#The only thing I can really consider is the idea that Clara is traveling the universe and saving worlds

[russellsppttemplates]

Christmas in Spain (Carlos Sainz)

First term is over so you go back home to spend Christmas with your family

Note: english is not my first language. Dad!driver always gets me fluffy (and let's pretend it's Christmas season for a bit - it was a bit tricky considering it's sunny and warm outside 😅)

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!

my masterlist

Tag list: @myloverjk-blog @hiireadstuff @c-losur3

"I hope you have fun holidays!", you waved to the kids as they got their backpacks and ran out the door, excited for the Christmas break.

Grades would be sent over e-mail and on the school platform and a parent-teacher meeting would happen in January, so for now all you had to do was tidy the classroom a bit so you wouldn't come back to a big mess.

"Do you need help?", one of the cleaning staff asked you as they pushed the cart along the corridor.

"No, I'm fine, thank you though! The classroom is not looking so bad - Mark thought it was funny to do the drawings I asked them to on the table, but I had him clean all of that out and I think we've finally won over that bug that was going around because the bin barely has any tissues!", you cheered like you had just won a championship.

"Just in time for them to go home and spend time with all the extended family and friends and catch some other bug, right?", the older lady joked and you laughed along.

"I tidied this the best I could so this one is hopefully quick for you to clean - thank you", you smiled as you grabbed your bags, making sure nothing important was left behind before leaving the room, "I hope your holidays are nice too, I'll see you in January!".

You got in the car and drove home, hoping to find a small chaos since Carlos said he would get everything ready for you to fly out to spend the holiday time with his family in Spain, volunteering to pick up the kids from school so he could get them ready to travel too.

"Mis amores, I'm home!", you gave them a quick shout before putting your things away in the office, having already packed them in separate bags so you could leave the backpack with the things you didn't need in the office and take only the things you needed already in the backpack you would fly with.

"Mama!", Clara was the first to greet you at the door, letting you pull her up so you could hug her, "I'm all dressed for the flight!", she smiled, twirling around in the tracksuit. Since the flight would arrive late, it would be best to have the kids dressed in comfortable clothes given that they would probably fall asleep and in the event that they would arrive at Carlos' parents already asleep, it wouldn't be too bad if they slept in them.

"I can see that, is papa getting the boys ready?", you kissed her cheek and walked up with her to the boys' bedroom.

Mateo was sitting in the play area, his fingers holding finger puppets while Carlos put Benjamín's sweater on, making you sit down with him.

"Why don't we show mama just how handsome you two look?", your husband said as he allowed him to go to the floor and join his brother in the cuddle you had him on.

"Mama! We're matching!", Benjamín said, leaving a splotchy kiss on your cheek and showing you the sweatshirt and sweatpants set all three kids had. When you spotted the Christmas themed Disney sets, you had to get them. While the boys had the dark blue version, Clara had the pine green one.

"You look really cute, guys! Are they comfy?", you wondered.

"Yes, feels nice, it's not itchy", Mateo offered and his siblings nodded before you pulled yourself up to your feet, Carlos helping you and landing you on his chest.

"Hello, beautiful", he greeted, kissing your lips after what felt like an eternity as he watched you and your kids. He would happily stare at the four of you forever, but a kiss was needed.

"Hey, amor", you spoke, "seems like you did just fine getting these three monkeys ready to go", you smiled.

"Don't be fooled by it - the boys were not happy they had to have a bath since they weren't going to bed yet, so there were some negotiations and some tantrums", Carlos chuckled.

"Mama, did you know we're flying tonight?", Clara asked, big brown eyes looking up at you as she pulled on your pants' leg.

"Yes, I did! We're going to see abuela and abuelo for Christmas!", you agreed, "which means I also have to go and put something comfortable on, pack what's left and then we can head out!", you clapped your hands.

Changing into an appropriate outfit, you put the last minute things in your luggage before heading down, Carlos already buckling the kids in their car seats while you fit the test of the carry-ons on the car boot.

Driving to the airport was a nice challenge since you wanted to keep the kids awake until you boarded the plane to make things easier and not change their sleep routine too much, meaning that you blasted every Bluey album you had, singing along loudly with the three children.

"Why can't I push the trolley?", Mateo asked as Carlos pushed the trolley with all the bags.

"Because it's to heavy for you, buddy - papa will do it and you hold my hands", you assured, stretching them out once your backpack was secured on, "Clara, stay close to papa, okay?", you warned.

It certainly wasn't the first time you were travelling all together - even though you didn't travel to races as much as you did when it was just you, the kids would often be in most of the European races and a few other ones outside of the continent too -, but your stress levels were still the usual.

"Relax, amor, I packed everything we needed, and if by chance something is missing, either my parents or my sisters will have it or we can go to the store and get it", Carlos tranquilized as you sat in the lounge, the kids happily eating some dry cereal from the bowl.

"I know, I think the school stress is still here somehow even though I've left everything ready and done with - I only have those reports to finish on monday", you sighed as your husband rubbed your shoulders.

"You don't have to worry, okay?", he assured, pulling you to rest on his chest until you got the flight call to board.

The flight itself was fine, the kids staying awake without making too much of a mess and entertaining themselves with their sticker books. As soon as you got to the car, though, everyone was out like a light before you left the airport parking zone.

"Welcome back!", Reyes was the first to greet you as Carlos' stopped the car

Putting his finger in front of lips so they wouldn't be too loud, Carlos spoke softly, "they fell asleep right away, if one of you could help us with them, please", he said as his father took Clara in his arms while you and your husband took each of the boys.

"I'll bring your luggage inside, dears", your moment in-law assured as you walked upstairs to the bedroom where the kids would sleep in.

Tucking the kids with some coos and shushes, you were able to come back to the kitchen and be met with some snacky bits Reyes prepared, "have something to eat and drink, I'm sure it will do you good", she smiled as you sat around the table, catching up for a bit before you retired to your respective bedrooms for the night.

.

"This year I decided I wanted to bake our own roscón", Reyes announced as she got the ingredients out of the cupboard, not missing the wide-eyed looks and scoff from her children and her husband, "why is it no one has faith in me to pull it off?", she reasoned.

"Mama - it's just, you've never done it", Ana reasoned as her siblings nodded.

"For you to be able to say you can do something, you have to do something you've never done before", the matriarch offered.

"I believe you can do it, abuela", Clara added, "mama always says that when we want to do something, we have to put our minds to it and work as much as we can for it!".

"See? At least someone thinks I can do it - you can be my sous-chef, cariño", she smiled at her granddaughter, "do you boys want to join us?".

"Abuelo said he has a new toy car that we can play with him and papa outside", Benjamín hugged her legs and Mateo followed and replied with "I know you'll do well, abuela".

"Off you go then - means I also get your mama all to myself because not only does she have a magic finger for baking - and I do need all the help I can get - and I won't have all of you stealing her from me", she giggled, tapping their noses and letting them go outside.

Reyes loved all her children the same, and her daughters were no exception to her love. When she found out her only son was enamoured by someone, she wanted to meet the young woman who had taken her boy's heart. Since then, you always felt included in their family activities and like you were her third daughter.

"How has school been?", she asked as you followed the recipe on the propped up iPad, measuring the ingredients and setting them apart.

"My little ones are finally able to do some independent work, they're confident enough to do it and that gives me more time to prepare different things to do with them - I've been really enjoying teaching this class", you smiled, helping Clara with the eggs to make sure no shells fell in the bowl.

"That's nice to hear - you know, Carlos used to worry a lot about you running yourself too much and overworking, especially now with three kids, so I can't hide the fact that I'm happy that it's becoming easier on you", Reyes stated.

"There are hard days - they will always be even if I work all day or no time at all -, but we've got a routine down with them, Carlos is spending as much time home as he can and so far, there hasn't so been much to worry about", you offered.

After kneading everyhting and waiting for the three hours the recipe recalled, you began decorating it.

"Abuela, does this one look good next to this one?", Clara wondered as she displayed the candied fruits on the dough.

"Yes, amor, it looks very delicious - we can only hope it will taste delicious as well!", Reyes kissed her cheek and mixed the sugar with water before sprinkling the mixture.

.

"Are we ready to start writing our letters?", Carlos Sr clapped his hands before joining the kids at the table, Mateo already holding the glue.

"Yes, we're ready, abuelo! Can you help me with my spelling, please?", Clara asked.

The boys were too young to write, so they chose to draw instead and your daughter still required some help.

"Tres Reyes Magos, my name is Clara Sainz, and this year I have been a good girl. I always did as I was told and I did really well in school too - Do you think that's good, abuelo?", your daughter wondered, wanting to know her grandfather's opinion on the start of her letter.

"That's good, cariño - now, you have to write to them what you'd like to get for a present", your father in-law praised, turning his attention back to the boys' letters, "have you two decided what you're going to ask for?".

"Yes! I want this game here", Mateo said as he showed his drawing.

"I really hope they'll bring me this book", Benjamín showed his best attempt of the cover his grandfather had seen you wrap the night before, smiling at the prospect.

"Let's hope they'll bring you those, then", the oldest Sainz in the room said.

"Are we going to watch the Cabalgata tomorrow?", Mateo asked, "I saw some photos from last year but I don't remember much from them", he admitted.

"Yes, if all goes well - we usually go every year, I don't see why we can't go and watch it again", Carlos Sr smiled.

[kendrixtermina]

These fake pretentious posts about how that one person „would have liked Amys story better if she chose to quit travelling“ make me so mad.

For all that they throw around sanctimonious like „agency“ they really, really don’t get it.

The great thing about Amy’s story, and the reason I love it, is that it’s one big fuck you to this toxic-ass idea that „growing up“ is synonymous with abandoning your passions & becoming boring & conventional.

Which is something that sends ppl to therapy in droves regardless of gender because they quit everything that that brought them joy & focussed only on productiveness or obligation but which women get especially hit with.

At the start, she is under the illusion that her two choices are to keep her adventurous lifestyle that fits her free-spirited nature, OR to marry Rory and settle down in a conventional way, which is exactly why she is reluctant to commit & gets cold feet before the wedding.

But that supposed choice is shown to be illusory:

In the end, she can marry Rory & commit to him AND have an exciting life of adventure. Adulthood doesn’t HAVE to mean giving up your passions.

Are you seriously telling me that everyone should eventually give up a life where they see wild new things every day?

I wouldn’t. Some might decide after a while that they’d like more stability or get fed up with awful sights; – it depends on their personally obviously, but is it strange that some wouldn’t quit?

Certainly IRL many ppl have a formative wild phase in their youth & then call it quits, but there’s many that seek thrills & novelties all their lives.

Amy got a choice: Her choice was to stay indefinitely & try to balance both conventional adulthood & her love of adventure. It’s the one she makes in ‚The Big Bang‘ and one she re-examines but ultimately reaffirms after reexamining it in ‚The Power of Three‘.

Of course things still end, because everything ends (especially in a live action show where the actors have limited contract lenghts) but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a choice – it’s just that, if you chose to stick it out to the bitter end, that logically means that eventually circumstance is gonna hit. (As it did for Rose, Donna and Clara, who also preferred to stay indefinitely)

‚The Angels Take Manhattan‘ was really about giving her a chance to show her devotion to Rory. At the start of series 7 in ‚Asylum of the Daleks‘ we learn that she has become very aware of how much Rory is sacrificing for the relationship & how much he’s compromised for her sake when she hasn’t always been her best self to him, & that she wants to pay him back or make it up to him – but there of course she makes the very common relationship mistake of assuming what the other person wants without actually talking to them, & it ends in the temporary divorce thing, which is not at all what he would want.

But over the course of their entanglement with the Angels, he communicates very clearly that the one thing he doesn’t want is to be stranded somewhere without her, so when that happens, she goes with him so he won’t be alone, repaying his devotion.

It finishes up the whole ‚life cycle motif‘ we had going on with her, from meeting her as a little girl, seeing her grow up & get married, have a kid, try various careers, get to the point where she needs reading glasses etc. to the point that she seems more mature than the Doctor towards the end, so it makes sense to end this with us following her till she dies of old age -

That said, I object to this characterization of her as a mere victim. All things considered she had as good a life as anyone: She lived to her 80s, had a long & happy marriage, adopted a kid, finally found a job that she liked enough to stick with, & became a famous writer. Yeah, it sucks that Rory was separated from Brian, there’s some irreversible bittersweetness there, especially in what happened to River, but all in all this isn’t a sad story at all. By her own words, she & Rory were happy in the end;

It’s just sad for the Doctor cause he can’t see them anymore, & he has this whole difficulty with accepting endings. (all kinda leading up to when he gets lectured about this by Ashildr & when he meets River again he realized how much his avoidance hurt her feelings – though he gets a chance to fix it.)

Amy could accept it (at least when the alternative was leaving Rory stranded), indeed in the farewell letter they come off almost parental, like they’re more worried about him than anything else.

You gotta have some reading comprehension & separate what he believes about himself from what the narrative actually shows us.

Since the Time War he’s had this huge guilt complex, and Davros’ breaking speech in Journey’s End about how he makes everyone worse really hit him hard, especially since he’s forced to mindwipe Donna right after -

But it’s worth noting that it’s very different from what the companions themselves are shown to believe, just the previous episode Rose was talking about how he had a positive influence & most & Donna says she’d rather die than have that impact erased.

He was gonna go at it alone after losing Donna, but that went very badly, & then he’s slightly out of it from the regeneration & hitting it off with Amy & his resolve crumbles.

Quite the opposite from how that poster characterizes it, he tries to extricate himself multiple times & it’s the Ponds who aren’t having it, & say, „Nah dude, you’re our friend, you’re part of the family“ & actually that’s beautiful. Even after she gets married he’s still her friend, & even after she comes to see him more realistically & less through a lens of admiration in the God complex, he’s still her friend.

[quietwingsinthesky]

okay. thinking. but a large contributing factor to why clara & even are never going to get along is that clara’s perception of even is just. wrong. not through any fault of her own; she’s literally not being given a vital piece of context aka Even Comes From A Fucking Spaceship.

after donna gets her memory wiped, the only people left who know this are the doctor (found them), jack harkness (onboard the tardis at some point prior to them picking a name and got curious), and the master (did Not ask for like 3 years of time hell, also assuming they were from earth, until they mentioned it offhandedly and made him pout in a corner of the tardis for an hour because you mean to say he’s been insulting that planet to their face for years and their lack of reaction wasn’t offense or hurt or anything because they don’t even think of it as their planet??? all that wasted time???) Clara doesn’t know. The Doctor never thinks it’s pertinent to bring up, Missy doesn’t bother, and Even. doesn’t like her.

so, to Clara, even is whoever came before her, is someone the doctor picked up and who couldn’t keep up or else they’d still be traveling with him instead of clara. even’s lack of attachment to the idea of humanity as a whole (like, say, in finding it a reasonable plan to use the dead to create cybermen because they’re just bodies at that point, just unused resources, and helping missy to that end) comes off as cold and callous rather than a very practical worldview formed by their original circumstances. their slowly rediscovered delight at simple things on earth becomes childish under a kind eye or fake under a suspicious one. Clara’s judgements would be sound, especially considering Even’s insistence on staying with Missy, except for all the history behind their decisions that Clara isn’t privy to.

and that’s really the crux of it, i think. that even’s history with the doctor is an unknown that clara makes assumptions about because she can’t actually see it. and even’s resentment of clara lies in how much they can see of her and the doctor, how much they understand about why he’d pick her, and that that. hurts. to be on the outside of.

[variousqueerthings]

I didn't take notes during this episode, foolishly

it's Mummy On The Orient Express, and Clara is leaving... after one last hurrah! and there's a Mummy!

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 9/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or given agency to her emotional interiority): 7/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 8/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 8/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 3/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 6/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 6/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 10/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 5/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 5/10

FULL RATING: 67/100 (if I can count….)

okay okay, we're a little higher, although as mentioned about this era, it feels a little more complicated to rate with this system than s5-7

OBJECTIFICATION: considering Clara's wearing a flapper dress, it's remarkably, refreshingly free from "sexy" commentary

we do forever have Clara's suit in Time Heist to compare to...

PLOT-POINT: this episode is about Clara figuring out her Stuff around the Doctor and yeah, "I'm fully addicted to the power of travelling the universe and affecting events and will allow other facets of my life to be shit in service of this" feels like a strong Character Moment

Clara is giving me a bit of Rose Tyler energy in this idea (not in personality as such but... some things for sure), but I'm going to wait until I've seen it all to get more into that

of course, the actual way the Doctor treats her in this episode isn't... great... but that, I think, is part of it. the Doctor continues to get away with this behaviour, because the upsides still outweigh the downsides

COMPLEXITY: I'm keeping this for now, because I cannot remember if the train computer mastermind Gus comes back to this or is relevant... as it stands it's reeelatively simple on the whole, but with some curveballs in relation to why it matters that they study the Mummy, which we still don't know

I will allow this, it's giving a little teaser for something in the future, potentially.... technically the Mummy going after the weakest first is kind of silly, surely a soldier would be going for the strongest first? or am I showing a lack of understanding in good tactics... eh, I'll allow it

the ending wraps up kind of abruptly though, we're told what happens rather than shown

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: Clara is now going to keep hold of her incompatible parts of life with an iron fist, and keep travelling with the Doctor

there's another mystery with who Gus is and why they gathered people to study the Mummy

the Doctor was respectful to a soldier + there's another one onboard in the main cast, so that tendril is still with us

COMPANIONS MATTER: Clara doesn't actually... do much. which undermines part of the Thing around the power that comes with travelling. M*ffat-era once again is really really weak in giving the companion just... Things To Do in the episode plot, beyond having emotions about things

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: Ohhhhhhhh the Doctor. is still a dick. there's a speech at the end of this, where the Doctor explains that sometimes there are no good decisions (which is oddly echoing what Science Lady from last episode said in order to justify killing the moon, which the Doctor didn't agree with, so...???) and so he needed to be pragmatic about the situation

but does that explain the sheer dickishness with which the Doctor treats people with a minute to live, who know they're going to die, who are scared?

does it engage with this line, explaining why the Doctor is cold and rude to people who have just seen aforementioned death, and wonder if they could be next?: People with guns to their heads can’t mourn

does it give a good excuse for the Doctor calling everyone around him "idiots" for not knowing what's going on?

now, this is presumably a part of the ongoing exploration of this Doctor's abrasive nature, but I do keep going back to Time Heist, which had the Doctor be abrasive without being cruel. this Doctor is often incredibly cruel, for no reason

character regression continues

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: there's a few little callbacks, nothing special in one way or another

“SEXINESS”: I will say this season seems to be blissfully free of this post-Deep Breath!

INTERNAL WORLD: yeah, I won't think too deeply about this, because it would break immersion a tad. the idea of this train in space. the way it works. the reason it's there. the recreation of a British era of colonialist and classist ideals. the fact that most of the guests turn out to be holograms and nobody onboard realised this. how big is this train? are there other guests elsewhere? why these scientists? what do those characters bring to the table a single time in the episode? why was that woman on there with her grandmother? etcetc. stretched a bit thin for The Bit

POLITICS: aforementioned Orient Express In Space concepts are a bit unthought-out. it's not egregious, it's just there. more soldiers

I'm noticing soldiers, because it wants me to notice soldiers, but what is it telling me about soldiers? on the whole? I'd love it if there was more... Substance in the soldiers being shown. the concept about soldiering

FULL RATING: 67/100 (if I can count….)

I would appreciate it if eventually the soldier Stuff pays off, both narratively and politically, but I'm not convinced M*ffat has enough of a political opinion on the military

would appreciate it if the Doctor's dickishness pays off/is explored, but oh boy are they running with this for over half a season!

Clara's trajectory is quite interesting

hope the little teasers pay off also

[the-long-way-around]

.: A story, I think, that would be so cool to see in Doctor Who, is one where someone is alive that the day before, wasn’t. Because the day before, they’d been killed by a Dalek, or Cyberman, or some other villainy, But their death wasn’t a fixed point in time; it just happened to happen  And then something happened further in the past; something that the Doctor was involved in. And it changed things juuuuuust enough, so that this person ended up not dying yesterday. But they *remember* dying. And even if the event that killed them still took place; the only real difference is is that they’re just not dead now. Their family and friends don’t believe them when they say....”But I died, yesterday!”  Of course, the Doctor isn’t some sort of public hero that can just be rung up. But as so many humans are, this one is a bit clever, and realizes they can’t be the only person who has experienced this. So they do a bit of searching and find others like them; people who could have SWORN they were killed in that run-in with some monster.  Not many; and there are those who have since just died of old age because what “killed” them was so long ago, but still, there’s a handful of people around the world, equally confused. And then something happens, something else attacks Earth, and this person is killed; again. But they wake up the next day, again. Because the Doctor is so spread out across time and space, you see, things are always wibbly wobbly.  And this happens again. And again. And again. And again. No one else has had this happen to them before; once, maybe twice, but over and over again?  They’re the first.  Eventually, they learn about the Doctor. Eventually, by luck or by being very loud, they finally meet the Doctor.  The Doctor has never really considered this possibility before, and wonders how many people throughout the Universe is experiencing this. It doesn’t SEEM like a bad thing; none of them have gone on to be horrible villains. They’re just people, who went on living their ordinary lives. As for this one, the one who keeps dying during events but being fine the next day? Same thing, they’re not fixed in time like Jack, they’re not like Donna, or Clara, or Rose. They’re not meant to do something amazing and fantastic that’s a fixed point and thus they NEED to live, or anything like that.  But despite this, their life is now entangled with the actions of the Doctor.  “Is this going to keep happening to me then, until I just get too old to live?” “I don’t know. I’m really sorry. I don’t know how to help you.”  Maybe they start traveling with the Doctor; in hopes that either they die along the way (because surely a death during a Doctor adventure would mean it’s fixed and final,) or that they STOP dying  because they become so important that they’re going to help ensure a fixed point in time happens, and... They’re killed.  And then the next day, they’re fine. But they’re back home, even if they hadn’t been the day prior. The Doctor has no idea. Maybe they never see each other again. But this person keeps living. Keeps records of events that happen; some of which go forgotten entirely. Because just seem to keep forgetting that aliens are real despite the Dalek, Cyberman, Sontaran and other invasions.  They write books. Eventually, they die for good after a very, very long life or their collection is just too big to manage. So their books are sent somewhere they’ll be preserved nicely. A library.  And their collection is a fantastic source for research when a certain swarm is told: “I’m the Doctor, and you’re the biggest Library in the universe. Look me up.” Maybe not everyone is directly part of a fixed point, or a major, well known figure in history. Maybe not everyone is “destined” to be a gran hero, or a villain. And sure, if not their books, then someone elses.  But just as the Doctor has said. “In all my years traveling time and space, I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important.” Because sometimes... being ordinary, is the more important than being the hero that everyone knows.

