#ruby sunday core

[vampirlor]

what if you were BISEXUAL and your parents ABANDONED you and you met a NONBINARY and he KIDNAPPED you in his TIME MACHINE and you turned into an ALIEN and then you met the BEATLES FROM WISH

[ajs-in-the-tardis]

Ruby Sunday-core

the year was Two Thousand and twenty-four. I took a puff of my Electronic-Cigarette, inhaling the vapours. my mobile terminal buzzed in my pocket, a flat slab of microchips and glossy touchscreen. I ignored it....... probably another Electronic-Mail

[starleska]

can we talk about the brilliant execution of Dot and Bubble's big reveal!!!

i am still absolutely gobsmacked by what a well-written episode Dot and Bubble is. startling, disarming, confrontational, and tremendously impactful. and holy shit i really really want to talk about how excellent the 'twist' (which really should've been obvious in retrospect 😭 was done):

as a white person it took me about ten minutes to clock that Lindy's friend group were a nightmare Aryan Tupperware Party collective: all white, all blue-eyed, and even Gothic Paul was dressed in blues and whites, with no black at all. but you know how i responded to that? mentally i went 'oh i'm sure it's nothing!' and shoved it aside. and i think it is exactly that insidious tendency to ignore, normalise, and validate overt and covert racism that the episode does such a tremendous job of tackling! everything in the episode gives us the lore we need to understand Lindy and the people of Finetime are white supremacists. Lindy's disgusted face and immediate blocking of The Doctor versus the amount of time she spends with Ruby. Lindy's shock at the Doctor and Ruby occupying the same room implying segregation on the Homeworld. Lindy calling the Doctor and Ruby 'criminals' not for being in the Bubble, but for breaking segregation. Lindy using Ricky September, a white influencer, to calm herself down not just from the monsters, but from interacting with a Black person. the tradwife aesthetic of the Finetime residents making a comeback in real-life right-wing racist circles. ugh, there's so much and it was all right in our faces!! yet many of us who aren't POC had the privilege of going through the episode baffled and uncomfortable, without being able to put a finger on why until the final bit of the episode. doesn't that tell us how quickly and easily we've all taken to ignoring both micro and macroaggressions? that we needed talk of being 'contaminated', improper use of the word 'voodoo', and Lindy straight up telling the Doctor that face-to-face contact was unacceptable, to understand they're white supremacists? oh my God 😭😭 what a genius play, to make Lindy so detestable from the start. she's an arrogant, vain, self-absorbed, moronic, uncompromising, traitorous bitch...and by layering that abhorrent personality and then giving us the reveal of her white supremacy, there is no argument even the most wishy-washy of people could have re: their awful views. Lindy and her friends are revolting racists who are so wrapped up in their own echo-chamber 'bubble' that they would genuinely rather be devoured alive than challenge their own narrow, bigoted views. i'm still blown away by the power of Ncuti's final scene. the disbelief, the frustration, the sadness and the fury...and yet the Doctor still tries to save them against all odds. i think the most common response to this episode was 'The Doctor should have gone all Time Lord Victorious on them', and you're right - he should have! but doing that would've affirmed the beliefs of the real-life racists viewers. the Doctor responding not with violence or righteous vengeance is a very deliberate writing choice: we are supposed to come away feeling revolted that he needed to behave that way, to almost be supplicant to the white supremacists. because that is the real-life view of so many people who don't even view themselves as racist: Black people need to 'perform' to a higher standard, than white people just to be considered worthy of respect. the more i watch it, the more i'm convinced this is the best episode of the whole season, and one of the best Doctor Who episodes we've ever had. we were taken off-guard by having an episode overtly about racism set in the future rather than the past, because our tendency is to assume equality is a natural consequence of becoming technologically advanced. this clearly isn't the case, and Dot and Bubble is a masterclass in confronting racism head-on rather than dancing around it for the comfort of white viewers. just. aaargh!!!! absolutely amazing 🔥🔥🔥

[ghostlyeris]

okay shifting back into doctor who mode

i finally watched the special, as well as the two new episodes with their release, and all i have to ask is that everyone realizes the space babies episode is probably foreshadowing right? like yes it was a very fun and silly romp with some good political commentary, but the core of this episode is that the educational software ran out of control and gave the babies a literal bogeyman to face in order to give them a story and teach them

the church on ruby road is a direct reference to labyrinth, a story where a girl's baby sibling gets kidnapped to be given to the goblin king and the girl must save the baby while meeting wacky strangers and learning moral lessons. the devil's cord breaks the fourth wall repeatedly, innovating with the medium and reminding you that this is a story you are watching unfold. and ruby says it herself in space babies, every story has it's hero

ruby sunday is a nineteen year old girl waiting for her life to start. she's brave and courageous and throws herself head first into danger to protect others. she's got the biggest family in the world, thirty-two siblings with the most loving mum, and she's all alone in the world with no trace of her past. and the shift towards fantasy all started with her introduction. she is the perfect storybook protagonist

so the universe is rewriting itself to give ruby sunday a story

[smartsmears]

RTD2, Parents, and Where on earth is Susan and Jenny

Era starts with The Star Beast, an episode all about how a mother's relationship with her child is more powerful than the meta-crisis.

