Doctor Who Prompt/Narrative Challenge List
This is my personal list of story ideas that I will (likely) never have time to write. But I would like to read stories based on them. So I offer them up to fanfiction writers.
DOCTOR WHO
1. “Journey's End” fix-its. Donna Noble remains the greatest New Who companion - and ought to be a candidate for the all-time best companion. What happened to her was, in my heart, the greatest wrong committed on Doctor Who. (How Ten was written out is a close second, however...) Look through all of Whovian history to find overlooked ways of saving her from the Time-Lord consciousness - or ways she could've come to adapt to it.
2. The Doctor couldn't let Donna die. But what if pushing her back to that half-living, shallow existence had turned out for the worse? What if she became a target because she wasn't with the Doctor anymore? Can we be sure that Shawn Temple will be the man she needs? And could Wilf and Sylvia (and Shawn) really protect her - even with that defense mechanism?
3. Rose Tyler couldn't let go of the Doctor, and jumped universes to try to return to him. But did she stop to think about the consequences of that Dimension Cannon? How many time-lines and people had to suffer just so she had the chance to be with “her” (alien) man? Did Dalek Caan manage to break the Time-Lock because of Rose's actions? What if the Doctor realized any or all of that, and had to stop her?
4. What if 10.5 had refused to go with Rose? That bit of Donna might have given him a clearer head where Rose was concerned, and he doesn't love her after all?
5. What if Pete and Jackie had become deeply concerned about Rose's single-minded obsession, and undermined her work? What would the consequences have been for them - and for “our” universe? What would 10 and Donna's adventures have been like without Rose coming back?
6. 10.5 stays with Rose, but he quickly makes it clear - whatever 10 says - that he's going to destroy the Dimension Cannon, and then go off to do his own thing? How far might Rose have gone to stop him, and how would he, Jackie, and Pete have reacted? And does he locate a Donna Noble on Pete's World?
7. Was Rose Tyler important to the Doctor because she was special to him, or because she happened to be the first friend he had after losing his people? I wish this question had been explored - possibly through comparisons with the other companions.
8. After Rose nearly destroyed Earth and the Doctor by saving her father's life, what if the Doctor had decided that she was too dangerous to the time-lines and left her with her mom? He realizes that his enduring loneliness is sometimes safer for the universe...
9. After watching Rose's hyper jealous reaction to Sarah Jane Smith, the Doctor has Rose and Mickey learn about his other companions. Both men end up displeased with her thoughts and actions. What might've happened then, had they both realized just how immature Rose was - and always had been?
10. What if Mickey had become the companion instead of Rose? The Doctor, a little concerned about how rude Rose was to the lad she called her boyfriend, decides to give the scared young man a chance to grow up. Would the men have become best mates? (Slash writers, go ahead, but I don't promise to read; it's never been my thing.)
11. Rose managing to continue on after the energy of the Bad Wolf always bothered me, especially when compared against what happened to Donna. What if Rose's memories were erased because of the damage she endured - simply by refusing to accept the Doctor's help and heed his warnings? What would 9's last moments have been like, and how would Mickey and Jackie have coped? Or... what if the TARDIS didn't like Rose and actually manipulated the energy to make her unable to travel any longer with the Doctor...?
12. Suppose that Rose wasn't the gal 9 met, but Donna was. I've seen this done in one-shots, but I'd like to see how differently the adventures would've gone had Donna been the companion from the start. Bonus points for keeping her around post-Doomsday. I've got ideas for this one, but I'd need a co-author or two to make them work...
13. A psychic - say, the one from “Planet of the Dead” - encounters the Doctor and warns him that Rose's time with him is ending, but that her obsession with him will nearly destroy the multiverses. I see one possibility: he tells Pete Tyler to not let Rose research anything remotely related to time or space travel, and he talks Mickey into staying to help close the rift. Mickey, thanks to a man's superior upper body strength, isn't sucked into the rift or dropped back into Pete's World. What happened next?
14. When 9 first arrives, he encounters Rose AND Donna. The latter insists that Mickey come with them; “What makes you think it's right to just leave him? So what if he was scared? You and I were, too, you little twit! Besides, you're just a kid! You've surely got family that you should be concerned about worrying!” Or something like that...