[a-mirror-of-memories]

Ml prompts (salt edition)

As I promised, this are just some of the plots for fics that I been thinking, a few for a while, others today or this week. Not all of them involve Lila, and even in those she’s not always the focus (Not all of them can be considered ‘salt’ exactly, while others can be labeled as ‘actions have consequences’).

In case anyone want to use them this are the rules (I can made them since this are my ideas):

First of all I want to be tagged for the original idea.

No OOC or bashing of any character (except Gabriel).

No Alya salt unless it’s minimum and only if she’s redeemed at the end. She already gets more than enough hate from the fandom.

Other than that, please refrain of using any of the tropes mentioned in this post:

Max has a crush on Lila, that’s why he keeps believing everything she says (I thought this long before the twitter comment; besides it says that Max’s asexual, not aromatic).

Kim wants to be supporting since she’s his best friend’ first love, even if he doesn’t believe all of her tales (he’s not ruining his chances to become an Olympic medalist following a training regimen that Lila insist ‘was created for my great uncle, a platinum medalist’).

Alix’s getting sick of Lila, if she wanted to hear some self-insert bad fanfic she would spend more time with her brother.

Juleka wants to believe Lila and follows her advices about 'how to be a good model’ until her family intervenes.

After getting several comments complaining of how the Ladyblog’s really unorganized, Alya finally decide to create a side blog (Miracutales) for all the fan-arts and fanfics links her followers keep sending her, and with Nora’s help she spends a whole afternoon fixing her blog. When Lila’s finally exposed the blogger freaks out until her sister comments “Wait, that interview? I send it to your fanfic blog ages ago”.

Lila going on and on to Mylene about a movie actor the other admires, how they’re 'like this’ and that 'I can introduce you to him, he thinks of me as his niece’. Meanwhile the rainbow haired girl’s just nodding with a forced smile while the Italian keep spewing bullshit about her favorite theater actress.

Nino barging into Marinette’s room dragging his little brother, saying that she needed to watch over him on his place since he has a date with Alya. Cue to Alya clearing her throat from the other side of the room, where they were working on a school project.

Lila stole Nathaniel’s sketchbook the day before an important meeting and hid it in Marinette’s locker. Ignoring almost the whole class insistence that she didn’t do it, that anyone could’ve put it in there since there’s no locks, he grabbed her own sketchbook from her bag and ripped it into pieces to everyone’s horror. Marc saw this and he’s akumatized; once it’s all over he still ends their partnership*

*Although cruel, I don’t believe that this is so out of character for Nathaniel. He already has proven to have serious anger issues in Reverser and Evilustrador (While I don’t hold him responsible for what he did under Gabriel’s control, comparing him to other akumas wanting to get revenge of Chloe it’s worrying how much pleasure he seemed to find while tormenting her).

Adrien keep blowing off plans to hang out with his friends to go away as Chat Noir, using the excuse that his father keep adding things to his schedule. One day after he canceled once again, saying that he has a last minute photo shoot, the boys are hanging out in the park where they cross with Vincent. He tells them that he’s the only photograph that Gabriel Agreste trust to work with his son, and that Mr. Agreste was away on a trip for the weekend so Adrien’s schedule was pretty much free until his father came back.

It’s election time again and the Mayor’s opposition has a new slogan: “If he can’t even control his daughter, how can we trust him to protect this city best interest?”

Someone as a joke proposed Xavier Ramier (Mr. Pidgeon) as Mayor. He won.

Felix GV returns and once again pretends to be his cousin. He’s dragged into a photo shoot with Lila; he may be a bastard who hates his uncle and he may be annoyed with Adrien but he still has standards.

With the end of the school year near Alya’s just relieved that since they’ll start Lycée they wouldn’t have to deal with Chloe and Bustier (with her fairytales for assignments) ever again. Until a conversation with Marinette.

“What do you mean we would have Bustier again next year? We’re done with Francoise Dupond! She was your teacher for five years in a row*?! That woman is an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER??!”

*Until Chat Blanc Marinette’s been in Chloe class for five years now, at least four of them with Bustier according to picture’s day. Their class’ in middle school a.k.a three years so…well, that explains a lot about her teaching methods.

Marinette decides to let go of her crush on Adrien (not bashing), and with Alya supporting her choice (even if she doesn’t totally agree with giving up) Rose becomes the new captain of the Adrienette ship; trying to get them together against her friend wishes.

After discovering Hawk Moth’s identity Marinette decides she’ll never be like him and toss aside her dream of be a famous fashion designer. She either finds a new dream or simply opens just a small store away from the spotlight, with sporadic commission for people she’s close to.

At last, I like to call this section’s “Responsible Adults (Are trying their best)”

Marinette doesn’t know every celebrity under the sun, only Jagged, Nadja and maybe Clara. Gina Dupain, world traveler extraordinary, however has a rare gift when it comes to meeting new people by chance without knowing who they are*. 

(“I sat beside this guy once in a plane, he was such a charming young man. Here, there’s a pic” “Nonna that was *insert celebrity here*!” “Who?”)

*This in the only kind of celebrity insert I would aprove.

Surprise inspection from the French educational department (whatever it’s called), some heads are going to roll.

Officer Raincomprix at first was happy that Sabrina stopped hanging out with Chloe and made a real friend; then he realized that this girl was even worse than the Mayor’s daughter.

The school nurse accidentally cause an international affair after calling the Italian Embassy asking why the Ambassador’s daughter didn’t have the proper vaccines for all the travels she keep claiming to have made.

After seeing Nathalie faint in the middle of a car drive, a worried Gorilla brings her to the ER. While checking her vitals (she’s still unconscious) a nurse accidentally knocks her brooch out of her coat, and while putting it back a strange creature materialize in front of them.

“Any of you has Ladybug in speed dial?”

One of the Agreste servants (let’s be honest, how else would that place stay clean) discovers Hawk Moth secret lair.

“I don’t get paid enough for this”.

[chickenmcfly1]

Marty with superpowers headcannons?

(Again, I have no idea how the science behind any of this would work so just bear with me)

So the exposure to plutonium without cell rejuvenation gives him superpowers. Marty can briefly manipulate time by freezing and speeding up time around him, and he can manipulate space by phasing in and out through solid material

basically since his powers came from the DeLorean and interaction between radiation and the flux capacitor, Marty basically becomes a weak human flux capacitor and can manipulate space and time(sketchy science is sketchy)

He discovers them about a week after part three ends because his body finally transitions out of survival mode.

Through the trilogy, Marty is running on like 12 total hours of sleep, 1 meal, no water, 4 head injuries, 3 of which are traumatic brain injuries he doesn’t really accidentally draw on said powers. He’s weak, pretty injured, and exhausted, and his body’s probably focused on healing and staying upright, not manipulating space and time (also I always forget that by definition and time spend unconscious, Marty sustained three traumatic brain injuries in the span of 18 days? That’s gonna be fun for his family doctor to deal with at his next wellness checkup)

After he returns to lone pine 1885, Marty hasn’t really been sleeping bc he’s plagued by near constant nightmares and he’s been super on edge and anxious so he hasn’t really been eating and he’s overwhelmed and exhausted and just crashes in bed one day. And his body is like “oh we’re finally resting! we feel better! Let’s check out these new body functions!” (Again, This is not how bodies work but just humor me)

Then, the next morning, Marty wakes up under the bed? And Marty knows he’s a weird sleeper and he kinda just assumes he thrashed and moved around in his sleep and fell off of the bed, but that’s not possible bc he’s in the exact position he was on top of the bed. There’s also this heavy plastic keyboard case next to him, blocking the only side of the bed he could’ve rolled under from. Otherwise he would’ve had to roll over his guitar, fallen off of the bed, and rolled back under?

But Marty is 100% not in the mood to deal with any more strangeness and weird situations. He’s already overwhelmed and confused, he misses Doc so much it physically hurts, and he’s got real gigs lined up through the holidays and he really doesn’t have the mental energy for this so he just kinda ignores it and goes to school

But strange things keep happening? In math, when he knocks his calculator off of his desk during a test, panicking about how embarrassing it’s going to be when it hits the ground and makes and noise, making everyone turn around and look at him, the calculator just slows down, almost ceasing it’s free fall until Marty grabs it? And the few people who were turning around to look at Marty also have stopped, heads turned halfway to Marty before jerking back to their tests?

The worst one is when he’s on his way home, about to get on his skateboard. Instead for getting on, though, his foot goes through his skateboard. And just when Marty thinks that ordeal is over, his hand goes through the bumper of a car he tries to grab, sending Marty spiraling into the street. As cars zip past him and Marty’s in the middle of an intersection, thinking about how Doc was right and this little car surfing habit of his is gonna end him up in the hospital, the cars around him suddenly stop and seem to freeze then move in slow motion, just long enough for Marty to get to safety before continuing to speed down the streets as if nothing ever happened

Marty continues his commute home, feeling absolutely sick to his stomach, because there’s really one reason he could be passing through solid objects. He’s fading from existence. And that doesn’t explain the other weird stuff, but Marty’s way too worked up to consider the little details. The only thought running through is head is that there’s absolutely no way this can be happening again because this was supposed to be done it was all supposed to be better now

He goes home to get his truck, barely concealing his near-hyperventilating from Biff who always seems to be waxing one of their cars, and his dad who’s sitting on the porch, and drives to Doc’s. The lab is obviously empty, but being here makes him feel a little safer, and a little more clear headed.

He doesn’t eat or sleep that night and that puts his body back into survival mode, so his powers calm down again and Marty is beyond confused but just chalks all that up to exhaustion induced hallucinations? Which is a little scary because Marty is absolutely sure that all of that happen, and he’s really hoping he’s not going insane, but he’d rather be insane than fading from existence because option b means he messed up the time stream and that means that a bunch of other people potentially in danger and Marty’s already bucking under the guilt of 1985 A, he doesn’t need this too.

Obviously Marty has not been the same since time travel, but Jennifer notices he seems extra off as of late, so after school that day, she drags him to her house and asks her to tell her everything. And he knows he shouldn’t, but Doc’s not here and desperately needs to talk to someone and Jennifer is always so grounded and level headed and he needs that right now.

After 18 days of trauma chaos and Marty’s new affliction is described, Jennifer, who is a huge comic book and science fiction nerd, tells him in the most cheerful but matter of fact voice that he obviously has superpowers!

Marty just gives her his signature look of wide eyed, panicked confusion

Jennifer reassures him and tells him to leave a note for Doc where Doc left the DeLorean for him and ‘55 Doc. Marty likes that idea, but he’s still not entirely sure about the whole superpowers thing. So Jennifer tells him to attempt doing those things on purpose, and sure enough, all the things Jennifer makes fall off of her desk chair, including herself (which is the scariest trust fall of Marty’s life) slow just long enough for Marty to right them. Similarly his hands and legs pass through objects. Jennifer suggests he try to phase through the wall to see how strong his powers are, but Marty has a horrifying image of him stuck between Jennifer’s bedroom and closet wall forever, and he decides he’s not trying that own without Doc.

After a few trial runs, a very excited Jennifer’s going on about all the good things he could do the community with these powers and all the cool things he could do, but Marty’s anxious and overwhelmed and just wants to lay low. So he has powers, doesn’t mean he has to use them. Besides, Marty doesn’t know how to explain to Jennifer that after all the ‘good’ he did in 1985A and other timelines, the best way for Marty to serve the community is to probably stay far far far away from where he can mess anything up. Jennifer is, of course very understanding and she accompanies him to leave a letter for Doc

That night, Marty’s scared awake by a sudden rap on his window and wakes up to see Doc? And after Marty’s fight of flight response calms and his heartbeats slows enough for him to function, he just kind of sits there, convinced this is a dream and any second now, Doc will open up his lab coat, revealing bullet wounds and collapse and Marty will have to watch again. But then Doc calls his name and tells him he got his letter. And Marty is overwhelmed with joy and after flinging open the window and tackling Doc with a hug and then giving Clara and the boys another one, they go to the lab and figure everything out

Marty does, indeed, have superpowers. He’s basically a mini flux capacitor and Doc is over the moon thrilled, then panics and checks Marty over to make sure he’s still fine and healthy and that there are no negative side effects, then goes back to being thrilled

Idk what direction I wanna take this in? Whether Marty is just a normal person doing normal person things who just happens to have superpowers or if he and Doc get another crazy adventure, this time, involving superpowers, but yeah. If anyone wants to add on and take this in a direction, pls do bc I have no idea what comes next, lol.

[thelittlesttimelord]

The Littlest Timelord: The New Doctor Chapter 7

TITLE: The Littlest Timelord: The New Doctor Chapter 7 PAIRING: No Pairing RATING: T CHAPTER: 7/? SUMMARY: With the Doctor newly regenerated, he and Elise must now navigate their new relationship. The Doctor is an old man and Elise is a headstrong young woman. She is no longer the scared little girl the Doctor saved all those years ago. Will Clara be able to keep them from killing each other?

[A/N - Been a while, huh! Not sure who’s still here, but I’m trying to not pressure myself to work on this, because I do have other interests and ideas.]

“The Daleks will be victorious. The rebels will be exterminated.”

“Colonel? What's happening out there?” Journey asked, but they got no answer, only Rusty yelling, “Exterminate.”

“Dalek fleet. Communications open.”

“Doctor, what happened?” Clara asked.

“Do you see?” the Doctor said.

“Do I see what?”

“Daleks don't turn good. It was just radiation affecting its brain chemistry, nothing more than that. No miracle.”

“Let me get this straight. We had a good Dalek, and we made it bad again? That's all we've done?” Journey asked.

“There was never a good Dalek. There was a broken Dalek and we repaired it.” “You were supposed to be helping us.”

“I gave it a shot. It didn't work out. It was a Dalek, what did you expect?”

“No more talking. You are done! Okay, new objective. We are taking this Dalek down.”

“With us inside? Are you insane!” Elise yelled.

“Exterminate. Exterminate.”

The Doctor turned to look at Clara. “What's that look for?”

“It's the look you get when I'm about to slap you.” She slapped him hard, surprising both the Doctor and Elise.

“Ow. Clara!”

“Are we going to die in here? I mean, there's a little bit of you that's pleased. The Daleks are evil after all. Everything makes sense. The Doctor is right!”

“Daleks are evil. Irreversibly so. That's what we just learned.”

“No, Doctor, that is not what we just learned!”

“Exterminate. Exterminate.”

Clara looked at Elise, who nodded, encouraging the small brunette to go on. If anyone could calm down this situation, it was Clara, not two hotheaded Scottish Timelords.

“We need to place these charges for maximum effect. I'm going to scan the rest of the architecture for weaknesses,” Journey told her fellow soldier.

“One question,” Clara said.

“No time.”

“Why did we come here today? What was the point?” Clara turned to the Doctor. “You. You thought there was a good Dalek. What difference would one good Dalek make?”

“All the difference in the universe, but it's impossible,” the Doctor said.

“Is that a fact? Is that really what we've learned today? Think about it. Is that what we learned?”

“Journey, what the hell's happening? That thing's set the Daleks on us. And it's locked us out of our defenses. Journey, you're the Aristotle's only hope. I need you to destroy that Dalek,” Journey’s uncle said.

“The rebels will be exterminated.”

“Whatever it takes.”

“Understood, Uncle,” Journey told him.

“I'm sorry.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

“Clara Oswald, do I really not pay you?” the Doctor asked.

Clara smiled. “You couldn't afford me.”

The Doctor ran over to Journey. “Whatever you're going to do, don't do it. This Dalek must not be destroyed. We can do better.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“No, I'm inside a Dalek. I'm standing where I've never been. We cannot waste this chance. It won't come again.”

“What chance? I have my orders.”

“Soldiers take orders.”

“And I'm a soldier.”

“A Dalek is a better soldier than you will ever be. You can't win this way.”

Journey held up a grenade, ready to pull the pin, but then put it down. “Argh! So what do we do?”

“Something better.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“The Dalek isn't just some angry blob in a Dalekanium tank,” the Doctor said as he pulled the women over the ledge, “If it was, the radiation would have turned it into a raging lunatic.”

“It is a raging lunatic, it's a Dalek,” Journey commented.

Elise had to admit she had a point.

“But for a moment, it wasn't. The radiation allowed it to expand its consciousness, to consider things beyond its natural terms of reference. It became good. That means a good Dalek is possible. That's what we learned today. Am I right, teach?”

“Top of the class!”

“But now it's back to how it was,” Journey said.

“But what it saw, what it felt, is still there.”

“Yeah, I'm not really seeing that.”

“Not here. There.” He pointed up.

A lightbulb went off in Elise’s mind. “Oh my god.” She locked eyes with the Doctor and he nodded. “That’s brilliant! If it works that is…”

“Someone explain to me what’s going on. You want us to go to the cortex vault?” Journey asked, not following the father and daughter’s silent conversation.

“The evil engineering?” Clara asked.

“Every memory recorded. Some suppressed, but all still intact. We need to show the Dalek that star being born again. Recreate that moment. You need to get up there, find that moment and reawaken it.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Good idea.”

“How?”

“Haven't the foggiest. Do a clever thing. And then once you've done it, the Dalek will be suggestible to new ideas. It will be open again. And I will show it something that will change its mind forever.”

“What?” Journey asked him.

“Not a clue.”

“This is crazy. There is no way that we can get back up there in time.”

“Yes, there is,” the female soldier said. She cocked her harpoon rifle.

“No, Gretchen. It'll bring the antibodies back down on us.”

Gretchen turned to Clara. “Tell me the truth. Is he mad, or is he right? I've come this far. Probably going to die anyway. Wouldn't mind something to do for the rest of my life. Is he mad, or is he right?”

“Hand on my heart? Most days he's both,” Clara told her.

Gretchen turned to the Doctor. “One question, then. Is this worth it?”

“If I can turn one Dalek, I can turn them all. I can save the future.”

“Gretchen Alison Carlisle. Do something good and name it after me.”

“I will do something amazing, I promise.”

“Damn well better.” Gretchen primed her harpoon.

“No, Gretchen,” Journey cried.

Gretchen fired two wires up to the cranial ledge. “Go.”

Antibodies started to approach.

“They're coming. They're coming,” Clara said.

Journey fastened a pulley onto the wire. “Grab hold of the rope. Don't look down,” she told Clara.

“Good luck,” Gretchen said.

Journey and Clara flew upward.

Gretchen started shooting the antibodies as the Doctor grabbed Elise by the arm, pulling her away.

“You shouldn’t have to watch that,” he said softly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They wandered through the Dalek until they came to the compartment that held the Dalek itself.

“Well, Rusty, here we are. Eye to eye,” the Doctor said.

“You cannot save the humans. They will be exterminated. I shall join the Dalek units in the final attack.”

“I saved your life, Rusty. Now I'm going to go one better. I'm going to save your soul.”

“Daleks do not have souls.”

“Oh, no? Imagine if you did. What then, Rusty? What would happen then?”

There were flashes and images of dying soldier appeared on the screens around them.

“Your memories. I'm about to give some back to you.”

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and start to cut through the tubing covering the Dalek’s neurons. “See, all those years ago, when I began…I was just running. I called myself the Doctor, but it was just a name. And then I went to Skaro. And then I met you lot and I understood who I was. The Doctor was not the Daleks.”

Elise had never heard this story before, even after traveling with him for over a thousand years at this point.

The Doctor pulled out some of the neurons.

More memories flashed on the screen. Daleks flying in space and attacking a ship.

“Oh, look. It's your memories again. It's like somebody's mucking about up there. Memories, all those memories. Do you remember the star you saw being born?”

“I…I remember.”

The memory of the star being born appeared on the screen.

“You saw the truth, Rusty. Remember how you felt. You saw a star being born. The endless rebirth of the universe.”

“No.”

“And you realized the truth about the Daleks…”

“Truth? What is the truth?”

