#or fourteen after yaz

[khruschevshoe]

The Doctor, 2 minutes after losing his last companion and when he's about to acquire another:

[gallifreyanhotfive]

What Would Have Happened If The Other Doctors Stepped on the "Boom" Land Mine

One: The land mine is diffused by the power of parental love much sooner. Splice and Mundy join the TARDIS team after he decides that Splice will be his next fill-in granddaughter.

Two: Plays the recorder instead of singing. Jamie attacks the ambulance with his knife as soon as it attaches the lines to the Doctor, and it's only Zoe that stops him from getting killed. The detonation happens much sooner because the Doctor gets antsy and plays with the fiddly bits.

Three: Expertly controls his blood pressure to stop a premature detonation. Tries to keep his companion far away, but they discover the land mine anyway. Takes the land mine with him after it is diffused to use for spare parts in the UNIT lab.

Four: "Harry, I'm standing on a land mine." Doesn't bother with a counterbalance and just stands on one foot for the whole episode. Snacks on some jelly babies while waiting for the right moment.

Five: Has an in depth conversation with Nyssa about how he is regulating his biology on a molecular level. They use a cricket ball from the TARDIS as a counterbalance, meaning that he never gets shot or targeted by the ambulance. One of his companions still ends up getting shot, at which point he falls over, immediately self destructs, and blows a giant hole in the planet.

Six: Gets far too irritated for his blood pressure to stay low. Could really do with some of Evelyn's cocoa right about now. The land mine blows up because he cannot calm down enough to disguise his presence.

Seven: A much longer conversation on how the Doctor is a complex space-time event. The countdown finishes, but the land mine doesn't blow because he had disarmed it at the beginning of the episode. The entire time, he was just pretending the land mine was live in order to teach his teenage companion a life lesson.

Eight: Forgets he's standing on a land mine and blows up. Gets into a passionate conversation with his companion about the war industry complex. Soliloquizes about life and death. Almost sacrifices himself in an inferno of self-loathing, but his companion saves the day.

War: His associates go back in time and extract him before he steps on the land mine. This new version of him continues fighting the Daleks while the time echo standing on the land mine is used to blow a hole in the nearby Dalek command ship.

Nine: Has flashbacks to the War while standing on the land mine but somehow manages to stabilize his blood pressure thanks to the presence of Rose and Jack. Jack manages to diffuse the bomb while he is on it thanks to his experience with Villengard tech.

Ten: "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Tries to convince his companion to evacuate as much of the population into the TARDIS as possible because they would be safe there. Almost lets himself blow up, but his companion forces him to find a way to survive.

Eleven: The mine blows up in about ten seconds because he can't stand still. The entire planet is blown to smithereens, but his friends are okay because he locked them in the TARDIS.

Twelve: Gets into mind games with Clara while she is trying to figure out what he is standing on. Clara tries to take his place, but he doesn't let her. Missy eventually shows up and disarms the land mine because she wants to be the one to kill him.

Thirteen: Only manages to stay still because the Fam calms her down. Is oddly stoic about the entire thing and disappears into the depths of the TARDIS for several days after it happens. She never brings it up again even though Yaz tries to get her to talk about it.

Fourteen: God damn it this guy is supposed to be retired. He's supposed to be having a break. He talks about how much he loves his companion and how so, so sorry he is that he can't fix this.

Fugitive: This is a normal Tuesday for her. Probably has some sort of anti-land mine device in one of her coat pockets.

[catelyngrant]

So I'm thinking about the Fourteenth Doctor, and the bi-generation, and how he may have come to an end. What happened to him after those years he spent with Donna and her family, and with so many other friends on Earth (oh, I am headcanon-ing, friends), existing day-to-day and beginning to heal? After he learned how to let himself be loved, and shown compassion, and forgiven—and, eventually, learned to love, forgive, and care for himself? What happened when, at the end of this journey, his regeneration energy (I assume?) traveled back (in some hand-wavey fashion) to become the Fifteenth Doctor, who is born out of that love and forgiveness and compassion and is ready to move forward in the universe?

Fourteen becomes Fifteen—but what about the TARDIS?

Fourteen's TARDIS was created for the same reason Fourteen was: they needed to slow down, to be gentle. They needed to find a home that wasn't moving at the speed of light. So maybe this TARDIS is a little gentler, too. Maybe she's a little more careful of herself and her charges.

When Fourteen takes Rose to Mars, they land right where they're supposed to, and Rose sees wonders. Nothing bad happens, and they return home five minutes after they left.