Continues with Ruby Sunday, a girl without a parent that gets adopted by a mother that cares about her and their relationship informs his first adventure too.

The season arc is about how the mystery of Ruby's real mother is so powerful it transcends both death, and the literal fiction of the show.

The Doctor laments the fact that he has no children, but did have a granddaughter.

Ruby keeps getting so many parental figures in her life that the show makes jokes about how many mother she has now.

The Doctor makes a point to talk about how he's the last of the Time Lords, even after we and the Doctor see Susan.

We literally SEE Susan.

The main emotional core of the finale is how The Doctor has a daughter he does not want to lose. They talk about how you can still take your daughter on adventures, how important it is that we dont forget a single life, how everyone the Doctor saves is basically his child.

The Rani mentions that the Time Lords arent dead, they're just sterile, and the implication is that some are out there. Like the one we literally see.

The Doctor changes the universe to bring Poppy back to life, as the child of Belinda (its own can of worms) and then thinks about how he wishes he had a daughter.

And then the arc ends without doing anything with Susan or Jenny.

[woobie-wan]

I have a lot of feelings about the Doctor Who finale including personal ones so I'm not sure how coherent this will be.

I feel like the fact that Ruby showed Conrad mercy with her wish is what doomed the narrative. That men like him can exist and be happy damns the rest of us by their presence and acceptance and influence in society. Even if they're just working in a kitchen. Maybe an allegory for white supremacy? Ruby has to be nice to the power-mad dude bro who's waving a gun around to save the magical white baby (Joe Sunday welcome to the shitshow that is life). The Rani of course represented a form of supremacy as well, but as she was not white she was devoured by the primal manifestation of supremacy and her white counterpart escaped and survived. When the mythology breaks down white people snatch the technology to maintain their power - hmm. 🤔 Also luckily we have some black women available to dump the care and feeding of this now useless no longer magic white baby.

I did notice that Rose reappeared and then disappeared again. A comment on trans and non-binary people's presence in society being politicized and erased, sure. Or society's hostility to vegans. 😒

Belinda's agency is destroyed. Her life is re-written to include a child she never had. That Poppy is extremely, extremely adorable doesn't change the fact that the Belinda we were introduced to had never expressed interest in having children as far as I can remember. She'd had an abusive ex. She was sharing a house with roommates. She's now been retconned as having an ex who's a good guy supposedly. If only you find a good guy you'll want babies, ladies! The Belinda we met at the beginning was mostly focused on her job where she literally saved lives and her parents whom she loved. That was not enough for her to desperately want to go home for. No. She needed a child.

(It's okay to not want children. It's also okay to be infertile and sad about it. And it's okay to be infertile and indifferent or happy about it. You don't have to have children or a romantic partner to be a whole ass person. It's fine to want these things genuinely obviously but it's NOT COMPULSORY.)

For me, the Doctor is a fundamentally asexual character. It's fine if different incarnations have different orientations. I'm not mad about 13, 14, and 15 being pretty gay. I'm not mad about 11 and 12 being pretty heterosexual. Sexuality and gender can be fluid, bisexuality and pansexuality exist. But I do always perceive or project this deeper core nature of asexual-ness onto the Doctor. Which is why she couldn't quite return Yaz's feelings. Which is why Rogue is still in superhell with Castiel or whatever. Which is why Ten created Ten-too for Rose. Which is why River ... nevermind, not unpacking that one today.

Anyway, I don't have some grandiose conclusion. Just a lot of feelings about how everything was surface level because nobody was permitted to fully be their authentic selves or given the time to express who they are. The doctor was a hostage who then took hostages of his own. Is that found family? Is that all life is? Warping each other with our desires? Welcome to the Hotel California. And how do you be your authentic self in a universe where nothing makes sense and who knows what's really real?

[hananoami]

[02/10 to 02/16] Stage Progress

☆ XAVIER : cleared stage 180 on Sunday, 02/16! ☆ ZAYNE : cleared stage 180 on Friday, 02/14! ☆ RAFAYEL : cleared stage 180 on Saturday, 02/15! ☆ SYLUS : 9/9 keys used; going to stage 112 on Tuesday. ☆ CALEB : 9/9 keys used; going to stage 37 on Wednesday. ☆ OPEN ORBIT : challenging stage 231 on Monday.

LET'S GOO~! Some of the fights took me a couple days to work out some challenges, but I have now successfully cleared all the Directional Orbits (ice, fire, and light) stage 180 with Zayne, Rafayel, and Xavier! As always, since my time is limited, I will be posting my team set up and stat attributes with clear video whenever I have the chance -- maybe after the illusio event is over or maybe after my travel plans?

