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allophonicmess · 5 months

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Time and Time again

Part 1

Fourteenth Doctor x reader and slight Fifteenth Doctor x Reader

Jealousy has been a familiar feeling in your life with the Doctor. It might be the most permanent feeling next to love and undying loyalty. A paradox, really.

The Doctor is struggling after the Bi-regeneration. It only seems logical for you to move on with the next version of him. So why do you stay?

Established relationship.

The reader is also a timelord

Mostly jealous 14th! Doctor and angst connected with it. Balanced out with fluff in part 2.

Jealousy has been a familiar feeling in your life with the Doctor. It might be the most permanent feeling next to love and undying loyalty. A paradox, really. But you have gotten used to it over the centuries and millennia the two of you have spent together. A lot of it could be attributed to the doctors shifting self-worth. It fluctuated with each face, often bordering on the extremes of self-loathing and arrogance.

So it came as no surprise that the pesky emotion flared up when this new, younger and magically charismatic incarnation approached you after the action had passed. The older face watched silently and with apprehension as the new Doctor approached you. Furrowed brows and a downcast look. He tried to play it cool, hands in the back pockets of his dark pants.

15 approached you slowly. You felt his warm, gentle aura even without looking at him. He gently took your hand, making you turn towards him with a soft pull.

There had only been time for a quick hello on the UNIT Landing Platform. And you longed to finally have a calm moment to get to know him. You were always excited to meet the new versions of your husband. They were all unique, perhaps even more than your own incarnations were.

"Hello darling" he whispered quietly, gaining your attention and stealing you away from a conversation you held with Shirley. You had been showing her around the Tardis console, explaining the gears and buttons that allowed you to work your time machine. You hardly fly it despite being a trained pilot.

"Hello, stranger", you joked, eyes wandering over his new face. His deep eyes, the soft slope of his nose, the glow of his skin and that small scar at his right brow.

You quickly realized that you were going to love that bright smile. It was distinct, different from the other versions of your husband, yet so very much him.

"Stranger? "I hope not." He grinned, hands slowly moving from your hands towards your arms. He held you gently, still unsure despite his charisma and showstopping entrance. He looked down at your hands, smiling softly at the wedding band on each ring finger. You persisted in keeping the old traditions alive, even if it was only for one generation. You were special that way. Persistent on tradition yet so open and ready for change.

"So you'll be off then? Can't stay put even for the holidays?" You replied awkwardly and toyed with the tie hanging loosely around his neck. It suited him. His unconventional outfit, his share after they divided themself and their belongings equally.

"I'm afraid not. You know me too well." He smiled softly, taking your teasing as an invitation to proceed and step closer. He loved your touch, just being close to you. But this was a very new situation, and he knew he needed to tread carefully, especially with his older self around.

"Besides, staying put is his job. I trust you to make sure that he does." He lazily points towards his past version. He looked over towards him briefly.

You laughed; the nervousness that had been present was slowly fading. It was a new situation for everyone, despite the number of times you had been in the presence of multiple incarnations of him.

You followed the new Doctor's gaze, giggling while you did so. Number 14 was mad; you knew it already, but that had to wait. You never understood his jealousy in the first place. How could he be jealous of himself and the love you share with all versions of him. Wasn't that something to be relieved over? The loyalty despite the timelords' ever-changing nature?

You let that thought fade to the back of your mind. This moment was precious. It would take some time to meet this version of him again. And there was no way to guarantee that you would still have this face for your next meeting. So you savoured the moment, gently pressing your forehead against his.

His face lit up even brighter, and joy-filled him. You accepted him in every way, each time in a new way.

He had grown since that moment.

He remembered it. Watch the new him holding you.

The old version quietly fretted and fumed over the gentle touch and soft whispers between you and this new version of him. And he remembered the process of healing. Finally realizing that it was going to be you and him. Over and over again, face after face, till the end of time.

"You realize that it's you, yeah? No need to get all possessive, spaceman." Donna watched her friend with amusement. He had been transfixed on the scene, eyes locked onto his supposed opponent, his fame stiff and unmoving.

He didn't react, not hearing or not caring at the moment. He loved her wit and adored her for it, but he couldn't appreciate it then. He let out a low hum. Letting her know that he had heard her, hoping it would be enough of an answer.

She chuckled, "you silly, silly man." shaking her head at his behavior. "daft, that's what you are." She tried to get his attention, to no avail. Shaun had been right not to be scared about leaving her alone with him. For multiple reasons, really.

After another moment of brooding silence, she decided they both had enough of it. She placed her hand on his arm. Gently pushing him to turn towards the new Tardis door. "Let's go. Let them have a bit of privacy." She regretted those words as soon as they passed her lips. The Doctor swallowed hard, quickly blinking away whatever vision just passed before his inner eye.

"Oh, come on! Stop it with that nonsense." She swatted at his arm, provoking a yelp from him. "Hey!-

The sudden noise pulled you and the Doctor out of your embrace.

He chuckled softly.

"Looks like I should hand you back over to that one."

You briefly looked over the other one before once again focusing on Timelord standing in front of you.

"Yeah, jealousy is something we'll have to work on. But it seemed to have worked, no?" You gently brushed your fingers along his jaw, trying to mesmerize his new face.

He seemed hopeful, a healed man. Ready to discover new stars and planets without the heavy baggage on his soul. You were very much looking forward to doing so with him. It was part of the duality that you two had to live with.

"I sure hope so. He has a long way ahead of him before we get to you, hm?" You looked into his eyes, marvelling at their deep dark colour. You loved the green ones of number 11, the pale blue of 12, and the chocolate brown of the last two versions. Each held their own beauty.

He just nodded his head gently, smiling softly at you. "But you were there. Every second of it. Always there." He looked at you with the purest love in his eyes. He tried to convey his gratitude. He had no idea how to express it in words. It was too big and overpowering to do so.

You couldn't hold yourself back any longer, gently pulling him forward to meet him in a soft kiss. It felt different: new lips, new teeth, a little clumsy, just like every other regeneration. You smiled into the kiss, enjoying the new sensation before pulling away softly. He was hesitant to let you go. He felt the pull towards you; holding you like this felt so very right.

You held each other quietly. His hands moved to your cheeks, cupping your face and smoothing his thumb over your cheek. He was going to do it very soon. He was excited to see you again.

14 held his breath, watching him kiss you. It hurt. Why? He couldn't fight it despite the logic behind it.

"Oh wow. Now it's really time to go. Come on!"

She hooked her arm under the Doctor's, effectively pulling him away from the view of the Tardis console where the new him and his wife shared their first kiss. She could already predict how grumpy he would be for the next few days. Stuck in his cycle of thoughts.

"Come, come, you'll see her later-"She tried to usher him away.

"No need!" 15 suddenly broke away from their wife. Only a hand remained at her waist, where he gently held her.

"I'm off. We'll see each other soon enough." He turned around to look at the Tardis console. "In 23 minutes, to be precise." He grinned at his other version, trying to ease the tension in the room.

"And you two-" He pointed at you and 14, "are in for the best roast you ever had. I swear!" He laughed, patting you on the back to gently move you towards the Tardis exit. You looked at him again, marvelling at him for a second before walking straight towards 14. You kissed him quickly on the cheek, turning his face to focus on you.

"Can't wait for that, ey?"

He was awestruck at your cheerful demeanour, the sudden shift between the soft, sentimental moment and the giddiness you displayed. There were just seconds between them.

You held his cheek, making him look at you for a moment. Effectively grounding him in reality and shaking off the dark thoughts. "Haven't had a good roast since that pub in Galway, 1840s."

He hummed in agreement. His expression softened, face relaxing further as he kept looking into your eyes. They stayed the same after each regeneration. Well, not in a physical sense. The colour and shape changed with each form, but that twinkle in them remained.

