#i love jodie and i love thirteen so much but god are some of her episodes dull

[cloysterbell]

So I'm an RTD girlie who gave up on doctor who somewhere in the moffat era before chibnall even took over and so I've missed all of thirteen's tenure. I don't have it in me to watch all of her seasons at this moment in time but I LOVE Jodie and your gifs look so compelling.

Would you be able to recommend your top 5 episodes with 13 or something so I can rectify the error of my ways, at least a little bit?

Hmmmmmmm I would say that for a complete Thirteen novice you should watch:

The Woman Who Fell to Earth

It Takes You Away

Spyfall pts 1 & 2

The Haunting of Villa Diodati

And probably Fugitive of the Judoon and The Timeless Children just because those are very important series lore episodes that are important to watch even if you very much disagree with most of the choices that Chibnall made

Also probably The Power of the Doctor so you can watch Thirteen's full regeneration episode (and Jacob Anderson <3)

[davidtennantgenderenvy]

Things That Happened At Dallas Fan Expo Day One (P2)

I kept waving my bi flag at people when I liked their cosplays Lauren your autism is showing Jodie Whittaker called me darling oh my gosh she’s precious

I asked her what advice Thirteen and Beth would give each other! She said “never give up hope” and “cherish every moment you get” and I also complimented her on her singing which made her very happy

My first meeting with David was team photo op with Jodie and the second I saw him I kind of collapsed a bit a the next thing I knew he was kind of catching me and holding both my hands and looking me directly in the eyes just beaming down on me the kindest, crinkliest, most sincere smile I’ve seen in my entire life and for all of 20 seconds I felt like the specialest person on the face of the planet

at some point I said “hi I’m Merlin’s girlfriend!!!” And he’s like “oh that’s wonderful!” and then this absolute dork just says “WELL DONE TEAM” David Tennant the man shaped being you are

it was so fun after the photo was taken seeing other people who were doing and about to do the same thing and also going insane and being like “I KNOW RIGHT” like the effect he has on people is unparalleled

met a few tumblr mutuals and people who’ve seen the video essay which was just so cool, thank you so much to everyone i got to see!

things started to go a bit downhill around late afternoon, David’s stuff got incredibly behind which resulted in Jodie’s solo op being incredibly behind, luckily there were loads of lovely nerds to chat with like I’ve never been in a room where this many people are this insane about the same dude

when we FINALLY got in line for David’s autograph he took forever to show up and god bless his poor sweet heart I have no clue how he ever got through all of those people there had to be like a thousand, all of whom stayed after the con had technically closed just to see him. Unfortunately he really couldn’t take his time like he wanted to which meant the questions I had meticulously planned ended up being completely useless and when it was my turn I was a stammering bedraggled mess and the poor thing was too confused to say more than two words at a time and then before I could ask him anything else I was shooed away before I even could process it happened

obviously I was very sadwetpathetic afterwards and my feet were KILLING ME but it’s okay, I get another shot tomorrow! And of course I have to commend David for his incomparable generosity, he is a DIAMOND for staying so long even after the con closed to make sure everyone could get what they paid for.

oh and I kissed my boyfriend for the first time :))) @elsinore-and-inverness

[thewanderingace]

I have finally watched The Flux!!

God it took me ages to get through Thirteen's episodes. Some were good but overall I was bored a lot so it took me ages to get through season 11 and 12. But I just watched the last episode of the Flux tonight and now I'm going to randomly share my disconnected thoughts about it on this post.

Okay so overall I think I enjoyed this season! Which surprised me. I was so prepared to hate it after all the hate for the Flux I've seen on Tumblr or be super bored like I am with a lot of Chibnall's episodes but while it isn't my favorite thing I do think it was 13's best season. I didn't think I'd enjoy the Flux if I'm honest. Everything I read about it sounded dumb or confusing and yeah I'm still a bit confused by some stuff that was just not addressed but this isn't the first time the whole universe (or massive parts of it) have been wiped out so it's not exactly a new concept for the Doctor. But the connection with her and her past is new and I'm intrigued by it if I'm honest. And it gave Jodie some great stuff to work with. She was so good in this season. Way better than the previous two seasons just because she had a lot more to work with writing wise.

The individual plots for each episode are really good and kept my attention. I've loved the plot of the Sontarans waging war through time, the Lupari and their species bond with humanity, the whole thing with the Mouri, Swarm and Azure were cool villains, the star crossed lovers Vinder and Bel trying to find each other, the Weeping Angels taking a whole village, Dan and Yaz living 3 years in the early 1900s and doing Indiana Jones type of stuff. I even enjoyed the Division and the Flux plot.

Now while I overall liked all that, I still feel unsatisfied because there were a lot of potentially great stories but they were all crammed together into 6 episodes and none of them had time to be fleshed out properly and some of them didn't connect well and trying to follow it all was SO HARD. There's so much going on and so many seemingly unrelated plots happening all at once that it's so hard to keep track of. And I'm watching all these episodes back to back immediately after one another. I can't even imagine trying to keep up when this aired one a week. I'd be lost. I think this would have been amazing if they had gotten a full season and didn't have to cram it all into just 6 episodes. (this is why I'm worried about the new season coming which is only gonna have 8 episodes. DW needs more than 8 episodes)

I adore Dan by the way. I loved him from his first scene and every second after has just been lovely. He's super sweet and I love his accent and that he's apparently so selfless that he'd rather give all his food to others than have any for himself. He's taking all this alien stuff so well too. He just got kidnapped by a giant dog and hasn't had a moments break since but he's cool. I like him best out of all of 13's companions so far. Too bad he barely had any episodes. That's a shame. Looking forward to watching these last 3 episodes with him though.

Vinder and Bel? I LOVE THEM BOTH!!!!! Talk about star crossed lovers! I'd watch a whole show just about those two.

Dan and Yaz living for three years in the early 1900s?? I WANT TO LEARN MORE!!!! How did they get out of the village that was surrounded by space? Why was it surrounded by space? Dan as the stowaway is hilarious and has to sleep under the bed in the ship XD.

Chibnall throwing every recurring species he can think of was nuts but in a fun way. Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen, Ood, Weeping Angels, etc.

Kinda lame that Tecteun was just taken out so easily. I wanted the Doctor to do it in a very Doctor way. Like what 10 did to the Family of Blood ya know?

And that's all I got for now. 3 more episodes to go for 13's run!

[jokerlennon]

gonna do some chibnall haterism bc I think you’d understand: the 13th Doctor era obviously didn’t deserve all the misogynistic backlash and “Doctor who has gone woke” or “Nurse Who” stuff. And there are things about it I absolutely enjoy and I do get that there was a lot of love put into the era. but after series 12 I watched myself like. fall out of love with 13 because I realized how mediocre, undercooked and conservative her era was. I hate sounding like the dudebros who said she ruined/killed the show when I agree that I’m not 13’s biggest fan (she didn’t kill the show, quite obviously) but to me 13 never got the stories she deserved.

Realizing I liked the idea of the 13th Doctor more than the 13th Doctor we got was heartbreaking. (And I then can at least engage with the idea of her unlike conservative dudebros. God I hope Jodie does Big Finish.)

god yeah i absolutely get it part of me feels so bad when i complain bc i do like thirteen whenever she gets to be weird and alien and an inventor eating dirt being excited etc like that's a joy to witness i do like her as a concept!! but the episodes themselves are so stunningly mediocre.. it's not even that all of them are objectively terrible (some of them defintiely are jesus christ but that's what episodic scifi tv is like it's not like if it's just a constant barrage of one godawful thing after the other) there's just something missing from them yknow... i saw an improvement in s12 but s11 was basically disappointment after disappointment with. like. two highlights. the companions and their relationships to each other & especially the doctor are so underexplored which is an enornous contrast to the past 10+ years.. like i cant rlly speak for classic who yet but nuwho is very much About The Characters and if the doctor has basically no relationship to their companion then what am i here for. the story? most if not all of these stories i wouldnt watch if it wasn't doctor who honestly. at least im seeing some character development now but it took so long....

