Doctor Who Drabble: Perceptive

[bk_forever]

Title: Perceptive
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: The Doctor, OMC.
Rating: G
Written For: Challenge 306: Sail / Sale at dw100.
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: The Doctor is taken aback by a chance encounter with a very perceptive stranger.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Doctor Who, or the characters.




“How much d’ya want for yer old police box, mate?”


The Doctor spun around, startled.


“What?”


Thanks to the TARDIS’ perception filter, very few people ever noticed her; they saw her, enough to detour if she happened to be in their path, but her presence never fully registered in their brains, as if for a brief moment the connection between eyes and mind was disrupted. For someone to actually see her, they must be quite exceptional.


“I’m a collector, vintage police stuff,” the man explained.


“Sorry, not for sale, but…” The Doctor swung the door open. “Fancy a look inside?”



The End










 

Comments

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Who is that?!*lost*

[bk_forever]

Just complete stranger on the street. The Doctor ids always picking up strays, i'm sure he's had companions other than the ones we've seen on the show.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

In-between on screen companions? I like!

[bk_forever]

Thank you! I figure there's no reason why he shouldn't snatch up an interesting person for an adventure or two!

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Most of the time, companions believe they're the first one. Well, those that get a crush on the Doctor.

[bk_forever]

They don't realise how long he's been around and how many people he's known and loved.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Even with knowledge over his age and being another species doesn't deter them. As long as his "pretty". Infatuation makes people blind to the truth.*shrugs*

Catherine Tate: She gets his an alien!*about Donna*

[bk_forever]

He's so alive and so dynamic people just get swept up and never stop to think. Donna was the only one who saw him for everything he was.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

It's hard not to admire him. Even Donna did but in another way. She knew how big his ego can get so reigned it in.:)

[bk_forever]

Rose was his worst enabler. I think most of the others reined him in to varying degrees, but Donna and River did it the best in different ways.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Rose stopped him until she fell "in love" with him. If you love someone, you'd fight harder to keep them in check!

I think that both Donna and River were mature women who had their priorities straight.

Amy to the Doctor: You've been taking stupid lessons since I last saw you...*accidentally sets gun off*

Some more better than others? :)

[bk_forever]

Rose got seduced and ended up encouraging the Doctor's excesses, the way young teenage girls sometimes urge their boyfriends to take risks for them. She didn't act her age.

Donna and River definitely had the most mature attitudes, which makes sense; they were the oldest two (Jack doesn't count).

The others all learned and I think gained maturity during their time with the Doctor.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Rose had codependency issues. If it wasn't an older man, she would rely on Mickey.

Yes, Donna and River were mature in age and had life experiences that allowed them to go do their own things.

That's the whole point of traveling with the Doctor. To evolve and find happiness in something companions are good at. Rose had potential and it got overlooked for the sake of a melodramatic love interest plot.

I won't get into the Donna's ending because that was too complicated. Doesn't help that Rose was part of that storyline.:(

[bk_forever]

I think that's true. Maybe because she never knew her dad?

Rose was another of RTD's obsessions, sadly. He would have kept finding ways to bring her back and make everything about her, to the detriment of the Doctor himself in the end. Rose ad Gwen were never allowed to learn and evolve into better people.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Exactly! Rose longed for that male role model. The alt Peter was like compensation I suppose.

Rose coming back in series 4 made me less sad about her "ending" from series 2. I wished they had skipped her return.

Billie Piper as Badwolf/The Moment was better than Rose in my opinion.

I wanted to like Gwen but it was hard to when her morals were all over the place.

[bk_forever]

At least she got to know a man who was more or less her dad.

Billie Piper in the 50th anniversary episode was really good.

Gwen just irritated me from the start. She was whiny as a PC and didn't follow orders. She went downhill from there.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

I guess so. It's an unusual situation. It looked more like Jackie's chance of having Pete back. Everything is up to our imagination because it's offscreen.