"We'll wait outside. You say bye-bye and safe travels. Can't have you leave off with bad energy in here. You know how long it takes to get that out. And it's bad luck." You giggled, swiftly placing your hands over both of his hearts in a gesture of love and trust. Your touch was gone just as soon as it was placed. You pushed yourself off and left the Tardis with Donna to let your husbands see each other off.

#doctor who x reader #the doctor x reader #fourteenth doctor #fifteenth doctor #x reader #reader insert #doctor who #timelord!reader

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st0rmyskies · 25 days

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Which Links can parallel park, and how do they all handle the witnesses? - Oddi 🍄

Time - Flawless execution nearly every time. Has scraped the rear wheel once or twice but doesn't let it ruffle him. Unphased by the presence of witnesses. His finely-honed RBF makes it such that nobody wants to watch him anyway.

Twilight - Our country boy can actually parallel park, believe it or not, although he biffs the curb seven times out of ten. He's actually better at it in his old rusted pick-up than he is in anything else (e.g. if he ever drives Legend's car). Witnesses make him a little nervous, so he might have to adjust an extra time or two, but he can do it.

Wild - N/A. You think that boy can drive? He can barely ride a bike. Hell sometimes he can't even walk in a straight line.

Champion - Drifts that motorcycle into the spot sideways and doesn't look back. When faced with a larger vehicle he might have difficulty, but the worst he's going to do is park too far from the curb rather than risk hitting something.

Legend - Although that beaten old Hondayota bears some battle scars here and there, Legend has spent so much time living out of his car that he can maneuver that thing in and out of a shoebox if he had to. One single back-in and he's done. Might flip off bystanders for sport.

Hyrule - Also N/A. Our little doctor doesn't have his license. If he did, he would be completely incapable of parallel parking in front of witnesses, and he would absolutely back in and out about eight times before giving up and looking for a parking garage.

Sky - You think he'd park his baby near other cars?? On purpose??? He'll park half a mile out of the way and WALK just so his car can be safe from others. And this boy hates his cardio.

Warriors - Also N/A, too gay to drive.

Four - Although it takes him a hair longer than the others, he can do it. It just takes a lot of mental calculus and proper positioning. He's NEVER dinged the curb, not even once, and the presence of witnesses couldn't phase him in the least.

Wind - Would hit the curb, the car in front of him, the car behind him, and nearly sideswipe the car passing him as he's adjusting for the fifteenth time. Only after he gets out would he realize there's a damn hydrant right there. The cursing and gesticulating would make him an interesting one to watch.

Dark - Pulls in forward, jumps up OVER the curb, and very likely leaves it like that. Still takes a moment to turn his mirror in properly although he's easily 6-8 inches further in than those parked near him.

Shadow - Parks around back, doesn't want anyone to know where he's at anyway.

#stormy asks #oddi asks #hsh #townhouse au

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fallofcyber · 7 months

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Each Doctor Represented by a Song On My Playlist:

(Some are just based on vibes, some are more in-depth)

First: Satellite - Will Paquin

Second: The Ruler of Everything - Tally Hall

Third: Abracadabra - The Steve Miller Band

Fourth: The Cult of Dionysus - The Orion Experience

Fifth: Blue Moon - Frank Sinatra

Sixth: Starman - David Bowie

Seventh: I'm Gonna Win - Rob Cantor

Eighth: Everything Goes Dark - The Hoosiers

War: The Humbling River - Puscifer

Ninth: On Melancholy Hill - Gorillaz

Tenth: Revolving Doors - Gorillaz

Eleventh: Can't Stop Me - ProleteR

Twelfth: Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand

(Alternatively: Beautiful and Weird - Peter Capaldi)

Thirteenth: We Fell In Love In October - girl in red

For Fun:

Fifteenth: I'm Just Ken - Ryan Gosling

Playlist:

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littlespacereader · 4 months

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I’m finally up to date with Doctor Who and I literally love the 15th Doctor and his vibe so much that I literally whipped this together in a day. I’m thinking of possibly making this a mini series like my Supernatural fic and just keep adding to it. Let me know what you think!! Please enjoy💞

The Cafe Caregiver ☕️🍼🍪

Caregiver!Fifteenth Doctor & GN Little!Reader (SFW)

Tags - regression refusal/acceptance, sippy cups, fluff, cybermen (at the end), cookies, the doctor has a thousand nicknames for you, he just finds you adorable, you wear his coat

Nicknames - darling, little one, sweetheart, munchkin, pumpkin, sweet one, love

Some people don’t understand that when it comes to a Little regressing, it isn’t always convenient or vise versa we want to regress but don’t have the time to do so.

I’m sadly the latter of the two options. I’ve spent the last four years in college, sometimes regressing at night after long tiring classes. Now right out of college I’ve been running from job to job, with little to no time to regress.

Regression, well, it started to become an afterthought. Not that I wanted it to, but life didn’t seem to be giving me an opportunity to pause and breathe enough to regress and relax.

Tonight was no different. I just finished another long and tiring work day at the office. Since I’m new I get the pleasure of staying super late, even after everyone else leaves. The life of an intern.

I was making my way down the building to head back to my flat. But I paused in the lobby, looking through the big tall windows at the pouring rain outside.

There was no rain in the forecast? How did I miss this? I mean I only have myself to blame. It’s London, of course it’s raining. And better yet, of course I don’t have a rain coat or umbrella or even a coat to help me stay warm.

So here I was, running like a wet dog down the side way, trying to catch the last bus to my apartment. I ran and I ran and I ran, as fast as my legs would take me down the dark sidewalk illuminated only by the street lamps.

My bus stop was in sight and better yet, my bus was parked right next to the sign. I waved my hands like crazy and yelled out to the bus to stay for just a second longer. But I watched as the bus took off.

I just froze and watched as my bus grew smaller and smaller into the distance. I stood, in the empty bus stop, in the pouring rain, with no jacket to keep me warm and no way home. I was completely in awe of the events.

I honestly wanted to cry. I just wanted to stomp my feet and start crying. But I couldn’t, not yet. I pushed my regression down for a moment. I need a place to gather my thoughts and figure out what I was going to do. But most importantly I needed to get out of the rain.

It was hard to see with the rain coming down as hard as it was. Plus it was late, most shops had turned in for the night.

Just as it felt as though all hope was lost, I spotted a tiny shop across the street with its lights still on. So checking both ways before crossing, I ran across the street and over to the cafe.

The door flung open with a little ding of the bell on top announcing my presence to everyone inside. That…being…no one. The cafe was shockingly empty. You would think it would be full of people like myself trying to escape the rain.

I wiped my feet as best as I could on the mat, I made my way over to the counter. I wrapped my arms infront of me, trying desperately to keep myself somewhat warm. But it was hard to when I was soaking wet and they had the ac on for some reason. Needless to say I started to shiver badly.

I stopped at the counter and looked around. There was no one to be seen. The place was empty. There was no one at the front and there was no noise of people working in the back. The place would’ve been silent if it wasn’t for the soft music playing from a radio on the counter.

There was a bell on the counter next to the register. Maybe they really didn’t know someone was at the front? Just when I went to hit the tiny bell…

Ding!

The bell to the front door dings as a man enters the cafe He paused at the door and takes in my soaked form. Then he said something that made my heart sink and my body freeze.

“Little one, what happened to you?” He asked so genuinely concerned.

I just stared back at I’m utter shock. No one in my life knows about my regression, no one. And here he was saying it so out in the open as if I had a name tag that said “Y/N, a Regressor”

“What?” I asked as my brain started to spiral out. Maybe I just heard him wrong. Maybe I was imagining things.

“Why are you soaking wet? You’re going to catch a cold! Here,” He pulled off his long tan leather coat and draped it across my shoulder. “This should keep you warm.”