[queerestqueertoeverqueer]

11, 17, 18

Didn't do the biggest fandom disappointment, ik what that'd be :(

hello :D 11. Biggest squee moments of the year (For ye youths who no longer use such awesome terminology, that means the fandom moments that made your heart cry out in overwhelming joy. Can y’all believe that “squee” didn’t quite stand the test of time??) exactly (well, nearly) one year ago!!! yasmin "i've never told anyone" khan!!!!!! holy shit!!!!!?!! i had hoped and hoped for so long i never thought they'd actually Go There and they DID and i will never ever be over it. also, the entirety of LotSD; thirteen being not only open but also flirty???? dear GOD. yaz carrying the doctor speaks for itself. "she is loved"/"i have loved being with you, yaz" that is a doctor/companion "i love you" if i ever heard one !!!!! also That Outfit on both sacha and jodie. and rasputin. i could keep going, but those are my highlights 17. Your fictional true love of the year if it wasn't apparent from the previous answer hjfsdhjhjfds. i mean, thirteen as usual for the last few years lol, but also like i love yaz so so so much. ofc i always did, but this year (i mean i'm including flux with this even though it was last year, holy shit i didn't realise how long ago that was, but anyway i only properly processed flux this year tbh) she has grown So Much and i would literally die for her. so both of them <3

18. Fandom that you never expected to get into help, i'm struggling to think of anything non-dw related rn 😭😭 have i joined any new fandoms this year? i mean this is my first year on tumblr so by default i have some fandom-in-laws through moots lmao. i'll update this if i think of anything, but i really cannot rn djhdhjfhjfd

[strangesmallbard]

i’m still landing in two different minds about the finale re: thasmin:

1) sometimes the most true ending for characters isn’t the happiest, and i can say with full confidence that thirteen/yaz completed their arcs exquisitely. yaz became all she wanted to become when she met thirteen, and parted ways knowing she loved and was loved. she also refused to say goodbye, giving their parting such a tragic edge. if she stayed with thirteen, it would be goodbye. it would break them both, so yaz allows thirteen to leave her her once more, knowing it’s incomplete, but not abandoned—not like before. she’s alive, well, as strong as she knows, and surrounded by friends who will always understand.

meanwhile, (and this is more-so an interpretation of events) thirteen thinks with her very stupid hearts that sparing yaz her regeneration will spare her pain. same with not consummating a romantic relationship in any way. it’s so deeply tragic because thirteen was there, she was ready to open herself up again, but now her story is over. but god, is she loved. god, did she love. she didn’t want her parting with yaz to hurt. she didn’t want the next doctor to be born in heartache, like she was. and of course, she’s stupid! just communicate, doctor! come on, kiss the girl. god it’s tragic. i love it so much.

2) we all know that mainstream tv (like the bbc) has a terrible habit of queerbaiting. i still wouldn’t call thasmin a cut-and-dry case, but i’m aware that certain parties hold a vested interest in appealing to cishet fans of dw and keeping the show child-friendly. thasmin smooching would not make the show any less child-friendly, but likely some analyst crunched homophobic numbers and decided well, don’t make it too explicit. toe the line.

i am conjecturing, but i also know how these things go. it’s so tired, and i’m tired. i want the story above to be the true story, but likely all the glorious tragedy i enjoy about thasmin is also a weird vestige of ye olde censorship. i want to enjoy the unspoken, tender nature of thasmin, but i think they needed a strong verbal confirmation and some smooching. there is still doubt, and in this landscape, there shouldn’t be any.

the least lgbt people can have is some smooching on television, and even that’s a battle. i’m tired of vague salutes and dancing around terms. i love yaz’s coming out arc and feel its authenticity in my very bones, but i want more words said out loud about it. all that being said, thasmin will always be a fan product and fan-loved. (and loved by jodie/mandip + chosen by chibnall, which is no small thing.) anyway tl;dr i’m going to keep making characters smooch whether networks want me to or not, it’s my god given right, etc

[ins0mnia-an0nym0us-au]

i just really need Jodie Whittaker to know that most of us know that it wasn’t her that made her seasons of Doctor Who tank - it was the absolute shit writing from Chibnall

idc if you liked the new seasons or not - the metrics speak for themselves. 

a large majority of viewers did not like it. a very small amount of them were the sexist ones. but most doctor who fans are actually very forward thinking about the whole gender of the doctor. what they didn’t like was the writing

the fact that Chibnall came in with Jodie’s first season & said that there would be nothing from the previous seasons/iterations of Doctor Who (villains/companions/etc) was dooming it from the beginning because New Who has been nothing but based on Old Who & banking on the old fans to come back & bring new fans with them

so much so that Chibnall had to reverse it so fucking fast they brought Daleks back in the Christmas special 

Jodie’s second season got better but only a few episodes. i also noticed this. it was incredibly strange. it felt like they filmed the episodes that were essential to the seasons plot & then read the fans feedback that they wanted more random adventures & scrambled to film more episodes to address some of the feedback & then shoved them in every other episode. it made those episodes feel completely out of place against the other ones

some of the episodes never even showed the TARDIS or them arriving with it - which made it feel incredibly weird. i’m sure that some other (new) Doctor Who seasons had episodes like that but never so many all jammed together that i can remember

not to mention the very controversial episode Fugitive of the Judoon which now rewrites Old Who lore/canon. which a lot of old fans aren’t okay with. personally i don’t mind it. what i didn’t like was the fact that they technically took the mantle of being the first female doctor from Jodie??? like??? was that really necessary??? don’t get me wrong. the actress - Jo Martin was great & the chemistry between the two was phenomenal but like??? really???

the most current season has been much better in my opinion but it’s too little too late. Jodie has said she’s leaving. Chibnall is going as well (thank god) but we didn’t get from this season what i was hoping for -

a scene with the level of Matt Smith’s rage, sorrow & happiness during A Good Man Goes to War or something like Peter Capaldi’s epic performance during Heaven Sent or maybe a two-parter as tense & heartbreaking as David Tennant’s - Human Nature & The Family of Blood. i’d even have taken a moment similar to the Christopher Eccleston episode The Doctor Dances where “Just this once - everybody lives”

but there hasn’t been a single moment during these seasons where i’ve been brought to tears or moved emotionally like the past doctors have done. Thirteen has made me smile & yes i have laughed. but a good story can do both & it can tell you the difference between right & wrong without pointing at the bad & going “see. see that right there. bad. we bad humans need to stop. so bad.” which is exactly what Chibnall did during most of his run

most people watch sci-fi or fantasy as a form of escapism from daily life. this doesn’t mean it can’t have some form of message in it. but that does mean you have to be more careful with how you deliver it. because otherwise people won’t digest it well - hell they won’t even swallow it. they’ll just spit it right out & call it propaganda. that’s the difference between good writing & bad writing. getting people to empathize with your point of view without them even realizing it.

but anyway. i’ve ranted long enough! TLDR -

REBLOG THIS if you NEED Jodie to know that WE KNOW it wasn’t her

also that we would love for her to stay on for another season if she’s up for it now that they have a new head writer planned. because i’ve watched Broadchurch - she has the range. they just never gave her the chance

[lord-radish]

Just finished Power of the Doctor.

I cried by the end. I cried.

---

I already miss Thirteen so much.

I have such mixed feelings on Chibnall's run. I wanted him to bring it back out of the wanky "Epic" feel of the Unstoppable Doctor Who Makes Grand Monologuing Speeches About How Great He Is era of the show (commonly shortened to the "Moffat Era"). And he did do that, and he made some great episodes all the same. I honestly really applaud series 11 for trying something new, and y'all can miss me with that hater shit about the P'Ting and the Stenza. I had some great Tumblr conversations due to that season too. Demons of the Punjab was the one episode since the 50th anniversary special that I liked the most of this show, and the Village of the Angels was at the exact same level.

But at the same time, Christ - Orphan 57 or whatever? Arachnids in the UK? The complete, flummoxing failure of the Flux? I've turned on Chibnall pretty hard. But I never once turned on Jodie Whitaker's Doctor, because she CARRIED this run through thick and thin - her and Mandip Gill, who I PRAY gets a career blow-up out of this.

