#whovian discussion

[leikeliscomet]

“But We Love Martha Jones!” - The Doctor Who Fandom’s Selective Memory of Racism

Chapter 1 - Everybody Hates Martha

Contrary to now popular Whovian belief, no, the fandom didn’t like Martha at first. In fact, most Martha praise wouldn't come until years after her exit. The issue came from the “Rose shadow” of RTD1. Rose’s traumatic exit hit Ten like a truck and this echoed throughout The Runaway Bride. The episode beautifully covers the stages of grief; his denial as he forgets he can’t have another Christmas on the Powell Estate; his anger at the Racnoss; his bargaining as he reminisces good times with Rose; his depression knowing her can’t get her back and eventual acceptance - ending the episode with a solemn “her name was Rose”. On paper, this was the perfect closure Ten needed for Rose and a lovely way to say goodbye to her even in her absence. But her shadow still covered the rest of S3 and S4. And not in a good way.

From the jump Ten tells Martha she could never replace her but mind you, Martha never claimed she would, but the fandom acted like she did and was. Her presence is mentioned throughout S3: the “not that you’re replacing her” in Smith and Jones; the “Rose would know” in Shakespeare Code; Ten taking Martha to the New New York slums in Gridlock when Rose got “glitter and cocktails”; the ink drawing of Rose popping out of Ten’s subconscious through John Smith in Human Nature/Family of Blood to Jack and Ten’s convo about her in Utopia to even the Master in Last of the Time Lords, calling Martha useless for not absorbing the Time Vortex like a certain companion. Can you guess who she is? Martha to this day is the only companion to be treated as the rebound to a previous companion and this bled into the fandom. Despite Donna’s growth in Partners in Crime working so well because of her growth after The Runaway Bride, it was still a common sentiment to “wish we went straight from Rose to Donna”. The S4 writing didn’t help Martha’s case either. Ten tells Donna about the crush and other “complications” while conveniently leaving out the mixed signals he sent to her. Plus, he admits his mistakes to well… Donna, and not to Martha’s face despite sharing three whole episodes with her. Martha spent those episodes being a host to a Sontaran clone and being kidnapped by the Hath so the “I’m sorry for underestimating you and comparing you to my previous companion, Martha Jones” never came out of Ten’s mouth. The show’s insistence on Martha as the “failed Rose replacement” gave the fandom great excuses to attack her and welcome a mountain of bad faith criticism that haunts Martha Jones discussions to this day.

It doesn’t matter Martha saved the Doctor with CPR in her debut episode, used the Gamma Strike to defeat the pig men on the spot, saved John Smith, Joan and the rest of the village from the Family of Blood despite how racist they all were towards her, came up with the right word to banish the Carrionites on the spot, got the DNA sample needed from Lazarus and distracted him for Ten, got the 42 crew to dump the sun particles in the fuel, warned Ten about Yana’s watch and most importantly, stayed alive in one of humanity’s most hellish years to restore the Doctor and defeat the Master - she was incompetent.

It doesn’t matter Martha never attacked, belittled or actually insulted Rose but was rather tired of being put down for her instead, or the fact Rose within minutes of seeing Martha said “I was here first” and “Who is she?” with disgust - Martha was jealous and bitter.

It doesn’t matter Ten kissed her for a DNA sample despite her cheek, forehead and hand being available, knew about Martha’s crush and still acted oblivious post-Smith and Jones, hugged her then blamed her for said hug, lied to her about Gallifrey but told Rose the truth in her 2nd episode, called her a novice and literally screamed in her face in Utopia - Martha 100% to blame for the failed TenMartha friendship but not our unproblematic fave Ten.

It doesn’t matter Ten was willing to protect and travel with Donna in The Runaway Bride minutes after losing Rose and Eleven having no issue welcoming Clara after watching another version of her, Amy and Rory die in front of him - Martha had to be belittled by Ten because of grief. 

It doesn’t matter Rose and Donna, then Amy and Clara in the Moffat era would need supernatural intervention to gain their titles, or that Rose and Donna needed Ten’s help a few times in their series - Martha had no agency. 

It doesn’t matter Ten fell in love with Rose, Madame de Pompadour, Joan Redfern, Queen Elizabeth I, River Song, Astrid Peth AND Lady Christina, or RTD1’s insistence of (heterosexual) romance being the most human trait of humanity (which is a whole other conversation) - Martha’s romantic feelings were a flaw she needed to correct.