Anyway, if any deepspace hunter plan on challenging any of the directional orbits and would like to see what worked for me I am more than happy to share those details!

I'm really happy with how things progressed since I can now focus my attention to the remaining Directional Orbits (Energy and Gravity) with Sylus and Caleb & open orbit.

Sylus has 9 more stages go to before he's completed his 120 for this patch. I'm not really worried about his protocores so I'm looking to clear 120 by next Tuesday.

Caleb still has a long way to go, with 43 orbits left until stage 80. I'm still on pace clearing all of his stages every time his orbit is available and haven't missed any days yet sooo fingers crossed things sail smoothly. I'm a little worried about his cores.

My Ruby cores are kinda lacking so I might spend more stamina on farming those... but I also really want to farm heartbreaker for exp to level up memories in order to get get the OG3's affinity to 150 ahaha... my priorities ( TT__TT; ) but they're really close!!

I wish open orbit gave affinity and exp for the teams and memories you used. I always mention it in my player feedback surveys since other games usually give that, but meh. Tomorrow finish up open orbit!!

[gayleviticus]

it's an interesting choice that legend of ruby Sundays core dramatic cliffhanger that essentially the entire episode is building up to is the return of a 50 year old villain but also doesn't really require any prior knowledge of pyramids of Mars except that Sutekh exists?

but like. the whole sue tech thing would surely feel so weird if you had no idea who sutekh is. granted he is technically not a doctor who original character - tho ymmv but I have never heard him called Sutekh outside DW, just Set or Seth

anyway. in general it's interesting how this is an episode so consciously manipulating of fan theorising and the hints left throughout the story arc. like the premise is essentially 'the doctor tries to outsource solving this seasons mystery box to UNIT'

don't know how I feel about bait and switching the return of Susan (a deep and emotionally resonant character beat) for the return of sutekh (50 year old fanservice). it feels a bit like a reverse hell bent almost. but I guess we'll see, and a villain deliberately using bad wolf style Easter eggs as a trap for the Doctor is super interesting

(although the mechanics of how this trap worked or even was actually necessarily is kinda unclear - he needed to... make sure the doctor was in another room while sutekh possessed the tardis? surely there are less elaborate ways of doing that than copying Susan twist thru time and space)

[doctorwhoisadhd]

which dr who characters i think would be a fan of ur favorite blaseball team:

Atlantis Georgias: Yasmin Khan + the entire Paternoster gang. Yes including Strax

Baltimore Crabs: easily Owen Harper. he has the exact personality of a character the crabs would create

Boston Flowers: Gita Chandra (she's literally a florist) + probably Martha Jones

Breckenridge Jazz Hands: Cleo Proctor! Shawna Thompson and Abby McPhail would be there with her too

Canada Moist Talkers: Wilf I think?

Charleston Shoe Thieves: it'd be really funny to put 8 here but no. Chang Lee, 3

Chicago Firefighters: both Ryan Sinclair and Graham O'Brian

Core Mechanics: Luke Smith

Dallas Steaks: Dan Lewis and Rhys Williams

Hades Tigers: LEELA i don't even know leela that well but she would ABSOLUTELY be a tigers fan

Hawaiʻi Fridays: 8, Osgoods, also by series 10 twelve would be a friday

Hellmouth Sunbeams: River Song

Houston Spies: Mickey Smith (spies fan since season 1), Rani Chandra

Kansas City Breath Mints: Clara Oswald, 7

LA Unlimited Tacos: Andy Davidson

Mexico City Wild Wings: Ianto Jones (bc of the lawyer stuff and pase lo se pase)

Miami Dale: Clyde Langer and 15

New York Millennials: Ruby Sunday

Ohio Worms: 13

Philly Pies: Alan Jackson (bc he skateboards but doesnt quite have fridays energy)

San Francisco Lovers: Jack Harkness (duh), Grace Holloway (duh), Amy Pond

Seattle Garages: Fitz Kreiner, early 12, Ace McShane

Tokyo Lift: Toshiko Sato (also she would have spreadsheets so automated they could make you a cup of coffee)

Yellowstone Magic: Bill Potts, Maria Jackson

[companion-showdown]

Which companion is most likely to wander off?

this tournament was suggested by @a-tad-bit-obsessed a little over a year ago

a penchant for wandering off is a core trait of practically every companion, but who is first out of the starting blocks even when its incredibly dangerous, who cannot stay put no matter how imperative, who can the doctor not afford to let out of their sights?

