#tldr i love yaz

[oreo102]

Yaz is cool as fuck and people don’t appreciate her enough, a very long ramble

TLDR because this is so long: yaz is really cool and a compelling character and not enough people talk about how good of a character she is, both with and without the doctor, enough

In the first episode we learn as soon as we meet her that yaz wants to help people. She is tired of getting parking disputes and wants something more serious, and after meeting the doctor immediately starts helping her even if she isn’t supposed to be, and later it’s implied (I don’t think it was ever confirmed?) that she originally became a cop because one helped her when she had ran away/was suicidal, maybe?

Throughout season 11 we see her be the most empathetic/caring (episode 3 with the racism Ryan specially was facing, episode 6 with her grandma’s first husband, episode 7 with dan from kerblam, 8 with the kid who’s grandma was killed for “being a witch”, 9 with the blind kid), and is also very loyal almost immediately (“more of the universe.. more time with you!” “No. I’m with you, whatever happens” and more I’m forgetting)

She also has a very similar sense of justice to the doctor, practically immediately and comes to share her view on a lot of topics (she was hesitant to take the gun in TPOTD, she wrote wwtdd(which is adorable btw) on her palm, she defended Tesla, stands up to the master, once again more I’m forgetting probably)- hell, when seperated from the doctor without instructions/for a long time she takes 13s place as leader

Circling back to loyalty: she spent 10 months obsessively trying to find the doctor, she slept in the second tardis, she probably (I think it’s implied?) neglected her own health, social life, and job (if she still had one at this point) just to obsessively try and figure out how that tardis worked, to figure out how to get back to the doctor

And that was after she walked into a portal to an alien planet, not caring about danger because it’s what the doctor would do if it were one of them (she was already half way there by the time Graham finished asking who was going first, walking quickly and had a very determined look on her face. I really do believe if it had come down to facing the master or cybermen she would’ve to ensure 13s safety), which btw, is one of my favorite scenes in the show

And then s13. Gods I think I could talk about yaz in season 13 and those last 3 specials for days. A) Dan is more her companion than docs, let’s be very clear- they spent 3 years trapped in an unfamiliar time together with yaz acting as the leader (see above about her taking on the Doctor’s role when the doctor isn’t there to)

She handles 13’s outbursts and venom astonishingly well through the whole series but esp in s13, when she is double guessing her identity and even more unwilling to share than before, like it’s downright elegant that yaz is able to ignore 13s jabs sometimes, cuz personally I would’ve thrown hands. Although she doesn’t let the doctor walk over her, she doesn’t just accept the bullshit, she argues with the doctor quite a bit (telling her she is fully at fault for the situation at the beginning of s13 ep 1, telling her to stop leaving them all the time, shoving her when she shows back up after the 10 months)

As mentioned before the “what would the doctor do” being written on her hand is a really good touch and it does well to show just how much yaz looks up to 13 and how much she loves her (a very much amount, like infinitely)

This is getting very long so I’ll try to wrap it up somewhat quickly. Anyway, I really love yaz’s coming out scene (although I detest Dan outing her), it feels very natural and is filled with a lot of great emotions that we don’t see her have very much- like, she cries! Yaz, while shown having emotions, isn’t shown sad very often (which considering she was depressed as a younger teen and might still be, could just be her repressing those emotions) and is shown as scared much less, it’s nice to see those emotions on display

Speaking of emotions on display: “stop leaving us” is one of my favorite scenes/lines. Getting to see just how anxious yaz gets when the doc leaves, just how much she hates being separated from her, is a really nice insight to how she thinks- the doctor has already left her twice before (neither times were her fault, though) so who’s to say it won’t happen again? Easier to stay by 13 than to be crushed by her disappearing without warning

(Also side note but after that the two don’t separate much/if at all, showing that the doc did genuinely listen to her)

I’ve heard people say that they didn’t enjoy Legend of the sea devils that much but personally I love it- both because holy shit they’re so gay, but also because it again demonstrates that yaz is genuinely so smart and capable and there’s really no wonder 13 fell for her so hard (because she did. 13 fell so hard) I also like that this episode shows that the two play off each other and trust each other a lot, even if they aren’t always in sync

And finally onto the power of the doctor! Yaz’s best episode by far and my favorite of the entire series!

Yaz. Is. So. Fucking. Amazing. In this episode. She really shines so much which is saying a lot because she usually shines anyway. She looks so ready to punch the master if only he’d give her a reason, ready to shoot him (maybe not fatally… maybe) if he threatens the doctors or her own safety

She openly defies him, she leaves him stranded on a planet and if not for the plan she might’ve never came back for him, she flies the tardis! All on her own! We can assume that the doctor helped teach her but how much of that knowledge is from those 10 months? (I like to think that the first time yaz helped fly it was completely by accident)

Do the doctor holograms share knowledge? Cuz if not, that implies that she figured out it can change interface on her own and used it in their/her plan.

She saves the doctor! Multiple times! Runs out towards a fucking laser to make sure she’s safe (another favorite scene), she flies everyone home while the doc rests and recovers, she is just so cool in this episode!!

And honestly, I hate her ending. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fantastic that she survived, really truly fantastic, if they had killed yaz I’d have balled my eyes out and sworn doctor who off for a second time, but her ending? No.

I do not think she should’ve stayed with the doc, I believe she loved (romantically, she’d love every doctor platonically but) 13 only, she’d be traveling the stars with 14 or 15 but I think over time she would’ve slid into that grief, that the doctor is still there but hers isn’t. But just having to go back to normal life? Go back to her family and job and life? That’s bullshit

Graham and Ryan got the psychic papers, yaz could’ve too (which btw that’d make a fun spin off I think), or she could’ve gotten the doctors coat (which would’ve been the cutest thing ever), or even her sonic! (Least likely) but- nothing? Nothing? No!!

She and 13 should be allowed to be immortal space wives together (with river, maybe) and nothing bad should ever happen to them

#doctor who #new who #13th doctor #thasmin #thirteenth doctor #yasmin khan #yazmin khan #outing yaz is bs #she’s underrated #this is so much longer than I meant for it to be #jodie whittaker #mandip gill #she’s great #she is so cool

[whovianderson]

I CANT CONTAIN MYSELF RIGHT NOW!!! LET ME TELL YOU WHY:

There were two cons today, LCC Spring, attended by Mandip Gill and Sacha Dhawan, and Emerald City Comic Con, attended by David Tennant. And oh my god the content!!!