It doesn’t matter Rose, Amy and Clara would fall in love with the Doctor to the point of being willing to abandon their families for him, forcibly kissing him or trying to be him - Martha was the clingy one.  It doesn’t matter Professor Yana’s drumbeat began before he met the gang because it was Martha’s fault the Master came back too apparently. Remember little Tim Latimer stealing the fob because it was reaching out to him? The fans didn’t because Martha was blamed for losing the fob too! Martha’s not a flawless person but it can’t be denied Martha was critiqued for moments that were out of her control. From various nuanced plot points where she was a victim of circumstance to lacking hindsight she literally couldn't have had because she wasn’t in S1/S2, to being disliked for doing the exact same things her white female counterparts did, it’s highly unlikely the Martha Hate Train was born from constructive criticism.

<- Intro Chapter 2 ->

#martha jones #doctor who #doctor who fandom #dw fandom #tenth doctor #10th doctor #rose tyler #donna noble #rtd era #rtd critical #new who #the doctor #dr who fandom #amy pond #clara oswald #river song #black representation #fandom racism #fandom history #fandom analysis #fandom antiblackness #freema agyeman #antiblackness #rtd #rtd1 #doctor who analysis #the runaway bride #doctor who series 3

[spoonietimelordy]

I think one of the main reason why we're safe in our whovian bubble, is that if you miss one day of discussion, or if you only follow some of us but not others, well you end up lost and enable to understand anything that is going on xD

We need to never change our weird communication style

#our discussions are so fucking scattered #also no one explain anything most of the time #we expect the others to get it #which we do sooo

[victorspindrop]

HOA Characters and Fandoms they are in

**NOTE: Second headcanon type post lets go! Love reading peoples responses (Sorry for the Alfie rap erasure you're so right baes) but anyways, thought of this while driving home from college for Easter weekend so enjoy! Also, some of these fandoms I am not even in but they make sense for the characters so**

Nina

-> Harry Potter fandom or Potterhead

-> I mean with the amount of times she mentions Harry Potter in the first episode it just would make sense that its because she's a fan of the books and movies

-> Definitely brought her entire Harry Potter book series to Anubis House with her when she first moved in (but maybe hid it at first because of Patricia)

-> Favorite character is probably Hermione Granger (she loves a strong and intelligent female main character)

-> Dressed up as a Hogwarts student for her first Halloween at Anubis (Fabian dressed as Harry for her <3)

Amber

-> Twilight. Enough said.

-> Girlie has a huge Jacob poster in her room. No like seriously, its in the show

-> I know she had a heart attack during the last movie (I did to)\

-> Obvi Team Jacob

Fabian

-> Doctor Who Whovian

-> This is where we start to get to things I am of little knowledge of

-> Space, time travel, monsters (i think?) it just sounds right up his alley

-> Has one of those TARDIS t-shirts... and a poster...and maybe a keychain... and maybe a secret plethora of Doctor Who merchandise under his bed, but keeps enough out so people know he likes it but not enough to know he is obsessed with it

Patricia

-> Like I stated in my post about the characters music taste, she had a FallOutBoy and PANIC! At the Disco phase

-> I feel like she's read FallOutBoy fanfiction here and there IDK IT MAKES SENSE

-> I feel like she probably had a Twenty One Pilots phase as well

-> All of those fandoms together, she was DEEP in alternative fangirl culture

Alfie

-> HOT TAKE: Alfie watches anime

-> I haven't watched much but I feel like he would watch like One Piece or maybe Dragon Ball Z

->Have you seen all of his costumes in the show, the boy cosplays for sure

-> Puts on cosplay either to watch his shows or just puts it on for the hell of it and then goes about his day (all the housemates have candid photos of him doing the most mundane things in the most ridiculous cosplays)

Jerome

-> This one was hard ngl

-> I feel like he would be more in like Youtuber type fandoms

-> Pewdipie.

-> Ok hear me out, JSclatt. I MEAN THINK ABOUT IT! DOESNT IT MAKE SENSE IN A WAY???

Joy

-> As I stated in my music post, she was a One Directioner

-> Was a Harry girl

-> She wrote and read fanfics on Wattpad (valid)

-> Along with Amber, she is a Twilight fan

-> Unlike Amber, she is Team Edward

-> Her and Amber have had some HEATED discussions at dinner over this topic to the point where it has been BANNED from the dinner table

Mara

-> Ok I know Mara is all books or whatever in the show BUT, I can see her being a cozy game fan

-> Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, The Sims, honestly anything that is a cozy management type game

-> Hunger Games fan for sure.

->Is in love with Peeta

Mick

-> Fortnite.

-> Does Fortnite dance emotes when he scores a goal during soccer/football (whichever you call it)

-> This is a Mick Campbell hate page.

