#the maltese penguin

[noirgasmweetheart]

I wish Peter Lorre had lived long enough to guest star on "the Muppet Show."

Peter Lorre seems like one of the celebs who would have enjoyed working with the Muppets, like his best friend Vincent Price did. He'd have been in his 70s, just the cutest old man, having a blast with Muppets.

You know they'd have made a fuzzy Peter Lorre parody Muppet for him to interact with.

They might do a "Maltese Penguin" skit, with Lorre doing a parody of Cairo's rant, perhaps at the Maltese Penguin itself, which of course would be alive.

And the episode would probably end with Lorre shouting, "Kermit, help me! Hide me!" as he's bombarded by penguins or Manaminas or something, and he'd just have the biggest smile on his face.

[pennamesmith]

All hail Frobisher

All hail the big talking bird

Now that Beep the Meep has made it into the show, y'all know who we need to appear next...

RISE MY FROBISHER CULTISTS, THE HOUR IS OURS FOR THE TAKING

[rhymeswithfart]

Please take a minute to read our story in Gaza, after I lost my home for the third time, we lost our work, and we are in a tragic situation.

This sums up my daughter's situation with her four siblings. She cannot continue living without your help. Donate, share the story and send it to your friends. Any small amount helps save my children's lives, share now on your account.

https://www.tumblr.com/monashamali/755533032132395008/donate-to-help-the-munna-tashmali-family-rebuild?source=share

The campaign has been verified by Nabulsi

https://www.tumblr.com/nabulsi/754393532315353089/donate-to-help-the-munna-tashmali-family-rebuild?source=share

I'm so sorry that I took so long to answer this.

Verified by Nabulsi as said!

I'll add images to tag more stuff:

[lachemisenoire]

Let's get the facts straight about Tortoise Media

It's NOT a TERF or right-wing platform.

Please be careful about this because Neil Gaiman's PR and legal counsel (should he eventually need to hire counsel) will be 100% using this bullshit description as part of his defence.

Information about the investigators from from Splice Today:

"The investigators. The Slow Newscast belongs to an outfit called Tortoise Media. The lead presenter for the series is Rachel Johnson, a journalist who is undeniably the sister of Boris Johnson and who vocally opposes the idea that trans women are women. Gaiman believes they are and has said so emphatically, but no evidence has surfaced that Johnson’s attempting a hit job. Most of the reporting on the series, and some of the on-air presenting, was done by Paul Caruana Galizia. He’s won an Orwell Prize special award and a British Journalism Award; this information comes from Penguin Books, the publisher of Galizia’s A Death in Malta, which is about his mother’s life as an investigative reporter and her death in a car bombing."

I'm pro trans and anti Tory. You'll never find me going to bat for Rachel Johnson, of all people.

But I'm also Maltese and lived through Paul's mother's death, went to protests about it in my country, and I can vouch for his credentials and ethics.

If you look up his brother's Twitter (Matthew Caruana Galizia) you'll also see that Matthew is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and software engineer. He's also vocally pro-Palestine.

If you want more information about Paul and his family, and his work as a journalist, please feel free to reach out. I'll be more than happy to provide it.

[partywithponies]

(Links to each of the themes under the cut)

Movie theme:

Shalka theme:

Doctor Who and the Pirates theme:

Maltese Penguin theme:

Big Finish 8th Doctor Theme:

The other Big Finish 8th Doctor theme:

[danielfeketewrites]

DOCTOR WHO TOP 10 - 6th Doctor

Baker 2: Stronger, Harder, Bakerer

10. The Shape Shifter

While maybe not the greatest story ever, it introduces Frobisher, the best Doctor Who companion ever. There, I rest my case. Frobisher gang rise up!

9. The Hoxteth Time Capsule

Mysterious, feel-good, and free on the Big Finish website. Also featuring some really cool aliens.

8. Interstitial Insecurity

Colin Baker writes a prequel to Terror of the Vervoids. It's excellent.

7. The Ghost in the Machine

Sixie has just a cameo in this one, but I still had to mention it. It's this beautiful ballad about what it mean to be a Cyberman and I adore it. Dave Rudden is just the best, go read Twelve Angels Weeping.

6. Blood on Santa's Claw and Other Stories

Yes, yes, another Big Finish Main Range anthology release with four stories that I crammed into a single spot on my top 10... But all the stories in this one are really great. Trust me, give this one a listen and go in as blind as possible. It's worth it.

5. The Maltese Penguin

"My friends call me Frobisher. My enemies call me Mr. Frobisher. And the junk mail department of the Galactic Readers' Digest call me Mrs. F R Rubbisher — but that's neither here nor there."

Man, I just really want Big Finish to do another Frobisher story.

4. Davros

The Doctor and Davros as co-workers. Truly the greatest workplace sitcom of our time.

3. Vengeance on Varos

Oh, yeah, the sixth Doctor also had some TV stories! Most of them aren't great, but fortunately, there is the expanded universe!

Also, one of them actually is great! Vengeance on Varos - a dark, twisted, angry, political, and bizarre bit of 80s Who. It's the only television story with Sixie that I think absolutely slaps. Which is a shame. They should have done more stuff like this, it's excellent.

2. Voyager + Poly the Glot + Once Upon a Time Lord

Cheating again, big time with this one. But they are a trilogy of stories connected by the same antagonist, a rogue Time Lord named Astrolabus. And I love these comics to bits, so there you go. You shoul read the Voyager trilogy if you haven't done so yet. These three stories are just so creative, filled with so much creativity and great imagery.

1. The Holy Terror

Were you expecting anything else? It's funny, but also haunting. It's deeply rich and textured, but also a farce. It's an exploration of religion and how it blinds people. It also features a shape-shifting penguin detective. This one has it all. Rob Shearman tries his first Doctor Who radio play and just fucking nails it.

