 15 is the answer to her question about who her actual parents are.

When viewing Ruby’s memory, her hooded mother points at 15 which alters the memory. River and The Doctor’s connection has been shown to transcend laws of time and space before (I.e. 11 being able to see River on Trenzalore and even kiss her projection from the Library).

There is such a pervasive theme of music between 15 and Ruby. The Christmas special kicks this off with a fun musical number which seems innocent enough. Since then, all the talk of music has caused the words “Melody” and “Song” to come up quite a few times in the latest season. The Devil’s Chord episode to me felt like a slap in the face with deliberate wordplay. Timothy Blake begins the episode by discussing melody with Henry Arbinger (and Melody is River’s birth name). Towards the end of the episode Maestro finds “A hidden SONG” in Ruby’s soul. If she is River’s daughter that would literally be her last name.

I listened to the hidden song in Ruby’s soul that she sings before the Christmas music several times. Melodically it is quite similar to the melancholy tune “sung” by the Towers of Darillium in the “Husbands of River Song” special.

In “BOOM” the ambulance could not identify 15 properly as a life form. The ambulance had the same error when trying to identify Ruby’s next of kin.

I think if I am correct, once restored to a Time Lady Ruby gets fatally wounded and regenerates into the next season’s companion. This is why Millie Gibson is only in one season. I think Ruby lives on, just as the new actress Varada Sethu (Also Millie and Varada are both credited in next season’s first episode, perhaps we see the regeneration then?)

Is there any truth to this theory? Ultimately, that is up to Davies. As I said before, for me it will live as true in my head rent-free regardless.

As promised, my headcanon confrontation between 15 and River at the church on Ruby Road

*15 stands in front of the hooded figure on Ruby Road, demanding that she pull down her hood*

15: I know who you are! I know who Ruby is. I just have one question that I cannot understand……..*tears forming in 15’s eyes* WHY…..River…..

*The hooded figure pulls down her hood, revealing the saddened expression of Professor River Song*

River: Hello, sweetie.

15: Why River, why did you hide her away from me?!

River: Do I need to make you a list of reasons a baby on the TARDIS is a horrible idea? Traveling the way you do is no place for a child. And that was my greatest fear. I know that for you, you lost me long ago. If, if you knew we had a child. You would’ve stopped immediately. You’d do the one thing you’d never do in a million years.

15: *Angrily* What’s so —

River: You’d stop running, Doctor. You’d park your TARDIS on some corner of London. You’d sweet talk yourself into a quaint home, in some quiet city. You and her would spend years on Earth while she learns to walk, to speak. Long enough that the day would come that she’s old enough to ask why she doesn’t have a mother. I couldn’t do that, but not just to her or you. Do you have any idea how many worlds would see their final dawn if you are not around to pop in and interrupt some horrible disaster? Why, I couldn’t risk every star in the sky going out due to some mix of love for our child and grief for me!

So I did what was best for her, and best for the universe. I used the arch. I landed here. A time and place where she would grow up to be loved and to have one thing neither of us ever had, a normal life. I gave her the gift of a life free from Daleks, from collapsing stars, from the cold of space. I did that, and then I hid her time lord essence in the safest place I could, the one place you’d never go. Nine months have passed for me but for The Doctor on Darillium, I will return after a few seconds. We still have a few more years to go in the long night, and you haven’t a clue I left. You’re the smartest man I’ve known, but also the stupidest.

15: Well the universe didn’t seem to want us to be apart did it?! Coincidence pushed and pushed until I found her, or she found me, I’m not even sure which happened first. Everywhere we went together there was children, mystery, belonging, family all practically forced into my view. I was the answer to her question. Every time she asked who were real parents were, coincidence nudged my foot in her direction. It nudged and nudged until we found each other, and then the answer to her heart’s song screamed itself out in silence. I was meant to be in her life and I got there…..it, it was just the long way around.

River: In my heart I knew, if anyone could find her with no clue to go on, it would be you. I don’t regret the actions I took to hide her, but I’m so glad you are with her now. You, at least, can know her. My diary is out of pages. I don’t have any room for adventures with my daughter. You Doctor, you have all of time and space. Show it to her! If the universe doesn’t want our daughter to live a life of domestic bliss on Earth, teach her to be the Time Lady that she’s clearly meant to be. For the first time in a long while, you don’t have to be the only one of your people on the TARDIS. You finally don’t have to be alone in this universe, and for that I am so happy.