When Shaun wants to see a football match from 1988, he opens the TARDIS door and she takes him right there, flying all by herself, to Fourteen's chagrin.

When Fourteen takes Mel to New York, they have adventures that don't involve running, or hiding, or screaming with anything but laughter. When Fourteen takes Jo, Ace, and Tegan to the Jurassic era, the only danger he faces is when he makes an age joke.

When, after Sarah Jane dies (yeeeears in the future, tyvm), Fourteen takes Luke, Maria, Clyde, and Rani to see Florana—the place he promised to take Sarah Jane all those years ago—the TARDIS chooses the safest, most beautiful moment in time for them to honor her memory.

When Donna and Martha and Yaz and Shirley sneak in for a joyride, they have the time of their lives, and the TARDIS covers for them. (Fourteen suspects, but can't prove it.)

When Fourteen is struggling, and chafing at life on Earth, and just needs to run, to fix things, to solve puzzles, to get away from the day-to-day of it all, the TARDIS lets him. She takes him so many places he's never been before, and they're all beautiful and wild and remind him what he loves about the universe.

(He tries, a few times, to go places that might bring him pain, and she gently refuses.)

And every now and then, someone will try to get in. This TARDIS doesn't have a key; she just opens to those in her care, and refuses entry to those she doesn't trust. She is safe, and so are they.

When Donna's in her eighties and can't get around as easily, the TARDIS takes her where she can manage. When Rose is overwhelmed with the pain of the world, the TARDIS takes her to places where none of that pain exists, and lets her stay as long as she needs to.

They live magnificent lives, and the TARDIS takes care of them. And then, at the end of it, Fourteen is ready for what comes next, and he becomes Fifteen. There's only one Doctor again.

But this TARDIS...

I think she stays, right in the corner of that yard. She leaves and then lands so precisely that roots and ivy grow over her. The Doctor is gone, and eventually Mel and Sarah Jane and Jo and Donna and Martha and everyone that traveled with the Doctor once upon a time in a different TARDIS are gone too.

But Rose is still there. Luke, Maria, Rani, and Clyde are still there. Their families, their kids. The TARDIS opens to them, and shows them the universe. She takes them only where she chooses to, and it's always exactly where they need to go.

She always takes them home, to the garden that once belonged to Donna Noble.

The Doctor finds new companions. Some of them come home to Earth after awhile, but they're not stuck dreaming of the universe. You showed me the furthest reaches of the galaxy, Sarah Jane said. You showed me supernovas, intergalactic battles, and then you just dropped me back on Earth. How could anything compare to that? We get a taste of that splendor, but then we have to go back.

These new companions, they return to Earth and their lives there, but every now and then, they swing by that old house that the Noble family has lived in for generations. They say hello to this old/new box, and she invites them in.

They don't have to say goodbye to the universe. She's right there in Chiswick, waiting for them.

And sometimes—on rare occasions, when they need it, or when he (or she, or they) does—she takes them to the Doctor.

[headcanonsandmore]

Harry Houdini with every Doctor (1-15):

One: Something akin to professional curiosity. One starts chortling during a particularly daring escape, and Houdini decides he likes this stranger.

Two: Houdini flirts with Jamie who, of course, doesn't notice. But the Doctor does, and starts to wonder.

Three: This flamboyant peacock of a man explodes into Houdini's life. Having now understood what his predecessor was trying to figure out, Three takes no time in thoroughly having a lot of fun. Houdini is very happy about this.

Four: An interesting case. Less of a raw physical relationship and more like two colleagues who ended up lounging around each other and thought 'why not?'.

Five: They have tea together. Houdini is amused by the Doctor constantly bickering with the young Australian, whose girlfriend Nyssa is lovely. He isn't sure why the Doctor doesn't seem to notice this about the two women, though.

Six: More raw physicality again. Houdini got used to the coat after a while.

Seven: Houdini doesn't understand why the time lord keeps avoiding introducing him to his young friend Ace.

Eight: Whirlwind romance with lots of day drinking.

War: Houdini wonders why the Doctor hasn't visited in a while, and is faintly worried by the absence.

Nine: The time lord appears on Houdini's door one evening in the rain. They don't speak much at first, so Houdini just cuddles Nine. Sometimes he can see a deep grief in their eyes, and it scares him.

Ten: Houdini would like it to be physical but this face is somehow more depressed than the last. He wonders who this 'Rose' person is. The Doctor tells him to stay away from someone called... Captain Jack? Houdini doesn't understand, but he takes the Doctor at their word.