LCC

I AM GOING INSANE BECAUSE MANDIP WAS ASKED ABOUT THASMIN DURING HER TALK AND SHE SAID “She [Jodie] were really excited that she got to kiss me, but then it didn’t happen”.

Source:

Mandip knows we call ourselves Thassies!

Source:

Remember that photo where Yaz was inexplicably holding what seemed to be a carrot? Some absolute legend asked Mandip about it. I’m fucking CRYING because she hasn’t a clue what it is or why!

Source:

When asked if he could dress as he wanted and do what he wanted as the Master, Sacha Dhawan said that he would dress as Yaz and fall in love with the Doctor!

Source:

Emerald City

Aka David Tennant being a trans ally and all around good egg (pun intended).

He signed a Harry Potter auto with “trans rights” as well as his signature.

Source:

During his talk, he made a speech in defence of trans rights.

Source:

TLDR it’s a great day to be a Doctor Who fan!!!

#your honour i love them #our silly gay space show #i just can't #🥹🥹🥹 #doctor who #mandip gill #sacha dhawan #yasmin khan #dhawan!master #the master #thasmin #jodie whittaker #thirteenth doctor #david tennant #tenth doctor #trans rights #transgender #lcc spring #lcc 2023 #emerald city comic con #whovian #ps you’re welcome

[thefiresofpompeii]

ykwhat i still kind of hate the timeless child plot for the way that it ruins the master/doctor dynamic as being two sides of the same coin that grew up in identical conditions, but i’ve grown to enjoy what they’re doing with it in flux. and same with the division: it could have just been the cia (especially with the discovery that they removed their centre of operations from the boundaries of the universe. just call it the celestis you cowards. convinced ‘division’ is nothing but an alternate name) but apart from that i don’t dislike the idea that the pre hartnell doctor was a division agent who went rogue because of their moral compass. seeing them meet tecteun is really interesting to watch and in general i’ve been having a lot of fun with series 13. go figure. i also LOVE everything that yaz has been doing and the central strain on her relationship with the doctor (who clearly doesn’t trust her enough to tell her everything despite making yaz believe she’s her closest friend and confidante. who knows. maybe tecteun is right when she accuses the doctor of treating their companions as experiments)

tldr i like the flux serial sorry for awful taste

#jamie catches up #dw #survivors of the flux #flux #thirteen #thirteenth doctor #doctor who series 13 #jodie whittaker #jamie.txt #the timeless child #doctor who

[minimoefoe]

do they forget that yasmin khan is a police officer?

during my 13 era re-watch I took note of all the moments that I think are police training related or just general police officer mentions, it's a mixed bag. this is all of them in one post along with a mini conclusion/tldr at the end check the twitter thread version of this post for screenshots with every point and alt text too

11.01, the woman who fell to earth

when we first see yaz she’s on the job, sorting out a parking dispute between two women

she tells her superior that she wants more of a challenge and he sends her to ryan

we then see her on the train where she meets the doctor. she starts out trying to take charge but realistically she’s out of her depth and the doctor manages to convince her to not call it in

she then goes down to the station to ask if there’s been any mention of the things she’s seen that evening. we see her get frustrated

later in the episode she suggests her and ryan do some investigating

11.03, rosa

yaz immediately steps in when ryan is assaulted

while talking with ryan she mentions her job and the things she’s experienced

along with the rest of the fam, yaz then helps with investigating what’s going on with rosa

1.04, arachnids in the uk

yaz’s dad uses the fact yaz is a police officer to sort out all the stuff he’s been noticing and collecting. she said she has mentioned it to them and they’re looking into it. (it’s not said but I think it’s possible that they don’t really care and aren’t actually doing much/any looking into it, maybe bc yaz is newer on the job and doesn’t get listened to as much/taken as seriously)

later in the episode yaz goes to pick up her mum and goes into police mode to try and calm down the situation when robertson pulls out a gun

11.05, the tsuranga conundrum

thirteen gives yaz the responsibility of keeping an eye on the pting, which involves using a weapon to stun it. it makes sense for yaz to get this responsibility over ryan/graham bc she has some kind of weapons training

11.07, kerblam!

yaz searches for dan, asks about where he is and generally seems to find it important that she does what she can for him/his daughter. (i do believe that most companions would probs feel similarly about this but with yaz i think it is related to her being a police officer bc she would have training in ways to help loved ones of a deceased person and we also see yaz supporting children multiple other times during this season so I think it’s safe to say it’s important to her (and relates to why she got the job as a police officer in the first place). while I think most companions would want to find dan, I’m not sure how many would want to go and see his daughter or be as passionate)

we also see her grab and detain charlie effectively, something I’m sure she would have been taught during training

11.08, the witchfinders

after willa’s granny gets pulled out of the water, yaz is the one to check her pulse to see if she’s still alive

yaz then takes it upon herself to go and find willa. she knows how to approach and talk to her and she uses her own experiences as a way to try and relate/understand how willa is feeling

in this episode we again see yaz wanting to help a child, and it has strong parallels to what we see later in can you hear me, with yaz being the police officer and willa being yaz

11.09, it takes you away

we see yaz helping another child, she knows how to talk to her and keep her calm and tells ryan that it’s because she’s had training

a bit later in the episode she goes into police mode when ribbons pulls out a knife on graham

resolution

yaz takes lin and mitch’s information, escorts of them out of the site and is seen being the one trying to get in contact with lin later in the episode

12.01 spyfall pt1

at the beginning of s12 we see yaz telling her boss why she won’t be around to work. he’s not too happy about it. it’s clear she’s taken a lot of time away from work recently in favour of being with the doctor

this is small but the way she says this has always had kinda authoritative vibes to me? idk how to explain it

later in the episode yaz goes undercover with ryan. she is clearly more confident than he is. she tries to reassures him, covers for him when he’s acting weird and is good at asking barton questions

when she gets trapped in the kasaavin dimension she reassures herself

12.04, nikola tesla’s night of terror

she confronts the guy when he comes into wherever tf they were in this scene idr

12.05 fugitive of the judoon

the doctor uses yaz being a police officer as a way to try and get the judoon to believe what she’s saying

kinda a small thing but yaz is the one who finds something actually useful when search lee and ruth’s flat, potentially meaning she has some kind of training/knows more about searching for evidence

yaz uses the fact that as a police officer she can speak more on the judoon’s level and uses it as a way to stall them