#alfie lewis #fabian rutter #amber millington #joy mercer #house of anubis #mara jaffray #mick campbell #nina martin #patricia williamson #jerome clarke

[thisweekinfandomhistory]

Fantastic! This week, Emily and V finally get to talk about one of their shared favorite fandoms: Doctor Who (New Who). With a focus on the emotional, oft-overlooked Ninth Doctor as played by Christopher Eccleston, they discuss the best and worst aspects of the show, how it makes them cry, and some timely (pun intended) elements brought specifically to the reboot by Eccleston, Billie Piper, and writer Russell T. Davies. Come along with us on the TARDIS, won't you? Additional Sources A Love Letter to the Aggressive Queerness of Captain Jack Harkness by Patrick Lenton What Does the New Doctor Who Offer Working-Class Whovians? by Sarah Hattfield

This Week In Fandom History is a fandom-centric podcast that tells you… what happened this week in fandom history!

Follow This Week in Fandom History on Tumblr at @thisweekinfandomhistory

You can support the show via our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/thisweekinfandomhistory. 

If you have a fannish company, event, or service and would like to sponsor or partner with TWIFH, please contact us via Tumblr.

Please remember to rate the show 5 stars on your listening platform of choice!

#fandom #fanfiction #fandom podcast #doctor who #ninth doctor #christopher eccleston #billie piper #rose tyler #nine x rose #russell t. davies #new who #nuwho #fanfic #this week in fandom history #Spotify

[matrixoftimeserver]

⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊ Welcome to Matrix of Time ⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊

This is a dual Doctor Who roleplay and DW discussion server that has a heavy focus on the roleplay aspect. We're looking for new, active members to join our community. If you ever wanted to roleplay Doctor Who this server is the place to go! If you want to chill with other whovians let the staff know and we'll get you set up!

All Doctor Who lore is welcome on the server. We allow most characters outside of Doctor Who as long as they fit in the Doctor Who universe. This is a freeform/sandbox server so your plot matters! Create your own plots and explore all the possibilities! That means there is no singular plot in the server, no roleplay locks, and no taken characters. We want you to explore what you want to explore so if that interests you, this is the place to do it! The friendly and professional staff members are ready and willing to help you with all of your needs! We are open-minded, kind-hearted, and drama-free. If you're looking for a place to enjoy Doctor Who come on in! We look forward to seeing you on the server soon!

☾.⭒•⋆˚☆ what does this server have to offer? ☾.⭒•⋆˚☆

★ For roleplayers we have ★ ༘⋆ Welcomes all rpers regardless of skill or writing length ༘⋆ Serious para rps, relaxed rps, or just plain silly rps are all welcome ༘⋆ Plenty of open and semi-open channels to roleplay in ༘⋆ A seeking forum to find partners for private roleplays ༘⋆ Extremely oc friendly ༘⋆ We allow duplicates of canon characters ༘⋆ Welcoming and friendly RP community ༘⋆ Several channels to help get you started on your adventure

★ For all those seeking to talk to whovians we have ★ ༘⋆ Friendly and welcoming community who love Doctor Who ༘⋆ Plenty of channels for all your Whovian needs ༘⋆ Fun channels to keep you entertained ༘⋆ QOTD and daily polls ༘⋆ Fun games to play with others

Link to join

#doctor who roleplay #dw rp #dwrp #doctorwhorp #discord rp

[theo-the-door]

What the first DW 60th special meant to me, a 19yo trans guy

I'm going to begin by first giving some context for things because I owe so much of who I am as a person and my plans for the future to Doctor Who. I grew up in England so naturally was exposed to Doctor who at a young age but wasn't allowed to watch it at first since my parents considered me to be too young, which was fair, they do aim to scare kids a lot which I think is great.

My first proper introduction to Doctor Who was through my year 5 teacher at school. I was very lucky to have year 5 align with the 50th anniversary since my year 5 teacher was a massive whovian. Our tables in the classroom we're labelled as different Doctor Who villains (I was on the Sontaran table). My wonderful wonderful teacher was also incredibly creative, and so we had a Doctor Who week at school and made lots of cool complex Doctor Who themed creations, including a lifesize dalek out of cardboard and gumstrip. It was awesome.

That week and that teacher got me into Doctor Who and from there I began devouring as much Doctor Who content as I could, including Doctor Who confidential. Doctor Who Confidential combined with the special features on the Harry Potter movies were the starting point to where I am now as a film student at university with the aims to be a professional actor (with far flung hopes of maybe one day being in doctor who).

Now to anyone who has been on the internet for the past couple years and has seen what JK Rowling has been doing with her place on it, you will see a point of contention there with Harry Potter and my earlier stated fact of being a trans man. Harry Potter was a big piece of my childhood but all of that has been taken away and Doctor Who has remained as somewhere that is mostly safe for me to turn to.

I say mostly due to the fact that the show, and in a more overt scene from its spin off, Torchwood, has from time to time made jest of trans people, however this was a reflection of the time in which those episodes were made, and at this stage I am used to media with trans people as the butt of the joke.

