#the thesis and the doctorate

[dandelionjack]

on tumblr you can say words such as ‘doctor who is like mythology to me. it’s like an ongoing cosmogonic folktale’ and you will recieve 5 notes from people that are willing to indulge your insanity. in real life you say things like how are the kids and was your holiday fun and the weather’s lovely this morning. and i think that’s beautiful. autism.com/careers

[whereiswaldo]

I have seen research papers with less information than Kendrick’s disses to drake

[punedrr]

would sending you a random DM be considered weird? I really love your story and I’ve always wanted to talk to you but I’m shy about reaching out

Not at all!!! I would love to talk about my story (or anything, really) anytime! Please feel free to reach out :)

[celebrimborium]

[src]

[macbethz]

Me: yay fun little doctor who episode

The last ten minutes:

[3cosmicfrogs]

A thousand ghosts follow him, but the one who haunts him is not amongst them.

[radsplain]

“sorry about my appearance i literally just woke up but-” “my hair looks like crap today but i just had to come on real quick and say-” “i KNOW i look like shit rn but don’t mention that in the comments or else you’re homophobic-” “apologies for my appearance guys i literally just got out of the gym!” *voice distortion filter* *light makeup filter* *bold glamour filter* *false eyelash filter* *soft glow filter*

[paraphwrites]

i don't know i just think charles was a little bit in love when they were being dragged into toothface and then he put his hands on edwin's

[daydreamycrustacean]

my collection of screenshots of Fitz being normal.

[arostormblessed]

Don’t talk to me about doctor who the magicians apprentice/witch’s familiar dont you fucking EVER talk to me about it. You have one weakness and it’s your compassion for your loved ones. There is a little boy on a battlefield and you tell him you’re going to save his life because that’s what you do, you save people. Your oldest enemy who is responsible for the slaughter of your people calls out to you to tell you that he’s dying. Your oldest enemy who has known you for centuries, who is one of the only people left who has known you that long, sits down with you and talks to you and for just a moment it feels like you’re friends. Like there is something redeemable in him. It’s a trick, you’ve known it’s been a trick the whole time, and he’s going to kill you. There is a little boy on a battlefield and you know what he will become and you run away, you let him die, because what’s the alternative? Your enemy tricked you into coming here, he lied to you, but it doesn’t matter because there is always mercy. You save the little boy because he’s a little boy, even when you know what he grows up to be, and hundreds of years later the manufactured race that slaughtered your own knows what mercy is. Your enemy does not kill you because your greatest weakness, your loved ones, come to save you. I didn’t come here because I’m ashamed, a bit of shame never hurt anyone, I came because you’re sick and you asked. And sometimes on a good day, if I try very hard, I’m not some old time lord who ran away, I’m the doctor. Compassion, then. ALWAYS. It grows strong and fierce in you, like a cancer. I hope so. It will kill you in the end. I WOULDN’T DIE OF ANYTHING ELSE.

MERCY. ALWAYS MERCY. You walk the little boy home.

[andy-clutterbuck]

The Ones Who Live | 1x04 - What We

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

Dead Boy Detectives (2024): This isn't a ghost story, it's a love story!

[lookmomitsmytmblr]

OKAY so I am re-listening to "Death and The Queen" again and I am having Thoughts™.

I can't find any info about when this drama takes place continuity-wise, but my personal placement would be after "Planet of The Ood" (4x3) and before "The Sontaran Stratagem" (4x4) because 4x4-4x6 take place directly following each other with Donna stating at the end of 4x6 that she plans to travel with the Doctor forever. Donna's determination to continue traveling w him is in keeping with the conclusion of Death and The Queen, where she comes to the decision that the Doctor IS her "happily ever after," as it were. Placing the drama after "Fires of Pompeii" and "Planet of The Ood" also makes sense with Donna's desire in the audio drama to have a break from "the extraordinary" of traveling with the Doctor (specifically, horrific death and destruction,) which adds understandable context to her seemingly being so willing to leave the Doctor after searching for him for so long.

