*SFN* | Feature: Diary of a Not-So-New Whovian

Posted Tuesday, 19 November, 2013 by readerlymusings 2 Comments

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Introduction

Hello, everyone! This is Christine from Readerly Musings, and I thought today I’d do a little something to celebrate Sci-Fi November by guest-posting here at Jorie Loves a Story.

When Jorie first told me about SFN, I was both excited and dismayed. Excited because an abundance of Sci-Fi posts in the book blogosphere for the month of November is an awesome idea! Alas, the dismay quickly set in because I, as someone who is participating in NaNoWriMo for the 8th year in a row, knew I would not be able to take part. Until today, that is!

Entering the TARDIS…

On November 2, Jorie posted about the beginning of her journey to becoming a Whovian and her excitement reminded me of how I too came to love Doctor Who – about six years ago.

I had heard rumblings about it for months online. Friends were talking about it on LiveJournal, posting fan fics, making icons, and (much like the Doctor himself) trying to welcome Martha while getting over the loss of Rose.

It was June 2007 and, unbeknownst to me, the third series of ‘New’ Doctor Who was airing. Personally, I was much more interested in preparing for the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and all that it would mean. One such way was in joining an online Harry Potter RolePlay in the vein of TV show Law & Order. One of my fellow RP-ers was a Whovian and using David Tennant to portray an original character. Upon finding out I had never watched Doctor Who and absolutely no inkling as to who David Tennant was, she quickly sent me a link to where I could watch episodes of Doctor Who online (it has since been taken down) and instructed me to watch the 2006 Christmas special, The Runaway Bride.

I know some Whovians might be shocked to discover that the first episode of Doctor Who I ever watched was The Runaway Bride. Especially because back then Donna Noble’s character was not synonymous with the word ‘awesome’ and there were Whovians who thought the character of Donna too loud-mouthed and brash, and would soon be debating the announcement that Catherine Tate would be reprising her role in series four.

I enjoyed The Runaway Bride immensely, and I fell in serious love with David Tennant’s portrayal of the Tenth Doctor, and the show itself. I mean, I’m posting this, aren’t I? *laughs* Alas, with everything going on in my life that year, I did not get a chance to watch another episode until months later in, coincidentally, November.

A Journey Through Time – And Space!

Drawn by Christine D. in 2008.
Artwork Credit: Tenth Doctor, drawn by Christine D. in 2008.

Once November came around, and I realized how long it had been since I had watched The Runaway Bride (with the last line haunting me – and still doing so to this day – due to the great deal of emotion tied to it), I made an agreement with another friend to use it as one of my word count incentives during my 2nd attempt at NaNoWriMo. December came soon after and I was already making icons from Doctor Who screen captures and owned the first series on DVD. A few days before Christmas, I wrote my first fan fiction (though it was very short, less than 500 words), and on Christmas morning my parents gave me the second series on DVD. I had quickly become rather… well, obsessed. And invested. I had not yet heard the term ‘Whovian,’ and I’ve no idea when I finally did, but looking back it had taken me about two weeks from the time I watched the Ninth Doctor’s first episode until I became one – though David Tennant was, and still is, my Doctor.

Alas, there was one problem with The Runaway Bride being my very first episode. I sort of knew what was happening in the series two finale (seriously, do you remember that line I mentioned in the last paragraph?!?!?) and, as such, I dreaded watching it unfold on-screen. And, because of how much I dreaded it, I waited almost three weeks before I finally watched Army of Ghosts and Doomsday. However, there was a light at the end of the tunnel, if you will, because once I watched them, I changed my entire LiveJournal layout so it was dedicated to the Doctor and Rose and that beautifully heart-wrenching “wall” scene.

From there, I came across a little problem. A dreaded ‘what to watch?’ dilemma because I could not decide if I dared watch series 3 or check in with Torchwood’s first series to see what Captain Jack Harkness was up to. Ultimately, I decided on Torchwood. Why? Two words. John. Barrowman. That and the fact he returned to Doctor Who at the end of series three in Utopia, but mostly because I wanted to see more John Barrowman. And Captain Jack. Although I am not a big fan of violence and gore, I did somehow manage to get through the first series – do not ask me how, but my answer will probably be ‘the promise of more Captain Jack.’

Once I finished Torchwood’s first series, it was onto series three. Which I will unashamedly admit I finished in two days. TWO. DAYS! I finished it just in time too, because series four started airing four days later so I could watch along with everyone else! And, in between episodes, I could watch Torchwood’s second series, and the first series of The Sarah Jane Adventures.

I cannot even begin to explain how much I loved Doctor Who’s fourth series, or how much it broke my heart. Actually, in a way, I can….

Full-Time Whovian

Drawn by Christine D. in 2011
Artwork Credit: Ninth Doctor, drawn by Christine D. in 2011

The fourth series was over, there was no new Doctor Who until Christmas and I was distraught. The kind of distraught that only happens after you spend a little over half a year getting caught up with a show that you have quickly fallen in love with only to find you have to wait almost as long for just one more episode. ONE. So I did something only dedicated fans would do – I delved further into the world of Doctor Who.