Thirteen was such a good Doctor. Behind Ten - and yeah, I know Ten is a total normie pick - Thirteen was my favorite Doctor ever, on the strength of Jodie Whitaker's performance.

And that's why I fucking miss her already. She was so good.

Russell T. Davies was a dream pick for the new showrunner, and we'll never get a Thirteen episode penned by him or showran by him. I'm glad to have him back, but my god, I want my cake and I want to eat it too. Just like Yaz at the end there, I suppose.

I wasn't sure I was gonna like Tennant returning - which I was spoiled for due to filming leaks, though I also saw a gif of his first scene at the end of the episode and that bugged me. But that scene was stupidly well-acted???? I'm actually that much more on-board than I expected. I'm looking forward to the specials.

The one nitpick I had is that I was hoping Thirteen and Yasmin would have one kiss. Again, cake and the eating thereof. I get why they didn't, and there was a callback to the Sea Devils episode so like I get it, but man.

This episode was like the 50th anniversary special, in that for all of my cynicism and jadedness about this run of the show, I bought into it wholesale. Sasha Dhawan's Master was a fucking delight, as always. Giggling nerdboy psycho? Very well done. Rasputin? Indescribable. It was so well-acted.

And the plot?! Fuckin, forcing the Doctor to regenerate into the Master, and then using the Cyber-Masters to reverse the effect? Poetic fucking cinema. Hoisted by his own petard, excellent. Paying off the end of series 12, perfect.

Bit sad about the traitor Dalek - which once again, was a total highlight. This episode came together indescribably well. I was worried when I saw Chibnall was the sole writer, but by gum he held this special together tooth and claw and it owned.

The classic rep felt fantastic, though I'm not a Classic fan. I'm Modern through and through, with respect and love to the classic series and the fans of which. I can only hope those small Doctor moments with Tegan and Ace resonated with the classic crowd as much as I enjoyed them.

One last nitpick, Dan didn't come back and save the day. I was hoping for a sneaky Dan comeback. But I think the end scene with the support group was a fantastic touch, not just for Dan to close out his run but to have that last push of classic series representation.

Jodie Whitaker deserved better - when Chibnall was good, he was on fire. I like his great episodes more than most of Moffat's episodes during his turn as showrunner. I adored Thirteen, I adored Jodie Whitaker's chemistry with Mandip Gill. I adore her tinkerer characterisation, the love of learning and of giving other people that Eureka moment. I wasn't happy when the show made her more closed off and brooding - I got it, but until this episode I felt like she had such a hard time letting other people in and it really bothered me. And yet she was always a highlight of this show, her character and Jodie Whitaker's performance.

I will never not rep Thirteen. She was fan-fucking-tastic. And I already miss her so much.

Best episode of Chibnall's run. One of the best episodes of the revival, period. He messed up the run and snapped the pole, but he cleared the long jump and nailed the landing.

[isagrimorie]

[initial reactions] Doctor Who - Revolution of the Daleks

TLDR: I liked it! But I do have some nitpicks. But bottom line, I liked it! Especially the exit! 

Apologies going in, if it’s rambling and incoherent.

First off, I’m going to get my criticisms out of the way:

- They really need to hire these two people:

a) Sensitivity readers

b) They need to have people of color in charge of casting. Andy Pryor has done a great job casting people but. Since they opened up casting more actors of color to be more diverse... most people in guest roles die. So it ends up being Not A Great Look.

It’s the kind of breezy: We’re hiring more actors of color without really considering the optics of it. Colorblind casting in this way shouldn’t be colorblind. More diversity behind the scenes is needed, especially in casting.

Colorblind casting isn’t representation. Execs have to consider how it looks that a black man is helping create ‘Security Drones’ for the government.

c) I get why Jack Robertson lived, and I’m actually okay with it because I know Chibbs is going somewhere and he’s interconnecting Specials to be their own kind of continuity, so next Special or series we will have Robertson appearing. But I can’t believe the Doctor believed Robertson. Unless she’s really learned from not interfering with politics, but man I wish there’s more vindication to that. I do have a sense of where this is going though, more on that later.  

d) I wish they’d gone harder with the Dalek = Police thing.

e) I really kind of wish the Doctor escaped on her own.

And now for my thoughts and the happy!

RYAN! I LOVE RYAN. I LOVE RYAN BEING EMOTIONALLY MATURE AND PUSHING BACK ON THE DOCTOR. It felt... earned that they do and, Ryan’s always been the more hesitant of the three and the more grounded. I love that it’s Ryan that the Doctor confided in, I’ve always felt like Ryan was the one Thirteen connected to the most after Grace died. And I love his development, ever since Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos Ryan is the first to quote the Doctor back to herself from the guns rule and now here to ‘New can be scary’, reminding the Doctor of her own words.

But also, I love that Ryan felt more connected to Earth, with his friends. Yaz was always the one who looks to the horizon. I like that Ryan pushed back on the smokescreen the Doctor tried to put up. Ryan was tired of the smokescreen. He had 10 months to work on his feelings about it and realized... he liked being home.

I wish we saw more what they were doing at home, like what Chibnall wrote for the Ponds in Power of Three. I did see this was his arc he was building to.

I liked that Graham was torn but eventually his loyalties are with Ryan.

I honestly think the fam thought the Doctor was just gone for a week, her time.

Also: FINALLY A COMPANION EXIT WHERE THEY’RE THE ONES WHO WALK AWAY. And because it’s time.

NO MORE TRAPPED IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE OR DYING OR BEING CONVERTED PLEASE. Anyway, that is why I was vindicated because I was getting pretty antsy at all the twitter posts almost gleeful at the thought of companion death.

Nope. No more please. No more world ending, universe ending, heartbreaking ends. I want a Jo Grant walk away, and that is what happened. (Er, I hope we don’t get a Tegan leaving from Yaz, though. Sad and disillusioned walk away).

Yaz. Oh, dear, Yaz, who seems to have tossed her career away running after the Doctor’s shining star. I loved her conversation with Jack, he was a nice contrast and sounding board. Also, Jack was much kinder to the Doctor because they didn’t miss each other, the Doctor (according to RTD’s retcon) deliberately left Jack on Satellite Five.

Yaz is willing to run and jump without looking because of the Doctor and I love that we got her feelings about this.

And, of course, the Doctor. The moment Ryan said she missed 10 months, I felt she knew the clock was ticking on her ‘fam’. She’s trying to be good to them and do right by them.

(The Doctor knows Ryan’s ready to leave, she knew it. She’s trying to be in denial about it. But she knows).

It’s a small detail but when she processed the ‘ten months’ bit, she quickly looked to Ryan. Because if it’s one of the subtext things around is that she wanted to be a better father to Ryan than his real dad. But she still skipped out on him unknowingly.

The way he just brushed it off, because the worst part is. Ryan is used to it.

It’s sad that the Doctor opening up to the fam was brought on after a decades’ long solitary, and probably a promise to be better. But, she calculated wrong, or the TARDIS deliberately chose to go to that time. Whatever the case, just when she’s opening up to them is when Ryan decided his time with the Doctor was at an end.

God, the moment when Thirteen said: “Mostly... angry.”

I felt this. hard.

I think it was @ssaalexblake​ who mentioned that Thirteen acknowledging she’s angry might help with all of Thirteen’s repressed anger issues. And I think these are baby steps towards that.

She’s actually been so angry for so long, but she kept pushing it down. Like I said, Thirteen, in a way, reminds me of Raylan Givens of Justified. People think he’s mild mannered, but as his ex-wife amicably opined, Raylan was the angriest man she knew.

And I feel this for this Doctor but at least, now she’s addressing it. The first step in fixing a problem, is identifying the problem.

This was made in 2019. Thirteen being in a repeating lockdown felt very 2020 to me. The things that made me go: Oof, was the Harry Potter thing, the Doctor’s always loved HP. Unfortunately it’s post-2020 hindsight where we go: whoof.