 (Don't talk to me about the ending of Forest of The Dead. It's unlikely Donna would have left the Doctor even if she found Lee. Donna's desire to confirm whether Lee was real could be easily contextualized by her wanting to know how much of her experiences inside CAL were a fabrication, and what the supposed "perfect husband" persona would have said about her if it was drawn from her own mind. Also it was written by Moffatt so it shouldn't count anyway.)

ANyway, what I actually wanted to talk about. Notably, considerable emphasis is placed on Donna enjoying her role as Queen and especially caring for her subjects and having power to help people. A greater amount of text is dedicated to her talking about how as Queen she can care for her subjects than her love for Rudolph, even before the reveal that he is human(?) trash. Her attachment to the role of Queen that marrying Rudolph will grant her is established to be largely based upon her passion for helping people rather than luxuries associated with rank, especially in view of the montage of how royal life on Gorotainia is not as glamorous as she hoped but is still enthralled by being Queen. Later in the story, when danger has appeared, her main role in the story is sacrificing and taking the lead to protect her subjects.

Notably, when things start going downhill and Rudolph starts talking to her about the difficult choices that he must make as royalty she comments that Rudolph is “just like HIM” (the Doctor) and that she went with Rudolph to escape these darker aspects of her travels with the Doctor, specifically the hard choices that go with the role the Doctor plays in the universe (while she doesn’t connect these concepts directly, these two statements are placed very close to one another textually.)

Only when her relationship with Rudolph and role as Queen seems like it will involve some of the same dark choices that her travels with Doctor did does Donna decide she doesn’t want to be involved anymore, which is quickly reversed when she finds out she needs to become Queen in order to protect her people. (I love Donna. In case you can’t tell.)

The narrative has established that a large part of Donna’s attachment to her relationship with Rudolph is potential authority to help and guide people, and that her main interest in pursuing a life with Rudolph rather than her travels with the Doctor was her perception that her role as Queen of Gorotainia would not involve the same death and destruction she has seen with the Doctor. Perfectly understandable after experiencing something like Pompeii.

Donna’s compassion and empathy have been essential components of her character since her introduction, with her wanting to protect the Doctor despite being irritated with him and feeling sorrow for the children of a Rancoss that wanted her to be eaten in “The Runaway Bride”, her taking the time to mention Stacy in “Partners In Crime,” and literally everything in “Fires of Pompeii” and “Planet of The Ood’. Donna has always taken the time and the energy to think of others and work to protect them, even this early in her run. In view of how deeply she feels the pain of others, it is understandable that she would find the idea of a world where she could help others from a position of power without all of the death and chaos and destruction appealing, and her outrage at Rudolph for once again putting her in a position where she has to witness (and potentially be responsible for) terrible things happening to innocent people is believable. He proves that being a Gorotainian royal is like being the Last of The Time Lords. On a smaller scale, sure, but still. 

So the text (and Donna) have set up the idea of Rudolph being similar to the Doctor in role, so what is the difference? Rudolph doesn’t much care about people. He is willing to sacrifice his own people quite coldly.

The Doctor does care about people. How good of a person he is, or how good of a job he does caring for people is up for debate, but he cares.

Which all leads me to this quote from “Beautiful Chaos,” that I cannot believe is cannon and real and published.

Why does Donna love the Doctor?

"I wish you could see what I see. We've been to places, to worlds, to futures and pasts you could only dream about. I think half of them I dreamed up because they can't be real. But they are. And everywhere we go, we make a difference. We put things right, we make people happier. That's what the Doctor is all about. He finds a way for the universe to make sense. And I love him for it.”

Donna Noble wants to make a difference. No matter where she goes, she cannot escape the death and pain and suffering and chaos and nonsense that is the universe, and she can’t help but want to help. And right there beside her, the Doctor is working to put things right too. And she loves him for it.

We have this entire drama dedicated to Donna wanting to make a difference, while also escaping the darkness of the universe, and she learns she can’t. There are no happily ever afters.

Except with the Doctor.

I have so many feelings guys.

