FANFICCERS' FRIEND - PRE-DONNA

On January 20^th of last year, Matthew Silverman posted the following to the “Doctor Who” page on Facebook:

If you could pick one companion to be in a spinoff show like Sarah Jane, who would it be?

Personally, I chose Bill Potts and her new significant other, Heather who was now “The Pilot”.  Both women, attracted to each other, had been transformed physically, emotionally by aliens – Bill by hanging out with the Doctor; Heather transformed by mysterious extraterrestrials into a new kind of life form.  I thought their style of travel, their alien-like attributes, and that attraction to each other would be a welcome change of pace that would have the possibility to reach the heights of the heady sci-fi literature of the late 60s, early 70s. And hopefully open the minds of those who are anti-LGBTQ.  (It’s a different sci-fi classic, but I always wonder how someone who loves classic ‘Star Trek’ could then still be so anti-tolerant of others.)

There were a lot of replies to Matthew’s question and as I write this, people are still chiming in.  But the ones that perplexed me were those who wanted a spin-off with Donna Noble.  It made me think they really don’t like her.  Are they trying to get that wonderful character played by Catherine Tate killed off?

I detested Donna Noble when we first met her in “The Runaway Bride”, but RTD and Tate developed her character beautifully.  But the culmination of her journey with the Doctor was almost as bad as if they killed her off – Donna’s mind had to be blocked from accessing her new-found powers that made her Doctor Donna.  Regaining access to any sliver of those memories would burn her up.  And yet all these “fans” were clamoring for her to return. 

But the next day, a commenter named Noah Gordon Fairleigh came up with the twist that would make it work….

Donna Noble and the search for the Doctor.  In the Adipose episode of ‘Doctor Who’ most people over looked the fact Donna tried hunting down the Doctor and searched the world.  Would it be awesome if we got to see Donna bump into some of the other companions such as Joe, Clara, Bill, Jacky, Elton, Luke, Maria and even more.  Not just people who met the Doctor, but also affected by the monsters and are in trouble again. That would be awesome!

Any one agree?

Raising my hand here, Mr. Fairleigh.  If done soon, this could work as a TV spin-off mini-series while Catherine Tate is still relatively close in appearance to how Donna looked back then.  Otherwise, it would be a fertile field for a long run as fan fiction.

One suggestion – Donna wouldn’t have to actually meet up with those still living who had adventures with the Doctor.  What if she visited the library and stumbled across the diary of any one of the Companions from the past in the archives?

When I usually post a “Fanficcers’ Friend” essay, I usually end it with the same suggestion – should you write up such a fanfic based on Noah Gordon’s premise, send me a link to where you publish so that I can read it.

But in this case, I’m adding another request.  Make sure you give credit to Noah Gordon Fairleigh for coming up with such a great concept.

Oi! Spaceman!

FANFICCERS' FRIEND - RETURN OF THE OL' SWITCHEROO

We’ve got a sequel to a past post in the “Who’s On First?” blogathon….

A few years ago I wrote a “Fanficcer’s Friend” dealing with the photoshop possibilities in switching the faces of characters in the ‘Doctor Who’ saga.  The example used was the Fourth Incarnation of the Doctor and the Master.

I thought maybe the Wire might have been involved.  But maybe there is an alien species that needs to switch faces of others and feeds off the energy that such a procedure generates, in much the same way that a Weeping Angel feeds off the unused potential energy of those they send back into the Past.

So somebody in the world of the Interwebz played around with Photoshop and revisited the concept of the Doctor getting his faced switched again.  This time it was the Tenth Incarnation and his Companion Rose.

Here’s an added bonus to any possible fan fiction – the story should take place on or immediately following the events of December 21, 1970 – when President Richard Nixon met Elvis Presley in the Oval Office. 

As you can see by this version of the most famous photo of Presley, that alien must have attacked them at the time the picture was taken.  The Doctor and Rose, already transformed, arrive in pursuit but are too late.  Now they have to capture the alien and bring it back to the White House to “put right what once went wrong.”

Anything more than that will be up to the person who wants to write such a story.

Here’s an added twist for any story a fanficcer might scribble: the story takes place in December of 1971.  President Nixon had already met the Doctor in July of 1969.  But that was the next incarnation of the Doctor.  As he was at this juncture in his life, the Doctor hasn’t met Nixon, although he does know the man’s history.

Interested in writing up the story?  If you do, I’d love to read it.  Contact me and let me know where you’ve posted it so I can check it out.

It’s no spoiler to say that the Doctor and Rose would be successful in realigning the faces of the President and the King.

Allonsy!

HOUSE TARDIS

Every so often, I stumble across a picture that makes me think of ‘Doctor Who’.  It doesn’t take much.

Back in January of last year, I saw this picture on Facebook.  I’m writing this up only a few days later, and I can’t even remember what the post was about.  I figure it was something personal, dealing with the source’s personal information.  O’Bviously the house had gone through renovation and I guess the third picture was where it was located. 