[silvergyus]

do you think the new characters turned out the way they did because they had to be careful not to make them too in line with the bbobatu dolls? eg kai couldn’t do a penguin, soobin couldn’t do a bunny, but since yeonjuns bbobatu character was a cat he was okay to have a fox?

hmmm, as far as I know bbobatu isn't officially licensed in any way by hybe or bighit, so I think they could've done the same animals and not had any legal issue

I like that the members have had more creative freedom with designing them vs just having the official animals. idk as much about ateez and aniteez (except I love jjongrami) but I know people were saying that yeosang wanted to be a doberman, but staff said maltese would sell better. which sucks for him- even tho his aniteez is cute- but I'm glad tubatu seems to have avoided that happening

but honestly I know soobin doesn't want to be seen as a bunny (even tho he is v bunny) so him choosing a puppy that looks like a wolf makes perfect sense. and kai def doesn't mind being called a penguin, but he said he likes when moa call him angel. I'm glad yeonjun went with a fox because hwangchoon is so cute and literally yeonjun's son

[drwhosoundtrackshowdown]

Doctor Who Theme: Round 1

The Maltese Penguin

"The 2002 story The Maltese Penguin, a pastiche of 1940s noir detective films, featured an appropriate slow-jazz score which, at the end, transitioned into a rendering of the closing theme."

The Rapture

"2002's The Rapture, which was set at a 1990s Electronic Dance Music rave, featured an EDM version of the theme."

Doctor Who and The Pirates

"For the 2003 audio Doctor Who and the Pirates, a musical story in the vein of Gilbert and Sullivan productions, the closing credits used a new sea-shanty rearrangement of the theme in line with the story's score."

Horror of Glam Rock

"The 2006 story Horror of Glam Rock featured an appropriate glam rock version of the theme."

[shoppinghauer]

"Gorilla warfare" lmao can't even spell guerilla

This does not change the fact that in Antarctica there are 21 million penguins and in Malta there are 502,653 inhabitants. So if the penguins decide to invade Malta, each Maltese will have to fight 42 penguins.

[a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all]

The Person I've Become

Fandom: DC, The Suicide Squad, Rick Flag, Dark!Rick Flag

Summary: After he returned from Corto Maltese, Rick thought his life was over. Until, that is, he is reunited with an old acquaintance. But what happens when the truth comes out and it appears he might lose everything once again?

Word Count: 4331

TW: Dark!Rick, Mentions of Past Injury, Betrayal, Death, Suffocation, Lies

Colonel Rick Flag died on the island of Corto Maltese. He was left buried under piles of rubble and debris with a piece of porcelain jutting from his chest. The man who walked out of the hospital a month after the events of that day may have had Rick’s face, but he was no longer that same person. While his body might have been brought home and was on the way to recovery, everything that had made him Colonel Rick Flag was still buried deep within the remains of Jötunheim. His reputation, his career, his patriotism, and, most importantly, his sense of self. Serving his country had been his dream in life for as far back as he could remember. His father, his grandfather, even his great-grandfather, had all served their country with honor and with pride. And now, he had lost all of that. All because of that fucking drive.

As soon as he had gotten out of the hospital, he had tried crawling back to Waller, begging for his job back. However, she had just laughed in his face. After the stunt he pulled that resulted in the remaining members of Task Force X using the drive as a bargaining chip for their freedom, his military career was over. Permanently. Waller had taken extra enjoyment in personally handing him his dishonorable discharge papers and informing him he was permanently blacklisted from all government jobs. And it was at that moment that he realized Colonel Rick Flag had never left Jötunheim.

He had nothing. He didn’t have family or friends outside of the job. His military service had been his entire life. First JROTC in middle school, then ROTC in high school, straight into basic training, multiple overseas tours, running special ops at home and abroad, and finally, the commander of Task Force X. But now, it was all gone. When he was discharged, they had even stripped him of his medals and honors. Erased him as if he had never existed. He had no transferable skills to the civilian world, no alternatives to fall back on. All he knew was how to command, to infiltrate, to kill.

So, that’s what he did.

The one thing his past life had left him was the skills and contacts to become someone else. Someone he hated but someone he knew could do the kinds of jobs he had once fought to stop.

And thus, Ryker was born from the ashes of Rick Flag. A stone-cold assassin who would take any job for the right price. Word began to get around that if you were willing to pay, Ryker would take care of whatever you needed. Didn’t matter the danger, didn’t matter the target, didn’t matter the objective. He took care of everything with a precision and ruthlessness that impressed even the most seasoned or dangerous of criminals. Within two months of first appearing, Ryker had become one of the most notorious mercenaries around.

Sometimes it scared him how similar this new life felt compared to his old one. How the things he had done for the good of his country weren’t all that dissimilar to the things these criminals were asking of him. Was taking a life really so different when it was ordered by the government versus ordered by someone like the Penguin? The only difference seemed to be that one was deemed legal, and the other was not.

And when he considered that, it made him sick to think that if he ever got caught, he would probably end up back in Belle Reve but on the other side of the bars this time. Forced to get a bomb injected into his neck as he was puppeted to his death just as he had puppeted countless others to their deaths. The irony was not lost on him.

As time went on, he began to realize that only Ryker remained. He had been forced to abandon everything from his old life as Rick Flag (his job, his apartment, his identity) in order to create this one. And he slowly started accepting the fact that there was nothing left of the man he was before. Until, one day….

There was a loud knock on the door as he walked out of the bathroom in just his low riding sweatpants, his hair still damp from his shower. Since he had moved into his new apartment, he hadn’t told anyone where he lived. Cautiously, he drew one of his guns from its hiding spot in his end table and approached the door. Cracking it slightly, he blinked in surprise as he saw who it was.

You smiled widely at him as if you had been expected. “Howdy, Colonel. How ya’ doing?”

He quickly tucked his gun behind some books on the table next to him as he stuttered, “Wh-what are you doin’ here?”

“The hospital sends all the agencies a list of people who might need physical therapy after they leave. I know it’s been a few months since you checked out, but you never signed off on a therapist.” He groaned softly. Of course! He had been forced to update his address at the hospital so they could send him his pain medication and follow-up care for his injuries.

“When I saw your name on the list, I jumped at the chance to work with you again. It’s not every day I get to help a real American hero get back on his feet!” You winked before your eyes drifted down to the jagged, red scar that ran down his bare chest. “Yikes. That looks like that hurts.”

Without an invitation, you stepped into his apartment and began running your hand gently over the scar, tenderly probing the muscles around it. He froze, still in shock with your arrival and now this. Since he had left the hospital no one had seen his scar, let alone touched it. And yet here you were, fingers dancing over it like you were strumming a harp. Finally, he came to his senses and growled, “What the hell do you think you are doin’?”

You looked up and noticed his tense expression. Immediately dropping your hand and stumbling back a few steps, you stammered out an apology. “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t thinking. I totally should have asked first. I just saw the injury and went straight into recovery mode and tried to assess the damage. But I’m sure you’re still trying to adjust. I’m just so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He mumbled, unable to maintain his gruff attitude as he took in your flustered expression.