He talked with such a gentle and caring tone. He spoke as if he had knew me for years. The coat felt so warm and cozy around my frozen figure. It was almost like a weighted heating blanket.

Finally I found the courage to talk out of my shock, “I didn’t know it was going to rain.” I said with a voice that sounded so small and vulnerable.

“Didn’t-Didn’t know it was going to rain? In London?” He chuckled. “Darling how long have you been here? It’s always going to rain in London. It’s hard to have a clear day here.”

“I…I didn’t remember to bring an umbrella.” I looked down as I tried to stop myself from crying. There was something about the man that just made me start to regress immediately, like the straw that broke the camels back. I felt like I couldn’t hold back anymore. Especially not after everything that’s happened up till this.

“Oh. Oh sweetheart it’s okay. It’s okay, you’re okay. Come here.” He held his arms out for me and I immediately went into them.

He wrapped me in a tight hug as I just cried into the man’s neck. He rubbed my back and rocked me as he whispered reassurance to me. “It’s okay darling. It’s okay. You’re safe, I promise.”

After letting all the terrible and sad emotions out, I lifted my head from his shoulder and looked back at the kind man. He smiled with a warm look of compassion and kindness. He caressed my cheek and wiped the tears away.

“I’m sorry,” I started to say.

“There’s no need to be.”

“I’ve…I’ve just had a horrible day. My job keeps me so late unnecessarily, I didn’t know it was going to rain so I’m soaked, my bus left me here and now I…I don’t know what to do.” I cried to him. I shook my head as more tears fell.

“You don’t need to worry any longer about any of that. We’re going to get you warmed up and back home safe in no time. Okay?” He smiled moving his hands from holding my face to holding my hands in his.

I nodded my head and squeezed his hands back. For having just met the Caregiver I felt an overwhelming feeling of safety with him.

“But for now I have to ask, it’s been a while since you’ve regressed hasn’t it?”

I nodded again, feeling almost ashamed at the admission.

He hummed in agreement, “You don’t need to worry anymore. I’m here to help make it all better Little one. You just regress and I’ll take care of everything else okay?”

Oh God how I wanted to scream yes, how I wanted to just start crying again because someone could see me for what I was, which is an overwhelmed Regressor.

But I settled for a nod again and a small smile.

But there was still some unanswered questions that stopped me for a moment. For example, “Wait,” I squeezed his hand again. “How did you know?”

“Know what darling?”

“That I’m a Regressor? How did you know?” I mean this guy literally just walked in, looked at me and immediately was like “Oh look a Regressor!”

“Where I’m from regression isn’t something so hidden or lesser known than you think. Truth be told I haven’t seen a Regressor like yourself in a long time. It was a refreshing change seeing you. I guess the Caregiver side of me couldn’t stop itself from helping. I’m sorry if I was a bit to forward.”

I shook my head, “No, don’t be. I think your just what I needed, especially after everything.”

He smiled, “Good, I’m honored to be.”

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“I’m the Doctor,” he smiled, “What’s your name sweet one?”

“I’m Y/N.”

“It’s lovely to meet you Y/N. Now, let’s get something warm in you. My coat is warm but it’s not enough to keep a cold away.”

With my hand in his, he lead me back to the abandoned counter of the cafe. “I think a nice cup of tea would be good for the both of us don’t you think?”

He stopped and looked around the quiet cafe. I chimed in, “I don’t think anyone’s here. When I arrived there was no one around and there still isn’t.”

“Strange… Did you ring the bell?” He points out.

I shook my head. “I was about to before I met you.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for interrupting you. Would you like to do the honors?” He gestures to the bell.

I couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. Of course my little self wanted to ring the hell out of that bell, so I did. I hit the bell once, no one came over. So I rang it about another 50 times. Still nothing.

I looked back at The Doctor confused and he looked at me just as confused. Just as he was about so say something a man appeared out of no where.

“Good evening,” the man said in a robotic tone, “How many I help you?”

The man looked human but there was something very off about him. He talked like a robot, he was emotionless and I don’t think he was even blinking. I stared at the guy as I tried to figure out what he was or if he was actually human.

“Hey,” The Doctor nudged me, “It’s rude to stare you know.”

“Is he even real?” I whispered to The Doctor.

“Of course he is! He’s standing infront of us isn’t he?” He pointed out, but it didn’t answer my questions.

But before I spoke up again, he began to order for us, “We’ll get two cups of tea, one in the cup and another in a sippy cup. I’ll take a croissant and they’ll take a chocolate chip cookie.”

I immediately pulled on his arm, “A sippy cup?!”

He looked at me with a raised eye brow, “Do you think you’re old enough to be holding a glass tea cup right now?”

I looked at him with a defiant look and he looked back at me with the same eye brow raise. But the problem is he was right and he knew and I knew it.

So instead of admitting he was right, I just started to blush and turn my head and body toward his shoulder.

I could hear the smirk in his voice, “That’s what I thought love.” He looked over at the robot…I mean the guy, “That will be it for us thanks.”

“Please have a seat. I will return with your items shortly.”

With that The Doctor led us over to a booth to sit in. Once seated I looked back over at the counter and the guy seemly disappeared again.

“Are you sure he’s not a robot?”

“What if he is? What would be the issue with a robot?”

“What is a robot doing working at a café in London?! And why does it look so lifelike?!” I asked as if it wasn’t obvious.

“Maybe he couldn’t find work on other planets?” He suggested.

That stopped me for a moment, “Other planets?”

“Here is your order sir,” the robot…I mean guy appeared out of thin air. It was so much of a surprise that I jumped a bit from the shock of it.

“Here we are,” The Doctor said taking all of our cups and plates from the tray, “Thank you very much.” He said paying the bill to the very real guy.

“Please let me know if you need anything else.” And with that the robot guy walked away.

“Strange,” I said more to myself than to anyone else.

Before I could even touch anything The Doctor waved this strange device over our food and drinks before looking at it. The device was blue and it made a weird noise.

“What’s that?” I asked with a tilt of my head.

“This is my sonic screwdriver. It can scan for dangerous things and can unlock plenty of other things.”

“Are…do you think the robot guy poisoned us?”

“No! No, the “robot guy” is just that, a robot guy who serves us tea. But with everything in life I like to keep a close and careful eye out for anything.” He explained.

“Like a certain someone trying to sneak a piece of cookie before they’ve had a drink of their tea.” The Doctor added with the raise of an eye brow.

I pulled my hands away from the cookie and blushed like crazy being caught in the act. I turned and picked up my sippy cup. The cup made me feel so Little. The cup, the way the Doctor was caring for me, it all seem to hit me like a train at that moment.

Here I was sitting at a public cafe with a sippy cup in hand and being taken care of by a Caregiver. It was enough to really have me sink into my headspace.

Soon regression started to sink around me like nice warm weighted blanket. I leaned back in the booth and started to drink the nice warm tea from the sippy cup.

The Doctor sat across from me with a smirk on his face as he sipped his own tea. “See,” he said putting his cup down, “You have nothing to worry about. Just let me take care of everything for you munchkin while you take the time you need to regress okay?”

I nodded, still not letting the sippy cup fall from my lips. The tea was amazing and just what I needed to warm me up.

The Doctor leaned forward and started to break apart my cookie into smaller easier pieces to eat. Once finished the two of us started to dig in. I ate the small pieces of my cookie while he ate his croissant.

Soon the two of us were finished. It was getting late, and between that and the nice warm cup of tea and jacket I was slowly starting to nod off at the table. Something that didn’t miss The Doctor’s careful attention.

“I think it’s about time we get you back home and in bed. Don’t you think?” The Doctor smirked.

I nodded, taking the empty sippy cup and putting it back on the table. The Doctor and I stood up from the booth, but right away he could see I wasn’t too strong on my feet. So he decided to lend a hand.

“Is it okay if I pick you up pumpkin?” He politely asked.