12.06, praxeus

yaz mentions being ‘on sabbatical’. I don’t know if this is supposed to be taken as she actually is on sabbatical (aka paid leave) or if it’s just for ease in the convo (as in jake and co don’t need her life story so just not correcting it is easier) (back in spyfall her excuse for not being at work was another ‘secondment’ (which means she’s been assigned work at a different place) so either that isn’t the excuse she’s using anymore and she is just straight up taking leave or, like I said, she’s just going with the sabbatical convo for ease bc the details don’t really matter, what matters is she’s pointing out that bc she isn’t on official police work, she doesn’t go around saying she’s police, unlike jake who clearly does)

I think what happens here is a mix of yaz being a more seasoned companion, us seeing yaz get more reckless (clara vibes) but also potentially police vibes in in that she’s noticing what’s important and wants to investigate it

12.07, can you hear me?

in this episode we find out what made yaz want to become a police officer in the first place. a police officer helped her when she was in a bad place, she goes on to want to do the same for others

12.09/10, ascension of the cybermen/the timeless children

yaz gives some small pep talks and knows how to reassure people. we’ve seen her do this a bit before with other characters. this far into yaz’s time on the tardis, some of these moments do feel more doctor-y than police training-y but it still feels work mentioning

13.01, the halloween apocalypse

when yaz and the doctor first get to dan’s house, yaz calls to ask if anyone is home and then looks around to get an idea of who lives there

13.02, war of the sontarans

when yaz meets the tunnel guy she asks him what’s going on and she tries to talk to him in a way that keeps him calm because she can tell he seems unstable/confused

when meeting vinder, yaz initially introduces herself normally but when vinder introduces himself using his titles she does the same as a way to show she’s on his level (some ppl take this scene to be contradictory to other moments where I guess it’s implied she quit her job but I don’t think it matters. the reason she says this is bc of how vinder introduced himself, it’s got nothing to do with whether she is actually still police or not. I think it’s more interesting to parallel it with her not claiming it be police when jake mentions that he’s police. in that situation things were less scary and she wasn’t alone but here she is alone and wants to be seem as authoritative as possible to this stranger (vinder))

when swarm and azure show up yaz to keep some control/gain respect but they obviously don’t give a fuck lmao

13.03, once, upon time

a small moment but we see yaz on the job in her memories

13.05, survivors of the flux

yaz fights someone off pretty skillfully, presumably something she would’ve been trained in

the power of the doctor

the doctor tells them to give yaz a gun. she obviously trusts her with it because she knows yaz will have had training (and yaz says as much)

in conclusion

ppl like to say yaz being a police officer is basically not mentioned and i just think that’s.. not true. if you average it out, based on the moments in this thread, it works out that it’s mentioned/something directly related to police training is brought up about once an ep which imo is more than enough I don’t really know what ppl want when they say there’s not enough of it. there’s a clear story of first of all why yaz wanted to be a police officer (bc a police officer helped her), why she didn’t like it (bc she was stuck doing boring stuff when she wanted to be out helping ppl) and how travelling with the doctor gave her what she wanted more than being with the police ever did (we see her doing good and helping ppl pretty much every episode) and also in my opinion through the seasons while we do see her use her training/mention the police, over time she starts to be more doctor-like than police-like in the way she talks and handles situations which is why in s11 there’s more clear examples in almost every ep of yaz talking very police-like/using her training but then later in the show it’s less bc she’s switched to being more doctor-y

#doctor who #yasmin khan #nataliechats #in conclusion the whole 'yaz being a police officer gets dropped/forgetten about' thing #is genuine bullshit #ive been meaning to make this post since i made the thread like two months ago lmao

[jwcc-confessions]

To be upfront, I like both ships.

Season 4 had a lot of bad takes when it came to romance, from Brooklyn thinking Kenji’s tantrum towards Darius was “kind of adorable” to Yaz telling Sammy that she was the only reason that had any feelings at all.

I also hate how the ships started from a lack of basic respect of personal boundaries on Sammy and Kenji’s end. Like when Yaz told Sammy she wasn’t really a hugger and Sammy told her that she was now. (We can see that Yaz actually appreciates the hug but Sammy can’t.) and when Kenji continued to flirt with Brooklyn after she repeatedly turned him down and was visibly annoyed with him doing it.

Like sure, it all worked out for all of them, they became close friends getting together, and the relationships are healthy, but those takes and starting points still irk me. Especially since this is a kids show.

I have many thoughts about this. You're right about Kenji, he flirts with Brooklynn and Yaz a lot in s1 and is generally a jerk. And the show acknowledges that to an extent, it's played for laughs and then he gets Character Development™��� so the show sort of lumps all his past asshat behaviours together and writes them off in one go, so we're expected to forget about the persistent flirting? Made more annoying by the fact that he does "get the girl" in the end anyway. Yeah it's after he's mellowed out and he's more sincere by then, but still. It's worth pointing out that it feels a bit icky.

Sammy is an interesting case because the show never acknowledges her boundary pushing with Yaz as something that's bad. In fact it's seen more as a good thing because it "pays off" and even Yaz is grateful for it in hindsight. I do hate how Yaz's development is credited all to Sammy. Feels like an unhealthy over reliance on a single friendship turned relationship, which yeah can happen irl but an episode exploring that would've been great. Let Yaz realise she needs more than one solid relationship (platonic included) to be truly emotionally fulfilled.

Fact is they're all teens with shitty teen behaviours made worse by a shitty survival situation. And that's cool, if the show was intended for a slightly older audience then maybe they could've delved way more into that. They can do shitty things and get called out on it and grow from it. But because the target is much younger kids then it's all just brushed off or treated as not so serious.

If they did go for a more mature and realistic representation of teen dynamics then we probably would've got more love triangles and break ups and relationship drama and idk I'd rather just have more dinosaurs

TLDR: you're not wrong

#jurassic world camp cretaceous #jwcc #camp cretaceous #jwcc confessions #yasammy #Kenlynn #No hate just facts #Not actually hating on these ships #But underdeveloped writing

[13thdoctorposts]

This post is probably a TLDR post but I just wanna put my opinion out into the void that is the internet to try and counter balance some of the 13 era negativity.

I’m kinda tried of the same uncreative reasons why the majority of the Doctor Who fandom don’t like 13, and I realise I need to get off twitter because I can’t stand the sheer lack of understanding and nuance. And yet I still can’t look away from dwtwt it’s like a train wreck I you can’t help staring at.