The long and short of it is that Doctor Who was a major part of my childhood, and has lead directly to where I am today as a film student. I have friends that I wouldn't have if it were not for our shared love of the show, even my first boyfriend was someone I first connected with through talking about Doctor Who.

I am now no longer a child, but not far from having been one, and the 60th anniversary has been something that I have been looking forward to greatly. When I saw that Yasmin Finney had been cast in the show for the 60th anniversary I was over the moon, but I never expected for the show to address her character being trans, especially as an integral part of the plot.

One of my favourite moments was the discussion between Donna and Sylvia about Rose in the kitchen. It was so real and accurate and well handled. I'm personally not in the same position as Rose with the acceptance from her family, but this has given me hope that things may change, that my parents will maybe start to actually deal with me being trans, and maybe even accept it.

This episode brought all of the classical style and flair and fun of Doctor Who, and addressed and celebrated something that is so integral to who I am as a person, I've been screaming about it to any and all of my friends who will listen.

This episode means so much to me because it celebrates transgender identities on an incredibly popular show, in an episode that is going to be one of the most viewed episodes of the show.

Thank you Doctor Who. Thank you for giving me hope.

#transgender #doctor who #doctor who spoilers #dw spoilers #dw #yasmin finney #rose noble #donna noble #14th doctor #david tennant #catherine tate #rtd #russel t davies #60th anniversary #doctor who 60th anniversary #doctor who 60th spoilers #the star beast #long post #i owe so much to doctor who #fuck jkr #trans rights #trans representation

[arcadialedger]

Amy canonically wears a TARDIS t shirt (because Shannon is a huge Whovian), and I am convinced Keefe watched Doctor Who reruns on the BBC in his hotel room.

In other words, I want to see Keefe bonding with Amy over being Whovians and discussing their favorite doctors and companions.

#keeper of the lost cities #kotlc #keefe sencen #amy foster #doctor who #whovian #shannon messenger #books #the arcadia ledger

[whovianwatchingstartrek]

A Whovian Watches Star Trek for the First Time: Part 115 - Starship of Babel

Star Trek: Discovery - Season 2 Episode 4 - An Obol for Charon

Today's episode opens with not a resolution to any of the immediate ends to what was happening last episode, but with Discovery beaming Pike's First officer on board, "Number One" from the Q&A Short Trek and also went unnamed in the Cage. She still doesn't get an actual name here.

We get a bit of an update about Enterprise's situation, things are still in desperate need of repair, and we find out that Number One has also been doing a bit of digging into Spock's situation, however Pike is drawn away before details can be discussed.

Down in Engineering Paul Stamets and Sylvia Tilly are looking after "May". The creature still seems to be clued into Sylvia's emotions in some way, which is interesting. Sylvia goes on a mini speech about how she wasn't the best friend to the real May as a kid, and the fungal creature reaches out and sort of forms a hand. It's a scene kinda touching and kinda creepy. I'm really interesting in this Fungal creature and what motives are, and how it works.

In the ready room, some of the staff are discussing the Red Angel. No federation known species matches it's appearance. Apparently Saru is suffering a cold. This conversation is a nice bit of recap, but it doesn't really amount to much that we didn't already know about the Red Angel. Pike enters and dismisses everyone except Michael, so can finally talk about Spock stuff. Apparently Number One had retrieved the path that Spock's shuttle took after escaping the psychiatric facility, and Discovery is already on an intercept course. Michael immediately asks to be excused from this mission, due to the unknown trauma she caused him. Pike starts a bit of a pep talk to Michael, but Discovery is then slammed to a hault, and left in front of this giant red swirling ball of something.

And then the intro plays. I've noticed this a lot with Discovery, but it's Cold Opens are really long.

After the Intro, we gather to discuss what this thing is, and then suddenly everyone is speaking different languages! This fun little premise, and I kinda wish the whole no-one can understand eachother bit lasted a bit longer, but after a bit of confusion, Saru is called to the bridge. It's previously established that Saru knows a lot of languages, so he's definetly going to be the MVP here. Of course, he still has a cold, so he's gonna have to fight through that. He gets the Universal translator back online, but the rest of the Bridge's systems are still scrambled through other languages.

Apparently the rest of the ship is unaffected though, Engineering is still perfectly functional. We get a fun little spat between Paul and the more traditional Engineer we picked up in episode 1, which I thought was fun. As everyone scrambles to repair Discovery, the Computer Virus runs through more of the ships systems. Paul, Sylvia and Reno end up trapped in the Spore Drive control room, with the "May" Creature, which latches onto Sylvia. The Bridge is loosing control of everything, and Saru's illness take a turn for the worse. Internal communications are also knocked out

I've said it before with Enterprise, but I love how Star Trek depicts chaotic all hands on deck moments, where everyone is dashing about in the background trying to stabilise things. This is no exception, and I'm absolutely loving how we're seeing this confusion across the entire ship, more than just The Bridge and Engineering, which was often the case for Enterprise.