[punedrr]

The Thesis and the Doctorate

**A/N: Happy new year! (Oh dear.) Please accept this chapter and my apologies for taking so long. I just finished my first term of actual college and it was hectic there for a while, but I’m on winter break now and I finally have some downtime (and motivation) to write. This chapter is very exposition- and dialogue-heavy (one of my writing weak points) so if you have any helpful suggestions or critiques I’d love to hear them! As my first serious fanfic this is a learning experience for me.

I hope it doesn’t read like I’m flying by the seat of my pants because that’s exactly what I’m doing! My outline is no longer current nor has it been for the past three chapters. It’s also a little shorter than I wanted but I wasn’t quite sure where to end and I really just wanted to get it out there. Y’all have NO IDEA how awesome I feel reading your comments and seeing kudos. Please enjoy!**

Link to the story: The Thesis and the Doctorate

Chapter 9: Show and Tell

You hurry down the front steps of the library. Thankfully Powers and Trigger don’t seem to be chasing you. You weren’t sure how much legal power they’d have (assuming they’re actually F.B.I.) but your gamble seems to have paid off. You slide into your car and throw your bag in the back before pulling out into the road. You don’t care if you have to break down their door, you’re going to talk to the Pines. They need to hear about this and you have more than a few questions you need answers to.

In the quiet of the car the agents’ words come back to you. “They’re master manipulators.” “Stanford and Stanley Pines are involved in numerous criminal activities, including the creation of a so-called ‘doomsday device.’” “You can’t trust anything they say.” You shake your head. None of that’s true... Right? It can’t be. But despite yourself you can’t help but look back on the summer and wonder if maybe the Pines are hiding something.

Stan definitely has a colorful past, you’ve heard enough of his campfire stories to guess at what he might have been doing in the eighties, but he’s not a dangerous criminal. He likes historical dramas, fishing, and creative taxidermy. He used to run a tourist trap and sails around the world during the off season. What illegal activities could he possibly get up to? (Besides some light tax fraud.)

Ford, however, is more of a mystery. He never told you much about his past but you know he’s very well educated with doctorates in multiple scientific fields. Now that you think about it, you realize that Ford never talked about a career or family besides his brother. His only interests seem to be cryptozoology, DDMD, and whatever he’s building with McGucket. But there must be more to him. You recall the many scars you saw last time you were at the shack, how sometimes you’d catch him tapping out ‘trust no one’ in Morse code, how he never seemed to sleep. 

What if Mabel and Dipper are a part of this, too? The thought is chilling but before you can pursue it you’re coming up on the shack. 

You turn off the ignition and sit for a second, gathering your thoughts. The Pines aren’t dangerous, and they’re not criminals. The agents are lying. They have to be. You step out of the car. It’s not even noon yet. The idyllic surroundings are at odds with the serious events so far. You knock on the back door, shattering the quiet. You can hear floorboards creaking but no one comes to the door. 

“Ford? Stan?” You shout. “Dipper? Mabel? It’s me!” You knock again. “I know Ford’s pissed off at me over the statue but I said I’m sorry!”

Silence.

“We really need to discuss some things! I just got talked to by some guys at the library, they said they were F.B.I.? Agent Powers and-”

The door opens. 

“Will ya pipe down?” Stan grumbles. “Come inside already.” You follow him into the living room, where he points you to the card table. He’s still in his pajamas. “Pointdexter! Stop sulking and c’mere!” He shouts down the hallway, then sits down across from you. “The kids are at the arcade with Soos.” He explains. “And sorry about my brother. He’s been a real sourpuss ever since you showed him those pictures.”

You start to apologize again but Stan holds up a hand. “You said the F.B.I. was sniffing around?”

“Yeah, Agent Powers-”

“-and Agent Trigger. I might’ve met ‘em once or twice.”

Your eyes go wide, then narrow. “So what they said is true?”

“What did they say? I’ve done a lot of things.” Stan shrugs, nonplussed. 

“They said that you-” Ford walks in, looking everywhere except the table. “That both of you were dangerous criminals who are trying to build a ‘doomsday device.’ Apparently, they’ve been watching you for a while. They told me you’ve escaped arrest before.” At this, the brothers share a significant glance. What aren’t they saying?

“Look-” Stan starts, resting his hand on the table.