“No, I mean, just because I’ve worked with you on some of your injuries before it doesn’t give me the right to just barge in here and start putting my hands all over you like that. It was really unprofessional of me. It’s just…we’ve had such an easy rapport in the past, I sort of forgot myself there for a moment. Let’s start over.” You thrust out your hand. “Hi! Good to see you again.”

“It’s… good to see you too.” He chuckled softly as he shook your hand. “And really, it’s okay. You just surprised me, that’s all.”

“I guess that’s to be expected, I didn’t even ask if you were already seeing someone about physical therapy.”

“No…I didn’t really give it much thought. I’ve had a lot going on lately.” He glanced at the stack of books by the door and could just see the top of the gun peeking out from behind it.

But you didn’t seem to notice. Instead, you just nodded. “Oh, I get it. Your file said you were hurt down in Corto Maltese? I saw what happened on the news. It looked so horrifying. But I’m glad you made it back in one piece….even if it looks like they had to stitch two pieces back into one.” You nodded again to his chest.

He shifted uncomfortably, angling away slightly as his sharp tone returned. “Yeah… you could say that.”

You noticed his shift in demeanor and hit yourself in the forehead with your palm. “There I go, opening my big mouth again. I’m sure you don’t want to talk about what happened. Or maybe you can’t. I remember you said there was a lot of security around what you did.”

He didn’t say anything. He just clenched his jaw and tried to ignore the wave of regret that hit him at the thought of his old life.

You must have assumed his tension was still about his scar because you put a hand gently on his elbow, just below his tattoo, and said, “Hey, it’s okay. You’re still as handsome as ever.” This earned you a shy smirk to which you responded with a dazzling smile. “But how are you doing? Any tightness? Lack of mobility? Unmanageable pain? Anything I can help with?”

He shook his head slightly. “Nah, I’m dealin’ with it. I’ve been keepin’ active so that’s been helpin’.”

“That’s great! I always say that’s the best way to speed up the healing process!”

“Yeah, I remember. I remember everythin’ you said last time.”

You bit your lip and ducked your head shyly. “Well, I’m glad to hear you’re taking your recovery seriously. I guess you don’t really need my services then, but it was really great to see you again, Rick.”

He smiled at you. “Yeah, you too.”

You gave his arm a small squeeze then turned and left the apartment. You started to walk away, but just before he closed the door, you called out. “Listen. I might be completely out of line or misinterpreting things, but the last few times I was here, I sort of felt like there might be something between us. I didn’t think it was a good idea to ask you out when I was still your physical therapist and we had to cut your last sessions off so abruptly, I never got to ask you once you were discharged from my care. So, I guess what I’m saying is…. Do you want to grab a drink sometime? With..with me?”

He knew he should say no. This new life he was creating for himself didn’t have any room for the distraction of romance. However…. you were right.

When you had first been assigned to help Rick recover from a shoulder injury sustained on a mission with Task Force X, he had been instantly smitten with you. Your bubbly personality, your intelligence, and your beauty all entranced him. And when you had left after your final appointment, Rick had kicked himself for letting you go.

A few months later, when he had damaged his knee, you had shown back up in his life. And once again, Rick had been captivated by you, if not even more so. He had planned a really romantic dinner for you after your final session, but Waller had called Rick in at the last minute for a mission and he hadn’t seen you again. Until now.

So, even though everything in him said it was a bad idea, when he opened his mouth, “Yes” tumbled out. Your face lit up like a Christmas tree and you handed him a piece of paper with your number. As he took it from you, you darted up and placed a soft kiss on his cheek before hurrying away down the hall. He watched you disappear around the corner, a stunned smile spread across his lips. And as he shook his head and closed the door, he realized that for the first time in months, he felt like Rick Flag again.

The next six months passed in a blur. Ryker began getting more jobs than ever as his reputation grew and grew. He was soon traveling all over the world, kidnapping, torturing, and killing anyone who was placed in his sights. He never asked questions, he never tried to figure out why, he just did the job and went home. To you.

Ever since your first date a few days after you had shown back up at his door, your relationship had grown exponentially every day. You were just as amazing as he had remembered, and you soon became the only shining light in the growing darkness of his life. To everyone else, he was Ryker, deadly assassin and ruthless killer. But with you, he was still Rick. You only saw the man he had been before, the man he so desperately still wanted to be. And when he was with you, he could feel a small part of that person creeping back in. Like a ghost or a shade. When he held you in his arms, he felt like himself again. He felt like Rick Flag. And soon, he began to crave that feeling more and more. While Ryker still left on jobs full of blood and death, Rick was the one who would return to your side as soon as possible.

The current assignment had gone terribly. He was distracted thinking about getting home to you, and he had missed the original window to take out the target. After a few more hours of trailing the man, he finally got his shot. Now, as he stalked through the hall of his apartment building, a cigarette lit in his mouth and blood splattered on his shoes, he couldn’t help but silently curse himself for the situation he had put himself in. You were the most important thing in his life, yet you were causing him to become sloppy. And in his business, sloppiness was not an option. But he also knew that he couldn’t let you go. Which meant, eventually, something had to give.

He unlocked his door and walked into his apartment. As he flipped on the light, a voice cried out, “Welcome home, Rick!”

He jumped, hand immediately reaching for the gun tucked in his waistband. But luckily, he recognized the voice before it was too late. Relaxing his stance, he smiled at where you were seated on his couch.

You stood and walked over to him, frowning slightly. “Since when do you smoke?” you asked, taking the cigarette from between his lips and grounding it out on the counter.

“Since I didn’t know you would be here.” He placed a small kiss on your cheek. “Sorry, darlin’. It was a really rough mission. Helps take the edge off.”

Your face softened slightly. “Oh, Rick. I’m sorry. Um…but do you think you could maybe wait until I leave? I don’t want to be a pain, but it can really trigger my asthma.”

“Anything for you. Besides, nothin’ helps me unwind better than havin’ you in my arms.” He wrapped his arms around you as he kicked off his boots, careful to toss them somewhere that you wouldn’t notice the red stains scattered across them. Still holding you tightly, he led you back to the couch and he pulled you down on top of him.