I nodded right away, too tired to want to walk back to my flat anyway.

The Doctor lifted me up and onto his hip with ease. “There we go,” I heard him say as I started to relax against him.

He turned to the interesting robot guy, “We’re all set here. Thank you again. Cheers.” And with that he walked us out of the café.

The robot guy continued to watch as we left.

~~~

Thankfully the rain had stopped. The Doctor walked down the deserted sidewalk with me in his arms half asleep. “Now, where do you live?”

I mustered all the energy I could and lifted my head up to tell him the address. Once I did I looked up and over The Doctor’s shoulder to see the café worker. I jumped in The Doctor’s arms which soon got his attention too.

He turned around and witnessed the man. We were a bit away from the cafe now thankfully. With his hair pulled back we could see there was something attached to his face. Something silver with blue lights.

“Doctor?” I asked as anxiety gripped me. I held onto him a little tighter.

“We’re…we’re going to have to make a little detour to your flat Y/N.” He said in a voice that was doing a poor job of covering up worry.

“Hold onto me tightly.” He instructed before he took off down an alley way running. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my head against his shoulder.

“What’s going on?” I asked in a trembling voice.

“It seems our cafe friend seems to be working for an old enemy of mine called the Cybermen.”

“Cybermen? Who are the Cybermen?”

“Something we don’t want to meet and something too scary for someone as young as you right now. But there’s no need to worry. I promised to take care of you and I never break my promises.”

He continued to run from one alley way to another. In the distance I could hear mental feet marching toward us.

“Where are we going?”

“Well I can’t bring you back to your home with the Cyberman following us. But that just means I’ll have to bring you to my home.”

“Your home?”

I lifted my head up and looked ahead of us. There was nothing there. The alleyway was empty except for an old blue police telephone box at the end of it.

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pers-books · 9 months

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The shooting of the new ‘Doctor Who’ spin-off has reportedly begun, most likely in the United Kingdom, the principal location of the series. Denise Welch, who is known for playing Natalie Barnes/Horrocks in ‘Coronation Street’ and Steph Haydock in ‘Waterloo Road,’ was spotted filming the series recently. The production of the original series’ fourteenth season recently wrapped and the fifteenth season’s shooting is slated to begin in December in Cardiff.

The spin-off series revolves around the UNIT, a military organization operating under the United Nations to investigate and combat paranormal and extraterrestrial threats to Earth. UNIT has featured significantly in the original series for the past 50 years. The spin-off will follow UNIT leader Kate Stewart. Jemma Redgrave appears as Stewart in around ten episodes of the original series. Redgrave will be appearing in the series after portraying Stewart in the ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas special later this year, starring alongside the new Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa (‘Sex Education’).

The new spin-off will be a part of an expanded “Whoniverse,” which was born after Disney+ struck a significant international distribution deal with BBC. ‘Doctor Who’ showrunner and executive producer Russell T. Davies revealed that the show is only one of the several spin-offs that will form the “Whoniverse.” “[…] it was time for the next stage for Doctor Who. I thought the streaming platforms are ready, the spin-offs are ready; I always believed in spin-offs,” Davies told British GQ about expanding the ‘Doctor Who’ universe with new shows set in the same.

Redgrave is best known for playing Evie Wilcox in ‘Howards End,’ alongside Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, Lady DeCourcy in Kate Beckinsale and Chloë Sevigny-starrer ‘Love & Friendship,’ MI6 Agent Emily Tuthill in ‘The Grid,’ Rebecca Edmonds in Craig Ferguson’s ‘I’ll Be There,’ etc. Her recent credits include DI Jill Raymond in ‘Silent Witness,’ Amelia Gurney-Clifford/Davenport in ‘Grantchester,’ Bernie Wolfe in ‘Holby City,’ etc.

Welch’s recent credits, on the other hand, includes Angela in ‘Dead Canny,’ Trish Minniver in ‘Hollyoaks,’ Doll Belvedere in ‘Dun Breedin’,’ Linda Bradshaw/Pam McGrath in ‘Holby City,’ etc. BBC has not announced other cast members of the spin-off series yet, which can be expected in the upcoming months.

Along with BBC Studios, Sony-backed Bad Wolf, the production company behind ‘His Dark Materials,’ ‘A Discovery of Witches,’ and ‘Industry,’ is expected to be involved in the production of the series. Bad Wolf has been co-producing ‘Doctor Wolf’ since the fourteenth season of the show.

#TV: UNIT #Doctor Who #Jemma Redgrave #Kate Stewart #News and Speculation

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leikeliscomet · 25 days

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No, Ncuti Gatwa's Casting Isn't Regressive

Chapter 3 - Dancing Queen/Conclusion

‘I’ve experienced racism my whole life, and while I always believed in myself, always knew [racists] were stupid and uneducated, I guess it did misinform my view of how the world works. It makes you think everyone has that opinion and you’ll constantly have to fight through life – then you learn that you don’t: you can find a tribe, you can find your people.’ - Ncuti Gatwa for Elle

So with the treatment of Who’s Black men and the neglect of Black women in its representations of womanhood, consider the Fifteenth Doctor. A dark-skinned Black queer man, wearing a kilt and a bold smile, spinning to his heart’s content on the dancefloor. This is an image of Blackness, an image of queerness and an image of manhood and masculinity the show has never seen before. Gatwa is fully aware of this and has gone in depth in his interviews. He’s also addressed his Rwandan heritage and his family fleeing genocide against the Tutsi. Gatwa knows the feeling of being an outsider, heavily mirroring the revelation of the Timeless Child. Black Britishness is already a form of representation mainstream British media has only recently acknowledged and in this case, Black Scottishness is taking the forefront. Despite being a British cultural stape, Doctor Who’s been shy about representing Black Britishness specifically. We’ve had three Black companions, but little references to the culture (minus Ryan’s mention of grime music in Arachnids). We know Yaz is Pakistani. But is Ryan African? If yes, is he Nigerian, Ghanaian etc.? Is Ryan West Indian? If so, is he Trini, Bajan etc.? Is he both? What was Martha and Bill’s heritage? Many Black people in the British Isles are 2nd and 3rd gen immigrants, some of us are African, some are West Indian and some of us are both. Black British identity is complex as it is a melting pot of different African and West Indian cultures blended to create something new. Gatwa’s Black Scottishness provides this insight to Fifteen. Gatwa’s Rwandan heritage is included in Fifteen’s sonic too, with Gallifreyan symbols translating the phrase ‘the sharpness of the tongue always defeats the sharpness of the warrior’. Other Black cultural references have appeared for Fifteen too, with Gatwa noting his wardrobe is inspired by Black American HBCU fits. Even though it isn’t yet confirmed (and unlikely for series 14/season 1 seeing as there are no Black writers… yay!), Gatwa has shown interest in a Nigerian historical stating he’d love for the Doctor to meet the Orishas, goddesses of West African folklore. Again, with many different Black cultures not only is this an opportunity for representation but also new stories, new locations and new concepts the show has yet to discover. To fit in so many spaces but none at all is a perfect summary of the Black British experience and other Black experiences in Western countries.

“We choose our families. And the Doctor is a lonely wanderer, looking for their next adventure … I know many a gay man, MANY a gay man, I could describe that way!” - Ncuti Gatwa for the Guardian

Queer Black manhood and masculinity is rich and diverse and with this new era, we could see the tip of its iceberg. There have already been representations of this before in media such as Moonlight and Noah’s Arc so for a mainstream British show like Doctor Who to feature a queer Black man as the lead, we have the opportunity to show something special. With Nine and Jack’s kiss and Fourteen’s cosign of Isaac Newton already showing this potential, we could see a canon longer term mlm pairing involving the Doctor for the first time. And not only that but with a Black doctor for the first time. A queer Black man showing love and being loved is a reminder for queer Black people that universe-defying romance includes us too and that our DoctorRiver or TenRose moments can exist.