Down in Sickbay, Saru is really anxious to report any symptoms to the ship's doctor. After a bit of coaxing however, we find out this is more than a simple cold: Apparently it's a unique condition among Kelpiens, and apparently it's going to kill him. This ties into his Short Trek from before we Started Discovery. Apparently, whatever the sphere is, it's causing the same response as that crystal which selected Kelpiens to be slaughtered. This process is called Vahar'ai, and will either kill him, or make him succumb to madness. Saru has an idea on how to fight back against the computer virus, albiet in a very weak way, but it would slow the progress and give the crew a little bit of time to regain control, and Michael moves off to enact this digital antibody plan. Saru accepts that he is dying, and moves out to help Michael out.

While Michael and Saru are working on this, we get a really nice heart to heart between them about the nature of Saru's culture and how he thinks he just isn't built to keep fighting in the way Michael does. This is probably the best time to note that I love what the make-up department have done with him this episode. The way he walks with kind of a weird lean this episode, the perspiration on his face looks just great. This one on one scene was definetly the best part of the episode for me, I love digging into characters like this and Saru's unique relationship with the universe as a member of a species that are basically livestock animals is so fascinating to me.

With the spore-drive gang, May is apparently influencing May's thoughts. Apparently it's pumping a hallucinogen into her to calm her, although Paul and Reno have different ideas of what it's motives are. Michael ends up heading to engineering to ask them reactivate shields, unaware of their current situation. Engineering of course can't do anything at the moment, they're locked out of all systems, and Sylvia is dropping in and out of conciousness. Paul has a great idea. What he's gonna do is rework a part of the spore drive interface to let may hijack Sylvia's nervous system, and this is explained better in the episode and makes more sense there. But it will let us communicate with may, and Michael thinks something similar might be happening with the sphere, and the Virus could be a form of communication.

Michael shares this theory with Saru, and he deduces that the Sphere is trying to communicate the fact that it was dying, and wants to be remembered. Pike accepts this, and lowers the shields to accept the transmission, but I love that he still has a back-up plan in place.

Meanwhile with May, the process isn't working, and they start proposing makeshift surgery to make the communication process easier, and the whole trepanning thing felt like unnecessary trauma for my poor Neurodivergent girl, but the episode goes thankfully is quick with it. Once communication is established, May reveals her motives. Apparently she views the Discovery's use of the Mycelium network as invasive, and plans to kill Paul, and is now effectively holding Sylvia hostage to that end.

Unfortunately, Saru is still suffering symptoms, and I actually thought they fully kill him here and I was crying, him reminiscing about his sister while asking Michael to sever his Ganglia, and paralleling his relationship to his sister with Michael's relationship to Spock broke my heart. I don't particularly like death fake outs, but I love Saru, so I'm kinda happy that happened here. Also, it means were might be able explore a new side of Saru soon, because apparently without his Ganglia fear is no longer his primary drive, so I'm excited to see where they take him. Also on a side note, I love the design of his quarters.

At the end of the episode we're left with Sylvia being taken into the spore network by May as our cliffhanger.

This has been my favourite episode of Season 2 so far, it had a lot of fun moments, I loved parallel situations between the Bridge crew and the Engineering crew. The many touching scenes with Saru here were great. I loved this one.

#whovian watching star trek #star trek #star trek Discovery #Star Trek DIS #Star Trek DISCO #ST DIS #ST DISCO #DIS #st: disco #DISCO #st: discovery #Discovery #ST: DIS

[stickybasementobject]

Why Whovians HATE John Nathan-Turner - Doctor Who Discussions

#youtube #my post

[doctahpants]

Okay, so I've been doing a Doctor Who Series 10 rewatch, and just got to Empress of Mars

Maybe I've just missed the discussions, but I don't think I've seen people talk about why the TARDIS goes back to the university as soon as Nardole gets in? I don't recall any explanation ever being given.

Obviously from a writing decision perspective, it's because they needed an excuse for Missy to be there and come and get them from Mars. And I guess the fact the Doctor gets her doing maintenance in the next episode implies he thinks it was a fault?

Or maybe the TARDIS ships them as much as I do and did it on purpose to get things moving quicker?

Just wondered if any of my Whovian mutuals (or not mutuals - go wild, friends!) had any thoughts? Tell me your theories!

#doctor who #best enemies #missy #twelfth doctor #twissy #empress of mars

[skyler10fic]

One more thing about Gallifrey One before I go to bed:

It was a very full-circle moment(s) for me getting to use my chosen name with strangers and seeing 1. so many visibly queer people (rainbows, Pride flags, gender-nonconformity, openly discussing) in one place without it being an event about queerness 2. so many asexual people in one place and 3. specifically both of those in the context of Whovians.