I love Thirteen still mouthing off and being obnoxious towards other Doctor Who baddies. The Weeping Angel thing is cool and so are the Silents. BUT ALSO THE DOCTOR CALLED THE P’TING TINY! AND SHE TRIED TO EAT THE PRISON BARS. 

And then, of course, being more obnoxious with the Daleks. It’s pretty clear the difference in rawness of the Doctor’s feelings for the Daleks and the Cybermen. The Daleks’s an old ember. Her feelings for them are ice cold. A purity of feeling. The Daleks are evil and she has no compunction on killing them, the Cybermen? More personal and a raw nerve.

She’s willing to be cold towards the Daleks. 

I really like that Yaz has more skin in the game, and she knows what she can lose now. And after her talking with Jack, after seeing his perspective on it, and from his words knows that sometimes the Doctor just disappears from people’s lives.

And I love the pushback:

Skewered.

But true because she is trying to stay still and be with the fam and not leave them. But the unfortunate truth is, the Doctor does run away, and the Doctor does leave people behind and a lot of the times, the Doctor doesn’t come back because they’re an emotional coward.

The thing about Thirteen is she’s probably the longest of the Doctors to not disappoint her companions. She’s always managed to stop bad guys and always been there for them.  It’s an impressive track record for the Doctor. She’s built herself up in their eyes as someone they can rely on, and then she failed them by not getting back to them in time.

It’s not her fault, and none of them know how long it’s been for the Doctor, by the way she’s asked them I feel like they think she’s only been gone for a week.

Honestly, I’m impressed how the Doctor didn’t make it about her -- being in prison for longer than they thought. She’s looking at it from their point of view, because she already knows what big leaps in time would affect her friends.

TBH Revolution of the Daleks felt like shades of Last Christmas in that the Doctor regretted missing out time with her companion/s. In Last Christmas, the Doctor got his time back with Clara, in RotD, time passed.

Back to the Doctor and the Daleks tho.

This reminded of Twelve’s: “You are monsters. That is the role you seem determined to play. So it seems I must play mine. The Man that stops the Monsters.”

(Look, Chibnall’s Moffat references aren’t as sledgehammer, but he does reference a lot of Moffat’s things.).

Except with Thirteen, I’m actually more terrified. Jodie does this thing where her eyes goes black and she kind of disappears into herself, this is what happened here. This promise isn’t actually good IMO.

This is not a comforting face. This is a ‘I’m gonna kill a whole boatload of Daleks face and I’m not sorry, in fact I might enjoy doing that’ face.

(And, a brief aside to Robertson, I feel like the Specials have their own kind of special ‘movie’ continuity and more of his story will play out in the Specials, where hopefully he will get his comeuppance because, to me, I feel that’s where it’s going. This is more groundwork laying.

I don’t like it when the Doctor interferes with Human affairs, especially government -- because look what happened with Harriet Jones and how the Doctor broke the Golden Age. Also, I don’t want real world leaders to exist in the Whoverse because I want them to have a completely different track from us. So. Yeah, New Year’s Specials have their ongoing storyline. I’m actually not mad about it, and I enjoy Mr. Big’s performance. He’s a sleezeball. A sleezeball that knows more now. (He isn’t T rump but he isn’t better either). At least I find him enjoyable and not outright offensive. I’m okay seeing him again for the next Specials. I hope next time he does get his comeuppance.)

Now, the goodbyes:

 The HUG.

We’ve been waiting for the Doctor to be more physically affectionate with the fam, and it took the Doctor being locked down for decades (maybe?), and Ryan and Graham leaving for her to hug them. And we’re all right, Thirteen gives great hugs.

The feeling Thirteen’s been running away from is here, sadness. It’s good that Yaz decided to stay other wise... she’s just going to run headlong into forgetting her problems, Doctor Style.

And again, learning and re-learning things: ‘It’s okay to be sad.’

Oh, Thirteen.

(Before Twelve, I don’t think I was this sympathetic to the Doctor -- no wait, I was with Nine. Ten and Eleven tested my patience but it’s with Twelve and Thirteen where I’m 100% invested in the Doctor.

I also love that they’re kind of soft touching the Timeless Child thing, and as someone on twitter mentioned, this feels like an examination of an adoption story. The Doctor is going to search for their identity, their home).

I honestly wish Jack stayed in the TARDIS with Thirteen and Yaz. Jack’s a great balance, especially pushing back at the Doctor and her tactics. Her NUCLEAR tactics. I am glad that the Doctor’s still a dick to Jack, not much of an asshole as they were when the Doctor was Ten but still a dick.

Also, one thing I really love about Barrowman is that when he’s in Doctor Who, he knows it’s not his show and he doesn’t showboat, and the man can showboat. 

I’d rather Jack than random guy that I didn’t even know was gonna happen until very late.

Anyway, TLDR to all this: I enjoyed this very much! Still a lot to be parsed through in things that needs to be parsed through as I mentioned, but on the whole? I loved it.

[sylvanfreckles]

Confession (Comfortember 2021)

By Love Overcome

After the terrible ritual that made him human, Castiel is trying to adjust to life in the bunker. Thankfully, he has his friends and family to help along the way.

(This is a direct sequel to By Grace Undone, from Whumptober 2021. You can catch it on Tumblr or AO3 if you want to catch up!)

(A little more angsty here. I know what I said, but what else can you do with "confession" in a fic like this?)

Chapter Thirteen: "We'll get through this. All three of us."

“I love you…good-bye, Dean.”

Dean scrubbed a hand over his face and focused back on the task at hand. There wasn’t time for that now, not when Cas had woken up this morning with a fever from a couple of the burns pulling open after yesterday. Yesterday, when they’d pushed Cas to take a few, uncertain steps on his own down the hall (holding onto the railing the whole time), in some half-assed attempt to help him get a little more mobility. Or something. Something like that.

God, how was he even supposed to respond to that? There hadn’t been time before the Empty had come, and now….

No. It wasn’t that he…didn’t feel the same. Couldn’t feel the same. Nothing like that. If he was honest with himself, if he really looked inside and considered it and looked back on all the years…but it just wasn’t right. Ever since they’d met, Cas had been used by one person or another. Whether it was the other angels, or the Winchesters themselves. Seemed he’d always at somebody’s beck and call, never with his own autonomy.

And when he was on his own, he made a royal mess of things.

Dean tried to shake that treacherous thought away as he stacked clean bandages and antiseptic in the basin he was carrying. The old bitterness was still there sometimes, even though he knew it had all been his doing. He’d spent so much time seeing Cas as this unmovable, unflinching force of nature that it had taken years for him to even consider that the angel might be really, permanently hurt. Manipulated. Abused. Even being dragged back to Bible camp for discipline, at the time he’d thought it’d just made Cas a dick again, but looking back? Remembering the set of his friend’s shoulders, the way he didn’t just pop in and out for weeks? How had he not seen?

And Cas forgave them every time, with that hint of gratitude like their apologies meantsomething. Like they wouldn’t break his heart, betray his trust, use him again and again.

While it was true that now could be a time to start over, Dean wasn’t willing to just forget the past. He had a lot to make up for.

Starting here. He gently slipped into Cas’s room to find his brother sitting worriedly beside the bed. Sam met his gaze, concern etched in his features. “There are more of those specks, Dean.”

Dean’s stomach dropped. He’d never forget seeing Sammy pull a tiny fragment of a feather out of the swirling burns on Cas’s back; a tiny fragment that was turning to dust as it hit the air.

Cas’s wings. They’d burned with his grace, and somehow contaminated the wounds on his back.

He heaved out a sigh and set the basin on the bed, sitting beside it close enough that his hip just brushed Cas’s. The dark-haired man was on his stomach, either sleeping off the fever or unconscious from pain, his wounds exposed so the brothers could tend to them. “I don’t know if we’re doing enough,” he confessed in a voice barely above a whisper. “He’s been through so much, and we just….”

“Hey,” Sam’s hand was firm on his wrist. “One day at a time. He says the fragments won’t hurt him, they’re just…it’s awful.”

Yeah, Dean nodded. Even damaged, Cas’s wings had been impressive. Seeing them reduced this much…seeing Cas reduced this much…it wasn’t fair.