SEMIFINALS

River Song vs Ace McShane

The TARDIS vs Bernice Summerfield

QUARTERFINALS

Clara Oswald vs River Song

Sarah-Jane Smith vs Ace McShane

The TARDIS vs Adam Mitchell

Bernice Summerfield vs Dodo Chaplet

previous rounds under the cut

ROUND 4

Clara Oswald vs Mels Zucker

Amy Pond vs River Song

Sarah-Jane Smith vs Adric

Iris Wildthyme vs Ace McShane

The TARDIS vs Leela

Rose Tyler vs Adam Mitchell

Bernice Summerfield vs Romana II

Charley Pollard vs Dodo

ROUND 3

Clara Oswald vs Tegan Jovanka

Mel Bush vs Mels Zucker

Miss Evangelista vs Amy Pond

Zoe Heriot vs River Song

Sarah-Jane Smith vs Bill Potts

Donna Noble vs Adric

Iris Wildthyme vs Vislor Turlough

Dan Lewis vs Ace McShane

The TARDIS vs Thomas Brewster

Jamie McCrimmon vs Leela

Rose Tyler vs Susan Foreman

Jo Grant vs Adam Mitchell

Bernice Summerfield vs Victoria Waterfield

Romana II vs Vicki Pallister

Rory Williams vs Charley Pollard

Lucie Miller vs Dodo Chaplet

ROUND 2

Day 2

The TARDIS vs Katarina

Thomas Brewster vs John and Gillian Who

Jamie McCrimmon vs K9

Steven Taylor vs Leela

Rose Tyler vs Compassion

Graham O'Brien vs Susan Foreman

Jo Grant vs Frobisher

Helen Sinclair vs Adam Mitchell

Bernice Summerfield vs other Dave

Victoria Waterfield vs Jack Harkness

Romana II vs Polly Wright

Nyssa vs Vicki Pallister

Ruby Sunday vs Rory Williams

Harry Sullivan vs Charley Pollard

Sam Jones vs Lucie Miller

Izzy SInclair vs Dodo Chaplet

Day 1

Clara Oswald vs Mike Yates

Tegan Jovanka vs Lulubelle

Fitz Kreiner vs Mel Bush

Evelyn Smythe vs Mels Zucker

Miss Evangelista vs Peri Brown

Mickey Smith vs Amy Pond

Zoe Heriot vs The Brigadier

Handles vs River Song

Sarah-Jane Smith vs Hex Schofield

Yasmin Khan vs Bill Potts

Rose the Cat vs Donna Noble

Barbara Wright vs Adric

Iris Wildthyme vs Ben Jackson

Chang Lee vs Vislor Turlough

Dan Lewis vs Nardole

Liv Chenka vs Ace McShane

ROUND 1 (Group Stage)

Group 1:

Susan Foreman

Barbara Wright

Ian Chesterton

Vicki Pallister

Steven Taylor

Group 2:

Katarina

Sara Kingdom

Dodo Chaplet

Ben Jackson

Polly Wright

Group 3:

Jamie McCrimmon

Victoria Waterfield

Zoe Heriot

The Brigadier

Sergeant Benton

Group 4:

Liz Shaw

Mike Yates

Jo Grant

Sarah-Jane Smith

Harry Sullivan

Group 5:

Leela

K9

Romana I

Romana II

Group 6:

Adric

Nyssa

Tegan Jovanka

Vislor Turlough

Kamelion

Group 7:

Peri Brown

Mel Bush

Ace McShane

Grace Holloway

Chang Lee

Group 8:

Rose Tyler

Mickey Smith

Adam Mitchell

Jack Harkness

Martha Jones

Group 9:

Wilfred Mott

Donna Noble

River Song

Amy Pond

Rory Williams

Group 10:

Kate Stewart

Clara Oswald

Handles

Bill Potts

Nardole

Group 11:

Yasmin Khan

Graham O'Brien

Ryan Sinclair

Dan Lewis

Ruby Sunday

Group 12:

Charley Pollard

C'rizz

Evelyn Smythe

Lucie Miller

Group 13:

Liv Chenka

Helen Sinclair

Hex Schofield

Bernice Summerfield

Chris Cwej

Group 14:

Fitz Kreiner

Compassion

Anji Kapoor

Sam Jones

Group 15:

Alison Cheney

Iris Wildthyme

Izzy Sinclair

Frobisher

Group 16:

Antranak

Wolsey

Rose the Cat

Group 17:

K9 mk V

K9 Australia!K9

John and Gillian Who

Group 18:

Death's Head

Eliza

Thomas Brewster

Group 19:

Missy

The TARDIS

Rose Noble

Group 20:

Delgado!Master

Ainley!Master

Mels Zucker

Lulubelle

Group 21:

Miss Evangelista

proper Dave

other Dave

Anita

Strackman Lux

links to previous tournaments

[bomikalover]

heyy shyy!!!!!

i’m bored so imma ask rank ur top 5 df ships!!