For the next hour or so, the two of you simply lay there wrapped around each other as you told him about how you had been while he was gone. You knew by now that he never talked about where he went or what he did. As far as you were concerned, he wasn’t allowed to divulge government secrets regarding his job so you didn’t ask.

When you finally glanced at your watch, you groaned as you wiggled out of his grasp and stood up. “I wish I could stay later, but I have an early client in the morning, and I still have to go home and take a shower.”

“We could take a shower here.” He grinned as he reached out for your waist. “You have a spare set of clothes in my room.”

You squeezed his outstretched hand but didn’t let him get purchase on his intended target. “I really wish that was it, but I need my files and equipment too. And my apartment’s so far away from here. So, I need to go.”

He stood up and walked over to you. Placing his hands on your shoulder, he began running them up and down your arms. “Actually, I’ve been tryin’ to find the right time to bring this up, and now seems as good as any. Seein’ how we do live so far away from each other and I want as much of you in my life as I can get, I was hopin’ that you might want to move in with me,” he said nervously.

But he had no reason to worry because you immediately threw yourself into his arms and trailed kisses across his neck and face. “Oh, Rick! I’ve been waiting for you to ask me for like a month now! Of course, I’ll move in with you!” He chuckled happily and spun you around, twirling faster as you let out a joyful squeal. You wrapped your legs around his waist as you said, “Oh! Just wait until my sister finds out! She’s always been so jealous I’m dating a soldier, let alone a colonel! And now that we’re moving in together? She’ll be just green with envy!”

He stopped spinning abruptly, causing you to lose your hold on him and sending you tumbling to the floor. Looking up at him in confusion, you asked, “What happened? Was it something I said?”

He had been dreading this moment from the day you walked back into his life. Yet, he also knew he couldn’t lie to you forever and if he wanted to take this next step, he needed to come clean. About everything.

So, as he gently took your hand and helped you back to your feet, he said, “Darlin’, I have to tell you somethin’. And it’s not going to be easy to hear, but I know you love me and that should be enough.”

“What do you mean? About what?”

“About me. About the things I’ve done. About the person I really am.”

You pulled your hand from his grasp. “Rick, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”

“The man I told you I am, the one you fell in love with….I was that man once. But things happened, I learned the truth, and I’m not that man anymore.”

“What do you mean? You’re Colonel Rick Flag, yo-you lead missions for the government to stop bad people from doing bad things. You’re a hero.”

He shook his head. “I haven’t been that man for a long time. Not since before you came back into my life. Nowadays, I go by Ryker on the job. And Ryker’s not…. he’s not a hero. He’s not a good man.”

“No…but you leave for your task force missions….you’re gone for days at a time and come back banged up from your assignments…” you shook your head, unable to comprehend what he was trying to tell you.

“Not exactly. I do go on missions, but they’re not for the government anymore.” He took a deep breath as he avoided your eye. “I work contracts for anyone willing to hire me. I-I do whatever they hire me to do.”

“Do whatever they hi-” He watched the realization pass over your face like a shadow. “You’re a- I mean you….No, that can’t be true! You can’t be a-” You couldn’t even say it, but he could tell you understood now, that you knew what he really was. A hitman, a contract killer, a hired gun, an assassin. A cold-blooded murderer.

He hung his head. “I’m not proud of the person I’ve become, but after the shitshow in Corto Maltese, they took everything away and didn’t give me any other choice. Becoming Ryker was the only option I had left.” He gazed lovingly at your face as he cupped it between his hands. “But you… you are the one thing that has kept Rick alive this whole time. You are the one thing that still lets me keep a hold of that part of myself. You’re the tether that keeps me from fading away. And I need you, darlin’.”

“What do you mean ‘keeping Rick alive’? I don’t understand!”

“I thought Rick Flag had died that day. That I had been forced to bury him in the rubble of that cursed building and that Ryker was all that was left. But when you knocked on my door….the way you looked at me, treated me, respected me. You brought a part of Rick back to life. And you’re what’s keeping him alive.” He began caressing your cheek with his thumb.

You pulled your face from his hands as you backed away slowly. “I don’t even know who you are right now! Talking about Rick and Ryker like they’re two separate people! They’re not! You did those horrible things! It doesn’t matter what you call yourself, you’re the one who did them! And that’s not the man I fell in love with! That’s not the man I wanted to spend my life with!”

“Baby girl…It’s still me.”

“No, it’s not! You’re a cold-blooded killer! How can I be with someone like that?” You suddenly turned and grabbed your purse off the table. “I-I have to go. I have to get out of here.”

“Darlin’, don’t do this. Please, let’s talk.” He grabbed for your hand, but you yanked it from his grasp.

You hurried to the door but just as you began to open it, his large hand slammed it shut. You tried pulling on the handle again, but he continued to lean on it, holding it firmly closed. Without turning to face him, you whispered in a voice quaking with fear, “Rick. Let me go.”

“I can’t do that. Haven’t you been listenin’ to anythin’ I’ve been sayin’? I can’t lose you!” His voice was taking on a hysteric edge that neither one of you had ever heard before.

You swallowed anxiously. “Rick. Please, we can talk about this later but right now, I just need to clear my head, think things over. Then I can come back tomorrow, and we can discuss all of this.”

He shook his head. “We both know if I let you out that door, I’ll never see you again. Or, worse, you’ll show back up here with the police.”

“No, I would never do that! I j-just need to go think about things then we ca-”

He smashed his fist into the wall, leaving a large dent. “Stop lyin’ to me!”

Slowly, you turned to face him, your back pressed tightly against the door. He could see tears forming in the corner of your eyes and just for a moment, he hesitated.

You must have seen the shift in his face because you took a step closer and wrapped your arms around his hips. “You know what? You’re right, baby. It would be better if I just stayed here and we talked things out. But I’m really tired so why don’t we go to bed, and we can talk in the morning.”

He stared at you in disbelief. “Do you think I’m an idiot? The second I fall asleep, you’d be out this door. No, you’re not going anywhere.”

For one moment, you looked deeply into his face, searching for a hint of the man you loved. But when all you found was a stranger, you began screaming for help at the top of your lungs. His left hand immediately covered your mouth and nose while his right gripped your throat. He pressed his knee in-between your legs as he pinned you to the door, his face just inches away from yours. You continued to scream, but his large hand muffled all sounds trying to escape your lips. Slowly, he began to tighten his fingers around your throat, cutting off your air.

