#the way he tells Donna to go back to the TARDIS

[davidtennan-t]

New clip from the Giggle!

[clarionglass]

here we go :) part one of three, updates to be released weekly!

---

sam says 4 (game master cinematic universe, part 3)

Ruby was at her mum's for a family dinner she couldn't miss on pain of death, apparently, and the Doctor was many things, but a family dinner kind of guy wasn't one of them—particularly when Carla had already slapped him once in the short time he'd known her. He thought he'd broken his streak of bad luck with mums, but… well, seemingly not. So he was companionless for a few hours, and while he could wait for her to get back, maybe catch up on his reading—what was the point of waiting when you had a time machine? 

He ran his hands over the TARDIS console, marvelling at her clean lines and metallic flourishes, the way that even now she felt brand new but familiar, and paused. He’d just pop off for a quick adventure, nothing too dangerous, but—where to go?

He could scan for a distress call nearby, and pitch in to help. He could drop in on Donna and Shaun and Rose, beautiful Rose, and see how they were all doing. Or he could just hit the randomiser button, and jump in feet first wherever he ended up.

He remembered a conversation from a long time ago, when he wore a different face, and his gorgeous TARDIS wore a face too, for the first and only time.

“You didn't always take me where I wanted to go.”

“No, but I always took you where you needed to go.”

He grinned. Who could resist an offer like that? He pressed the button and whooped as the time rotor spun into action, ready to see where the universe would take him.

---

Apparently, he was needed pretty close to where he already was. Earth, 2024. Huh. Same planet, same time—within a few months of where he’d left Ruby, even. The main thing that had changed was the location: he was now in the good old US of A. California, to be more specific, and Los Angeles to be more specific still. And to really narrow it down, the Doctor discovered as he poked his head out of the TARDIS doors, he was in… a broom closet. Not bad, as a parking spot—a bit squeezy, but out of the way. And as he poked his head out of that door, he could finally see he was in the backstage corridors of a studio of some kind. Film or TV, if he was to hazard a guess, it was a different vibe from Abbey Road.

With a shrug, he decided to go exploring.

It couldn’t have been more than a minute before a young woman wearing the full-black outfit, headset, and permanently stressed expression of a production assistant came running up to him.

“Are you the fill-in Sam organised?” she asked breathlessly, and honestly, seeing the look on her face, the Doctor didn’t have the heart(s) to tell her no. And really, what was the Doctor, if not a professional fill-in? This, this was why he had a randomiser button on the control panel, because whatever he was about to get himself into was going to be fun.

“Sure!”

“Oh, thank god,” sighed the production assistant, relief dawning across her face. “When Ally tested positive this morning, I thought we were sunk for the record, because we called around and we couldn’t get a hold of anyone. But then Sam said he could get someone in, and, you know, here you are, and just in time, so—ah, yeah, if you could follow me this way?”

Smiling all the way, the Doctor followed his guide through to hair and makeup, looking around as they went. The studio seemed to belong to a company called Dropout, according to the branding scattered around, and things seemed, at least on the surface, to be… well. Fine. He couldn't tell why he'd been brought here yet, which meant that when he found the reason, it was going to be particularly tangled. He couldn't wait! 

And then he looked back at his guide, still engulfed in a miasma of anxiety, and realised he'd been too busy looking for clues to notice the person right in front of him. 

“Hey, it's cool, you've found me,” he started with a gentle smile. “You can relax. Hi, I'm the Doctor. What's your name?”

“Oh!” she said, startled. “The Doctor, yeah, of course. Um, hi, I'm Kaylin. Look, sorry, it's just that I've been so busy this morning, I'm so distracted… Shit, and I would've completely forgotten to get your details too. There's paperwork to fill in, but you can do that later. Um, just for now, though, can I get your pronouns?”

The Doctor thought for a moment. “He/him, for now.”

Kaylin nodded, making a note on her phone. “Okay, cool! And do you have any socials?”

“Not me, babes,” he replied. “I'm hardly sitting down long enough to be able to update, you know?”

“On a day like this, I know exactly what you mean,” she said. “That's okay, Lou didn't have socials either for the longest time. Right, so if you go through there, the team will get you sorted, and once you're done, someone will take you up to the greenroom. All good?”

“All great,” the Doctor replied. Kaylin flashed him a quick, relieved smile, then hurried off.

Hair and makeup was a fairly quick process, the sound mixer fitted him with a microphone, and before too long, Kaylin was back to take him upstairs. 

“This is the greenroom,” she said, pushing the door open. “The rest of the cast for the episode are already here—they’re great guys, and they’ve both been on the show a lot, so they’ll be able to help if you’ve got questions. And if you need anything else, just come find me or any of the other PAs, okay?”

The Doctor nodded, beamed at Kaylin, and walked in.

---

The greenroom was small but comfortable, and its occupants, two men around the same age as the Doctor appeared, looked up as he entered.

“Oh, you’re new,” the taller of the pair said, clearly giving him the once-over.

The other sighed with a mixture of fondness and exasperation, just as clearly used to his friend’s antics.

“Hey, I’m Brennan,” he said, levering himself up to standing from his perch on a chair arm, and holding out a hand. “That’s Grant.”

The Doctor took it warmly. “The Doctor. Just passing through, and happy to help.”

Grant’s eyebrows quirked. “Doctor… something?” he prompted.

“Or is it just ‘the Doctor’?” Brennan asked.

“Just ‘the Doctor’,” the Time Lord confirmed cheerfully. “You’ll get used to it, everyone does.”

Grant didn’t look convinced, but—

“Copy that,” Brennan shrugged, and settled back on the arm of the chair, returning his gaze to the door.

Grant, in turn, looked at the Doctor and rolled his eyes in a clear expression of ‘no, I don’t know why he’s like this, either’.

“Okay,” the Doctor said after a moment of watching the watching. “I wasn’t going to ask, but now I think I have to. What’s up with the door?”

Brennan huffed a laugh. “Well, the last time there was one of those up—” he pointed to the Out of Order sign stuck to the bathroom door, “—we got locked in here for the game.”

“He’s paranoid,” Grant interjected.

“Well, yeah, maybe,” Brennan retorted. “Or just cautious. Because Sam’s been acting weird lately, and we’re coming up to the last few records of the season, so he’s probably planning something way out of the box for the finale. And the original cast was you, me and Beardsley, so…”

He shrugged one shoulder meaningfully, and Grant nodded, conceding both the point and the potential for chaos.

“So if Sam comes in to give us the briefing, rather than waiting til we’re on set,” Brennan continued, “or there’s anything else weird going on, I’m gonna know about it right from the beginning.”

He turned to the Doctor. “The only reason I'm not quizzing you is because I know for a fact Beardsley was genuinely scheduled for this, so you can't be a plant by the production team. No offence.”

“None taken,” the Doctor smiled. “That sort of thing happen often, does it?”

Grant and Brennan exchanged a look. 

“More than you'd think,” Grant answered with a grimace. 

“Alright,” the Doctor said slowly, then brightened. “So what is it we're actually doing?”

Grant gave him a disbelieving glance. “You don't know—?”

“Very last minute fill-in,” the Doctor said breezily. “But don't worry, I'm a quick study.”

“Well, you're not that much worse off than the rest of us,” Brennan said encouragingly. “You know about Game Changer, obviously, if you know Sam, and we only find out the rules of the game once we get on set. Hopefully,” he added, with a dark look back at the Out of Order sign. 

The Doctor nodded. No, he didn't know Sam, and he didn't know Game Changer, but he could work out the situation from context clues. This was a game show. And with the Toymaker banished, and Satellite Five not coming into existence for another 198000 years, give or take, he found himself smiling. Maybe third time would be the charm. 

“Mmm, hopefully they aren't going to throw you in the deep end,” Grant said. “Because Brennan might seem lovely now, but as soon as we get out there, he's a whore for points. He'll stab you in the back and won't even blink.”

Brennan barked with laughter. “Yeah, and you wouldn't?”

“Excuse you, I'm always a goddamn delight,” Grant replied, the very picture of injured dignity. 

“Oh, absolutely!” agreed a new voice. The Doctor turned to the now-open door to see a bearded man in a pinstriped suit smiling broadly. “That's why we keep inviting you back!”

Grant bowed sarcastically. “Why, thank you, Sam. Good to know I'm appreciated by someone here.”

“Always,” Sam replied, gently but firmly ending that particular path of the conversation. He scanned the room, and his eyes lit up when they landed on the Doctor. 

“Ah, you must be the Doctor!” he said with obvious delight, walking over with his hand outstretched. “I'm Sam—thanks for filling in for us, you've made sure we're going to have a good show. Seriously, it's a pleasure to have you here.”

“Aw, cheers!” the Doctor smiled, shaking the offered hand. “Glad I could help out, I'm really looking forward to this!”

“Well, great!” Sam exclaimed, then took a step back, regarding all three players in turn. “Now, folks, I'm just letting you know that we're just about ready to start the record, so if you can start heading down, that'd be great.”

Grant and Brennan nodded—Brennan, the Doctor noticed, with relief. 

“See you down there,” Sam said, smiling. “Have a great show, and—”

His eyes caught on the Doctor's for a second, twinkling. 

“Good luck.”

---

Backstage, the Doctor, Brennan and Grant were marshalled into podium order and given a final briefing from the crew. And then, with a thumbs-up from Kaylin, that was it.

Showtime.

“Get ready for a Game Changer!” came Sam's voice from onstage. “Tonight’s guests: he can shoot off a monologue with laser accuracy; it’s Brennan Lee Mulligan!”

Brennan, his back to the camera as the curtains opened, spun on his heel and, with a stone-cold expression, pointed finger guns straight down the barrel, before letting the facade crack open. “Hi!” he exclaimed, and walked over to the leftmost podium.

“It’s his first appearance, but he’s already on fire; it’s the Doctor!”

The Doctor leant against the archway to the stage and flashed a broad smile towards the camera, then in a few skipping steps, had bounded over to the next free podium. What the hell, why not make an entrance?

“And even in the toughest of mazes, you’ll always be able to find him; it’s Grant O’Brien!”

Grant dipped his lanky frame into an approximation of a curtsey, spreading his arms wide, then sauntered over to the closest podium with a grin.

“And your host, me!” Sam announced, a ring of manic white showing around his irises as he beamed down the barrel of the camera. “I’ve been here the whole time!”

“This,” he continued, pushing his microphone shut and stowing it in his jacket pocket, “is Game Changer, the only game show where the game changes every show. I am your host, Sam Reich!” 

As he said his name, he looked at his hands, front and back, as if he was pleasantly surprised to be himself, then gestured towards the three podiums.

“I am joined today by these three lovely contestants! Now, you understand how the game works.”

“Of course not,” Grant started. “You know we don't.”

“We can't, Sam, that's the whole point of the theatre you've set up here,” Brennan said over him. 

“Not yet,” was all the Doctor said, anticipation starting to drum a tattoo of excitement against the inside of his ribcage. 