There is so much to look forward to in this new era and even more potential for the type of representation it can bring. So with that in mind, I hope the greater fandom at large can see this and that newer fans will get to experience that same joy we did when we first fell in love with this show.

‘This person survived a genocide. This person fits in everywhere and nowhere. I am the Doctor. The Doctor is me. I decided that I had to get this role’ - Ncuti Gatwa for Rolling Stone

<- Chapter 2

#fifteenth doctor #15th doctor #ncuti gatwa #doctor who #nuwho #new who #black representation #doctor who analysis #fandom analysis #doctor who fandom #fandom antiblackness #fandom racism #fandom history

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denimbex1986 · 5 months

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'You might expect a season finale to be shrouded in secrecy, with plot points and even the full cast list concealed so as to not to spoil viewers' enjoyment of the climax, but in fact it's the middle instalment of Doctor Who's "mini-season" of 60th anniversary specials that's proving to be the most mysterious.

Even before it aired on Saturday (25th November), we were familiar with the broad strokes of opening episode The Star Beast – an adaptation of the 1980 comic strip of the same name, featuring the cute but not so cuddly Beep the Meep, and reuniting the Doctor (David Tennant) with former companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate).

We've also seen a fair amount come out around the trilogy closer, The Giggle – it'll feature the return of the villainous Toymaker, last seen on television way back in 1966 and now played by Emmy-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris.

Though not officially announced, trailer footage and interview teases have also pointed to appearances from UNIT, their leader Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) and their scientist advisor Shirley Anne Bingham (Ruth Madeley).

But we know next to nothing about episode two, Wild Blue Yonder, which airs this Saturday (2nd December) – showrunner Russell T Davies has called it "weird" and "scary", but the brief plot synopsis that's been released is impressively vague: "The TARDIS takes the Doctor and Donna to the furthest edge of adventure. To escape, they must face the most desperate fight of their lives, with the fate of the universe at stake."

Besides Tennant and Tate, only one additional cast member has been confirmed – Susan Twist, who'll play a character named "Mrs Merridew".

The key art for the episode (see above) suggests the inclusion of a robot, though it's unclear whether it'll be friend and foe.

The trailer released shortly after broadcast of The Star Beast, meanwhile, also seems to delight in keeping things ambiguous, revealing only that the Doctor and Donna have landed in a mysterious space-age location, where they encounter "life signs" and are menaced by an unseen threat...

Doctor Who fans, of course, abhor a vacuum, so the lack of information about Wild Blue Yonder has sparked rampant speculation. Why the secrecy? What's being hidden?

Fan theories have included suggestions that the episode is set entirely within a TARDIS – with the Doctor's ship landing inside another time/space machine – or that all this cloak and dagger is concealing a huge surprise return, with names put forth including Carole Ann Ford as the Doctor's granddaughter Susan and Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor.

There's also a school of thought that the episode will feature an early appearance from Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor, and even Millie Gibson's new companion Ruby Sunday.

We know for a fact that the events of Flux, the Doctor Who series arc aired in 2021, will be dealt with "very slightly" in the episode, which has led fans to guess at everything from some involvement from The Division to a story set during "the Dark Times" (an age of chaos and monsters that predated the Doctor's reality).

To be clear, all of this is just guesswork at this point. In fact, Tom Kingsley, director on Wild Blue Yonder, has sought to play down the rumours while acknowledging that the plot is "a TOTAL SECRET".

Describing the episode as "weird and exciting", he added: "Fan PSA: the story of Wild Blue Yonder isn’t a secret because there are any surprise returning actors or villains. It’s just because we thought you might find it fun to watch it without knowing what’s going to happen next. Promise!"

Couldn't that rationale apply to any other episode, though? Adventures that weren't/aren't being kept under wraps to the same degree?

Perhaps the biggest clue we have to latch on to comes via David Tennant. Speaking to Total TV Guide, he said: "The second script is unlike any Doctor Who I’ve ever seen.

"I don’t want to give too much away, but I was always aware of the casting that was going to be part of the episode. That was something that Russell was very specific about. I just didn’t imagine it would… manifest itself in the way that it does..."

Could this piece of casting be the cause of all the covertness? If we take director Kingsley at his word that Tennant and Tate will be the only series veterans appearing, then perhaps it's not a returnee we should be expecting but some other familiar face – a big name actor whose casting is yet to be announced? Or just a particular type of performer?

Clearly, whoever it is, or whoever they are, said casting has a significant impact on the plot...

"I love humans," the Eighth Doctor once commented. "Always seeing patterns in things that aren't there," - it does feel, however, as though something is definitely afoot here.

Just three days to wait until the exact nature of that secret is revealed...'

#Doctor Who #60th Anniversary #Wild Blue Yonder #David Tennant #Catherine Tate #Donna Noble #The Star Beast #Beep The Meep #Miriam Margolyes #The Toymaker #Neil Patrick Harris #Tom Kingsley #Susan Twist #Mrs. Merridew #Russell T. Davies

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grandmaster-anne · 1 year

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Gyles Brandreth's Exclusive Extract Part 1

The Mail Plus | Published 25 November 2022

SATURDAY and Sunday, September 3 and 4. It is the weekend before the Queen’s death. The Right Reverend Dr Iain Greenshields — who is staying with her at Balmoral — finds her ‘in fantastic form’.

He has dinner with her on Saturday evening, gives the sermon at Braemar and Crathie Parish Church on Sunday morning, then has lunch with her on Sunday afternoon. They talk about the Queen’s childhood, her horses, church affairs (she is ‘well up to speed’) and her sadness at what is happening in Ukraine.

This is quite typical. The Queen is good at living in the present but often draws on her memories of the past, grateful for the lessons it has taught her.

‘She was so alive and so engaging,’ recalled Dr Greenshields later.

Tuesday, September 6. Clive Cox, one of Her Majesty’s favourite racehorse trainers, gets a call from the Queen at 10 am. She wants to chat to him about the prospects for her two-year-old, Love Affairs, who is running in the two o’clock at Goodwood.

‘We talked about the filly,’ he said, ‘how the race might pan out, how another horse of hers was doing in my stable, and about a couple of other things. She was sharp as a tack.’

It is a busy day. Not only does the Queen present her outgoing Communications Secretary with an honour, but she also spends time with her fourteenth and fifteenth prime ministers.

Boris Johnson said: ‘She could not have been kinder, more sympathetic or personally encouraging.’ Moreover, she was full of ‘characteristic humour and wisdom’.

Wednesday September 7. Every newspaper is carrying pictures of the Queen at Balmoral yesterday. She appears old, yes — she is 96 — and frail. There is a dark bruise mark on the back of her right hand but she looks alert and very much alive.

She is smiling, looking over the tops of her spectacles at the camera. There is a definite, mischievous twinkle in her eye.

For other royals, today is business as usual. Prince Charles spends the day doing good works in Lanarkshire. Tonight, he is hosting a dinner at Dumfries House in Ayrshire.

Edward and Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, are at events across Lancashire. Princess Anne is visiting the Isle of Skye and the Isle of Ramsay.

By late afternoon, however, rumour is rife. I have a call from my son-in-law (a former Coldstream Guards officer) to say that he is at the Cavalry and Guards Club in Piccadilly, where groups are gathering to discuss the detail of Operation London Bridge — the codename for the action-plan that comes into being the moment the sovereign dies. What has happened? Has she had a fall? Has she had a stroke?

Thursday September 8. Rumour had swirled all morning. At 12:32 p.m. Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying the Queen’s doctors were concerned for her health and, though she was ‘comfortable’, recommended she remain under medical supervision while family members were informed. The Queen’s helicopter left Windsor Castle at 6:48 a.m. to collect Prince Charles from Dumfries House where he had spent the night. He reached Balmoral at 10:27 a.m. Camilla had spent the night at Birkhall on the Balmoral Estate and was driven by car to join him.

