#NCUTI IS IN THE SAME UNIVERSE. it's still his universe! what are we even putting a button on here? are you going to tell me that every time

[silvermarmoset]

your tags are SO true like it was one thing to bring tennant back pre-ncuti, since the whole point of that was quite transparently to increase viewership FOR ncuti, but to be like "actually tennant!doctor gets to go have his own life and ncuti is a totally different offshoot" is like ....... well.

i'm screaming a lot in the tags but i'm guessing you meant these ones?

#honestly. horrible horrible flex to set ncuti up across from the most beloved doctor from the start?#like i (and im guessing a lot of other people!) will /always/ be drawn to 10 and feel like he's our doctor#don't set ncuti up like that!! deny us dt and MAKE US LOOK AT HIM. this is so SO weird rtd wtf did you do

because yeah. it actually makes me a bit furious because leaving a spare doctor hanging around and sending Ncuti off as a double is just handing the perfect excuse to every bigot who wants to claim that Ncuti isn't the real doctor, the real doctor is back on earth in Donna Noble's garden. Why do that? Why make it easy for fans who want to drop the show now and pretend it's always the old way, forever?

i can think of reasons for doing it this way—like i'm 95% certain this was just a convoluted way to give Donna her happy ending—but none of the possible reasons i can think of justify going about it like this. I love Ten, and Tennant, I could watch him go on adventures forever, but the point should be I DON'T GET TO because because here's A WHOLE NEW WONDERFUL DOCTOR to go on adventures with! The whole constant point in Who is that change and death DO happen, and one of the joys is grieving the old while embracing the new!

But this episode doing this weird little pivot where you can die but still live, where a separate form of you can rest* so you can go on adventures....idk what moral RTD was aiming for here but it feels like he just shot his own next era in the foot for no particular reason beyond "we love Ten" (and we do but. come on)

*(what does that even mean?? canonically we know the doctor is restless and always running into trouble so what was the point of that?? it's confirmed he's going to mars on fun little trips!! this is the same man and you gave him a tardis and apparently there's no sacrifice at all?? what is this!! why!!)

#the giggle #dw spoilers #part of me is like. it's the epilogue! it's putting a button on the old universe and nuwho. but like— #NCUTI IS IN THE SAME UNIVERSE. it's still his universe! what are we even putting a button on here? are you going to tell me that every time #london gets invaded for the rest of the show (and lets be honest its going to happen within like 2 episodes anyway) we're all going to sit #and not wonder where The Other Doctor With His Own Goddamn Tardis is? why he is not helping here? #also. side note. it is not as egregious as *waves hands* everything else about this #but it felt like a very very big disservice to have ncuti's first moments still be david's #because i'll be honest. when david is onscreen i will watch him first. i will watch him and pay attention to him because he's my favorite! #putting ncuti across from ten (THE fave) is making him do TOO MUCH in his first twenty minutes of screentime #felt like setting him up to fail from the get go because of COURSE i was distracted by david tennant it's david tennant. OF COURSE. #just feel like rtd should have known better. PEOPLE DIE. make 10/14 die!! i will hate it but make me deal with it!! #then make me see 15 and fall fully in love with him #can you imagine if nine had been around during ten's first ep? skinny dt wouldn't have stood a chance. thats why we DO it this way russell #you HAVE TO MAKE US DEAL WITH LOSS. ugh im done fuming but yeah not happy w that #i mean. monkey brain me who loves ten and wants him to live forever was delighted. #the rest of me who has a brain and thought processes thought it was dirt and made 0 sense in any way.

[starseneyes]

The Catharsis of Healing - Doctor Who - Doctor 14

It was 2005 and my then-boyfriend and I were studying at the University of Leicester.

During Spring Break, we traveled Europe, including spending some time with various British mates. And one afternoon in Reading, we were readying to go to the pub with our Uni friend and her Dad when a clip played on the tele for Doctor Who.

Before we go any further...

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't seen the 2023 Doctor Who specials and/or want to remain unspoiled, turn back. I won't say much, but what I do say will ruin absolutely everything. So, off with you, if you wish to remain ignorant! If you don't mind spoilers or already know what you're in for, let's continue...

Not understanding the tone of the show, Matthew and I exchanged a shrug. But, somehow, we ended up watching the show, anyway. And that was how we met Doctor #9 portrayed by Christopher Eccleston, and Rose Tyler played by Billie Piper.

Doctor #9 had an edge to him and a lot of darkness brewing within. But, at that point, I was Rose. I was this young, 20-something who was just starting to explore the world.

