Doctor Who Meme-age

[salienne]

Because sleep is highly overrated...

Swiped from violet_lane

Series and Spinoffs
1. When did you start watching?

Well technically, I started watching all the way back when S1 was airing on sci-fi. See, I caught “The End of the World”, this fun little episode about Nine and Rose and, well, the end of the world. That’s pretty neat, I thought, and then promptly forgot about it for several months.

Then came the time I really consider myself to have “started watching”: Christmas break of last year (so December 2006, I s’pose), My dad had recorded “Army of Ghosts”/”Doomsday”. I watched. I played the beach scene over and over. I ordered the DVDs for seasons 1 and 2 within the week. :-)

1a. Why?

I’m a sci-fi/fantasy nerd, was raised on the stuff and will always adore it. I watch random sci-fi stuff my dad tapes. In this case, I was bored, I watched, I loved.

2. What was your first episode?

*coughs and points to 1.*

3. Which episodes have you seen?

All of New Who (repeatedly; I emphasize repeatedly) and the TVM.

3a. Favourite?

Now that’s just mean. I would just like to say that I have enjoyed every single episode. Only one that I would consider below average would be “The Idiot’s Lantern”, and even that had loads of redeeming moments.

So… First I’ll list my overall favorites, then narrow in.

Overall Favorites: The End of the World, Dalek, Father’s Day, Boom Town, Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways, The Girl in the Fireplace, The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit, Fear Her, Army of Ghosts/Doomsday, The Runaway Bride, Gridlock, Human Nature/The Family of Blood, Blink, Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords.

UBER Favorites:
-The End of the World (this episode is just such a great introduction, and it has so much psychological stuff brimming beneath the surface)
-Father’s Day (beautiful, absolutely beautiful, and so heart-rending)
-Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways (I love the reality TV stuff/culture commentary, seeing how much Rose has learned, seeing the character interactions, seeing Jack’s growth, the parallel with the end of the war/coward moment, and Rose as the Bad Wolf. Just some great television)
-The Girl in the Fireplace (my absolute favorite stand-alone episode; beautiful in every single way. I’m a hard-core Doctor/Rose shipper and I still can’t get enough of this love story.)
-The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit (my favorite two-parter, because Rose and the Doctor kick ass in it, the secondary characters are wonderful, I have a soft spot for Satan, the score and CGI are beautiful, the relationship between the Doctor and Rose is so well done, and it’s just lovely lovely lovely),
-Army of Ghosts/Doomsday (emotional journey=ZOMG RTD LEMME LOVE YOU LONG TIME, YIS?)
--The Runaway Bride (the perfect mix of fun and the Doctor mourning; I just loved the complexity and how much was brimming beneath the surface. And Donna and the “need someone to stop you” comment make me squee like whoa.)
-Human Nature/The Family of Blood (just such a lovely two-parter that has so much contained in it, and I have a soft spot for vengeful!dark!UBERflawed!Doctor)
-Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords (because, um, Master=amazing, Doctor=desperate and unfair and so real, Jack=Jack, and Martha kicks serious ass and yells at the Doctor and then saves the fucking world).

4. Are your friends/family interested in the show?

My parents keep up with all the episodes. I grew up on sci-fi. Now I show them my DVDs… which they tend to pay for. ;)

I am also introducting my friends to Who. Pretty much all my friends at Hopkins like, and the parties in the common room with my DVDs are always fun.

5. Which Doctor is your favourite?

Nine, because he’s just so honest and good. Ten is rude and not ginger, and while I adore him, he can be a jerk and downright confusing. Nine is just… a better person, really.

6. Which Doctor is your least favourite?

I refuse to answer this, because I love Ten but prefer Nine. And Eight didn’t get enough of a chance for me to judge him.

7. Which TV companion is your favourite?

Rose. I love her compassion, her instincts, her leadership abilities, how very human she is, and, yes, her relationship with the Doctor. Next would be Mickey because of just how much he grows and how badass he becomes.

8. Which TV companion is your least favourite?

Um… probably Adam? Because he doesn’t really do much? He just sort of screws up, so while I pity him, I don’t like him all that much.

9. Do you listen to the Big Finish audios?

Nope.

9a. If so, which is your favourite?

N/A

9b. Also: which Big Finish companion is your favourite?