Charles leaving Dumfries house to rush to the Queen's bedside

The Princess Royal was already there — at her mother’s side to the end. Andrew and Edward, the Queen’s younger sons, and Sophie, Edward’s wife, and Prince William and Prince Harry were reported to be on their way.

There was confusion about whether or not Harry’s wife, Meghan, would go up to Scotland with him. When it became clear that Catherine was not going because she would be collecting her children from school, it emerged that Meghan was not going, either.

Andrew, Edward and Sophie, and Prince William arrived at Aberdeen airport in an RAF executive jet at 3:50 p.m. and William drove the four of them to Balmoral, 45 miles away. They arrived at 5:06 p.m. Queen Eli

The formal announcement of her death came from Buckingham Palace at 6:30 p.m. while Prince Harry was still in the air. His flight from Luton airport to Aberdeen was delayed. He was the last of the family to arrive at Balmoral, and the first to leave. Travelling to a BBC studio in London in the early evening, I saw a double rainbow in the sky above Buckingham Palace.

And I found out from a friend in the racing world that the Queen’s horse, Love Affairs, comfortably won the two o’clock at Goodwood on Tuesday: ‘led field centre, made all, ridden and stayed on gamely final furlong, unchallenged’.

The truth is that Her Majesty always knew that her remaining time was limited. She accepted this with all the grace you’d expect.

‘Her faith was everything to her. She told me she had no regrets,’ said Dr Greenshields, referring to the last weekend he spent with her at Balmoral.

I had heard that the Queen had a form of myeloma — bone marrow cancer — which would explain her tiredness and weight loss and those ‘mobility issues’ we were often told about during the last year or so of her life. The most common symptom of myeloma is bone pain, especially in the pelvis and lower back, and multiple myeloma is a disease that often affects the elderly.

Currently, there is no known cure, but treatment — including medicines to help regulate the immune system and drugs that help prevent the weakening of the bones — can reduce the severity of its symptoms and extend the patient’s survival by months or two to three years.

Was the Queen given steroids to help get her through that important final day of duty two weeks ago? Was that bruise on the back of her hand that we saw in the photographs of her with Liz Truss the mark left by an intravenous cannula? Or was it simply the kind of accidental bruise that comes with old age?

All I do know is that ‘cause of death’ on her death certificate will be given simply as ‘old age’ — just as it was for the Duke of Edinburgh last year.

‘Old age’ is a quite commonly listed cause of death when a patient is over 80 and their doctor has cared for them over time and seen their gradual decline.

(When the Queen’s death was registered on 16 September my prediction proved accurate. The death was certified by Dr Douglas James Allan Glass, a local GP and official apothecary to the Queen who had been looking after her in Scotland for more than 30 years and who was with her when she died. Dr Glass said: ‘We have been concerned about the Queen’s health for several months. It was expected and we were quite aware of what was going to happen.’)

When Prince Philip retired in 2019, the Queen very deliberately left him to it. She carried on with her royal duties at Buckingham Palace or at Windsor Castle while he lived out his days at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate.

They would speak regularly on the phone, but weeks could go by without them seeing one another. That shocked some people, though not those who appreciated how well the Queen understood her husband — understood his wish to be left to his own devices, ‘not to be fussed over’, to be allowed, after more than 70 years of duty, to see out his days in his own way.

When the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world in 2020, however, Prince Philip decided to spend ‘lockdown’ with the Queen, and a small retinue of staff, at Windsor Castle.

And when lockdown was lifted, Philip and Elizabeth, having spent more time close together than they had done in years, decided it rather suited them. They left Windsor together and travelled up to Balmoral together for their traditional summer break.

When that was over, they went back to Sandringham — but not to the big house. Instead, together they went to live at Wood Farm, Philip’s bolthole, the un-grand, unpretentious place he regarded as his home on the estate.

It’s where he wanted to end his days, and the Queen wanted to be with him to the end. But on February 16, 2021, the Duke was admitted to hospital in London as a precautionary measure after feeling unwell.

On March 3, he underwent a successful procedure for an existing heart condition. He was discharged 13 days later and returned to Windsor Castle.

Three weeks later, his death was announced at noon, April 9, with the release of a statement saying he had ‘died peacefully’ that morning at Windsor Castle.

His daughter-in-law, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, described his death as ‘so gentle. It was just like somebody took him by the hand and off he went’.

The Queen was reported to have been at her husband’s bedside when he died on the morning of April 9, 2021. In fact, I don’t believe she was.

The Duke of Edinburgh had been in a hospital bed, set up in his dressing room at Windsor Castle. That morning, he went to the bathroom, helped by a nurse.

When he came back, he said he felt a little faint and wanted help getting back into bed. The nurse called the Duke’s valet and the Queen’s page, Paul Whybrew, for help — and he died before the Queen could be called.

The Queen wasn’t yet up. And she wasn’t called until after a doctor had come and pronounced the Duke dead.

He was being laid out when the Prince of Wales arrived. Charles waited and had a cup of tea, but went away without seeing his father.

Prince Edward did see him and then, gradually, the rest of the family began to arrive. As they tried to comfort the Queen, the Queen was comforting them.

It helped that Elizabeth was accustomed to her own company. Even when her husband was alive, she had so often spent evenings on her own.

Immediately after Prince Philip’s funeral, she returned to her apartment in Windsor Castle in silence.

‘I helped her off with her coat and hat,’ her dresser, Angela Kelly, remembered, ‘and no words were spoken. The Queen then walked to her sitting room, closed the door behind her, and she was alone with her thoughts.’ When Prince Albert died, Queen Victoria retreated from the world. When Prince Philip died, Queen Elizabeth II went towards it.

She knew it was her Christian duty to carry on as best as she could. ‘There is no magic formula that will transform sorrow into happiness,’ she said, ‘but being busy helps.’

In the immediate aftermath of Prince Philip’s death, Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, the cheery Master of the Household, told me: ‘My principal duty with HM has been to keep her spirits up — so I’ve been watching Line of Duty with her . . . I’m “the Explainer”! It’s very funny.’

The 95-year-old widow of Windsor laughed as she struggled to understand the convoluted plotting and sometimes incomprehensible dialogue in the popular ‘police procedural’ television series.

She enjoyed watching television, she told me: ‘It keeps me in touch — when I can understand what’s being said. There’s an awful lot of mumbling on television now. It’s not my hearing. They just don’t seem to speak as clearly as they used to do.’

Her grieving was private, but in public the Queen was determined to carry on as normal. ‘Life goes on,’ she said. ‘It has to.’

That first summer after Philip’s death, she chose to dress — as she herself put it — ‘as cheerfully as possible.’ With the help of Angela Kelly, she opted for yellow and pink and powder blue, in summery dresses with pretty floral designs.

Her closeness to Kelly, the daughter of a Liverpool dockworker, did not always go down well; the ladies-in-waiting found her a nuisance at times. The dresser was from a quite different background to theirs, and irritated some at court with her no-nonsense Northern manner, her easy access to the Queen and her effortless familiarity with her.

They particularly resented the way Kelly felt able to step out of line to adjust the Queen’s clothes or drop a word in her ear at what they considered to be inappropriate moments. But they could do nothing about it because the Queen regarded Kelly as one of her true friends.

She was dazzling in green when she opened the Scottish Parliament on October 2, 2021. A few days later, all in pink this time, she opened the Welsh Senedd in Cardiff.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were also on parade for both visits. ‘We weren’t required,’ the Duchess said to me soon afterwards, laughing. ‘We were there to help out if necessary. It wasn’t necessary. The Queen did it all. She wanted to. She’s unstoppable.’