While Rose traveled the cosmos and timeline in the TARDIS, Matthew and I took the train. A lot less elegant, but no less an adventure. We even visited some of the same places the Doctor would visit! Although, Pompeii wasn’t quite as alive during our trip as it would be when Doctor #10 and Donna popped in.

But as we were discovering Doctor Who, we were still in a point of discovery about ourselves. We were looking to those who had gone before to guide us, to help us along our path.

June 9, 2006, Eccleston left the role and Tennant popped into view for the first time. And as Doctor #10 came into being, so did post-Uni Rachel. I graduated in June of 2006.

And in that way I saw Tennant’s take on The Doctor in a completely different way than I had Eccleston’s. Of course, each actor brings their own flavor to the role. But, I was a newbie and still getting used to that.

So, with Tennant, I found myself relating more to the Doctor than the companions. And so, when he said, "I don't want to go" before he left us, I was utterly devastated.

By the time Tennant returned to the role in 2023, oh, life had taken turns. Now, I've never led a gentle life. I raised both my parents more than they raised me, and I have had my share of abuse.

But the strain of the last few years between the break in, Matthew's nephew dying, Matthew's great-nephew dying at age 5, Matthew's mother's worsening dementia, the medical bills, the fights for my kids' needs at school, the one really abusive client I finally shed, and everything... plus a Pandemic? Illness? Death?

It's been a constant barrage of bad with no time for that most needed thing—healing.

And so when David Tennant returned to the role with a face I remember well from an era of transition in my life, I remembered the weight and strain of my post-uni years and met that with all the strain experienced in the years between.

We are tired. We are broken. We never stopped to say, "What the hell?!" because there simply hasn't been time. And for the Doctor—who seemingly has so much more time than any of us—to be exactly in the same position is reflective of the state of the world.

He needed healing. So do we.

So when Doctor #15 as portrayed by Ncuti Gatwa looks to his younger self and tells him that he is seen, that he is loved, that he has permission to rest, that they will be okay because he puts in the work to heal... It's the permission each and every one of us needs to give ourselves.

Yes, the bigeneration was unprecedented and ruffled feathers. But as I watched Doctor #14 sit at a table surrounded by people who love him, by people who will give him space to heal, by the community he has craved but always lacked in the end as he took off, again, alone... I felt that in my soul.

Sometimes we need a happy ending. I've talked often about Sullivan's Travels (1941)—a film that takes a hard look at why people need to laugh in hard times. It's such a genius film, and I absolutely recommend you check it out if you haven't. Complete classic.

When the world beats us down, we don't need a mirror to remind us how much it sucks. Sometimes, we need a little joy, a little love, and a little space for healing.

So, I don't mind that Doctor #14 is out there while #15 is continuing the mission, taking the journeys, pursuing the future and past. Gatwa will absolutely make it his own, and has already proven he is more than up to the task. What a sensational choice!

But to see Tennant's #14 giving himself permission to heal... it's just what I needed. Because, golly, maybe I still have some healing to do. And that's okay. I can give myself permission to heal and rest.

And so can you. Give yourself permission. It's okay. You've got you.

#Doctor Who #Doctor Who Spoilers #Ncuti Gatwa #David Tennant #The Doctor #Fourteenth Doctor #Fifteenth Doctor #doctor who 60th anniversary

[cipher-fresh]

Idr if you’ve mentioned before, but what was your opinion on the whole “bi-generation” thing in the new dr who specials? Ive heard alot of differing opinions on it

I'm split- ha, ha- on how I feel. I don't like it from a Doylist perspective, but I can appreciate it Watsonianly, if that makes sense? I'll go with my negative feelings first.

One one hand, it feels like a very obvious "Bring David Tennant Back" button that RTD can press at any time. A generous interpretation would be that it feels like RTD got too attatched to David Tennant as the Doctor and is too afraid to kill his darling, and only killed him last time because someone was going to showrun after him. Bi-generation denies Ncuti being the focus of his own introduction- (while I do think he stole every scene he was in, its the principle of not having to share his introduction with anyone else, you know?). It's also left semi-unexplained why this even happened, how did the Doctor's body decide the regeneration after 13 was the one where it was official he needed to settle down, and then bi-generate so he could live with Donna and her family? I hate that Fourteen didn't really even "die", and while it seems like he will at some point in the future and merge back into 15, and then become 15- it breaks your immersion and feels super obvious that RTD did this so David Tennant didn't have to die. I'm also not a fan of RTD saying that there are bi-generated versions of every Doctor out there somewhere, all existing at the same time. I like how regeneration acts as death, and that the Doctor has to face that, but here we never get the catharsis of death and rebirth. A less kind interpretation of this decision could say that this might have happened because Disney didn't want RTD killing off the most profitable and popular version of the Doctor from the 21st century, so they can keep using him in spin-offs like that UNIT one that appears to be confirmed.