Sam had leaned up into his space, one hand on the back of Dean’s neck. “I mean it,” he said, squeezing just a little as though he could squeeze the belief into Dean. “We’ll get through this. All three of us.”

“Four,” Dean whispered, thinking of Eileen claiming her place on the new couch.

“Ten if you count Jody and the girls,” Sam added with a grin.

“And Garth.”

That actually brought a chuckle from Sam. “Yeah…once Garth finds out he’ll probably move the whole family here, just to help take care of Cas.”

To his surprise, Dean didn’t hate that idea.

Hell, maybe it was time to open the bunker. Invite other hunters in. Make it a real home, a real refuge.

But not tonight. He sighed again as he turned to the contents of the basin. “Wanna help me with Mr. Comatose here?”

“Always, Dean. Whatever it takes.”

[tanoraqui]

8, Doctor Who

[ask meme]

8. Less an elaboration upon the text and more a critical response to the text

ok this isn’t a headcanon at all because it’s actually CANON motherfuckers, but the thing that truly delights and frankly impresses me about the s12 finale is how, between the female Thirteenth Doctor, the POC Master, WOC Ruth!Doctor, and the many many many regenerations shown, of every race and presenting-gender, I honestly forgot for a moment, for just a glorious moment, that the previous 12 regenerations had been white men. And when I remembered, it was so easy to see that as a random anomaly. Like! Wow!! Chris Chibnall! I don’t know if that’s what he meant to do but you know what, it must’ve been part of it, because all that casting was fucking DELIBERATE. And it was SO GOOD. I’m ECSTATIC. I hope to god it’s followed up on, because Jodie Whittaker’s casting was exciting from the outside, obviously, but in the show, for the character, it was...I was worried, you know? How they’d write her? Because I loved Missy’s character and plot arc as a fan of the Master, but not so much from a feminist POV - and no matter what, it was going to be hard! Because this was the first woman, which means, because society is terrible, she’s representative of all women! Same has gone for Sasha Dwahan’s fantastic Master - you have to doublethink everything; it’s terrible!

But Thirteen has just been the Doctor and it’s been great, and with Ruth!Doctor, all those kids - sorry, that one kid - regenerating time and again as they grew up...it feel so natural for the next Doctor to be dark-skinned, or a woman, or nonbinary, or (reluctantly) even a white man again I guess. Because it’s the Doctor, it’s all the Doctor, and they’re timeless.

That said, give me more psychic Time Lords 24/7 please and thank you; also, I firmly believe that the Doctor pulls off 90% of improbable shit because she can see ghosts of immediate events in branching timelines at all times, further forward or also backwards if she focuses. Everything she says about the taste of the air or dirt or whatever upon arriving in a new time and place is nonsense; a Time Lord with sufficient attunement to the Time Vortex can simply tell the same way some humans have a good innate sense of direction, or possibly it’s more like balance. 

[serendipitous-posts]

Doctor Who Q&A!

Who is your Doctor?

Matt Smith! Funny story about him actually-he was the first doctor I ever watched-it was Time of the Angels, but at the time I watched that episode, Matt Smith’s run was over. I went back and watched Nine and Ten, and then rewatched Eleven before hitting Twelve up. Eleven has always had a special place in my heart

Your favourite Doctor?

Funnily enough, Twelve. He faintly edges out Eleven in this regard. I think I just really enjoy his humour, dry and sarcastic, and the character arc of wondering whether he’s a good person or not really spoke to me. Yeah, stinky eyebrow man wins in this regard

Least favourite Doctor?

Either Nine or Thirteen? I found Nine to be somewhat boring, I liked his humour, but most of the time was spent setting up his backstory, or that weird romance thing with Rose, and since romance has never interested me, except in certain areas *shrugs*

Thirteen isn’t anything to do with Jodie Whittaker, it’s just that the best moments of Doctor Who are when the Doctor is sad, or vulnerable or angry. The Oncoming Storm is a big part of it all. And it seems that she never really has the oppurtunity to be emotional in this yet. That’s the scriptwriters fault, not hers, and I’m happy they’re starting to change it with the new season.

Best regeneration?

Oh god, that’s actually a tie between Ten, Eleven and Twelve for me

Ten dies alone and it is awful. His last lines brought me to tears, and there’s something so sad about him being killed protecting one of his friends. 

Eleven had me sobbing. Out of the three, he’s the only one who met this whole thing with acceptance, and he’s the only one to not be alone when it happens. His was the nicest out of the three, but because he was MY Doctor, I was bawling like a baby. When Amy appeared I  b r  o k e

Twelve is heartbreakingly realistic. He’s not resisting change like Ten is, he just wants to rest, for once. Like Ten, he dies alone, with only memories to comfort him, and I remember tearing up when he told Thirteen what he told Clara

Who is the most human Doctor?

Either Ten or Twelve. Both of them are conflicted about their morality and whether they should do the right thing or not, both of them try and fail and try again. Twelve is just the one to realise he’s not good or bad, he’s an idiot.

Best Companion?

Donna Noble or Amy Pond and Rory. 

I am a sex repulsed ace-aro, this means I would rather stick my hand in a woodchipper than be in a relationship with someone. Platonic friendships and family have always been my bread and butter and these three are perfect for the Doctor.

Donna Noble? Bold, sassy, determined. Her mom is constantly putting her down, and yet she’s the saviour of the Universe. She doesn’t hesitate to call Ten out on his bullshit, and her departure hurt me on so many levels. I have loved her ever since Pompeii, and I will decry the erasure of her character as unfair until the end of bloody time

Amy Pond and Rory. I’m putting these two together, because I only really started to like Amy when Rory came in. I love their character arcs, growing and changing. Their relationship is also fun to watch, once you get over the drama. I like relationships like Chandler and Monica, natural, fun to watch, not Ross and Rachel, dragged out, on and off again, and after a brief buffer period, these two sorted out their differences and their banter was amazing to watch. Also, the fact that they’re the Doctor’s in laws? They are the epitome of found family and I am LOVING IT

Shoutout to Martha Jones btw, runner up as always. I wish we got to see more of her when she WASN’T enamoured with the Doctor, watching her call him out in the Poison Sky was magnificent.

Worst Companion?

The Companions relationships with the Doctor are the most important thing in the show; what they think of him, how much they trust him, what extent are their feelings towards them, and to me, none was quite as boring as Rose and the Doctor.

I HATE will they-wont they plots, and that basically sums up their entire run together, getting jealous of eachothers partners, vaguely alluding towards their attraction to eachother, but not saying it, it drained all of the fun out of Rose. Her making out with a clone of the Doctor, in front of the Doctor was the final thing for me.

And while I’m all for the return of a Companion, she seems to linger throughout Ten’s run. I can understand why for Martha’s; that was her entire character arc after all, learning to expect better of yourself, but she didn’t need to be there for Donna’s; they very easily could have thought of another way to create DoctorDonna. Her presence was everywhere throughout David Tennants run, and I found it annoying

Favourite Doctor Who Ships?

River Song with Eleven, Twelve or Thirteen. As I said, banter and comedy is how you establish a good relationship, it shows how relaxed two people are together, and River with whichever Doctor she’s with at the time always has this flirty back and forth going on between them. They’re very open about their attraction to eachother, and I love it. Also, Thirteen and River because if you don’t think Thirteen is a raging pansexual then I have news for you.

Amy and Rory for the reasons I listed above; they sort through their issues, have good repartee and are a very enjoyable couple to watch

(I briefly shipped Eleven x Amy x Rory before I found out they were in laws, so shoutout to that.)

Least Favourite Doctor Who Ships?

Rose x Doctor. It would have been fine if they ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING WITH IT INSTEAD OF JUST HINTING AT IT

Martha x Doctor. Martha’s whole arc is about learning that the Doctor is treating her badly and that she doesn’t need him. To go back to him would invalidate that whole thing

Controversial Thought?