Eleven: They mostly talk about escapology. Eleven does kiss him once or twice, but they decide it's better to leave things at that.

Twelve: Surprisingly physical and tender. Whose are the names he whispers in quiet moments, seemingly without realising? Who is River? Who is Missy? Who is Clara?

Thirteen: The woman thing wasn't a big deal, but Houdini is baffled by the sheer intensity of the Doctor this time. She apologises whenever he gets close, saying that she isn't really into that at the moment. Houdini asks who this 'Yaz' is; the Doctor waves the question away, with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes and a blush that she doesn't seem to notice.

TenThree/ David Doctor/ Sorry-Mr-Tennant-I-can't-call-you-Fourteen: Houdini is happy that this face seems to have finally gotten some peace. His niece Rose seems lovely.

Fifteen: Houdini is physically reminded of the dandy again. In all the best ways.

[sundry-whovengerslocked]

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

it starts with talking about the toymaker.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

the next day Donna asks about Adric.

and he tells her.

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

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

[thegirlfromperivale]

{ out of character } i’m still obsessing over this hand kiss in the PREVIEW of wild blue yonder. fourteen is already so much maturer and in tune with his emotions than ten from saying he “absolutely loves [donna]” to shirley. this moment where he kisses her hand to comfort her nerves just channels eleven and twelve to me - particularly with clara.

david said in the commentary for the star beast that of course he’s not playing the doctor completely differently because if he did, there’d be no point in bringing him back to play fourteen. but he is also aware of how the doctor has been three people since he was last ten, there’s clearly differences and to me, and others on twitter, there’s a clear signal that this a maturer version of ten who can say things like “i love my friends” and showing comfort through physical intimacy in the way the doctor showed it during the moffat era, specifically.

i am someone who doesn’t have ten as their favourite doctor, but fourteen is becoming one of my favoured in modern who. twitter described him as 10 after therapy and i really see that. the fact that he has 11, 12, and 13 in his memory means this is a man who knows of the significance of people like river, clara, yaz, and even a surrogate daughter like bill. they’ve had a lot more intimate relationships with their companions since being 10 and i absolutely love how david is playing it this time around.

[trans-canadiantrain]

Meta read of why the Twelfth Doctor chose that face

Basically, why the Doctor chose that face can be explained by The Giggle

Twelve tries to figure out why he chose that face, and assumes that it's to remind himself to save people, but that leads to an act of god and hubris in resurrecting Ashildr. He remembers where the face came from, that Donna asked to save "somebody, not the whole town, but somebody", but he only does so in an emotional moment where he's not thinking logically and letting his guilt get the better of him. In actuality, his subconscious chose that face to remind him of Donna, and that he should go back for her and rest a while. After all, he just spent 900 years on Trenzalore fighting a war, that was traumatizing as hell. But he doesn't go find Donna (and Clara, bless her hot mess, is totally an enabler), and whilst he does spend 24 years with River, and then like 70 guarding a vault, he's still on alert, so to speak, not settling, not resting. He embraces endings, but he doesn't know how to emotionally deal with the endings once they've, well, ended. All though Series 10 he's mourning River, he clearly spent that night on Darillium for her sake, not for his. (And as Eleven, he loved the Ponds, but he never settled with them.)

Thirteen's face is the Doctor repressing, hiding this emotional fatigue and weariness under a facade of smiles, choosing in the moment of his regeneration to just keep plodding on because to him "rest" means "death". "One more lifetime won't kill anybody. Except me." The Doctor assumes "oh well, I can just change my face again and be new and maybe this tiredness I feel will go away". They are wrong, they get fucked over with the Timeless Child and the Flux, suddenly have to go through an identity crisis, repress it HARD, friendzone Yaz, then her subconscious goes "Okay time to make this explicit to you" and bam, David Tennant again. The TARDIS gets in on it and drops him down in front of Donna.

And that's how we end up with the specials and Fourteen getting some needed rest and rehab. It's been absolute centuries of the Doctor constantly pushing and pushing and assuming they can't stop running because it's all they've ever known, and now he has finally embraced it with the help of Donna.

[incorrigible-groupie]

No wonder why Fourteen is the reincarnation that needs to heal, that needs to stop, that needs to retire… considering everything that happened to Thirteen.

Every reincarnation had their hard moments, but I feel like Thirteen really went through A LOT.

