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Like Giants

Humans, Gods, and the Timelord caught between them:

AKA the beautifully optimistic view of humanity by a Time Lord

Nine says he would make a very bad God. Ten says a Time Lord with too much power would become vengeful.

They’re both right.

Time Lords are alluded to as very uncaring, very aloof people. By the Time War, they are apparently just as bad as the Daleks. The Doctor runs from them for a reason.

Because when they are Gods they are terrifying. But the Doctor’s terror always stems from too much emotion rather than too little. The end of Dalek is Nine’s darkest moment. He holds a gun on Rose while she is showing mercy because of the traumatic loss of Gallifrey.

Loss makes Ten in particular…frightening. After losing Rose he nearly commits genocide again in the Runaway Bride.

The moment of Godlike arrogance in “Christmas Invasion” where he changes the known future of Harriet Jones’ tenure has devastating consequences, allowing the Master to come to power. It’s a great reminder of what happens when the Doctor is given too much power.

The Time Lord Victorious is terrifying because it is the Doctor losing everything over and over after rebuilding himself twice.

For the first time, the Doctor feels like he is owed something.

But what is also terrifying is just how human the selfishness is.

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Of course there are moments when they are presented as Godlike that are purely heroic.

Ten’s in particular stand out against his almost unnerving humanity.

I love his “I’m the Doctor” speech in Voyage of the Damned. It’s clearly him doing the equivalent of psyching himself up before a game, because nothing he says is going to mean anything to the people he’s protecting. It’s a short, simple moment holding so much weight.

Nine has a wonderful way of pointing out the best of humanity to help Rose discover space to find empowerment, just as Ten does for Donna. Nine does it for the couple in Father’s Day. There’s a wistful, non-malicious envy in his reaction to the magically mundane story of how the couple in the church met.

Ten takes this wistfulness and runs with it. There’s something so beautiful and so deeply tragic that he is the Doctor who chooses shoes meant specifically for running.

There’s this sense with Ten that he not only loves humanity, but desires to be human. From embracing certain forms of domesticity, to the devastating way he processes grief.

Obviously, he knows when he is weird, he also just doesn’t care about social niceties. However, he might be a genius, but he doesn’t understand every intricate detail of human experience.

Although it’s usually called out for comedy, it’s best utilized for drama.

Nine has that beautiful “It was scared!” moment.

Sometimes it’s given less focus, and simply slipped into dialogue.

Nine calls humans stupid apes in high stress situations, and apparently he insults species when he’s upset. Even Ten, who is known to love humanity, also pretty regularly disparages them. In his first appearance he calls us monsters. He makes one-off comments disparaging humans in Rise of the Cyberman, Army of Ghosts, 42, Human Nature. and the Poison Sky.

Planet of the Ood is one of the rarer times that he goes out of his way to highlight human cruelty to Donna.

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Series 3 has lot of interesting moments.

In “Smith and Jones” he has a long scene which he (intentionally) pretends to be human. He creates this domestic fantasy where he’s got a wife and a home where he brings people round for dinner. Even more interesting is that this is his suggestion to “help” the villain appear more human.

In Human Nature we see the Doctor literally become a human. He falls in love and allows himself to be a product of the times. His moments of heroism are supposed to be the Doctor leaking through, but are passed over off as “ordinary humans being capable of extraordinary things”. He also allows himself to be swept up by the environment as opposed to standing against it as the Doctor would. John Smith’s incredibly horrible treatment of Martha being the prime example.*

His stoic and remorseless punishment of the Family contrasts with his mostly sweet human persona. He tries to convince Joan that he’s capable of the same love and compassion but she disagrees. I agree with her, I think John Smith and The Doctor both want to be in love, John just didn’t have all the emotional inhibitions that the Doctor does.

She also points out the Doctor’s failure to account for possible casualties just so he doesn’t have to have more death on his conscious. Once again, I agree, this was a massive oversight on his part.

————

Midnight. This episode is genius for so many reasons. It is the Doctor’s most dire misunderstanding of humanity, as well as the Doctor’s most personal look at being on the receiving end of humanity’s worse impulses. He begins socializing like a normal, if enthusiastic person. But once the mystery begins…it is the best, most subtle example of the Doctor’s pathological need to understand things and his tendency to assume authority over others. Only this time he goes too far. His leadership turns to hubris. So many times, he goads people into risking their life to sate his curiosity. He knows humans are curious and takes advantage.

He keeps talking to the entity but declares no one else should. Part of it is that human bit, curious and wanting to help a possessed Skye who he bonded with earlier by talking about missing Rose. The rules keep changing though, and even he is scared. They call him out for his hubris, while growing increasingly paranoid, especially when discovering he’s not human. He gets frustrated at the descent into the worst of humanity and without thinking, he snaps “because I’m clever!”

He knows what he’s done so impulsively: thrown away the last bit of goodwill he had. He can’t talk his way out anymore.

And this is the most alone and most afraid the Doctor has ever been. It’s the most horrific near-death encounter for him: his inability to be enough like the humans he loves brings the absolute worst out of them.

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The Doctor says that it something human to believe two contradictory things at once.

The Doctor, ironically enough, believes two contradictory things about humans.

He believes, at least when disappointed in them or in his lowest points, that humans are monsters. (It’s the reason Fourteen gives that randomly cynical speech in The Giggle. It isn’t all humanity he believes this of. He’s talking to himself because he’s mid breakdown. He’s not 10, he’s softer and more splintered).

But he doesn’t believe that. Not really.

“I was made homeless…and there was the Earth.” - Voyage of the Damned

There’s a reason that the Doctor who has all of time and space always returns to Earth.

