River, not one person on this ship, not one living thing is worth you.

"How have you got a new one, by the way? Aren't there rules?"

"A thing happened."

"I bet it probably did."

River: don’t panic, I have a few knives up my sleeve for situations like this Bill: don’t you mean tricks? the Doctor: no, she doesn’t River, taking dagger out of sleeve: no, i don’t

the husbands of river song is an episode that drives me insane for many reasons, but the number one thing i feel like i don’t see people talk about enough is the fact that fleming wants to take river hostage in order to lure the doctor into a trap. and river calls him a moron and says of course he isn’t here, he doesn’t care about me enough for that! and that’s heartbreaking to us in the audience because we know the doctor IS right there and we know how much he cares. but it’s Also heartbreaking because it makes me think about the fact that river has probably been in this exact situation dozens of times before, where someone takes her to try and get to the doctor. only he doesn’t ever show up and she always, always has to rescue herself

You know what? I'm gonna say it. As someone who is asexual and on the aromantic spectrum myself, I'm a bit tired of the Doctor Who fans who all say that Donna is the best companion of Ten's just because they were best friends and nothing more and that automatically makes her the best companion of RTD and for a lot of you, the best companion overall.

Listen, I LOVE Donna. Adore her. And I also think that her friendship with the Doctor is amazing. But it has always rubbed me the wrong way that the companions who have a romantic interest in the Doctor (and let me tell you, there is textual evidence for every one of them that the feelings were reciprocated in some way) are somehow considered lesser BECAUSE of that interest. That just because they fell for the Doctor means that their relationship with the Doctor is cheapened in some way.

I personally think that just as platonic relationships should not be considered lesser than romantic ones, the same goes in reverse. Amy, Clara, Martha, Rose, River, and Yaz's feelings may have some weak writing decisions attached to them, but so does Donna.

Personally, I love Donna's character arc/the tragedy of her ending, but I've always felt a little disappointed by the fact that her becoming the DoctorDonna in Journey's End was not predicated on her strong characterization/choices (Ala Planet of the Ood/Fires of Pompeii) but by "fate" pushing it to happen. It's honestly more Dalek Caan than Donna making all that happen.

This is NOT to say that I don't love Donna, but just to say that the fact that she had no romantic feelings for the Doctor doesn't automatically catapult her above the rest. Romantic feelings can lead to just as interesting, well-developed character arcs/complicated dynamics as platonic ones can, from the creator/created reciprocated question mark wanting but unable to choose each other over everything dynamic of 11amy to the fascinating destroying each other saving each other one taking all of the emotional toll but honestly craving that prophet-god relationship of 10martha to the shaping each other making each other kinder and braver reminding each other there is hope dooming and saving each other of 9rose to the full dooming each other but running straight at it full tilt because we are purposefully ignoring the turn back now signs of 10rose to the batshit insane codependent reflecting each other refracting each other who is Orpheus and who is Eurydice of 12clara to the there was always someone else in the room keeping us apart but you somehow became my whole world and I knew you from birth to death and we will never be anything more than a shut door of 13yaz to the you doomed me and saved me and you hate me but you might have loved me once and i will spend the rest of my life devoted to you dynamics of 10jack 11river and 12river.

Every relationship is interesting and personal preference might steer you in a certain way due the character arcs/ending preferences/etc., but elevating one over the other because the companion wasn't "foolish" enough to fall in love with the mad genderfluid alien in a box who ran away with you and stole you away to the stars doesn't sit well with me. Romance doesn't cheapen a relationship just as it doesn't automatically make it the ultimate relationship, either.

Every so often I'll just randomly remember how tragic the river song timeline is and start sobbing with no warning.

this is one of those times.

nuwho doctors + text posts

+ bonus eight :)

They've been there for millions of years, through storms and floods and wars and... time. Nobody really understands where the music comes from. It's probably something to do with the precise positions, the distance between both towers. Even the locals aren't sure. All anyone will ever tell you is that when wind stands fair and the night is perfect, when you least expect it, but always... when you need it the most... there is a song.

It's called marriage.

Twelveriver + Blue & Orange

Idk

i still think about Missy's genuine "my condolences" after finding out the Doctor had (once again) parted ways with River

i think about the doctor working to make their home on darillium feel safe for river a lot. he doesn’t hide what he’s doing from her or make it a surprise. it’s over breakfast, today i’m going to Silence-proof our house and I’m going to tell you how I’ll do it and I won’t stop until it’s enough. I think about River helping him set it up, too, changing his plans or adjusting his tinkering to better protect them. and the thing is: there is never one of the silence on darillium. they never come for her again. but the doctor and river are still surrounded by the protections they built. if he can make her life even a little bit easier for her, he’d work for a thousand years to make it happen. they only have this one night, and 24 years of it, so that’ll have to do.