I know a lot of people hate Clara, but to be honest, I’m more apathetic/warm towards her. I loved her relationship with Twelve, and how she was almost a caretaker towards him. She starts to act like the Doctor after a while, but then that’s what the Companions DO, they become more versatile, more able to handle tough situations. I’m not happy how they made her immortal and gave her her own TARDIS, but other than that, I’m pretty mild towards her

Best Two-Parter Episode?

Heaven Sent and Hell Bent. It was one of those episodes, ones that are genuinely, deeply horrifying. I got chills when I realised how long the Doctor had been trapped in the Confession Dial. I wasn’t really happy with how the brought Clara back from the dead, but I was okay with it, because watching her read the High Command the riot act for how they treated the Doctor was so, so worth it

Best Doctor/companion pairing?

Ten and Donna. Loved their brother-sister duo relationship

If Two Doctors could meet, who would you choose?

Thirteen and Four would be fun; they have similar energy and scarves after all. Think that would be fun to see. Thirteen and Twelve would also have a nice energy between them I think. Maybe throw in some height jokes.

If any Companions could meet, who would you choose?

Donna and Amy would probably end up flirting with each other. But, at the same time, I think Donna may help Amy come away from her hero worship of the Doctor. 

Martha and Rory would bond over how they sometimes feel like third wheelers and probably share medical knowledge. Martha and Clara would be fun, caring for the Doctor’s health.

If any Companions could meet any Doctor, which would you choose?

Martha meets Twelve. Twelve is actively trying to figure out whether he’s a good person, and I can see him trying to make amends for the way he’s treated her.

Thirteen meets Amy and Rory. She probably wouldn’t tell them who she is, but she would be so excited to see them again

Donna meets Nine. They would spend the entire time snarking at eachother

The Fam meets Ten. He would be so overwhelmed when he sees how many people are joining him right now

[9or10allgood]

I'm indulging in the Doctor Who marathon on BBCAmerica. It's been wonderful. I'm in the middle of Twelve, now, which is - next to Ten - my happy place.

Thirteen is looming.

Now, before anyone has a knee-jerk reaction and thinks I don't like the Thirteenth Doctor, you couldn't be more wrong. I love her to bits. Jodie Whittaker is awesome. She has poured herself into being the Doctor, heart and soul. I love that she travels with an entourage - going back to the First, the best Doctors do. She's had some really good stories, courtesy of Chris Chibnall - in fact, I give her first series a B+/A-. The second series, however...

Stick with me for a bit.

I like - no, I looo-ooo-oove fan fiction. Partly because it is a fairly consistent reaffirmation of creativity and literacy (yes, I said it!) and courage and daring - because it takes guts to put yourself out there for public critique without getting paid one red cent. But mostly because it is a way of indulging in flights of fancy within a bubble. Because fan fiction is, even when it is "canon compliant", still shading or filling in the blanks or expanding on what the original author set down. And the bubble is a safe place, where everyone (mostly) respects those boundaries between source material and fan fiction.

The perfect example of this is everything that happened in Pete's World post-Canary Wharf. We assume that the Doctor was going to tell Rose he loved her before time ran out, and copious amounts of fan fiction has been written about that. We assume that TenToo rectified that issue at Bad Wolf Bay the second time around. But we don't know, and that's okay because the veil was drawn on Pete's World with the disappearance of the TARDIS, and Pete's World became a creative goldmine. Thank God.

Back in the day (and I swear I still have a point) I belonged to a fan fiction site based on Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. (Not "Dragonmount", thank you very much!) Between twenty and thirty writers, drawn together by our love for that amazingly complex series of books, we wrote - individually and in small groups - epic fiction based on the Age of Legends and the Trolloc Wars, because neither era was portrayed in the books, other than very brief glimpses. Even so, there was a canonical framework that we existed in, and we respected it. For example, there were hints of Aes Sedai being able to fly during the AoL, but that didn't mean that the Sisters during the TW were going to do it, because canon told us that the miracles of the Age of Legends had been lost with the Breaking and were not recovered until the timeline of the books. As long as the canon was respected, the writing flourished - for years. Eventually, though, lines were blurred and the stories suffered, and it's been years since anyone has written anything there.

And now I'll get back to my point.

When Russell T Davies brought Doctor Who back to television, he respected the canon that had been established. He didn't change Gallifrey, he removed it. It had given us the Doctor and the Master and the TARDIS and a running potential of planets and races affected by the Time War that could keep the Doctor occupied for a long, long time. It's purpose had been served. It's *nebulous hand waggle* demise fuelled the great engine of angst that powered the reboot. It heightened what had become a bit of a stodgy "oh, no, it's the Daleks, again" sensibility regarding a cross between a pepperpot and a wheely-bin, and gave them a renewed sense of villainy. It's what made the episode, "Dalek", such a gut-punch. It's what made seeing a mighty Dalek armada when there was only one Time Lord to stand against it so dramatically Quixotic - in an end-of-all-things sort of way.

It should have stayed that way.

I love RTD. I do. He was an awesome showrunner and he, with Julie Gardner, shepherded the reboot through possibly the greatest comeback in entertainment history. But I wasn't comfortable with the (temporary) return of Rassilon et al as his farewell to the show. And, sure 'nuff, it cracked open a door that Moffat bulldozed through with "The Day of the Doctor". And by the time he was through, the Doctor was popping "home" for soup and a bit o' sedition, and the next thing ya know, Chris Chibnall is turning the whole thing on its ear with the Timeless Children business and a convoluted plotline that would've needed an entire series to unravel and still would have read like fan fiction based on a poorly remembered fever dream.

Yes, I know that "Doctor Who" has been "fine-tuning" itself from the beginning. The First Doctor invented his time machine that his granddaughter named "TARDIS" - for Time and Relative Dimensions In Space. Today's canon has TARDISes grown, sentient, and having numbered in the thousands once upon a time. But there's a difference between an adjustment, here and there, and re-inventing the Time Rotor on the fly, as it were. One is a tweak to make the whole better. The other is throwing a bucket of yellow paint across a classic portrait of the Queen just so you can paint galloping horses on it. Why would you do it?

I'm really sad that Graham and Ryan are leaving. I'm really looking forward to the return of Captain Jack. I hope that bringing back someone as integral to the days of Russell T Davies will remind Chris Chibnall that the basic story of the Doctor has always been that an ancient alien from a fabled world travels throughout space and time with a lucky human or three, faces down injustice, rescues those who need it, and dances around fixed points and moral dilemmas with (occasional) alacrity.

And if Chibnall needs inspiration, I can point him to any number of fan fiction writers that totally get it.

[teacup-crow]

Sunset

It’s Zombies, Make! day 2, session one! Thanks @puptart :)

This one was harder than the other two but I got something eventually! Based on prompt 2 (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun) and prompt 3, some really pretty forest pictures!

Jody and Cameo meet up to talk about old times, post S5M40.

CW: implied/referenced torture but nothing graphic at all

“You know, things don’t always have to be death and murder and sadness. We can just hang, like normal people.”

Jody glances at her friend in some disbelief. The two of them are parked out in trees, high above the forest floor, concealed from any zoms or Ministry loyalists who might wander down the path. But it’s quiet, at least for now. She has a flask of ersatz coffee with far too much honey in it, Cameo’s attempt at making things more palatable. In the distance, there’s even birds cooing. Her hands itch for her bow and arrows just hearing the sound, and the thought strikes her as funny. Six years ago, in that other life when she was a bank clerk, the idea of shooting a pigeon for lunch would be absolutely grim to her. Now, she’s already mentally pairing it with wild onions and that red wine stash Ian had stored in the farmhouse cellar, imagining people’s delight around the dinner table. Her people’s delight.

It’s a warm day, and for the first time in a long time, they’ve nowhere to be. She could maybe even let her guard slip for half a second if she isn’t careful.

“You sound like Eleven,” she replies at last, her smile a little thin.

“Well, we spent enough time together. Our stupid boys and their stupid dreams, huh.”

That hurts. Owen’s dopey lovestruck smile shutters into her head with a camera flash. Next, Kytan’s earnest, beaten face, offering her fingerprint-marked bread through the bars of her cell. Even Tom, shaking her awake on a bad night, asking her to hold him until he falls back to sleep.