**The Doctor gently grabs River, holding her in his arms**

15: River…if I could do anything to save you, you know—

**River wipes away her tears and slowly backs away after the embrace**

River: Oh sweetie. Hush now. You and I both know how this works. We’re always rushing by each other in reverse. You have the beginning of the rest of your life with her ahead of you. Me? Well……all I have is the time with you on Darillium. I really must be getting back. Eventually you’ll stop entertaining yourself or impressively monologuing to some poor sap on that planet and notice that the TARDIS is gone. I must be back before then.

**Rivers walks into the distance, fading into the darkness of Christmas Eve night. A lone stream of light appears as she opens the 12th Doctor’s TARDIS. River takes one last look at baby Ruby on the church steps, and then one last look at 15**

River: Until next time Doctor.

15: NEXT time? Wait, River. How in Earth do you mean?

*River grins widely at The Doctor, and says one word before shutting the TARDIS door*

River: Spoilers

*15 stares a long while at the now vacant space of their former lifetime’s TARDIS until the glimmer of an idea appears in their eyes. 15 dashes to their TARDIS. 15 slows their approach as they go deeper and deeper into the halls of the space-and-time-ship until they stop at the door. This is the one door on the TARDIS they refuse to walk by, to even think about. With tears forming in their eyes, they open the door for the first time in centuries. Cautiously they walk into the bedroom that 12 and River shared in their time on Darillium. The room’s lights slowly hum on, the bed still unmade on the side River slept so her imprint can be seen in the sheets. Atop her pillow, rests a Time Lord’s pocketwatch. 15 opens it and hears the hum of a Time Lord soul. Inside it are two holographic pictures, one on each side of the watch: one of River, one of the 12th Doctor. On the bottom of the watch 15 can see something inscribed in the Gallifreyan tongue. It reads a name: Amelia Song*

[novablisters]

forever mad we didn’t get to see every adventure that river and the doctor had together I’m clawing at the walls for more river content PLEASE

[find-me-in-hell]

12 and River had the longest linear time together out of all the Doctor incarnations. Twenty Four years together and no spoilers between them. All that is in their past. Twenty Four years in domestic bliss if you will. Eight Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty Six days together. Every interaction before this could be counted on one hand. Those could all amount to less than a year. 12 had the most time with her. Yes Eleven has more TV stories, however Twelve had twenty four whole uninterrupted years. It's so bittersweet. River spends 24 years with the man she loves, this version that knows everything and has seen it all. And the Doctor knows, the next time she'll see him, he will not know her. Ten will meet the whirlwind that is Professor River Song and she will know everything about him and he will know nothing.

Their whole story is so sad. Can you imagine dying infront of a man who you love so deeply and yet he has no idea who you are? Or finding yourself falling in love with this woman who knows you less each time and who you know will die?

The realisation setting in as they arrive at The Singing Towers and knowing this is the last time they will truly know eachother wholly. The last time they will know each event in eachothers winding timeline.

River said in one episode that one day, she will meet the Doctor and he will have no idea who she is and saying that it might just kill her. Unfortunately in a way, it did.

River almost begging the Doctor to 'please tell me you know who I am' because she knows what it means for them. The way you see her face visibly fall.

Twenty Four years means nothing when you are dying and your husband doesn't know who you are, doesn't understand how important you are. How it breaks the heart so tenderly cared for.

Twenty Four years is everything when you know every other meeting prior has been mere days or weeks or at the cost of many lives. Twenty Four years is everything and more.

Twenty Four years is more than so many other people get. It's both enough time and not enough at all.

At Darillium, they knew eachother the most. But River still had one adventure left and it killed her.

[bee11037]

Sutehk watching the Doctor and River go at it for 24 years:

[viv-spn]

[doctor-who-cares]

I'm thinking of Darillium again

Like what did they do? They were there for 24 years, what did they talk about? Did he tell her he loves her? Did he see Jack when he visited River? Did he tell her that he's the reason it exists, that he insisted a restaurant be put where she always wanted to visit? When did they fix Nardole? HOW did they fix Nardole? Did they get any more visitors? Did they get married again? Did they laugh about old times? Did they hold each other for literal years? Did River know she was going to meet Ten? Could she ever be ready for the first/last time? Could he? Does he think about that day while on Darillium? Of all the things he said to her, what he will say? Does he wish he could change it? Does a small part of him, in those 24 years, wonder if he could've saved her? That he could still save her? Does he lie awake while she sleeps and thinks of possible ways to change what he knows is already done? How do they part? What could they have possibly said to each other in those last weeks, days, hours? How do you say goodbye to a piece of you? To someone so entangled in you that it seems impossible?

What did they do on Darillium?

[captain-jacks-coat]

When wind stands fair and the night is perfect, when you least expect it, but always, when you need it the most, there is a Tesco.

[doctorkinktraveller]

[expectiations]

"the Doctor has been running their whole life"

?????