What I read there is…

Each Doctor has their own unique personality… but…

Her personality is nothing like the Doctors so she could never be the Doctor… but also

She’s a bad hybrid of 10 and 11…

So which is it? Is she allowed to have a personality different to the other Doctors? Is she not allowed to? Or is she too much like previous Doctors?

Also… shes a Mary Sue…. Is she?

About also…You can’t stop listing all her flaws so I don’t know how she can be a Mary Sue if she’s so flawed that supposedly she could never really be the Doctor. 🤦🏼‍♀️

It’s like whiplash and like a huge part of the fandom decided they just weren’t going to like her, but didn’t meet to get their stories straight before yelling into the void of the internet what that was and now all the reasons contradict each other.

13 is my Doctor, watching her I feel like she honours all the previous versions of themselves while also embracing that she’s someone new. The moral compass is the same the rest is just dressing and she is totally flawed… and in such a realistic way. With all the trauma she wears and her desire to not be alone constantly clashing she wants her friends around but can’t let them into her darkness. Sometimes that also almost gets them killed, she makes mistakes, she try’s to protect the people she loves and succeeds and fails to certain degrees.

We all deal with trauma differently her way is to shut people out, deal with it herself and sometimes it has dire consequences. She’s a great Doctor, she carries the trauma of all the other Doctors and we see the unhealthy way she deals with that trauma. And really her way of dealing with it is to not let people in deep enough to keep them protected from her pain. But she still finds the happy hopeful moments, she gives them incredible experiences. She’s a balancing act between depression and optimism.

What I loved about 13 is she’s deeply flawed, but she never gives up, she never gives in, and even though her coping mechanisms aren’t healthy she did achieve what I think one of her ultimate goals was… she got all her companions home safe. None of them died because of her. What a feat compared to all the other Doctors.

And on a side note what I love about Yaz is that she isn’t blind to the Doctors flaws she loves her in spite of them because even though she’s frustrated and she know the doctor is hurting and hiding things from her and putting her in dangerous situations, she also knows the Doctor has a good heart, that the trauma must be deep and so the Doctor is worth her not giving up on, and so she keeps going keeps pushing but never leaves her side.

Their downfall is that neither of them are great communicators. Their love story is both beautiful and tragic.

#13th doctor #thasmin #thirteen x yaz #thirteenth doctor #thirteen #yaz khan #yaz #13 x yaz

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

i do think the jealousy in school reunion is really interesting i think thats a really fun part of the doctor companion dynamic to explore, what makes me roll my eyes is the we're both in love with him "the missus and the ex" thing

but like the jealousy thing on its own? just the flipside of the making people feel special thing that we explored a bit with 12. the doctor does single people out, does make them feel special, their attention is like a fucking spotlight who would be immune to that warmth

but the other side of that then is like, was it their attention that made me special? was it their companionship that made me special? thinking of donna going travelling "it's all bus trips and guidebooks and dont drink the water and two weeks later youre back home" like sure thats comparing what the trips are like but like, that also describes sort of like, who you get to be on those trips right? a tourist vs a hero

thinking of yaz in combat magicks being like "yaz liked wearing her uniform because it marked her out as someone who belonged anywhere. ready to help, and with the right to intervene. the doctor just breezed in and made the whole universe her business, like she was born to it, and yaz longed for that confidence." thats sort of what being the doctor's plus one gives you, right? access to everywhere, without consequences, except maybe your own death but the doctor makes you feel invincible too so you dont worry about that

so sure there would be jealousy but i think making it into an ex-girlfriend kinda jealousy flattens it? "in amongst 7 billion theres someone like you" and then you get to save planets. you become a part of the doctor's hero complex. you get to see beautiful amazing things but you also get to prove yourself a hero every day. thinking of rose "the doctor showed me a better way of living your life. you dont just give up. you have the guts to do whats right when everyone else just runs away" you get to feel powerful. you get a lot of agency where in your daily life you probably dont have a lot. thats what the doctor gives to those handful of the seven billion. so what if they take it away?

thinking of clara asking "why me?" and sarah jane "did i do something wrong?" why did i get this opportunity. and why was it taken away. was it anything i did? and if it wasnt, then doesnt that undermine all that agency you made me feel like i had? can i do this on my own too? and of course lots of companions prove they can, they dont need the doctor to be who they are but idk. i think it would still be kinda insecure-making when youre still with the doctor. when youre still in the middle of it like rose in school reunion. when you dont know yet what After will look like

and this is something the fam doesnt have to deal with i think. because they came to the doctor. they werent picked, they werent offered, they asked. they dont have to wonder 'why did you pick me'. which im kinda relieved about especially thinking about yaz? imagine having to wonder 'was i a friend of convenience' on top of everything else. oof.

and another thing is that of course for the doctor the rejection hurts just as much. when a companion says no thank you, your way of life doesnt seem that fun to me (anymore)

anyway so uh tldr i guess the jealousy thing is interesting but making it a romantic jealousy is not whats interesting about it

#sorry to make you read 600 words and then have no conclusion #started typing and hoped i'd find a point somewhere but i didnt #i think i just laid out all my most unflattering sides without really making a point in this #so #rip #i think actually what ex-companion jealousy would be more like than romantic jealousy is sorta like #old doctor actors jealousy #i mean all old doctors ive ever heard talk about it have been VERY generous and gracious but #theres also i think david tennant said once about filming regeneration that like #one moment youre the most important person in the room. or FEEL like that anyway #and the next EVERYONES attention is on the next guy and people are just like okay thanks bye #i mean im sure people are not that cold waving off an old doctor but like #i can imagine. one moment youre The Guy. the next youre... not #one moment youre The Doctor's Companion. the next it's this new girl??? hello?? #thats MY spot thank you very much #at least when youve been the doctor to all us dw fans youre forever the doctor #that doesnt go away #but if you were a companion and then you go back home. nobody even fucking knows #youre just. normal. nothing special. nobody knows of the things youve seen and done #yeah i'd be jealous. but not of the doctor's previous 50 girlfriends #just of the next 50 fgkfhjdghjfkdgh #solution is to take them down with me of course #none of clara's 'youre not dying with me die with the next one' nonono youre dying with me sweetheart #like i said. my most unflattering sides fhgkhgjh

[master-missysversion]