“No,” you cut him off. “You don’t get to dismiss this. I’m tired of not knowing what’s going on. First it was you-” your finger points accusingly at the Ford, “-acting all weird around me. And then I find the statue and you freak out. Which, by the way? It’s considered rude to slam a door in someone’s face. And then the F.B.I. shows up at the place I’m known to frequent, asking about my ‘perspective’ on the town and offering me money to sell you out.” 

Stan jerks back, brow furrowed in suspicion. “An offer which I firmly declined.” You shake your head. “Jesus, did you really think I’d say yes to them? I don’t even know what you’re doing yet!” You throw your hands up in exasperation. “Which brings me to my next point: what the hell have you two been doing to get the F.B.I. asking around?”

Ford looks at Stan and raises his eyebrows. Stan sighs. You cross your arms over your chest and wait them out.

Stan looks somewhere over your left shoulder and finally begins, “Kid, in the interest of mending fences I’ll give it to you straight. I’ve been involved in some pretty seedy stuff over the years, enough to get the F.B.I. interested. But-”

“What kind of ‘seedy stuff’?” You ask, catching his eye. “I need to know.”

Stan heaves another sigh and rolls his shoulders back as if reluctant. “All kinds, kid. Every type of fraud or traffic violation you could name. Smuggling, heists, crime rings, fighting rings. I stole my brother’s identity and faked my own death. Did I ever tell you I’m banned in 32 states? How’s that for seedy?” Stan cracks a smile, some of his old bravado resurfacing. 

“You stole your brother’s identity?!” You turn accusingly on Ford. “And where were you during all of this?” 

He won’t meet your eyes. “Traveling.”

“‘Traveling.’” You mock. You’re starting to feel like a parrot, but what they’re saying is ridiculous. “Traveling where? Did you know he was impersonating you at the time?”

“No.” Ford glances at Stan. “But he had his reasons.”

You clench your fists. “Will both of you stop being so goddamned cryptic?!” You shout. “I don’t know what you’re hiding, but I need answers!” You take a breath. “I come here at the start of this summer to study some trees. I get kidnapped by gnomes, find out magic is real, meet the Pines. I’d say I’m handling it all pretty well for an out-of-towner. But then the literal F.B.I. tracks me down and makes you guys out to be dangerous criminals, and tells me that they need my help to protect the world from whatever it is you’re building.

“Put yourself in my shoes for a minute. Imagine how I’m feeling. Now look at how I’m reacting. I’d say I’m entitled to a bit of a freak out at this point. I don’t want to believe what the agents told me; that’s why I told them to fuck off. You’re both my friends and it’s unthinkable to me that you’re a pair of evil masterminds. But you guys aren’t answering my questions and I know you’re hiding something. Probably something big based on your reactions. So could you please just tell me so that I know what to believe?” You plead. 

The twins share a look. Abruptly, Ford stands and folds his hands behind his back. “It’s a long, convoluted story. I’m not sure what you’ll think of us once you know it,” he warns. “But it might be easier if we show you.”

“Show me what?”

—---------------------------------------------------------------

You’re led to the gift shop vending machine. Stepping in front of you, Ford inputs a code on the keypad and you watch as the vending machine hinges open to reveal a dimly-lit passageway. You gasp in surprise but don’t say anything. You follow and hear Stan pull the vending machine back into place with an echoing clang!

You descend a steep stairway at the bottom of which is an elevator. Ford opens a panel on the wall next to it and inputs another code, this one a series of alchemical symbols. The elevator doors shudder and slide slowly open. 

“After you,” Ford says. 

The ride down is short and bumpy. Neither of the twins say anything until the doors slide open once again, opening directly into a cavernous space lit only by dozens of tiny blinking lights. 

“This is the bunker.” Ford says, reaching over to turn on the lights. These ones are brighter than those in the hallway and you can clearly see panels of switches and screens lining the walls, all of them either dark or filled with static.

You sneeze. The bunker is dusty, though not from disuse. Loose papers are scattered across any available surface and forgotten projects clutter the counters. “What- Why-” you start. You’re not sure where to start. It’s definitely interesting, but you can’t see what this place has to do with anything.

