Fans have been discussing the prospect of a female incarnation of The Doctor for some time now given the fact that we know Gallifreyans can change sex with regeneration, that we’ve seen evidence of this happening, and with all of Steven Moffat’s winking on the matter.
In addition to the fact that he believes that a Time Lord should remain the sex or gender they were born into on Gallifrey — and that statement in itself is a whole Time War in the making — the actor who played the fifth Doctor seems to also think that the current Doctor and Companion dynamic wouldn’t work if the genders of the characters were reversed.
What is meant by the current Doctor and Companion dynamic is that you have an uncertain and fallible male Doctor and a strong female Companion. Davison is of the opinion that a gender reversal would equal the creation of a “stereotype.”
But there are other ways to look at this.
For instance, why do the sex and genders of Doctor and Companion even have to be reversed? Why can’t a female Doctor be with a female Companion? Why can’t fallibility be considered vulnerability — which each Doctor in the modern era to some extent has already portrayed — and, in turn, be seen as a strength: as something fearful being expressed openly and honestly?
And then there is another possibility. Let’s say we have another form of reverse. What if we had a female Doctor who was coming to terms with who and what she is now, and a male Companion who appears to be “strong” — and what “strong” actually is in this context is another matter entirely, but let’s just say it’s emotional strength — but in reality he is hiding behind bravado and accepted terms of behaviour. Perhaps The Doctor shows him that there are other forms of strength, and that asking for help is not a weakness: as anyone who isn’t a Dalek in the universe — and even the Daleks probably aren’t completely exempt from this — needs help sometimes.
Of course, you can always change the formula: to a Doctor that knows exactly what she’s doing, with moments of ethical dilemmas, and a Companion of either gender who is learning from her. Or they can all learn together. The Doctor is a complex being of varying emotions who already knows that there is great diversity in the universe and has probably experienced a lot of it: not the least of which being due to how Time Lord society may work with regards to gender roles.
Perhaps when it comes down to it, it is the modern dynamic of Doctor and Companion has to change: and just think of how many new stories can come from exploring that, playing with assumptions, and where you can take them.
All that said, I would love to see a spin-off series about Jenny The Doctor’s daughter: played either by Peter Davison’s daughter Georgia Moffett, or someone else. I’ve written some fanfiction on that. Tell us what you think.
A week or so ago, I had quite a few plans lined up. They were all in a queue in the back of my head and I was going to deal with them one by one. One night, before talking to a friend of mine on the phone, I was sitting down on my bed with my notebook and supporting material out. I was even considering whether I should use my golden professional’s pen — the one I used to write my Heroes in Hell story — to work on this story that I planned to send out to a very interesting opportunity.
So here I was, with this story that had been in my head for a while and then I talked with my friend on the phone only to feel really … odd afterwards. I immediately put away everything and even cleaned my room a bit. I thought I just needed time in the washroom and that this particular night was, to pardon the phrase, a write off and I would continue the work I began the next day.
Instead, after almost two years of staying up late, eating at odd times, going out in ridiculous weather, and having my insides get hammered out by sheer stress my body decided that for the first time in twelve years it was going to open itself up to a stomach bug. As my friend told me, it’s not so much that my body betrayed me at the worst possible moment, but rather it was that I’d been betraying it for much longer and it decided to make me pay the piper that night.
The following day, for the first time in a long while, I didn’t go on my computer: at all. I sat in front of the television and just stared at it. For the next week or so, after my body and its digestive system decided to go through its factory reboot I didn’t do any writing at all. To be honest, I just didn’t care.
It’s like, when I got sick, something I’d been hold on long and hard to, released itself. I started going to bed at a consistent time. I didn’t really go outside all that much. I went through something of a movie marathon and caught up on Orphan Black. I found myself doing something that I hadn’t done in a few years: which was actually taking it easy. I’m no Alan Moore. I mean his talent, genius, and eccentricities aside I can’t just get back to work right after throwing up or being otherwise considerably ill.
I actually needed to rest and do something that wasn’t work. Or rather, do nothing that was work at all. So I didn’t write for a while. Even though I’m not where I want to be, everything I’ve been doing has not been worth destroying my body or my mind. So I didn’t end up sending out the writing sample I planned. I decided to take care of myself instead and actually relax. In the end I think that will serve me far better than if I tried to soldier on through a muck of exhaustion.
I’ve just been tired and it finally caught up with me. I hated being sick the way I was because I lost control of my body but now it’s strange: that ever-present heaviness and pressure in the core of my stomach doesn’t seem to be there as much. Perhaps a part of it is that I just don’t really care as much any more about pushing myself, but I think it’s also that this time off doing something else really helped me.