15. Same lines as 14, except Donna has a big secret: she's met the Doctor before, but it was 10, not 9. In Donna's past, 10 saved her from really bad people, but unknowingly left her with quite the surprise... Donna just can't let the Doctor know until the right moment... but she also knows she must travel with him as he is now.
16. River Song isn't the Doctor's (presumed) future wife. She knows his name another way...
17. What if River Song had never been created by the Who writers? No frequent visits from a person overly smug from “knowing” that things will work out, and trusting that the Doctor will always answer her call. How would you solve the Library situation?
18. “The Doctor's Daughter” fix-its. Donna insists they stay to bury Jenny, as family ought to.
19. Donna, after demanding a whole bunch of answers and making the Doctor deal with her family, accepts his offer to travel. Martha still becomes a companion, but perhaps becomes a bit protected by seeing the all-too amusing phenomenon of a man falling for a woman who isn't completely impressed by him...? How else might Series 3 have been different? One big point to explore are the WW1 episodes. Suppose Donna is made into Mrs. John Smith...?
20. Jenny and Donna are at the Library. Both are absorbed into the computer. Jenny experiences childhood, and love with a sweet older man named Lee. Donna experiences being in love and having a family with Jenny's “father,” a famliar-looking man called “John Smith.” How do they cope with their shared experiences? And don't you see Jenny - taking after her adoptive mum (see 18) - insisting they wait to leave until everyone is seen safely out...?
21. Jenny, in particular, is alarmed over River not knowing her. She feels River is a home-wrecker, and is determined to keep her family together. They make it through “Journey's End,” and just when it seems that 10's days are numbered, Donna and Jenny figure out a way to keep the family whole - and the time-lines intact!
22. 10.5 might've carried love for Rose, but living around her quickly kills it. (Enough of Donna in him to see the truth of Rose's actions.) What does he do to put Rose in her place?
23. Okay, I read two wonderful Doctor Who/Casanova fics (yes, the one with DT in the starring role) off the Doctor/Donna LiveJournal community (the fics are "Rondo Veneziano" and "Three Quarters Curiosity" - the latter is one of the hottest things I've ever read, and it's not explicit) and I got hit by a massive idea. Circumstances throws 10 into Casanova's life at least three times. Problem is, the first time for 10 isn't the first time for Casanova; he's already met Donna (who not only enticed him the most, but he fell for) and Martha (who intrigued him greatly; she is, after all, Shakespeare's Dark Lady) - in whichever order you pick. He's unimpressed with Rose, who he thinks of as an immature child - although he's polite about it, not that Rose really notices once she's dismissed as an interest... What happens each time, and how do the Doctor and Rose react to the clear knowledge that Casanova has of the Doctor's future? If a fourth meeting takes place after "Journey's End," will Casanova help the Doctor find a solution...? Of course, the fact that Casanova is human could lead to some... other complications... You decide!
24. I keep hearing about these characters called "The Guardians of Time." What if they were still around, but focused on ensuring that the Doctor can keep the universe safe? One thought is what if they foresaw that Rose might do, and - determined to protect the innocent time-lines and planets - warned her that a time-lock was in her future if she didn't let go... before the Doctor's connection to Bad Wolf Bay was cut off? That gives him something else to feel guilty about... so who will pick up the pieces? This might be one to combine with number 13 - at least the part where Mickey stays in "our" universe.
25. This is almost a combination of two of my prompts. The TARDIS brings the 10th Doctor and Rose to a strange planet which apparently has a connection to another universe. Something dangerous is threatening both universes. Then another TARDIS appears, and out comes... the other universe's 10th Doctor... and Donna Noble. These two have a clear bond that makes Rose feel threatened, and confuses our universe's Doctor. How clear on what that bond is are the other Doctor and Donna? Is Donna concerned that her Doctor's feelings are based solely on the circumstances of their meeting, or have those two settled things between them? How does this change things for our Doctor?
{C}{C}
{C}26. Remember how many times Donna and the Doctor missed each other in "Partners in Crime?" Choose any moment from that episode, and have them actually meet. I count the following missed opportunities (you might recall more):
Walking to Adipose that first scene (although I admit, they might've been coming from different sides of the building)
Him seeing her from that booth
Them spotting each other at several different opportunities among the cubes
Outside Stacy Campbell's house - at two different moments: before Donna can down that alley, and then them turning around instead and walking right into each other
27. I've read the idea of Donna being a fob-watched Time-Lady more than once. Once she was someone in The Doctor's household, who looked after his children, and another time she was Romana IV. (I think that'd be the right number.) Pick a moment along the D/D time-line, and run with this idea. See where it takes you...