In the End of Time, Ten and Wilf have a scene where they sit and talk about their relationship and war and Time Lords.

And the Doctor tells Wilf he’d be proud to be his son.

It’s the Doctor’s most intensely vulnerable moment. He is so terrified that he agrees to carry a gun. (He also does this to make Wilf feel better. This is the last era that I feel understands how The Doctor feels about guns. It makes sense to the character and the arc he’s on at this point and this point only. He doesn’t even use it and ultimately won’t do anything against the enemies he’s facing).

This scene strips down the Doctor like no other scene. And it’s in this scene that the Doctor tells us the only thing you need to know in the end about how he sees humans. How for all he says otherwise, humans are the beings he sees as aspirational, the ones he, a Time Lord, looks up to.

Wilf says, “We must look like insects to you.”

Ten smiles tearful but genuine. He shakes his head slightly. And he says:

“I think you’re like giants.”

Good Omens S2 Trailer Thoughts:

- What’s going on with Crowley and Aziraphale? Where was Crowley? Why is Crowley so nervous. Why is Aziraphale so chilly? Maybe this takes place later in the series than it appears? Wait! I got it! Crowley went into hibernation during lockdown remember? Maybe that's actually canon?!

- Aw! Crowley takes off his glasses to be more open with Aziraphale.

- I liked the bookstore set better last season.

- Michael…your hair is so awful.

- Poor Muriel. How did no one tell her about Crowley? How does she not know what Gabriel looks like? There’s literally a poster of him in Heaven. Maybe by this point she’s already working with Aziraphale and Crowley.

- Um, Mr. Gaiman have you been spending time on ao3? Because um…the whole amnesiac/ Gabriel stuck with Aziraphale for some reason on Earth thing is familiar…

- Poor Crowley. He’s just not having a good time. I wonder if that lightening is coming at him or from him. The latter is kind’ve angelic…

- “You know what it’s like, when you don’t know anything at all, and yet you’re totally certain that everything would be better if you were just near one particular person?” Ahhhhh! My heart!

- Aziraphale thinking back to 1945 and Crowley during that line. Ahhhh! Az is still so in denial it’s hilarious.

- Ooh, Crowley in heaven! I wonder if we’ll get to see how it feels for him to be back.

- Crowley’s angel disguise is so awful! What is his hair? 😂

- Tennant and Sheen together again!

The mystery plot is great and everything, but I’m here for Crowley and Aziraphale adopting Muriel and watching their found family create chaos…

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

Let me just remind you guys that...

AI fanfiction is not fanfiction

You know what, fuck everyone who hates AI "art" but still uses c.ai and other fuckeries. Would it be that hard to look up a fanfiction or a fanart? I have zero respect towards you. Even you could create what you can't find, but instead decide to chat 24/7 with a fucking bot and then not quit moaning about how short it's memory is. HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF JUST CREATNG SOMETHING YOURSELF? No, it won't look as goo as it does in your head, but my god, at least you didn't waste as much water in the meantime! Also, pls stop using chatgpt for every little inconvenience and homework, it really says more about you than the difficulty of the task in question. Aredhel out.

TMMM Series Finale Review:

- Midge…WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST GO TALK TO LENNY?!?!

- I love Abe

- Stop cutting to Joel!

- Aww Susie!

- Aww Rose!

- Chinese Restaurant Scene broke me and she keeps the Fortune!!!

- The ending with Midge and Susie is great

- This is still a disappointing season overall.

how much fun are we having in this timeline folks?

Warner Bros will keep making Harry Potter media but not renew Sesame Street, a franchise that has done more public good than HP ever did. We are in hell.

Season 5 Episode 6 spoilers below:

Gotta love how Joel went behind Midge’s back to solve the problem with the mobsters. He could’ve shown her the book or went back to her to raise his concerns again now that he had tangible proof. But no. It’s Joel, so he has to lie and go behind her back about stuff that pertains to her own life. This man has learned absolutely nothing.

Also hate that he’s trading pictures of her in prison. He specifically asks for the panty pose picture which is so gross. He got mad at someone for having it in S3 but whatever.

I almost rage-quit when Midge said she was still in love with Joel. I still hate her romance plots this season. Gordon is gross. The stalker guy is gross. Joel still sucks. The guy literally blamed Midge for Mei leaving and ending the pregnancy. Yeah Midge was probably still a little jealous since Joel was such a huge part of her life, but there’s a lot of concern for her children driving it as well. “I don’t want them calling you mom.” Is a line that especially has a lot of insecurity behind it.

I guess the rest of the episode was okay. Unsurprisingly, Alex Borstein was great, but I am totally on Midge’s side in regards to her fight with Susie. Susie should’ve told Midge the truth.

I almost cried at the ending.

I miss Lenny. But that’s why we have fanfic.

Also, I know it was a joke, but Midge says she and Susie had sex in Pensacola and refers to their fight as a “break-up”…so…I want to see that story.

Her lucky numbers are 46, 24, 11, 6, and 5.

Let’s do the number meaning for it.

Shoutout to Leia Organa for showing almost no fear when facing down Vader and Tarkin at age 19, but screaming bloody murder when she sees a suction dinosaur-space rat (aka a mynock) through a space-proof window at age 21.

Shout out to Leia who in the EU, specifically studied history and art to screw with the Empire because those were subjects being actively suppressed. (This is why I headcannon Leia as an artist btw). Imagine being this petty. Iconic.

I just wanted to touch on these two lesser-discussed aspects of Leia. Honestly, what an icon.