And tomorrow I am actually going to be leaving my house for a longer time. I’m going to the Toronto Global Game Jam again at George Brown College. I was originally hesitant in doing so. So much has happened in the indie game scene these past couple of months and I didn’t know if this would effect my time at the Jam. My friends aren’t going to be there. Aside from some organizers, I don’t know if I’ll know anyone there really. And I’ve been reluctant to go outside: finding it easier to deal with matters at my parents’ home with my resources around me.
And, hell, here I was talking about going to bed at consistent hours and eating properly and now I’m going to a two day Jam where I will be sleeping in my — admittedly — comfy clothes in a sleeping bag on a hard classroom floor that is never truly dark.
But I think it’s time to get out of here for a while and do something else. My goal is to go out and make a story: a Twine. And that’s what I’m going to do. And maybe I will be social. Maybe I will talk with people. It’s entirely possible and if it happens, great. If not, that’s fine too as I have so many ideas that now I will have the excuse to use some of them.
I’ve not been totally negligent in the writing field either. I managed to edit a previous story of mine not too long ago and send it out, and hopefully with my next project I can free myself up more to do other things. So I’m going to make another game this weekend on my own. And, who knows, maybe this time around I won’t take a thousand years to write another post on here. One thing about being a writer and doing more work is that you don’t always have as much time to write Blog posts as much as you did.
But either way, you will definitely be seeing me again.
So who wants to see a Doctor Who movie written by Russell T. Davies?
Even though Davies has indicated reluctance to write another Doctor Who episode, in an interview with Graham Norton, Doctor Who‘s former showrunner and re-animator stated that if he were approached to write a Doctor Who movie, he would do it with enthusiasm. As a fan, I would choose one, or all of the following:
Fantastic! Allons-y! Geronimo!
Seriously, pick one. While Davies’ words are, at best, a nice TARDIS trip into the realms of speculative reality, just think of the possibilities considering all that we know about him and what he has created. Think of a grand operatic narrative of strangeness, weirdness, tragedy, comedy, and terror that star actual people: be they omnisexual time travellers, moving compost heaps, binary angels, or just plain human individuals.
Aside from some of my own issues with the latter part of his run, such as the Meta-Crisis Doctor and Doctor Donna, for the most part it would be refreshing to have Davies apply his ability to create epic pieces and memorable characters onto film. Again, it’s the fan-boy in me but if this ever somehow happened I could see something with Jack Harkness and River Song that, combined with some Murray Gold soundtracks, would be simply — in so many words — divine, infernal, and utterly goofy.
But I think the Doctor Who movie that I’d really like to see from Davies was something that he himself began: just what happened during the Last Great Time War. It’s true that we’ve had hints and excerpts from that War: ranging from “The End of Time,” to “The Night of The Doctor,” to “The Last Day,” “The Day of The Doctor” and even a novel by George Mann called The Engines of War, but I feel that there is so much more detail that can be added about what was perhaps the most devastating conflict in the multiverse’s history and The Doctor’s — particularly The War Doctor’s — role within it.
Imagine a fleshed out story that illustrates the events that led to the War between the Time Lords and the Daleks, or The War Doctor and the Lady President Romana dealing with the initial stages of the War before they have to resort to resurrecting The Master, and summoning Rassilon to the fore again. Or maybe we can see the aftermath of Gallifrey’s salvation and Missy’s regeneration and escape.
I don’t know: maybe what I want to see would be more like a series than a film (or at least a trilogy) but please, tell us what kind of Doctor Who movie you would like to see from Russell T. Davies: should he ever be asked to make one.
Did you know that comic books can have internships? I can imagine that many of us can only dream of having a job that revolves around helping others create comics. Today we at GEEKPR0N have with us Angel, an intern for Will Brooker’s My So-Called Secret identity series, contributor, cosplayer, and geek to ask more about the comic, her role in its process, and just what it entails to be a comics intern.
GEEKPR0N: So Angel, can you tell us more about your background and interests?
Angel: I’ll start with the obvious: I am a comic book junkie.
That’s probably my mum’s fault; she brought me up on a slightly unconventional diet of Star Wars, superheroes, and Scalextric cars (while also imbuing me with an appreciation for fluffy toys and musicals), all still interests.
At the moment I’m studying International Relations at university, with the hope that I will eventually work for an international NGO. The plan (a very loose plan) is to emulate the superheroes about whom I read, and help to eradicate injustice throughout the world. Baby steps though…
GP: How did you become an intern for MSCSI?
A: You might learn a bit about me when MSCSI Volume 2 comes out, via Radhika Shere. When I found My So-Called Secret Identity I was immediately attracted to the setting and the characters. However, the issue that I have with pretty much every form of media, whether it be books, films, TV, etc, is that I am either able to relate to a character’s background and personality, or to their physical appearance, never both. Obviously I don’t want to look at a comic book and see a world populated entirely by me, because as my sister would tell you, that would be horrific. Despite this, It would be great to see just one female character of Indian descent whose life and traits aren’t stereotypical. I’m very lucky to have been raised to believe that I can be whoever I want to be, regardless of what other people automatically assume. That said, there are other young, brown-skinned, female comic book fans out there who don’t see themselves reflected in their favourite shows or books.