I first discovered I was queer via learning about the ace spectrum from a fellow Ten x Rose writer and fic rec blog host, and what queerness really was from all of your blogs here. You were my first and only queer friends for so long, and the only people I was out to for many years.

And now I have been out so publicly and have lots of queer friends in other places, but this was where it started and where my life was changed forever. And because of you Whovians who were out here, all the people who are learning and benefitting from my work elsewhere are getting to live their lives authentically and more connected to themselves and their communities. The ripple effects of this show have gone out into the fandom for generations and into their connections outside the fandom, and on to affect so many people we'll never know. All because you felt seen and understood and fell in love with a show, and helped me to see it too, and so many others who were affected in the same way and who will come after us.

It matters. Your Pride flags matter. Your panels at cons matter. Your fan art and gif edits and fics. Your personal posts about your life. Your photos with your partner or presenting as your real gender. Your chosen name and accurate pronouns. The pursuit of joy and authenticity and identity and love and the fluidity of this journey to name ourselves and our experiences so we will know we are not alone. Whether it's through your headcanons and transformative works and fandom life, or through your own personal story, queerness in fandom matters.

#gally1 #gallifrey one #queer #queer fandom #LGBTQIA+ #queer Whovians #doctor who

[sevilemar]

@ten-of-imps and me are having a big Dr. Who discussion, and because tumblr is tumblr, and it cannot do discussions for shit, all of you have to suffer through this. I made a new post because the other one was getting too big.

I feel like I touched a nerve, not just with you, but with another friend as well, who was also less than happy with Moffat in Dr. Who, and Clara especially. They said Clara did not really feel like a character to them, but like a function that was there for the Doctor, in a very sexist, it's-all-about-the-guy way. I'm still grappling with that, because I know I often miss things like that, and I'm grateful when my friends point them out. I know Moffat has a history of doing shit like that (I was a Sherlock fan before I was a Whovian). And still I like Clara, and Clara and Twelve (Peter Capaldi) together.

If it is not too forward to ask, why are you so hurt over Clara? I'm having difficulties grasping that, because to me, like I said, Clara was great the way she was.

But let's talk about your wonderful rant about Eleven (I think you mean Eleven, since he was the one with Amy and Rory and the one word bullshit, not Twelve. Matt Smith, eleventh doctor, right?). It does feel a bit brattish to me too, especially the one word thing. But what I really had a problem with were his doom-and-gloom storylines, all introspection and navel gazing and all revolving around him, in a very sexist, the-great-tragedy-is-all-about-the-guy, way. Twelve was refreshingly different from that, for me at least. No gloom, for startes^^. I'm glad we got two seasons with him and Clara, and we got Missy in there as well. But that's another story.

I am not rewatching all of Eleven, because he is also no fun for me as well, but I have rewatched the Clara episodes, just to get a feel for their dynamic. I cannot say if he is snake primary, or if he would have burned down the world for Amy, or by accident. All I know is that he returned to helping in the end, couldn't keep away forever. And from what I vaguely remember from the doom-and-gloom before, he probably had good reasons to take some me-time? Even the Doctor is allowed some of that, occasionally, I think ;)

Best of luck with your rewatch, may you find a bit more of yourself through it! Let me know if I can help with the analysis in any way by discussing something, yeah?

About the quote, I cannot do it, either. And I don't think anyone should outside of fiction. Because if the betrayer does not feel the consequences of their betrayal, what would stop them from doing it again? And the relationship that follows from there is not healthy for anyone in the real world. And yet I wonder. What must it be like to accept someone as completely as Twelve did Clara in this moment? Because that is who she is, down to her core. Burn her timeline, burn the world, betray the Doctor for Danny, and she is not sorry, and she would do it again. To accept that, to love that as the one who got betrayed is unspeakable. Fills me with all kinds of feelings I am not ready to examine yet. 

One thing I do know is that the scene is not really about love and goodness for me. Not really. It's about accepting people as they are, and because you know them so well that you can forgive them anything. And that is fine for fiction, and you may even dream about knowing and being known like that from time to time. But if I learned one thing in my life, it's that it does not work outside of fiction and dreams. As much as you know a person, there is an infinity you still do not know about them, and you will never know how they will change.

I rewatched Bill's season too, and I'm beginning to like her a lot. I couldn't the first time around cause I was still reeling from Clara, but I wanted to give her a chance. I do not have an emotional connection to her, but I like her. I don't know why exactly, but I do. But I don't think she is a modern Twelve, no. But maybe you're right about her being one of the reasons for Thirteen? I think Missy was another, tbh.