I was not yet interested in attempting to watch Classic Who because the sheer amount of episodes, not to mention the amount of missing episodes, was incredibly daunting), so instead I dived into the fandom. I made icons, I wrote another short fan fiction, I read fan fiction, I looked at fan art, I drew fan art (two of which I’ve included in this post)…. And then I did something crazy. I’m not even kidding, ‘crazy’ is the only word I can use to describe it. Don’t believe me? I made a website. A completely fan-run website. Dedicated not only to Doctor Who, but also Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. All pretty much on my own, to boot.

A Side Note: Before I go on, I have to say that while this Whoniverse website of mine does still exist and you may be able to guess what it is, I have had to largely abandon it. This is due not to my no longer being a fan (because oh my god, am I still a dedicated Whovian!), but the fact that I spent so much time on it, keeping it updated on every aspect of the Whoniverse, and had to do so all on my own even when others promised to help, that it became more of a job than the hobby that it once was, and every time I try to update it I feel this overwhelming pressure to ‘get it right’ and it just shouldn’t be that way. Neither can I update it to say that it is closed or on an indefinite hiatus, because it literally pains me to do so. This website was “my baby” for so long that I cannot imagine giving it up and so I leave it up as it is, with the promise of updates to come, in the hopes that one day I can sit down in front of my computer and just fall back right into it, experiencing once again the joy that updating it (or simply finding something to update it with) brought me.

Now that series four was over, and I was caught up with the Doctor Who spinoffs until The Sarah Jane Adventures’ second series started airing in the fall, I continued my exploration of the fandom, and experienced a great deal of dread and sadness during 2009 due to David Tennant’s announcement he was leaving the role and the lack of episodes until 2010. During that time, there was a glimmer of hope. It wasn’t Matt Smith, whom I fell in love with from the first time I watched his interview following the announcement he was taking over the role from David Tennant, but the fact that I was able to watch the majority of the second series with my best friend in celebration of my 21st birthday (May 29, 2009) and see her enjoy most of those episodes for the very first time. Though I can’t say I introduced her to the show, as she had previously seen a few episodes, I can say that I played a major role in her own journey to becoming a Whovian. I have tried to do the same with my father, but he only saw David Tennant’s farewell story a month or so ago and has yet to watch any of Matt Smith’s tenure – which is a shame, given Peter Capaldi is taking over the role at the end of this year’s upcoming Christmas special.

Today, and Awaiting the 50th

Now its November 2013, almost a full six years since I watched the episode Rose (alas I don’t know the exact date), and I am still very much a proud, somewhat crazy, Whovian. I have a DVD tower next to my desk with the two top shelves dedicated entirely to Doctor Who, Torchwood, and The Sarah Jane Adventures. I own all the soundtracks, along with quite a few Doctor Who (new series only) novels and audiobooks, along with a bunch of other memorabilia (including some fan-made ones), and my brother recently sent me a collectible bust of my Doctor he bought me as a gift when he went to Comic-Con which I am still trying to find a place of honor for. I’ve also watched some Classic Who, including the majority of Jon Pertwee’s tenure as the Doctor whom I fell in love with simply from watching clips featured in Doctor Who Confidential – a show which I still miss greatly.

As I await the airing of the 50th anniversary special on the 23rd, I have fallen in love with a fan fiction a friend wrote that features the… well, to avoid spoilers, mystery character seen at the end of The Name of the Doctor and am planning on writing a few “deleted scenes” and a sort of “spin-off” to go along with it after NaNoWriMo is over and I have taken a short reprieve from writing. I also purchased tickets to see the 50th anniversary special in 3D at a movie theater in the area on November 25th with the same best friend I had the series two marathon with in 2009. I’m also looking forward to the next 50 years of the show, as I do agree that it is a show that can go on forever, but as far as the near future goes, I am looking forward to Peter Capaldi taking over the controls of the TARDIS.

I fear I do not have the words to properly end this post,
so instead I will leave you with this, because I find it fitting:

“I always rip out the last page of a book. Then it doesn’t have to end. I hate endings!”
~The Eleventh Doctor, Angels in Manhattan

Are you a Whovian? (akin to Christine)

OR a Nu-Whovian? (akin to Jorie)

{CONTRIBUTOR POST: by Christine for Jorie Loves A Story}

{SOURCE: Badge post lovely provided by Shabby Blogs, with edits by Jorie in Fotoflexer.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

About readerlymusings

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Posted Tuesday, 19 November, 2013 by readerlymusings in Alternative History, Contributor Feature or Post, Doctor Who, Fan Artwork of TV | Film | Book, Sci-Fi November, Science Fiction, TARDIS, Time Travel, Transportation Devices, TV Serials & Motion Pictures




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2 responses to “*SFN* | Feature: Diary of a Not-So-New Whovian

  1. A lovely post, similar to my own experience three years ago – I watched one episode, and that was it, I had to watch them ALL.

    I cannot choose between Ten and Eleven. I started watching in between them actually, I caught up with the show reading for Matt Smith’s first episode!

    • Thanks!

      Yes, it’s a very addicting series…. XD

      I kind of envy those who started watching in between Ten and Eleven like you did – 2010 was torture with so few episodes and then the wait to see what Moffat was going to do when he took over (especially with all the changes he made). But at the same time I’m still glad I got into it when I did because I remember my LJ f-list being flooded with ‘OMG ROSE!’ posts after Partners in Crime aired and it was fun to be a part of that :D

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