Ford stalks deeper into the space, flicking switches as he goes. You nearly walk into a periscope sticking down from the ceiling as you follow. He stops at a dark window and reaches over to press a button on the wall next to it. Suddenly the window brightens, casting Ford’s shadow tall behind him.

“Behold,” he sweeps out a six-fingered hand, bitterness in his voice. “The doomsday device.” Behind a thick pane of warped glass is a large room carved into the bedrock. It’s bigger than the bunker and extends high enough that the ceiling and back wall vanish into darkness. Taking up most of the space is the destroyed husk of a giant machine. Debris litters the floor around it. There are unfamiliar sigils carved into the face of it which emit a faint glow.

You turn to Ford. “You built this?” You search his face, unsure of what you’re looking for. 

“Yes.” He admits. “But I didn’t build it to destroy the world. Not consciously, at least. It was intended to be an interdimensional portal.”

Never once taking his eyes from the derelict machine, he tells you the story behind the construction of the portal. He starts at the beginning, back when he was a fresh-faced graduate of Backupsmore University with too much grant money and not enough sense. 

“One day I discovered cave paintings detailing an ancient ritual. The Native Americans who used to populate the valley had kept it secret for good reason, but I was young and too curious for my own good.” He laughs bitterly. “I didn’t think he was dangerous at first.” You can hear the self-deprecation in Ford’s voice.

“He tricked me into building this for him. Fiddleford was my assistant at the time but he was unaware of my inspiration. During our first trial run he was pulled through. I managed to get him back, but he...” Ford pauses and puts one hand on the glass. “Never fully regained his sanity.” Ford learned of Bill Cipher’s true plans soon after. Desperate for help, he called his by-then estranged brother.

“When Stanley arrived he didn’t want to take the journal like I told him to do. We fought. We were too close to the portal. I was trying to destroy it but-”

“I pushed him in.” Stan speaks up, startling you. Between the machine and Ford, you’d forgotten he was there.

“Stanley–”

“And I didn’t see my brother again for thirty years. That’s when I stole his identity. I needed a clean record and money to rebuild the portal, but I guess it turned out alright in the end.” Stan gets up to stand next to Ford at the window and picks up where his brother left off. He tells you about Lil’ Gideon, how he tormented Mabel and Dipper and eventually allowed Bill to cross into Gravity Falls. You learn about Weirdmageddon and about how the town came together to defeat Bill, how it all came down to Stan in the end. 

Both of the brothers are nearly hoarse by the end of their explanation. Stan soon excuses himself to go back upstairs. The quiet hum of the bunker is the only sound. What do you say to that kind of story? Your first feeling is relief, and then shame for doubting them. Anger follows, both at the Pines for not telling you sooner and at yourself for not figuring it out. 

You bump Ford with your shoulder, startling him into looking at you. From this angle his face is swathed in shadows. “Thank you. For telling me.” You say haltingly, not quite sure how to proceed. “And for showing me all of this. I know it must to be a lot for you. Hell, it’s a lot for me and I’m hearing about it secondhand.” You crack a smile. You don’t get one in return, but some of the tension seems to ebb from the room. “I can’t even imagine... Thirty years in the multiverse. What was that like?” You say the last part to yourself but Ford hears you and answers.

“Terrifying.” Shoulders up, hands in his pockets, facing forward again. Old trauma. “Surrounded by an ever-changing alien landscape, constantly either running for my life or hunting down Bill. Never sure if I would live to see the next day.” His voice is quiet, a razor’s edge of bad memories. He pauses and turns back to look at you. Behind the shadow flits the ghost of a smile.

“But sometimes,” he speaks softer now, and with a trace of wistfulness. “It was beautiful.”

—---------------------------------------------------------------

Back upstairs Mabel and Dipper are back and watching T.V. with Stan, who has mercifully decided to get dressed. (It was too serious to register at the time, but after your first meeting you had hoped never to see Stan in his pyjamas ever again.) Mabel is the first to notice you walk in, Ford on your heels. 

“Hi!” She chirps.