28. Instead of accepting 10.5, Rose feels offended - realizing that the Doctor must not be THAT into her, after all. Or at least, not anymore. She maybe slaps both Doctors, and tells Ten to go to hell and take his copy with him; "I won't be fobbed off on someone like the man I love!" (Or something like that.) First, what would it take for her to do that, and then... what happens next?
29. Nine and Rose encounter a young ginger woman/teenager who's all too familiar with the TARDIS. She's not there by choice, but Nine realizes that they've entered a fixed point in history. The girl is key to keeping history flowing correctly, and forces Rose to take a hard look at herself - and the Doctor. When she's dropped off somewhere at her request, Nine pulls her aside because he's figured a few things out - despite the girl's efforts at deception. Rose overhears that this girl is the daughter of a future Doctor, that he'll meet the girl's mother after his time with Rose ends, and that he'll need all his powers of persuasion and creativity to convince the woman to travel with him - because of when the girl was born... Rose doesn't mention overhearing any of it, not even when Nine regenerates and she can see that Ten is the father. She reminds Ten of it when he projects a hologram of himself, although he'd largely forgotten the details. The maturity of Rose's reaction stuns him, but not as much when the mysterious bride turns around... and he just KNOWS...
30. Seeing how much Donna is sacrificing to travel with him, and how important it is to her, Ten drums up the courage to offer to give Donna children...
31. Donna and the Doctor get a shock when some culture forces them to wed on the point of death. More embarrassing? They won't be freed until they've consummated the union. Only a little quirk of how Gallifreyan genes would mix with human genes makes Donna getting pregnant a certainty...
32. The Doctor can't believe that anyone would turn him down, and every instinct is telling him that Donna is meant to be traveling with him. How might he do about persuading her to change her mind - without being too forceful? And how will he react when it finally dawns on him that he's falling for her - even having just lost Rose? (Choose your perception of what his feelings were, and have lots of fun writing the rest!)
33. What if Jack or Jenny were given the opportunity to change the Doctor and Donna's time-lines for the better? How well would they handle the responsibility of ensuring that things really work out? Or even River Song...?
34. What if Handy had seen the Doctor and Donna as his parents, and even voiced that at Bad Wolf Bay? Would Donna have let the Doctor leave him behind...? How would Rose have reacted to Handy if such comments had been made?
35. Martha was watching the Doctor's reactions to Donna carefully in TSS/TPS. What if she'd confronted the Doctor with evidence of his behavior? Did he even realize what his feelings were becoming? What does he do? And what if Martha had chosen to meddle...?
36. "The Psychology of Gallifreyan Mating." There's your title. Now explain the Doctor's people's mating habits, rituals, and customs. Pairing must be Ten/Donna, but you can highlight other women who've been in the Doctor's life to explain why they didn't fit the bill for what he needs. Or have their experiences highlight some aspect of Gallifreyan preferences/biology.
37. Donna and Handy figure out what the Doctor is planning, and they're not about to take it. So when they arrive at Bad Wolf Bay, the Doctor is shocked when Donna and Handy abscond with the TARDIS, leaving him with Rose and Jackie. And Jack's vortex manipulator, and the TARDIS cutting... and a note that basically says, "Now you get to find out if you really love her." This domestic life, which opened his eyes to the truth about Rose's character and ways, kills whatever he did feel for her and once he's so desperate for an out... he discovers that Donna and Handy gave him an escape option which wasn't available to him before... Fill in the details, and choose how he leaves Rose forever... destroying the Dimension Cannon in the process...
38. In "Stolen Earth," Sylvia and Wilf are saved by Mickey Smith, who's been the one trying to contact the Doctor. Perhaps Donna met him in "Turn Left." Two of Mickey's Pete's World friends save Sarah Jane Smith. After Earth is returned, Mickey insists that they head straight to Pete's World. "We probably need to destroy the Cannon, don't we, Boss?" he asks the Doctor. They arrive, and are in the quick process of dismantling it when Rose appears... heavily pregnant. Has she moved on with Mickey or with one of his friends? Furthermore, she's taken a good look at her life and determined that she was good for Nine but not Ten. What does she tell the Doctor to show how far she's (genuinely) moved on, and what does he do when he sees that he can't even consider leaving Handy with her...? And does Rose make him see that Donna IS his perfect mate? (And that just because River is apparently his future wife doesn't mean he can't share Donna's human lifetime with her.)