Additional Text: Kat Poole and Tracey Ramsden
Positive representation is hugely important, everyone needs someone to relate to and for inspiration. Anyway (rant over!), I badgered the MSCSI team to design a non-stereotypical Indian woman. To my immense surprise, Dr. Will Brooker replied and gave me the unbelievably cool opportunity of creating such a character. I took the whole thing really seriously, wrote out pages of backstory, and worked with Dr. Brooker to perfect her appearance. And so Radhika Shere was born.
After that, I guess Dr. Brooker thought I was sufficiently invested so as to want to be more involved in MSCSI, and he offered me a role interning as Kickstarter manager.
GP: Can you tell us about what it is like to be an intern for a comics project? And what have been some of your most notable experiences in that role?
A: My role includes helping to run the Kickstarter and social media pages, sending out all the digital rewards, and making lots of lists – of backers, of the rewards, of sponsors and their messages. AND IT IS AWESOME. Even the email chains discussing funding and page counts were enjoyable because the MSCSI team is so inclusive and encouraging, despite the fact that they’re all professionals and I was initially just a super eager fan… The best part has to be that I get to glimpse sneak peeks of the story and art before other fans. Reading Radhika Shere’s first scene made me giddy with excitement.
GP: What are some aspects of MSCSI that stand out for you the most?
A: My So-Called Secret Identity is such a powerful comic book because it’s so relatable. Cat stands for every woman who has ever been looked down on in a professional situation because of her sex, every child accused of cheating because their work is unexpectedly above average, every individual who has ever personally wanted to improve a society that they see as inherently corrupt. The beauty of it is that there isn’t just one feminist icon in MSCSI. Cat may be the protagonist but Dahlia, Connie, Kyla and Miss Sparkle are all strong and flawed in their different ways. No tired tropes here!
GP: What would you — as a reader — like to see in future issues of MSCSI?
A: I would like to see more backstory, more about the Major and the Illinois Serum, and more about Doll’s Eyes. The antagonists’ actions drive so much of the happenings in Gloria, and it would be interesting to know the bigger stories behind the glimpses we got in Volume 1. Like all MSCSI fans, I would also like to know what’s going to happen. I’m rooting for Good to triumph, but with villains like Carnival chaos is a pretty appealing prospect too…
GP: At one point you cosplayed MSCSI’s Miss Sparkle in her tiger aesthetic. Do you cosplay regularly, and was there a reason you chose to make yourself up as this particular character?
A: I’d never used face paint before, but my friends had some left over after our Halloween party, and it was Body Confidence week at my home university (I’m on an exchange in Paris at the moment). So I decided to try to paint my whole body to show how I feel when I’m at my most confident – fierce! In the end I looked like Miss Sparkle, so I sent a photo to Dr. Brooker as Cat’s the only character that we know to have been cosplayed so far.
Although I love dressing up, and I’m planning to go to a Comic Con next year with some friends, where I’ll definitely cosplay, I haven’t actually done it before. Unless fancy dress parties, school plays and World Book Days count, in which case I have been many different characters, most notably Esmeralda from the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Zazu from the Lion King.
Comics intern Angel cosplays as Miss Sparkle: a hero that we will hopefully learn more about in the next volume of My So-Called Secret Identity.
GP: Who are your favourite MSCSI characters and why?
A: Radhika Shere! Cat’s brilliant, I can even relate to the little things she does, feeling proud of her not just for joining the superhero game, but also for things like telling Enrique that she didn’t agree with his homophobic comment. In addition, the way she’s portrayed, not as a super-slim, busty crime fighter, but as a normal, intelligent student, makes me über-happy. She’s someone who eats doughnuts, finds it difficult to walk up 44 flights of stairs even in an emergency, and mixes up her words at important moments. What’s not to love?!
Moreover, it would be so easy for her character to lapse into a pity party about not living with her family and having to do things alone, but she doesn’t throw tantrums or give up.
She also doesn’t aggressively assert her independence at the cost of all her relationships. Don’t get me wrong, Cat’s flawed – for one thing she repeatedly ignores Dahlia’s advice. However, she does, admirably, accept help from her friends. For me, that’s what the last page of Issue 5 is about, how even though Cat, Enrique, Dahlia, Kit and Kay are strong separately, in a team they’re unstoppable.
And too so seems to be the creative team behind My So-Called Secret Identity: with Volume One launching sometime in Spring of 2015. And we too, at GEEKPR0N, also look forward to the beginnings of Volume Two.
Mythic Bios 