Your eyes grew wide as you realized what was happening. Frantically, you tried to struggle out of Rick’s grasp, but you were no match for his hulking frame holding you in place. As your air supply began to dwindle, you began to buck and jerk, chest heaving as it burned for oxygen. Tears streamed down your cheeks and pooled at the top of his hand before sliding off his fingertips.

Leaning over, he placed his forehead against yours and he whispered, “Please know that Rick Flag loved you. He loved you with every piece of him that remained. You were the only thing holding him in the light. But now….now, it’s time to say goodbye to both of you. The man I once was, and the woman that he loved.”

And as he stared into your eyes, he felt the last few spasms run through your body before it stilled. Then, ever so slowly, he watched the light fade from your eyes. Even once they had gone dark, and he was left staring into the empty void of what once was, he continued to hold you there thinking about everything that he had lost tonight. Until finally, he let both his arms drop to his side. You crumpled in a heap on the floor, your lifeless eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling.

Ryker didn’t even give you a second glance as he went into his bedroom and pulled out the go-bag he kept in his closet. Then, grabbing a few guns from his gun safe, he pulled on his jacket and marched out the door. But before he closed it, he took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it with his lighter. He took one long drag before flicking it into the apartment where it landed on his stack of mail. Soon, flames began to grow and spread throughout the room. And just as the first flames began licking at your motionless body, Ryker closed the door, walked down the hall, and out of the building.

Colonel Rick Flag died on the island of Corto Maltese and tonight, the last remnant of this once great man faded into oblivion.

[theangelshavethephonebox]

Hey guys, I was listening to the Maltese Penguin but the last few minutes have trailers played over them 😭 anyone have a clean copy? Or just the transcript?

[penguinsareamaziing]

! INTRODUCTION !

name: tay

age: 15

gender: female; she/her

birthday: 12/17/08

intrest: books, penguins, roblox, style/clothes, decoration, music, animanga,pinterest XD

music: mitski, mbv, bea, bôa, denzel curry, destroy lonely , foo fighters, ken carson, twice, late night drive home, x-ray spex, playboi carti, kanye, and matt maltese and more

>_<

[lucascecil]

Sixth Doctor - Project: Blue Box

TV Stories

◆ The Twin Dilemma

◆ Attack of the Cybermen

◆ Vengeance on Varos

◆ The Mark of the Rani

◆ The Two Doctors

◆ Timelash

◆ Revelation of the Daleks

◆ The Mysterious Planet

◆ Mindwarp

◆ Terror of the Vervoids

◆ The Ultimate Foe

Audio Stories

- 6th Doctor Adventures

◆ The Ratings War

◆ The Maltese Penguin

◆ Real Time

◆ Her Final Flight

◆ Cryptobiosis

◆ Return of the Krotons

◆ Voyage to Venus

◆ Voyage to the New World

◆ Trial of the Valeyard

◆ The End of the Line

◆ The Red House

◆ Stage Fright

◆ The Brink of Death

◆ The Headless Ones

◆ Like

◆ The Vanity Trap

◆ Conflict Theory

◆ One for All

◆ The Murder of Oliver Akkron

◆ Elevation

◆ The Rotting Deep

◆ The Tides of  the Moon

◆ Maelstrom

◆ The Mindless Ones

◆ Reverse Engineering

◆ Chronomancer

◆ Broadway Belongs to Mel

◆ Purification

◆ Time-Burst

◆ Girl in a Bubble

◆ The Corruptions

◆ The Wrong Side of History

- Main Range

◆ Davros

◆ Year of the Pig

◆ Whispers of Terror

◆ … ish

◆ The Reaping

◆ Memories of a Tyrant

◆ Emissary of the Daleks

◆ Harry Houdini’s War

◆ Plight of the Pimpernel

◆ Recorded Time and Other Stories

◆ 1963: The Space Race

◆ Breaking Bubbles and Other Stories

◆ Blood on Santa’s Claw and Other Stories

◆ The Wormery

◆ I.D./Urgent Calls

◆ Vampire of the Mind

◆ The Acheron Pulse

◆ The Lure of the Nomad

◆ Iron Bright

◆ Hour of the Cybermen

◆ The Hunting Ground

◆ The Marian Conspiracy - ★★★★★

If anyone is unsuse about how good pure historicals can be, check this out. This is a fun adventure but also charged with this sorrow and melancholy of knowing there is no changing the past; a concept a bit weird for a time travel series but still it’s in these situations that Doctor Who leaves me the most breathless. Add that to the impecable chemistry of the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smithe and you have one of the best companion introductions ever.

Complete review: here.

◆ The Spectre of Lanyon Moor - ★★☆☆☆

The first time I listened to this release, I left with a bitter taste in my mouth. It was not the worst thing ever, but extremely average. I had a lot more fun in Lanyon Moor this time around, but I am sad to say my opinion didn’t change all that much. There are good things here - the main characters have stellar chemistry, I love the setting and the premise. But it’s a story that don’t leave much of an impression and, even if not bad, is quite forgetful.

Complete review: here.

◆ The Apocalypse Element - ★★★☆☆

I can acknowledge the good things about The Apocalypse Element as a war epic in a huge scale (Daleks vs Time Lords) but it’s not the kind of story I like, specially because I started Doctor Who in 2020. I feel it would be dishonest to call this a tradicional Dalek story, but if we ignore this is the first time this specific conflict was done - it’s still a tale of a bunch of Daleks trying to invade a planet and destroy the whole universe. What gets to me the most is that I’m not necessarily a hater of traditional stories - I love how Lucie Miller/To the Death builds beautifully upon that with a huge character focus on part one and Masters of Earth is an action epic that is delightful to hear -, but this one I just don’t get. The best thing in my opinion is by far the regulars (the Doctor, Evelyn and Romana), which are great and very well characterized. I think average is too harsh, so consider this one of the good stories I like the least.

Complete review: here.

◆ Bloodtide - ★★★★★

An energetic adventure and full of powerful images. Bloodtide is one of the best Silurians stories and a triumph as a historical. Bringing Darwin and them together is a really clever choice that opens a lot of opportunities to work around biology concepts and ideas within the interspecies relationships. This is also a narrative full of wonder - for Galapagos, for its characters, for all this background it wants to tell. And I go head on in wonder with it, it’s a tale that fascinates me. All of that plus one of the best performances for Six and Evelyn and you have one of my favorite releases of the Sixth Doctor.

Complete review: here.