But in terms of in-universe storytelling, it's really sweet? 14 and 15 are overjoyed by each other's presence and go for that hug immediately, and are wonderfully in sync. David and Ncuti interacting was the absolute highlight of the episode, they bounce off each other perfectly and seeing 15 assure 14 that he'll be okay was very touching. 14 settling down and living with Donna is really nice in a fanfictiony way, you know? I'd love to write about 14 starting to live a human life while still being himself, becoming a part of the Noble family and working on healing from all of his scars, the dead companions and all the people he's failed to save. 14 healing from his trauma and taking a break also gives 15 a blank slate for the show's narrative to get new viewers, and face new threats.

To summarize- bi-generation so 14 can live a domestic life is nice fanfiction, I kind of wish it wasn't canon, but also this is the single most joyous hug I've ever seen in my life

[ID: Four screenshots of 14 and 15 hugging immiediatwly after the bi-generation, then holding each other's faces. 15 says "So good to see you. Oh, so good!" as Mel looks delighted.

Two screenshots of 15 comforting 14 after the defeat of the Toymaker, 15 puts an arm around 14's shoulders as 14 puts his head on 15's shoulder. 15 then kisses him on the forehead.

The two final screenshots are of 14's disappointed face after 15 stops hugging him, then smiling when he hugs 15 again. /End ID]

#image #updates from cipher #doctor who #doctor who spoilers

[doctor-john-smith]

Hello there! I wanted to wish you the best holiday season! 🎄❄️

Merry Christmas! I hope you're having a lovely holiday. I apologise for my absence, the last few weeks have been hectic. I loved 'The Giggle', the bi-generation was a thing of beauty and Ncuti knocked it out of the park in that episode. I already love his Doctor, 'The Church on Ruby Road' was a wonderful first story for the Doctor and Ruby and I can't wait for May and the continuation of this fantastic new era! What a time to be a Doctor Who fan! 🎅🎄

* * *

The brand new Doctor beamed the most infectious smile towards Ruby Sunday as he leaned calmly against the bright white Tardis console, his arms folded, his legs crossed. Ruby couldn't help but smile back, mesmerised by the impossible man that stood before her, in his equally impossible time machine.

So many things had happened within such a short space of time. Scary things. When I say scary, I mean time travelling, baby eating, coincidence-obsessed goblins. That kind of scary. It's definitely the last thing you want at Christmas.

On the other hand, though, she had met The Doctor. Throughout this incredible, mayhem fueled chapter in her life, he had always been there for her, guiding her by the hand and protecting her like a guardian angel, even at times she hadn't realised. This day had made absolutely no sense whatsoever and yet.. somehow, at the same time, it made perfect sense. There was a paradox of thoughts competing inside her head as she stared into his warm, comforting eyes, which sparkled like the stars in the night sky.

Ruby had no idea what was going to happen next now she had made the daring leap of a decision to travel with The Doctor into territories of time and space both known and unknown. All she did know, at that exact moment, was that she wouldn't have it any other way.

Two foundlings, two new friends bound and brought together by the universe, navigating the vast reaches of reality like an endless ocean.

Ruby cleared her throat. "Doctor Who, exactly? I mean, do you have a name or is it just 'The Doctor'?"

"Just the Doctor," he responded, his eyes still fixed on hers. "I mean, I used to have a name before I took the title of The Doctor, but, it's really long and complicated. Only children and cats can pronounce it. Besides, I've more than earned this title. I've put a lot of work into your universe, hun."

Ruby mused The Doctor's response. "You've put a lot of work into the universe..of course you have.. I mean, everything you've done, rescuing Lulabella and me, defeating a flying pirate ship full of goblins.. it was literally like something out of a fantasy movie. To top it all off, you even have a time machine! I'm still trying to decide if this is a dream or not.."

The Doctor moved away from the console, towards Ruby, resting his hands firmly, reassuringly, on her shoulders. He emitted a chuckle, the grin refusing to vacate his lips. "It's completely real, Ruby. Everything you've experienced, all those extraordinary moments, are what I deal with on a day-to-day basis. You're about to witness all the possibilities this universe has to offer, by stepping through those doors. Take, for example, what happened to me and a good friend of mine, Nomad, after we made out escape from an old enemy of mine, The Cybermen.."

@musesreunite