Blog with stuff related to my favourite DW ship (pls don't judge me). Here I will post gifs from the show, screenshots from comics, quotes from official books and audios. Also friends feel free to send me questions, headcanons, gif requests - literally anything! P.S. If I don't post anything it means I'm dead because I accidentally watched The Green Death again
I'll be honest with you all, the Doctor is braver soul than me (a bisexual), because if a such a woman walked into my lab and said she's my new assistant I would be immediately offering her my hand in marriage.
A bit of a ramble, BUT:
Hearing Jo tell the cyber-primed Third Doctor in “The Tyrants of Logic” — “It [the key to the TARDIS] is very important to you, far more important than me” — is actually very painful, considering how in the previous volume, “The Conquest of Far,” the Doctor doesn’t mention the TARDIS once after it’s captured by the Daleks. Instead, he keeps asking people if they can help him find “a very dear friend of mine.” He has anxiety nightmares about Jo while in the oxygen tube, and when he’s about to be executed, he tells Naltrox, “Look, Admiral Naltrox, I beg of you: do with me what you will if you must, but if you should get to Far, please, promise me you’ll find a way to save my friend, Jo Grant.”
All the while, Jo tells people that yes, the Doctor will come back — but only to get back the TARDIS and defeat the Daleks. Nothing else.
It’s astonishing, then, that Jo keeps sacrificing herself for him while thinking the Doctor wouldn’t do the same for her — that he doesn’t care for her that much. When the only thing that brings him back in the same “Tyrants” is Jo. Argh.
A girl with self-sacrificial tendencies, too busy sacrificing herself to notice that the centuries-old alien she’s sacrificing herself for is absolutely doting on her.
Doctor Who: The Third Doctor Adventures Volume 01 - 1.2 The Havoc of Empires
Very nice of me to start a new "column" - and immediately make it out of order lmao. Anyway...
The Havoc of Empires might just be my favorite Third Doctor BF audio drama. My absolute Third Doctor and Jo comfort story. It has so much charm, it's clever, it's hilarious, it fits perfectly for Three, Jo and Mike.
The official summary goes:
"The Doctor and Jo take Mike Yates on his first trip in the TARDIS, but instead of the historical cricket match they were aiming for they end up on a futuristic space station in the middle of a diplomatic crisis that might escalate into galactic war.
The alien leader of the Chalnoth Hegemony is marrying the human Director of the Teklarn Incorporation, but there are forces that will stop at nothing to disrupt the ceremony. The Doctor is accused of murder while explosions occur across the station, and only Jo Grant, pretending to be a security consultant, can save the day.
But then, there’s the Eels to consider…"
The premise is already hilarious - the Doctor was supposed to get Jo and Mike to W. G. Grace's last cricket match (Mike sounds hilariously heartbroken when he learns that Jo wants to go see the Beatles instead, seriously, he's like a kicked puppy), but the Doctor just happens to get them in a middle of a political crisis, yes, pure accident. Of course, he couldn't resist investigating and dragged Jo and Mike along. The banter between the three of them is just 10/10 no notes
But then the first twist of the story comes - Jo is actually the one to take charge as she pretends to be Alex Filton, an independent security consultant for the wedding. It immediately shakes up the dynamic between her and the Doctor (as they note in BTS, Three is the one Doctor that just needs to be in charge lol) and shines light on how extraordinarily capable Jo actually is! She gets to do quite a lot of investigating, questioning and giving orders. But it's not like she just fills up the Doctor's role - she does it in such a Jo Grant way that makes it true to her character (in some situations she just absolutely bullshits her way through – Jo Grant, queen of "Fake it till you make it", in others she stumbles, losing belief in herself, but in the end she comes through). She also sympathises with the people she meets and makes them like her in ways the Doctor never could. It's so on point for Jo to basically save everyone by being an absolute goddamn sunshine and becoming besties with the station AI.
JO: Alright... I suppose it could be fun. As long as you got sandwiches as well!
MIKE: Only the best for you, Jo - crab paste and cucumber!
JO: Wow, Mike, you really know how to spoil a girl, don't you... Crab paste - bleurgh!
<...>
MIKE: Doctor!
DOCTOR: I was hoping you would invite me along… Ah, I see we have a problem.
MIKE: You could say that.
JO: What was that you said? "I will get you there, I promise!"
DOCTOR: I didn't promise on the first trip…
And of course, she's an absolute badass when she knocks out a guard (she breaks his jaw, man) and frees the Doctor or deals with the Attow Eels.
Again I can only agree with Katy Manning – yes, in her first episode Jo got hypnotized by the Master, but some people seem to forget that in the second she suppresses a prison riot while being held captive. Come on, that girl got guts, and that's an established character trait. That's why her composure and self-reliance in "Havoc of the Empires" works so well. She's the one responsible for the Doctor and Mike now, for everyone on the ship, and Jo takes this job very seriously. Yes, because of that Jo and the Doctor are separated for most of the story, and they don't have a lot of moments together, but the scenes they got are just incredibly cute.