Headcanons for things that i think were probably actually just bad writing choices

(Disclaimer: I'm not justifying any of these things, characters are allowed to do bad things and be flawed. This is just how I choose to see things)

Rose telling that kid to go after his abusive dad in the idiots lantern was actually because she was projecting her own issues about her dad onto him. She never got to have her dad in her life so she can't concieve that some people might actually be better off without their dad

Martha saying "good old rose" in Utopia isnt just because she's jealous while jack and the doctor are celebrating Rose literally being alive, it's because she just made another new friend only to once again find out that she's sort of an outsider. It's not about jealousy, its about being on the other side of the universe from everything you know and the only people you can rely on feel like they have their own little group that you're not a part of

Side note: these lyrics for Martha

During the year that never was, the master would sometimes have really bad spells of the drums, during one of these spells Lucy tried to help but he was frustrated and lashed out, which is how she got the bruise. It was wrong and he definitely didn't apologise but it wasn't malicious and didn't happen again. (To be clear, I think the master does and is capable of many malicious things, this is just a line that I don't want crossed)

Amy is asexual but overcompensates and tries to act the way she thinks people want her too. I can't remember if it's said in the episode but there's a minisode where Amy seems convinced the doctor only brought her along bc he's interested in her, hence the infamous kiss. She's also self-sabotaging because while she loves rory, she feels guilty because she probably doesn't love him the same way he loves her

The definition of "system" that refers to types of societies never crossed the doctors mind during Kerblam! She was always referring to the computer systems (this one may actually be somewhat canon im not sure, im not 100% convinced kerblam was intended as an endorsement of capitalism)

The doctor left the master to the nazis bc she was pissed about Bills death and being abandoned. There's not really much more explanation to this, I just think the doctor is very capable of doing terrible things and this was one of them (see also: threatening to sic the cybermen and daleks on Ashildr, the family of blood situation, killing the racnoss children etc). Writing wise, they should never have crossed that particular line. Character wise i think if you piss the doctor off enough then they tend to lose all morals

Additionally I think the doctor also sees the master as indestructible. In a way its a compliment but it just often leads to the doctor leaving the master in dangerous situations and thinking it doesn't matter bc they'll always survive anyway. And of course the master will never tell the doctor that it's hurtful when they do this so the doctor thinks the master doesn't care about it (this isn't really a bad writing choice one, its just a thing I think. And i think it influences the previous point)

The doctor was so happy in the specials and didn't mention yaz at all because they're actually just a huuuuuge liar. The second donna leaves he breaks down. He loves donna but he misses his other friends, he misses Yaz. Sometimes he thinks about going to see her but he knows it wouldn't be fair to her

Tldr everyone sucks, theyre all a mess, and I love them

#doctor who #headcanons #controversial probably but i love controversial stuff #re: the doctor being terrible. the doctor saying ''i will end you and everything you love'' lives rent free in my brain #he is not a good man fr #also love parallels between clara and the doctor doing fucked up shit when faced with the loss of someone they love #funny how i see people bring up claras actions in dark water much more than i see them mention the way the doctor acted in face the raven

[isagrimorie]

I'm sure this has been discussed before but I wonder if part of the reason why Imogen and Laudna weren't in a romantic relationship together (other than falling into a holding pattern because they were comfortable with what they had and had no reason to ask for more from each other) is because of Laudna's perception of herself as a flawed person and Imogen 'deserving better'.

From the discussion between Laudna and Ashton, Laudna's been trying so hard to give Imogen a better life than she has, and from what we know of Imogen, she's been trying to do the same for Laudna.

The consequence of that is while they are truthful with each other they're not really showing each other who they are, not really. Because they're both striving to be better all the time, which is honestly admirable.

But also, I feel like to truly love someone (in this fictional sense), Imogen and Laudna also need to be truthful with each other.

It's like how I felt with Thirteen and the Fam in series 11, she hid so much of herself that she constantly faced off dangerous opponents by herself because she didn't want to risk showing to her new, shiny friends how much she relished facing off with bad guys. How she loved taunting and goading them, and baring her teeth.

Like, in all honesty, if Yaz and Dan, and the Humans were not around in the New Year episode, that would have been Christmas for Thirteen. Running around and constantly trying to outwit a Dalek and then insulting them? Best present for Thirteen.

And at that point, Yaz knows the Doctor now, her moods, her ups and downs, and even appreciates Thirteen's predatory instinct to goad Daleks.

(God the New Year's episode was peak Thirteen. I am going to miss her so much).

TLDR I felt like Yaz, Ryan, Graham's relationship with Thirteen became better when she stopped projecting that she was this carefree traveler. I felt series 12 was good for their relationships because they got to see the full breadth of emotions from Thirteen. She lets them see how vulnerable she can be, and just like any person she can get cranky, moody, and angry.

Getting back to the point Laudna showed Ashton she's not always the lovable not-dead girl she presents to be. In fact, after her talk with Delilah and after she almost killed FCG, Laudna seems to be showing more and more that she's kind of like Thirteen: Determined to be happy and present a happy front despite a level of deep sadness and tragedy paired with low-grade anger she's trying to put aside, all in an effort to enjoy the second chance she's had in life and always support Imogen.

And Imogen also has some anger issues to work on which I feel the gnarl rock is amplifying.

Maybe this experience will push Laudna (depending on Laudna's state of mind) and Imogen to be more of their true selves.

Also, from watching West Wing and other 'will they won't they' relationships on TV, I know (fictional) people can be stuck in a comfortable holding pattern for a long time because time does pass by very fast. And neither character wants to rock the boat.

Since this is fiction, a metaphorical hand grenade was needed to rock them from their comfortable positions.

Now, Laudna just needs to resurrect. *pokes Vox Machina and Bell's Hells*

#thinky thoughts #laudna #imogen #critical role #critical role spoilers #bells hells

[bluebell-wlw]

Thoughts on Show runners

I just thought it would be interesting to point out that the show runners do not write every single episode.

Show runners are head writers/executive producers. They will write several episodes along with coming up with series arcs or plans. Other writers will write episodes and the show runner will have to make sure it fits in with the rest and the overall story.

Personally, one reason I am excited for the return of RTD2, is because of how well he managed overall story arcs, weaving things into every episode, and how most episodes written by guest writers were really well done. I mean, we first saw our previous two show runners contributing under RTD, that is a big reason why they were trusted with the job.