After all :

she fell from her TARDIS just after she regenerate

she had to fight evil while still regenerating, a thing the Doctor rarely did with new people around

she had to make her sonic screwdriver herself

she lost her TARDIS (almost twice)

she made a friend she can never see again or it would destroy the universe

she had to face the consequences of her mercy

she learnt that the one who once was her friend is back

also yes, Gallifrey is destroyed

also also, she discovered she had other regenerations but zero memories about it

also also also, she learnt that she wasn’t from the dimension she had always known

she was so knock-out by this new that she didn’t try to escape from prison

she spent A FEW DECADES in prison

surrounded by some of her worst enemies

while trying to find more about her past, the Flux was coming

she learnt that she was the reason the Flux was created

until she ended the Flux, she didn’t take a break

she was splint in three

one of herself was tortured physically and mentally, mind and body destroyed and reborn over and over again

she had to see the erasure of multiple planets and species

everything she knew about time were lies

while struggling with her feelings towards a human she knew she couldn’t grow with, some of her ex-companions reappeared

she had been forced regenerated

while trying to free one of the great mysteries of the universe, her nemesis used it to wound her fatally

she regenerated alone, not wanting Yaz to be the new Rose, or Clara

I loved how caring, dynamic, curious and positive this incarnation was, despite the fact that she had no idea Who she was herself. It showed a vulnerability in the Doctor that we don’t often see and her lack of hubris was refreshing (considering it was the thing I hated the most about Ten).

Even if those seasons had many, many inconsistencies, unclear timelines and strange ideas, I loved her era and how Russel T Davies showed her trauma through Fourteen’s eyes, proving that this was the last straw that broke the Doctor in two (hehe) and how much he needed to rest. It was an astounding performance by David Tennant who didn’t act like Ten but indeed like Fourteen, it was positively insane.

However, I’m also really scared that Russel just throws away everything else that happened to Thirteen. Especially the good. Fourteen does have a family now, but he better not forgets his « fam ». He better not forgets he was a brilliant woman. Perhaps the strongest doctor.

[metamorphicrocky]

the most heartbreaking moments of the episode were showing how STRONG the doctor and donna's friendship was and is

the doctor's immediate grief and fear seeing donna and getting dragged into her family's life. immediately terrified that he would be the reason for her death. but he misses her so so much. "she's my best friend. I absolutely love her" something the doctor has NEVER been able to say about people before so easily. with thirteen and yaz, she struggled to even admit that there were feelings and she could never voice them. all the years of pent up regret about rose and donna and every companion that's come before and after. the doctor does NOT love easily, especially ten. but now we have fourteen! who has his old face and he doesn't know why but donna is there!! and it's so unexpected and all those years apart falling in love with others and never being able to express it and suddenly he so easily puts his heart on his sleeve. because he loves donna noble soooo much and he's had so many years to regret not being open

and oh, donna. when she talks to her mom early into the episode and says that there's something missing. she had something wonderful and it's gone. the line that really broke me was when she said she turns to look at her side and she KNOWS there used to be something there but she can't remember it. the doctor gave her a winning lottery ticket and she gives it all away! because the part of her that knows something is missing knows that it was kind, and she was kind, and that it was something he would do. saving people. later in the episode the doctor hands her his sonic and she reaches out in turn to grab it like it's ingrained in her, a reflex. and she has a look on her face like she starts to realize that this is what was missing at her side. WHO was missing. and all of this builds up and when she sees the doctor running towards danger, she runs after without a second thought

she was at his side. he was at hers. the doctor, after not seeing her for hundreds of years, remembers exactly how she likes her coffee. remembers every moment with her, good and bad. remembers the pain of losing her. but when donna wants to help, even if it kills her, he does it. he can't be the one who kills her but he missed that donna so much, so she remembers, and the doctor donna saves the world again. because donna is his best friend and she thinks she's nothing and he needed her to remember everything she's done and how much she means to him and the universe. how important she is. even if she dies

my heart BROKE when the doctor thought donna was dead and when pushed against a wall with the threat of death looming over him, he says "do what you want" because how could he go on living having killed his best friend in the entire universe? the doctor with his heart on his sleeve for the first time dealing with this immense loss. HE SAID HE LOVES HER!! AND IT TOOK HIM BY SURPRISE TO HEAR IT SAID AND NOW SHE'S DEAD. but she's not dead and she's so so alive and losing her killed him once and it won't happen again

donna can live and she has a family and where she once was going to travel with the doctor until the day she died, she can't anymore. but she still needs him in her life! her second shadow needs to stop by for a cup of tea and dinner parties because they can both live now! and I so so so hope that we get to see the doctor love donna openly in the next two episodes and open up to her, to let her in where the doctor never could with companions before because the doctor was always so so afraid that if people knew the doctor loved them, they would be ripped away