Billie Piper managed to look ageless during the Tenths Doctor's last run where he said goodbye to her in the past. I almost forgot about that one. That should have been it instead of the "Journeys End" one.

There's a difference between aggression and confidence. So far the use of police officers in the Whoverse is pretty generic. *looks at lack of character development in Yaz*

[bk_forever]

Jackie pretty much got everything, and Rose felt she was surplus to requirements, but I think she went into the whole thing with the wrong attitude. It could have been a new beginning but she acted like her whole life had ended and she wanted to get it back.

I didn't really like the dying Tenth Doctor going around saying his goodbyes. It just felt like RTD grandstanding, showing off all 'his' characters.

The difference is, I really like Yaz, she's a much better cop than Gwen ever was, competent and able to follow orders, and not a self-righteous know it all.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Sometimes Jackie and Rose were more like friends than mother and daughter.

ROSE: I've had a life with you for nineteen years, but then I met the Doctor, and all the things I've seen him do for me, for you, for all of us. For the whole stupid planet and every planet out there. He does it alone, mum. But not anymore, because now he's got me.

Yes, it really was the longest goodbye and he couldn't even say it directly to Donna! I liked that we saw Martha and Mickey again but it really wasn't necessary either. Let alone married. Weren't they originally meant to end up in Torchwood?

Yaz just wanted more out of her job but sometimes that takes time to climb up the ladder so to speak. Plus she has the extra challenge of going against discrimination because of her cultural background. Gwen was just bored and lucky enough that Jack came along.

[bk_forever]

My mum and I were more friends than mother and daughter.

Rose did have a point, but she made it sound like the Doctor had never had anyone travel with him and we all know that's not true. Maybe that was for the benefit of newcomers to the series.

It really wasn't needed, and why make Martha and Mickey a married couple? I couldn't see the point of that.

I like to think of Yaz as ambitious. She was ready to do whatever it took to progress, all she needed was a chance to prove herself. It might be an uphill battle, but she could stand up for herself. Gwen just thought she already knew everything and didn't bother to follow orders. She wouldn't have progressed up the ranks.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

It works better when you are both adults. Not so much when one is like Rose who was selective.

I remember in the first episode she hung up on her mum. Yes, she checked on her but Jackie was still freaking out over the moving mannequins!

Rose was always in denial over the real status of her relationship with the Doctor. Sarah Jane did say: Some things are worth getting your heart broken over.

No build up over Martha and Mickey. RTD just needed to slot them in there. Marriage could have been optional.

They could have been in committed relationships with other people. It didn't have to feel limited in storytelling.

I do wonder how RTD would have handled writing Yaz. Not as "Gung-ho" as Gwen I presume.

Oh well, Clara and Amy had two series and their development took time.

It just helps if a writer can balance character development between each actor to do an effective job requirement. It's like hiring an extra worker on a shift and they've got nothing to do.*shrugs*

[bk_forever]

True, Rose didn't seem to have much of a attention span, typical giddy teenage girl.

Sarah Jane was still young when she was with the Doctor. Not as young as Rose, but I think the Doctor was still a hard act to follow. Worth the heartbreak though.

That's what annoyed me. There were no hints beforehand, it was just a done deal and completely unnecessary. they could just have been working together, but that's RTD. I don't think I would have like
d Yaz as much if RTD had written her because his female characters seem so shallow and self-involved. Yaz wasn't.

There dos need to be a balance of development with ALL the main characters of a show, not just one or two. It did the rest of Torchwood's cast a huge disservice. They didn't get the attention or development they deserved because Gwen got all of it.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Tunnel vision. That's a typical character trait with most rebellious teenagers.

I saw a little of the old series with Sarah Jane. Didn't care for the "cat fight" between her and Rose. It undermined the true relationship between Sarah Jane and the Doctor. At least it was temporary.

I see your point. It was so cliche. I'd rather Martha and Mickey had been in Torchwood under different circumstances. But scheduling conflicts stop that from happening.*shrugs*

Julie Gardner should have written for Yaz. She brought back Donna.