OH YOU WANT ME TO DIEEEE DONT YOU

(Jk love you girlie 🫶🏾)

1: BOMIKA

OBVIOUSLY, WE ALL SAW THIS COMING. I’m a sucker for a good opposites attract but not too opposite?! If you know what I mean. Like Bose is a golden retriever dimwit who’s artistic and all about rule bending while Mika is a black cat brainiac who’s logical and all about rule-following. But they still are a match made in heaven because of their similar moral ground. Like Bomika are opposites but are aren’t polar opposites (like Bapa) The nicknames, the color coordination, the jealousy, all the tropes they fit, the height difference, the comfortability, and overall THE FACT THAT THEY WERE STRANGERS TO LOVERS. We literally saw their relationship go from strangers to friends to best friends to crushes to a couple! If S3 would have been a full season we would have seen canon Bomika!! They are a match made in heaven and the only confirmed canon ship of the show, I mean I will always be Bomikalover for a reason.

2: CHILES

Now I will say I titter on the line about whether I ship them as romantic or platonic but I think I finally have chosen my shipping route. I chose platonic Chiles-NOW HEAR ME OUT! Ever since I saw Chapa and Ruby then Miles and Buddy, my whole perspective changed. Chiles definitely gives best friends, like bail out of jail type of friends. Like I just know Chapa and Miles have to be super close hanging around Bomika all the time. Since Bomika have Bomika Sunday and seemed to be comfortable hanging without Chiles, Chiles had to learn to do the same. They just seem so happy being friends and I genuinely think that them not being together is the best option.

3:MACKERS

Now Buddy and Miles became a new ship of mine ever since I saw them in Big Dynomite. At first I thought they were cute friends then in Bose’s Bday I saw them as something more. That episode was literally Miles choosing between Buddy and Sissy. And he chose Buddy. Plus in SwellMelonFest, Buddy had an arranged date with a girl and showed no interest at all. He showed disgust more than anything. The HeadCanon that Buddy is gay is just canon atp. They both have similar personalities and seem to be comfortable with each other as well. But Miles to me felt the closest to Buddy out of the four kids. Bose had one sided beef cause Buddy actually has a dad who wants to spend time with him. Chapa is most likely still warming up to him but I think she’s second closest after Miles. Mika just seems to be treating him likes she treats all her friends but it’s Mika so what do you expect. Miles and Buddy would have been such a cute dynamic to see more off and it’s sad to say we won’t anymore.

4:CHAMIKA

Honestly I see this as romantic or platonic. I switch back and forth on the daily. Like I see them as besties but at the same time I wouldn’t be surprised if Chapa was the reason Mika found out she was Bisexual. Like they make sense dynamics wise.

Rule breaker x Rule follower

Black Swan x White Swan

And many more. But I ship Bomika so hard, that I struggle to see Mika’s romantic dynamic with anyone else but that’s a me problem lol.

But Chamika is a great ship, and I support it 100%

5: BAPA

I KNOW. I KNOW. ITS NOT WHAT YOU THINK!

I DO NOT SHIP BAPA ROMANTICALLY.

Never have, never will.

It’s just not for me.

I can go on and on about why I don’t but I won’t out of respect for the Bapa shippers (who are actually educated and decent human beings) that do ship it.

But I adore the O’Brien De Silva twin dynamic. Like Bose and Chapa are so twins separated at birth core. Like 2 halves of the same person. They out twin the actual twins in the show. Like if I’m being honest it would have made more sense to have 2 sets of siblings than a pair of twins and 2 other kids. Or even better make Bapa step-siblings! Then their love-hate relationship makes a lot more sense. Like Chapa punched Bose in the face, pushed him in front of missiles, zapped him whenever she felt like it, dragged him around like a child, and told him that his dad wasn’t coming back. Plus many other things. Like that’s an older step-sister hating on her little bro right there.

BUT THATS MY TOP FIVE 🫶🏾

I didn't include Ruby & Chapa cuz I didn't feel fair since they only share one episode together unfortunately 😔

[rosethevideomancer]

Let's Fix Ruby's Mom Reveal

Certainly! Here's the revised version and sorry imma read more this one.

UNIT finishes the scan and finds it empty. There is still no match in the database for the mother. Then the TARDIS emits a shuddering noise and all the screens flicker. Multiple screens pop up, searching through every time and place they've visited, scanning planets and realities they've traversed. The Doctor gasps, Ruby starts tearing up, Kate considers deadlocking her access points, and finally, the screen displays "MATCH FOUND." We see Ruby's face and then cut abruptly to the Cafe.

A blonde woman enters and stands in line, chatting on her phone with a friend about her life improving now compared to years ago with her abusive father. She vaguely details his actions and stops when she hints at giving up Ruby Sunday.

We watch her convey the pain with her expressions as she remembers. She reaches the counter after a young girl, whose face remains unseen—Almost insignificant. She orders her coffee, sits down at a table, and continues discussing an upcoming trip, mentioning someone like Rani or Sally Sparrow for a potential future coincidence.

As she taps on her phone, checking her text messages to pass the time (describe her briefly, mention social help lines), Ruby remains out of focus in the background. Finally, she looks up and sees Ruby staring at her. Confused, she asks, "Can I help you?"