“Let me show you the truth. I've opened your mind and now I'm coming in.” The Doctor spliced two pieces of a neuron together. He cried out in pain.

“Doctor!” Elise yelled. She wanted to grab him and stop him, but they’d been traveling together for so long that she had to have faith that he knew what he was doing.

“I'm part of you. My mind is in your mind,” the Doctor told him.

“I see your mind, Doctor. I see your universe.”

“And isn't the universe beautiful?”

“I see beauty.”

“Yes, that's good. That is good. Hold on to that.”

“I see endless, divine perfection.”

“Make it a part of you. Remember how you feel right now. Put it inside you and live by it.”

“I see into your soul, Doctor. I see beauty. I see divinity. I see hatred.”

“Hatred?”

“I see your hatred of the Daleks and it is good.”

“No, no, no. You must see more than that, there must be more than that.”

“Death to the Daleks. Death to the Daleks. Death to the Daleks.”

“No, there must be more than that. There must be more than that. Please.”

“Daleks are evil. Daleks must be exterminated. Daleks are evil. Daleks must be exterminated. Exterminate. The Daleks are exterminated.”

“Of course they are. That's what you do, isn't it?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“What about you, Rusty?” Clara asked after they returned to being normal-sized.

“I must go with them,” Rusty said.

“Of course you must. You've unfinished work, haven't you?” the Doctor asked.

“Victory is yours, but it does not please you.”

“You looked inside me and you saw hatred. That's not victory. Victory would have been a good Dalek.”

“I am not a good Dalek. You are a good Dalek.” Rusty turned to leave, then looked back at the Doctor.

“Till the next time,” the Doctor said. He turned away and made his way back to the TARDIS.

“Is he leaving? Isn't he going to say goodbye?” Journey asked.

“I think that was it. Yep, that was it. Sorry, got to run,” Clara said. She grabbed Elise’s hand and they followed after him.

As they reached the TARDIS, Journey came up behind them. “Doctor. Take me with you.”

“I think you're probably nice. Underneath it all, I think you're kind and you're definitely brave. I just wish you hadn't been a soldier,” the Doctor told her.

They went inside the TARDIS and took off.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Clara came back into the control room in a new set of clothes. “How do I look?”

“Sort of short and round-ish, but with a good personality, which is the main thing,” the Doctor told her.

“I meant my clothes. I just changed.”

“Oh, good for you, still making an effort.”

The TARDIS landed.

“Okay, right, you're back in your cupboard, thirty seconds after you left.”

“When will I see you again?”

“Oh. Soon, I expect. Or later. One of those.”

Clara walked over to the door and opened it. “I don't know.”

“I'm sorry?”

“You asked me if you're a good man and the answer is, I don't know. But I think you try to be and I think that's probably the point.”

“I think you're probably an amazing teacher.”

“I think I'd better be.” Before she left, Elise walked over to her.

“Hey Clara?”

“Yeah, Elise?”

“…have fun on your date. He must be pretty special.”

Clara smiled. “He is.” Clara left and the Doctor put the TARDIS in flight.

“I’m sorry,” Elise said.

“For what?”

“That things didn’t turn out the way you planned.”

The Doctor shrugged. “What’s new?”

Elise looked at him.

“What is it?”

“I guess…part of me thought it might have worked. That there was a good Dalek. I thought that…that maybe the Time War would finally be over.”

The Doctor flipped a few switches. “What about the 70’s? You always loved that decade.”

Elise frowned. “I…I used to. Not anymore.”

“Okay, well where do you want to go?”

“I think I’ll just go read something the library.”

The Doctor tried not to let the disappoint show. Maybe she wasn’t comfortable going somewhere with him alone yet. He could respect that. Maybe she needed more time to adjust to the change. “Oh, of course. We’ve had quite day.”

Elise turned to go to her room, a tear escaping her eye. She could appreciate that he was trying, but it was like this body forgot everything his previous body knew about her.

[hopevalley]

Season 8, Episode 1: Open Season

Work was busier than expected on Monday, but the deep dive into the first episode of S8 begins now!

Scene 1: Narration, Elizabeth and Nathan, Lucas

The awkwardness between Elizabeth and Nathan was...palpable at first lol.The best part about the non-narrated part of the scene is twofold: Nathan interacting with Jack is a well-needed and very nice touch, and of course it’s always nice to see that Nathan is patient concerning Elizabeth’s situation and reassures her that she can let him know when she’s ready to go to dinner with him.

My problem with the whole thing is that...if she hasn’t spoken up about wanting that dinner date yet, and she’s not saying yes she’d like to get dinner with you now, it’s like...any sane person would assume at this point in the story that Elizabeth isn’t interested in Nathan. Worse, Nathan isn’t the kind of man who wouldn’t take a hint. I’m pretty sure this is why the opening scene felt just a little bit off. I think they ought to have let Elizabeth be a little more enthusiastic about the idea while still failing to commit to it. 

To be fair to the writers, I can’t imagine it was easy for them to figure out how to open this season after such a long time gap. They let a whole winter elapse between last season and this one. How do you explain literally no major development with the love triangle in that amount of time? Especially after the way the last season ended?

Random consideration: the camera focuses on Elizabeth’s face a lot and makes her wedding ring clearly visible.

Boom, the flashback with Lucas. I think having him leave out of jealousy was a better idea than having his mother fall ill (we’ve certainly seen that enough at this point), and maybe we should also consider the fact that while Lucas was gone, Nathan didn’t really jump on the opportunity to woo Elizabeth himself.

I wonder if we’ll get an explanation for that or not. What makes Lucas so sure that after 4+ months, Elizabeth hasn’t started courting Nathan? Maybe he kept in touch with someone in town? Or he just knows Elizabeth well enough to know she wouldn’t feel quite ready to commit in that time frame anyway?

I did really like Lucas’s opening scene with Elizabeth. Honestly, he was quite likable, here: admitting he was wrong, admitting his shortcomings, apologizing. All good things. “I’m ashamed I let my jealousy get the best of me... The worst of me.” That’s such a good line.

It didn’t feel equal in enthusiasm to the Nathan scene, but I’ll have more thoughts on that later. I do believe it was on purpose.

--

Scene 2: Clara and Jesse’s Fight, The Café

I like the concept of some marital discord for Clara and Jesse. Marriage is easier said than done and like any serious relationship, it’s a lot of consistent maintenance. It starts out pretty well, with Jesse sleeping in the other bedroom. At this point I fully expected to find out Clara kicks in her sleep or she snores a lot or something that’s funny to hear about but really difficult to actually deal with in real life. Color me disappointed later, but I’ll get to it.

--

Scene 3: The Mercantile, Ned, Florence, Carson

This just set up things with Faith’s situation so there’s not much to say, but as always I do love Florence. I hope she gets some good scenes this season. And I love Ned so I hope the same for him.

Henry coming in to mail a letter was interesting, though. I’m not sure it’ll mean anything in particular later, but...it’s possible.  Then again, maybe he’s just here to set our expectations regarding Faith’s return (of course it’s a long trip from Chicago) or Carson’s worry (a bit unreasonable unless he expected to hear from her at a specific stop).

--

Scene 4: Nathan, Dylan

Dylan is such an incredible scumbag. The spurs were a nice touch. He says things almost fondly (“She’s growing up... My little girl.”) and then wants nothing to actually do with Allie. 

The guy’s actually a pretty good actor. The way he segues into being glad for Allie’s sake that Nathan wasn’t the one killed. If the next words out of his mouth weren’t a demand for go-away money you’d almost feel those words were genuine!

--

Scene 5: Lee and Rosemary’s Return + Faith’s Return + Dylan Part Two

Lots of energy in this scene, both good and bad. I always appreciate what Lee and Rosemary bring to the show. I genuinely just don’t care that much about Faith. I’m ready to ship her with Cowboy Brett Brewer. He gets a name, which makes me wonder if he’s gonna show up again. :3

Lol at Carson’s jelly face:

I MEAN...

Not a fan of Faith’s outfit...but to be fair we’ve never really seen Faith outside of uniform. That just doesn’t strike me as something she would wear to travel in...?

Dylan approaching Jack and Jack speaking to him was so hilarious to me. “A puppy!” It’s extra funny after he looked afraid of Rosemary. Nathan intervening was undoubtedly for the best, but I can’t imagine why he would have approached Elizabeth or Jack. He doesn’t know who they are, or their connection to Nathan. Maybe too convenient. Might have been better to have him approach someone else entirely--like Opal.

--

Scene 6: Nathan and Allie

It’s great Nathan’s officializing the adoption but he had literal years to do this and only chooses now, when there’s a threat? Legally Dylan doesn’t have a leg to stand on even in that day and age (he did the abandoning in the first place + Nathan is a lawman)... It kind of ruined the cute moment for me, and I think it will come back in a bad way later.

I don’t mind Nathan’s inability to confide in Elizabeth in this situation. At this point, she doesn’t need to know, and the situation is just weird enough that he probably doesn’t think he needs to dump his own problems on her.

--

Scene 7: Carson and Faith

I’m the jerk who just chanted “BREAK UP BREAK UP BREAK UP” during this scene in my head. I just...don’t care about Faith and Carson.

--

Scene 8: Bill and The Gals

I hate that they keep retconning Bill’s ability to cook well with every passing season. In season 2 and 3 he was more than satisfactory. In S4 he made dinner for Dottie and it was really nice. Now he’s godawful and doesn’t taste his own shit before letting other people try it? Come on.

This is the kind of stuff the writing team needs to cut out of the story. It’s not funny. 

Worse, outspoken Fiona lying to Bill? I just don’t see it. At least Molly told him the truth...but I still am just SO tired of seeing this shit. It makes me think new writers only watched the last couple of seasons instead of all of them.

Also, if Bill is literally running the cafe most of the time, if he was bad at cooking, then...the place would have shut down ages ago. What they should lean into if they wanna do a cooking joke is that Bill isn’t good at creating recipes from scratch. Maybe he doesn’t have a strong sense of taste (my husband has this issue so it’s the first thing that comes to mind) so he’s likely to over-do things like spice or sugar or salt on accident. There’s also a lot of room for jokes about his “taste” in things that can come of it (women, clothes, et cetera).

--

Scene 9: Lee’s Pants

Good scene, 10/10, wouldn’t change a thing. I hope this pants thing becomes a running gag. This is the good kind of humor I want in my life. And I like that Jesse wants to emulate Lee. It’s wholesome. 

--

Scene 10: Rosemary and Clara

The ribbon as a tissue was funny, but it was just SLIGHTLY too over the top for me.

--

Scene 11: Faith and Carson Again...............

“Were you jealous of that cowboy?” I think he should be. The cowboy is better. I don’t give a damn about these characters. And I genuinely hate that the strumming is Carson’s Thing Now. At the very least we should get some Carson and Bill doing a duet together which would be cool.

It just felt like it was shilling Paul and had nothing to do with the characters.

--

Scene 12: Mmm Money

This is arguably the most interesting scene in the episode. Lucas nodded at Nathan. Nathan went to Lucas for money. Lucas didn’t need to get the scoop to find out why Nathan needed it to loan it to him. Elizabeth is officially the least interesting part of the love triangle.

They treat her like she’s such a prize to be won, but I’m starting to worry that she’s become the new Lorigail on the show.

Anyway this scene had some gay vibes and I liked them.

--

Scene 13: Rosemary and Elizabeth Catch Up

YES. GOOD SCENE. It starts off fun and it gets serious, and the transition feels really natural. “Did he have reason to be [jealous]?” I’m genuinely glad this is in the episode. It needed to be. I hope Rosemary continues to ask the hard questions.

Elizabeth needs to face either dating one of them, or dating neither of them so that everybody can get on with their lives. If you’re not that enthusiastic about either of them I’d say...maybe don’t date either of them idk.

--

Scene 14: Nathan and Bill Talk

"If he sees you with me, then...” The problem with this scene is uh...twofold, let’s say.

Issue 1: ThEN HE WILL WHAT, NATHAN? WHAT HAS HE EVER DONE BEFORE THAT WAS SO BAD if he’s not a hard criminal? Maybe an example would be useful here...?

Issue 2: The old Bill Avery would have heard “if he SEES YOU with ME” and mentally been like, “all right so it’s only bad if he SEES ME” and spied on Nathan.

Nathan wanting Bill to stay behind in case Dylan doubles back isn’t a terrible idea, but it almost comes across more like...the writers just want Nathan alone.

--

Scene 15: Oil

I like the discussion and that Hickam gets to do something. I feel like Henry is low-key advising against shooting the well, and that Lucas and Hickam will end up doing it and causing an issue. It’s just setting up for the future and it’s nice to see those kinds of scenes in the series again!

--

Scene 16: Jesse and Lee

I’d like this scene more if I felt it gave us ANY insight into the problem Jesse and Clara are having. It mostly comes across like Jesse gets home and does nothing at all until bedtime and Clara is lonely. Could have been a better scene. It’s mostly just repetitive right now.

--

Scene 17: Nathan Cancels the Date

“Tomorrow’s Saturday.” Nathan’s like uhhhhh. This actually works really well to do what it’s supposed to do. By that I mean, he seems “off” so Elizabeth realizes he’s a bit stressed and leaving town = mountie business = dangerous.

I kind of wish Rosemary and Elizabeth would talk more about this, but maybe that’s coming in an episode soon...?

--

Scene 18: The Barbershop

Just a cute nice scene that shows a good friendship between Fiona, Clara, and Faith. I like this stuff. Keep it coming, Hallmark!

--

(Skipping Scene 19 because it’s just Nathan riding around...)

--

Scene 20: Lee and Rosemary Scheme

I really enjoyed this little bit where they decide to buy something for Clara and Jesse and we don’t get to see what it is. Super wholesome and very fun!

--

Scene 21: Nathan gets Ambushed

This scene was absolutely wild. Probably one of the best scenes like this that they’ve ever done. Dylan taking Nathan’s hat, “Take care of my little girl” after he takes the money and Nathan’s gun. It was super good.

Also, not too fake that Nathan was on the ground that long. If you got roped off of your horse you’d have the wind knocked out of you super hard lmao.

--

Scene 22: Bill & The Girls

Clara and Fiona are so cute. Bill playing the “Dad” figure to them both is really nice and it’s good for him. “I’m a lawman. I get to sneak.” What a Bill response. 

--

(Skipping Scene 23 since it’s just Nathan finding his horse.)

--

Scene 24: Lucas visits with Elizabeth

Lucas and Elizabeth are flirting via a nursery rhyme. I...don’t like that LOL. But Lucas’s “Helen Bouchard taught me to read and after that I was on my own.” She really sounds unloving. This was a pretty decent scene, though.

Also, Grand Isle Louisiana had a major hurricane in 1909 and 1915.

They also seem to have been hit by more mild hurricanes in 1916 and 1917, but the 1915 one was a Cat4, so...the most notable.

--

Scene 25: Rosemary and Lee in the Dress Shop

This tries to solve the issue of Clara and Jesse’s marital problems, but it doesn’t actually do that. “Let Jesse read when he gets home.” “I’ll talk to Jesse.” Meh.

--

Scene 26: Barbershop

“Why do this when you’re so good with women’s hair?” I fully expected Fiona to say, “That’s where all the hot gossip is, of course.” I do like  her gumption, though!

--

Scene 27: Nathan Finds Dylan

“I had to let you ambush me, so I had grounds to put you away.” COLD BUT EFFECTIVE. I appreciate this.

Imagine getting to be this smug. I wish it were me.

Anyway, long-term thoughts on this are mostly that...there is just no reasonable way Dylan’s story is over yet. It’s too juicy of a storyline to let go this easily. Allie is going to find out what Nathan did and she’s going to struggle to come to terms with it, especially after her grandfather really did try to turn his life around. Why couldn’t it be the same for her father? Why couldn’t she get lucky like that?

I hope it feels satisfying, whatever they choose to do. Otherwise this was just wrapped up too neatly/too quickly.

--

Scene 28: Nathan Returns

Very good scene. Nathan’s in a good mood and he does my favorite trope of all time when one person in the relationship has a child: “Why don’t we all go?” You already all know each other, so why not? It’s wholesome and good, and it shows he doesn’t care how he gets to spend time with Elizabeth, as long as he does.

Also, it takes a lot of the pressure off of her for the duration of the date and at its conclusion. This was a cute and good scene, one of the better they’ve had, I think.

--

Scene 29: Jesse and Lee Talk

This was a nice attempt at a talk, but it really comes off like Jesse has stopped loving Clara for no reason. That his romantic interest in her is what is causing the failure in their relationship.

The problem is: WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS CAUSING IT. NOBODY EVER SAID. 

I agree that love isn’t “just” a feeling or “just” an emotion. It’s ALSO a choice. Marriage is a commitment you choose to continue every day. That is all good.

“Choose love. Then you feel it.” is probably some of the worst dialogue they’ve put in the show, though. Yuck. It left a bad taste in my mouth. It feels like it’s shaming people who legitimately fall out of love or who are in bad relationships. “If only you chose to work harder.”

I don’t think that was their intention at all, but it really soured the scene. I would have MUCH rather have had Lee get Jesse to talk about what’s wrong and then offer him pointers on how he could do better. Maybe he’s stressed out and losing himself in books, or he wishes Clara would sit and read with him because that’s something he always wanted. Or maybe Clara would be down for reading time if he read to her while she did her sewing.

There’s so much they could have done here to really send this home, but it didn’t work very well. At the very least Lee could have said, instead of ‘choose love’: CHOOSE COMMUNICATION. Make sure she knows you still feel that way about her.

The biggest thing is like, Lee could also be very encouraging in saying like, the honeymoon phase doesn’t last forever but just because things settle down doesn’t mean the love is less.

THERE IS SO MUCH GOOD STUFF THEY COULD HAVE WRITTEN FOR THIS but they chose “Choose love. Then you feel it.” WTF. That’s awful advice.

--

Scene 30: Jesse and Clara

Him bringing her flowers was a nice touch, and her getting him the book was also nice. The tandem bike was SO unexpected to me and I loved it. It’s just goofy enough that it works. The best part is that they know it’s not going to fix anything, but it’s still a fun and nice thing to do, and that’s wonderful for Rosemary and Lee. They both like to make the people they care about happy.

--

Scene 31: Mama Bouchard

MILF ALERT.

Elizabeth is just so shook at all of this she doesn’t say a damn thing for so long it made my palms feel sweaty.

“Someone ought to take an interest in your writing, don’t you think?” I rewatched the episode to understand the tone, and it’s a little hoity-toity/uppity, but she actually doesn’t sound condescending. It’s good for an editor to meet the author, after all, and meet to talk about their writing/book. This has always been custom, even in the early 1900s. Authors didn’t usually get their work published by an editor they’d never met (though of course, you will find some exceptions). 

From the little we saw, Helen seems fine. The preview for the next episode tells us she’s UH, AN EDITOR DOING HER JOB, so I’m not looking forward to the editor being the bad guy, but I guess I’ll have to deal with that when it arrives. (To be clear, Elizabeth has never proved to the audience that she’s a Good Writer, let alone a Great Writer. She’s also not experienced which means her work probably NEEDS SOME WORK.)

Anyway, Elizabeth is immediately rude as HELL. Nobody can make an excuse for this. Helen isn’t THAT big of a deal. There are other publishers. Your father is filthy rich. If she changes her mind about your book you can pub to someone via your father if you have to. Like...Helen wouldn’t have taken you on if she didn’t see any potential in you. 

Even if it was a big deal, Elizabeth has NEVER been a flake. EVER. 

This is a classic case of a writer forcing the character to go out of character in order to bend to what the plot dictates. 

If I were Nathan, I’d drop Elizabeth like a brick.

How to fix this scene? I’ll honestly have to think about that for a while. This was the first hint of truly bad writing this season. The bit with Lee and “choose love” was careless writing, but this scene with Nathan is just Bad.

The thing is, I KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. I know they put this in there so that it looks like she’ll choose Lucas because she never even goes out with Nathan, and then BOOM. I know it’s meant to be this big thing about how she’s scared to feel anything for Nathan because Lucas is the safer option and also a good man (so why would she fall for the more frightening option?).

But this was not the right way to do this type of scene. I hope to God in the next episode someone says something about it. Allie could tell her it was rude and it hurt Nathan’s feelings/you shouldn’t have said yes if you didn’t want to. It’d be fully in character for her. Rosemary could also say something similar. If they do, I might be able to forgive this...but if it’s not called attention to by the other characters, then it’s a massive failure as a scene to me.

--

Did I miss anything? Do you want my thoughts on something in particular? Shoot me a message HERE and I’ll do my best to answer! 

[capybaraonabicycle]

A Family Wedding - Part 4

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Rating: Teen

Summary: Jenny meets her mums’ friends and the wedding is drawing to an end

Warnings: Some innuendo and the dagger makes another appearance, also consummation of alcohol

Words: ~3000

AO3

Eventually, they made their way back to the party. The Doctor wanted to introduce her daughter to some of her friends and the Ponds had agreed that her and River couldn’t completely ignore their duty as hosts. Thus, Jenny spent the rest of the very long night talking to an endless number of people who were important to her mum in one way or another.

__

Bill and Heather immediately decided they were basically cousins and had to get together for space trips some time. Bill wrote her number onto a napkin and made Jenny promise she would get a phone so they could stay in contact. She also talked a lot about the eyebrows-version of her mum, saying it was a shame Jenny missed him. But at least now she got two badass mums and according to Bill, that was pretty perfect when it came to parents.