NARRATORr: Jo pulled May Zalric out of the way moment before the Attow Eels could get to her. Having been deprived of their prey, they kept on slithering down the corridor.
MAY: What are you doing? They would have listened to me!
JO: Panic usually overrides training, unless you've been trained for it not to. Now stay DOWN!
But what I think is the strongest quality of this story is its cast. I've never been more invested in a Third Doctor Adventures cast. I could listen to a separate audio about any and each one of them.
JO: Well, seeing you like this…
DOCTOR: I'm sure you'll have me out in a jiffy.
JO: Oh, I wish I could take your place.
DOCTOR: I'm sure you and Mike are doing your very best. It's all I can ask. I believe in the pair of you, you know that, don't you? And that's what's important. Even tied up like this, in your hands I feel as safe as houses.
First, my absolute favorite, the comedic delight of the story, May Zalric, the wedding arranger. She is hilarious, I want all her quotes on a T-Shirt:
And you would think that she's just a comedic relief, right? No! She actually gets to participate in the plot! In a funny but believable way! Like everyone in this story! (Actually I can't recommend enough checking out the last 5 minutes of BTS at least to get an idea how everyone was absolutely damn losing it over Helen Goldwyn's Attow Eels sounds. I nearly choked laughing. It's great – and it shows how much fun everyone had producing this story!).
MAY: I am May Zalric, I am the wedding arranger – and I will be the first casualty in the war when it all comes apart.
MIKE: Surely, they wouldn't kill you for getting a few wedding arrangements wrong.
MAY: No, I'd kill myself first! My reputation would be ruined – and my reputation is my business!"
They start off with just accepting their fates, then proceed to be somewhat curious about each other, then clash characters thinking their marriage can never work, tentatively finding common ground and respect for each other, so by the time this dialogue happens you're already opening a Word file and typing fanfiction about them:
But the main plot revolves around two characters, Regent Tharlar of the Chalnoth Alliance and Chief Executive Officer Tina Andresson of the Teklarn Incorporation. Classical 'arranged marriage' (in space) trope here has basically two subgenres, a romance and a political thriller. The romance between Director Anderson and Regent Tharlar left me shocked about how much I was invested in their relationship. Like, it's so tropey, but it works. I squeaked at their every scene - and they even got trapped together in a tight space which prompted them to open up to each other! Fucking yes man.
But I'm not joking, the story sounds like a typical romantasy, I can even write it like one:
She is a CEO of the biggest Earth Empire corporation who has to put up a tough exterior to hide her childhood dreams. He is the ruler of a warrior race bound by honor and tradition, covering his gentler side and insecurities about upholding his father's legacy with recited wisdoms.And the only thing that can stop a war between their empires is an arranged marriage. But powerful forces are at work to destroy the peace efforts. Will the bride and groom from different planets find a common language before their corner of space drowns in blood?
The political thriller is fun as well - there are some twists and turns (no as much, of course, as in "Conspiracy in Space", but as an homage to "Frontier in Space" it couldn't be anything else), the question of "Who Done It", hangs in the air, but it's pretty obvious that the two parties in question actually have nothing to do with the sabotage. In that regard the story drags a bit, but when the endgame hits, it's just exhilarating.
THARLAR: You… would like to have children?
ANDERSON: I've never had the chance – was too busy running the corporation. But yes, I've dreamed about it… Maybe in another life.
THARLAR: I have… thought about it as well. Perhaps I want to pass on the lessons that my father taught me. We could always…adopt.
ANDERSON: What do you mean?
THARLAR: Our physiologies are obviously far too different for… the mixing of genetic material, even in a laboratory. We would have to… adopt.
ANDERSON: You mean… You think that wedding ought to go ahead? If we get out of here?
THARLAR: When we get out of here. You see? I am learning…
Rating: 5/5, "The Havoc of Empires" you will always be famous.
So as I said, in the end everyone gets to do something in this story. The Doctor actually takes a backseat compared to Jo, but he has his moments (the Dalphons communicating with their eyebrows and the Doctor communicating with them just. murdered me); Mike plays the field agent, the Teklarn-Chalnoth pairs parallel nicely.
Honestly, it's just such a fun story, pretty lighthearted (especially compared to later boxes - yes, "Quintessense", I'm looking at you). Like if you're wondering where to start with Third Doctor Adventures, I think this is a perfect audio for you.
But I do have a collection of quotes like this (this is Mark Gatiss btw, if anyone is suprised lmao), and I CAN cite this (p.57 of "Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition 02 The Complete Third Doctor (2002), it's on the Internet Archive)
It is an mRNA vaccine with successful mammalian (mice) trials.
The vaccine targets life-threatening inflammation and immune responses.
Mice with serious allergies, which received the vaccine tailored to those allergies, stopped having immune reactions when exposed to those allergens.
Aka: vaccinating against allergies.
If they can develop it for safe human use, it could save an enormous amount of lives, and IMPROVE the lives of people who live in constant fear of encountering their lethal allergens.