“Have you seen him since everything happened?”

“Ky? No. He writes me letters, but I’m… not ready for that, you know? I don’t know if I ever will be.”

“I mean… that makes sense. But he didn’t mean to hurt you, Cam. He was only trying to stop you from getting-”

“Doesn’t matter very much what he was trying to do. He still betrayed Five, and that means he betrayed every single one of us. If I choose to be insubordinate to a lunatic, that’s my choice, right?” Cameo shakes her head, her auburn curls finally beginning to grow out again where they were hacked off for some infraction or other glowing warm in the evening sunshine. “Hey! Aren’t I the one who said it doesn’t always have to be death and murder and sadness? Let’s not dwell on it.”

Jody nods, swinging her legs. “Remember how it used to be when we were roommates?”

“Oh my God. The original barracks were an actual nightmare.”

“Kids these days with their four person rooms, they don’t even know they’re born!” They both laugh. “Remember karaoke night?”

“I will never forget karaoke night, unfortunately. Three’s dance moves are printed on my brain forever.”

“I did not expect Five to be a Mariah Carey fan, but there you go.”

“Eugene’s rendition of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” Cameo giggles. “Are you going to be reinstating those nights during your leadership Commander Marsh?”

“Don’t call me that,” Jody puts her head in her free hand. “It’s terrifying!”

“Are we going to have to salute you?”

“Stop. It.”

“I can only manage ironic saluting, I’m afraid,” Cameo waves her hand near her forehead mockingly, the universal signal for crazy.

“I’m sure Ian loved that.”

“Oh, he was my biggest fan,” she smirks. She’s expertly whittling some wood, one of those many, many extraordinary skills alongside hacking and beekeeping and being brave to the point of stupidity. Before meeting her, Jody had felt quite accomplished, but Cameo managed to be good at everything she ever tried. And that was valuable.

“Come back home, Thirteen. I need people like you, now more than ever. If I’m going to be in charge of this disaster, I need people I know I can still trust with me. You’ve been there since the very beginning, and…”

“Oh. So this is what this is.”

Jody didn’t expect her tone to be so bitter or accusatory. “What is it?”

“It’s not a catch-up for old time’s sake. It’s not a reminder of things being better. It’s not for fun. It’s trying to drag me back to fulfil a duty I didn’t ever sign up for. My boyfriend is dead; my other boyfriend has lost half his marbles, and I can’t go back because Abel is… it’s tainted. Ian took somewhere I loved and he warped it and now I can’t think of it without feeling this gnawing hunger in my stomach.” Her hands tremble around the knife she’s holding. “You’ve heard of the Stanford prison experiment, yeah? Ordinary people don’t do well when you give them guns and a whole fucking town to beat up on.”

“I’m – I’m sorry. I was supposed to die. Would have, if Tom hadn’t rescued me. I wasn’t supposed to leave you behind.” I never wanted to leave anyone behind.

“I know, but Four… it got so much worse. You left us for so long. And she, she, she let it happen. She let him poison everything, slowly. Turned us all on each other. And it’s broken me. I didn’t know it back then, because I was just trying to survive, but…”

She falls silent, staring down at the wood she’s whittling, her next words so quiet they barely carry between the trees.

“You have to stop her. You just… have to. But I can’t help anymore.”

Jody nods. The sunset glows in the trees. A chapter ends, a new one begins. She begins to climb down, feeling her radio buzz in her pocket.

“Will I see you again?”

“I’m sure you will.”

It isn’t a promise. She didn’t expect that much, but still.

“You’re a stronger woman than me, Jody Marsh.”

“I disagree. But Cammie… one day you are going to see a future. You’re going to heal. You lived through the first time your world ended, and you thrived. You can do it again.”

A thin face peers down from the leaves. “You know, I think you’re going to be a great leader.”

“I’m going to try.”

Cameo nods, and smiles again, and it’s genuine, not borne from forced bravado. Jody smiles back, and turns to run home.

[celestialholz]

Okay, maybe it’s just me, but does anyone else really just want to shake Chris Chibnall sometimes?

Because, like... he had GOLD there. Deepest fears, most of the way through a season on trusting nothing and no one, where the companions are slowly growing more and more mistrustful of the Doctor? God, that could have been AMAZING - we could have all these converging nightmare threads of times they thought they’d failed across the cosmos, or when things had gone to utter hell and they’d been forced to watch; they could have had images of their families gone, or them dying because of the Doc’s questionable ethics, or Graham and Ryan losing one another to time and space in some gruesome way...

And don’t get me wrong, what we got was sweet. Graham’s whole scene with the cancer returning and him having failed Grace stole the episode, Bradley’s incredible and I have nothing but the highest of praise for him in general, but not only is part of that regret rather than fear, but where was the damn Ryan parallel? Seriously, how did his wife not merge into his grandson, how did we not continue that with the thing he’s certainly still afraid of right now too, especially in light of that line in Orphan 55 about him being so worried about him all the time? And likewise, why is Ryan not terrified of his last decent relative potentially dying, especially when he’s not only older and running around time and space on the daily, but also is in remission from a potentially lethal illness? In what way have we ever really, properly assumed that Ryan feels like he’s majorly missing out on his home life, other than missing his friends, and that he could potentially be abandoning them forever? I don’t have an issue with him missing his best friend, it was just a very odd angle to take amongst a myriad of others... and then we had Yaz, who... ran away? Again, that’s a regret and not a fear, but I mean it did succeed in making me want to know why I guess? I was so very much hoping we’d get a LGBT slant on that, and I’m going to be very cross if they never reveal it, but not revealing it lessened the impact for me. The lady was sweet, her obvious inspiration to begin her career from her was nice, but... where was the rest of it, Chris?

But the absolute cardinal sin in play here is the Doctor, a virtually eternal being utterly stuffed full of fears and loathing and regrets and horrors, more than enough to overload a god or two’s mind I imagine (god, never thought I’d miss Moffat even a tiny bit...) getting a momentary flash of the Timeless Child and that was that. I physically hurt with the lost potential.

... And what did we sacrifice this for? A mirrorverse Star Trek AU of the Q Continuum that was just... fine, I suppose, but pointless. I just watched evil Q and his ex-wife take over Earth via dreams and like... yay and all, I’m a massive Trekkie, but it was just so irrelevant. They weren’t even interesting, unlike their Trek counterparts. *sigh*

And then we just have poor, poor Graham, expecting to get some love and kindness from Thirteen, and there goes opportunity I’ve-lost-count for a hug this series. Socially awkward she might be, but are you honestly trying to tell me Jodie’s Doctor wouldn’t have a shred of comfort or wisdom for her friend, who’s lost and scared and just wants a fucking shoulder to cry on?

... I’ve loved this series, guys, and I love Jodie. There’s no hate coming from me, not really, but because I love it, I WANT SO MUCH MORE SOMETIMES. I’m even one of apparently three or four people on this site who loved Orphan 55, but good lord, what a wasted opportunity this one was. Give me Jack back please, for the love of Rassilon. </3

[alicedoessurveys]

Doctor Who Tag

yes im a nerd...

CHILDHOOD

1. Did you like DW as a child?

I was 10 when it came back on telly with Eccleston and the first episode with the autons scared me so much my mom wouldn't let me watch it again until a couple years later, but yeah my teens I was obsessed with DW... still am at age 25

2. Your age at the time of the revival?

10

3. First DW episode you ever saw?

‘Rose’

4. Did you have any of the toys?

I still have the eleventh doctor’s screwdriver... I used to have some of the figures but there in storage now somewhere

5. Which DW character did you play on the playground?

didn't play it on the playground

6. Monster(s) that scared you most as a child?

all of them! the ones that still scare me now are the Cybermen and the Autons... genuinely cant walk past a shop mannequin without being suspicious 

7. Joke/story you didn’t get as a kid?

as a kid, any of the innuendo type jokes

8. DW opinion that has changed since you were a kid?

idk I think I still have the same opinions

9. Who introduced you to DW?

parents

10. Did you like Sarah Jane Adventures as a child?

I LOVED SJA!! I miss that show, and Elizabeth Slade :(

DOCTOR

11. Who is your Doctor?

Ten was the doctor that made me fall in love with Doctor Who 

12. Your favourite Doctor?

omg why not just ask me who my favourite child is... (I don't have kids but you know what I mean) if I had to chose my top three are ten, eleven and thirteen

13. Least favourite Doctor?

purely just because he doesn't have enough episodes... nine...