__

Missy, her mum’s best woman, casually mentioned she should abduct Jenny, as it would be the perfect leverage over her mum. This remark made Amy threaten her with the cake knife while Rory protectively put his arms around Jenny. Missy made a point of ignoring Jenny’s grandparents, promising Jenny would meet one of her regenerations again soon.

“Your mum is obsessed with me, Honeybunch” she said, trailing her nails over the blade of Amy’s knife thoughtfully, “I’m sure she will come running again with you in tow to foil my next brilliant plan. She can’t let me be on my own for a second. It’s quite embarrassing, really.”

She gave a little dramatic sigh at this, pushing the knife away to move past Jenny. “She just loves me so much.”

__

Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Petronella Osgood were luckily part of an earlier version of UNIT than the one, Jenny had enraged. They were fascinated by her and she had to describe in great detail how the machine worked that had birthed her.

“Now, Kate” the Doctor warned her when she walked by and overheard, “Don’t you dare try building that device. I will come and destroy it, I promise you.”

Prompted by Jenny’s heartbroken gaze she explained why she was against the machine, recounting how it had been used to produce soldiers, dispensable to die in a day.

“Maybe I should build one then, the next time you are not traceable, Doctor” Kate joked to the Doctor’s affront, “Just so you’ll come running.”

__

Clara tried teaching Jenny the names of her Gallifreyan relatives. Apparently, she had met some of the Doctor’s family when she had been something she called an ‘echo’. It was quite confusing, really, because the Doctor kept contradicting her and neither of them were really sure how many siblings, nieces and nephews Jenny had in total. It was still great fun to see them argue whether the people they remembered actually existed and how they were related to her.

__

Captain Jack Harkness got as far as introducing himself to Jenny, when the Doctor already shot in between them.

“Back off my daughter, Jack” she growled, pressing both her palms into his chest to physically keep him from touching Jenny.

“Your daughter?” Jack asked, his eyebrows wandering up to his hairline.

“My daughter, Jenny” her mum presented proudly, just to return to her strict voice the next second, “And you are not to flirt with her.”

“I was just saying ‘hello’!” Jack complained which made her almost strangle him.

“Ianto Jones” the man next to Jack presented himself to Jenny very softly, considering the wrestling couple with quiet confusion and some distress, “His boyfriend.”

“Ah” Jenny said, grimacing, “So sorry for this.”

That made Ianto smile.

“Right back at you” he murmured.

__

Martha and Mickey found Jenny, when she was sharing a piece of wedding cake with River, expressing their relief that Jenny seemed welcome in the family. They talked about Donna for a while and Jenny learned that their friend had lost her memories after saving the Earth from Daleks.

Her mum recounted how when the Doctor first met her, Donna had been there, too. They exchanged a few stories about her, unanimously deciding they would have loved to know her better. Martha and Mickey said they sometimes checked up on her.

"Only from afar, though" Martha sighed. "She can't see us or else her memories might get triggered."

She and Mickey then told Jenny about their job, how they were freelancers now, hunting hostile aliens.

"Sounds fun" River commented and Jenny had to agree.

"You could join us some time" Martha offered, "Both of you."

"Really?" Jenny asked delightedly, grabbing River's arm in excitement.

"Of course" Mickey grinned, "It always pays to have some backup."

They added their phone number to Bill’s on the napkin and promised to let Jenny know the next time they had an interesting assignment.

__

“How is everyone immediately adopting me?” Jenny asked Yaz, Ryan and Graham, when they had proclaimed her part of the ‘fam’ as soon as they heard she was the Doctor’s daughter.

She had already gotten the invite to travel with Bill and Heather, Clara and Me and to live with her grandparents, Martha and Mickey, Jack and Ianto, Sarah Jane Smith and even the Paternoster Gang, although she had tried to avoid them after the pudding incident.

"The Doctor is family" Ryan shrugged. "Which means you're family, too."

The other two nodded in agreement.

“And we all know you can use the support with her being your mother” Ryan continued with a low chuckle, and Jenny stared at him with wide eyes.

“It’s nothing bad” he hurried to appease, “The Doctor’s great, she’s just…”

“The Doctor” Graham finished, and Ryan nodded as if all was said now.

“She’s a little chaotic” Yaz tried to explain.

Graham snorted, “Yeah, right, a little.”

“And irresponsible” Yaz added, “And most of the time you can’t understand a thing of what she’s doing or saying. And the things she does…they tend to go wrong.”

“But she’s wonderful” Ryan said and the other two nodded again.

“‘Brilliant’” Graham said with a low chuckle.

“She’s the best person I know” Yaz ended with a smile and Jenny found herself returning it.

“And you’ll have River and me travelling with you” Yaz concluded, gently nudging her with her elbow, “We’ll take care of you and among the three of us, we’ll also manage to take care of her.”

__

Jenny was just talking to a head in a box and a nice couple owning an antiquarian bookstore, when her mums approached her. They were exchanging conspirative glances and the Doctor was hiding her hands behind her back, so Jenny immediately decided whatever they were up to was more interesting than the blonde guy’s obsession with easter eggs. She excused herself and made her way over to her mums.

“River said you might still feel insecure about whether the TARDIS is your home” the Doctor said without greeting, “So, I got you a gift.”

She revealed a tiny package from behind her back with great flourish. It wasn’t much bigger than her thumb, obviously wrapped in leftovers from her own wedding gifts. Without knowing what was inside, Jenny decided it couldn’t have been more perfect.

“Thank you” she beamed and hurried to open her present.

Unfortunately, that was almost impossible for the amount of tape her mum had used. Now that she paid attention to it, it became apparent the Doctor had fought quite the fight against the tape - strips of it were also sticking to her suit jacket and her forearms. One even made its way into River’s hair and Jenny dreaded the moment she would find out about it. Luckily, she missed it when she wordlessly reached into her hairdo upon seeing Jenny struggling. She pulled out the mini dagger again, handing it over to her. With its help, the tape and wrapping paper soon were torn, and a silver key fell into Jenny’s hand.

“It’s for the TARDIS” the Doctor explained. “Now you can come and go whenever you like and stay as long as you like.”

“And once I’ve shown you how to fly her you can also use it to take the TARDIS out on your own whenever you like” River supplemented, and the Doctor glared at her.

“Don’t you dare encourage Jenny to steal my TARDIS!” she grumbled, “It’s bad enough when you do it.”

Then she turned and beamed at Jenny again. “But yeah, pretty much: Welcome to the TARDIS!”

Jenny felt herself tear up a little, clutching the key tightly. It was real! She had a family and a home and she was welcome.

She pulled both her mums into a hug, smiling when they embraced her tightly.

“Thank you so much” she murmured.

Suddenly, an aggressive flash blinded her.

“Oops, sorry” Bill said, lowering a vintage looking camera from her face. “It wasn’t supposed to do that.”

She fumbled with the flash a little bit until Heather took over and switched it off. When Bill raised her gaze again and noticed the whole family was still staring at her, she blushed.

“Don’t mind me”, she said. “I’m just repaying a favour. Have been taking pictures all night. You will want something to remember this day by, Doctor. And yeah, I recalled what you did for me with my mum and thought…I should do that for you, too.”

She smiled sheepishly and the Doctor looked like she was about to melt.

“That is a lovely idea, Bill” River found, pulling Jenny and the Doctor close again to pose for another shot, “You know what? We should get my parents and do a proper family photo!”

“Did I hear family photo?” Jack said, miraculously turning up behind Bill with Ianto in tow. “Can’t do that without uncle Jack!”

“Oh, they most definitely can” Missy chuckled, appearing next to him. “This is not about you, puppy. It’s just for real family members. Like me.”

She pushed past him, positioning herself next to the Doctor and facing the camera with a thin but content smile. “I’m ready when you are, Loves.”

“Uh, yeah, that’s not happening” Jack decided, joining River’s side and slinging his arm around her waist, pulling Ianto with him into the frame.

While Bill shot the photo, Jenny could see more guests taking notice, some approaching them fairly quickly.

“Seems like everybody wants to have their picture taken with you” River whispered to her and Jenny chuckled.

“I am 100% certain it’s about you and mum” she answered although she couldn’t deny she felt important in the middle of the frame that more and more people crowded into.

“You should be in the picture, Bill” the Doctor called out when Sarah Jane was ushering a couple of teenagers and a metal dog to sit down in front of them. “If anyone’s family, it’s you! Just give the camera to Nardole.”

“Yeah, thank you, Ma’am” Nardole frowned. “Always a pleasure to know how much you appreciate me.”

He still took the camera from Bill and she and Heather hurried to the space the Doctor and Jenny cleared between them. It was a little tight now as Missy refused to budge but Jenny just threw one arm around River and the other around Bill and smiled for the photo Nardole shot of them.

It took a while until everybody who wanted to be in the photo had found their place and someone had tracked down a waitress to take the picture. In the meantime, a lot of quirky photos were shot by and of various combinations of the Doctor’s friends. Later they would be glued to the walls of the TARDIS hallways and Jenny would come back to them often to trail the faces of her mums’ loved ones and remember the night.

There would be a picture of Mickey and Martha kissing with Amy photobombing behind them, a picture of Wilf and Rory having exchanged their suit jackets and beaming like idiots and a picture of Jenny, Bill, Heather, Nardole, Yaz and Ryan in a group hug that Graham took as a very blurry selfie. There would be a picture of when Jack had decided to hoist Jenny onto his shoulders and another one of when Clara, Ryan and Yaz had followed suit, respectively carrying the Doctor, Graham and Bill on their backs with varying degrees of success.

Then there would be a picture of Jenny with her namesake which had made them giggle way too much, and another picture that the other Jenny had taken of her with Vastra and Strax, because ‘no-one would see the difference’. Which was an even sillier joke but made Jenny understand how much she liked the Paternoster gang after all. Especially because Vastra and Jenny had promised her fencing lessons between the shots.

There would be a picture of her mums kissing both of Missy’s cheeks simultaneously while Missy wore a decidedly unimpressed expression, a picture of Kate, Osgood, Martha and the Doctor trying to evoke an air of semi-professionalism as ‘UNIT-representatives’ that was completely ruined by the mess of people goofing around behind them and finally the Pond family picture River had asked for. They had to take three versions: one featuring Missy, one Jack and one on which both had begrudgingly left them alone.

But Jenny’s favourite photo would always be the one they took in the end, before everybody dispersed and went on to enjoy the party. The big group photo, with her mums in the focus and everyone surrounding them. The photo they took while she was standing right beside them, between her grandparents, Rory’s arm around her shoulder and Amy’s hand in hers and the happiest smiles possible on all their faces.

__

Then it was finally time to leave. Almost all the guests had gone and Clara and Ashildr were collecting the last of them in their diner-shaped TARDIS. All that was left now were Jenny, her parents and her grandparents.

“We’re taking…the kid…with us” Amy said. She was slurring and Jenny presumed she had found another bottle of vodka.

“No, why?” the Doctor complained, clutching at Jenny’s arm. She seemed a little drunk as well, although Jenny couldn’t fathom how. There had been next to no alcohol in the pink drinks. “I’ve let you have her the whole evening already.”

“Jenny will come visit us soon” Rory tried to reassure Amy. His ductus was considerably clearer than hers, but he was swaying a little as well. “She has promised, remember?”

Jenny’s hearts swell a little when she understood Amy must have recounted their discussion on the balcony to him. They’d been talking about her!

“We’re still -taking her” Amy decided, “Or do I needo…- do I need to remind you …what happened in our wedding night?”

“I did” River supplemented smirking. Rory went very pale while Jenny shrieked, hiding her face in River’s shoulder.

Her mum chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Go with your grandparents, Love” she advised, pulling her into a hug and kissing her cheek, when Jenny looked up at her, “Have a splendid night at their place and we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thanks, mum” she grinned, returning the kiss to the cheek. Then she turned around to the Doctor.

“We’ll come pick you up first thing in the morning” her mum said, holding her tightly, “I promise.”

“I know” Jenny murmured, amazed by how sure she was of that now, “Have a good night, mum.”

“Oh, she will” River said. The Doctror spluttered and Jenny tensed.

“Mu-um!” she complained, giving her a stern glance. Still, she couldn’t help smiling, when she added: “I hate you!”

River threw her head back laughing.

“No, you don’t” she said.

“We’ll be there tomorrow” the Doctor repeated when she let Jenny go.

“For once…-I am hoping, sh-she will be a month late” Amy murmured, pressing Jenny to her side and thus swaying her lightly.

“How about breakfast at the Ponds together? As a compromise?” the Doctor offered, and Jenny nodded quickly.

“That sounds perfect” she said, and her mum beamed at her.

“Breakfast it is, then” she decided, “Don’t you lot worry, I can bring the custard creams.”

“Yeah, give us till noon, though, Doctor” Rory mumbled, “I’ll need a lot of sleep now.”

“We’re not goingdo - going to sleep” Amy complained, “We’ll have an afda-afterparty. Movies,… facemasks, goss-gosspip.”

She pulled a face at her own slurring which made Jenny chuckle.

“Yeah, you don’t really b-believe that either” Rory commented, gently taking her arm and steering her towards Clara’s TARDIS. He stopped himself to yawn loudly and reach for Jenny’s hand. “Let’s get all of us to bed.”

They waved goodbye and then Jenny took Rory’s hand and followed her grandparents to the diner. Before they passed the TARDIS, she turned around one last time, seeing her mums standing in the ever-setting sun on Darillium. They were facing each other, River’s hand cupping the Doctor’s cheek, the Doctor’s hands on her shoulders and talking in quiet voices. They seemed perfectly comfortable with each other, exhausted, but happy, like they had finally arrived home after a very long journey.

‘We all have’ Jenny thought, when they started slowly kissing and she turned around to her grandparents again, ‘We’ve all come home now.’

Hey :) Thank you so much for reading this series! This is the end, at least of the wedding and of the story, but I’m sure Jenny is about to have many adventures with her mums. Thank you so much to everyone who has left comments, you are all incredibly kind! <3

And thank you so much @elsaistherelifeonmars​ for letting me play with your story! <3

This fic is inspired by ‘The Wedding of River Song’. Go, check it out, if you haven’t already :)

[melancholydreadfuldream]

broken melody, lullaby of pain

Fandom: Doctor Who

  Pairing: 12th Doctor x Reader & 13th Doctor x Reader

  Summary: The Doctor thought you died along with everyone and yet here you are under the clutch of the Master. 

  Warning: ooc, angst, obsession, mention of mental abuse, plot holes as usual, etc.

    After saying goodbye with her fam, the Doctor made her way toward the matrix chamber where the deranged Master and his CyberMaster are, bringing with her the weapon of destruction that she intend to use on them and herself in the process.

  She thought of the telepathy she shared earlier with the Master and how he said he has one last surprise for her. Knowing him, she need to be on guard because it will definitely be unpleasant.

  But she never thought that the surprise he mentioned would be...you.

  As she entered the hall where she supposed to meet the Master, she saw a young woman standing alone in the middle of the room. She felt like she was punched in the gut when the woman turned around and revealed herself.

  "(name)?" She called out hesitantly.

  You didn't reply at first. You look terrified. Your eyes are glassy as you glanced at the Doctor.

  The Doctor blinked her eyes a few times as if trying to make sure what she saw is not a figment of her imagination. Though if it is, she has no idea why it would show her you. She raised her hand as if wanting to reach out to you.

  You took a step back away from her, making her confused. You looked almost afraid of her.

  "(name), it is me, the Doctor...." She said softly in placating manner as if you are an injured animal need extra handling.

You shook your head as tears fell down your cheek. "I didn't know where you were. She was the only one there. I didn't know what to do...so I just did what he told me." You said in a hoarse and trembling voice.

  The Doctor is confused, trying to make sense what you are saying before she realized that you are talking about Missy back in the mondas ship. Her mouth dropped open in horror at what you are implying. 

  7777

  You first met the Doctor when he was in his eleventh incarnation. You are Clara's best friend. Clara had told you about the Doctor when you accidentally got involved in an incident with alien. 

  The Doctor took you on a trip to show off time travel. You were awed by the Tardis and the weirdly energetic Time Lord. 

  As the Doctor invited you to stay for a few more trips, you quickly realized that both the Doctor and Clara addicted to danger and excitement. You weren't like them. The trips started with fun and safe and then quickly turned into lot of running and try not to get killed at. It wasn't your cup of tea. You love the part where you see wonder but you dislikes the next part.

  You didn't stay full time on Tardis, prefering to stay on Earth where life is boring but safe. You couldn't keep up with the glee of the unknown trouble that the Doctor and Clara shared. And you were fine with it. 

  Once in a while though, Clara did convince you to take some time off and travel with them for one trip to a special place that she knew you would have love to be part of or when you are feeling burnt out with your daily life, you would phone Clara and asked her to come pick you up.

  You got along quite well with the Doctor. He was a funny man and he likes you enough to let you join him and Clara for trips to see the wonder of universe.

  You felt like third wheel though whenever those two started their flirting-not-flirting thing. You asked Clara about it and she admitted that she fancy him but she was unsure how to go about it. The man is practically an immortal alien and she is just a human.

  You found out about Clara's echoes eventually and she had explained that she splintered herself to save the Doctor by jumping into his timestream.

  You weren't there when the Doctor regenerated. But when you did finally met the new Doctor, you know you are in trouble because his new appearance caught your fancy. You always have a thing, a weakness for older gentleman and the new Doctor could almost pass for one if one could ignore or manage his rudeness.

  Oh and Clara know all about your little crush on the Doctor and teases you mercilessly. You were not pleased especially considering that your best friend has dibs on the Doctor first.

  To your surprise, Clara give you the go ahead to try and woo the Doctor, not that you would. He is an immortal alien, remember? Same issue still applied in this case. But you were surprised with Clara's revelation about how the new Doctor has basically sit her down and said he was not her boyfriend. Ouch. That made you more determined to never acted on your stupid crush.

  It was awkward at first trying to interact with the new Doctor as you were so used with chin boy, Clara's nickname for Eleventh Doctor. But with a few more meeting, you would eventually grew fond of him. You didn't know what he think of you but he might be tolerating you for Clara. You thought you were in your best behavior around him. You never flirted with him or provoke him. 

  Clara is truly his best mate, able to keep him on his toes, rein him in when he deliberately being cruel. As much as you have a bad crush on him, you couldn't handle his rudeness.

  Clara eventually dated a man called Danny Pink. When the Doctor found out, he was livid. He materialized Tardis in your living room and proceed to complain about it to you of all people. 

  You tried to calm him down and convinced him that if he care for Clara, he should be happy for her.

  Then come the fight. Clara told you about what happened with the moon and how the Doctor abandoned her alone. You were helpless to try to console her as she made a decision that she was done with the Doctor.

  Of course, not long after Clara left, the Doctor came to you, babbling about how he didn't understand what he did wrong to Clara and so you set him straight. He was genuinely afraid now that his impossible girl will truly left him. So you suggested one last hurrah between them in hope in that one trip they could find a common ground again. 

  Later on, Clara remained with the Doctor, apparently they have made up nice. You were glad for them.

  7777

  Clara is inconsolable. Her boyfriend died. She was mostly numb. You tried to comfort her but she mostly ignored you. 

  Desperate, you turned to the Doctor for help eventhough you know he is socially awkward. But Clara is also his best friend so you demanded that he did something for her to help her.

  "What she need is time and space to mourn." The Doctor said.

  "But I'm worried for her. She is not eating or sleeping well. She is not grieving properly."

  "There is a proper way of grieving?" He raised impressive eyebrows at you mockingly.

  You rolled your eyes. "You know what I meant."

  It was then he received a call from Clara which make you panicked as if you are receiving a phone call from a crush much to the Doctor's amusement.

  You glared at him and told him to drop you home before he goes to Clara.

  "What happened to comforting her together?"

  "You are her thing."

  The Doctor look insulted. "I'm not her thing!"

  You almost laughed at how insulted he look like. "I just meant you and her are...have this bond, you know, special one...and this trips on the Tardis are always yours and hers. And she obviously need you more than she need me. So..."

  The Doctor looked uncomfortable, probably has no idea what to say to you so he dropped you home without more fuss.

  Next thing you know there were red alerts as citizens are told to stay at home away from the street. From the news, you realized Earth is invaded by alien...again. You recognized the cybermen. You are worried for the Doctor and Clara.

  You were relieved when the day after Clara contacted you, apologizing for not keep in touch with you. She told you the Doctor has gone, returned back to Gallifrey, his home planet.

  As months passed with Clara withdrawn and depressed, you contacted the Doctor, leave a voicemail telling him that Clara need him and that she still didn't cope well with the loss of Danny.

  You didn't receive any reply. But a week later, the Doctor suddenly show up during your date night with an older gentleman that is your type and the Doctor made a mess of the date. You were furious with him.

  "What do you mean that Clara didn't cope well with the loss of PE? Danny is back, isn't he? Clara told me so!" The Doctor approached the table where you sat with your date without any greeting and started babbling urgently. 

  "Doctor? What are you doing here?" You hissed furiously. "Danny is dead, remember?"

  The Doctor started talking really fast at you before stopped and noticing your date. He then ruined it by asking if the man is your father. You really wanted to drop your head on the table right at that moment.