◆ Project: Twilight

◆ The Sandman

◆ Jubilee

◆ Doctor Who and the Pirates

◆ Medicinal Purposes

◆ Pier Pressure

◆ 100

◆ Assassin in the Limelight

◆ Project: Lazarus

◆ Arrangements for War

◆ The Nowhere Place

◆ The Crimes of Thomas Brewster

◆ The Feast of Axos

◆ Industrial Evolution

◆ Thicker Than Water

◆ The Wrong Doctors

◆ The Holy Terror

◆ Last of the Cybermen

◆ The Condemned

◆ The Doomwood Curse

◆ Brotherhood of the Daleks

◆ The Raincloud Man

◆ Patient Zero

◆ Paper Cuts

◆ Blue Forgotten Planet

◆ City of Spires

◆ The Wreck of the Titan

◆ Legend of the Cybermen

◆ The Curse of Davros

◆ The Fourth Wall

◆ Wirnn Isle

◆ Vortex Ice/Cortex Fire

◆ Antidote to Oblivion

◆ The Brood of Erys

◆ Scavenger

◆ The Widow’s Assassin

◆ Masters of Earth

◆ The Rani Elite

◆ Criss-Cross

◆ Planet of the Rani

◆ Shield of the Jotunn

◆ Order of the Daleks

◆ Colony of Fear

◆ Absolute Power

◆ Quicksilver

◆ The Behemoth

◆ The Middle

◆ Static

◆ Cry of the Vultriss

◆ Scorched Earth

◆ The Lovecraft Invasion

◆ The End of the Beginning

◆ The One Doctor

◆ The Juggernauts

◆ Catch-1782

◆ The Wishing Beast/The Vanity Box

◆ Spaceport Fear

◆ The Seeds of War

- Classic Doctors, New Monsters

◆ Judoon in Chains

◆ The Carrionite Curse

◆ Together in Electric Dreams

- The Companion Chronicles & Peladon & Stageplays

◆ Peri and the Piscon Paradox

◆ A Town Called Fortune - ★★★☆☆

◆ Night’s Black Agents

◆ The Ultimate Adventure

◆ Beyond the Ultimate Adventure

◆ The Death of Peladon

- The Lost Stories

◆ The Nightmare Fair

◆ Mission to Magnus

◆ Leviathan

◆ The Hollows of Time

◆ Paradise 5

◆ Point of Entry

◆ The Song of Megaptera

◆ The Macra

◆ The Guardians of Prophecy

◆ Power Play

◆ The First Sontarans

◆ The Ultimate Evil

◆ Mind of the Hodiac

- Short Trips

◆ Not Forgotten

◆ The Shadow of Serenity

◆ Primer Winner

◆ Murmurs of Earth

◆ The Authentic Experience

◆ Under ODIN’s Eye

◆ To Cut a Blade of Glass

◆ The Doctor’s Coat

◆ Mission Improbable

◆ These Stolen Hours

◆ The Darkened Earth

◆ The Wings of a Butterfly

◆ Intuition

◆ Mel-evolent

◆ Loud and Proud

Books

◆ State of Change

◆ Time of Your Life

◆ Millenial Rites

◆ Killing Groung

◆ Burning Heart

◆ Business Unusual

◆ Mission: Improbable

◆ Players

◆ Grave Matter

◆ The Quantum Archangel

◆ The Shadow in the Glass

◆ Instruments of Darkness

◆ Place of the Red Sun

◆ Blue Box

◆ Synthespians TM

◆ Spiral Scratch

[driftwoodcalliope]

So, not that anyone asked but these are the novels I read this year. If any of these books catch your eye let’s be friends!

(Note: these are not in any order, I kinda just put em into a wanton list without any prior organization)

Violet’s wee reading list of 2022

1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Quentin Tarantino

2. Butter Honey Pig Bread - Francesca Ekwuyasi

3. Autobiography of a Yogi - Paramahansa Yogananda

4. Seize the Day - Saul Bellow

5. Storm of Steel - Ernst Junger

6. Tacky - Rax King

7. Slow Days, Fast Company - Eve Babitz

8. Stoner - John Williams

9. Hard Rain Falling - Don Carpenter

10. Anniversaries - Uwe Johnson

11. Don Quixote de La Mancha - Miguel de Cervantes

12. Killing Commendatore - Haruki Murakami

13. Burning Questions - Margaret Atwood

14. The Counterfieters - André Gide

15. Growth of the Soil - Knut Hamsun

16. The Poems of John Keats - John Keats

17. Ulysses - James Joyce

18. The New York Trilogy - Paul Auster

19. The Complete Stories of Clarice Lispector - Clarice Lispector

20. Quo Vadis - Henry’s Sienkiewicz

20. The Dwelling Place of Light - Winston Churchill (not the former PM)

21. Dharma Bums - Jack Kerouac

22. Dune - Frank Herbert

23. Dune Messiah - Frank Herbert

24. Children of Dune - Frank Herbert

25. God Emperor of Dune - Frank Herbert

26. Heretics of Dune - Frank Herbert

27. Chapter House Dune - Frank Herbert

28. Notes from Underground - Fyodor Dostoevsky

29. The Double - Fyodor Dostoevsky

30. Moby Dick - Herman Melville

31. Middlemarch - George Eliot

32. The Complete Stories of Jorge Luis Borges - Jorge Luis Borges

33. The Collins Complete Shakespeare - William Shakespeare

34. The Banjo: A History - Laurent DuBois

35. House of Leaves - Mark Z Danielewski

36. Sérotonin - Michel Houellebecq

37. Pamela - Samuel Richardson

38. The Confusions of Young Törless - Robert Musil

39. The Little Friend - Donna Tartt

40. My Struggle I: A Death in the Family - Karl Ove Knausgaard

42. My Struggle II: A Man in Love - Karl Ove Knausgaard

43. My Struggle III: Boyhood Island - Karl Ove Knausgaard

44. My Struggle IV: Dancing in the Dark - Karl Ove Knausgaard

45. My Struggle V: Some Rain Must Fall - Karl Ove Knausgaard

46. My Struggle VI: The End - Karl Ove Knausgaard

47. The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoevsky

48. The Pickwick Papers - Charles Dickens

49. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

50. Bleak House - Charles Dickens

51. The Old Curiosity Shop - Charles Dickens

52. Nicholas Nickelby - Charles Dickens

53. Roots - Alex Haley

54. Silas Marner - George Eliot

55. Scenes of Clerical Life - George Eliot

56. Slouching Towards Bethlehem - Joan Didion

57. Iron Widow - Xiran Jay Zhao

58. Babel - R. F. Kuang

59. The Complete Father Brown Stories - G. K. Chesterton

60. Death Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases - Nissoisin

61. The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood

62. The Song of Roland - Anon.

63. The Nibelungenlied - Anon.

64. Le Morte D’Arthur - Sir Thomas Malory

65. The Lais of Marie de France - Marie de France

66a. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (penguin tran.) - Anon. (The Pearl Poet)