There seriously needs to be a writer on the show who knows how to create a three dimensional female character. A male writer shouldn't be limited in doing so. Yaz should have been brought in later on.*rant*

[bk_forever]

I suppose a bit of envy was to be expected, but it could have been done more subtly.

RTD was just showing off. A lot of fans weren't happy.

The should at least talk to women about what makes a strong female character, because most men don't seem to have a clue.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Rose was pretty ignorant to think she was the first person to travel with the Doctor. It should of been done like how mutual friends don't get along kind of thing.

Sarah Jane should of been annoyed that she had been "ghosted" by the Doctor. Not "dumped". Technicalities!

Male writers who do create decent female characters are either authors or screenwriters. I looked up some articles for examples. It's seldom on the small screen.

It's only recently that the actresses on Charmed have spoken out on their mistreatment offscreen from the producers etc. Some of the outfits they were asked to wear made them feel objectified.

[bk_forever]

She was young, she just assumed that picking up strange women was something the Doctor had never done before. Young girls like that often think the world revolves around them. But at least Rose and Sarah Jane did find common ground in the end.

Screenwriters and authors do more research, I think. Some smallscreen writers get it right, I think Joss Whedon mostly did in both Buffy and Firefly.

I don't get why so many TV shows have to dress their characters in sexy outfits that are unsuited to the roles they're playing.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

It also happened with Amy and Clara. Their thought processes were similar until the TARDIS showed previous companions on a screen.:)

You can see how it effected Sarah Jane. Feeling left behind but finally getting closure after how many years.

Joss Whedon is fine with writing women. Just don't ruin his storyline plans like Charisma Carpenter. Unknowingly so, but I really liked Cordelia so it was annoying that her story ended that way.

[bk_forever]

Sometimes such thing need to be pointed out to companions. They want to think of themselves as special or unique, but really they're just new friends in a long list of friends.

I'm glad Sarah Jane as a character got closure, but more glad that we got Elisabeth Sladen back, even just for one episode, before she got her own spin-off.

Cordelia had depths that weren't obvious at first. I didn't like the way things went for her in Angel though.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Twelfth Doctor: No need for chatting, you'll only get attached. This isn't Facebook.

Yeah, it was cool that Elisabeth Sladen got her own spinoff. I still can't believe she is gone.:(

I guess conflict is inevitable for drama. I hate love triangles between parent and child. It is so daytime soap opera.

[bk_forever]

He had it right in a way, but humans like getting attached to other people.

She was such a lovely person from everything I've heard. It was very sad.

Me too. I'm very anti-soap opera.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I'm only learning how not to get too attached to people and material things.:(

I guess we can appreciate that she come back in the Whoverse if only momentarily.

I use to watch as a young teenager but later on, I found it redundant*shrugs*

[bk_forever]

I get more attached to objects than people *is weird*

She made a lasting impression on the newer fans as well as on those of us who watched way back when she was first on the show.

Mum was a soap addict, I hated being in the same room when she was watching he shows, they grated on my nerves.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Objects can't hurt your feelings like people could do. I suppose.:(

It's great to have that link between the old and the new with having an original character come back. It made me interested in the old series even more so.:)

I guess your mum found it as great escapism. But I'd rather read than watch that kind of drama.

[bk_forever]

True, my things can only hurt me physically, like if I drop one on my foot.

I grew up with the 3rd and 4th Doctors, so seeing Sarah Jane again was like seeing a friend I'd gone to school with or something.

Mum and I were alike in a lot of things, but not in our tastes when it came to books and TV. We both used to love Quantum Leap, and there were a few other things we watched together, but she liked her soaps and I liked my sci-fi, she read romances and I read fantasy & SF.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Yikes! Be careful!

I remember catching up with my high school friends, it was like old times. We are just at different stages in our lives now.

I use to watch "Charmed" and "Merlin" with my mum. A bit of "Medium" or "Supergirl"...