  Uncomfortable with the Doctor, your date politely asked if they can reshedule their date in another time but you know he wouldn't ever call you back now. The date is going well too and now thanks to the Doctor, it is now ruined. At least, your date still paid for dinner despite your insistent to let you pay everything. You apologized to him and watched him left with a sigh before glaring at the Doctor.

  The Doctor shrugged innocently and grinned sheepishly at you.

  You sighed in resignation and led him back into his Tardis where you both talked about Clara. The Doctor admitted of lying about Gallifrey. 

  You rolled your eyes at him. "You are both idiot. It is obvious you miss each other. Don't be stubborn and go to her, Doctor, tell her the truth, tell her you know Danny is not back."

  The Doctor said he will think about it. He seemed to think Clara is better without him. You wanted to slap him so much for his stupidity.

  Eventually you learned that Clara is back traveling on the Tardis with the Doctor. According to them, santa claus made them do it.

  7777

  The Doctor now dressed like a rock star and he show off his ability to play electric guitar to you and Clara. 

  He was kinder now, less rude. He no longer complained too much whenever Clara or you hug him. One might say he is a bit affectionate toward the both of you.

  You still refused to be his full time companion like Clara. You would take a trip or two for every two weeks or whenever you felt like you need a time out.

  The Doctor is currently at the console, playing a tune on his guitar while talking about some sci-fi stuff that completely beyond your understanding.

  You stared at him with fondness.

  Clara noticed it and teased you about it later on. She asked whether you need her help to woo the Doctor to which you replied you are not the Doctor's type. She is. Which promptly shut her up.

  During one of the trip, you noticed how careless Clara is and you talked to the Doctor about it but he brush you off, telling you that he won't let anything bad happen to Clara...or you, he added as afterthought.

  You were touched that he care about you enough and said so to him to which he replied that he consider you as friend too. You were so happy that you hugged him and kissed his cheek.

  He stared at you blankly as he touches his cheek.

  You giggled as you suddenly felt bold enough to actually start flirting with him. But later on, you felt like you wanted to crawl under a rock for being insane enough to do that especially since he didn't seem to know how to deal with your affection.

  Clara laughed at you when you told her about it much to your dismay.

  7777

  Clara is dead. You got a phone call from Clara's father. Her body is found on a street. They had no idea what is the cause of death. From Rigsy, you found out the truth.

  You were unable to cope with her death and you wished to talk to the Doctor but you couldn't even contact him. According to Rigsy, the Doctor was taken to somewhere else, presumably by an enemy of the Doctor.

  You are worried for the Doctor but there is nothing you can do about it. You contacted UNIT and spoke to Kate but even she has no clue what is going on.

  There is nothing you can do but to help with Clara's funeral. You tried to be brave for Clara's family. After the funeral, when you are finally alone and realizing the loss of Clara, you broke down crying.

  You now understood how Clara felt when she lost Danny. You just wanted to be left alone, not wanting to do anything at all.

  Then, Clara reappeared in front of you in a waitress uniform from a Tardis that resembles a dinner. She was there to say goodbye and to tell you to take it easy when next you met the Doctor. She told you the Doctor has no memory of herself now.

  You wonder if the Doctor would even bother to come for you as the one connecting you to him is always Clara.

  "He considered you as a friend too, you know. He likes you. Not many people can says that." Clara reassured you. She made you promise to help the Doctor eventhough you have no idea what you could possibly offer the Doctor. You are not her.

  "If he comes for me, I promise I will help him to the best of my ability." You made that promise, fully aware that the Doctor is unlikely to come for you despite his words before about considering you as a friend. He didn't strike you as the type who keep a regular contact with those he called friends unless they were his current companion.

  You and Clara had a teary goodbye and you watched her Tardis vanished before your eyes. You never saw her again.

  As you predicted, the Doctor never come for you. You weren't surprised but it still hurts you. You tried not to take it personally. You tried to move on with your life.

  7777

  It was merely an accident that you met the Doctor again. You were accompanying your slightly younger cousin to check out St. Luke's University. Your cousin is thinking to apply to that university.

  It was there you overheard a bunch of students talking about their eccentric teacher, the one called the Doctor.

  Curious but also dreading to meet him, you decided to look for him. And you did find him.

  He was playing his electric guitar at his posh office. You saw his blue box on the corner of the room.

  He glanced at your arrival. He didn't seem to recognize you at first.

  You slapped him. You didn't meant to but when you saw his indifferent face, you kind of loses it.

  He was taken aback by the sudden assault but before he could say a word, you slapped him again and then hit his chest repeatedly with your fists as you yelled and cursed at him.

  He gripped both of your hands to stop the assault on his person. His eyes softened as he whispered your name. He apologized to you as you broke down crying in his arms.

  "It has been 2 years, you bastard! You left me behind without any explanation for what happened to Clara! You promised me she will be safe even after I told you she was reckless! And then she died and you don't even have the courtesy to show up and explain everything! I had to heard it all from Rigsy!" You yelled at him.

  "I know." He looked remorseful but you are still so mad at him.

  "I know that you no longer have any memory of Clara but surely you remember me? You said you considered me as friend but you abandoned me! Friends don't do that, you jerk! Stupid eyebrow!"

  The Doctor remained silent in the face of your fury. After you calmed down, he offered you tea much to your bewilderment.

  You told him about how Clara told you what happened to him, being trapped in a confession dial, almost breaking the rule of time for the sake of Clara and also about the promise you made to her. So, after all of that, you asked him how he is holding up.

  The Doctor admitted of being ashamed of himself for what happened to Clara and can't bear to face you especially since he couldn't even remember Clara at all.

  You and the Doctor talked about Clara a lot. Through you, the Doctor is able to put a face on Clara. You told him the brave tale of Clara Oswald and her Doctor.

  You forgot about your cousin until she called you. You had to leave the Doctor but you were reluctant. You asked him if he will be at the university for long. He said he will be stuck in there for a long while.

  You smiled softly at him. "Can I come see you again?"

  He glanced down at you with fond smile. "If you like."

  You hugged him and he, at first, was hesitant to hug you but he did eventually.

  7777

  After that day, you spend at least a few hours to visit him in the university and you have valid excuse because your cousin did apply there.

  There were rumour floating around that you were the Doctor's girlfriend but you and the Doctor ignored it.

  The Doctor introduced you to Nardole and Bill. Bill is curious about how you know the Doctor and she recognized that you did indeed still fancy the Doctor and teases you about it.

  The Doctor eventually told you about the reason he was stuck there. You had heard about Missy before from Clara and her warning that she is pure evil. You have no interest in meeting her.

  Knowing the Doctor stuck there, you tried to cheer him up by asking him out. He was confused whether you are asking him out on a date after Bill's teasing about him having a date and he asked you about it.

  You were embarrassed and cursed Bill for bringing that up. You told him it was a friendly outing. Though, of course, you sort of wished for more but this is the Doctor. He is dense when it come to romance. Also, you have no idea if he even feel the same, probably not.

  One day, the Doctor asked you out for a date night in some foreign planet. He claimed it was for ruining your date night years ago. You laughed at the date night he mentioned. You remembered that night when he asked your date of the night if he was your father. He eventually admitted he was asking you out because Bill wouldn't shut up about how you fancy him and how lucky he was to have someone like you waiting around for him.

  Your face reddened as you muttered about killing Bill. 

  He smiled kindly at you which made your heart flutter around like a trapped butterfly inside a jar. "Spare Bill your wrath, she was just concerned for you and I. Apparently, she ship us."

  You nearly choke on your drink when he said that with a flat face. You felt like you are not nearly drunk enough to survive this humiliation. Overall, it was a successful date night. You have fun. The Doctor is surprisingly good at planning a date night. 

  You remembered that Clara once told you that he was married to River Song but she was deceased. You wondered what kind of a woman she was to have caught his fancy. She must be someone amazing. You didn't dare to ask him about her but you saw the picture he had on his office. You even asked Nardole about her. You realized the Doctor is still hung up on her and Clara to some extent even if he didn't remember her.

  You sighed, hating yourself for being insecure. You knew the Doctor is out of your league and yet here you are, falling under his spell again. You didn't know whether to hug Bill or hit her for plotting against you like this. You were, in the end, grateful for a chance to have a memory of being on a date with the Doctor. Though, the realization that according to the Doctor, this is somewhat a pity date, ruined it for you.

  After that one date, you avoided the Doctor like a plague. It was Bill who come to you and knock some sense into you.

  "This is the Doctor we are talking about. He doesn't know what even a pity date is. So, please, (name), just come back. You are miserable. He is also miserable. He blames me, you know, for taking my advice and takes you out on a date. He thought he did something wrong to you. Now he thought he had lost you too." Bill said.

  You narrowed your eyes at her. "You are lying, aren't you? There is no way the Doctor acted like that merely because I'm not there."

  "Well yeah he didn't pout as much, mostly he tried distracting himself with teaching and traveling in the Tardis, but he is very grumpy, more than usual. Ask Nardole if you don't believe me. Ask his students, they thought you broke up with him and that made him become no fun anymore."

  So, yeah, like the fool you are, you decided to come back and have as Bill put it a 'grown-up' talk with the Doctor.

  What the hell...you decided to tell him the truth and see what happened. If he didn't feel the same, well, that's a problem that you will have to deal with anyway sooner or later. Better just do it and get it over with now. Rip the band-aid so to speak. Maybe then you can properly move on and erased your feeling for him to make room for new feeling for someone else.

  You had a long talk with the Doctor. You found out Bill is right about the date being not a pity date. He had even told you that if he didn't like you, he would never took you out on a date. 

  "I can't promise you forever." The Doctor eventually said.

  "I never would ask you that. I know that you can't do that. All I ask, if you are willing, to be with me for as long as we can."

  "Then you shall have me for as long as you want to, (name)." The Doctor said.

  You were surprised and felt elated by his words. You took his hand on yours and beamed at him.

  He glanced down at you with soft smile and kind eyes. You loved him more for it. 

  7777

  The Doctor took you on dates many times after that. He is taking care to make sure there will be no crisis need averting during the dates but that did not always work.

  You should have known the Doctor is definitely a trouble magnet despite his effort. During a date night, the place where the Doctor took you with was invaded by a hostile group.

  Of course, you were taken hostage as the Doctor along with a group of people that apparently genious in their own right were forced to solve some chess puzzle with life or death at stake.

  Thinking the Doctor need more incentive, they put you into some death trap where one wrong move during the chess puzzle will end with your death.

  You were properly scared especially after you saw the person before you died in agony when someone else before the Doctor is forced to solve it.

  The Doctor is enraged by this hostile group who put you in this situation.

  You couldn't help the tears that flooded your eyes as your body trembled waiting for the pain of death even as you glanced up at the Doctor, trying to put up a brave face. 

  He told you to shut up when he realized you were trying to say goodbye, believing that you will die in that death trap.

  It was a close call but he eventually able to cheat the game and freed you. You were so relieved as you fell into his arms weakly.

  The Doctor however is angry especially when he learned that the trap is plotted by someone called Gus. He eventually told you he know a Gus, one responsible for the incident of the mummy in orient express back when he was with Clara.

  You remembered Clara told you about their supposed last hurrah on orient express. You wondered if Gus has some grudge against the Doctor or he just enjoy sickening games.

  You could tell the Doctor felt guilty for putting you in danger. You were afraid that he will change his mind and left you behind. You grabbed on one of his arms, putting your head near his chest and whispered to him that you are okay and you will try not to scare easy, that you will do better next time.

  The Doctor looked sad when you said that.

  7777

  Feeling guilty after what happened at the last date, the Doctor took you to have some fun. He assurred you the place is safe.

  The Doctor took you out to some alien bazaar in some orange planet but he accidentaly took you to the same place where he once as his eleventh incarnation took you and Clara.

  You were stunned when you saw past Clara, wishing you can come to her and give her a hug.

  It was Eleventh Doctor who notices you and he was confused because he was sure he left you with Clara.

  You blinked at Chin Boy and took a look at him. You still found it hard to believe that he is the same person as Eyebrow.

  It was then your Doctor appeared and he put his hand around your waist as he started talking about some attraction that he thought you would like. He didn't seem to notice his past-self at first.

  It was kind of funny watching Chin Boy pieces it together your relationship with his future-self. He spluttered in surprise and waved his hands around like a deranged giraffe.

  When your Doctor finally recognized his past-self, he didn't look at all impressed or happy seeing him. They started to insult each other, whether it was about his past chin or his future eyebrow.

  You stifled a giggle as both Doctors glared at you.

  After Chin Boy left, you were wondering if that meant he always know that they will ended up dating but he said his past-self would not retain any memory of meeting you and him.

  As you watched past you and Clara having a laugh together, you couldn't help but felt sad. You glanced up to see your Doctor staring at Clara too. You could tell he is trying to remember her, anything about her, but he couldn't.

  You took his hand and led him away from the scene. You kissed his cheek and asked him what he need right now.

  The Doctor glanced down at you with soft smile. You could almost believe that he loves you at that moment.

  7777

  You and the Doctor are officially dating now. Bill and Nardole knew about it. Your cousin knew about it. The whole university knew about it.

  His students like to ask the Doctor about your relationship during his lecture much to his dismay. He even told you that your cousin attended his lectures too and asked about the nature of his relationship with you.

  You stiffled a smile and promised him you would tell your cousin to stop teasing him.

  You were reluctant to travel with him full time, prefering to be safe on Earth, letting him, Bill and Nardole instead playing the hero game. You were grateful that the Doctor didn't think less of you for wanting to stay safe.

  7777

  You were so afraid for the Doctor upon finding out he is blind. You were angry at him for keeping it a secret from you. You refused to leave his side, wanting to make sure he is safe even if it meant you have to get down and dirty with any crisis headed his way.

  You were so grateful for Bill for she is the only one in position to make a deal with the Monk to save him. You were with the Doctor but on the wrong side. You couldn't help him at all. You thought you would lose him for good this time. But then Bill saved him.

  After he regained his eyesight, the Doctor set out to figure out a way to get the monks off the Earth.

  That was the first time the Doctor took you and Bill inside the vault where you laid eyes on Missy for the first time.

  You didn't like her at all. As Clara told you before, Missy is cruel with her words, not afraid to strike anyone down with her pouting lips. But the Doctor seemed to manage her well enough.

  The Doctor said he was trying to rehabilitate her and he thought it was working well. She seemed to start showing remorse.

  After the monk fiasco is over with, the Doctor told you and Bill about his plan to give Missy a test run to see how she deal with a crisis.

  Missy is curious with you upon realizing you are dating the Doctor, teasing him about what a pedophile he is for taking a very young human to be his fuck buddy. Her words is crude and very insulting. You dislikes her even more. But you got the feeling she couldn't careless whether anyone likes her or not, except maybe the Doctor. 

  You got a feeling that maybe there were deeper history between her and the Doctor. You wondered if they ever become lovers in their past but that is not something you can ask him. Come to think about it, you still don't know much about the Doctor except from what Clara told you which is a lot but still not enough. You tried to respect his need for secret. You know he is just indulging you in your desire to have him as your lover. He didn't owe you anything more than he want to share.

  7777

  Everything fall apart during the first test run for Missy. For once, you agreed to go with them but you remained on the Tardis with the Doctor while Bill and Nardole play the part as Missy's companion.

  Worried for Bill, the Doctor immediately got outside but he locked you inside the Tardis against your wishes. He wanted you safe.

  Before he could get Bill to safety, she got killed by the blue alien who is afraid of the things inside the ship who only come when there is human nearby.

  After Bill was taken away, the Doctor eventually allowed you out of the Tardis after he knocked out the blue alien. 

  "Bill is my friend. I won't just sit there inside the Tardis."

  "There are creatures down there who goes after human. You will be in danger." The Doctor said.

  "I don't care! We stick together, Doctor, no matter what." 

  He relented and allowed you to come with them. You ignored Missy mocking you, prefering to listen to the Doctor and Nardole instead.

  You and the Doctor found out Bill has been turned into a cyberman, a mondasian cyberman. And of course Missy had to betray you both when her past incarnation revealed to be behind the entire plot.

  You were so sad for Bill especially once you found out she is still aware of herself inside that cold steel. The Doctor lied to Bill about being able to fix her but told you the truth that he can't.

  He told you he should have made you stay inside the Tardis.

  "It was my choice, Doctor, to stand here with you. I am scared but I won't regret you." You said.

  The Master mocked both you and Bill. You wished you could hurt him right back. The Doctor pulled you and Bill away from him.

  7777

  You were in one of the room at the house, alone, trying to calm your nerve. You were really bad at handling crisis. You wished you could offer some help for the Doctor. You wished you were a companion he can depend on but you know you are not. 

  While you were feeling sorry for yourself, the Doctor entered the room, watching you from the doorway. You were still unaware that he was there.

  "Are you okay?" The Doctor spoke up suddenly, making you jump in surprise.

  You were nervous, that everyone probably can tell. You forced a smile as you sat down, desperately trying to put on a brave face.

  He sighed. "You don't have to pretend. It's okay to be afraid."

  "Fear is superpower?" You lightly said.

  The Doctor smiled solemnly. "I'm guessing Clara told you that one too..."

  "She was my best friend. We have no secret with each other. She was your best friend too." You said as you looked down at your lap, fingers gripping at your skins. "I wish she was here. She would be able to help you more."

  The Doctor sighed. He sat beside you, put one hand over yours. He took your hand and kissed it gently.

  You turned toward him slightly as you tried to smile but instead your eyes were wet with unshed tears.

  "I love you, Doctor." You whispered. "I didn't need you to say it back. I just want you to know." You lied, of course, it would have been nice to hear him says it but only if he meant it. You put your hand over his cheek. "Thank you for letting me stay with you."

  The Doctor didn't say anything, only glancing down at you with a look you can't decipher. He pulled you close to him and kissed your forehead as you rest your head on his shoulder.

  That night, you sleep in each other arms or at least you were. The Doctor watched over you sleep. You only know because you were restless in your sleep. You clutched one of his arms, fully aware of how clingy you are but he has not yet rejected your touches so maybe it was okay.

  You shared a smile with the Doctor as you finally gave up to try to sleep and just laid there, staring at each other.

  "Whatever happen next, I'm with you. And even if I...don't survive this, please don't ever blame yourself."

  The Doctor looked like he want to object so you covered his mouth with your palm.

  You switched into a seating position, staring at him solemnly. "I meant it. Don't you dare regret me because I didn't regret you. Even if today is our last day, I would be happy because I am with you. So, don't even think of sending me away." You said, remembering what Clara told you about how the Doctor send her away from Trenzalore.

  He pulled your hand away from his mouth as he moved into a seating position too. He sighed in resignation. "As you wish then, (name)."

  You stared at him suspiciously. You did know the Doctor enough from Clara to know the Doctor lies. You could only hope he would not lie to you.

  7777

  Things has gotten dangerous as more cybermen attacked the settlement. The Doctor, Missy and the Master worked together before the Master decided it was a lost cause and intending to leave.

  It was heartbreaking watching your Doctor begging Missy to stand by his side and was rejected.

  You could tell this is one of those time where the Doctor can't save everyone. Your heart aches for him, watching him wreck his brain in an attempt to save everyone. You were a bit glad for last night with the Doctor, because you get to say everything that need saying to him. You tried to make your peace with what happening.

  You were angry though when later the Doctor forced you to evacuate with Nardole and the other passengers. He said he had a plan, that everything will be okay. He promised he will come back for you and Nardole soon. He was convincing enough that you did go with Nardole. The Doctor stayed behind with Bill.

  As you left with Nardole, you felt something is wrong. Against Nardole's warning, you returned back to find the Doctor.

  You never find him.

  7777

   You were desperate to try to find the Doctor but you couldn't find him, instead you found Missy.

  She was dying. But so is the Master. Against your better judgement, you decided to help Missy. She was always mean to you but she did help the Doctor and Bill before today. 

  Missy was surprised to see you and even more when you helped her up and away from there. She guided you to the path where the Master's Tardis is hidden.

  She told you to take her to the med bay and instructed you of what to do with her fatal injuries. You were shaking but follow her instruction. You gave her some sort of injection. 

  Next thing you know she was glowing and exploded. The force of her regeneration knocked you hard as you crashed into some medical cart. You were on the floor, neck bleeding from some accidental stabbing by one of the medical instruments.

  You gasped as you put one hand over your injury, hoping to slow down the bleeding but you were too weak. You blacked out just as you saw a man emerged toward you, staring at you coldly. Your last thought was you wish you didn't help Missy if this is how she repay you.

  7777

  You were surprised to find yourself still alive afterward. Your neck is bandaged properly. You felt so ill and weak.

  "You are awake." 

  You almost jumped as you heard that voice.

  A man in purple suit emerged from the shadow. You have no idea who he is. You were with Missy before, weren't you? 

  You gulped. "Missy?"

  He chuckled. "Call me Master."

  You flinched at that. The Master, the earlier version, was so intimidating and cruel. You don't know what to make with this one. But he did save your life, so there is that. You were not comfortable around him.

  "I...where are we now? The Doctor..."

  He scoffed. "The Doctor is gone, he has abandoned the both of us."

  You glared at him. "You are the one who abandon him first." You probably shouldn't poke the bear.

  He stared at you curiously. "Still he did abandon you. Everyone on that ship died but him while he fly away in his Tardis again. He didn't even come back for you."