“That’s right!” Sam said brightly, shooting finger guns at the camera. “Our players have no idea what game it is they’re about to play. The only way to learn is by playing. The only way to win is by learning, and the only way to begin is by beginning! So without further ado, let’s begin by giving each of our players fifty points.”

The Doctor, biding his time, watched the reactions of his fellow contestants. Grant looked at the front of his podium, checking the point total, and nodding approvingly when he saw that yes, it was sitting at a round fifty. Brennan, on the other hand, was starting to frown.

“Players, Sam says: touch your nose,” Sam began, and Brennan sighed the sigh of someone who wasn’t happy to be proved right.

“Oh, no,” he groaned. “Oh, you son of a bitch. Wasn’t one this season enough?”

He touched his nose anyway, as did the others, and Sam smiled encouragingly. “Sam says: touch your ear.”

When they all did, Sam nodded. “Touch your other ear.”

Everybody held still, fingers on the ears they had originally touched.

Sam beamed. “Easy, players, right?”

“You say that now,” Brennan said darkly. “Which makes it worse, because all you're doing is setting us up for failure.”

Sam gasped, pretending offence. “Would I do that?”

“Yes,” Brennan and Grant replied in unison, which drew a grin from the Doctor and set Sam off chuckling.

“And I'm not having it,” Brennan continued, leaning his elbows against his podium and pointing at Sam with the hand not touching his ear. “You better watch yourself, because I know how this game works, and you're not going to get one over on me.”

“Strong words, Brennan!” Sam said, clearly delighted by this response. “Okay, then, let's start making things a bit more interesting!”

The game continued as per Sam Says usual, some rounds done as a group and some individual. Points were won, sure, but lost slightly more frequently, and even the Doctor found he was having to concentrate to avoid getting caught in the host's traps. 

It was fun. Genuinely, it was like playing a game with friends, and the Doctor felt himself leaning into it. There wasn't any sign of danger—maybe there wasn't a mystery to solve at all, and the TARDIS just decided he needed a total break. 

Well, probably not. But the way things were going, he was able to let himself hope. 

“Alright, players,” Sam said a good few rounds in, just as pleasantly as he would start any other question, and the screen behind him dinged as a new prompt popped up. “Survive the death beam.”

For a second, everything was frozen perfectly still. 

And then came the crash, the explosive noise of heavy machinery moving relentlessly through a drywall set.

The Doctor was already moving. “Everyone down!”

“Duck!” Brennan yelled at the same time.

The two of them hit the ground within milliseconds of each other, but Grant was still paralysed in the face of the giant, science-fiction type laser cannon that had just ploughed through the wall. 

It whined ominously, screaming its way to fever pitch. And then a sharp pain in Grant’s ankle made him stagger, pitching forwards onto the carpet behind the podiums as the Doctor rolled away to avoid getting pinned.

“Sorry, babes,” the Doctor whispered. “But it was either kick you to get you down, or—”

A hideous metallic screech ripped through the air, and all three of them could feel the crackle of ozone as a beam of energy swept across what had, moments ago, been neck height.

“…Or that,” the Doctor finished with a grimace.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Grant breathed, suddenly very conscious of every inch of his 6’9 frame. “Thanks.”

“Well done, players!” Sam exclaimed delightedly from above them. “But… sorry, I didn’t say ‘Sam says’, so that’s a point off for everyone.”

“What the fuck!” Brennan snapped.

“Are you actually insane?” Grant demanded at the same time, his voice overlapping with Brennan’s.

In response, Sam just wheezed with laughter. “You can come back to your podiums,” he said, cheerfully ignoring them.

Nobody moved.

“Very good!” he acknowledged, and even without seeing his face, the grin was obvious in his voice. “Okay, Sam says: come back to your podiums.”

Although the words were innocuous, and his tone was just as light and breezy as usual, there was nevertheless an edge hiding just underneath the surface. And while the death beam loomed large in the minds of all three players, it was impossible to consider disobedience as an option.

Slowly, they stood, returning to their places. Now they had the time to look at it properly, the death beam was even more sinister, and Brennan and Grant both kept flicking nervous glances its way, ready to move if it looked like it was charging up again.

The Doctor, however, was focused purely on the man standing in front of them. Unbothered, Sam met his gaze like a challenge, a mischievous smile playing about his lips.

“Oh, you’ll love this one,” he said, and the screen changed. “Sam says, starting with Grant: say my name.”

Grant frowned in confusion, but answered quickly nonetheless. “Sam Reich?”

The man himself shrugged tolerantly, moving on. “Brennan?”

Brennan just stared at him coolly. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“Well caught, Brennan!” Sam said happily. “Sam says: say my name.”

“Sam,” Brennan replied, suspicion clear in his voice. “Samuel Dalton Reich.”

He nodded, still with a hint of indifference. “And lastly, Doctor.” His smile broadened. “Sam says: say my name.”

It was easy. Too easy. And as the Doctor looked into the eyes of the man calling himself Sam Reich, he felt his hearts stutter in recognition, because something had changed. He wasn’t hiding himself anymore, and while the face was different yet again, the Doctor would know the shape of that soul anywhere. It was impossible. It was inevitable.

“You can’t be,” he breathed. 

Sam smirked, leaning in across his podium. “Oh, but Doctor… I’ve been here the whole time,” he stage-whispered with a wink.

“He said you lost,” the Doctor said, shaking his head, looking wrong-footed for the first time that Brennan and Grant could recall. “You lost, and he trapped you.”

The other two watched, uncomprehending, but Sam just smiled, drumming his fingers against the podium with an audible beat, fast but distinct. Four taps, four taps, four taps. “I’m waiting.”

The Doctor took a slow, deep breath. Set his jaw. 

“Master.”

---

missed an installment of the game master cinematic universe?

original idea by @ace-whovian-neuroscientist: x

art by @northernfireart concept: x scissor sisters sketch: x sam and his doppelganger: x

writing by me (!) part one (escape the greenroom): x part two (deja vu): x part three (sam says 4): you are here!

[shcmook]

THE STAR BEAST

Is about the RTD era. It’s set in dimly lit London streets. The Doctor avoids going to UNIT directly. Queer identity is at the center of it. The Metacrisis DoctorDonna comes back. He meets a woman named Rose. The plot is moved by strange unexplained coincidences. The Shadow Proclamation is invoked. There’s a big obvious spaceship crash that wasn’t an accident like in Aliens of London. There’s alien law enforcement hunting a real villain like smith and Jones. The Doctor is separated from Donna by a clear barrier like he is from Wilf in end of time. But instead of losing her, he gets her back. She remembers him. Journey’s End is undone.

WILD BLUE YONDER

Is about the Chibnall era. We’re separated from the TARDIS like in Ghost Monument, facing creatures beyond our universe like in It takes you away, Can you Hear me? And Flux. We’re on a spaceship nearly outside of the universe, failing to get as far as Tecteun wanted to go. We’re reminded the Doctor isn’t from this universe. Of the destruction of the Flux that the Doctor failed to stop. And the Doctor refuses to let Donna in, to tell her how badly this is affecting him, just like 13 didn’t let Yaz in. He even almost chooses the wrong Donna near the end. In a different way, 13 also didn’t choose Yaz.

We’re scratching the surface of the Doctor’s trauma but the Flux isn’t the real problem. She’d been keeping her companions out since before that. Why? What happened to the doctor in between Donna and the flux?

THE GIGGLE

Is about the Moffat era. There’s great emphasis on how old the Doctor is, that is the same old Doctor we met in the 60s. We’re reminded how the Doctor lost Amy, Clara and Bill, and the Doctor’s focus is on protecting Donna and Mel over the actual planetary stakes. Time is rewritten. There’s a too-good-to-be-true happy ending. There’s a lot going on.

The Doctor hasn’t stopped moving since losing Bill. Really, he hasn’t stopped since long before then. But the Bi-generation gives him a way to stop without depriving the universe of the Doctor. Amy, Bill, and Clara didn’t just die. They got second chances at life, with their own chosen companions (Rory, Heather and Me) . And at the end of his short journey, 14 gets that same fate. He dies, but finally gets a happy, restful life. Meanwhile 15, already feeling the benefits of his past self’s rest, journeys on.

[spirantization]

"Wild Blue Yonder" dealt with some of the emotional fallout of the Flux, so I want to rewind a bit and look at what that means for the Doctor.

I know that the Timeless Child and the Flux are contentious topics. I'm not here to argue either way. But now those storylines have decisively not been retconned, and with both of these fresh in my memory, I feel the need to offer some context for anyone who may not have seen it, and to recontextualize it for myself and anyone who has.

NotDonna: You don't know where you're from. The Doctor: How do you know that? How does anyone know? How does Donna know?

In "The Timeless Children", we find out that the Doctor was discovered as a child alone under a wormhole, and adopted by a woman named Tecteun. There was an accident where the Doctor fell from a cliff and regenerated, and subsequently Tecteun performed "experiments" on them to try to understand regeneration. The show minces words about this but she killed a child a whole bunch of times is what happened. Her experiments created the Time Lords and allow them to engineer their regeneration properties. The Doctor has no memory of any of this, and only finds out via the Master and information stored in the Time Lord Matrix.

The Doctor, predictably, doesn't tell anyone about this revelation. She makes a speech to the Master about how this makes her more, we get a single shot of her looking a bit tired in the TARDIS, then she immediately gets thrown in prison.

Ultimately, the Doctor doesn't know where they're from or who their parents are. And the very fact that they're not from Gallifrey is information that no one in the universe should have. Everyone who knew is now dead.

NotDonna: I saw it in your head. The Flux. The Doctor: It destroyed half the universe because of me. We stand here now, on the edge of creation, a creation which I devastated, so yes I keep running, of course I do! How am I supposed to look back on that? NotDonna: It wasn't your fault! The Doctor: I know!

A fun fact about the Flux is that the Doctor did not cause it. So why does he blame himself? Because the person who caused the Flux was Tecteun.

The reason why Tecteun wanted to destroy the universe is because the Doctor interfered with things too much. Too much morality. Too inspirational to people. She calls them a virus. So her solution to the problem of the Doctor is to destroy the universe, with the Doctor inside, and take her ship to a different universe to start fresh. She also was the one to steal all the Doctor's memories of previous lives in the first place. She's dismissive and patronizing and clearly does not care about the Doctor on an emotional level at all. Tecteun is a piece of work, and the implications of her actions and how they've shaped the Doctor have the potential to go deep.

Thirteen doesn't get too much of a chance to react to any of this, because there is plot going on. And shortly after they reunite, Tecteun gets killed by a different villain. So there was no emotional closure in the moment, and there's now no possibility for the Doctor to make sense of her actions. The Doctor does not tell any of her friends about any of these events. She keeps promising to tell Yaz but does not.

"Wild Blue Yonder" is the first time we, as the audience, hear the Doctor discuss the Flux. And their perception of events is skewed at best. The Flux wasn't caused because the Doctor made a mistake and a lot of people were killed, which is what you can argue for many other situations. The Flux and the devastation of the universe was caused by their mother, who promptly turned around and told them it was their fault for being such an interfering nuisance. We know that the Doctor is often an unreliable narrator, but this is beyond that. These are the words of an abused child who has internalized the narrative that the abuse was their fault.