14. Best regeneration?

none of them I hate regenerations :( they make me sad, im too emotionally invested in every single one

15. Do you like “Doctor-Lite” episodes?

they're not my faves

16. Who is the most human Doctor?

I think nine maybe? or twelve?

17. Best multi-Doctor story?

the 50th anniversary special 

18. Best Doctor monologue?

“Hello Stonehenge! who takes the pandorica, takes the universe. but bad news everyone, cause guess who? HA! You lot you're all whizzing about- its really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute because I AM TALKING. Question of the hour is, who's got the pandorica? Answer, I do. Next question, who's coming to take it from me? Come on, look at me! No plan. No backup. No weapons worth a damn. oh and something else, I don't have anything to lose. So, if you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship with all your silly little guns and you've got any plans on taking the pandorica tonight... just remember who's standing in your way. remember ever black day I ever stopped you and then- AND THEN- do the smart thing... let somebody else try first.”

not copied and pasted, remember that from the top of my head... its always there waiting in my mind incase I ever need an epic monologue :’)

19, What do you think TenToo/MetaCrisis Doctor is doing now?

hopefully living his best life with Rose

20. Best Doctor/companion pairing?

ten and donna 

COMPANIONS

21. Favourite companion?

Donna, Clara, Amy

22. Favourite secondary companion?

is Mickey classed as secondary? idk

23. Least favourite companion?

Ryan

24. Best TARDIS Team?

Doctor, Amy and Rory

25. Most underrated companion?

Graham, but that may just be cause I love Bradders

26. Most overrated companion?

Rose... I like her but idk, I think she gets more hype than she deserves.. don't @ me

27. Favourite companion’s family?

Rose’s mom

28. Who should have been a companion but wasn’t?

idk I cant think of anyone

29. Favourite (canon or non-canon) DW universe relationship?

Amy and Rory

30. Who did you not used to like, but really like now?

wasn't keen on Bill at first but by the end I really liked her, same with Rory

EPISODES

31. Favourite episode ever?

girl in the fireplace

32. Least favourite episode?

most of Chibnall’s episodes tbh sorry not sorry 

33. Which episodes do you skip?

the regeneration episodes

34. Best two-parter?

Human Nature - Family of Blood

35. Historical, present day or futuristic episodes?

I like them all in there own way but I think present is fave, then historical, then future

36. Episode that will always make you smile?

all of them

37. Episode that will always make you cry?

Rory and Amy’s last episode :’(

38. Best run of episodes?

ugh I cant answer this theres too many 

39. Best cliffhanger?

the end of Spyfall part one when the Master reveals who he is... I was SHOOK

40. Favourite Christmas special?

Voyage of the Damned

SERIES

41. Classic Who or New Who?

new who

42. Favourite series?

four or five

43. Least favourite series?

eleven, I just cant with the writing

44. Which series do you skip?

none

45. Favourite series opening?

eleventh hour

46. Favourite series finale?

Doomsday

47. Best series arc?

Bad Wolf

48. Thoughts on series 11/12?

I adore Jodie Whittaker and her doctor, and although I think 3 companions is too many I do love Yaz and Graham (Ryan is hit & miss). I just think theyve been massively let down by the stories/writing... they’ve tried to hard to tick certain boxes and completely missed what Doctor Who is about for a lot of people.. an escape from the real world into these outrageous unbelievable but lovable fun alien adventures 

49. How much of Classic Who have you seen?

not a lot

50. Who should have had another series?

NINE NINE NINE NINE NINE 

MONSTERS

51. Favourite monster/villain?

the master 

52. Most creative monster?

Weeping Angels, whoever came up with monsters that look like statues and only move when you're not looking at them is genius 

53. Monster(s) that scares you most?

Autons, Cybermen, the creepy dolls from Night Terrors, the ones from Waters of Mars, Weeping Angels

54. Monster you think is too easy to defeat?

idk

55. Least favourite monster/villain?

absorbaloff

56. Monster you want to return?

The Master, I really hope that isn't the last we see of Dhawan

57. In your opinion, what makes a monster good?

being genuinely scary, 

58. Daleks, Cybermen or Weeping Angels?

Weeping Angels

59. Best Dalek story?

Daleks in Manhatten

60. Best one time villain/monster?

my brain has gone blank I cant think of an answer right now 

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL

61. Torchwood or Sarah Jane Adventures?

SJA

62. Favourite Torchwood Team member?

I haven't watched it all so I couldn't say 

63. Which Torchwood death made you saddest?

again, not watched it all 

64. Do you rewatch COE or MD?

huh

65. Favourite SJA Team member?

Sarah Jane

66. Mr Smith or K-9?

K-9

67. Maria or Rani?

Rani

68. Do you read the comics/novels or listen to Big Finish?

Nope

69. If you do, your favourite additional stories?

n/a

70. Do you like DW analysis (video essays, fan theories, etc)?

yes

DESIGN/PRODUCTION

71. Favourite piece of alien tech?

the sonic, I love how it is so multipurpose except for when it comes to wood 

72. Favourite piece of Murray Gold music?

I am the Doctor - gets me pumped every time 

73. Favourite TARDIS design?

Ten’s Tardis 

74. Has the 2005 era CGI aged well?

actually yeah, I was rewatching the ‘are you my mummy’ episodes the other day and my God when the gas masks emerged from the faces... ooooooof I was like omg how 

75. Favourite Doctor outfit?

eleven or thirteen

76. Monster with the best design?

not really a design more of a costume.. I live Dhawan master’s costume. that shade of purple, oof he so stylish 

77. Best show runner?

idk

78. Best writer?

Gatiss

79. Best opening titles?

eleven’s titles where the Tardis is flying and being zapped is cool but thirteens music hits different 

80. Will DW age well/stay popular in the future?

I hope so, I feel like its lasted this long surely it can last forever.. if the writers don't fuck it up... 

IF YOU WERE IN THE SHOW

81. Time period you’d want to go with the Doctor?

whatever time means Id get to wear the most beautiful costumes

82. Planet/place you’d want to go with the Doctor?

Galifrey, pre-desctruction

83. Doctor you’d most like to travel with?

any of them, please and thank you

84. Companion you’d most like to travel with?

donna, sceso a good laugh but also I feel like she’d look after me 

85. Monster you’d like to defeat/fight?

The Master 

86. If you could go back on your own history (like Father’s Day), where would you go?

back to when I was a toddler, I wanna see what I was like 

87. If you could ask the Doctor anything, what would you ask?

theres too many to ask 

88. Historical figure you’d like to meet?

Shakespeare

89. How do you think you’d meet the Doctor?

id probably be rescued from doing something stupid and then the doc would be like you know what the bitch clearly needs supervision she's coming with me 

90. Would you travel forwards or backwards in time first?

backwards

IF YOU MADE THE SHOW

91. Historical event would you like to see in DW?

Hamilton

92. Issue you’d like to see addressed in DW?

idk 

93. Who would you completely erase from the DW universe?

Ruth

94. One unanswered DW question you’d love to know the answer to?

where is Clara now?

95. Actor/actress you’d like to see play the Doctor?

Phoebe Waller Bridge (or Lin Manuel Miranda)

96. Actor/actress you’d like to see play a companion?

Andrew Scott (yes I did just basically recast fleabag and hot priest)

97. Is DW “too political”?

series 11 got a bit like that 

98. Which characters fate would you changed?

Danny Pink

99. What about DW could be improved?

I think ive made my options about Chibnall pretty clear... 

100. If you could write an episode of DW, any ideas for what you’d do

bring back Jenny, the Doctor / Daughter adventures they would have. I’m actually writing a fic about it if you wanna read.... here