I’ve seen a lot of people say that bringing back RTD shows a lot of distrust in the writers, and that is true, but can you think of a guest writer from Chibnall’s era that has stood out? (Other than Maxine Alperton but I’ll come back to her.) Chibnall as show runner and these guest writers are not simply bad. They’re just not good doctor who writers. Most episodes this era have felt clunky, with bad dialogue, often poor use of companions, and poor use of many villains as well. They haven’t been picked to be the next show runner because a lot of people have not especially liked their episodes.

Compare to Moffat who, when writing for the Davies era, contributed some incredible and memorable stories like The Empty Child or Silence in the Library. There is a reason he could easily be trusted to be a show runner- he made some damn good stories.

Now, I know there are a lot of major fans of this era which is totally great, but I and most other who-fans I personally know have not loved this era, and the consistent criticism by all is just that the writing does not feel like doctor who for all the reasons listed above.

Which brings me to Maxine Alderton. The majority of episodes of the chibnall era that I have loved have either been written or co-written by her. She gets the doctor who feel and clearly can make some good stories. But she has only written two (as far as I can remember anyway, feel free to correct me).

The BBC logistically needs to bring out their big guns in the form of RTD to bring back viewers, this is why he is back as show runner. I am so excited to see what stories and series he brings. But he will of course have guest writers, just like there are every season, so let’s hope he brings back Maxine Alderton so she can write some more episodes and maybe even be show runner one day.

TLDR: Russel is a great show runner and will bring more viewers, that is why he is back. If they had found a writer who was good and experienced enough at writing for DW then they would pick them for next show runner, and so far they don’t have that. Closest is Maxine Alderton so let’s all cross our fingers for more episodes from her in 2024 so she gains more experience and perhaps gets the show running job in the future.

(Also before people come at me for certain things let me clarify: No I don’t hate that the doctor is a woman, I just didn’t like the writing. No I don’t hate Sasha as the master, just thought the storylines he was in were not well written. No I don’t hate Yaz as a character, I just thought she and the other companions were given very little development or things to do especially in series 11 and 12. It was nice to see Yaz have more personality and agency in series 13 and the specials but that came far too late in my opinion. Also no, I don’t think RTD is the perfect god writer or something, I just liked his era a lot better.)

#doctor who #Chris chibnall #Steven Moffat #maxine alderton #russell t davies

[darkesttimelinejeffparker]

Who's your favorite Doctor (Who)?

This is such a tough one to answer, because I feel like I have attachments to them for different reasons. When my friend got me into DW, he correctly assumed I shouldn't start with Nine and Rose. He had me start with Eleven, go through The Angels Take Manhattan, and then go back to Nine. It was a little convoluted but worked really well for me. Because of that Eleven/Matt is my first doctor and definitely I think of him as MY doctor.

But with a crash course via 11, I really appreciate Nine/Eccleston. I feel like he was great for that version of the Doctor, fresh off the war and I only like him better going back to him after the 50th anniversary.

Ten/David is also great. I think there are reasons why he is the favorite of many and might be considered a perfect Doctor -- iconic moments, one of my favorite companions was alongside him, and you could tell the switch from Eccleston that David loved the role, wanted the role, and really embraced all of it similar to Capaldi who I adored and jokingly called "Ten, but truly Scottish and grumpy."

All around though, my favorite might be Jodie. While the writing in the her season definitely caused some momentum to suffer, I really adored her interpretation of the Doctor. I think Dan is fine, but her original TARDIS fam was really perfect -- Ryan Yaz and Graham fit forever in my heart. Her chemistry with Dewan is also off the charts and I really enjoy the way she sort of combines the happy go lucky silly elements that Matt's Doctor had, a quiet rage best exemplified by Chris and Peter, and the charisma of 10. She built on everything, which really made me dig the whole Timeless Child arc, too. I adore her and am sad to see her go.

That being said, I'm excited for Ncuti Gatwa to step in.

I also should say that I absolutely adore John Hurt as the War Doctor from the 50th special, so honorable mention goes to him because he also was a contender for favorite.

TLDR: 11 was my first Doctor, 9 had to grow on me, 10 was a perfect doctor, 12 was perfect in a grumpier way, 13 is my favorite, I want War Doctor to be my surrogate grandpa.

ETA: My favorite Doctor Who episode is an episode from 12′s run. So maybe I don’t actually have a favorite that is consistent.

#asks: answered

[drowning-in-cacophony]

14, 29, 41, and 87 for the fanfic asks? (- thinkingisadangerouspastime)

14. what’s your worst writing habit? 

Aside from saying I’m going to write and then just… not? Lol. No, more seriously, I think it’s my trouble with fonts. I used to be just fine with the default word font calibri, but then I started writing more fan fic and I wanted to use a different font for those, to keep them sectioned off from my original projects. (Most of my ATLA fics, for examples, are wrote in adobe jenson pro). And that was fine when it was mostly just ATLA I was writing in, but now I have other fandoms I’m dabbling in too, and I keep dithering over fonts instead of trying to settle in to write. So, tldr: fonts.

29. give us a spoiler for one of your stories?

A spoiler… I feel like this would be easier if I was working on a long form story. Or any with actual plot beyond just cute romantic vibes. Because that’s mostly what I’ve been writing. Anyway: I’ll give a small spoiler snippet to this Doctor Who fic I’ve been trying to work with, which is set after the most recent ep (Legend of the Sea Devils), which will hopefully be a small almost fix-it, laying the pathway down so Yaz and the Doctor might get their happy ending.

“You two look lovely together. Very happy,” the woman tells Yaz sagely, with a couple of nods. “Young love always brings out the light in people.”

Her tongue feels like lead in her mouth, so she just ends up smiling thinly and awkwardly.

Happy. It feels like a lie, wrapped around her like a cobra. Happy, and Yaz is happy with the Doctor – Yaz has never felt such happiness honestly than when she’s around the Doctor, but she’s never known such frustration either. Frustration is the word winning out today. And some sort of mourning too.

She got the words she’d dreamt of hearing and, in typical Doctor fashion, she’d had them crushed in the next moment.

41. what is the weirdest story idea you’ve ever had?

Mmmmm… probably this maiko idea I had last December, in which they were both cursed because of their love for the other, and so only one of them could be human at a time (so they could never truly be together properly) – so in the day, Mai would be human, and Zuko would be in the form of a small dragon, and in the night, Zuko would be human, and Mai would be in the form of a massive dog/wolf. I still hope to write it one day, but I count it as weird because one of them is an animal in every scene they have together, and it lead to some scenes where Zuko could stroke Mai’s fur and Mai could wear Zuko like a warm neck scarf – and it was a bit weird to write the bits I managed to do. A bit odd.