So the Doctor being able to talk about this with Donna, who has seen what happened, who knows him, and tells him that it's not his fault — it means so much to him. He wants it to be her so badly. And then NotDonna laughs in his face. You can see the devastation. He thinks for one moment that he can finally talk about this with his best friend, and it's snatched away from him. He gives himself a moment to break down in the corridor, and then you can see the walls rebuilding as he suppresses it all again.

At the very end of the episode, back in the TARDIS, he's trying very very hard to be nonchalant. I'm curious. The NotDonna could remember all these things that happened to me while we were apart. Can you? Just wondering. Things happened, but I'll be fine. In a million years. It's not a joke.

He wants so badly to be able to talk about this. You can see it in all the lines of his body language. He's keeping himself together but is prepared to fall apart in an instant. He doesn't want to actually tell anyone, but if Donna just magically knew already, and could tell him it wasn't his fault — well, that would make the world of difference. But she doesn't know, and he can't bring himself to tell her. And so the cycle continues.

[intuitive-revelations]

Theory: Something serious is up with the TARDIS

I had been wondering about this all series, but after Rogue today, it's finally been confirmed that something's going on with the TARDIS (on top of all the other arc threads going on!).

The moment I picked it up was in The Devil's Chord, where the TARDIS makes a strange groan and creaks after landing back in 1963. Ruby thinks it's from Maestro, but the Doctor says it's "something else". As of today it's happened again, twice! Once in the episode itself, once in the next time trailer. The exact same sound effect!

Someone on reddit pointed out a few weeks ago that this sound appeared even earlier too, in Wild Blue Yonder (notably also when we first saw Susan Twist, had gravity changed to mavity, and welcomed the Pantheon into the universe). Each time, it's also had attention drawn to it. Here's a video of each scene, followed by a direct comparison of each sound:

(I did have a quick glance to see if it appeared elsewhere, maybe even during Flux. As far as I can tell however, Wild Blue Yonder seems to be the only non-S14 appearance.)

What's more, going back to that Reddit thread, someone pointed out what the Wild Blue Yonder script says about this moment:

And then the TARDIS seems to moan. The Doctor fascinated. DONNA: Is it working? THE DOCTOR: I think so. Strange. He reaches out, touches the TARDIS, wondering. And that 'strange' will come back to haunt him, one day. But now...

(Suddenly the TARDIS freaking out over Donna's spill might make a bit more sense...)

So what the hell's going on?

Well, between a trailer scene and some news that just came out a few hours ago as of writing this, I think I may have an idea. Given it's based on trailer footage uploaded and then removed from YouTube, I'll put it below beneath a read more:

In a removed Disney+ teaser trailer we get two frames of the Doctor screaming out into space (with Mel behind him). Except it's not from "his" TARDIS:

It's the f*cking memory TARDIS!

And here's the thing. Not only was this trailer scrubbed from the Disney+ and BBC channels, but in the other trailers, this clip is entirely different! Not only is Mel gone, but the TARDIS interior is now Fifteen's own, and the TARDIS is in a different, generic region of space.

Just before this, we also see a similar nebulous region of space matching the unmanipulated clip.

But why on Earth is this such a big deal, that the BBC/Disney would go full MCU and give us a deliberately altered clip? The only previous time I remember Doctor Who doing this was for Series 10, hiding the plot point of the Doctor's blindness. It's not because of Mel, who literally appears in the released trailer. It's also seemingly not because of the background, despite it also being altered (unless the two moons are a clue with the planet being Gallifrey or something - the thought had occurred to me - but that's such a tiny detail, and we also only see one sun). Instead, it must be the Memory TARDIS. But why?

In-universe, I have no idea. On one hand I'd be delighted to get some answers as to its nature. Assuming it's connected to the groans we've been hearing, then it could be the TARDIS undergoes some sort of metamorphosis into this state? But we've seen the TARDIS change all the time, whether for safety, to recover or whatever. I also can't imagine general audiences are falling over themselves to find out the in-universe explanation for a Classic Who re-release framing device. Not to mention, apparently the sound will go on to "haunt" the Doctor...

...maybe the TARDIS straight up is taken out of commission in some way? And the Memory TARDIS isn't the same ship, but the Doctor's way of saving the day without her? Maybe even remembered into existence Fitz/Amy style?

Out of universe however, it's just been announced yesterday that we're getting more Tales of the TARDIS.

And not just more omnibus stories with past characters returning for in-universe commentary... but with Fifteen and Ruby! What's more, it's apparently a one-off, right before the finale (but, note, after the first part next week).

Which means it's important. Possibly extremely so, given the edited trailer scene. It might even serve as an interquel, given Fifteen and Ruby are somehow in it.

I've seen two common theories. Either a) it will be Pyramids of Mars, and we're getting Sutekh in the finale (presumably with Fifteen and Ruby partially because of bringing back Elizabeth Sladen obviously not being an available option - and even if you thought up another character, eg. Luke, I doubt Tom would be interested, at that point anyway), or b) it will be something tying into Susan returning.

Honestly between the remaining trailer clips (eg. sandstorms and dusty planets), a tease RTD supposedly gave in DWM, and an old interview with him where he supposedly floated the idea of bringing back a Classic Who for a finale and airing the original serial on BBC3 beforehand, I'm kinda leaning towards the prior, even though it wasn't at all on my radar.

However, this still doesn't actually answer what's up with the TARDIS.

It could quite literally be anything. However, here's a few ideas, some reasonable some weird, that I have come up with:

Old age / stress. This is a weird one, but oddly enough something I had thought of once in the past, and I just saw someone else come to the same idea on Reddit. The idea is that while the Doctor has a new regeneration cycle and now a good few years, if not decades or more, of rest and recovery, the TARDIS may struggling in it's own right (especially if it is somehow old enough to have once been the Fugitive Doctor's). However, while this could be something interesting to explore, and I think isn't entirely mutually exclusive with other options, I can't imagine going anywhere near a storyline of the TARDIS itself 'wearing thin'. Besides, if we did, I like to imagine it would have been foreshadowed with size leakage, as per Name of the Doctor.

Relating to the above, could it be something linked to the TARDIS splitting in The Giggle? However, the sound starts before then (not that that means much to the TARDIS, but still).

Laws of rationality breaking down. This one makes the most sense in a lot of ways, between the expanded universe (particularly Christmas on a Rational Planet) and Flux, we've seen the TARDIS cannot survive in an irrational universe. While time has stabilised for now, we're still seeing magic and other Old Time forces encroaching in on the Web of Time. I'm a bit torn with this one however, as while it works from a lore and writing perspective, plus matches with this starting in Wild Blue Yonder (right after the Mavity incident... interestingly), it seems odd it's not more connected with what happened in Flux? Why are the sounds and effects on the TARDIS completely different?

Something to do with the Doctor's fobwatch. In Rogue, the Doctor blames the sound on indigestion. We know we're getting more Timeless Child related stuff - could this somehow be linked to Thirteen dropping the Division biodata module deep into the TARDIS? Would be a weird time to pick this up though, and I'm not sure exactly how that would have had such an effect.

The most actually likely, but least possible to theorise about: it's something time-wimey to do with Ruby, the villain(s) of the story, and/or Susan Twist, especially given this started after her first appearance.

Regardless, I'm just excited to see what's up with the Memory / "Remembered" TARDIS, because it's seems we're about to learn something...

[theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction]

Imagine telling the Doctor about your run-in with his villains…

The Doctor pointed to the team at Unit, “So if you’re all wearing the armbands,” he gestured to himself and Donna, “and we were out of reach, why haven’t you been affected?” The Doctor asked now looking at you.

His attention drew the eyes of everyone around the room to you as well.

Clearing your throat, you raised a hand. “So, funny theory. Remember when we took a break from life-threatening adventures the TARDIS?”

Ten squinted back. “You mean when you threatened to melt my sonic in the heart of a supernova if I didn’t let you, yes I remember.”

Donna smirked to the side. “Now this I want to hear.”

In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best way to get your way but it had worked. “Right, yes. That. I ended up on Earth in 1670. More specifically, Soho.”

Kate Stewart stepped forward. “You were in the same town as the Toymaker?”

Your lips drew back as you scratched your neck sheepishly. “Sort of? I ended up working at his store for a few weeks and he - well, he had a soft spot for me.”

Teen glared. “And?” He prompted. He was always able to see through the half replies.

“And he wasn’t too bad to look at either.”

Donnas eyes widened. “You had a thing for the Toymaker?”

You sent her a small shrug. “I didn’t know he was an evil madman at the time.”

Ten rolled his eyes and ran his hand over his face. “What is it with you and my enemies?” He groaned. “The Toymaker is a huge problem. And don’t even get me started on that thing you had going with the Master.”

Kate turned to you. “The Master?” She questioned, quite shocked with this revelation that wasn’t knowledge to UNIT.

Ten was still ranting. “Who’s next? Davros? A Cyberman? Zygons maybe?

You crossed your arms and scoffed. “Hey, don’t bring your weird Zygon kiss into this and act like that was my doing.”

Donna let out a long breath and leaned against the computer desk. “Oh boy, this is a lot to take in.”

Ten was still scowling at you as he walked over to his friend. “Tell me about it.” Then he pointed at you. “No more cavorting with villains.”

~ More imagines here ~

[magiccath]

A very Noble Christmas

tenth doctor x GN!reader

Summary: In which Donna is really fed up with her love-sick best friends and calls in Wilf for backup

A/N: if you're looking for a Christmas song to go with this I suggest "Christmas Tree Farm" by Taylor Swift and a steaming cup of cocoa. Happy holidays! xx

“It’s so frustrating, Grandad,” Donna groaned, sandwiching her mobile phone between her shoulder and cheek so she could use both hands to fold laundry. 

“They’re not even subtle about it! They’re so thick they can’t even tell the other one has feelings for them.” she folded a shirt in one swift movement, placing it with the others in her laundry basket. She truly loved her best friends, but this was getting ridiculous. Having to deal with your level of obliviousness every day was starting to frustrate her.

“Have you done anything about it, darling?” Wilfred asked. Donna could hear a slight breeze over the phone. He was probably sitting outside, looking up at the stars. 

“That’s the thing,” she groaned, “I've done all kinds of things to push them together.” She finished folding her things and closed the dryer with her hip. She repositioned her phone to hold it with one hand and the basket in the other. 

“None of it has worked. Not even in the slightest,” she continued as she made her way through the winding halls of the TARDIS back to her room.

“Have you tried a romantic candlelight dinner?” he suggested. 

“That was one of the first things I tried. I made a reservation at a fancy Italian place so they could eat pasta and look into each other’s eyes lovingly.” 

“And?” 

“Aliens blew it up on the way over.” Donna rolled her eyes, even if Wilf couldn’t see it.

“It’s like I’m living in a horrible slow-burn rom-com,” she grumbled in exasperation. “I’ve done everything, Grandad. I don’t know how to get their thick heads to see it.” 