N/A

10. Have you listened to any non-Big Finish audios?

Nope.

10a. If so, which is your favourite?

N/A

11. Have you read any of the novels or short stories?

Nope.

11a. Have you written any of the novels or short stories?

I wish.

11b. Which is your favourite?

N/A

12. Have you read any of the comics?

Nope.

12a. You guessed it - which is your favourite?

N/A.

13. Do you watch any of the spinoffs (e.g. Torchwood, Sarah Jane Adventures)?

Torchwood.

13a. Which is your favourite?

Gee, I wonder. :P

14. Is there any particular episode/book/audio/comic you desperately want to watch/listen to/read?

City of Death. I tried to dl it on Torrent and that failed miserably. I’d also be vaguely interested in Lungbarrow, and I want to read The Stone Rose and Peacemaker.

Fandom
1. Do you write fanfic for Doctor Who?

*coughs and points to the “fanfiction” tag, her ff.net account, and the fanfic journal that still needs work but will have stuff on it within the month, I promise!*

1a. If so, post a snippet of a work-in-progress (or several)!

Exhibit Number One: A Piece of a Missing Scene from TGitF:

[The Doctor has just turned down sex with Reinette, in essence.]
Then she understood. She glanced down, and when she looked back up, there was a smile tugging at her lips. “Rose.” He said nothing, but his silence was confirmation enough. “She is but a child, Doctor. A child.” This time, his lips parted, but the hand on his cheek stopped him. Reinette cocked her head and watched him, contemplating, feeling his skin and the arch of his jaw beneath her palm. Like rough-hewn glass, she thought. A living, breathing, wonderful pane of glass in her window, the conduit into another world, belonging to her yet a part of that outside place as well. This glass, it was always there, always solid beneath her breath, but except for those brief moments when the fog weighed it down, obscuring yet solidifying it, forcing it to be still, she could never even see her protector.
Yes, like glass, she thought. Or, perhaps, the face of a clock.
When she spoke, her voice was quiet, tinged with sadness. “As am I.”

Exhibit Number Two: The First Paragraph of That Doctor/Rose/Master fic I keep talking about:

They place him in a holding cell the TARDIS refuses to move any closer to the Doctor’s room. It is far away from Rose’s room, which, the Doctor says, she should start using again because it’s safer, and she pretends that it’s far enough for her to feel that way. She pretends it’s far enough for the hate she feels to die out, because really, he’s so far away it’s almost as if he isn’t even there, right?

2. Do you create Doctor Who icons?

I wish!

2a. Let's see a sample!

*le sigh*

3. Recommend a fanfic/icon/fanvid/fancomic/fancreation!

All I can do is fanfic, I’m afraid. And with that, I’d say: biggrstaffbunch, rosa_acicularis, orange_crushed, kalleah, and catsfiction. All absolutely wonderful. I could spend my time melting into biggrstaffbunch or orange_crushed’s prose any day (…I didn’t mean for that to sound as dirty as it did), rosa_acicularis doesn’t know what “boring” or “OOC” or “bad writing” mean (well, she probably does, but only in a vague thou-shalt-never-cometh-near! sort of way), and kalleah and catsfiction just have a fundamental understanding of how an established Ten/Rose relationship would work (*insert witty comment here*). All worth a read.

4. Have you been to any Doctor Who conventions?

I wish!

5. Have you ever dressed up as a Doctor Who character?

I wish some more!

6. Do you own any Doctor Who merchandise?

I own seasons 1-3, and dear Tabitha bought me a mug with a Judoon, a Dalek, and a Scarecrow on it. I had chocolate chai tea from it today. I was happy.

7. Are you a fan of Russell T Davies?

Oh yes. His episodes are always busy in a chaotic sort of way that requires loads of viewing to take in, and he almost always has these great character moments. He’s a complete wacko, and he is so very creative. And he sticks to his guns and just writes, and I admire that. He also has a knack for combining humor and tragedy in such a wonderful way; I could never pull it off, and it just works so well.

Fantastic, brilliant man, and I adore every one of his stories. (Though Jesus!Doctor and Glowy!Doctor were rather silly, even if they have grown on me.)

7a. Steven Moffat?