87. does your writing style change depending on the genre you write?

Oh, definitely. I get fancier with some, using longer sentence structures or just more formal ways of speaking, and others I’m a lot looser and whatever. Something like sci-fi tends to devolve more emotional-based paragraphs, and something that’s fantasy based would be more formal, more reading in between the lines for feelings and such. And something that’s in a modern setting would have that informal tone, trying to convey a more in-the-moment type of narrative.

#thanks for the ask! <3 #loved answering these q's #ask games #anna answers #writing #alloriginalanna

[thatonegaytimelord]

since eve of the daleks aired, i’ve noticed some people mentioning najia khan again. i’ve got some things to say:

i don’t know what people have been watching when they seem to think it was good that najia “clocked” yaz as potentially being queer and in a relationship with the doctor back in ‘arachnids in the uk’. i’ve seen so many people saying najia “knew all along” like it’s a positive thing. it’s not, it’s really not.

the way najia questions the doctor, “who are you, how do you know my daughter, why haven’t i met you before?” followed with the well known, “are you two seeing each other?” line, Najia wasn’t happily asking if her daughter had a girlfriend, she was abrupt, hostile, and disappointed.

the difference is so clear when you see the comparison of her asking doctor and yaz if they’re together vs yaz and ryan. she was happy at the thought of yaz and ryan being in a relationship, eyebrows raised, smiling, no questions asked. it’s such a drastic contrast and i can only commend the acting of shobna gulati. if you think najia supports yaz and the doctor you are incredibly wrong.

we know how hard it must’ve been for yaz, secretly knowing she has feelings for the doctor, but not even being able to admit it to herself. she knows her family aren’t exactly supportive, she’s from a pakistani household. it’s illegal to be gay in pakistan, men are sentenced to death for being who they are. how could she ever feel comfortable even admitting to herself that she could be queer, let alone the thought of telling her family?

however, despite najia’s lack of initial support, i don’t for one second think yaz would be ostracised by her family for being who she is. their love for yaz would outweigh any of their other feelings.

if yaz came home after 13 regenerates, crying saying the doctors gone. sobbing into her mothers arms saying she loved her, that she was in love with her, najia would pull her close and reassure her that she’s loved, and that she’ll be okay.

tldr; najia khan did not support the idea of yaz and the doctor’s relationship, but that doesn’t mean she won’t ever support her queer daughter.

#doctor who #bbc doctor who #13th doctor #thirteeth doctor #thasmin #yasmin kahn #najia khan #lgbt #lgbtq #mandip gill #jodie whittaker #doctor who season 11 #doctor who season 13 #arachnids in the uk #eve of the daleks #doctor who spoilers #dw #dw spoilers #ryan sinclair

[your-dar-ling]

G:L Season 2 Episode 2 Re(Cap/View)

Better than the premiere. Not gonna waste time:

Dri and Roberta

I loved their plot but the slap was a bit much. Dri is great in this episode, and she's pointing out the obvious flaws in her mother's philosophy. Lines like "He's fighting them" just hold so much weight to me. I'm not exactly sure why.

Roberta has a very believable quality to her faith, they all do. She embodies a very common (and annoying) parenting sentiment: The "I'm the parent so my beliefs are ultimately most important" Clause, and its corollary "Fine. You don't have to believe me but here's a ridiculous ultimatum that will either force you under my heel or irreparably alienate us to one another." I think alot of religions play into such a binary system, and I think the Union is most fun when it is finding the commonalities between how religions present higher powers.

Brother Tate

OMG thank God he actually believes in what he's saying. I don't think I could take it if "The Flow" had no merit to it at all. I'm sick of stories that present the "religious option" as just crazy people. Now is it a death cult? Yea, kinda. But there's no self-serving motives. Unlike the Polity, who is legit just making things up, the Union actually thinks they are humanity's salvation. The truth in that is....well it's unclear. And I appreciate that the show doesn't jump directly to the villainization of the Omnifaith.

Chase

Thematically Chase being the cornerstone of the Union is SO good. Julius Caesar, Jesus, I mean Brother Tate's speech at the end perfectly summed it up. Chase's idea of heroism is filtered through his suffering, and the horrifying revelation is that without death, there is always more of himself to lose. The truest of horrors of war stories.

However Chase lacked the emotional depth he needed in this episode. MBJ does a phenomenal job voice acting him for the most part, he shows a remarkable amount of emotion. But the way the show implements it feels uncanny somehow. I can't exactly describe it but the editing is off.

Yaz

I find it very gripping how the Union converts her through breaking her. It's honestly kinda sucky that the nature of the Union -- and many (especially Abrahamic) religions, too -- presents itself as the one and only option. It's such a morbid and cynical servitude. No one is actually concerned about convincing her, they just keep guilting her until submission. And when she finally gives up? The flow keeps her alive? I don't quite know. But yea this recontextualizes alot of her behavior in Season 1 in a positive way (narratively speaking of course. I don't feel good about it).

I don't think the show is in a place to explore this, but I appreciate the irony in the "you have no proof of the afterlife" line from a person of (presumably) Muslim faith. It may have been an oversight, but it's one I feel is thematically appropriate.

(I think it would have been more interesting if she did believe in the Omnifaith itself, but not as literally as the suicide pact demanded by it's organized religion. But I digress.)

Polity

Nice save on Marin, there guys lol. It's too late, I already think she's a bad guy.

I think one thing that makes this show so viscerally unsettling sometimes is its sheer willingness to connect itself to modern day Earth. When I heard that the Polity was a rebranded (and equally useless) UN I legitimately buffered for a moment. How horrifying. How likely. It's almost as if G:L the show itself is prophetic of what is to come. Speculative fiction at this point is just a reality that hasn't happened yet. And from that standpoint, I'm with Chase. I'm scared.

TLDR: The Union is some AMAZING world building. This G:L crew is truly making the best of this mess of a production that they can, and I appreciate that.

Final Score: 7/10

P.S.: IM PUTTING WARNER IN THE DEATH NOTE for messing with reaction videos. RT (the company) is also pretty damn close to filling the blank space. Like are you serious???