“Perhaps it’s time for my expertise…” Wilf whispered, deep in thought. 

“Huh?” Donna asked, frowning. 

“Christmas is next week. Bring them over for dinner, I can handle the rest.” Donna could hear the mischievous smile in his voice. Before she could respond or protest he had hung up. She pulled her phone away from her face slowly, staring at the blank screen before letting out a small laugh. 

She shook her head, there was no point in telling Grandad “no”. Plus, she really wanted to see you two together and her efforts hadn’t done much.  

Christmas might be a week away for Wilf, but Donna could just ask the Doctor to take you there now. There were some benefits of living in a time machine. Decidedly, she made her way out to the TARDIS control room. 

The Doctor was hunched over the console, fiddling with some buttons and switches. You were a little farther down the console, leaning against it. Your hands gestured wildly as you talked excitedly to him. The Doctor snuck small glances at you every now and then, a subtle smile taking over his face. It still baffled Donna that you failed to notice this, he was hardly incognito about it. The poor guy practically had heart eyes bursting out of his head.

“Can we go back to my place?” Donna asked, moving further into the room. “Grandad has invited us for Christmas dinner.” 

“You hate Christmas,” you pointed out with a frown. The Doctor nodded in agreement, both of you confused. Normally, you had to coerce Donna into Christmas dinner. 

“I like Grandad,” Donna shrugged casually. She hadn’t really thought about her distaste for Christmas when Wilf made the plans. She had figured that her biggest hurdle would be convincing the two of you to celebrate Christmas a week early, even if you both loved Wilf dearly. But, then again, the Doctor had no concept of when Christmas actually was. Hopefully, you wouldn’t see past her thinly veiled lie. 

You exchanged a suspicious look with the Doctor, determining whether you should trust her. Donna was known to get you all into trouble, even if she meant well. Silently deciding there was no harm in a Christmas dinner, the Doctor agreed. He’d been meaning to check up on the old man anyway.

“Alright,” he drawled, moving to flick some switches on the console. You watched him move about, your eyes following him as he rushed around the room. 

Donna really hoped that Wilf’s plan worked, she wasn’t sure she could handle another minute of this. It was like perpetually third-wheeling but so much worse.

The Doctor landed the ship with his usual flourish, turning to look at you with a wide smile, “The Noble residence, Christmas day,” he said dramatically.

He held his hand out for you and you took it without pause. Donna sighed before following behind you as the Doctor led the way out into the snow. 

The streets were dusted with a coating of stark white powder, a few boot tracks the only indicator that anyone was around. The snow was still falling, a gentle and soft flurry floating down to the ground. You smiled brightly and started to spin around in the falling snow, catching stray flakes on your outstretched tongue. 

Donna noticed the Doctor was watching you with an equally excited smile plastered on his face. He had a certain kind of smile that he only ever wore when looking at you. The best way Donna could describe it was lovesick, and it was starting to get pathetic. 

“Let’s go in before I freeze,” Donna urged, tilting her head in the direction of the door. 

The Doctor nodded, his brow suddenly furrowing. He moved closer to you, tugging the neck of your coat so it wrapped around you tighter. 

“Don’t want you to catch frostbite,” he whispered, adjusting your scarf as well. He stopped for a moment to look at you, your face flushed from the cold. A small smile tugged on your lips and he felt his hearts skip a few beats.

“We should go in,” the Doctor finally said, pulling back from you. His hand rested gently on the small of your back reassuringly, guiding you towards Donna’s house.

Wilf greeted you all at the door, a childish grin plastered on his face. A pair of reindeer antlers perched on this head, the small bells attached jingling quietly when he moved. He pulled each of you into an excited hug, squeezing tightly. 

“How have things been, Wilf?” the Doctor asked, instantly following him through the foyer. 

You hung back with Donna for a moment, putting your coats on the hangers and shaking out the small flecks of snow that had stuck to you. You slipped your boots off before padding down the hall after Wilf and the Doctor.

In the dining room, the table was set with nice plates and Sylvia was busy setting numerous steaming dishes on the table. You smiled and sat down in front of a bowl of potatoes, inhaling their scent with a small but satisfied smile. You loved Sylvia’s Christmas dinners and couldn’t wait to eat this one. The Doctor took a seat next to you, still deep in his conversation with Wilf.

Slowly, the rest of the food came out while the traditional Christmas crackers were opened. Wilf wasted no time perching the paper crown atop his antlers with a big, silly smile. On the other hand, Sylvia deemed them childish, and Donna didn’t want to mess up her hair. Still, you and the Doctor put your crowns on proudly. Once you had placed the brightly colored paper on your head you turned to the Doctor for approval.

“It’s a bit lopsided,” the Doctor commented, gently shifting the crown on top of your head. You felt a flush creep across your face at the contact, but the Doctor didn’t seem to notice. 

“Much better,” he grinned, leaning back to admire his work.

Donna cast a wide-eyed and frustrated glance over at Wilf with an exasperated sigh. Surely he could see how ridiculous this was. Wilf nodded in acknowledgment but didn’t do much else to ease her frustrations.

Dinner went by in a blur of smiles, laughter, and lingering touches between you and the Doctor. His hand would brush against yours slightly and hang there for a moment. You could even swear that the Doctor’s fingers brushed against the back of your hand in a comforting motion.

At one point, you even used your napkin to wipe a bit of sauce off of the Doctor. Donna practically got up and left the table at that. It was as if you were already a lovey-dovey couple!

Once more she looked over at her grandad, wide-eyed and aggravated. How could the two of you not realize?!

“Are you seeing this?” she whispered to him, gesturing aggressively over at the two of you. Somehow, you remained blissfully unaware of Donna’s angry whispers.

Donna could feel herself going more and more insane as the minutes crept by, and the two of you continued your usual longing glances. She looked over at Wilf numerous times for assistance or even reassurance, but he just nodded knowingly. As much as she loved her grandad, she was starting to lose faith in his matchmaking abilities. Perhaps it was a dauntless task after all. 

When dinner was through, you and the Doctor helped clean up the dishes on the table. You stacked the dirty plates and bowls, all the while happily whispering and laughing to each other.

You carried the stack to the kitchen with the intent to help with dishes before Sylvia yelled at you to get out. The last time the two of you had done the dishes there were soapy bubbles everywhere and only a fraction of the dishes actually got done. She learned her lesson long ago to not trust the pair of you with important tasks. 

As you sulked out of the kitchen and into the hallway, the Doctor paused slightly. 

“What’s up?” you asked, noticing that something had caught his eye.

His eyes drifted up to the ceiling, and you followed his gaze. There was a small bough of mistletoe tied with a brilliant red bow hanging above your heads. 

“Huh, I wonder why they put that up,” you questioned. Considering there were no couples in the house it felt a little silly. Still, you felt a thrill rush through you at the implications of the small herb.

“I believe the tradition is to kiss…?” The Doctor asked bashfully, a blush creeping across his cheeks. He could be quite bad at remembering Earth traditions, but he was fairly certain about this one. Honestly, he really just wanted an excuse to kiss you.

“I do think that is proper,” you flushed, averting your gaze. You would never admit it, but you wanted an excuse to kiss him too.

The holiday music drifted in from the other room, the soft and familiar tunes filling the silence between you. The twinkle lights in the hall cast a soft glow over the Doctor, making his handsome features more prominent. As far as mistletoe kisses go, it truly was the perfect setting.

The Doctor moved closer to you slowly, his lips hoving over yours while still giving you space to pull away. Gently, he pressed his mouth to yours lovingly. The kiss was short and sweet, over far before you wanted it to be. 

“That was-” you gasped, your fingers drifting up to your lips subconsciously. 

The Doctor looked at you worriedly, suddenly concerned he had done the wrong thing. Maybe he should have asked your permission before kissing you. Waves of anxiety crashed over him, his woes written all over his face.  

You took in his pained expression and furrowed brows and shook your head quickly, cradling his hand in yours softly. You smiled brightly, halting his worried thoughts. 

“Amazing,” you finished with a grin. The Doctor smiled back at you, a twinkle in his eye. It all felt like a Hallmark movie. The sort of scene that could only ever occur if it had been masterminded. It was almost better not knowing that it had been.

With a sly smile, you grabbed his tie to pull him in for another kiss, this one longer than the last. His hands wrapped around you, pulling you closer to him. You could have stayed there forever if it hadn’t been for Donna’s sudden appearance. 

“Bloody finally!” she cried out. 

You turned around in shock, the Doctor’s hands still resting firmly on your waist.

“Wha-?” you gasped, slightly embarrassed to be caught in the act. “What are you yelling about?” 

“I’ve been waiting forever for you two idiots to kiss!”

You and the Doctor turned a deep shade of scarlet and instantly avoided your friend’s gaze. The Doctor’s hands slipped away from you and you took a small step back from him. You stared at the floor, flustered. Next to you, the Doctor fiddled anxiously. 

Donna rolled her eyes in exasperation, of course, the two of you were still going to deny your feelings for each other. 

“I give up,” she groaned, throwing her hands in the air before stomping off in frustration.

You turned to the Doctor with a knowing smile before the two of you burst into bouts of hearty laughter. His hands naturally made their way back to your waist, pulling you into him. 

“How much longer do you think it will take her to find out we’re dating?” He whispered into your ear with a grin.

[x-neurodivergent-reader]

Headcanons: 10th Doctor x Autistic!Reader established relationship

A/N: I've been rewatching the 9th and 10th Doctors' series recently, and found myself getting attached all over again, so I've decided to add the Tenth Doctor to my list of characters I write for! Enjoy!

The reader here is gender-neutral.

Content warnings: None.

Loves any happy stims you have! He finds that it makes your joy more contagious – and since his positive energy tends to similarly rub off on you, he gets to see you stim often, to his delight.

Like Thirteen, he’s genuinely interested in any toys or jewellery you may use to stim, and likes to learn about how it helps you. If he comes across anything that might serve a similar purpose for you during his trips, he won’t hesitate to get it for you, if possible.

He listens enthusiastically to you when you talk about your special interest(s). While he may struggle with explicit verbal affection, he more than makes up for it by giving you his full attention, and watching with sheer adoration as you engage with the things you love.

Even if you can't tell how he feels about you from his facial expression alone, you can rest assured that once there's someone else around you (especially if it's Donna), you'll be made aware by them teasing him relentlessly for his heart-eyes.

Once again, there’s a sensory room in the TARDIS all for yourself! It has everything you could need to calm down from sensory overload, meltdowns, or just feeling a bit “off”.

The Doctor won’t go in unless you explicitly allow him to – though admittedly, he's happy if you do, because he also gets some use out of some of the stim and sensory items!

While he’s often quite energetic, he knows when to calm down, if you get overstimulated. You may not always be able to avoid things that make you feel that way in your adventures, but he’s mindful in finding ways to help you endure it, at least until you make it back to the TARDIS.

Those moments where his darker, “oncoming storm” side comes out can be a bit complicated. He'll most likely tell you to go back to the TARDIS, because he doesn’t want you to get overwhelmed from seeing him like that, but he usually also needs you there to reign him in.