[witchofthemidlands]

peter davison's recent statement got me thinking how i still find the biregeneration confusing in the sense that apparently all the doctors biregenerated even though that doesn't make any sense to me because if they did all separate then the timeline would probably implode because if they separated from regeneration then the companions that were ✨apprehensive✨ of their version of the doctor becoming someone new then surely they would stay with the version of the doctor they're used to therefore the timeline reaching destination fucked HOWEVER

that means one separated from two & could go back, yes, he could go back to see his granddaughter. he could reunite with vicki & steven because i have decided that tales of the tardis is the classic doctors going back to find their loved ones.

that means two separated from three. that means two could go & find jamie. that means somewhere in time & space they're still together.

that means three separated from four & he's probably stashed away in some unit basement laboratory still doing his thing, enjoying drives in bessie.

that means four separated from five & the curator IS four & he probably spent sarah jane's last days with her.

that means five separated from six & reunited with tegan & then probably nyssa.

that means six separated from seven & found peri.

that means seven separated from eight & did not have that traumatic end that scarred child!me for life & after, got out of that morgue & made things right with ace. AS HE LITERALLY SAID HE HADN'T REGENERATED.

that means eight separated from the war doctor & could go back to grace or any of his big finish companions, charley??? (i have not encountered an eight big finish in my lifetime so far i know his companions names but not much else.

that means the war doctor separated from nine & passed away peacefully in his tardis knowing that he had tried to save gallifrey.

that means nine separated from ten & this is where it gets complicated because then what happens with rose? surely she'd want to stay with nine?

that means ten separates from eleven & then what? where would he go? would he just travel alone forever just like he was from journey's end-the end of time?

that means eleven separates from twelve & goes back to die on trenzalore? because his confuses me the most as clara's reaction to twelve makes me think that if eleven bi regenerated in front of her she'd stay with eleven 100% no questions asked.

that means twelve separates from thirteen. does he go to die in the snow? or does he see if there's any truth to what he was told & see if bill is actually out there in the universe with heather?

that means thirteen separated from fourteen & could go back for yaz, so they wouldn't have to say goodbye again.

[variousqueerthings]

smthin smthin nu!who's journey of the doctor and earth as home

nine's continued discomfort with "the domestic"

ten staying with the tylers' over christmas and then resisting the same with donna after losing rose/that life, and that continuing throughout knowing martha, then, later still getting to know wilf and leaving donna at her home before cutting ties with everyone from that life

eleven for a brief time living with the ponds, but with one step inside the tardis the whole time, and briefly going to clara's one christmas

twelve barely getting involved in clara's home life at all, but then with bill going back to the idea of family in a sort of tentative cautious kind of way? -- taking a picture of her mum for her, helping her move into her (briefly) held accommodation, and generally being read as bill's grandfather/family

thirteen meeting yaz' family and being asked if they're dating, and travelling with multiple generations of a family for some time (echoing rose and jackie and mickey, donna and wilf, the ponds + rory's dad), and possibly having some very conflicting feelings about leaving especially yaz behind

fourteen staying with the noble family

[khruschevshoe]

Thasmin & How the Changing of Showrunners Handicapped Their Story

You know what? I'm going to rant about it. I've been thinking about Doctor Who from a Watsonian versus Doylist point of view on a constant basis, especially when it comes to showrunners and how the doctor is handed over from showrunner to showrunner and how the exit of Yaz from the show is it possibly the clearest example in the world of this feeling of a showrunner being switched. I'm not talking writing differences, I'm not talking stylistic differences, I'm talking the way that she left the show. Because I would put all of my life savings on the fact that if Thirteen and fourteen had the same show runner, Yaz would have been able to stay around for 13's regeneration. You can feel the writing of the show STRAINING to justify why Thirteen would dump her/leave her behind. It feels abrupt because it IS. Rose got to continue her story with 10 until its organic end. Same with Clara. Hell, even River, though her circumstances were slightly different. There is literally no reason why Fourteen wouldn't go after her the moment the 60th specials end except for the fact that for some absolutely weird reason RTD didn't mention Yaz ONCE despite 14 being more "emotionally open" than the Doctors before him.