Ruby replies, "Oh, sorry. I just… thought you looked like someone I once knew," then hesitates and starts to leave. The woman stops her, saying, "I don't know, but I get whatcha mean. You… come here often?"

"Oh yeah, used to pop round here every day!" Ruby answers. The woman replies, "Oh, yeah? Well same! Maybe that's how we know each other—from seeing each other here!" Ruby knows this isn't true but agrees verbally, "I guess so. Well, sorry to bother you," and tries to leave. As she turns, the barista calls out, "Ruby!" The woman freezes, and Ruby cringes as she grabs her coffee. Starting to leave, the woman softly says, "Ruby's such a pretty name," to which Ruby, as always, replies instantly, "Thanks, it's the road I was found on," the ladys eyes go wide and realizing she said too much. Ruby hurries away.

She runs to the Doctor, leaning on his TARDIS outside. She hugs him and cries; he returns the hug as he understands. He also had the opportunity for answers in FLUX but didn't follow through. It's hard to accept answers when questions have been your constant companions throughout life.

After this sad moment, a voice interrupts, "Excuse me." Ruby turns and sees the woman, nervous and fidgety, looking almost like an older Ruby Sunday. "That road you were left on… It wouldn't happen to have been… Ruby Road… would it?" Ruby hesitates but reluctantly nods, and they share an awkward moment, both tearing up. The Doctor beams his smug grin before leaning in and and saying, "This is the part where you two hug," pushing Ruby gently. The music swells as they embrace. We see him lean back happy as he adds in a whisper, "The foundling finally found. Coincidence, coincidence, coincidence," glancing briefly up at the sky with concern before smiling.

Fade to a later scene with the Doctor, the Sunday family, and Ruby's bio-mom. Carla asks, "So you're not a god or something?" The Doctor interjects, "Yeah, no, turns out… My old girl the looovely TARDIS eventually figured out about our little death doggo stowaway when I crashed near the edge of the universe. Turns out he was using all the noise and energy of the cosmos to cloak himself, but when you're at the edge of space, well... it's hard to hide in an empty room. Once she found that out, she kept trying to think of ways to warn us—groaning, planting a song in Ruby's core and using the excess energy from coffee and a lil' mavity mix up to try and burn him off her. When that didn't work she figured the only way she could help is by making a mystery the death god couldn't resist, extending her perception filter to Ruby's birth Mother on Christmas Night 2005. Which you should feel honored about, thousands of years and she's rarely ever done that."

Ruby nods but adds "But what about the pointing?" Her biological mother chuckles and nods "Oh I remember now. Yes.. Christmas night, I was giving away my baby and the faint song from the church had me questioning myself. But the strangest thing happened.. I heard this noise and a big box that wasn't there moments ago was suddenly fading into reality only a few meters away from me. I thought I was going mad! My tongue was tied and voice gone! All I could do was point. Put yourself in my shoes, I thought god himself had come to punish me for my actions... But he just stared me down crying.. I wondered why god would cry... How did my choice make him that sad?" The Doctor looks at her reflecting on the Sutekh conversation about being made the god of life. Her Mom continues "I think it's what pushed me. I had a life so sad that even god cried for me. I made a promise in that moment to leave and get out and maybe one day if my life ever got better... I'd find you again. So I turned and I walked away I made that decision to live the life I wanted you to have, Ruby, and I knew I made the right choice because when I turned back... That man and his box were gone."

"And here now here we are and for the record I'm really very glad that for once, just this one beautiful time… " the Doctor sits between Ruby and her bio-mom and hugs them both beaming "It was just a human." The episode continues from there as usual.

[aihoshiino]

I honestly liked ruby a lot before. How she was so full of hope and all, then the character development she got after finding gorou's body. Even the recent part where she says she won't be like Ai and won't give up on her friends. But I think all the incest and related part ruins her character and reduces her to a simp. At least show some depth in it tho😭 like before whenever ruby talked about gorou that felt impactful. Man i miss the old ruby.

YEAH!!! This is pretty much exactly my issue as well. I know something a lot of folks have criticized about the story pre-Mainstay is that Ruby lacks development but TBH, I never really felt like Old!Ruby was a character who needed a more active arc in the way characters like Aqua and Kana did. She definitely had some Big Overhanging Issues dangling above her head that she was going to have to address eventually but on a moment to moment basis, Ruby was doing really well. She functioned best as a sort of guiding star for the characters around her, pulling them along through the force of her own positive energy and personality.

A big part of this is simply that a lot of the things that made Sarina's life miserable are not actually issues for Ruby anymore. She's healthy, she's surrounded by family and friends who love and support her, she's getting to pursue her dream and even has a pretty healthy relationship with her memories of and grief for Ai. That's not to say her history as Sarina has no effect on her, of course: her bull-headed stubbornness and willingness to charge on into things no questions asked comes specifically and explicitly from the ways she was disempowered and lacking agency in her past life and moments like her getting upset about Aqua no longer eating dinner with them on Sundays during the LoveNow filming pretty clearly stem from her issues with abandonment and lacking familial care. But her environment and the support system she has as Ruby very clearly did a lot to help her organically heal and start moving on.