By the time you’re together, you’ve come to recognise this, and always focus on stopping him from going too far. He feels awful if you do get overwhelmed, so he’ll either give you some space for as long as you need it, or stay with you to help you calm down, depending on what you want.

If you lose speech for any reason, or are nonverbal, the Doctor will gladly talk enough for the two of you, and will immediately steer anyone who asks any uncomfortable questions about it away from the subject. He also isn’t afraid to call them out if they don’t relent.

He'll do anything you need to keep you safe during your travels, because he genuinely loves being with you!

[sundry-whovengerslocked]

okay but now that we know Fourteen lives a domestic fantasy with Donna (and co) living his best life and starting to heal from all his ptsd...

it starts with talking about the toymaker.

"Doctor. you never answered my question. all those things the Toymaker said, were they true?"

the Doctor, after much hesitation, breaking down, finally, finally.

talking about Amy and all the adventures they shared. how she was another sassy redhead who kept him in line when he needed it. how she died of old age with her husband but was so horribly ripped from him.

talking about River Song, the woman Donna met only once, the woman who died for the Doctor. talking about how he discovered their lives together and thus lived it. about how they were married and about how many goodbyes they had to face.

talking about Clara, the impossible girl, who dragged him out of his sulking, who kept him going, who was like him. talking about the hybrid and the billions of years he spent in the confession dial just to bring her back to life. how he had to forget her or else he would have never stopped.

talking about Bill, the girl who questioned everything, things no one ever thought to ask. who had the best smile and a crush and was so so brave, up until the end. who lived on in a different way.

talking about Yaz, the girl he fell in love with while he was a woman, the girl who saw the Doctor in ways she didn't want to be seen. the girl she pushed away because it hurt too much.

finally talking about the Flux. about how half the universe died. how he never ever really belonged. about how he doesn't know where he's from, not really. about how the not-things taunted him with his memories.

and Donna listens. she listens, and asks, and weeps. she holds him as he cries.

"It's not your fault," she tells him. "you did the best you could.

"i know," he cries, echoing what he said at the edge of the universe, when he thought it was her. "I know, but it hurts."

and they let it hurt. they let it hurt, raw, broken, until the sun sets and the air cools and Shaun knocks on the door of the tardis to tell them Sylvia made tuna madras again.

the next day Donna asks about Adric.

and he tells her.

he tells her about Adric, Logopolis, the time key, the Master. he tells her all the things that he's been running from.

and they weep. and they breathe. and together, the Doctor heals.

[metacrisisdoctor]

i think sometimes people have a hard time seeing jackie as an individual person and this leads to them sort of seeing her as a villian in rose's story.

in my opinion it's pretty important that as much as jackie is sometimes wrong about things, she is also right about a lot of things as well.

i do feel like jackie was unintentionally holding rose back out of fear of losing her, hence her "airs and graces" comment etc- but rarely do people think of why jackie feels like this.

think of jackie tyler. in doomsday she is forty. this means when we meet her and rose she is 39, meaning she had rose at age 20, meaning she was pregnant at age 19- the same age rose is when we meet her.

19 is young.

think of jackie tyler, age 21, widowed with an infant daughter, on an estate and looked down upon. in army of ghosts we see that jackie's father passed away years ago, and we never see her mother either.

this is partly why the fandoms universal eyeroll at love and monsters frustrates me. that episode fleshes jackie out and shows us how deeply alone she is, but how loyal she is to rose despite the fact that the only family she has sees her as second best. the tentoo and jackie big finish audios also bring attention to this. jackie is not afraid of rose advancing in life, she is afraid of being left behind. because she has no one.

it pains me that the bf audios with her and tentoo aren't more widely known because they explore jackie and her relationship with both the doctor and rose a lot. we see how much jackie loves, and has always loved, the doctor. how she too missed him after doomsday. how she wants to be close to him again but she's afraid of what him being back in rose's life means as well, because now that the doctor is in their world, what is stopping them from leaving again? and i think it's important that jackie feels that way because it shows that her love for rose isn't just because she was lonely, despite it having had played a large part.

she genuinely loves them both and does not want to be without them, so much so that she says if/when the tardis grows the doctor has to take them all- because he has a family now. this mirrors the doctor telling donna that rose had a family and that they had become his family as well in the runaway bride.

in this sense, we should know that the doctor and jackie are on the same page. we know how much he missed rose and how that extends to the sense of family he found in the christmas invasion. however, jackie's own poor self image leads to her projecting her own fear of being left behind onto tentoo and to his relationship with rose and it causes friction in their relationship until they can both be honest with each other in the climax of the audios when they're about to die together and realize they want to live, which is why rose trapped them into talking in the first place.

jackie struggles because rose was so young when she met the doctor, and she was RIGHTFULLY wary of their relationship considering the last time rose trusted a man he left her behind and took all her money. in the audios we hear jackie say that she was the one who payed off all of rose's debts which is a stark contrast to the idea some people seem to have that jackie didn't have a job and mooches off of rose entirely- which makes no sense anyway because how does she keep the lights on at home when rose is missing for an entire year? it's much more plausible that she and rose both have jobs, and that she was going to look for a second job.

jackie gets everything she wanted in a sense. her husband back, a son, rose is still with her, but her own low sense of self is something that is hard for her to shake off because she has been looked down upon for so long because of who she is and how she was raised, so much so that the thought that rose looks down on her terrifies her. in the end of time flashback we sees jackie say that at that point in her life she isn't gonna do much better; but rose tells her she doesn't know that which speaks volumes. rose is afraid of falling victim to the helplessness jackie has in the last twenty years, but we also see that deep down jackie also wants more to her life as well, she just thinks it's too late.

jackie is proud of rose, she grows to love the doctor, but her fear of rose losing herself entirely is a valid one. just like rose wanting more out of life is valid as well. they're both right and they're both wrong which is why they bicker but also very very clearly absolutely love each other more than anything.

this is why the ending rose gets is perfect for everyone. rose gets to keep defending the earth at unit with the doctor, a life that she always wanted. the doctor gets to, in one life, have a family and be human and jackie gets to find her sense of self again and find "more" in her life, and doesn't lose what makes her who she is at all because people like jackie - working class people - are the ones who make it possible for "bigger" things to happen which is what the purpose of the back and forth between rose and jackie is. rose wanting more from her life is valid, but it's also important to rememeber not to look down on people who you subconsciously see as "less" because "less" is just as valuable.

of course rose leaving helped jackie grow, but sometimes the way people talk about jackie is unintentionally classist while also defending rose from classism.

[prettyevermores]

tolerate it (part two)

( fourteenth doctor x reader )

a/n: i’m back again, i think this ending can been seen as a loophole for a pt3 but i’m not so sure if i’m gonna do one just yet.

part one

🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️

Your Doctor pulled away from the long fifteen minutes of pure passion and emotion you two had been sharing. His hand snakes around your waist, holding you at the small of your back; he smiled down at you. He was happy to be home, back to be with you. You placed a hand on his chest, feeling his dual heartbeat letting you know that he was truly there and most definitely real. He was real and not just some severe delusion you had been trapped in. A weight had been lifted off your shoulder, a weight that was holding you down for those five years. 

Breaking the loving and comforting silence, you begun laughing and he looked at you with a puzzled expression. “Sweetheart? What’s the matter?” he asked softly, caressing his hand down your arm and an eyebrow raised.

“It’s just, I thought- I was closer and closer to loosing my mind each day you weren’t with me” You said through your joyous laughter. Despite you nearly loosing your mind and that being a serious matter.

“I’m here now, so you don’t have to loose your mind anymore” He whispered, pressing his lips against yours in a brief kiss before continuing speaking “I have someone you’ll want to see”

He dragged you out your house as you wore your usual clothes but donning your beloved bunny slippers that have seen better days. 

He was taking you across the road, to a house. But not to any house. The house of Donna Noble, one of your best friends. He knocked on her door, his hand intertwined with yours, to say you were nervous and excited to see Donna again was an understatement. You can hear her before you even see her reach the door.

“How many times do I have to bloody tell you! You don’t need to knock!” The voice of Donna Noble booming down the hallway as she walks to the door. “Just come in!” She says as she locks eyes with you. Her face turns into a big grin and you smile back widely.

“Donna Noble” You giggle as she brings you into a tight hug, the older woman holding onto you tightly as The Doctor slips past you both and heads into the kitchen. “I never thought I’d see you again Don!” You sigh happily, you have both your people again. 

After catching up with Donna again, chatting and gossiping over coffee like you two always used to do in The TARDIS kitchen. The Doctor pops his head in from Donna’s Garden and smiles at you both before talking “Are you two coming outside or what? You can’t gossip all day” He chuckles, knowing exactly what you two were doing 

“Yeah we’re coming spaceman” She waves her hand for him to go away and turns back to you with a cheeky smile. “It’s like nothing’s changed but it has. hasn’t it?” She asks you.

“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean Don” You smile softly at her.

“Now help me get all this food outside you!” She laughs, handing you with a tray of food Sylvia has cooked for everyone. You follow her lead and take the last bits outside. Then finding your place next to The Doctor on the outdoor couch at the table. He puts his arm around your shoulder to pull you close to him as he mid telling a story to Mel, Rose, Sylvia and Shaun. You notice there is a spot missing at the table, another one occupied for Wilf, Donna’s beloved grandfather. You wonder who it is. Then someone makes there way through the kitchen and into the backyard.

It’s Dr Martha Jones. The other doctor you had befriended a long time ago on your travels with The Doctor. “Sorry I’m late everyone! The traffic was awful” She spoke rushing in to give everyone a hug, The smile already on your face grew more and she hugged you and sat down opposite you.

Your sunny afternoon was filled with joy and happy memories of everyone together. You and Martha reminiscing about the time you got separated from Donna and The Doctor, nearly ending up in a war with The Hath but instead befriending an injured Hath then loosing them. 

After a while, The Doctor whisked you away back to your house, it wasn’t long before he pushed you up against your front door and smashing his lips onto yours. Your arms at the back of his neck, tangling in his hair. You swear, every time you kiss The Doctor, it gets better than the last time. This time it was magic. However, the stolen kisses you had in Donna’s kitchen were something that is told in history books. 

[allophonicmess]

Past's Lilac Haze

Chapter 1

Masterlist

You only wanted to help you niece with her theatre project. And it got you and your Timelord husband involved in an alien attack on one of London's most famous theatres.

So much for his retirement plans.

14th Doctor x Timelord!Wife! Reader

"Most radiant Pyramus, most lily-white of hue,

Of colour like the red rose on triumphant brier,

Most brisky juvenal and eke most lovely Jew,

As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire.

I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb."

You read with your best olden accent and high-pitched tone, imitating a squeaky girl's voice as the play asks you to. No reaction. You looked up from your script, expecting Rose to, in turn, answer with her line.

"Ninny's tomb." You repeated, nodding expectantly towards the crumpled printout in her hands. It was covered in annotations and highlighting, making it somewhat hard to read the actual text.