Like, I'm going to be honest. I'm mostly ambivalent on Thasmin. I think they're sweet and had potential and got screwed in the build up in seasons 11 and 12 (up until Revolution, even). But if I was y'all I would be PISSED. Because that kind of treatment of Yaz and Thasmin as a love story sucked from both the Power of the Doctor AND the 60th anniversary specials. No closure. No real explanation. No acknowledgement of the main love story of the last showrunner. (Even Steven Moffat name-dropped Bad Wolf/Rose in the 50th special, though he did also have the whole 10th Doctor running around with Elizabeth I thing so maybe that cancels itself out.) The mechanics of the show and how it's run screwed you over. And I'm sorry. I hope y'all get some acknowledgement in 15's Era. I'll be pleasantly and happily surprised if we get a cameo (or some miraculous wrap-up of the storyline ala Husbands of River Song), but seeing how the most logical place for a mention (the toymaker) came and went without a peep I'm not hedging my bets.

(Going to go check out some fanfic, though- and imagine that fourteen took off towards Sheffield the moment the 60th anniversary wrapped!)

[dreamcaught]

So okay, I haven't seen the commentary about Fourteen returning to Fifteen once he's processed his trauma to be "reabsorbed" or whatever, but if that's how it's gonna go, then yeah. Okay, I can see why they did this.

Doctor Who has been such a fucking insane whirlwind of loss and trauma pretty much since Journey's End when the Doctor lost his lover and his best friend. Tentoo and Rose are happily married in Pete's World. That Doctor gets to actively live the happiest he's ever been every single day, but this Doctor had to keep going.

Eleven lost the Ponds. Twelve lost Clara and Bill. These characters effectively die, which is why they're mentioned directly. And exemplified by the Toymaker, these are big losses. Yaz+Co. didn't get even an inkling of a mention because, quite frankly, they weren't. They all just got to go back home like companions used to do all the time. It was kind of a big deal that so many companions had such tragic, permanent, traumatic endings. So yeah, it makes sense that the Doctor would need to take time to process this.

(That and the Flux thing, apparently, which - uh - I guess falls under the same umbrella.)

Fourteen is incredibly vulnerable. He's open and raw, and he needs to be in order to be the Doctor to process these things. It makes strategic story sense to have the Doctor break in half to allow part of him to retire and process while the other part of him keeps going, because (like with Tentoo), the show must go on -- he can't actually stop.

Having David Tennant's face as Fourteen makes a lot of strategic sense, too. Not only is DT a fan favourite, but his relationship with Donna is the most familial of relationships he's had. Some fans may wonder again why Yaz wasn't who he'd go to, but it has to be noted that they made Yaz a romantic interest and that is not what this Doctor wants or needs right now. That's why they've established Fourteen as (likely) gay. That's why he's calling Rose Noble his niece and Shaun his brother-in-law. He's effectively rehabilitating with his sister, and that's kind of cool.

I do understand the tragedy of Donna's ending was appealing to many viewers, but it's been 15 years. That's long enough for her to get a better ending to her story that doesn't just involve winning the lottery. Her family and how she cares for people who need it are Donna's greatest strengths. Having Donna get her memory back but not become an all-knowing DoctorDonna hybrid is sending a kind message of hope that I think this world needs right now, to be honest.

RTD has done this, in part, to allow for the show to return to being more lighthearted and about hope than it has for a long time. It's saying that it's okay to take a break, but also acknowledges that the Doctor - as a show and as an almost supernatural being - has to carry on as well. It's a soft reboot with acknowledgement to the past without having to view it as a burden, so I get that.

I've seen a lot of people immediately compare this ending to Tentoo/Rose, though, and I don't know if I agree. This isn't a Doctor creating a version of himself to be with a lover as a human, to live the one, singular life he couldn't otherwise have. He didn't bi-regenerate out of love or fear of losing his lover. His loss of regenerations and ability to age as Tentoo is really important to their story, and this is not true for Fourteen. He's still full Time Lord - and if the commentary is true - will eventually reunite with himself. That's not at all the same. Instead, this is the Doctor many years after a traumatic experience using a magical way to get his break and travel, too.

As well, the Doctor was in love with Rose. He had to tear his heart out and leave her in a different universe to let her go. That would not have happened with a bi-regenerated Doctor sharing the same universe. The two Doctors would have had to create a copy of Rose (much like these two had to do so with the TARDIS) in order to be happy. It's not like Donna, because Donna can be a sister to two identical brothers and it's not weird.

(That's if you don't count polyamory, but that would never happen in the show.)

I hope that they use this soft reboot to help move on from past traumas in a healthy way. I hope that Fourteen with Donna does help Fifteen become more of a positive Doctor than even Thirteen was, who was secretly dealing with so much angst all the time.