   You flinched at that. But you tried to take comfort at the fact that the Doctor survived. You hoped to reunite again with him but you are unsure how to go about it. You were practically under the Master's mercy right now. 

  You wondered why he still keep you around, not that you are not grateful. You were afraid he would abandon you into some foreign planet with no way to contact the Doctor.

  "What are you going to do now...to me?" You tentatively asked.

  He raised an eyebrow at you. "Sounded like you expect me to torture you or something..."

  "So am I free to go then?"

  "Are you going to run back to the Doctor?" He asked.

  You were unsure what the correct answer would be. You were afraid the wrong answer will set him off. "I...I don't know..."

  He hummed. "He thought nobody survived in that ship. He probably thought you died too." He chuckled. "For once, the Doctor can not save everyone."

  Your heart ached at the thought the grief the Doctor must be going through right now. You hated the Master for finding it funny that the Doctor failed to save everyone.

  "I want to see him." You whispered. "Can you...will you take me to him?"

  A dark expression crossed his feature. His cold answer chilled you to the bone. "No."

  7777

  The Master imprisoned you on board of his Tardis. He was mostly courteous with you.

  You showed the same courtesy, mostly because you were afraid.

  But when one day he landed in Victorian London, you tried to escape, hoping to find Madam Vastra and Jenny so that they can help you reunited with the Doctor.

  The Master foiled your plan and got really mad at you.

  "Why are you still wanting to be with him? He abandoned you!!" He roared at you, making you so frightened that you could only whimpers.

  He made you so very afraid when he cupped your face as he put his forehead over yours and invaded your mind. The brutal attack on your mind left you weak as a kitten. You were completely under his mercy.

  After that day, you were to afraid to disobey him and just do what he told you...mostly. He is up to his usual chaos and you refused to be a part of it, especially when you realized he was plotting against the Doctor.

  He was harsh with you and have no qualm to attack you mentally until you submit to him.

  You prayed that the Doctor will come and rescue you. He laughed at your thoughts and showed you the Doctor from his hidden camera.

  That was the first time you were told that the Doctor has regenerated...into a woman. She has new companions with her. She called them her fam.

  Your heart ached at the thought the Doctor you know and fell in love with is gone, replaced with this woman. Part of you though recognized that she is still the Doctor. You were glad though that she found new companions and that she is not alone.

  The Master is displeased with you whenever he caught you thinking of the Doctor. You didn't understand why he insisted to keep you around.

  He told you he had plan for you. You dreaded whatever he plan for you. But you were hopeless, you couldn't even save yourself. You hated your weakness.

  With each passing months, you lose hope to ever reunited again with your Doctor. Is she even still your Doctor? Will she still even want you back? You don't know.

  The Master kept taunting you, making you cry like a baby. He sometimes look at you with disgust and yet he continue to keep you. You have no idea why.

  7777

  The Master showed you Gallifrey. He was proud to show his homeland. And then he locked you back into his Tardis.

  When he returned, he was in deranged state, making you scared and very jumpy as he raged at the console and at the world.

  7777

  You were mute now, hardly talk at all. The Master had forced a telepathic bond with you after he experimented with you. It was scary and painful, making you wish for death instead.

  You hated him but even all of your emotions slowly muted into defeaning silence.

  One day, he told you that he has set his plan for the Doctor in motion. He curiously observed you to see your reaction.

  You stared at him blankly.

  He seemed satisfied. He cupped your face. "You will be my last surprise for the Doctor." He said as he caressed your cheek gently. "If everything going as I planned, you will soon see her."

  You didn't say anything.

  7777

  You finally get to reunite with the Doctor. The Master even dressed you up for the occasion.

  For the first time, as you laid eyes on the Doctor, some of your emotion resurfaced.

   "I didn't know where you were. She was the only one there. I didn't know what to do...so I just did what he told me." You said in a hoarse and trembling voice.

  The Doctor is confused, trying to make sense what you are saying before she realized that you are talking about Missy back in the mondas ship. Her mouth dropped open in horror at what you are implying. 

  You must have been with Missy when she regenerated. Had she left you under the Master's mercy all this time? The Doctor thought you perished in that ship like everyone else. Like Bill. Like Nardole.

  Her hearts ached as she recalled the Testimony Project and how she got to meet Bill and Nardole, even Clara one last time. But she never did met you. At the time she thought you were simply mad at her previous version for lying and refused to show yourself to him.

  She recalled the look Bill and Nardole exchanged when he asked them about you. Did they know that you survived?

  "Where is he?" The Doctor asked you.

  "Right here." The Master appeared with his CyberMaster in tow.

  The Doctor realized she was surrounded.

  "How do you like your surprise, Doctor?" The Master gleefully asked.

  The Doctor glared at him. "What have you done to her?"

  The Master turned to you and smiled. "Come here, (name)."

  To the Doctor's horror, you obeyed him without hesitation.

  "See? I take care of your pet, Doctor, the one you abandoned for death." He said as he cupped your chin playfully. "We even saved each other. It was all very...poetic."

  The Doctor flinched with guilt at the thought that she did abandon you without a thought that you could possibly survive.

  The Master then started bragging about his CyberMaster which he fully intend to use to conquer Earth.

  The Doctor showed him the trigger for the death particle that she is fully intend to use to stop the Master and his army.

  "Would you really use that?" The Master taunted. "Even if it meant you will kill her again?"

  The Doctor flinched again at the mention of you. She glanced up at you and at the lost expression on your face. Her hearts ached for you. She long to envelop you in her embrace, to take you away from the Master and back in her Tardis to keep you safe. But she knew she had to stop the Master first and foremost.

  "I can't risk you to lay waste on the universe." The Doctor said firmly as she gripped tight the trigger.

  The Master looked ecstatic at her answer. "Do it then. Do it. Come on and do it. Save the universe."

  You remained silent throughout the exchange between the Doctor and the Master.

  The Doctor eventually dropped the trigger, unable to follow through.

  The Master look disappointed, promising to lay waste the universe, thanks to her weakness.

  He turned toward you. "Come along, (name)."

  You flinched. You stared at the Doctor longingly before hesitantly took a step toward the Master.

  The Doctor moved quicker to try to stop you. "Leave her here. You have no use of her."

  The Master look amused. "Is that so? I'm actually quite fond of her. After all, she is the first face this face saw. You know how it is, Doctor, she is mine now."

  The Doctor glared at him. "She is not yours!"

  The Master rolled his eyes and commanded you to come to her.

  At the time, Ko Sharmus suddenly appeared, picked up the trigger.

  The Doctor quickly grabbed you as Ko Sharmus stepped toward the Master showing that he will pull the trigger.

  The Doctor pulled you into her arms and ran as Ko Sharmus told her too before pulling the trigger.

  7777

  You and the Doctor were inside a Tardis but not the Doctor's.

  After she flew the Tardis to safety, she turned to you to check you for injury. She smiled elatedly at you but the smile slide off her face immediately.

  You couldn't believe that you had escaped the Master. As you glanced at the Doctor and saw her slowly smile adorably at you, you blacked out.

  The Doctor barely able to catch your fallen body. She pulled her sonic screwdriver to scan you. Dread filled her hearts as she realized you had fallen into a coma.

  7777

  In the Tardis medbay, the Doctor stared at the result of your medical scan. There is nothing physically wrong with you.

  The Doctor had no choice but to go inside your mind without consent to investigate what's wrong with you.

  She was horrified to know that you were bonded to the Master. The Master had made it so your mind can't function if you are too far from him.

  You were sealed within the deep corner of your mind unable to get out, unable to do anything but hover in the corner, afraid and lost.

  The Doctor couldn't get through you at all. But she saw the remnant of message from the Master.

  "Did you really think I would let you have a happy ending, Doctor?" The Master said cruelly. "She is mine. If you want her back, you simply have to give her back to me and she will be good as new."

  The Doctor scoffed at him. "You are insane if you think I would let you anywhere near her again."

  "You can't keep her from me, Doctor. I have make sure that she could never hid from me."

  The Doctor realized the truth in what the Master said. You would never be safe from him. So there is only two thing she can do.

  She will have to forcefully break the bond between you and the Master which will hurt both you and the Master a great deal but at least you will be safe from him.

  Also, she will have to fix the damage in your mind courtesy of the Master but the damage is too much and she has to wipe your memories of the Master and of everything pertaining the Doctor. 

  The Master must have known that the Doctor would do exactly that. "Typical. You won't even give her any choice, would you?"

  The Doctor glared at him in fury. "You are the one who did this to her. You hurt her. You broke her." She yelled at him. "I will not let you get to her anymore."

  As she made up her mind, she focused on psychic attack on the bond. She winced as you screamed in pain. The Master also screamed but mostly cursing the Doctor.

  She muttered apologies to you over and over again as her eyes shimmered in tears.

  She put her hands over both side of your face and started to erase everything about the Doctor and the Master.

  Tears fell on your cheeks as the Doctor purged the last memories of the person you love from your mind.

  7777

  The Doctor had you covered in long coat covering yourself from head to toes. She waited for someone patiently as she carried you in her arms. You were still unconscious.

  "Doctor."

  "Jack."

  "Love the new face. You look good, Doctor."

  The Doctor didn't reply.

  "Is that her?"

  She nodded. "Keep her safe, Jack. Give her new identity and take care to make sure that she will have everything she need."

  "Of course."

  The Doctor glanced at your sleeping face mournfully. "She is not safe with me or anywhere near me. The Master is after her."

  Jack's eyes widened. "The Master is alive?"

  The Doctor nodded.

  "What could he possibly want with her?"

  "The Master is insane as you know. He has obsession with her because she saved him before he regenerated and she is the first face he saw after he regenerated." The Doctor said. "I had to erase everything she know of me and the Master. It was the only way to keep her safe."

  Jack glanced at the Doctor, noticing how miserable she look. "Don't worry, Doctor, I will personally make sure she will be safe."

  "Thank you, Jack. I owe you."

  Jack took you in his arms gently, careful not to wake you.

  The Doctor released you reluctantly to Jack. She took one last look at your face before steeling herself. She turned around and left without looking back.

   You were half-awake as you saw a woman walking away from you and for some reason, your heart ached but sleep took over you again and with that, you forgot.

[dreamerwriternstargazer]

Everyone needs a distraction sometimes, so open the gates of soliloquy, step out, stare up at the starry skies and tell me: what does Doctor Who mean to you ?

I quite literally did stare up at the stars for a little bit today so I could answer this XD  What does Doctor Who mean to me....the short answer, the best one, the most poetic one: the evergrowing expanse of fantasies, of kindness, and of love. Consider that to be the core idea, the thesis statement, to my soliloquy though, since you asked for one. When I was a little girl one of the first memories I have is of being in my grandparents house and seeing Rose and 10 on TV, I remember being a little obsessed with those two actually because of the adoring way he looked at her, and because of how powerful I thought Rose was. She’s far from my favourite companion now but her and 10 hold a special place in my heart as the first faces I remember watching on TV. When I got a bit older, maybe 7? I saw a bit of the Christmas Invasion, the whole time I was waiting for Rose to appear but then the Raknos spider lady scared me and I never finished it, I couldn’t sleep for weeks and my mum banned me from ever watching the show (I wasn’t really allowed to watch it in the first place). I was quite alright with that, but I eventually got round to watching the show again. This time, an episode from Martha’s era, New New York the rerun, and I loved it, saw The Eleventh Hour as well and I loved that, but I was still too frightened of any monsters there were so I avoided the show. It wasn’t until 2013, the anniversary episode, that I finally properly sat down and fell in love with the show. What made me fall in love with it, what did it mean to me? As I said, the fantasy, the kindness, and the love held in it. I think I fell in love with it way back when I first saw it, I just needed some time to grow into it. Whatever it was that interested me all those years ago, that dormant fascination I had, awoke the second I saw Clara and 11 onscreen and their unbeatable chemistry (or so I thought at the time). Not only the chemistry between them, the best friends, the Impossible Girl and the Impossible Doctor, but the sheer....ethereality and at times ridicule of the story, the perfect blend of emotional, and humorous. You’re giggling over 10 and 11 bantering and messing with War, then you’re depressed because “how many children were on Gallifrey that day?”. You’re impressed and empowered (I was at least) by Clara’s confidence, her courage even when in grave danger, her dry wit towards the boys as they “show off” and then deeply touched at those big brown eyes and the sorrowful compassion she holds in them, as she tells the Doctor, reminds him, of the standard he holds himself to. “You told me what your name meant once”. The moment I realised that the Doctor was a girl as well, and she was a Doctor that day, as she always has been. Everyone has one Doctor that is theirs and while I would definitely name 12 as my Doctor, I think Clara came first. She was the reason I kept watching after 11 became 12, because of course I was deeply saddened by that, but in time, came around again because of Clara, and stayed for...Whouffaldi.  Whouffaldi does have the greatest claim on my love for Doctor Who because they, as a story, embody everything I love about the show. The extreme kindness that the Doctor is, and should be, the love that is held in every act he commits for the universe. There’s losses, of course, but there’s this unbound idealism to their time in the TARDIS together. “If you have 2 choices and you don’t like either of them, make a 3rd choice” - a concept I think that is held throughout the entirety of Clara’s run, the standard she holds him to, but it’s never shown quite as blatantly as the both of them standing at the end of the universe, and all she needs to do is clasp his hand in hers, and ask him to stop. The fantasy aspect is not only the various and illuminating worlds they travel to, the dangers they face and tackle (if it was, then well apparently London is a fantasy since one of my favourite 2 parters is the Zygon Invasion/Zygon Inversion, for the beautiful and heart wrenching analogy for war that plays like a faint symphony in the

background right until the climax where it rises to an unforgettable crescendo) but the way they tackle it, the hope at the heart of every adventure. Whouffaldi is a romantic fantasy, a completely equal and loving relationship, the woman uplifted as far as she is to growing into his true equal as no other has, and in some ways better because of the power of compassion she holds and holds him to, however the fantasy element of the show is just the sheer idea of....the everyday ordinary person getting to run off into space, and do the most daring things, finding the bravery in themselves that they never knew they had, and equally, finding the extreme capacity for human kindness that they hold in their hearts. There’s a great deal of difference between RTD and Moffat era companions, with the most distinct one being that Moffat companions more overtly teach the Doctor of their humanity and this is conveyed through Moffat’s brilliant framing of the everyday as the ethereal, but at its core it is always this mad and entrancing alien who is made his best by the humans he love, by his Companions. Companions, such an archaic term don’t you think, for a friend? The show could easily call them his friends, they are, but they choose to stick with Companion in canon as well as out of it. And one could argue it’s due to the legacy of the show, but I prefer to think of the implications narratively, it’s a romanticism, there’s a connotation of a deep bond to the title of Companion. They keep him company, they are his comfort, they ground him as nothing else does, these “mayflies living for a day”. Companion is the one word summary, the one word answer, to this question, because the strength and weight of the stories are given by the companion, because we see it all anew with every new soul who enters those big blue doors, we are risen to courage and kindness with each new character who rises under each adventure. Whether it’s the Girl In The Shop and the Last Of The Time Lords, the Girl Who Waited and her Raggedy Man, The Impossible Girl and her Daft Old Man, whether it’s only to cross paths for a day or to be bound together til the end of time (or as can be the case with this very topsy turvey show, both), whether platonic or romantic, as caretaker, imaginary friend, lover, husband or teacher, the unrelenting power and commonality to every adventure, every story, is the Companion, is us, living the fantasy of fantasies. The dream of the impossible, of being ordinary and daring to run through space and time being as brave and kind as possible, seeing all the wonders over and over again, never the same because nothing is ever the same, and doing the best they can to make some kind of difference in the universe, without even realising they’re doing it, finding that ordinary is a special sort of extraordinary. If the Doctor offers the whole universe, within those doors, the Companion offers their soul in the humanity they teach him, in the moment they love the Doctor and take his hand, and their face is “seared into [his] hearts”. The universe and the soul.  The exact fantasy that a lonely little girl who was afraid of her own shadow needed. “Never be cruel, never be cowardly, and if you are, always make amends.”

[riversofmars]

The penultimate chapter! Read on AO3 or below <3

Chapter 15: Treason

“This is a terrible idea…“ Missy mumbled to herself as she looked around anxiously. She didn’t like the Emperor’s idea of getting into the Citadel at all but it wasn’t like she had a choice. Every now and then, Amy poked her with her gun, prompting her to keep going.

“Just like we did back at the Academy.“ The Emperor didn’t care for her warning. They were halfway through the Cloisters now, the end was in sight.

“The bells are deafening…“ River commented as they made their advance through the dark and foggy passages. “And the Sliders are up in arms.“

“This place is creeping me out…“ Rory added but the Emperor paid little attention to their discomfort. He seemed to know what he was doing and soon enough, they reached the elevators, breathing a collective sigh of relief.

“Just stay close.“ The Emperor hummed when they stepped out of the elevator. “We’re in the heart of the Citadel now.“ He gestured for them to follow.

“Where are we going?“ Missy frowned looking around. “We should go to the Council, give them a chance to negotiate, give them a chance to surrender.“ This was not the way to the Council chambers at all.

“There is something else I’m going to do first…“ The Emperor retorted as they turned another corner and found themselves face to face with four guards.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?“ They reached for their guns but Clara’s raven was faster. The Quantum Shade materialised and shot straight through the first two as the Ponds shot down the others. Missy averted her eyes quickly, she couldn’t watch. That was when she realised where they were. The landing bay of the TARDISes, a long corridor, a TARDIS behind every door.

“What are you…“ She could just make a break for it, try and rush into a TARDIS and take off, run away, but where to? And what would be the point? She needed a plan. She could feel Clara’s eyes on her. She knew the Raven would get her before she would even make it to a door.

“Time for some fireworks.“ The Emperor smirked and looked around expectantly as Amy and Rory set down the backpacks they had been carrying and opened them to reveal explosives.

“You can’t!“ Missy exclaimed as the penny dropped.

“Watch me.“ The Emperor grinned as he gestured for the Ponds to go ahead. “You’re just too slow, Missy, aren’t you? It was never about Gallifrey, it’s about this.“

“Why would you do this?“ Missy wanted to rush after the Ponds but Clara grabbed her arm, holding her back.

“Because once all other means of time travel are destroyed, I will be the most powerful being in the universe. Surely you have realised by now that this was inevitable.“

“They are sentient beings! You can’t do this! Think of your own TARDIS! These are her people!“ Missy protested, hoping to make him see reason.

“I appreciate that but I can’t take the risk. When they aligned themselves with the Timelords, they sealed their fate.“ He retorted seemingly unfazed as Amy and Rory places explosives along the corridor.

“Please, reconsider. You don’t have to do this. The universe already bows to you, what’s the point of this needless destruction? The Council know of what you’ve done, of what you’re capable of, I know it, everyone does. You don’t have to prove yourself anymore. Please don’t do this. A timelord should never kill a TARDIS.“ Missy pleaded.

“I’m not just a Timelord, I’m the Emperor.“ The Emperor grinned.

“So you are. You already have everything. You don’t need to do this, please.“ Tears blurred Missy’s vision. This was too much. Surely, not even he could be capable of this.

“Perhaps the TARDISes would be more help to us than destroying them would be.“ River spoke up, much to everyone’s surprise and Missy looked to her hopefully. Maybe there was still a little bit left of the girl Madame Kovarian had tried to save.

“Don’t do this.“ Missy spoke firmly, pulling herself together. “There is no coming back from that.“

“And you think there is going back from what I’ve done to date?“ The Emperor laughed and Missy was surprised at how bitter a sound it was.

“Maybe… if you’re willing to try…“ She said softly. “These are your people, maybe they will welcome you back but not if you do this. That’s what you’ve wanted, isn’t it. To return to Gallifrey victorious and people turn to you? They won’t if you do this.“ Missy tried to reason.

“She’s trying to turn your head.“ Clara interjected and Amy agreed:

“Don’t listen to her.“

There was a moment of tense silence as the Emperor actually seemed to consider her words. Maybe he did have enough of all the fighting, the cruelty, the killing. Maybe all he wanted was to come home, the conquering hero. They would never know as an icy voice cut through the silence:

“A moment of weakness, how undignified.“ A hollow thud followed and the Emperor’s face fell. He coughed and spat out blood. He locked eyes with River as the realisation dawned on her face as well.

“NO!“ She shouted when the Emperor dropped to his knees and fall over onto all fours, a knife embedded in his back. She rushed to his side as the others looked on in shock.

“Sorry, that was perhaps a bit impulsive but we have a causality loop to close and this seemed as good a time as any.“ They all looked up to the end of the corridor. A blonde woman was strolling towards them, followed by heavily armed guards.

“Who are you?“ Missy stared at her in shock. She could sense that she was a Timelord, there was something incredibly familiar about her.

“I thought that was obvious, I always said you were slow, Missy.“ The blonde smirked tilting her head in amusement, she flipped a knife in her hand, identical to the one lodged in the Emperor’s back, as she came to a halt in front of them.  

“What have you done?“ Clara pressed through gritted teeth and the raven on her shoulder gave a threatening squark.

“No…“ River breathed looking up to her husband’s killer in disbelief.

“Don’t worry, Sweetie, I will be just fine.“ The blonde smiled with surprising tenderness in her voice and River let out a sob of relief as the penny dropped.