66b. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Tolkien tran.) - Anon. (The Pearl Poet)

67. The Pearl (Tolkien tran.) - Anon. (The Pearl Poet)

68. Les Fleurs de Mal - Charles Baudelaire

69. Faust - Goethe

70. Forrest Gump - Winston Groom

71. The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini - Benvenuto Cellini

72. Here There Be Dragons - James A. Owen

73. The Decameron - Giovanni Boccaccio

74. The Island - Alastair MacLeod

75. The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett

76. White Teeth - Zadie Smith

77. Beautiful Losers - Leonard Cohen

78. Take Arms Against a Sea of Troubles - Harold Bloom

79. A Song for Arbonne - Guy Gavriel Kay

80. Harlem Shuffle - Colson Whitehead

81. The Interview With the Vampire - Anne Rice

82. The Vampire LeStat - Anne Rice

83. The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler

84. Vile Bodies - Evelyn Waugh

85. Decline and Fall - Evelyn Waugh

86. Thus Were Their Faces - Silvina Ocampo

87. The Hellbound Heart - Clive Barker

88. The Collected Works of Breece D’J Pancake - Breece Pancake

89. Ben-Hur: The Story of a Christ - Lew Wallace

90. Open City - Teju Cole

91. Goodbye to Berlin - Christopher Isherwood

92. The Aeneid - Virgil

93. Emma - Jane Austen

94. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

95. Persuasion - Jane Austen

96. The Portable Sixties Reader - Various, compiled by Ann Charters

97. The Innocents - Michael Crummey

98. Crossroads - Jonathan Franzen

99. The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling - Henry Fielding

100. The Pilgrim’s Progress - John Bunyan

[thedrowsydoormouse]

7

Oh this is going to be hard! I suck at picking favorites! Ok! Here we go! (Side note: I am still working through Big Finish, the EDAs, and yet another Classic Who rewatch (currently on 4 with Sarah Jane and Harry) so this list might get a little weird.)

1. For the First and Second Doctors, because so many episodes are missing, it's hard to pick a favorite but it would feel weird to not pick Unearthly Child for 1. It's where it all began and we wouldn't have any of the past nearly 61 years without it.

2. Again, because even more of 2 is missing it's super hard to pick a favorite. So I'll pick 2! I love Web of Fear because it's our first time meeting the Brigadier and Enemy of the World because of how camp the whole thing is!

3. Me and my mom both love Alpha Centauri so how could I not pick Curse of Peladon! Jo pretending to be a princess is an added bonus!

4. I'm currently on my first rewatch of 4 and I don't really remember very much of this run from my first time through. This may be controversial but 4 is actually my least favorite Doctor and I actually struggle to get through his episodes because Tom Baker's voice makes my skin crawl. For that reason my favorite is Logopolis because it's his regeneration story.

5. This feels like a 1 2 punch of my least favorite Doctors because 5 is just above 4 in my ranking. He reminds me so much of the people I grew up around in a way that puts me on edge and triggers my fight or flight. Out of all of his stories, I think Black Orchid is the best fit for the vibes of 5 which is why it's my favorite.

6. Six is my favorite Doctor and his run is the one I've rewatched more times than any other, including NuWho, and the only Doctor I've listened to more of from Big Finish is 8! It's so hard for me to pick a favorite for him so I'm going to pick 2 TV episodes and 2 Big Finish. For TV I really love Mark of the Rani and The Two Doctors (I'm a simple girl. I see Jamie being sassy and I'm happy). For Big Finish it wouldn't be right if I didn't pick Doctor Who and the Pirates because Six doing a Gilbert and Sullivan ripoff just feels natural. My other favorite is the Maltese Penguin because I LOVE Frobisher and wish we got more of him in Big Finish because I cannot find the comics to save my life (if someone has a link and a way for me to read them on my tablet, my inbox is open add the Jolly Roger is flying high)!

7. I could not decide between Paradise Towers and Happiness Patrol (I frequently get them mixed up in my head) so I'm picking both!

8. Oh, 8! My dear, sweet 8! We will never have enough of you! Obviously I love the TV Movie but that feels like a copout so I'm going to challenge myself! For the books I'm only just getting started but how could I not pick Vampire Science? I'm a vampy goth! It's only natural! Special shout out to The Stranger for being the shittiest smut I have ever read in my life! As for Big Finish, that's a bit harder. I've listened to almost all of 8 so far but I also really do not like Charley for similar reasons to my dislike of 5 which really narrows down my options. I think my favorites are An Earthly Child and Relative Dimensions. It feels nice to see a Doctor who losses so much reconnect with his roots and rediscover some ties he has to the world at large through Susan and finding out about his great grandson, Alex. They also feel particularly special because Paul's son plays his great grandson which adds an extra layer.

9. Now we're getting into the stuff I have actual opinions on! 9 was my first Doctor (technically I saw an episode of 10 first but I don't remember it the same way I remember 9. Eccleston rewired my brain) and I wish we got more of him but I understand why we didn't (justice for Chris). My favorite from day one is the WW2 two-parter the Empty Child and the Doctor Dances. They always stood out to me the most every time I do a rewatch. And just this once, everybody lives, and I'm hooked!

10. When I was younger and a very different person, 10 was my favorite. I used to daydream about running off with this one. I'll pick a favorite with each companion. With Rose, School Reunion. It used to be Girl in the Fireplace but School Reunion has taken on a more personal thing which just nudges it ahead by a hair! With Martha, it's the Dalek two-parter. What can I say? I love New York! With Donna, The Unicorn and the Wasp. I'm a sucker for Agatha Christie!

11. The only correct answer is Vincent and the Doctor. I don't rewatch 11 very much (the vibes are a hit too manic for me) but this is one of the episodes I keep in my back pocket when people want a suggestion for an episode to start with. I deal with a lot of depression and other mental health issues and that ending gets me every single time.