Well unlike most people, I don’t think TEC/TDD is the best thing since sliced bread or socks or toilets. A great two-parter, but not the best. Still liked it though. Blink was also absolutely lovely, and I think the only thing putting me off it is the fandom obsession with it. And TGitF is my favorite single episode of Who ever, so…

<3

7b. Paul Cornell?

Wrote one of my second favorite two-parter (possibly my favorite… TIP/TSP has a contender!) and one of my absolute favorite stand-alones. And he sounds like an absolute sweetheart on his blog.

I adore this man and prefer him to Moffat, actually. RTD is still my favorite, however.

8. What say you to Season 6b?

There is a schism in fandom over it. I exist either within the schism or floating somewhere above it on happy New!Who fan clouds. I like it there. :)

9. The UNIT dating controversy?

…?

10. The Blinovitch Limitation effect?

Isn’t that when the Doctor meets another version of himself and something sort of goes ‘splodey but not? I remember skimming something about this on wikipedia… I think it’s why Five got older when around Ten.

11. Multi-Doctor episodes?

Time Crash=tres amusant

12. What's your favourite Doctor Who technobabble?

Dear God, every time Ten goes off on a rant and pulls at his hair and bounces. *Drools* To quote Rose, “I think you were talkin’ just then…”

Either that, or his “explanation” to Donna that gets him smacked or the “taping over it” comment in TIL because he was so just trying to be all confusing and impressive. Or whatever came before “magic door” in TGitF. Ten is silly.

13. Have you watched other TV shows exclusively because of the presence of Doctor Who actors?

“The Secret Diary of a Call Girl” is fabulous. And I need to see “Casanova”.

14. Have you met any of the actors?

It would make my life complete, but sadly, no.

14a. Travelled to any filming locations?

…Why do I live in the States, again?

15. What do you think of The Curse of Fatal Death?

Never saw it, I’m afraid.

16. Do you have any fannish opinions that you think are fairly unpopular?

I’m a Doctor/Rose shipper, which is always a good one. I love the “drums” as an explanation (well… part of an explanation) for the Master’s madness. I don’t think there’s been a single bad episode. Ten’s flaws are wonderful. Rose in S2 was also wonderful. Moffat is not the best writer EVER. “Tooth and Claw” could have been much better. “Rise of the Cybermen”/”Age of Steel” was great. “Love and Monsters” was a great, engaging, and fun episode. Ten’s mourning level was just right in S3. Yay Rose references! “Daleks in Manhattan”/”Evolution of the Daleks” was pretty good. “Fear Her” was wonderful. “Boom Town” was absolutely fantastic. “New Earth” was pretty damn enjoyable. The pop music is great. Martha’s unrequited love worked.

I could probably think of more but am too lazy right now.

17. What's your favourite pairing?

Doctor/Rose. *Shrugs*

18. What pairing(s) won't you touch with a really long pole?

Ten/Martha. I mean… the point of S3 was that it would never work. So to write/read it seems, to me, like, well, living in denial, and when I read fanfiction, I like it to fit with the characters as they are in canon. I want new perspectives on these characters, I want to read stories involving them, not what they could be if this and that and these things were tweaked to make a certain viewer happy. Ten/Martha just doesn’t work, and I generally only like reading things I could see happening in the context of the show (not actually on-screen, but in the world we’ve been presented, if that makes sense).

And Donna/Doctor is odd.

Comments

[rosa-acicularis.livejournal.com]

(emotional journey=ZOMG RTD LEMME LOVE YOU LONG TIME, YIS?)

I think this is the best description of the S2 finale I have ever read. I have only this to say in reply: WORD.

You should totally check out Curse of Fatal Death on youtube. It is glorious crack.

[salienne.livejournal.com]

I think this is the best description of the S2 finale I have ever read. I have only this to say in reply: WORD.

Happy to amuse/describe. :D

And I'll totally check it out. Just not today... because if I put off work for any longer, it'll be like the Doomsday beach scene, except sleep will be Rose and I'll be the Doctor and I don't feel like being parted from sleep forever and ever (...well, for several years, anyway). And I'm not cool enough to burn up a sun just to say goodbye.

[biggrstaffbunch.livejournal.com]

You are like my fandom twinses! Me love you long time, a la RTDness! <3 you for your kind words, as well!

[salienne.livejournal.com]

Yay fandom twins! :D Always good to find.

And you're very welcome. You deserve 'em. :)