For six months following Prince Philip’s death, the Queen did so much, so purposefully and with such a determination not to give way to any form of self-pity (which, she said, ‘My husband would certainly not have approved of’), that she probably did too much.

In the autumn of 2021, she had a sudden ‘energy low’. She felt exhausted. Her doctors ordered her to ‘rest a bit, not to push herself so much, to take it easy.’

She had planned to attend ‘COP’, the climate change conference in Glasgow, in person on November 1 but, in the event, had to record a video message instead.

She had also hoped to attend the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall and the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph — fixtures in her calendar — but was persuaded not to. ‘I’ve got to be sensible,’ she said. Until then, her energy had been little short of astonishing. Over her final decade, she’d not only continued her work as monarch but actively engaged with modern life.

She had her own mobile phone, and obliging grandchildren ready to show her how it worked. She understood ‘texting’ though was rather defeated by ‘apps’. And she did not allow her grandchildren to bring their ‘devices’ to the dining table, under any circumstances.

Believe it or not, I think I once heard Her Majesty refer to the lavatory as ‘the toilet’ — in a concession to the vocabulary of the younger generation.

She had loved the early James Bond films — ‘before they got so loud’, she said.

And it was thanks to Bond that she famously made a truly dramatic entrance when the 2012 Olympics were staged in London, in a filmed sketch with Daniel Craig. Craig was seen running up the red-carpeted stairs at Buckingham Palace, meeting two of the royal corgis, being greeted by the Queen’s page and ushered into the royal presence.

It was the Queen’s own idea to keep Bond waiting a moment as she signed off a letter, before turning around to say: ‘Good evening, Mr Bond.’

Her line delivered, the Queen, accompanied by Bond and her page and her corgis, walked with purpose to the waiting helicopter that transported her past the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square (Churchill looked up and gave Her Majesty a wave —she especially liked that touch), along the course of the river Thames, to the Olympic park in East London.

‘She was a natural,’ said Daniel Craig. ‘I was definitely more nervous than she was.’

Lord Janvrin, the Queen’s former private secretary, told me he was sure the Queen wouldn’t have done the stunt during the Queen Mother’s lifetime. ‘Why?’ I asked him.

‘Simply because she would have felt her mother wouldn’t have approved — that it would have been a bit undignified.

The Queen became less inhibited in several ways after her mother’s death [in 2002], less constrained, more relaxed.’

There was a different Bond connection when it came to the Queen’s next dramatic outing. In 2022, for the Platinum Jubilee long weekend of celebrations marking her 70 years on the throne, the Queen played herself in a delightful sketch with Paddington Bear, the creation of author Michael Bond.

In the scene, Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) is taking tea with Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace and offers her one of his marmalade sandwiches — which it turns out the Queen doesn’t need because she already has her own marmalade sandwich, hidden in her handbag.

This time, much more in terms of acting was asked of the Queen than had been at the time of the Olympics — and she delivered in full measure. I happened to be working with Britain’s most honoured film and stage actress at the time, Dame Judi Dench, and she said to me the day after she had seen it, ‘Wasn’t she good? I mean, really, really good.

‘Her timing was perfect. Every look, every line was just right. It was completely on the money — none of it over-stated. Just wonderful.’

She added, laughing: ‘I’m quite worried. She’s going to be offered all my work now.’

What did the Queen make of it? ‘Great fun,’ she said. She marvelled that such a large crew had appeared at the palace to film such a short sequence, and she was truly amazed that word of it didn’t leak out before the day of transmission.

‘Everyone kept the secret,’ she said, delighted. ‘That was lovely.’

IN ROYAL circles the Duke of York is now someone — like Harry and Meghan —whom it’s better not to talk about.

There is no doubt, however, that the Queen loved her second son to the last. When she died, each of her children published a personal statement about her. Part of Prince Andrew’s read: ‘Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, your confidence I will treasure forever. I have found your knowledge and wisdom infinite, with no boundary or containment.

‘I will miss your insights, advice and humour. As our book of experiences closes, another opens, and I will forever hold you close to my heart with my deepest love and gratitude, and I will tread gladly into the next with you as my guide.’

Some of the turns of phrase could have been written by his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, who still shares a home with the prince, but the part of the message he very much wanted the rest of us to take note of was where he spoke of the ‘confidence’ the Queen had shown in him.

Prince Andrew stepped down from public life in 2019 over his friendship with the ‘billionaire paedophile’ Jeffrey Epstein. He was stripped of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and obliged to give up his HRH style in public. But his mother stood by him. She loved her boy. She retained her ‘confidence’ in him.

That said, there had been a cloud hanging over his reputation, and the Queen was a realist. She essentially fired her own son. A senior courtier said to me, ‘There was a lot of nonsense talked about no one being at the helm, but the Queen took a firm grip of things. To use the military jargon, there was only a few days between flash and bang. Action was called for and the Queen took it.’

The day after firing Andrew, however, she showed us how much she loved him by taking him riding with her through Windsor Great Park in the rain and ensuring that there were photographers on hand to capture the shot. She was also glad to have him at her side as she travelled to her husband’s memorial service.

The rest of the Royal Family was less happy to see Prince Andrew taking centre stage — not because of any personal hostility, but because they feared the pictures of him side by side with Her Majesty would dominate press coverage of the memorial service. And so it proved.The Duke of York, of course, told his mother the whole story of his long relationship with Epstein, all the ins and outs of it, and the details of the accusations made against him.

The first time he gave her the full account of the whole sorry saga, she listened carefully. Then the Queen, who never said more than was necessary, responded with just one word: ‘Intriguing.’

I chair ‘The Oldie of the Year Awards’ where we honour people of a certain age who still have what might be described as ‘snap in their celery’. So last year, post the pandemic lockdown, I wrote to the Queen’s private secretary to ask whether Her Majesty might consider accepting the Oldie of the Year Award.

A witty reply was sent to me from Balmoral Castle on August 21, 2021: ‘Her Majesty believes you are only as old as you feel. As such The Queen does not believe she meets the relevant criteria to be able to accept and hopes you will find a more worthy recipient.

‘This message comes to you with Her Majesty’s warmest best wishes.’

After the birth of Prince Andrew, the Queen — according to one of her ladies-in-waiting — suffered ‘post-natal side effects’ because the baby had been born using the now-discredited method of ‘twilight sleep’.

‘Dammerschlaf’ was a form of childbirth pioneered in Germany in the early twentieth century in which the adminstration of drugs (morphine and scopolamine) puts the patient into an amnesic state during labour. The mother remains semi-conscious but apparently pain-free and has no subsequent recollection of the experience. The baby is delivered by forceps.

In fact, Charles and Anne were also delivered via the ‘twilight sleep’ method — and Prince Edward’s was the first birth not to involve it. The difficult aftermath of Andrew’s birth may possibly have put the Queen off that delivery method for good.

2ND EXTRACT

#Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait by Gyles Brandreth #this was so hard to read #my heart 😭😭😭😭#queen elizabeth ii #biography

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truebluewhocanoe · 8 months

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The Doctor Who FFXIV Glamour Collection - Masterpost + Commentary

Alright, here it is. I’ve teased it, I’ve talked about it, and now you’re getting it: the Doctor Who glamour collection. In case you didn’t know, two of my most persistent hyperfixations are Doctor Who and Final Fantasy XIV. Heck, I even wrote a crossover between them. Then, I made a meme post assigning a job (in-game class) to each Doctor. Which of course, planted an idea in my head: why not make an outfit for each of those jobs I assigned, each based on the corresponding Doctor? And thus the Doctor Who glamour collection was born.