#doctor who

[theoncomingdoo-dah]

OH BOY HERE WE GO

-multi tiered post about MOFFAT and my problem with good place whovians-

Discussion about the 60th.

#anti moffat #dw #the doctor shitposts

[sterlester]

#DoctorDonnathon Part 1 - Call To Adventure

    On Friday 13th October 2023 I had a surprising email in my inbox. I'd entered the BBC's free competitions and ticket lotteries before, including a failed attempt at their Doctor Who Concert in September (as well as a wonderful evening at the Eden Project celebrating Cornish wildlife with Sue Perkins' Radio Four show Nature Table). So opening this invitation to the Series Four #DoctorDonnathon in London was a delight. At the time I had little idea what this actually meant, only that as a devoted Whovian (yes I like the term) I needed to go. As a Cornish Whovian, however, this meant this decision had a few caveats. How would I get there? Where would I stay? Would there be ample cream tea breaks?!

    These questions hung over me, and as my personal calendar started to fill with other events and work, I felt more and more pressured over this opportunity. Sure, I have watched Series Four many times before, and at the end of November would be able to do so from home with the newest remastering available, but when was the last time I ever watched Doctor Who with an audience? One of my most treasured Whovian memories was watching City Of Death for the first time at the BFI for the Blu Ray release of Season Seventeen, and it was an INCREDIBLE experience. Seeing that wonderful adventure with fresh eyes with a welcoming crowd of enthusiasts made for an unforgettable experience (let alone the presence and insight of actor Julian Glover), but Series Four? What new lens could this endurance challenge of a screening grant me for the cost of travel and accommodation? At first I wondered if this viewing may be of the new remasterings, so I sent an email to the #DoctorDonnathon team, but understandably this technical question went unanswered. Even if it was, would seeing that on the big screen a few weeks before my copy arrived justify the 600 mile-round trip?

    I sat and thought about where I was when this series first aired. Stand out memories from this time of airing include the agony of the two week break between Unicorn And The Wasp and Silence In The Library due to Eurovision, being blown away by Midnight with my cousin at my Grans, the weeklong speculation on TARDIS Wiki between The Stolen Earth and Journey's End, and sitting alone at a friend's birthday party watching Donna's memory be wiped. I also thought about the COVID-19 watchalongs, with the following of Russell T. Davies' tweets about The Stolen Earth/Journey's End being a particular highlight. Would the #DoctorDonnathon improve upon these memories and further enrich my appreciation for this stellar series?

    With those thoughts in mind, I decided that the trip simply wasn't worth it. I love Doctor Who, and this month is going to be FILLED with excitement, anticipation and surprises - I didn't need any more. As I was writing my email to the team to decline the invitation, however, I thought back on my City Of Death viewing. Was it really the experience of seeing a new episode that made that day special? We are lucky enough to be living at a time when RTD has all but guaranteed new Doctor Who annually for the next few years, and every time I watch a new episode it is always an event regardless of the final outcome. But that viewing was special for another reason - the fans. I have friends who watch Doctor Who down here - friends I can talk to about the show for a good two minutes at a time. My best mate and my cousin can both hold fort for a while, and I love them both dearly aside for their passion for nerdiness, but I worry I bore them to a degree. But Doctor Who FANS are exceptional. I remember standing in line at Forbidden Planet in April 2018 to meet RTD and Steven Moffat and having so many great discussions with fellow Whovians (yes I'm sticking with it). I remember meeting Dominic G. Martin outside the BFI and taking a selfie with him after commending him on his cosplay and new producing role on the Peladon set with Big Finish. I remember sending a message of thanks to Fio Trethewey during the first virtual Quiz of Rassilon for their awesome artistic contributions to the fandom (including their brilliant badges which I have several of), and since then have had the joy of following their transition journey online (congratulations on the recent surgery if you ever see this!)

    Simply put - Doctor Who fans are awesome. Worth any journey. And if it takes having to sit through one of the best runs of Doctor Who episodes in a row to have to spend time with them, then I guess I'll have to do just that.

    See you on November 4th!

Cornish TARDIS #DoctorDonnathon

(Picture from the City Of Death screening at the BFI in 2018 - thanks Dominic!)

@doctorwho

#doctor who #doctordonnathon #10th doctor #donna noble

[discorded-whovians-podcast]

It’s heeeeeeeerrree!!!

Episode 1 of The Discorded Whovians Podcast is up! We review The Power of the Doctor, with a fun and thoughtful discussion of the Thirteenth Doctor’s final episode!

#doctor who #doctor who podcast #new who #power of the doctor #Youtube

[marvellouspinecone]

Doctor Who ask thingo

Who would you pick as your fav doctor?

As a bonus, favourite companion?