New!Ruby really feels like a retcon in that regard, like Akasaka suddenly scrabbled to go "oh actually Ruby was ALWAYS secretly fucked up!!!!" for the sake of drama and ramped everything about her up to an 11 to try and convey this but the end result ultimately just feels inconsistent. I know I link this post basically every time I talk about Ruby these days, but @all-of-her-light's Ruby and the Unplayed Role essay really is the best at breaking down all these differences and inconsistencies and why it is they feel so jarring. But one of the things that stands out to me is the ramping up of the intensity of her feelings for Gorou.

Some of this makes perfect sense within the context of the narrative; finding his DESSICATED FUCKING SKELETON jesus CHRIST and realising he'd been murdered by the very same person who killed her beloved mother absolutely makes sense as the impetus for her feelings to go into overdrive. But as of the Mainstay arc onwards, we have continually gotten backfill that implies she has always been operating on this level of intensity, elevating Gorou to a position of importance in her life that matches or even exceeds Ai to a degree that feels retconny.

Actually, now that I've articulated that, I think that key difference is the core of what makes Old and New Ruby feel so split to me. Old Ruby absolutely still adored and deeply valued Gorou and wanted to be reunited with him, but she was nowhere near as emotionally dependant on the idea of him as New Ruby seems to be. Old Ruby was characterized much more strongly in relation to Ai, both in the sense of love for her as her mother and her legacy as an idol and while this is still true to a degree for New Ruby, the manga frames Gorou as being just as if not more important than Ai as a factor in Ruby's motivations for becoming an idol, when it really hadn't been framed that way prior to a certain point in the manga.

Ultimately, it's just kind of frustrating. Like you, I really loved Old Ruby and I think New Ruby is just kind of a flanderized and flattened version of her - though the story pays some lip service to her uglier and more complicated emotions, the story's failure to genuinely and seriously interrogate them and its consistency in reducing her to a gag character just makes her feel so much less lively and interesting that Old Ruby, even if Old Ruby was (at least on paper) a much more simple character. It really feels like the last time the story genuinely took Ruby seriously was prior to 123 when we were getting teased with the idea of her meeting Marina again but that thread has since been completely dropped and I'll be shocked if it gets so much as mentioned again.

[spelledwiththej]

Okay, I'm suspicious of this finale but I will say...companions being ordinary is actually the core of doctor who

It's just that usually ordinary people don't get eerie and prophetical videotapes nor a narrator but yknow

You do you Ruby Sunday

[unnursvanablog]

Doctor Who, series 14 / tv show review

This is a mostly spoiler free review of the new season of Doctor Who

The Doctor, despite being the title character of the series, is not really what the story is about. It's about the people he takes with him and how they grow and prosper, how their view of the world changes, and all the changes they go through on their journey through the universe, where even someone who is considered insignificant in their own life learns that they are indispensable as we all are. They are the emotional anchor of the show, the viewer's point of view, and Doctor Who has slowly lost sight of that over the years. Whether it's with the latter part of the Moffat era where the focus was on monsters and the Doctor as one of the most terrifying monsters in the universe or the Chibnall era, which had no sense of direction to his stories and could not write compelling characters so save his own life.

This new shiny version of Doctor Who seems to be trying to get back to the core of it, the characters and the adventure and the messiness of humanity, but it's happening very slowly. All the episodes have a very clear theme or message, which is very good. The episodes aren't as lost within their own narrative and know what they want to say, but things take quite a long time, and each episode doesn't work connected enough to form a single whole or like they are truly working together towards something. An emotional arc or a mystery.

The metaphors may often be a little on the nose, but Doctor Who has always tried to create stories for all ages to enjoy so that can be understandable. But each story makes you think, wonder about something, and each episode carries with it a long-lasting moment of thought and wonder after it’s over. And it's great to get that feeling back into the show.

Doctor Who, however, spends a lot of time on the mystery of Ruby Sunday, without saying much, and forgets Ruby as a person a little too often. She is cheerful and willing to do most things despite the danger, becoming a bit of a noble idiot at times, but the reason for all of her actions is never properly explored. Her relationship with her mother, or both of her mothers, is good but the show isn’t willing to dive too deeply into it. The mystery is almost hidden, so the story never does much more than scratch right under the surface of it.

The build-up and unraveling of the mystery surrounding Ruby is too slow, making Ruby miss some of her character moments because the storyline can't let her reveal anything too quickly. It hinders her emotional core as a character, which affects how the audience connects with her.

I don't feel like I really know Ruby. I think she's a decent character, but she's not really the emotional core for us in this series. She moves unnecessarily much with the plot and does not affect it enough except in two or so episodes. She's just there to talk to the Doctor, ready to put herself in danger for him, but that's sort of it. It is Ncuti instead who gets to bear the emotional core, but that may be because he has to sell us the role of the doctor, get us to know him and prove himself to the audience.