"You have to correct me now. Because I said Ninny's tomb." You explained, moving onto your knees to lean over and point her to the correct line. But she just stared at the text, trying to figure out what to do.

"Uh, but why do I need to correct you?" She suddenly started flipping through the pages, trying to find some context that seemed to be missing. She sighed, shaking her head in frustration.

"You need to correct me. Flute says it wrong. It needs to be Ninus tomb." You explained, showing her your own less annotated but aged copy. 

"But you just said that! Ninus tomb-"She felt irritated. It was a mistake to even enter the theatre club. She wasn't made for the stage, as learning text was way too hard. And she knew her acting wasn't much better; her mum noticed it too, cringing during the open rehearsals but always pretending to love it.

"No, that's the joke. Flute says Ninny's tomb so that Quince can correct him- "You stopped, setting down your text." We'll take a break. I can see that you are losing concentration." 

You got up, placing your booklet on the wooden coffee table that sat in front of the red satin two-seater. Rose had asked you to help her with her theatre role, much to the dismay of the Doctor (who bragged that he once was a Shakespearean actor, but Rose didn't care too much). So you offered her the chance to choose your study environment from any place she could think of. But instead of using the room emulator, she decided the Tardis library, which now came in a gorgeous dark wood and deep red satin theme, was the perfect environment. And you had to agree; It was a great choice.

"I'm going to get us some drinks, and then we can continue. You want tea or hot chocolate?" you asked, gently rubbing her shoulder. You loved your new role as her magic alien auntie, or so she coined the term. 

"Go back to your texts? I thought you two were done." The Doctor called as he entered the room. He had taken the day to set some things with Unit. They called in multiple crisis meetings to ensure that another incident like the Toymaker would not be possible. He hated the politics of it. So boring. But he saw the action plan as a positive initiative to prevent further harm to Earth or its citizens, so it was worth the effort. 

He confidently walked over to you, catching you by the waist to pull you into a hug. He hugged a lot. It was as if his body felt the need to compensate for the hug-free dry stretch during number 12. Not that you minded; his clinginess was somewhat cute.

"There is no need to get back to the text. I'll just text my theatre teacher and tell her I quit." Rose sighed, dropping her script next to your booklet on the table and sinking into her seat.

"No, you can't!" The Doctor whined, but he quickly whispered into your ear. "She that bad?" He cringed, hoping that Donna had been exaggerating. 

You rolled your eyes, thinking of a good answer. "Not bad, just… slow of study." You laughed softly at your own joke. But you quickly regretted it when you saw that twinkle in the Doctor's eyes. He had caught on. Oh no.

"Slow of study, you say?" He spoke with a booming theatre voice. 

"Oh no, please." You shook your head at him, hoping to make him stop. But it wasn't any good as, with starting his fourteenth life cycle, he had reached his Dad-joke era.

"Please don't" You pleaded softly.

"Have you the lion's part written?" He continued, moving away from you to kneel down at the side of the sofa. He was going all in, hiding behind the sofa's armrest only to slowly come up behind it. He looked at Rose with a playful expression, which shifted into a mix of shyness and embarrassment. The young woman tried to look away, to keep the frown on her face. But she couldn't fight the smile that spread over her face caused by the Doctor's shenanigans.

"Pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am slow of study" he asked in a pinched voice. He stayed low, looking between Rose and the texts on the table.

A moment of silence as the Doctor stayed true to his role, and Rose's attitude began to crumble. You watched with a smile on your face. You believed him about having been a Shakespearean actor. He had talent.

"You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring," Rose answered in a small voice. She crossed her arms, trying to appear uninterested as the Doctor began to cheer.

 "Ha! See, you do know the text!" He laughed, quickly getting up and moving around the sofa to stand behind it. He laughed, shaking Rose by her scrunched-up shoulders. She tried very hard to keep quiet but stood no chance against the Doctor's infectious laughter.

"You will give the best Peter Quince performance there ever was. I just know it!" He turned, looking at your reaction. But you simply stood in the doorway, grinning softly at him. 

You loved to see him at ease in his new life; just see him be happy. 

He loved to make you happy; be the cause of that radiant smile. 

"Okay, then. You help her study since you seem to know the text by heart." You crossed your arms in a challenging manner. 

"I'll go get some drinks." You turned into the hallway to get to the kitchen, but Rose stopped you, calling your name.

"It would be really helpful to go and see a performance, no? For uhh... Artistic inspiration." She suggested but continued before you had the chance to comment. "And I don't mean the recordings. They are nice, sure, but-" 

"It's not the same as live theatre." The Doctor continued, nodding in agreement. He had settled down on the other seat next to his niece, casually leaning back, arms crossed over his chest and nodding slowly. 

"Exactly!" Rose swiftly turned around in her seat, looking at you with expectation. She knew that she didn't need to persuade the Doctor. He was ready and excited for any type of trip despite his retirement. You were the one she needed to convince.

"No." You stated simply. "We can go to the theatre like regular people. You know, take the bus, pay for tickets and so on. But we are not travelling." You shook your head. The term holds a much more significant meaning to the three of you than to the ordinary person. But Rose was all too aware that she had the two of you wrapped around her finger.

"Oh, c'mon! We don't have to travel far. It was on at the Globe this summer. What's a few months, eh?" The Doctor argued, his legs now kicked up onto the table.

You huffed a laugh. "Just a few months? Funny coming from the man that is still having difficulties with precision landing." 

"Oh, no, not this again." He sighed, "I land where I need to go; the Tardis works in mysterious ways. It knows when I need to be off by a few days… or years…" 

Right. You felt no need to comment on what could only be a joke. 

"Besides, I spent the last years always on the go. Been able to practice a lot, you know? I mean, compared to you-"

 "We don't talk about that now." You warned him gently yet firmly. 

He turned around to face you, genuinely sorry about bringing the topic up. 

"Talk about what?" Rose picked up on the tense situation. This was precisely what you tried to avoid. 

"I'll explain it to you eventually, but not now. It's a bit touchy." You told her, hopefully stopping her from asking any further. And she understood, nodding with empathy and then turning back to her text, thinking that any talk about travelling was over.

 For a moment, the library got very quiet. Only the soft cracking of wood and the rustlings of paper could be heard.

You were going to be strict, just once. Only this one time.

…

…

…

To hell with it.

You sighed deeply: "I love the Globe, I really do. But this year's version wasn't any good." 

Your comment made Rose set down her notes and turn in your direction slowly. She was about to activate her puppy-dog look, but you already gave in.

"1598-"You couldn't finish your sentence in time as she had already gotten up to wrap you up in a big hug.

 "But! My rules." You hugged her with a soft smile. The Doctor watched you two with amusement.

"We go there, we watch the play, and we leave. No prancing around and no adventuring." 

Rose let go of you, nodding very quickly and waiting for further instructions. You huffed a laugh at her giddy expression, nodding towards the hallway to notion her to get to the console room.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She called, running towards the console room. 

The Doctor also got up, watching after and chucking softly at her. "She is making you go soft." He noted, pushing up the sleeves of his dress shirt. "Soon she will be unstoppable, spoilt rotten and hijacking the Tardis", He joked, moving in slow, languid steps towards you. You were still leaning against the wall by the door.

"Nah, not on my watch." You pushed yourself off the wall to exit the room. But the Doctor quickly caught your wrist, holding it gently. He looked at you apologetically.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up. That wasn't appropriate nor funny." He looked at you sadly, trying to let you feel his honesty. You nodded, turning your hand in his hold to his hand. 

"It's okay. She'll have to know eventually. Keeping a tragic backstory hidden from that one? You wish." You joked, squeezing the Doctor's hand and leading him outside. He quickly moved to kiss your temple. It made you pause, taking him in momentarily and appreciating how your story had turned out.

"But- "You spoke into the moment of silence.

 He huffed a laugh: "But?... You fly?" 

You grinned, keeping yourself steady on his shoulders as you reached up to peck a kiss on his lips.

"You know it, Darling."

[strangesthirdeye]

Adore ( 10th/14th Doctor x fem! Reader)

Summary: Sometimes old wounds can bleed again Warning: It's the Doctor who doesn't love him? light angst, slap, not a spoiler from The Star Beast special, heart breaking, broken, fluff, old face, forgiveness and horny cat. As usual, I'm sorry if there are any wrong sentences or typos or grammatical mistakes, please forgive me and again English is not my first language, so I try to improve my language and writing in this way.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A few years ago. ⏤͟͟͞͞☆

You have traveled with the Doctor since his 9th regeneration. You already know Rose, Jackie, Mickey and Jack. It can be said that you have made many friends plus enemies while traveling with the Doctor.

Although most of his travel can be dangerous but that is not an obstacle for you to continue traveling with him.

You have met Donna Noble. The kind and spitfire lady. Sometimes she can be a protective partner and sometimes she and her sarcasm can be quite dangerous for a certain period of time. But overall, you and Donna are best friends forever and always tease the Doctor with some kind of flirting and name calling such as Skinny Man or pretty boy, making him blush or whine with embarrassment. Sometimes he just brushed it off.

But then, Davros and the Daleks happen. And there goes Meta Crisis Doctor created by Donna accidentally and Rose coming back from the alternative universe. Everything seems to be planned for this thing to happen. Donna suddenly gets knowledge from the Time Lord causing her brain to burn if she 'uses' too much energy and she will die if it continues so the Doctor decides to wiped all the adventures she, you and the Doctor have been through.

Meanwhile you only looked at what the Doctor did to Donna from the Tardis door with eyes glossy with tears. You can't do anything, but you can only see the knotted situation in front of you. You're speechless and just accept fate with open arms.

Once the Doctor sent the unconscious Donna back to her house, the Doctor just kept quiet and didn't say anything. His shirt was soaked with rainwater, his face was broken and sad while his hands were fiddling with the Tardis control.

You don't know how to approach a situation like this so you just move closer to the Doctor and stand next to him and look at the control with a blank face.

A few seconds later you heard the Doctor sniffling trying to hold back his tears and you could feel the Doctor was about to say something.

"I will take you back home. So better prepared with whatever items you have here" Doctor said in his hoarse voice.

You looked at the Doctor skeptically. "what?"

"I'll take you home.. I can't let you travel with me anymore. It's gone too far and I can't let you in danger anymore" The Doctor exclaimed then pulled and pressed some controls there.

The sounds of wheezing and groaning are heard inside the Tardis indicating that the Tardis has started to move. You looked at the Doctor in disbelief.

"no.. Is this because of what happened earlier? hmm? Now you just want to say that it has crossed the line. But tell me, what we went through before didn't it cross the line too? Then why now do you want to take me back?" you argued

"I never asked for this to happen. Please just.. just don't fight and let me take you home. At least you will be safe" Doctor pleaded.

"But I'm already safe here! With you. Please don't take me back, Doctor..please" you begged with glassy eyes.

The doctor didn't say anything and just controlled the control. He didn't directly look at your broken face because he was afraid he would regret the choice he made. At least what he thought was the right choice. You will be safe. No more threats of aliens or disasters.

You scoffed bitterly. "You can't suddenly take me home, Doctor. I know you."