39. Here's a thought: the Doctor's hand didn't grow into Handy. It grew into a Mini-Ten! What traits of Donna's does he get, and how do you solve the Dalek mess - and keep Donna okay?
40. The hand grows into a Duplicate Donna! Is she their daughter, or Donna's twin...? And what the heck happens after they solve the Dalek mess? There are some... interesting possibilities with this one... *winks*
41. A Mini-Donna grows from the hand. Again, how does a child help save the universe and all of creation? I personally see Ten just melting into fatherhood over the sight of a Mini-Donna to adore and care for. :D
42. Here's a wild thought. Alter the end of Series 1 so that Nine doesn't die and regenerate. Now combine the end of Series 2 with an incident like the "Bad Wolf" energy that triggered Nine's death. Rose has been sucked into the parallel universe. Maybe Nine is able to send her a message, but perhaps he regenerates before he can... and then the newly born Ten has Donna Noble to deal with. The poor bride soon finds her anger melting away when the Doctor collapses before her eyes. How will she save him so he can get her back home... and then save her life? Now think about the implications. Rose wouldn't recognize the Doctor in the series 4 end, so what happens then? Might Ten's hand get severed when he's shot by that Dalek...? Might Rose miss the Doctor and Donna entirely? Oh, and does Donna's answer at the end of TRB change because she had to take care of Ten...?
43. Donna's friends and family weren't exactly nice to her in "The Runaway Bride" by having the reception without her. The Doctor notes that, is appalled, and has to keep checking up on Donna. Perhaps he agrees to the dinner to try to talk some sense into her family? Perhaps he checks up on her the next morning...? Or on the trip that she goes on by herself...? Start from here and see where it leads you...
44. I was thinking about the things that the Big Bang II from the Series 5 end could've done. What if it somehow reset things so the Doctor was right back to Nine - just as he's about to meet Rose Tyler - but he carries memories of the time that's yet to or could come? He probably wouldn't trust them... until a number of things happen exactly as the "dreams" tell him. Consider the implications. Might he decide that Rose is a danger after she wants to see her father? Does he drop her back home after "Bad Wolf," perhaps even wiping her mind so she doesn't go seeking him out? Can Ten stop Harriet Jones? Do Mickey and Jackie become companions while Rose is off doing something else? Does the Carney Wharf battle even happen? And what happens when Ten meets Donna? Does he make a concerted effort to convince her to come with him? Might he woo her - in his own wacky way? And does he take steps to prevent the events of the Series 4 end - which could mean killing a Dalek where he otherwise wouldn't have? (This could be a fun one!)
45. On the same lines as the above one, things are reset such that Gallifrey isn't stuck in the Time Lock. Oh, there was a Time War, but the planet didn't burn and there were surviving Time Lords. But the Doctor had to help rebuild things for a long while, and then went back to traveling and taking on companions. What are the implications? And how do these surviving Time Lords, who know they need to repopulate and it might have to be with other species, help or hinder the Doctor?
NEW 46. Jenny should have been there for the Series 4 end. Come up with a canonically consistent explanation. And even work around it to bring her there. What would her presence have done to the events?
NEW 47. In beta reading a story recently, I stumbled onto an interesting thought. Donna, if she remembered, would know well the feeling of being in two minds. She could even write a paper on the subject. Try writing that paper. :D
CROSSOVERS: Doctor Who/Jane Austen:
1. Over on the Doctor/Donna community page on LiveJournal, someone mentioned the idea of "Doctor Who meets Pride & Prejudice." I agree with the delightful thoughts of the Doctor and Donna in Regency period outfits. (I so need to watch "Casanova" in its entirety sometime soon...) But why not take the stories and mesh them with "modern" Who? Donna could be the under-appreciated Fanny Price character pained by watching the man she loves make a fool of himself over someone she knows doesn't deserve him. Although the Doctor certainly could handle some of the Mr. Darcy aspects quite well... Have fun with this one!