“Was this really necessary?“ River lowered her husband to the floor who was starting to fizz with regenerative energy and stood.

“This had to happened.“ The Emperor smiled apologetically and pulled River into her arms. “Sorry, it’s… been a while for me.“

“Okay, this is a lot to process.“ Amy sighed and Missy was utterly dumbfounded. Just as she had thought she was getting somewhere, the Emperor had outdone her yet again.

“The palace is secure, Emperor.“ One of the guards, a young woman, announced.

“Great.“ The Emperor smiled and let go of River. She turned to the guards. “We’ll have to take my body to Earth, Sheffield, in 2019, things will unfold from there.“ She instructed them and there were nods all round. “This makes so much sense now, I couldn’t remember what it was… or how I died, I just remembered being on Gallifrey and then finding myself back on Earth having regenerated.“ The Emperor explained to the others as she watched the regeneration energy pouring out of her former self. “While you have been making your way in, I’ve taken control of the Council and Gallifrey already. Just one thing remains to be done.“ She gestured to the bombs the Ponds had placed.

“Don’t!“ Missy exclaimed finding her voice again at last. “They’re sentient beings, it’s genocide!“

“What’s one more genocide now?“ The Emperor chuckled. “This will cement my reign forever. There will be only one Timelord meddling with time from now on. The Timelord Victorious.“

——

“This way…“ The Doctor pulled Missy along as they ducked into an alcove to avoid a patrol of  guards.

“There is a lot more guards than I thought there would be…“ Missy admitted as they waited for them to be gone.

“Hence the disguise.“ The Doctor replied though she hoped they wouldn’t get in a situation where she would have to put on the act again, considering how badly it had ended last time. “Yaz and her men won’t be stuck down there forever, if anyone can find a way out of there, it’s her. We have to get to the Council before she can sound the alarm.“

“Ryan! Get a move on, her Royal Highness is requesting assistance in Miss Oswald’s quarters.“ The Doctor recognised Graham’s voice down the corridor and she tensed up.

“But that’s where…“

“You said she can look after herself.“ Missy said softly grabbing hold of her hand to reassure her. “You said this was the way to do this.“ The Doctor took a deep breath and nodded.

“Let’s go.“

——

“I think it really would be best for everyone if you just let me leave.“ River took a couple of steps forward but the Emperor barred her way, keeping herself between her and the TARDIS door.

“I don’t think so. You’re just the bargaining chip I need.“ The Emperor grinned. This really was a very fortunate coincidence. The Doctor was strong willed and stubborn, just like she herself was of course, but she knew they also shared the same weakness in their love for their wives. “Do you want to do this the hard way?“ The Emperor asked when River kept walking.

“Certainly looks like it.“ River smirked in return as she took a swing at her. The Emperor ducked her punch and knocked herself into her to push her backwards. River jabbed into her side and the Emperor stumbled back. She pulled a knife from her belt and looked back at River to realise she had managed to grab one of them as well.

“I’ll have that, thanks.“ River smirked weighing the blade in her hand and the Emperor chuckled:

“You know, you could be quite fun to have around. Are you sure you’re overly attached to the Doctor? I’m sure my wife wouldn’t mind too much, could be a lot of fun.“

“Oh I don’t doubt that.“ River laughed. “But as a time traveller I can assure you I’ve been there and done that.“ She lunged forward, the Emperor moved back just enough, the knife missed her throat by an inch. She knocked River’s arm up, going for the side of her body but River was quick enough to twist out of her grip and evade being stabbed.

“I’m starting to like you.“ The Emperor smirked as she made sure to guard the door.

“What’s not to love about a blood thirsty assassin in your quarters. And I was trying so hard to avoid killing anyone.“ River hummed before flinging herself at her again. She grabbed hold of the Emperor’s wrists and knocked her backwards through the door. The momentum carried them through and they flipped over. The Emperor ended up on top, but River still held her wrists as she tried to push the knife into her chest. She managed to flip them around again and knocked the Emperor’s hand into the floor to make her drop the knife.

“Emperor!“ A voice sounded interrupting the fight. River looked up to find herself looking into several guns. The Emperor used her momentary distraction to throw her off. River caught herself and stood slowly, assessing the situation. Three guards stood in the doorway, the Emperor focused on the woman heading them up as she got to her feet as well.

“Exceptional timing, Captain.“ She said.

“What’s going on in here…“ Yaz asked slowly, keeping her gun on River who remained still. She knew how to pick her fights.

“Oh just… the Doctor’s wife dropping in for a visit.“ The Emperor looked back to River to make sure she was behaving and then back to Yaz. “What happened?“

“The Doctor is here. Her and Missy came in through the Cloisters.“ Yaz explained.

“Where are they now?“ The Emperor asked, her eyes widening in surprise. Somewhere in the distance the bells were tolling again. She had been right. The Doctor was about to become a big problem. She caught a little smile crossing River’s otherwise stoic expression at the mention of her wife with only served to antagonise her more.

“We’re looking for them.“ Yaz replied and the Emperor nodded:

“And quickly.“ She focused on River who was listening closely but her expression had turned emotionless. “Sorry we couldn’t continue this.“ The Emperor smirked and pushed her knife back into her belt.

“That certainly spoiled the fun.“ River dropped her knife accepting that this was not the right time to keep fighting. She knew when resistance was futile. She would get her chance later.

“Captain?“ A voice buzzed through the communications system and Yaz activated her communicator.

“What is it?“

“The Doctor has been spotted heading to the Council chamber.“ The voice explained.

“Well, I know where we’re going then.“ The Emperor smirked and glanced to River who’s expression remained unreadable. “Let’s see what your wife has been up to, I’m sure she’d be delighted to see you.“

——

When the Doctor and Missy burst into the Council chamber the generals stared at them in shock. There was a moment of stunned silence until a few of them started scrambling to their feet, muttering greetings.

“Emperor, I’m afraid there’s no news yet…“ An elderly man at the front started.

“Oh yeah right… uh…“ The Doctor realised the mistake immediately and looked to Missy for help, as did some of the generals.

“Missy?“ A younger man asked who sat a bit further back.

“What’s going on.“ A white haired woman questioned, frowning, confused.

“This is going to be difficult to explain, I’m pretty sure the Emperor kept this from you…“ The Doctor said slowly.

“Please, everyone, just listen.“ Missy took hold of the Doctor’s hand in support as she stepped forward to address the room. “I know we haven’t seen each other in a long time but I know you’re prisoners here as we all are, just because you’re here in the comfort of the palace doesn’t mean you’re any less trapped.“

“What is going on?“ The generals exchanged anxious glances.

“I’m not the Emperor.“ The Doctor said, feeling the need to clarify.

“What…“ The Council members stared back at her in shock.

“I’m not her. I’m the Doctor. I came here by accident, from a parallel universe to this one.“ The Doctor carried on when she realised they weren’t believing her. And why should they? It was a big stretch. They all got to their feet now, anxious, feeling like they needed to do something. “Wait wait wait, before you do anything, please hear me out.“ The Doctor pleaded.

“Your Highness, if this is some sort of test or perhaps a joke to…“ The older man from before tried his best to cut through the turmoil as the Cloister Bells rung far below, growing more insistent.

“It is not.“ The Doctor said firmly. “And I’m telling you this in the hope that you will not betray me, betray us.“ She looked to Missy who nodded encouragingly. “The Emperor is after me because she knows I’m going to try and help. Help all of you. Bring an end to this reign of terror.“

“You know me, we’ve grown up together. She’s telling the truth.“ Missy tried to appeal to them as the murmuring started up again.

“You can make a difference if you act now, I’ve got a plan but I’m going to need your help.“ The Doctor insisted. “Please say you will help us.“ She looked to Missy and then back to the group. “Let me help you.“

“Help with what exactly?“ The Doctor and Missy whirled around at the sound of the Emperor’s voice. “Not interrupting, am I?“ The Emperor grinned as she looked around the room at terrified faces as silence fell.

“River…“ The Doctor recognised her wife immediately and River gave her a smile of confirmation. The Doctor tried her best not to show her anxiety and worry for her wife’s wellbeing when she realised she was handcuffed and had two guns pointed at her at any given time.

“I would refrain from any sudden movements, Doctor, for your wife’s sake.“ The Emperor smirked  as she walked further into the room. She looked around at the confused and terrified faces of her generals. They were struggling to follow and who could blame them? But that wouldn’t stop her.

“And you lot… why did no-one sound the alarm. I should think this qualifies as something I should be informed about.“ The Emperor was quick to anger and gestured for her guards to occupy the room as she stared down the generals.

“We thought she was you, your Highness.“ One of them spoke with a quivering voice and the Doctor balled her fists, she hated the way she was making them tremble. She could only imagine the things she had done to have this effect on them.

“You will not make that mistake again.“ The Emperor hissed. “What are you hoping to accomplish here, Doctor?“ She turned back to her doppelgänger. “And you, Missy, so you really were stupid enough to go along with her.“

“Anything to stop you.“ Missy shot back through gritted teeth. What was the point of making nice and pretending otherwise now? If this was going to be the end, she wanted to have a clear conscience and know that she had tried her best.

“Yeah?“ The Emperor’s expression turned to one of fury and she struck Missy across the face. Missy gasped and stumbled back, the Doctor caught and pulled her behind herself protectively. “And what have you been up to in the Cloisters? I hear you cost some good men their lives.“ The Emperor seethed.  

“Their own fault for venturing too far to where humans shouldn’t be.“ The Doctor retorted. “So many humans everywhere, almost as if you don’t have the support of your own people.“ She squared her jaw.

“What do you think, Councillors, do I not have the support of my people?!“ The Emperor shouted, turning to the generals who were quick to nod and make their assurances.

“You’re meant to be the leaders of these people and you pander to a tyrant betraying the weak and vulnerable, it’s disgraceful.“ River shook her head looking around the room.

“No, it’s smart.“ The Emperor shot back.

“The Timelords are just the last civilisation to be conquered. They’re not your people. They’re being occupied. By you and your bullies.“ The Doctor shook her head at the Emperor before turning to the Council: “What has she got on you to make you accomplices to this? Your families? You need to stand up to her. She can’t take all of you.“

“Well, this is nice, isn’t it, everyone is here already.“ They were interrupted by another arrival. River - the Emperor’s wife - strolled into the room. Graham and Ryan followed close behind her, Ryan was carrying Clara, unconscious and helpless, over his shoulder.

“What have you been up to?“ The Emperor asked bewildered at the scene in front of her. All of this was getting rather difficult to follow. Two Rivers, the Doctor and Missy amongst her generals, and Clara? How did all this figure together? The Doctor’s River had told her that her River was confronting Clara but she wasn’t sure what to make of this.

“Getting a confession from this traitor, as promised.“ The Emperor’s wife retorted just as Ryan unceremoniously dropped Clara onto the floor. The Doctor and Missy exchanged anxious glances, the Doctor’s wife maintained her stoic expression. She had, after all, seen to this happening in some way. The other River carried on: “As suspected, she was working with the Doctor. Perhaps it’s time we all show our cards?“ She looked to her wife’s doppelgänger with amusement, like a lioness stalking its prey.

“Yes, why don’t we!“ The Emperor clapped her hands together. She did enjoy a good show and it would be just the thing to put the generals back in their place. “This should be educational for all of you!“ She looked around the room, regarding the Council with cruel delight. “Anybody got a glass of water?“ Everyone looked back at her confused. “Fine.“ The Emperor sighed. She knelt next to Clara and slapped her across her face to wake her up.

Clara groaned slowly regaining consciousness. The Doctor looked to her River who appeared unfazed and then to Missy who tried her best to hide her distress and discomfort. The Emperor struck Clara again for good measure, growing impatient while her wife looked on in amusement.

“What’s going on…“ Clara mumbled disoriented.

“Looks like you’ve had a little nap.“ The Emperor chuckled, endlessly entertained. Clara pushed herself up a little, anxious, feeling everyone’s eyes on her. She tried to compose herself but she couldn't stand up, her muscles wouldn’t cooperate yet.

“What happened?“ She looked around skittishly, her eyes flew from one River, the one that had quite obviously betrayed her, to the other that seemed to be having the time of her life.

“Slipped something in your drink.“ The Emperor’s wife answered happily.

“What…“ Fear took over Clara, she had been found out, how could she possibly get herself out of this situation? “What did you do?“ Clara looked to the Doctor’s River accusingly, she had to be the reason she had been found out. The Doctor looked to her wife as well, she wasn’t sure whether to be surprised or unsettled by how easily she had seemingly played Clara. She could only hope River had made the right decision.

“Don’t even try. The shade is gone, you’re helpless.“ The other River mocked as Clara was looking for a way out.

“What did you do?“ Clara spat in anger as she managed to stand at last.

“What I should have done a long time ago.“ The Emperor’s wife retorted. “When the shade realised how weak you were, it was easily persuaded to swap sides.“

“But I…“ Clara’s expression turned desperate, everything was crumbling around her. She had taken a risk and lost. How could she have been so stupid? She had allowed her jealousy to cloud her judgement and now it was too late.

“Time to come clean, Clara, I already know you were trying to have us killed so don’t even deny it. I just want you do give me a good reason as to why.“ The Emperor interrupted her. She had heard and seen enough. She had to put an end to this now before the damage could spread. The bells below were continually picking up speed, urging her on. She had to keep the people she could trust close and dispose of everyone else if she wanted to maintain her reign. She wasn’t naive, she knew Clara had always been an element of disunity among them but she had always been worth the trouble. Now, the tables had turned. The only plausible explanation was that this was all the Doctor’s doing.

“I just…“ Clara was at a loss. How did one explain years of feeling overlooked? Of feeling used and not seen? Of always playing second fiddle and never feeling like she had a place amongst them at all?

“Was it you, Doctor? Is this your doing? Did you turn her against me?“ The Emperor turned to the Doctor when Clara couldn’t manage an answer.

“No. You managed to do that all to yourself.“ The Doctor retorted calmly. “Clara approached us, not the other way around. What does that say about you?“ She knew she was on thin ice but this was what they had to work with.  

“You’re lying.“ The Emperor hissed. “I’ve given her everything. Wealth, power…“

“Which was clearly not enough.“ The Doctor’s River interjected cooly. She felt for Clara, she really did, there was something incredibly sad about how things had turned out for her. To have love turn to jealousy, turn to obsession, turn to hatred… but she couldn't take back now what she had done. In the end these people seemed all as bad as each other and she had to keep her own goal in sights. She knew her wife probably wouldn’t see it quite like that but she knew how to be pragmatic when it was needed.

“Tell me they’re lying, Clara!“ The Emperor snapped, keeping her eyes firmly on the Doctor who shook her head slowly, sad to see how this was turning out.  

“All I ever wanted was for you to notice me…“ Clara whispered, finding her voice at last. What was the point of lying now? It was all over anyway. The Emperor whipped around in disbelief. She had wanted the Doctor to be responsible.

“I knew it.“ The Emperor’s River shook her head, her voice laced with disgust and triumph in equal measured. The Emperor raised her hand for her to be quiet as she focused on Clara.

“Did I not give you everything?“ She growled as she stepped closer to her.

“We could have ruled together if you could just have…“ Tears sprung to Clara’s eyes as she pleaded for her to understand, to see her at last.

“We were ruling together.“ The Emperor growled into the tense silence. “And now you’re driving a wedge between us, you are making us weak!“ She raised her voice making Clara flinch. “Who am I supposed to trust now if even you betray me?!“ She turned back to look at the Doctor and spat: “Are you enjoying this, Doctor?“

“I’m despising every moment.“ The Doctor replied calmly.

“Tell me, Doctor, in all your wisdom, what am I meant to do?“ The Emperor laughed bitterly. “The only penalty for treason is death. I should kill her. Or should I spare her because she is my friend? But will I ever be able to trust her again? Knowing what she tried to do?“

“She wanted your attention, not your life, she…“ The Doctor tried to reason, taking pity on Clara, but the Emperor interrupted:

“She wanted power, we all do. It’s what’s making this world go round. There is only those who have power and those who don’t. The ones that rule and the ones that bow at our feet.“ She turned back to Clara and smacked her across the face with the back of her hand. Clara stumbled back and River shoved her forward again, knocking her down to her knees. “I gave her everything!“ The Emperor called out to the room, then turned back to Clara: “I have given YOU EVERYTHING! AND YOU DARE BETRAY ME?!“ She took a deep breath, composing herself. “This is your fault, Doctor.“ She glanced to the Doctor to make sure she was watching as she pulled a knife from her belt. “You prompted this. Everything was fine before you turned up. You offered to help her. Her death will be on you.“ She looked down to Clara who just shook her head to herself in disbelief. How could she have been so stupid?

“No, don’t!“ Missy exclaimed rushing forward before the Doctor could stop her. She pushed herself between the Emperor and Clara. “It’s my fault, I brought you together, it’s not her fault, she couldn’t help herself!“

“Missy, always the hero.“ The Emperor grimaced patronisingly.

“Believe me, this has always been my plan, I always knew it would end like this. I knew that Clara would fall for you, I knew the length to which she would go, and that you never would be able to give her what she wanted. It was fool proof, it was going to rip your inner circle apart, she couldn’t have…“ The words were spilling over Missy’s lips in a desperate attempt to make up for all the heartbreak and suffering her actions had caused. And in the end - and that was the worst part - it hadn’t even worked. It only meant more death and the Emperor remained unshakable and unfazed as ever. She would simply eliminate Clara and carry on.

“I underestimated you Missy, that is very insidious, very clever.“ The Emperor was genuinely impressed at the revelation. “But now it looks like your plan has failed, she’s outlived her usefulness and you try and save her? Plead for her life? You embarrass me.“

“Clara, I’m so sorry.“ Missy glanced to Clara who didn’t even look at her, she just laughed bitterly.

“Of course you are.“

“Yes, yes, we all are very sorry.“ The Emperor sighed and shoved Missy to the side. “Enough should have been enough for you, Clara. Your greed was your downfall.“

“And yours will be your hubris.“ Clara shot back defiantly, looking up to her at last.

“If so, you won’t be around to see it.“ The Emperor shrugged pressing her knife to her throat but before she could follow through, Clara dematerialised.

There was uproar.

“What just happened?!“ The Emperor shouted whipping around and her wife shouted to the guards to find out where Clara could have gone to. The Doctor let go the breath she was holding and Missy laughed in relief.

“Ah yeah, about that, that would have been me.“ River - the Doctor’s wife - raised her hand with mild amusement, the handcuffs dangling off it as she had undone them, demanding everyone’s attention. The Doctor looked to her wife and couldn��t help a grin, she knew she always had an ace up her sleeve, particularly when she had been responsible for what happened.

“What have you done?!“ The other River exclaimed.

“Sorry, sister, you didn’t think I was going to make it that easy for you, did you?“ River smirked looking into dumbfound faces. “Thanks again for letting me have a look around your quarters, really very helpful.“ She carried on and looked to her wife, meeting her eyes. The Doctor’s heart rates picked up when she realised River was several steps ahead of them. “Do come back for me, Sweetie.“ She winked at her and the Doctor couldn’t believe her eyes when she pulled her doppelgänger’s vortex manipulator from her cleavage. What better place to hide something valuable? She had been several steps ahead of them already. She threw it to the Doctor before anyone could react.

“Always do.“ The Doctor barely managed to reply but she knew better than to stall. She hit the green button and disappeared into thin air. River grinned and raised her hands as guns were being pointed at her.

“Where has she gone? Track her!“ The Emperor shouted.

“You can’t track a vortex manipulator, you can’t follow her.“ River informed her smugly.

“Where did she go?“ The Emperor went for River’s throat. She dug her nails into her skin but River didn't flinch, she just smirked.

“I have absolutely no idea but I bet it’s somewhere where she’s gonna do some damage to you.“ She answered growing a little breathless but maintaining her smugness.

“Monitor everything, if you detect the slightest irregularity in the time streams…“ The Emperor shoved River back and turned to face the Council again.

“Of course, Emperor.“ There was a chorus of agreement.

“And she would leave you? Just like that?“ The Emperor’s wife looked to the other River with no small measure of surprise.

“I’m a big girl, I can look after myself.“ River replied seemingly unbothered.

“Can you now.“ The Emperor spat. “Take her and Missy to the dungeon. Make sure everything is set for the celebrations, we will be using the arena.“

[wren-rambles]

No messy. No fussy. Just Missy.

Here it is, the long awaited character analysis of Missy a.k.a. ‘the Master’. For reference I will be using information from sources outside the show! Such as ‘The Missy Chronicles’ and detailing’s of the audio stories.

I know this has been a long time coming, but it's here now!

First off, it is impossible to isolate Missy from the Master because they are the same with some physical differences as well as some minor personality differences. So, I must start off with the fact that In general the Master (as a whole) only ever does things that suits their needs and their purposes, or that simply will entertain them. Therefore, there are no differences between Missy and other Master’s OTHER than 1. she identifies as she, 2. she is calmer, more poise if you will.

In the very beginning of Missy’s incarnation, she awoke on a Mondasian Cyber-ship with no recollection of why/how she got there.

What’s in a name?