This Doctor, who is often recklessly optimistic, yet so frustrated with people who never seem to be able to do exactly the right thing in any situation, often refers to Ruby as his best friend, but the story doesn't necessarily make them bond enough for that to make sense. Unless the Doctor is just so dependent on those who travel with him, which has been a theme with so many Doctors, that he just talks about everyone as his best friend because he is so lonely and afraid of losing his empathy without them. Which is a good emotional core for a character and I think Ncuti really manages that well. There is sadness beneath the surface, and it shows in all his interactions.

The overall arc or mystery reveals itself to slowly, probably because the first half of the series is much weaker than the second. And it could be due to some restrictions from Disney who seem to want things to be colorful and fun, yet simple and easy. But also because we only get eight episodes to explore. There is some boldness going on with the increased diversity of characters, which annoys some, but even with the fresh air it brings to the series some of it seems a little too Disney-fied or maybe just stream-fied as it feels like it's trying to follow the 8 episode streaming formula.

The show manages to be the finest entertainment with these whimsical little journeys and Doctor Who is trying to get back on its feet - which takes such a long time, and yet it feels like the show is in a rush, because it has to cram so much stuff into 8 episodes. It's trying to push it's boundaries further and try to breathe fresh air into the story to get new audiences into the show. It is an eccentric yet sympathetic story, but despite the cool special effects and sets, the budget and the fun adventures and the likeable characters, I think the story lacks a bit of focus and depth at times.

I wish the overall mystery and all that was better structured, sharper, because the is a warmth and a heart there in the narrative – even if there are times, the humor is a little too silly for me but there were fart jokes in the first Davis Doctor Who era as well. Because when she show get's going it really is very good tv. But the unevenness and almost hesitation in the beginning makes the story lack an essence of suspense or danger for a bit. I had a good time, some of these episodes were great Whovian episodes and the series goes out with a bang and it's the most fun I have had in ages with Doctor Who, but my interest did not reach the same heights as in the old days.

[snugspheal]

I absolutely agree, but the problems with Belinda's arc started long before Reality War. As soon as she forgave him in Lux I knew they were too interested in making them "besties" to explore the toxicity. I mean, we had just had Ruby "no conflict with the Doctor" Sunday, after all

The Well was good as an early point in this relationship - Belinda is literally shot and has to be resuscitated, too in shock to blame the Doctor yet but you can see the fear settling in. And then they just... move on. In an 8 episode run the next just... doesn't have Belinda in it. Nothing ever builds on that moment from The Well

TS&TE separates them for half the episode, and even when Belinda hears how the Doctor treated Abena it's only a passing criticism - over halfway into their story and it's a huge step back from her stance in TRR

Then Interstellar Song Contest. Oh boy! She gets the first look at the real darkness at the core of the doctor and the first thing she says to him? "You're wonderful"???? You're bloody wonderful!? It's the precipice of the finale and you don't want to push the envelope any further than "you scare me sometimes"?! There was so much potential there and RTD just squandered it. And don't get me started on how the episode was written not knowing who Belinda is so she just sounds like a blank slate

Hell, the last time Belinda is Belinda is probably TS&TE because lord knows all of Wish World is only interested in giving us a brainwashed Belinda. One who is suddenly a mother and wife and has no agency in getting out of that situation despite what TRR shows us-

I'm just. I'm so tired

I thought doctor who was doing pretty well this season. It had several things that I actively loved. Midnight and lux and ruby sunday. I loved belinda and I loved the fugitive doctor showing up in "The story and the engine". And honestly that episode in general.

And I want people to know that. But that doesn't mean I'm blind to its flaws. Of which there are many. But what I'm about to rant about fills me with a very particular kind of disgust.

I really enjoyed the direction everything was going in. I loved belinda taking none of the doctors shit and just wanting to go home. I thought we were gonna get some commentary on some of the toxic dynamics between the doctor and his companions as well as the ultimate power dynamic that consistently falls into place. (Eg: the doctor basically having complete control over the companions comings and goings.) And I honestly thought "Toxic" was confirming that.

Then "reality war" happened and all my hopes and dreams fell flat. "Toxic" was just cheap nostalgia bait. The doctor got to expert total power over his companions lives by deciding what the 'correct' timeline was.

We even had a whole "I knew you would come arround" speech like it was inevitable that belinda would just come to her senses and realise that the Doctor was just a brilliant amazing person giving her the opportunity of a life time. LIKE ALL HER INITIAL NOs MEANT NOTHING.

... like she was just playing hard to get.

He actively rewrote belinda's entire history and decided NOT to tell her! Leaving her with a daughter she never wanted and should not of existed. While he ran away.

I don't wanna spell it out but theres some very particular subtext I'm reading here and it is disgusting