Thank you for sending this as an ask! It's fun to find myself in the middle of an ask game I never even reblogged. This is what life is all about! It's really funny that you've asked the two questions like that, because the answers are disproportionately different in complexity.

The first question is very simple: my favourite Doctor is Nine, hands down. There is of course a "he was my first" thing, which, for many people (me), firmly cements certain characters in their heart. But what is equally, if not more, important to me, is his narrative.

I'm a huge fan of love stories, with love not necessarily being romantic. I think love, in the broadest sense imaginable, is the most compelling driving force in any story, since it comes from within the character and makes them move forward on their own accord. Be it familial love, love for life, passion for a certain subject or goal, even corrupted types of love, with a villain wanting to take over the world or something – love, to me, is the joy we find in life, and I find stories centered around it the best, most human and relatable ones.

Nine's story is full of it. He is completely broken and guilt-ridden, yet he still manages to find joy and to love with both his hearts. Love protects him, transforms him, saves him, than kills him and transforms him again. We can say that it's Rose who saves him, in the end (and we would be partially right, since she is the physical manifestation of his love), but I would argue that this change and healing can't come from the outside, it has to be an internal force, and if the Doctor didn't love Rose, she wouldn't be able to do any of this (this is not to diminish Rose's impact on the story, I'm just saying that this is a mutually active process).

Add Eccleston's beautiful acting to this soup and it's now effectively impossible to not win my heart. He has incredible range as the Doctor – charming and frightening, down-to-earth and incredibly alien – he has it all and switches between these modes effortlessly to create a quintessentially Doctor performance.

Now, to my favourite companion – this is a very hard question. I just can't pick a favourite because they are all so beautiful and complex and interesting. It would be like picking a favourite child. It would probably make sense to talk about Rose after that whole essay I did on Nine, but I want to talk about an independent story. So, as a show of lesbian solidarity if nothing else, Bill is my favourite companion.

But really, I love her. I like talking about her, because I have a lot to say and because I don't hear about her much, although I think she deserves to be discussed in-depth. You can't overestimate my joy when in 2017 I, then a baby whovian, heard that there would be a lesbian companion on the show. It meant so much to me, and still does. I guess we all on this site have been saying for the longest time: "don't give us stories about being queer, give us stories about people who just happen to be queer", and Bill's story is exactly that. It's really about her, and not her gayness, but her identity is not ignored.

However her storyline absolutely had to reflect her queerness not just in passing comments, but on a deeper level, because otherwise, what would be the point of that little victory for us gays? It's really important how comfortable she is in her identity, but you can't really get self-acceptance angst out of someone who has already accepted themselves, can you? I already talked a bit about it in this post, that her seeming lack of growth and character arc is exactly the point. She is confident, grounded, she knows and likes herself, and there's not much you can do about it plot-wise, she is like an immovable object in that respect, so this is a story of an unapologetically gay woman going on little space adventures. Unlike other companions, who change, find themselves and learn of their worth through travelling with the Doctor, Bill already has everything, and for her travelling is just a bonus.

And that confidence, that grounded-ness, that positive queer experience is reflected, metaphorically in other parts of her story – in her staying true to herself during the monk invasion, after the cyberconversion and in her day-to-day life. And the cyberman plotline is the most powerful representation of this. Everything that Bill is, came together in here.

I don't want to live if I can't be me anymore.

This quote may seem strange in a show that is so tied to the concept of constant change, especially since it mirrors and inspires Twelve's decisions regarding his inevitable regeneration, but, from a queer perspective, this is a powerful message. Yes, change is good, but only when it's natural. It can't be forced upon you. Much like love that we discussed with Nine, it must be coming from within.

Not to mention the parallel "cyberconversion vs conversion therapy". I don't know if it was intentional on Moffat's part, but this is a great new perspective on cybermen (they want to help you by forcibly changing you, because they hate what you are and want you to be like them or die, sounds familiar?) as well as a genious way to bring queer issues into the narrative without devaluing your character's queer identity.

And to talk about love again for a sec: Bill really did save the world with her love to her mum! Why people don't talk about it more? She didn't have the best childhood, being an orphan child in the system, being black amd gay, her foster mum seems to be a rather cold and detached person that doesn't know her at all amd doesn't really try to, and yet Bill constantly, unwaiveringly, chooses love, joy and warmth. She loves herself, her friends, her weird space grandpa and the memory/idea of her mother. She draws power from this love that lets her endure everything.

So this is about my two favourite characters on the show, who start from very different places and go very different ways, yet still connected by love that runs like red thread throughout the whole show. Thank you again for asking me, this sure turned out to be a lot, but I hope I managed to say something of interest.

#doctor who #ninth doctor #bill potts #apparently i just like talking lmao #i wish i had so much to say about my thesis