"actually I can. At least you don't have to go through all this if I'm not there" Doctor replied blankly while looking at you.

The Tardis stopped wheezing and groaned indicating that the destination had been reached. You looked at the Doctor with a betrayed face.

You let out a small whimper trying to hold back the tears. "Why are you doing this? We've been through a lot. Why now?"

"because I can't let the people I adore in danger anymore. All this happened because of me. I'm not a hero you can admire and flatter. I failed to protect the people I adore and now see what happens. I can't let the same thing happened to you too. I-" Doctor paused. "- you should go.."

You are stunned. Tears started to fall and fell down your cheeks, wetting your smooth cheeks. You sighed heavily and looked at the Doctor with betrayed eyes.

"if that's what you think is a good thing, Doctor.. Then once my feet step out of this Tardis that means I've lost faith in you, Doctor." you said with a sad tone of voice.

The Doctor just kept silent and turned his gaze to the control without glazing over you for the last time. You were dumbfounded and just nodded in resignation. Without words, you started walking out to the Tardis door with a sad expression on your face. "I just leave my stuffs here then..I don't need it anymore.."

And there you lost faith with the Doctor. You never see Doctor for several years until now.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Present day ⏤͟͟͞͞☆

"no, no! Pablo. You can't mess with the cat next door! I don't want grandchildren yet" you scolded your cat.

Pablo only meowed and he lazily walked under the table and landed there. You sighed. It's been 4 times Pablo tried to 'flirt' with the cat next to your house sneakily and fortunately your neighbor Dhani brought Pablo back to your house and stated.

"Pablo has started to mate with Munchkin this time. Fortunately, I was able to stop him from making me and you unpaid adoptive grandmothers" Dhani said blankly while handing Pablo into your hand.

You scoffed at Pablo and sat down on your sofa and started reading your book. It's been a long time since you stepped out of the Tardis and since then you haven't heard from the Doctor and you haven't talked about it anymore. You have moved on. You have the job you want, a sex-crazed cat and a new lifestyle that you feel quite comfortable with it.

But there are times when you might shed tears silently remembering the adventures you and the Doctor went through together. You feel a little regret but when you remember the thing that made you step out of the Tardis you immediately forget it.

' Forget about it, he might be happy traveling alone. He doesn't want you anymore' whispered the devil in your ear. You just shook your head and focused on reading again.

But your composure to read doesn't last long when you hear a familiar sound like wheezing and groaning in the back yard of your house. You were transfixed and the book in your hand fell onto your lap. Pablo suddenly woke up and hissed towards the door as if angry with the sound.

You then get up from the couch and go to the window facing the backyard. The curtains are pulled aside and there it stands majestically in the middle of your backyard. Blue Box that is bigger on the inside. Tardis. You exhaled heavily and closed your curtains again then walked towards your couch.

You are pensive. Why? why did he reappear today? why now? To apologize? To make up for all the wrongs he did to you? After all this time why did he suddenly appear in your backyard?

You bite your lip anxiously. This cannot be. What else does he want from you?

Not long after, a knock on the door began to be heard at your back door. You are silent. Breath caught in your mouth and your hands started to sweat. It's him.. That's really him. Why does he want to come back to you after he kicked you out of the Tardis years ago? You looked at Pablo who was still glaring at the back door.

You got up and slowly walked towards the back door. When you got there, your sweaty hands slowly reached for the doorknob. Anxiety and nervousness started to exist in your body while your mind screamed not to open the door and face him. But you don't know if he has regenerated or not. You worry about what you expect is him but it's not the same face. Can he be she? you don't know.

The sound of knocking is heard again this time accompanied by the hoarse voice of the same man who kicked you out a few years ago.

"Y/n, are you there?"

You turned the doorknob and faced his face with a nervous face. There he stood with his thin and tall body still the same as a few years ago only his attire was different and not his usual dark brown trench coat and striped suits in it. The shoes are still the same. Right now he has a dark blue trench coat, a white collar shirt along with a striped blazer matching his pants and complete with a gray tie. But what catches your attention is his slightly older face. His hair is still brown and spiky while his gorgeous brown eyes hold emotions that you can't identify whether it's sad or happy.

"Y/n" he whispered your name slowly as if an old memory struck his mind.

You just looked at his face and moved closer to him. Look upon his dark brown eyes with your uncontrollable emotions, you slap his face with all your heart. Angry tears running down your cheeks. He was stunned.

"What are you doing here, Doctor?" you hissed bitterly.

The Doctor was stunned and his face was upset. His cheeks were red with the imprint of your slap on his cheeks.

"I- I came to apologize" Doctor said slowly.

"why now? after you kicked me out of the Tardis.. why now?" you questioned with an angry tone.

"I think you deserve an apology from me after what I did to you.. I'm very, very sorry after breaking your heart and kicking you out of the Tardis a years ago.. I shouldn't have done that to you.. you deserve better than me" Doctor explained with a sad tone of voice.

"oh, you shouldn't have done that to me, Doctor. If you love your friends, you shouldn't do that suddenly and kick them out of the Tardis without any reasonable reason. Sure, you don't want the same thing happened to me. But don't you think that before this I have been through many dangerous things while traveling with you but you never stopped me from traveling with you. Why? why after Davros and the Daleks invasion, you suddenly change your mind and decide to kick me out? Not to mention what you did to Donna?" you exclaimed in your raspy voice. Your eyes were red with tears while your cheeks were wet with tear streaks.

The doctor was silent.

"i just want you to be safe" Doctor whispered but that was enough for you to hear.

"oh, sod off with me being safe, Doctor. I'm tired with your same excuse. I'm tired with this guilty feeling that I always have and think about what I did wrong to you until you kick me out of the Tardis ." you replied

"I don't want you to go through the same thing as our other friends... I-" Doctor paused and stared at your face with a pleading face.

"What is it, Doctor? After all this time without hearing from you and now you suddenly appear behind my house, why now? I'm already happy and moved on with all that then why did you decide to appear and disturb my peace? " tears fell down your cheeks again.

" because I care about you! i can't lose you. I adore you since the moment we traveled with Rose. I don't have enough courage to say this to you because I'm afraid I'll lose the person I love. Because i know.. I know that I will lose the people I love if I keep doing good things. That is my curse to be a Time Lord. I don't want you to go through the same thing as them so what I decided is the most sensible thing for me to keep you safe " Doctor looked at your face pleadingly.

You are speechless. The Doctor loves you. Now you understand. It's the feeling that you don't want to go through losing someone so dear to you so you push them away in the hope that they will be safe from you. In the hope that they can find a better love than you.

"you.. adore me?" you stammered. while holding out your hand towards the Doctor in disbelief.

"i adore you so much. No matter what my face looks like, I will always adore you and I will do anything to protect you. Half of my hearts is with you. I don't care if you lose faith in me but you still need to know that I really adore you" Doctor held your hand and stroked it gently.

You sighed heavily and brought your right hand to the Doctor's cheek and gently stroked his cheek with your finger. Doctor leaning against your palm while closing his eyes trying to feel the texture of your soft skin. It's been a while since he couldn't have physical contact with you and he doesn't know how much he misses the feeling of your skins.

"how many faces have you been through?" you questioned him with a softened voice.

"I've become an obsessed man with a bowtie and fez, I've become a Scottish man and I've become a woman. But then I got this face again out of nowhere. I don't know why" Doctor explained and placed his forehead on yours.

"why? to apologize?" you replied with a hushed.

"probably to admit my love for you" Doctor chuckled lightly.

You chuckled lightly for a moment then closed your eyes and parted away with him slightly. You stare at his face, his eyes and his lips. The Doctor did the same thing to you. And without wind or storm, you both lean and kiss each other's lips passionately and gently.

The doctor put his right hand on the back of your head and his left hand on your neck while you put both your hands on his chest. Both of your eyes are closed tightly to feel each other's presence. And after that, you both part away and stare at each other's eyes with love and fondness in both of your eyes.

"I adore you too, Doctor"

[clairedelune-13]

I love the idea of Fourteen eventually telling Donna about the Ponds, Clara and Bill. In a way that the Toymaker didn’t and Donna helps him make things to put in the Tardis to commemorate them.

And I like to think Fourteen goes back to teaching at a college like Twelve did cuz he likes it but also cuz its a nice way to remember Clara (who was a teacher) and Bill, who he mentored. And I also like the idea that Shaun and Donna kinda become the new Amy snd Rory, another married duo that act his family who occasionally go on adventures for funsies.

Also, Fourteen would definitely track down Martha and give her a hug and apologize for not appreciating her in his younger days.

And thats it.

Oh and he installs the ramp cuz he takes Wilf on adventures.

[oreo102]

Not really an ask but a mutual complaint. I don't get why because 14 settled down and 15 is "healed" that we're supposed to be OK that they got to find love and happiness easily but 13 didn't.

We’re supposed to be okay with it because no one likes 13. The majority of the fandom either won’t give her a chance because of bad faith criticism or are the ones making it. I had someone tell me before I even started watching her, after I mentioned that if I were to watch Dr who, it’d be her, tell me that I wouldn’t like her because the writing was atrocious(it’s not).

13 can’t even have a relationship with the woman who she said she wants to spend eternity with (or smth of the like in legend of the sea devil), can’t kiss, can’t hold hands, can’t even hug! Yaz and 13 hug a single time unless I’m remembering wrong, which is as likely as it isn’t with how much I’ve watched her era.

But 14 gets to settle down with Donna and her family. He gets to have a tardis and his old bestie from like 1000 years ago, he gets to heal. He gets what everyone and their mom wanted 10 to get. He gets a happy ending.

And 15 gets to mention his trauma in a light tone, he doesn’t have the crushing weight of guilt every other doctor had, no, he’s healed! He gets to go on silly little adventures with his best friend who is actually super mysterious and that’s a totally good thing to hold up like a treat to a fucking mutt. They get to hug! 3 times in one episode. I remember that specifically because every time it happened I felt a pang of annoyance and pettiness.

This isn’t to say I don’t like 15. I really do like him, he’s fun and he’s really the only reason I’d continue watching the newest season. I just- can’t juggle my love and loyalty to 13(srsly I’ve had to stop myself from starting fights multiple times in the last 24 hours) with seeing him get what she never did.

I understand why they brought David tenant back. He is a great ways to get views, the majority of people really love him and I know at least my mom watched she specials especially to see him, my friend started watching Dr who bc they love him. I just wish they would’ve given 13 a happier ending. I wish they would MENTION yaz. Even if not by name. It’d be easy- really it would, have them spend some time in the tardis- have Ruby touch something and 15 be like “no touching- only one human is allowed to fly her” or smth like that (idc if that’s wrong. I don’t. Don’t comment telling me if this is wrong.)

We’re supposed to be fine with 13’s ending be bittersweet, when the doctor after her gets an almost too perfect happy ending, and 15 gets to be healed from his trauma (not how trauma works) because they don’t care. They don’t care about 13, they don’t care about yaz, they don’t care about thasmin fans, they don’t care about fans they got with her, they just don’t care. And that’s- fine. But I won’t watch his series

[icarusredwings]

The Library. Pt 1.