#genlock #gen:lock #gen:lock season 2 spoilers #gen:lock season 2 #genlock chase #genlock brother tate #genlock roberta #genlock dri #genlock yaz #darglreview

[otakusapien]

When we first found out Kenji has feelings for Brooklynn, I was grudgingly waiting for it to turn into an annoying forced het romance. But they actually made it feel really natural and work super well, I'm impressed with the writers for that .

For one, the fact that there wasn't any canon romance in this series for 3 seasons prior, but it didn't come out of nowhere. They were definitely friends before this, and the season 3 finale showing Kenji get pushed to his limit when she was in danger both helps set them up for the audience, and give a very good reason for Kenji to have o ly realized his feelings around that time.

It also actually makes sense for people to form feelings in the entire 6-8 months they've known each other. It's not like the guy and the girl suddenly like each other "just because" when they've talked twice. They've spent a lot of time together. It makes sense outside of TV logic.

It also ended up working well with the character's arcs.v

It actually gave Kenji room to grow as a person and develop more emotional intelligence. He started paying more attention to his feelings and how he handled them, and even had the awareness to know he needed time to process his feelings before doing anything about them.

Speaking of, I love him being able to talk to Yaz about needing to do things in his own time and being respected, especially as a teenage boy. (Related note, I also think it makes sense Ben would want to focus on himself right now. He's been through some Stuff and is still feeling out the new him. I like them both being aware of where they are emotionally)

And it ended up making a lot of sense to be them specifically? Brooklynn is used to having celebrity status and Kenji is used to being around that kind of crowd. Brooklynn had trouble relating to some of the kids at first, and probably hasn't been around a lot of kids that can relate to her weird lifestyle. It's probably alot easier to be casual around each other.

Their conversations felt natural and you really got a sense that they talk a lot and connect with each other easily. They get each other's humor, and know how to show support when things are especially rough. Brooklynn is the one who gives Kenji something to do and feel like he's helping when he's scared for Sammy. That and her comments about him being a good dad? She has confidence in him others don't. It would be so easy to write off his behavior with Sammy as being irresponsible or selfish. Brooklynn acknowledges his kindness and encourages him. Also, the fact Kenji started out kind of toxic masculine and is being given a space where it's okay to express fear and weekness, AND being encouraged about his daddy issues? Wonderful.

Meanwhile, Kenji gives Brokklynn space to show her fear, her worries, her vulnerable side. She can be weak around him, too. People expect him to be the screw up, they expect her to be good at everything. They don't treat each other like that, and it's so healthy.

Plus they both seem to have self confidence issues? Brooklynn had a need for validation from her followers that caused her to make dangerous choices for the likes. Meanwhile Kenji is constantly bragging because he's worried his friends won't like him if he's not impressive enough. Them being able to be real with each other and not worry about extremely conditional love is really good for them and probably gives them a sense of security.

Sure they have that love with their friends, but they've shown it comes easier to them with each other. Not to mention, Ben and Darius have been pairing off lately and Sammy and Yaz are always a pair. It makes sense they'd end up spending time together more than the others, even just by default.

Anyway, tldr, I'm surprised by how unforced it ended up being, and with the timeline and structure of the story, it actually makes sense.

P. S. I'm frankly glad we have a kid show that didn't feel the need to put in any romance for 3 seasons. It makes it feel way less like they were just pairing the jock guy with the first girl he sees

[starryreys]

bear with me while I write an essay to the tumblr void real quick but I think one of the reasons the newer seasons of dw don’t feel as emotionally resonant to me is because of the music (disclaimer: I have loved and enjoyed every single episode of 13’s seasons, I love all the characters in these newer seasons, and I think the music slaps) that being said, I was watching a video by sideways (I am once again begging you to watch his videos) and he was talking about how one of the shortcomings of the harry potter movies was not having the same composer for all 8 movies, and consequently each movie had a different sound and musical motifs. Compare that to a franchise like star wars or lord of the rings that has such iconic and emotionally impactful leitmotifs for each character, which is why you can listen to the force theme, or han and leia’s theme, or the imperial march and it immediately evokes an emotion that you tie to the character or story. And I think this is one of the reasons why earlier new who seasons feel more emotionally impactful. Murray Gold’s composed motifs for each character and that’s one of the reasons their stories resonate so well. When you hear rose’s theme when ten runs into her for the last time in ‘the end of time’ it immediately evokes a specific emotion that you associate with rose and the doctor’s journey. it’s the same effect when the doctor plays clara’s theme on the guitar in her final episode, or whenever ‘I am the doctor’ evokes the specific emotion that you associate with the climax of the episode. This is why I feel like even though moffat and rtd’s seasons were so different, it still felt like there was a thread connecting them and I think that was the consistency of the music composition. I think this is one of the reasons it’s been harder (at least for me) to connect with the newer characters. donna, amy, clara etc. all had musical themes that encompassed who they were, and that played during significant moments for their characters, but we didn’t really get that as prominently for yaz or ryan or even 13. That’s why the last season finale where the doctor who main theme played as 13 went through all the memories in her head finally felt emotionally resonant to me, because it used a musical motif to evoke that emotion in us. I feel like these seasons were even missing those iconic music moments that weren’t recurring themes, but defined significant episodes. (I mean you can play the first note of doomsday and I’ll immediately feel it). I think that’s why the previous dw seasons felt more like an epic fantasy like lord of the rings or star wars because it had those movie like musical motifs, but the newer seasons feel more like a standard tv show. 

tldr: give yaz and thirteen a musical love motif on the scale of han and leia

#I don't know why I just typed all that out except that if I don't yell my thoughts to nobody in particular I will die #I am cutting myself off before I start yelling about how cuaron made john williams rescore everything for poa #don't get me wrong because the music for the most recent seasons is really cool!! #to me it's just missing the emotional resonance of the way music was utilized in previous seasons #and that's not just on the composers there's a lot of other people like the episode directors and showrunners that are involved in this #and deciding how music is going to be used in the show #OH ALSO!! the scene where 12 is gonna wipe bill's memory #and she goes 'imagine how it would feel if someone did that to you' #and clara's theme plays faintly in the background and you can feel it with your whole heart!!! #you can't get moments like those without prominent musical motifs #and choosing not to use music in that way is in my opinion such a detriment to the show #doctor who #dw #murray gold #edit: pls ignore some of the parts where I said motif where I should have said theme I do not proofread my tumblr rants #mika.txt