Note that while the outfit is based on the respective Doctor, changing your character’s design/race/gender (beyond switching haircuts and minor stuff) costs real-life money, so you’re stuck with my Au Ra gal as the model. I did make an effort to at least have a matching hair color, though. (With occasional highlights for spice.)

I’ve made each outfit its own post (mainly because tumblr image cap), and will be linking them from here, the “masterpost” (which will actually come out last.)

First Doctor - Scholar

Second Doctor - Bard

Third Doctor - Monk

Fourth Doctor - Dancer

Fifth Doctor - Paladin

Sixth Doctor - Red Mage

Seventh Doctor - Black Mage

Eighth Doctor - Dragoon

War Doctor - Dark Knight

Ninth Doctor - Astrologian

Tenth Doctor - Gunbreaker

Eleventh Doctor - White Mage

Twelfth Doctor - Sage

Thirteenth Doctor - Summoner

If you just want to see the pretty pictures, click on those links! Everything below here will just be explanations and details.

A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into acquiring the gear for each set, leveling each job to a high enough level to use said gear (can’t glamour a higher level gear’s appearance onto a lower level gear), and of course, taking the pictures. Taking the pictures was difficult for several reasons, but the major lynchpin was the fact that I used external tools (aka mods, which are kind of a no-no) to give an era-appropriate look for some of the shots of each Doctor. Hopefully it comes off well!

Oh, and if you’re curious: the most expensive single gear pieces were War and 9’s chest pieces. Damn modern-looking gear is always pricey! I dropped a lot of money at the Aesthetician to change haircuts, too.

The specific setup for the eras was as followed:

1st/2nd: Monochrome, RetroCRT, Film Grain, sometimes Cathode

3rd/4th: VHS_RA (chroma blur at 20), Colourfulness, LumaSharpen, Radiant GI

5th/6th/7th: VHA_RA (chroma blur at 10) Colourfulness, LumaSharpen, Radiant GI, Film Grain, sometimes Cathode

War: LumaSharpen, Colourfulness, Tint (Sepia)

8/Nu Who: LumaSharpen, Colourfulness, Radiant GI, and occasionally HexLensFlare

The gear and dye used for each glam will be listed in its corresponding post.

If people are interested, I might consider doing glams and photo shoots for the Fugitive, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and/or any other extended universe Doctors! I also have some ideas for some companions that I might use.

Here’s some extended reasoning on the job choices for each Doctor, including both lore and in-game mechanics:

First Doctor as Scholar: Scholar is a healer, and in fact one of the first healer jobs in FFXIV, so I figured it would make sense to give the first Doctor a job that closely aligned with the fact that they’re, y’know, the Doctor. But, with regards to gameplay, Scholar’s kit is considered by many to be a little janky. So, perfect, for the wobbliest-set days of the First Doctor!

Second Doctor as Bard: Bard is very much a support class, which keeps with the theme of sticking close to Doctor-y jobs early on. Otherwise: yeah, it’s because of the recorder. Also, the Second Doctor is a bit more trickster-y, and Bard is a job that involves planning ahead and also keeping well on top of all your cooldowns, which I think Two would be able to pull off!

Third Doctor as Monk: It’s because of the Venusian Aikido. And all the spirituality in his era, as well, but mainly the Aikido. Monk is considered to be one of the more difficult jobs to play, to the point of your computer’s frame rate factoring into extreme high-end play, but if any Doctor could manage that, it would be the Third.

Fourth Doctor as Dancer: I will freely admit this is one of the more arbitrary choices. Overall, I think the Dancer job’s vibes and flow fit well with Four’s Bohemian spirit and flowing scarves.

Fifth Doctor as Paladin: Paladin is seen as kind of the most vanilla job in the game with the most straightforward flavoring, which I thought fit Five’s vibes. Paladins are the typical sword-and-board job, but I chose to not display the shield, to better evoke a cricket bat. And, as Paladin’s name implies, it has better party defense buffs than, say, Dark Knight, which does fit a Doctor with as crowded a TARDIS as the Fifth.

Sixth Doctor as Red Mage: Totally not biased here, Red Mage is one of my two mains, but regardless of that it’s a perfect fit for Sixie. Red Mage is a damaging caster job, but is actually consistently the weakest caster in exchange for great utility, including the best resurrection spell in the game. A flashy mage with a support focus is perfect for our loud technicolor shouty man with a heart of gold! Red Mage’s Limit Break (big super move) is kind of infamous for being so bright that for the few seconds when it’s going off, it’s difficult to see what’s going on in the fight, sometimes leading to deaths… which is very funny and fitting.

Seventh Doctor as Black Mage: Probably the easiest and most obvious job choice on this entire list, Black Mage is considered a difficult job that takes a lot of time to master, and often requires you to plan out your movements and attacks in advance to react to the mechanics of the fight. (In some of the most difficult fights in the game, Black Mages will often plan out every button they push for the first several minutes in order to maximize the effectiveness they’re getting out of every resource in their kit.) This makes Black Mage the no-brainer choice for our favorite little master manipulator. (Alas, no umbrella staff in FFXIV… yet.)

Eighth Doctor as Dragoon: I originally had Eight as a Reaper, but in trying to take the pictures, the vibes just didn’t match. So I pivoted him to the job that shares Reaper’s gear: Dragoon. Gonna be honest, this one was just vaguely gothic, and also what are vortisaurs if not time vortex dragons?

War Doctor as Dark Knight: Dark Knights have the aesthetic of a brooding edgelord, but lore-wise, they gain their power from their desire to protect the innocent and punish the wicked: a desire born from love. Fitting for a vilified Doctor who only ever wanted to do what was right…

Ninth Doctor as Astrologian: Astrologians use magical power channeled from distant stars to cast time magic, predict the future, and heal the wounded. Fitting for basically any Doctor, but especially so for the one who delivers the line about feeling the turn of the Earth. Furthermore, Astrologians deal the least damage of any job in the game: perfect for the most pacifistic and peace-seeking Doctor of them all.

Tenth Doctor as Gunbreaker: Here’s a fun one, a gun “breaker” for the “Man Who Never Would [Fire A Gun]”. What weapon does a Gunbreaker use? Oh yeah, a Gunblade. More like “The Man Who Totally Would And In Fact Has.” I think this juxtaposition highlights the Tenth Doctor’s emotional, even vengeful nature… and to add another layer: while Gunbreaker is a flashy, high-damage job, it is, at the end of the day, a Defender job. Calling back to Five’s Paladin, perhaps? (Also, Gunbreakers wear long coats, and the Tenth Doctor wears long coats.)

Eleventh Doctor as White Mage: White Mage is my other main, so I mean it with love when I say White Mages are the epitome of healers with a god complex, who mainly only keep the party alive to feel that sweet sweet satisfaction of saving peoples’ lives… and also to charge up their super big attack that can only be charged by healing. Meant to be a bit evocative of Eleven as the epitome of the Lonely God idea. Also, White Mage is a dead easy job to play, that even Eleven’s hyperactive brain could handle.

Twelfth Doctor as Sage: Okay, now we’re getting into the juicy stuff. Sage is the other shield healer in the game, the first being Scholar. But Sage is newer, flashier, more anime, and smoother to play. Are you thinking Twice Upon A Time yet? Sages, flavor-wise, are the epitome of combat medics… just as the Twelfth Doctor is the one to make the title of “Doctor of War” his own. Time is a flat circle! Thirteenth Doctor as Summoner: Also tying in with the First Doctor, Summoner and Scholar share an experience pool: so long as you have both unlocked, leveling one also levels the other. But while Scholar is a healer, Summoner is a (damage-dealing) caster that focuses on summoning entities to help you out. As the Thirteenth Doctor was born of the Twelfth Doctor’s resolution to his character arc- and with a chance meeting with the First- Thirteen being a Summoner would show how she carries that legacy but also has a fresh start with some fun new friends. (Also, Summoner is the easiest job in the game, and while Thirteen isn’t the most ADHD Doctor, she’s definitely up there.)

#doctor who #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #final fantasy 14 #ff14 #final fantasy xiv glamour #ffxiv glamour #ff14 glamour #the doctor #all the doctors

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