I do adore, absolutely, that the Doctor did acknowledge his favourite people. River Song and Adric were mentioned as important and lost. Sarah Jane and Rose were explicitly said to be loved. It was less than I was hoping for, but also exactly what I think should happen if they're trying to use this special as a way to finally, realistically move on and start something fresh, new and positive.

So yeah, I guess I'll keep watching to see what happens next.

[paulrobinsonshotel]

OK so I've been thinking, if RTD absolutely didn't want to go down the root of having a multi-Doctor/multi-companion extravaganza for the 60th, and wanted to go down a more subtle route using old villains and obscure comics to celebrate the show's history, imagine if instead of making the only real "anniversary" elements of the story be his Doctor and his companion, RTD had done the unthinkable, and asked Jodie and Mandip to stay on.

Obviously, there are multiple reasons why that didn't happen. Ultimately Thirteen and Yaz are Chris Chibnall's characters, and RTD may not have wanted to add to Chibnall's story. I'm also aware that Jodie and Mandip thought Chibnall's departure was the right time for them to go, so this ultimately wasn't down to RTD. But I do think (with Chibnall's blessing) he could've convinced them to come back with a good story.

I'm also aware that Jodie had a baby after filming POTD, and needed time away. However, since returning to acting, she has filmed other shows, including Time, which aired before the 60th specials. So there's no reason filming couldn't have been delayed to accommodate Jodie while still having the episodes ready for November/December 2023.

Imagine the end of Power of the Doctor, the Thirteenth Doctor has her farewell with Yaz, goes to the clifftop and starts regenerating... only to end up with the same face by the end of it? Might not have the same impact on the general public as the Tennant return, but certainly enough to keep fans speculating for a year.

Then at the start of The Star Beast, the TARDIS brings her straight to 2023, where she just happens to bump into Yaz as soon as she steps out, who is still hurting after a year without the Doctor, and shocked she doesn't have a different face.

And imagine hearing Akinola's themes for Thirteen and Yaz in Murray Gold's style when they are reunited!

While I do think Donna's exit was more heartbreaking than Yaz's, I'd argue she got closure of a sort, marrying someone who genuinely loves her for who she is, and getting a winning lottery ticket. It certainly didn't need a fanfiction fix-it of being sorted by "just letting go" ("something a male-presenting Time Lord wouldn't understand" way to shit on your own progressivism Russell)

While the ending Chibnall gave Yaz was an appropriate and bittersweet one for her character, it was written in a way that permitted closure or another writer picking up the character in the future.

I criticise RTD frequently on here, but one thing he absolutely excels at is realistic family drama (the scene where Sylvia isn't sure she's saying the right thing to Rose was probably the best writing in those specials), and integrating that family drama with the magic and silliness of Doctor Who. Not saying Chibnall was bad at this, but it was never really the story he wanted to tell. RTD could've done some great stuff with the Khan family in the 60th specials, with her parents and Sonya supporting her in adjusting to life without the Doctor, and probably delivering some uncomfortable truths to Thirteen(.5) about all the time she froze Yaz out or pushed her away.

I'm not sure how the specials could've played out, but imagine if instead of Fourteen regenerating into Ten's face because he "needed to come home" to Donna (and not every other found family the Doctor had ever had?), we linked it back to Power of the Doctor, and revealed that Thirteen wanting more time (with Yaz), and Yaz not wanting her time with the Doctor to end triggered the Toymaker's interference. Her made her regenerate into the same face, and brought her straight back to Yaz, and to defeat him they have to let the change complete itself.

If they're going hard on marketing Ncuti's era as "Series 1" as if it's a brand new show, then I think having Thirteen and Yaz (the final Doctor and companion of the 2005-2023 Who) both accept that it's time to move on would be the perfect coda for the "NuWho" as a whole. No "bigeneration" fanfiction fuckery, but maybe Thirteen offering Yaz to stay with her for the change this time, and Yaz this time being the one to say no, not because the Doctor is regenerating, but because she's accepted that time with the Doctor has to end sometime.

And then in the closing seconds, we get to see Ncuti's Doctor, taking up the baton (and clothes) from Jodie Whittaker, just as it should be, his Doctor on his own terms, not a side character in the last guy's story.

As I said, I understand why this didn't happen, but honestly, this would've been so much better than what we got.

[headcanonsandmore]

Can you do the "all the Doctors" thing, but what would they do if they started a band?

I certainly can!