It’s because of the house alteration that I thought of ‘Doctor Who’.  I got an idea that this house could be an actual TARDIS, much like Professor Chronotis’ rooms at St. Cedd’s.  Whoever this Time Lord could be, they used the chameleon circuit to make some adjustments to the look of the TARDIS to fit their current mood.  Eventually, for whatever reason, the Time Lord had to skedaddle and left the area, leaving an empty lot where the TARDIS house once was.

Just a daydream…..

WHO DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS

04/21/18

Dreams disappear so quickly from the memory, no matter how vivid they are as you're experiencing them.  So I'm typing this one as soon as I got up, but even now I'm forgetting details...

Two friends of mine were doing a search of a home - I think the owner was away on business.  And I came in and saw that the typewriter in the house was the same one used to write a message to The Doctor which he would find in the future.  (The Mind doesn't bother with trifling details as to how I knew that.)  

I knew somebody had to type that message, so I decided to do it myself despite my friends' irritation with that idea.  I took the typewriter outside the house to write it.  (Inside the house looked like my apartment.  Outside, it was my old family home.)  I sat in the snow on the sidewalk and now the typewriter was full of snow as well.  (I think my cleaning out the typewriter was influenced from having seen the 'Secret Agent' episode "Colony Three" that day.)

I typed up the message and then suddenly I'm at That Place, where I used to work.  I found the former security chief and his wife were using one of the large offices to live in and they scoffed at my idea that the message would somehow reach the Doctor in the Future.

There was a toddler in that office as well and as sometimes happens in a dream, there was a recasting - the wife was replaced with another woman with whom I worked, someone more matronly.  I think the little boy was her grandson.

Here endeth the dream.

Means nothing more than that I do focus excessively on 'Doctor Who'.

A little worried about sitting in the snow though.  Even in the dream I knew that was weird.....

Sweet dreams!

A COLLECTIVE NAME FOR THE COMPLAINERS

It was December 20, 2017, when I wrote this comment on a post in one of the 'Doctor Who' FB page I frequent.  As you might expect in the days leading up to the Christmas special in which Jodie Whitaker would make her debut as the Thirteenth Incarnation of the Doctor, the post was yet another complaint that the Doctor should never be a woman.

Toby O'Brien
"The Doctor's Daughter" showed that Gallifreyan humanoid DNA is unlike Terran humanoid DNA - quite malleable. So the groundwork was already laid down for this to happen. Not that it will matter to the Wibbly Wobbly Timey Whiners.

WIBBLY WOBBLY TIMEY WHINERS - Man, I love coining words and phrases!

BCnU!!!

INTRODUCING THE 66 RAMBLERS

The Facebook group, The 66 Ramblers, specialize in colorizing 'Doctor Who' pictures from the black & white years.  (They also do amazing 360° panoramas as well.)

And when you're talking about the black & white years, you're talking Patrick Troughton as the Second Incarnation.  (My favorite Doctor!)

Here are some examples they shared during 2018.....

 A Yeti with TV Personality Alan Whicker

If you like this sort of thing, you should like their page on Facebook.  (They spell their name all as one word.)

BCnU!

ADHERENTS OF THE REPEATED MEME - BEAUTY AND THE GALLIFREYAN BEAST

Every so often, a good Who-Meme works better than a long drawn-out essay from Ye Olde Curator.......

BCnU!

TWIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES - FATE OF THE DOCTOR

I'm just going to leave this here.....

ECHOES - FAMILY MEMORIES

THE SECOND INCARNATION OF THE DOCTOR

Victoria:
You probably can't remember your family.
The Doctor:
Oh yes, I can when I want to. And that's the point, really. I have to really want to, to bring them back in front of my eyes. The rest of the time they... they sleep in my mind and I forget. And so will you. Oh yes, you will. You'll find there's so much else to think about. To remember. Our lives are different to anybody else's. That's the exciting thing! There's nobody in the universe can do what we're doing.

THE THIRTEENTH INCARNATION OF THE DOCTOR

Yasmin:
Have you got family? 
Doctor:
No. Lost them a long time ago. 
Ryan:
How do you cope with that? 
Doctor:
I carry them with me. What they would've thought and said and done. I make them a part of who I am. So even though they're gone from the world, they're never gone from me.


Geronimo!

WELCOME TO THE "WHO'S ON FIRST?" BLOG-A-THON!

Welcome to the 12th anniversary edition of the "Who's On First?" blogAthon.  For the next 24 hours, there will be forty-eight posts about 'Doctor Who', one every half hour.

This round-the-clock celebration of 'Doctor Who' began somewhat modestly - there were only seven "episodes" for that first outing.  But it has grown to the point where for the last couple of years we have tried to present a new blog post about the universe of the Doctor every half hour.

And I always amaze myself that I find enough topics each year.  But then, I have yet to see every episode of the 55 year old series.

Because of their time-sensitive nature, there were a few posts I published earlier in the year.  Some are just mentions of the Doctor, most of them dealt with the breaking news about the show.  But if you're interested.... 

So here it is - the kick-off to the 2019 edition of 'Who's On First'!  And as always, we begin with the frame grab from 'Robot Chicken' which has become our mascot.....  

Allonsy!