Fic Rec and RTD Appreciation
First, the fic rec: enterjonas, an author brand-new to Doctor Who, has posted his/her first fic on the Spoon. It's a vignette and character study of the Doctor as he advances through his remaining lives (with brief glimpses into the life of the half-human Doctor in Pete's World). I particularly love the author's imagining of Gallifreyan death rites, and the fact that the Doctor tells Jack about these:
In days of old, a Time Lord would return to Gallifrey from his final sojourns. His regenerations spent and his last form aged, he would retire to the halls of his forefathers and chronicle his travels. In his final hours, he would be joined by the preceding versions of himself. He would be buried by his former selves and a few witnesses.
This ritual was venerated on Gallifrey. If a Time Lord passed without his earlier selves, it was believed that his soul would enter eternity broken.
The Doctor tells Jack Harkness about the ceremony one night in a near-empty bar on the planet Dayamir. It's been more a millennium since the two last met, and the Doctor's face has changed twice, but the profound respect and admiration they share eases the wound of lost years.
Where Weary Eyes No More Will Weep
And now to the RTD appreciation. I'm seeing so much hate for RTD around these days, in posts, comments and even icons, that I've almost stopped reading part of my flist. Of course people are entitled to express their opinions, but I think there's a place for a more balanced perspective. Do I think RTD's management of the Whoniverse was perfect? Of course I don't. Do I love everything he did as showrunner? Not a chance! He actually wrote some of my least favourite episodes, including Tooth and Claw and Last of the Time Lords, and I still loathe what he did to Donna and am very disappointed that he didn't take the opportunity to fix it in his final episodes. Do I think that the franchise will go downhill without him in charge? Not at all, even if I do still have many reservations about Stephen Moffat. However, I do think that we all have good reason to appreciate what RTD did for Doctor Who, and even to be grateful for him. Without him, would DW now be the most popular programme on British TV? Would we be heading for a fifth full series, with two spin-offs and a flourishing business in novels, comics and toys?
selenak, in a reasoned, articulate and very well-argued post that's being linked around the place, says it all so very well: Ten Reasons to Love Russell T Davies.
In days of old, a Time Lord would return to Gallifrey from his final sojourns. His regenerations spent and his last form aged, he would retire to the halls of his forefathers and chronicle his travels. In his final hours, he would be joined by the preceding versions of himself. He would be buried by his former selves and a few witnesses.
This ritual was venerated on Gallifrey. If a Time Lord passed without his earlier selves, it was believed that his soul would enter eternity broken.
The Doctor tells Jack Harkness about the ceremony one night in a near-empty bar on the planet Dayamir. It's been more a millennium since the two last met, and the Doctor's face has changed twice, but the profound respect and admiration they share eases the wound of lost years.
Where Weary Eyes No More Will Weep
And now to the RTD appreciation. I'm seeing so much hate for RTD around these days, in posts, comments and even icons, that I've almost stopped reading part of my flist. Of course people are entitled to express their opinions, but I think there's a place for a more balanced perspective. Do I think RTD's management of the Whoniverse was perfect? Of course I don't. Do I love everything he did as showrunner? Not a chance! He actually wrote some of my least favourite episodes, including Tooth and Claw and Last of the Time Lords, and I still loathe what he did to Donna and am very disappointed that he didn't take the opportunity to fix it in his final episodes. Do I think that the franchise will go downhill without him in charge? Not at all, even if I do still have many reservations about Stephen Moffat. However, I do think that we all have good reason to appreciate what RTD did for Doctor Who, and even to be grateful for him. Without him, would DW now be the most popular programme on British TV? Would we be heading for a fifth full series, with two spin-offs and a flourishing business in novels, comics and toys?
selenak, in a reasoned, articulate and very well-argued post that's being linked around the place, says it all so very well: Ten Reasons to Love Russell T Davies.