“Hey guys, how was the arcade?” You ask, taking a seat at the card table. A glance at the screen tells you they’re watching Ducktective reruns. From your previous visits you’ve learned that Mabel, Soos, and Stan all have a passion for it and that Dipper will put up with it only because his favorite paranormal show usually airs right after. You don’t think Ford even watches television.

“It was fun! Soos got a new high score on Ghost Maze, which I didn’t even think was possible,” Mabel recounts. “Grunkle Stan told us that you know about all the stuff that happened with Bill now. Which is great, because I hate keeping secrets!”

And what a secret to keep, you think. The mention of Bill brings up another question. “So... That statue I found in the woods- that was Bill?” 

You expect Ford to answer, but it’s Dipper that speaks up. “Yes.” His tone is serious, and suddenly you understand why he reacted the way he did when you showed him the picture. Like he’d seen a ghost, because he had. “But after I saw it I talked to Grunkle Ford and he says we don’t have any reason to worry.”

“That’s right, Dipper. It’s impossible for Bill to have survived. The statue is nothing but an empty shell. But just in case, I have plans to rig up a monitoring system so that we’ll know if anything changes.” 

The issue settled, you lean back and glance at the wall clock. It’s early afternoon. That means you were only down in the bunker for a little over an hour, but it feels like so much longer.

Truth be told, you still can’t believe that Stan and Ford told you everything. They had no reason to trust you, but they still let you in. You’re glad though. Over the summer you’ve grown close to this weird family and the weird town they live in, and now that you know about Bill it feels like you’ve grown impossibly closer. 

“What about the agents?” You ask suddenly. “I mean, I know now that they’re full of-” you remember just in time that the kids are in the room, “-it, but just because I’m not helping them doesn’t mean they’ll give up.”

Ford frowns and opens his mouth, but Mabel beats him to the punch. “We’ll kick their butts! We did it last time, didn’t we?”

“We did,” he confirms. 

“All I’m saying is, it’s probably best for everybody to watch their backs,” you say. “They didn’t tell me their plans, or if they even have one. But from the way they were talking they seemed pretty desperate.” You wonder if they’ll try to grab you again. You don’t have any weapons besides a small pocket knife, and it’s not like you’re trained in self-defense.

“Perhaps you should stay here for a bit,” Ford suggests, seeing the look on your face. “Just until we know the situation better.”

You stare at him. He flushes and looks down at the table. “Not that you can’t defend yourself, I’m sure you’re quite capable-”

“Sixer,” Stan cuts in. “Give the lady a chance to speak for herself.” 

“Right. Yes. Sorry.”

Stan pauses, but you’re silent. “Now,” Stan continues, “what my idiot brother means to say is: you’re welcome to stay here until this blows over, and all things considered, we could probably use the help. If you don’t feel like it though, I’d be happy to give you the family and friends discount on any weapons you may happen to find in the gift shop.” At this, Mabel reaches between the couch cushions and helpfully brandishes a grappling gun. 

“Thanks?”

“Don’t mention it,” Stan shrugs.

On one hand, you’re itching to get back to your cabin and think everything through. The last couple of days have been a lot. On the other hand, you would definitely feel safer at the Shack, even if that would be putting you closer to the action. You’d be in good company. Plus, it’s not like staying a night (or two, or three) is out of the ordinary for you anymore. 

In the end, the choice is easy.

[camcorderrevival]

amy pond: on beauty, ageing and birth ( part two here )

[ all text with grey background is from the lovely @amelia​​​​ <3 the most accomplished amy scholar of our time || the eleventh hour, flesh and stone, meanwhile in the tardis, amy’s choice, S5 draft of the doctor’s wife ]

[tea-earl-grey]

really thinking about how Janeway becomes so obsessive and insistent about proving that Seven can be human and should become an individual because the same time Seven comes onboard, Janeway is rapidly losing her individuality because she has to be Captain and can't afford to be an individual anymore. she thinks that individuality and humanity is the ultimate goal because she constantly feels like she's on the precipice of losing her humanity.

(compared with her mentorship of Harry and putting expectations and pressure on him because she sees herself in Harry and she expects him to make the same sacrifice of self when necessary because that's what the Noble Starfleet Officer should do.)