One: Gets gently pushed into it by Vicki. Can actually play the piano rather well, and starts chuckling to themselves when he starts getting into it. Ian and Barbara got a little sick of the solos after over half an hour, though.

Two: You'd think that a recorder wouldn't be a good instrument to play in a band, but you would be as pleasantly surprised as Two was. Gets on surprisingly well with the hippie crowd, although Jamie has to keep them from getting pulled into smoking illicit substances which may or may not be legal. With time lords, who knows what the effects could be?

Three: Can practically play any instrument given to them because "my dear fellow, it would be vain to explain why". Jo loves it when they play Beatles songs. Has an unfortunate habit of playing in venues that later get attacked or blown up by the Masters scheme of the week.

Four: Pulls the weirdest looking string instument you've ever seen out of their enormous coat, plays some weird jazz-fusion stuff that sounds like a cat making love to a washing machine, grins unnervingly and walks off stage. The stage is a random cafe that hadn't even asked them to play. No-one ever speaks of it again, just in case they come back.

Five: Likes to play ABBA on the rhythym guitar, much to the amusement of their kids young friends. Insists on explaining the themes of each song before starting. Has an unfortunate habit of falling over halfway through their set and knocking themselves unconscious. Given the time period, they often get requests to play "That's Entertainment"; doesn't mind playing it but wishes Tegan and Nyssa would stop sneaking away halfway through to snog in a cupboard somewhere.

Six: Loves playing the drums. Their main inspiration is Keith Moon. Mel says it's good exercise for them. Peri is just glad that they don't wear their coat whilst trashing about with the drumsticks, because that would be a chasm too far.

Seven: Spoons. Ace rolls her eyes but knows that they enjoy it. Is surprisingly popular amongst latter-day beatniks and jazz fans. Often gives some lecture after each song. The difference is that, unlike with Five, people actually listen instead of groaning.

Eight: Just has to sing. You would not be able to stop them. They are surprisngly good at it, although sometimes you wonder whether the words have a hidden meaning.

War: Doesn't play anything, for obvious reasons.

Nine: Bass guitar, and in a very no-nonsence sort of way. Can get down and be funky with it. Rose loves it, and enjoys dancing along, which makes Nine very happy.

Ten: Maraccas, weirdly enough, and often with Donna. Both of them are laughing. The rest of the band doesn't really understand why but it seems to work so who cares?

Eleven: Glockenspiel. No, seriously. Amy and Rory don't know where it came from, and it's actually starting to get a little worrying. Especially when Eleven insists on practicing at 3am with no warning.

Twelve: Lead guitar, obviously. Nothing but shredding solos and awesome punk-style riffs. The fact that they don't have a top-selling album is mindboggling.

Thirteen: Fiddle in a folk-punk-fusion band. Very good at it and is having the time of their life. Loves to dance whilst playing. The happy love songs are their favourite, but has a habit of tripping over their feet on stage if they catch Yaz smiling at them.

Fugitive: Doesn't play anything; again, for obvious reasons.

TenThree/David Doctor/ sorry-mr-tennant-i-cannot-call-you-fourteen: Traded in the maraccas for a trumpet. Donna has a trumpet now too. Things seem to be going well for them.

Fifteen: Sampler. Creates tons of exciting sounds based on all of their previous lives, blending them together in a hopeful, joyeous mix. Well, so far anyway. We'll have to wait and see...

Thanks for the ask!

[thereweresunflowers]

i really understand a lot of the thasmin criticism coming for the fourteenth doctor's ending of healing through settling down permanently with the nobles just after the doctor denied their ability to settle down with yaz. it's not nice to think about yaz's reaction to hearing that the doctor is just chilling on earth with donna days after they told her that wasn't a life they could pursue together. however, i also think the contexts of their relationships are really important here. fourteen settles down with donna in a platonic and familial capacity, the show basically explicitly says that the doctor needed his best friend to heal. i think this is especially important given that the last 'happy ending' for a ten-spinoff (metacrisis) was with rose as romantic partners. rose is such a large and tragic part of the tenth doctor's story that to me, fourteen then settling down and saying "he's never been so happy in his life" without her or romance is a really important development for him specifically in valuing platonic relationships. so the way i see it, the doctor felt able to settle down in a familial context but not in a romantic one - yaz was a potential romantic partner. this just confirms to me how much the doctor loves yaz in a romantic context. a frustrating situation for thassies (believe me as a thassie i feel it too) but one which i think can be understood better in looking at the types of relationships the doctor wants/needs at this point in their life