you know, a big reason i kinda drifted away from the phandom last year was because of how prevalent dp x dc content had become. at the time, i was more of a marvel girlie and i didn’t know much about the batfam or dc content in general. but this year during my (somewhat unintentional) hiatus i coincidentally got really into superman media, which then spiraled into an interest in the batfam and dc as whole and oh god I GET IT NOW
I GET THE APPEAL
dp x dc content creators, keep it going, y’all are doing wonders for this community
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I think it's also interesting to see how things change depending on the time in which they're being engaged with. so I see things about rose today that point out that she's written to be 19 when she meets the doctor and that's a big age difference (which... I understand the point is it's a big age difference because billie piper was 23 and eccleston was 40, and then dtennant was like 34/35 when he started which isn't so big of a shift but anyway the optics I get what people are getting at, but also I think it does oversimplify a lot of what's actually going on in the written dynamic, anyway-)
and also that the rtd run's Themes start coming together properly around s3 (although they are present from day one), and in some ways at this point, because nu!who has been running for... fuckn. actually quite a few years, which is wild to me as someone who started watching as a kid, and I wonder if classic!who fans felt the same way about their show and anyway -- she shifts from being Literally The First Companion You'd Seen For 17 Years (not counting the movie and fan things and the sketch) Who Was Defining A New Era For A New Generation to... a companion
comparable to other companions, comparable to the rest of the show
we sift through the writing to see what worked and what didn't (in our opinion), and we know how the ten-and-rose storyline Really ends, and how the ten storyline ends (sort, of because now that doctor and donna are Back), and we know what happens afterwards, and we talk about tenrose with a 2020s eye, and rose is "just" one of the people that travels with the doctor, one of several, and notably the one who gets most of the sunshiney doctor that buries a lot of the (wonderfully portrayed) angst of the latter half of the rtd show, and doesn't have as much lore as everything after that, so the story is "just" more simple overall
and to me she's kind of incapable of being just that. doctor who was still a risk that first season, it wasn't a done deal that it would have legs at all, never mind that it would continue for as long as it has. rose was created to be the Face of what nu!who was, moreso than nine/eccleston, because even with the extra angst and the eccleston gravitas, we know the doctor, the doctor is established, it's not actually the doctor that needs to sell what the new show is going to become and what the Feel of that new show is going to be (I mean, partly ofc, but-)
rose was doing so much heavy lifting and she succeeded! she was the face of who before dtennant or any other doctor or companion of his era and subsequent eras. she was created to appeal to a demographic of girls who wanted someone relatable in science fiction, because rtd wanted this to be for the girls, and billie piper came into it off the back of being a popstar and it changed her entire trajectory (for the better I think/hope -- there's a lot of bad shit in billie piper's past and I'm always sending her a fond thought)
nine/ten-and-rose were It! not calling it romantic or platonic or any secret third thing (haunting the narrative), but simply It! that's why it has so much staying power as a ship (which, my opinion on shipping has been somewhat *eh shrug* in later years, but in early-days when that was how you engaged with dynamics that got to you, of course it was going to be massive). it's so hard to properly describe how "for the time in which it was made" that this dynamic was written for, and how successful it was. it was rose that breathed doctor who -- and the doctor's character -- to life, as much as herself
she sets the stage for everything that comes next, both within and without the show proper
and I'm always so pleased that rtd at the time was thinking about what was needed to create this character and he opened with a shot from a girl on the estate with messy hair, clumpy eyeliner, and a minimum wage job, and went "that's the girl who's going to go on the adventure of a lifetime, that's the girl we're seeing the story through and relating to, because that's what girls (and uh... those who were girls at the time - and their parents and the boys) should be seeing."
I know rose isn't the first working class companion including classic!who, but she set the tone for nu!who and her family and background are important to why she is who she is, and is explored
"I've got no A-levels, no job, no future-" said the girl about to see the universe
she was very much for teenagers, and so she reads differently when you're an adult watching it back (much like those "teenager saves the world," novels you loved as a kid), but that's why she's 19 at the beginning. that's why she's billie piper (who does a perfect job). she was there to bring a new generation into this story, and it was perfect. and then she grows up. and we grew up. and she had adventures and it was brilliant and she survived and she made a life for herself. that's her story
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Remembering how Taliesin was kinda crushed about losing the whole circus so early on because he was kinda hoping Matt would let them keep it as a kind of traveling home base. Just, the thought of what the Nein joining their little traveling circus would look like.
Mollymauk not having to leave home, having the comfort and safety of that familiarity. Getting to continue to explore all of Exandria while never having to leave the family that raised him. Molly sitting beside Toya, singing old folksongs under the Moonweaver's guiding light. Working on some secret routine for when they roll into the next town, some exciting and extravagant performance he's managed to rope Yasha into. Giving his pitch and passing out flyers at the next tavern, inviting everyone to come see a show they'll never forget.
Yasha feeling a little more comfortable traveling with the Nein at first--because she's already grown so fond of Molly and their little circus family, has come to love the sight of returning home to the big top towering in the distance, the parade of caravans and brilliant lights. Molly always waiting for her, shuffling his deck with deft hands and his charming smile, offering her up a card that foretells a future full of joy and love.
The day when Yasha finally acquires her bone harp, tentatively strums at its strings for the very first time. Plays a soft, mournful song that's wonderfully bittersweet. Desmond gently encouraging her, playing along on his enchanted violin. Molly humming softly beside them, tail swinging happily.
Caleb and Nott eventually working on their own little routine--but only once they leave big cities far behind, in the safety of farmlands and sleepy little towns on the outskirts of the Empire. Places where the wizard can finally stop ducking his head and looking over his shoulder. "Nothing with fire," Caleb insists in a hushed, grave whisper, so they leave the pyrotechnics to Orna.
But Molly truly believes he's a Magician of some sort, which makes him smile wanly. Magicians are for fairytales and easily fooled townsfolk; charismatic conmen with cheap tricks and sleight of hand. Never any real magic. And yet, Mollymauk is still dazzled by a cantrip as simple as Dancing Lights, insists that in itself is fantastical--beautiful.
As terrified as Caleb is of the spotlight, he's happy to perform a parlor trick or two if it means spare coin for his books. And if Nott darts about the audience and pockets a little extra gold here and there while the Magician has their audience utterly captivated, well--that's just a bonus.
Jester performs too, because of course she does--she's Jester. And Molly finds it's hard to really deny her anything. Her magic is colorful, charming, playful. Conjured butterflies and miniature unicorns, exaggerated displays always sparkling and bright. She and her fae friend compliment each other well. She's the kind of person who can make just about anyone smile.
Fjord volunteers as stagehand when they could use the extra help, just wanting to lend a hand and make a good impression. And he can't help trying to wheedle a little bit of information out of the other performers when the chance arrises, all too curious about the mysterious blood hunter he often bunks with. Whenever he does, Beau is inevitably not far behind him, journal in hand as she demands answers. "Those swords--are they really magic? Where the hell did he find them?" "How long has Molly been in the circus? Did he ever visit home?" "Any family? Any chance their blood is like his--"
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