It varies with other shows. Sometimes we just end up channel surfing.:)

[bk_forever]

I've long since lost touch with everyone I went to school with. No idea here any of them are now. I wasn't friends with most of them anyway.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

That's usually the norm. I didn't even go to my 10th and 20th high school reunion! I bumped into an old frenemy. Well, I feel bad for using this term but that was the dynamic.

She was really pleased to see me! That's the thing with people like that. They forget how mean they were. I guess it's best to let go too. Just for different reasons.

I actually felt peaceful when I saw her. I figured I'd be bitter.*shrugs*

[bk_forever]

You've both grown up and matured, whatever friction used to exist between you has faded into the past. Always best to let such feelings go.

I've never been invited to any reunions.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

It's all in the past.

I found out by chance one of my high school friends was on Facebook messenger.

She was using a different name but I knew it was her by the profile photo. I guess we all haven't changed that much. Then it went from there.

I heard via my older brother who does Facebook. Since he had a reunion, then I knew it was a thing. He went to his. Living vicariously through him for stuff like that is enough for me.

[bk_forever]

I'm not on facebook and don't want to be. I wouldn't have gone to any reunions even if I'd been invited, so... *shrugs* I didn't have many real friends in school anyway.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

I'm only on Facebook messenger on a low-key basis. I didn't want to get into all that. I'm already on WhatsApp. There are just all types of social media that I can't keep up with.

Remember when texting and emails were the only ways you could communicate electronically?

Anyways, friendships can go both ways. The bad ones tend to dictate how you interact with people as you get older. It certainly did for me. You probably didn't miss out on that much.*shrugs*

[bk_forever]

LOL! I remember when the only phones most people had access to were public ones and computers were things that took up an entire room! People communicated by writing letters and occasionally by phone.

I still have't caught up with the idea of texting.

I don't know what happened to anyone I went to school with, except one I stayed friends with for a few years after we left school, and we drifted apart after she married an had kids.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Oh yes! Good old fashioned writing! It took one to two weeks for delivery. Gosh, you had to be patient those days.

Now technology has advanced in many ways. Some people tend to get impatient and will try to contact you through every way possible.

I've had a detox from texting alot. I think I did overdo it. Now I'm pretty mellow about it.

Being an introvert means never feeling lonely. I think people are meant to stay or leave in accordance to how we live our lives.

I pulled away from my high school friends due to my depression.

But reconnecting was just about closing that chapter in my life. I still send messages via WhatsApp sporadically but that's about it.

We are not in high school anymore. I remember phoning my friends the night before if we wanted to hang out during school holidays.

These days school kids text via their mobiles. I doubt they've used a landline phone.:)

[bk_forever]

the internet does I think bear a lot of responsibility for people's lack of patience these days. We want things RIGHT NOW when we used to wait because there was no alternative.

I', an introvert, but I do still get lonely. Then again, sometimes I don't see or speak to another human for a week.

It's easy for a lot of kids these days to make plans with their friends. Time have changed so much. We used to cycle to each other's houses to see if our friends were available to play. We didn't have a phone in the house when I was a kid, and most of my friends didn't either, though I think we were the last people to get one.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Gosh the internet replace the old skool method of encyclopedias and newspapers etc. How did we manage before?! :D

Techical glitches can still happen though. I'm due for an upgrade on my laptop. If my printer acts up with the ink again. I may need to use the library resources. I don't know how much it is now. I bet the price went up!

The less you have, the easier it is to manage. Reverting back is more of a challenge. I forgot how I past the time when I wasn't watching TV. I think I was playing outside or riding my bike.

My mum grew up without a television so she'd watch at her neighbor's place.

It's scary how much some of the younger generation are glued to their mobile phones for entertainment!

[bk_forever]

It truly is, kids have forgotten how to entertain themselves. I used to manage just fin. I had TV, but mostly I'd play outside, read, do jigsaws, draw, make things... There as always plenty to do. Now my computer monopolises my time...

My laptop is old and not in great condition because it's been used so much, but I don't want the new windows operating system, I doubt that it suits my needs.