The TARDIS disobeys her owner... again. Shocker. This time, though.. she takes him and Donna somewhere they REALLY don't want to be. Dinner can wait. There's someone here that needs him more.

A 14/River (RetiredSong) fic following my Retired Time Lords series. Oh and Donnas forced to be here too..

Standing at the front entrance, the doctor felt his hearts shaking in his chest, pounding so hard that it felt as if they were beating against his ribcage. Everything within him was telling him to run away. To go home. Run. For gods sake run. But he couldn't. His knees were too much like jello. All he could do was stare, frozen in place as multiple people walked around them, heading to read whatever book they could imagine.

Swallowing, he looked at the floor, eyes searching the tile for any sign or clues that might jump out of him. Turning his head, he saw that they each only had one individual shadow, licking his lips as he glanced up at Donna, who was crossing her arms (like always).

"Wot?"

"You're counting.."

"How do you know?"

"Well it's either that or you're intrested in the new shoes I got."

Donna's doctor snorted, shaking his head. He's been caught.

"They're nice. I'll give you that.."

"So-"

"Ssoo..... what?"

"This is the library."

He nodded, putting his hands in his pockets as he rocked on his heels like a child about to admit something to their parents and was extremly nervous about it. "Yu-puh."

"Like.. The Library"

"Uh-huh..."

"....Riv-"

"Nmhm..Don't."

"Okay.... Doctor?"

"Yeah?" Having not paying attention, it was like his attention snapped back to reality, thinking far too hard about something else.

"Why did the TARDIS bring us here?"

"I don't know.. shes funny like that I guess.."

Donna scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Funny??"

"Ereuugh. Yeh..." He shrugs, his voice becoming higher and softer in the end.

"... did you get a note on your paper?"

"No.. not this time. I just... I think she.."

Despite the lack of words, the way his wide eyes stared at the entrance, longing, waiting for someone to come through those doors that he knew oh so well..? Donna knew why they were here.

"Are you... okay?"

"Me? Oh yeah- Im okay. Thats me. Always okay."

"Time lord okay or human okay?"

"Mmmh.... the first one."

"....right. Sooo you're panicking."

"Yea..."

"Well... Brianna did say that you should face your fears more often and stop running from them...? Maybe the TARDIS is helping you."

The look that Donna received could kill a man on sight. Luckily, she wasn't a man. She only raised a brow at him, and instantly, his attitude changed, shaking his head and sighing. Putting his hands up, he turned around, trying to push the TARDIS doors open, but they were locked.

"Hey! Excuse me. I kinda live here."

"Not anymore." Donna muttered.

"Well, I have the keys still, so that means Im still allowed in. Hello??" By now, he became almost desperate, beginning to rub the side of the big blue box, whispering. "Ooh, come on old girl, you used to be such a sweet thing... don't do this to me.. please... Are you cross with me?"

Honestly, she should be used to this by now, but the redhead coughed a bit. "Should I leave you two alone?"

"Don't litsen to her. She's a mad woman. What if I leave her here hm? Would you like that?" He asked the box, patting it with a smirk.

Earning himself a slap in the arm, he was quick to flinch and chuckle as he rubbed the spot, pouting. "Ooww!"

"Oh shut it! Now you figure out why we're here! And quick! This place gives me the heebie jeebies.." she mumbled, hugging herself tight. She still had nightmares of this place. Of the children she lost but never actually had... quick milisecind thoughts of Lee. A man who wasn't even real. (As far as she knew)

"Hey, I don't know what her deal is either! You saw me tell her to go to Waksacarnus and she brought us here!"

"Oh great. Yeah, the time machine took us to the most terrifying library in the universe instead of the intersteller grocery store... how ironic.. Were you thinking of this place?"

Just then, The Doctor went silent, looking at her with eyes as if she had figured it out before him and now he was a wee jealous and embarrassed. "Nope! Not at all, definitely not!"

"What were you thinking about then!?"

"Blood beets!"

"You were thinking about blood beets? And magically YOUR telepathic ship brought us to the death library?"

"Well it's not anymore..." He looked around as if to be sure, seeing people smiling and carrying books to read. "Just seems like a normal library now..."

"Except this library has something no other library has..."

Cocking a fluffy brow he glanced at her, putting his arms up. "Well, no, duh, this is THE library! It has every copy of every book ever written!"

She gave him another look. Silent and staring with a glint of pitty in her eyes, pursing her lips and let her arms fall to her sides.

"... oh... Donna i-.. It's been so long I don't- w-What would I even say?"

"Everything."

"I.. i-cant I..." he looked at his hand, swallowing. "Donna I'm.."

He was married now. Well- he was always married. But he REmarried. He had left her here all alone and went off to be REmarried. His chest hurt just thinking about is actions, regretting them horribly, but the idea of stepping into this library? That was a worse feeling. One that made him want to call his other self to come pick him up and scold his own TARDIS for disobeying him for the millionth time. If he couldn't even trust his own TARDIS... who could he trust? And she knew. OH she knew how deeply this hurt him. The thought alone of his beloved box betraying him made him want to have a nervous break down right here, right now, infront of everyone.

"Yeah. To her. And about 7 others. So get along. You'd probably marry that thing too if you could."

"Huh?" He asked, still staring at the ground when asked, now looking up to her, baffled.

It was now Donna realized just how much this was fucking with him. Note to self. At the Library? Phycologically? The Doctor was screwed. He would have picked up on this tease any other day, and yet? Not a word. Just those eyes that said, "Im terrified because I can't save us." The eyes that she knew all too well. The eyes that he's also given her so many times before. And yet? Every time he succeeded in saving them. (More or less)

She decided it was time for plan B. This always worked on his younger self, maybe it still would.

"Alright. Guess you're just a featherless chicken then." She muttered, making an effort to check her nails and not look at those puppy eyes or else her persona would break.

"Wot? Feather.. less?" He made a whining noise as he suddenly realized that once again, without his fancy toys, he was useless. "Ooh... This is just like that maze all over again!"

"Which one?"

"Donna!!"

"Right. Sorry... erm...." Okay, that backfired.

"Should I call er... the other you?"

For a split second, he was about to say yes, before realizing that meant he would probably want to see River too and knowing him and her, they'd hit it off a little too well. He grunted, pouting almost, coming to the realization that he had to go see her. It's all he wanted right now.

"No."

But it felt so... wrong? Going to the love of your (multiple) lives and reconnecting with them after you told your husband just 10 minutes ago that you'd be back in time to watch The Great British Bake Off with him when you were supposed to be infact going to the store just to pick up some stuff for dinner felt so wrong.

"Yes??"

And yet.. his eyes kept shifting to the entrance, the bones in his body wanting to rush down to the basement and see if there was any smidge chance that he could at least talk to her.

"Ugh! I don't know!? What do I do?! Donna!" He whined again, his hands going to his hair and then rubbing his face, beginning to pace the way he usually did before having an inconvenient criss.

"You got yourself into this mess." She giggled. "Stop being such a 'pretty boy' and you wouldn't have to worry about everyone wanting to marry you."

"You think im pretty?" He pulled his hands away from his face, looking at her with excitment. He liked compliments. They fed his ego.

"Far from it, mate."

"Ooh!" He grunted again, grumbling some things."

"Come on, it's not that big of a deal. She's just a computer. I doubt he'll get mad about that."

This, for some reason, upset him greatly. She wasn't JUST a computer. She was IN a computer. There's a difference.

"Tch. Like you're one to talk. What's shaun going to think when you tell him you've visited the same place you met Lee, Hm? I doubt he'll get mad about that." This ending tone was mocking.

"Oi!! Just because your marriage is rocky doesn't mean that mine is!"

"So you're going to tell him?"

Her eyes softened as she thought of how she'd even begin to explain it. So many adventures with the Doctor where 'you had to be there to understand' moments and reciting them to others felt like a fairy tale..

"I... Yes! I-i am! And for your information, YOUR TARDIS brought us here to see YOUR wife. I had nothing to do with this! Besides!...He wasn't even in the system.. remember? Just a guy that I.. i dont know.. dreamed up?"

The tension between them was slit, cut, and a chunk removed. His head lowered, his eyes softened, and his brows looked the way a child might if admitting a mistake to a parent.

"Im sorry.."

"Yeah yeah.." She waved it off, taking a breath.

"No.. Donna." He takes her hand, pulling her close as he kisses it. His signature 'i really fucked up' apology. "I really am sorry... I just.."

"I know.."

"You don't. You really.. really don't. I promise that you don't." He mumbled. "I dont think there's anything in the universe I could do to make up for how much I've hurt you. I made a promise to make up for it.. and here I am. Doing it again. For what?"

She shook her head, putting it on his shoulder, resting into the hug. "..you're hurt too."

Pulling her away, he held her face and looked her in the eyes. "That doesn't give me an excuse to hurt you back. Never. I promised Shaun I'd look after you. I told him im the one that needs looking after, and he said I know. We have to look after each other, alright? So don't let me do that. That's... That's not who I am anymore. That's not who I want to be." He whispered to her as she nodded.

"Excuse me?"

The two jumped, separating and became defensive only to realize it was just a worker. At least thats what you could assume by the girls big glasses and the fact that it said "Librarian" on her shirt.

"Sir, you and your wife have to move that.. what is that?"

"Oh were not-"

"Pfft! Not a million years!"

"Yeh.. what she said. Anywho. That's a Police box. Otherwise known as my TARDIS. And unfortunately I can't move her. She's being stubborn!" He said this part extra loud, turning to glare at the box who did absolutely nothing.

"Sir, its blocking traffic and by Library saftey policy no large objects are allowed to block the path."

"Right... well.. as I just said, I can't. It's not like I want to be here in the first place.."

"Say doc... do you still have HADS on?"

His eyes brightened as he looked to the redhead with borderline mania. "Oh!! Yes! Donna you're a genuis!"

"Damn right.... wait.. why?"

Again, she spoke up. "Sir, this is your final warning. Please move your vehicle from out of the walkway. It's a safety hazard!"

"Oh wait- If HADS is on.. and shes not leaving.. that means she doesn't sense any threats. Still though you'd think from the last time she wouldn't want to come back.."

"But you had the HADS off back then."

The shorter Liberian blinked, cupping her hands together as she litsened, kind of annoyed that they were ignoring her. Bringing out a digital pad, she clicked a few buttons, and suddenly, with a bright light, some clicky sounds, and a WOOSH, the TARDIS was sent up to the moon, saved into the Libraries file.

"OI!! You can't just take that!! She's sensitive!"

"Bring her back right now! You dont want to upset him, I promise you that, let alone me!"

"Until you can move your vehicle, it's been safely removed and downloaded to the library. See the front desk to retrieve it. Have a good visit!" Handing him a ticket, she walked away.

"Oh I outta!-" The Doctor grabbed her shoulder.

"Donna.."

"That miffy little elf thing has it coming!"

"Donna...."

"Wha-" Turning, her jaw dropped just as his, staring at the beautiful white goddess infront of them.

"Is that-!?"

"River.."