12. I love 12 but I hate Clara so I sadly skip a lot of this run when I do a rewatch. I feel like Heaven Sent is kind of typical to pick as a favorite but it really is one of mine for similar reasons to Vincent and the Doctor. Because of my issues I haven't been able to get out much for the past 5 (almost 6) years and it has started to feel a bit like I'm stuck in a time loop doing the same thing over and over again day after day with the looming specter of my fucked up mental health slowly chasing after me. Sometimes the only thing that keeps me going when shit hits really hard is the memory of 12 punching the diamond wall.

13. I feel like 13 had a similar problem that 6 had where a great actor who was born to play the Doctor was let down by shitty writing and production drama behind the scenes (I am really looking forward to Jodie's Big Finish stuff and I really hope she thrives there the same way Colin has). There is a reason Chris Chibnal was killed in effigy on the show several decades before he became the show-runner (The Greatest Show in the Galaxy during 7's run. Great story but I hate clowns so it's not my favorite)! This is also the first time since starting the show that I have intentionally skipped an episode and plan to never watch it (Arachnids in the UK. I have spider related PTSD & just the trailer for the episode was enough to make me tap out). There are very few episodes I actually did like from this run so I'm just going to list all of them in release order: The Witchfinders, Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror, The Haunting of Villa Diodati, and The Power of the Doctor.

14. This one is tricky because of how short the run was and also because the episode that everyone loved (Wild Blue Yonder) was soured for me because I found out some very depressing personal news the night before and was still in a not so great headspace when I saw the episode. But I did really enjoy the Star Beast and the parts of the Giggle that didn't have NPH in it were very fun (god, he irks me. I can already tell he's going to either go the way of Ryan Seacrest where he overexposes himself by being in too many things until people get sick of him & he's forced to fade into the background or he's going to go the way of Ellen with a massive scandal that's going to crush his career like that wall vaporizing the car on Mythbusters)!

15. And now here we are at the end. It feels strange picking a favorite in the middle of his run because we still have so much more to come and a lot of my favorites from previous Doctors are ones that grew on me over long periods of time where I've been able to sit with the episodes and see which ones I keep going back to and which ones resonated with me and my personal experiences the most or which ones I recommend to other people when they want to start watching. I don't feel like I've had quite enough time just yet to suss out how I feel about individual episodes so I'm not going to pick a favorite! Instead I'll just give my feelings about this past season and the upcoming Christmas special! I feel like this was a good, strong start for Ncuti and I really enjoyed pretty much all of it! While the writing wasn't perfect, the acting and production design more than made up for it (I desperately need to wander through the wardrobe for this show because this season alone is style goals) and 15 is so charming and draws you in so much that he very quickly jumped up my favorites list to sit in a 4-way tie with 6, 9, and 12 at the top! I desperately need more and I wish we could already start getting Big Finish stuff with him because I know 8 episodes a season plus the Christmas Special isn't going to be enough! I am also very looking forward to the upcoming special (my mom has elected to not go to any parties this year because of recent events here in the States and is instead going to be spending the night with me watching the show for the first time ever) because I love Nicola Coughlan and the trailer looks super fun! I might make a pumpkin spice white hot chocolate to sip while watching!

Also, no one asked, but my fan-cast for a future Doctor at some unknown point in the future is Assad Zaman. The universe won't feel right if he never gets to play the Doctor.

[partywithponies]

BEGGING U TO ELABORATE ABOUT THE WHIFFERDILLS

OKAY OKAY listen. listen. I'll give you the brief version.

Whifferdills, originally from the Doctor Who comics, where things can get already get really weird and conceptual, are one of the most alien alien species in the Whoniverse, even by comics standards. They're shapeshifters, right? Nothing new or strange in sci-fi. Except usually when a shapshifting character or species is plot relevant and lore-important, the writer will write in some kind of limitation to their powers. Some kind of set of rules. But when it came to Whifferdills, they just... didn't.

Whifferdills can be anything. Literally. They can be inanimate objects. They can be puddles of liquid. They can be microbes. They can be the size of mountains. They don't seem to have one set default form that they revert back to, they're supposed to be always changing. Frobisher staying in one form most of the time is established to be him just being a little freak by his own species's standards, and even then, the form he stays in is. A penguin. Because he just likes penguins. Whifferdills don't age, at least not physically, unless they actively choose to, because they have conscious control over what their own bodies do at all times. They are functionally immortal. They are almost impossible to kill. Try to throw them off a cliff and they'll shapeshift instantly into something that can fly. Try to drown them and they'll shapeshift into something with gills. Throw them into a vacuum and they'll shapeshift into something that doesn't need to breathe at all. They don't inherently need to breathe at all. Shoot them or stab them and they'll just shapeshift the wound closed. In his first story Frobisher shapeshifts into a burger and survives someone literally eating part of him and is entirely unaffected outside of being mildly annoyed.

All this to say, Whifferdills are weird as hell and OP as shit. There is literally no reason to assume they reproduce sexually or organically. Why would they even? How would pregnancy even work, in a being whose body is by design supposed to be ever-changing? And how can you spend half your existence living as insects or cash registers and still have a concept of gender? Again, why would they even?

And to bring up just a few specific moments: in one comic, Frobisher (in penguin form) mistakenly believes he's laid an egg, and The Doctor (with the air of someone who's had to explain this before) tells Frobisher that this is impossible, because he's a male penguin, and Frobisher still seems a little confused by this. And to be clear, Frobisher is supposed to be highly intelligent. Frobisher is a notorious wanted criminal. Frobisher is a professional private detective. The Doctor sees Frobisher more as an equal and a partner than a companion. Frobisher plays chess against the TARDIS for fun. And Frobisher struggles to remember the difference between male and female penguins, the species he has a vaguely autistic special interest in.

And in the Big Finish audio The Maltese Penguin, Frobisher makes an offhand comment about he finds the humanoid form particularly tricky, because they have all these "odd dangly bits" that he can't see the purpose of.

I put it to you that Whifferdills do not even have a concept of biological sex or gender, because it's just so far outside of their perception of life and the universe. The TARDIS just translates Frobisher as "he" and Francine as "she" for the benefit of us the audience and the benefit of people like Peri, who in return could not even begin to fully comprehend the lived reality of a Whifferdill.