One of the first things the Master does after a regeneration is go the the Scoundrels (a gentlemen’s club for evil doers such as them-self). At this point Missy hasn’t picked a name for herself, so she is nameless). Upon going to and taking her usual seat, she is met with sexism and thrown out of the club. Of course this makes her angry, so she goes on a journey of revenge. On this journey she meets a woman called Saffron (a freed slave from Southern America during the 1700s); it is here in which Missy picks her name. In conversation with Saffron, Missy mentions she was called ‘Master’ and Saffron says “You’re all masters here [...] even the mistresses,” which piques Missy’s interest and gives rise to her calling herself ‘Missy’ (short for Mistress). Missy recruits Saffron and uses her to help aid her in her revenge à la Master style. She goes on to kill every member of the club. The members she didn’t kill she brought back in time and sold into slavery after releasing some slaves so that she could replace them. (So, yes she freed slaves but we aren’t sure what she actually did with them and there’s almost no way they would have been safe if simply released).

Missy commits the acts of revenge against those who have wronged her. Nothing that could be considered ‘good’ can be equated as good due to her malicious motivations behind them.

Dealings with Gallifrey

Missy’s TARDIS is broken! the Eye of Harmony (EoH) has been shut down, locked by Gallifrey, only to be turned on if she does their bidding. So, Missy is recruited by the General and accompanied by Yayani to sneak into the Kyme institute to stop them from using a creature that has been engineered with “time-and-space-travel capability” and with this type of creature it could cause problems throughout time and space. Disrupt the balance, paradoxes, etc. This creature was also born/created to be pregnant so it had the instinct to survive. After some manipulation of Yayani based on her past and hatred for Rassilon (she tried to kill him -> forced to work for him) she is coerced into killing the Doctor who created this creature. Then as expected Missy releases the creature (not for good reason, sorry) and replaces the Eye of Harmony in her TARDIS with it. She imprisons the creature to power her TARDIS, she is no longer reliant on Gallifrey, and to send a message she kills Yayani via Tissue Compression Eliminator and sending her body to Gallifrey and a message ‘Not your puppet’

The many complexities of Missy

Clara: Initially she manipulated her into calling the 11th Doctor and caused them to meet. Then she places an ad in the paper to keep them together after 11s regeneration into 12. She does this to create the Gallifreyan Hybrid of myth out of the both of them. Missy kills Danny Pink by running him over with a milk float.

Lucy Saxon: Missy tells her that she must shoot Harold Saxon, but keeps the information that Lucy will die to herself. She also requests that the matrix slices Harold had acquired be given to her now for her purposes. 

With these slices she creates the Nether sphere where the undying minds go. (3W) The reality altered the minds and removed emotions. Missy uses these to fill Cyber coverted bodies. She creates her army of cyber men and plans on converting all the soon to be dead humans into Cybermen. To prove a point she turns control over the army to the Doctor, she wanted him to take control and use the army to prove that their similarities. Much to her dismay he turns control over to Danny who orders the Cybermen to destroy themselves. Plan foiled, Missy fakes her death in order to escape.

Missy even tries to manipulate children into furthering her causes and schemes to gain power. (’Teddy Sparkles Must Die’) This doesn’t go to plan.

Bottom line is that Missy is very smart calculated and complicated. She manipulates things through time to suit her needs or future needs. There is a constant struggle for power. 

Moving on, Missy is put on trial for her crimes and sentenced to death. The Doctor was chosen to carry out the execution, but he faked her execution and decided to put her in a vault instead to guard her body. His goal was for her to realize her wrongdoings and become good. After a long time Missy ends up shedding a tear for all those she had killed/hurt, she also claims that she regrets her actions.

As a test the Doctor has Missy perform maintenance on the TARDIS while he is away. She waits for him. This is 12s cause to free her from the vault. He decides he can trust her. They each contemplate whether or not they can be friends again.

The thing is, the Master and even Missy are no strangers to playing the long game. It’s questionable whether or not her change is really genuine.

Then we come to Missy’s end. 

As a test, 12 sends Missy on a test mission to see if she really has changed. She is ill prepared and under her watch Bill is shot and carried off to floor 1056. Missy and 12 went to said floor together. 12 leaves Missy to gather information and she learns the ship is Mondasian. Missy ends up going along with ‘Razor’ (Simm!master) only to eventually claim she was playing him. She quickly admits that she is unsure of her allegiance. 

The Doctor tries to convince Simm!master to help him save the people because it is the right thing to do but he doesn’t then in private with Missy, she reveals that she wanted to stand with him and help him but couldn’t. The she leaves with Simm! As they were about to leave Missy stabs Simm! forcing his regeneration into her. Missy reveals to him that she planned on siding with the Doctor which angers him.

By now it’s apparent that she has changed. She leaves to help the Doctor, but it ends up killing her. Simm! shoots Missy. Thus Missy dies. She dies and the Doctor believes she always went back on her change, but really she was just too late.

Missy tries to change for the better. She ultimately wants to stand with the Doctor, finally they end up on par with each other. level ground, standing side by side finally. But she’s too late. 

The Master is just to disgusted with the idea of standing with the Doctor on his moral high ground. It’s about bringing him down, not climbing them-self up.

Sidenote: Missy through a complicated event become the Lumiat! Another incarnation who claims to be good as a result of the Doctor’s teaching/influence. She herself tries to be a good influence on Missy. This version foils may of Missy’s plans but ends up having to regenerate because Missy got bored of her. It is after this that we assume that Dhawan!Master comes about.

So, what does this all mean? Is Missy good? Well, no, she is still at the core the Master who is inherently bad. Is the Master capable of change? That really depends on which Master you are talking about. Missy, yes. Simm! no. Dhawan, I also believe no. A calmer more poise Master, yes.

The most tragic of all, is that Missy (and the Lumiat) is a moot point. The Master always goes back to being evil. Dhawan is proof of this, regardless of Missy’s learned lessons or changes they are always meant to go back, their need for power is too strong not to.

This is NOT an ultimate conclusion, this is based on the information we have been given thus far in the Master’s/Missy's history!

[2ofswords]

I cannot draw but I still wanted to bother everyone with assigning Tarot cards for the Patho Characters. It just combines two fixations of mine and so I absolutely couldn’t resist. First and obvious disclaimer: Since I am only doing the major arkana and I have some more abstract concepts for the cards not every important NPC is assigned a card. I tried to include as many as I can by making some groupstuff but not everybody made it. Sorry Grief, I still love you!

Here is just the list, some ramblings and explanations are under the cut. (Btw. this is after the Rider Waite deck, since there are other tarot variations)

0 The Fool - Tragedian I The Magician - Isidor II The High Priestess - Clara III The Emperor - Big Vlad IV The Empress - Capella V The Hierophant - Khan VI The Lovers - The Saburovs VII The Chariot - Block VIII Justice - Dankovsky IX The Hermit - Rubin X Wheel of Fortune - Victor + Clockwork XI Strength - Notkin + Jester XII The Hanged Man - Eva + Cathedral XIII Death - Executor / Murky’s Friend XIV Temperance - Artemy XV The Devil - Immortell + The Theater XVI The Tower - Polyhedron + The Stamatins XVII The Star - Lara XVIII The Moon - Maria XIX The Sun - Sticky and Murky XX Judgement - Aglaya  XXI The World - The Town

The Fool: I mean... not much to say here. I wanted to include some more abstract and general things, since I couldn’t bare to put anything but the town itself as the world. And the Tragedians are such an important part of Pathologic that fit the Fool quite well. 

The Magician: Isidor just has this role as a powerful figure and this “controlling the forces of nature” thing that the magician has going on. And he has a face which at least makes including him in a deck... doable. Not that it really matters here but even inner visualization is fun. Btw. I also had this image of Rubin as a Magician where the table on the Rider Waite deck is the autopsy table with Simon on it. That was nice but Rubin as a character just makes for a better Hermit and again, I think Isidor is a nice fit as an important power figure with mystical inclinations and this controlling aspect. If we want to include a character that is alive in the game, Georgiy and his house in the crucible would also be a good fit.

The High Priestess: Again one I find easy to justify. The High Priestess as the person inclined to the mystical nature behind things works really well for Clara. Also the high priestess is considered to have the highest mythological value in Tarot, so this is kind of nice. Clara has a lot of Cards that fit her, but this one is a position not a lot of other characters fit into. Another person I could see as the High Priestess is Aspity though.

The Emperor: I once wanted to have the head of every ruling family here, to also include Gerorgiy in the deck but then I got a big problem with the lovers and the lack of canon relationships to represent it, so we only get him. That’s fine too, even if I would love to exclude him in favour of some characters, I appreciate more.

The Empress: Capella fits perfectly and I kind of like to keep this cards to the Olgymski’s, because it does make for a nice connection in between. But the nurturing way of ruling is nicely represented by her.

The Hierophant: Khan is also a person of mystical inclinations and also a very strict keeper of secrets that fits with the Hierophant. He is a leader and having him next to Capella in the Arkana also fit quite well, so I like him in this spot a lot.

The Lovers: Again, the lovers are kind of a character set, so having multiple here was just a nice touch. I think Saburov and Katerina are the only couple that really fit for me, since their love for each other is a very important aspect of their characterization while most other characters are very independent. (There is an amazing version of the Saburovs as the lovers by Yura btw.) I have discussed a patho tarot and there was also Clara brought up as a possibility but that could have been interpreted visually in a bad way… Still I think the theme of connection and love would also fit her quite well.

The Chariot: The army arrives with the train which already made this quite fitting just by imagining the card. Also including the Canon which is, driving the plot and time forward by brute force. (After all the army strike marks the end of the game.) His arrival and appearance in the game just marks a “point of no return” driving the game to it’s conclusion, so it’s a nice reference for him. Character-wise there might be better fits for him but… I don’t know I think it fits the narrative.

Justice: Yeah, I know, weird fit for Dankovsky. To be honest, if I could decide freely my favourite place for him would have been “The Fool” but I really wanted to include the Tragedian and that one literally only fits there and it’s pretty much perfect. And I wanted to have the Polyhedron for the Tower (and the Stamatins fit there also quite well), while giving all healers their own space, so that was also taken… Justice is my third option for him. I think it still fits, especially with the opening and the “You will act justly but the justice will blind you and become his demise” Also the visual of blindfolding him can also be a nice metaphor. ^^

The Hermit: Come on, Rubin just makes for a great Hermit! His whole way of dealing with the plague has a “lone wolf” vibe and he has this silent wisdom and knowledge. Also a lot of self-contemplation even if it mostly consists of him thinking that he is a bad person. God, now I have made myself sad for Rubin yet again…

Wheel of Fortune: I just couldn’t shake the image of Victor and one of the game saving Clocks for this one so this it is! I mean, a Clock as a wheel of Fortune just makes sense, especially in a game where time is of the essence and the rather abstract card also fits the Kains. There are some other cool options though, involving either Grief and his gear filled warehouse or the fellow traveller with dice (though this also would be a brilliant death card)

Strength: Artemy could also be a strong contender for this one, but I wanted to include Notkin and his connection to animals fits rather nicely. His way of applying force but also being tender and caring fits the card well, I think.

The Hanged Man: Again, one of the cards where I just couldn’t shake the image and Eva barely hanging onto the cathedral’s railing with her foot will now haunt me forever. I could also see Yulia for this one though since she has a rather contemplative way of thinking that is about dealing with one’s fate while bearing and contemplating it.

Death: Again, if we include some more abstract characters there is just no way around the Executors and Death is just a no brainer for them. They are literally a costume for death in game. The fellow Traveller could obviously work as well.

Temperance: I have seen a card with Artemy as Temperance by sneez and it just blew my mind since the card fits him perfectly and since then I just cannot imagine him as anything else (even if I have also seen some amazing versions with him as strength and this is also a very fitting card). His whole attitude being about preserving and offering stability is just amazing. Also it is a card about upholding duty so… heck yeah!

The Devil: I will be honest with you, I am not satisfied with putting Mark Immortell and the Theatre here. It is fitting but a bit too much on the nose and I think it lets the theatre appear a bit blander than it is. I just have literally no other idea about what to do with the devil. Also I wanted to include the theatre and both my other spots – judgement and wheel of fortune – where kind of occupied… At least you can use the image to maybe chain Mark to either the puppet versions of the main characters or to the tragedians and have the whole “who is controlling who?” thing in there, which is also nice.

The Tower: I definitely wanted to use the Polyhedron there. The Stamatins can be here too. Firstly because I just tried to fit more characters into the deck and secondly because forcing things to be broken in order to be rebuild is kind of their thing. It still has the tower theme with them and is not only “look! It’s a tower! For the… Tower!”

The Star: Lara is a very nurturing and also honest person which fits the star very well. It is a card about harmony and selflessness but still has a rather nocturnal side, which is also nice. Also the Rider Waite deck shows a woman getting spring water, which fits her fabled barrel quest and her hunt for supplies to give to other people.

The Moon: I mean the moon exactly has the vibe that fits Maria and the mistresses in general. It is about inner power, dreams and inner darkness, which fits the Scarlet mistress. It also links to her mother the mistress of the night quite well.

The Sun: A bright card and a card that literally shows children, so including Sticky and Murky here might be simple but is also quite nice. I think they would make for a very cute and happy card and god, we need some of them here!

Judgement: Aglaya often gets the justice card but that one was already taken. I also kind of think that judgement fits her slightly better, since she is the person judging the situation and her giving out sentences and defining what crime is, is kind of her thing. She also is a power house who appears more at the end and decides, so putting her in one of the most important and strongest cards in the deck feels quite fitting. The picture of a person who stands above the rest to tell what shall be told also… literally happened in one of the theatre plays, which is a nice touch and the inquisition gets compared to angels as well.

The world: I mean… the town is the world and it also fits the “completion and harmony” vibe, even if it is also fractured. Not to get sappy, but for me the town and it’s different aspects felt always more complete than any of the endings and it is the thing, that makes the game what it is in the first place. It is… kind of everything what is happening, the game is about the town and it is the protagonist (as it is stated in the Artbook (god that sentence reads like the Artbook is the holy text of Pathologic xDD)). I just think it fills this card the best and having the town as its own entity and character just feels right for me.

[oswildin]

The Boss ~ Dhawan!Master x Clara Oswald

~ Okay so a while ago I had the idea of Clara travelling with Dhawan!Master. Or rather him travelling with her in her TARDIS. Just some fun. ~

Request: You do know that I’m going to have to request a Clara x Dhawan!Master fic now?? I have this idea that he couldn’t get back to his tardis after spyfall part 2 and has been hitchhiking for a bit. Maybe in return for a ride to his next stop he fixes the chameleon circuit in Clara’s tardis? But if you had another idea on how they’d cross paths I’d take anything at this point 😂 ( @theaussietimelord )

Warnings: None just some fun!

Clara had been travelling alone for a few days. Me said she had things to do, which Clara didn’t understand considering she had surely done everything in her extremely long life, right? Or not. She shrugged it off, sighing as she paced around, pursing her lips, clicking her tongue trying to fill the silence. Maybe a trip home? Yeah. Trip home.

Clara landed the TARDIS with ease. Luckily for her this TARDIS liked her, as much as it groaned with annoyance every time she’d take a trip, still running from her inevitable death. Clara would just say ‘next time’, which of course never came.

She patted down her clothing, her red dress reaching her knees as she wore a leather jacket on top. She went to walk towards the door, as there was a knock on it. She furrowed her brows, confused as to why someone would knock. The diner had a close sign up. She opened the door, revealing the restaurant on the other side, along with a very disheveled looking man. He was wearing a long purple jacket, reminding her of Eleven’s, with a deep blue shirt and checkered trousers. She folded her arms, raising a brow.

“Er, can I help you?” She inquired, looking at the man in confusion. He didn’t seem threatening. In fact, the look in his eyes felt familiar. The man in front of her slowly grinned, glancing behind her to see the inside of the TARDIS.

“Oh, I think you can.” He said almost menacingly, but Clara just furrowed her brows further, looking at him as if to say ‘okay....’ He stepped forwards as she glared, taking a step back cautiously.

“Okay, slightly menacing tone there.” She commented. “Do I know you?” She wondered, folding her arms. The man seemingly almost giggled with glee as he placed his hands on his hips.

“I’m offended. You don’t recognise me?” He raised a brow. “Clara Oswald.” She raised her brows at the mention of her name, suddenly becoming cautious and suspicious.

“Nope! Should I?” She asked, licking her lips anxiously.

“Oh come on.” He said exasperatedly. “Say something nice.” He told her, a small smirk on his lips as she finally understood. She looked surprised for a moment, before clearing her throat.

“Missy?” She looked confused, looking him up and down.

“Master.” He told her defiantly. “Call me Master.” She pulled a face.

“Bit pompous isn’t it?” She almost chuckled. “I mean, at least Missy was a name. Master?” She couldn’t help but chuckle, as the Master growled in annoyance. He’d forgotton how annoying she was. “Got a bit of a fetish do we?” She joked as he rolled his eyes in irritation.

“I forgot how unbearable you are.” He muttered as she gave him an amused glance.

“Right so, why are you here?” She asked, ensuring her body was in front of the entrance to her ship. “Planning to steal a TARDIS and run away? Joining the gang are you?”

“Planning to steal your TARDIS.” He told her. “And no. I’m not running away. That’s more the Doctors thing.”

“Speaking of... Have you seen him?” She asked, her walls falling down for a second.

“Her.” He informed Clara as she raised her brows in shock. “And yes, fairly recently actually.” He sounded annoyed.

“So, not friends then?” She questioned as he pulled a disgusted face. Clara rolled her eyes.

“Timelords. You’re all children having tantrums aren’t you?” She commented as he just stared at her frustrated. “Anyway, you aren’t getting my TARDIS. Not for sale I’m afraid.”

“Wasn’t planning on investing.” He stepped towards her, somehow towering over her. She glancing up at him, a stern look on her face.

“You know, you could just ask nicely.” She offered. “Manners go a long way y’know?”

“Not really my area of expertise.” He gritted his teeth, giving her a dark smile. “And I always get what I want.”

“How about a deal?” She raised her chin, keeping her eyes on his own. “I give you a ride, you fix my chameleon circuit. Deal?” The Master laughed lightly.

“I don’t take compromises.” He told her. She clicked her tongue, sighing as she turned away, going to go back inside.

“Well then, guess you’re staying here.” She told him as she began to walk away. He groaned as he reached out, grabbing her arm, spinning her back around.

“Fine.” He hissed. Clara eyed his tight grip on her arm as she narrowed her eyes. “We’ll do it your way. But I can’t promise I won’t kill you.” She rolled her eyes, pulling her arm away.

“Good luck with that.” She commented. “I’m already dead.” She turned away, leaving the Master confused as they entered her ship.

“What?” He asked, brows furrowed.

“Oh yeah, guess the Doctor hasn’t told you.” She closed the doors. “I died. But the Doctor went to Gallifrey, saved me. Kind of. He removed me from my death, leaving me in between heartbeats. He was in a lot of trouble.” She explained as she walked around the console. The Master listened intently. “So now, I travel the universe, just waiting for the day I decide to return to that moment in time.”

“Interesting.” The Master said genuinely, his eyes analysing her. “I knew the Doctor was a rebel but wow.” He breathed out, a smile on his face. “This is something else.”

“Yeah... Well..” Clara cleared her throat, shrugging. “He’d do it for anyone.” She pulled a lever, the TARDIS taking off, entering the vortex. “So, where to?”

That was 3 months ago. The Master stayed longer than he had planned. He needed to better his plan, he needed to figure out what his next move was. Of course, he didn’t tell Clara any of it. She’d only try to stop him, of course.

“I should start charging you rent.” Clara commented as she entered the console room. The Master narrowing his eyes at her. “You’re basically a squatter right now.”

“You invited me.”

“I had no choice.” She argued.

“I fixed your chameleon circuit didn’t I?” He raised a brow as she nodded slowly, pursing her lips.

“Did you sneak off somewhere last night?” Clara inquired, folding her arms. The Master faked shock and hurt.

“Why would you think that?” He gave her puppy dog eyes as she leant against the console.

“Because I found the handbrake off this morning, and I always put it on.” She told him, a small smirk on her face.

“It’s not a handbrake.” He muttered, stepping towards her.

“Hmmm...” She hummed as she traced the console with her finger, giving him a suspicious glare. “What if I told you, the TARDIS told me?” She offered as he scoffed.

“Don’t be stupid. You can’t communicate with the TARDIS. You’re not telepathic.” He folded his own arms.

“You’re right.” She nodded, before grabbing the screen, swinging it round to show him. “But she does know the human language.” She showed him the screen that said the words ‘The Master went out.’ The Master furrowed his brows, glaring at the machine as he swore under his breath. “What have I told you about going off without me?!” She exclaimed, talking down to him like he was a child.

“I’m not a child.” He argued. “Just be lucky I didn’t throw you out into a supernova and steal your ship.” He narrowed his eyes, as she raised a brow.

“Right that’s it.” She had enough. “You are grounded.” The Master looked annoyed, but slightly amused.

“You can’t ground me.” He told her. “Not even the Doctor could do that.”

“I’m not the Doctor.” She told her defiantly. “Now go to your room.” She ordered as he looked shocked her by strong tone.

“You can’t order me around! I’m the Master!” He exclaimed, anger flashing through his eyes as he met her gaze.

“Go. To. Your. Room.” Clara repeated, glaring at him, pointing towards the corridor. The Master growled, deciding to do as she said. She was the pilot after all. He marched past her, sulking as he disappeared from sight. Clara couldn’t help but smirk to herself.

She was in charge of this ship.