Because it’s able to be tailored, and specifically affects the immune system response, it may one day be able to adjust immune responses to chronic conditions like Celiac Disease, Asthma, Food Sensitivities, Food Allergies, and potentially many other autoimmune disorders.
Imagine a future where a child with a deadly shellfish allergy could get a shot and just… not be allergic anymore. Eat shrimp with no fear.
Be born with Celiac, get a shot, and casually eat gluten with no side effects.
We’re not quite there yet, but it’s performing well in mammalian trials, and we have high hopes!
Funny thing about looking through your own drafts from 8 years ago is that. I have no idea whatsoever from where this quote comes from. But supposedly Katy Manning said that. God bless.
So, uhhh… yeah — after eight years I’m back, lmao. While working on my Master’s and rewatching NuWho, I got obsessed with Doctor Who again. I dusted off this blog and actually plan to post on it! For now, it’ll mostly be Big Finish reviews, memes, and my own Three x Jo fanfiction (I’ve got a couple of drabbles and a beast of a fic in the works — went bananas and wrote like 12k words in a couple of days).
Since I just freestyled gif-making back in the day instead of learning how to do it properly, I won’t be making new ones for a while until I’m happy with the results. I’ve also got a couple of old things sitting in drafts that I’ll be posting soon.
Anyway — cringe is dead; enjoy your problematic ships!
9. Favourite aspect of them/their relationship dynamics?
Hmm, I suppose what really bribes me in this ship is their respect, love and utter and complete devotion. It’s just impossibly cute how they try their best to protect each other (the Doctor jumping in front of the Daleks to save Jo? Check. Jo jumping in front of the Satan to save the Doctor? Check). Also, I really like how at ease they are - constantly joking, holding hands, hugging, etc. 10. Least favourite aspect of them/their relationship dynamics? (Can be headcanon)
Sometimes the Doctor can be a bit dismissive of Jo because he is the Time Lord™ and knows better how to deal with a situation (but mainly gets captured and then is released by Jo)
13. How hard is it write/draw your pairing? Scale of 1-10.
Strangely for me, I find it no so hard to write Jo and the Doctor. From time to time I watch some of the episodes just for the reference but not often. So I’ll give 4
19. On an estimate, how many posts have you made about them?
Hah, as it’s a theme blog probably most of my posts are about spacegranted. On an estimate, it’s 28? 29? Something around that.P.S. I know that this ask was in my inbox for weeks and I’m so sorry about that! I’ve made a meme to compensate for the waiting
(tell me it is not what he says in The Mind Of Evil because I see no difference)
Okay, as I’ve already answered this one I will pick another song because why not? It’s “Love’s Echo” by Anna German (beautiful @cat94208 made for me a video about Three x Jo which you can find below with this song and I just can’t, it’s so amazing and the FEELS ARE SO STRONG OMG). But returning to the question: I just think it perfectly fits the emotional part of their relationship and especially the canon ending (which I disregard with all my heart by the way :D) of “The Green Death”. It shows how much the Doctor and Jo were affected by each other, how they become similar in many ways and learned from their love. And basically, it feels like it was made from Jo’s point of view after “The Green Death” as she remembers all the adventures she shared with the Doctor and how great it was.
5. Favourite canon moment of them?
Honestly, now I’m grateful that I can answer this thing twice because?? I have so many favourite moments?? (well, maybe because due to Big Finish audios we have so many blessed scenes). And I know it isn’t correct to name a moment from BF but I just can’t resist - my top 1 favourite scene is the Doctor’s speech to Jo from “the Tyrants of Logic” as he thanks her for saving his life and says that she was literally the only reason that he was able to overcome the cyber-priming. Now it’s my all time favourite piece of DW media EVER as it’s just beautiful. It represents the core, the base of their relationship that stands on the immense devotion to each other. So yes, that’s it, it’s the best moment I could think of.
P.S.: Jo calling herself the Doctor’s lifeline is my new aesthetic
7. Favourite headcanon trope/idea (your own or someone else’s)
Soo, I can’t find the link to the original post (though I’ll be grateful if somebody can send it to me) but it was about headcanon that the Doctor usually picked Jo up on his motorbike in the morning and gave her lift to the UNIT. It was based on the words of Katy Manning that Jon Pertwee actually did it to her during filming and honestly, it feels absolutely in-character for the Doctor and Jo (I swear, I even saw a fanart for this thing??).
20. What made you decide to ship them?
You know, it went dramatically fast from “I guess these characters look kinda cute” to “OMG them TOGether my ship I love them SO mUch asgfvdfsdk” so it wasn’t my decision really (and anyway, who in their mind would dedicate their life to shipping in general as it is a CURSE and especially to shipping two fictional characters from 1970s TV series?? because?? the minimum of fan made content or approval from show producers is kinda killing you??). But seriously, I suppose I started to REALLY ship them while watching season 9 because the amount of spacegranted content is absolutely mind-blowing:
Soo, that’s it, thank you for asking! It was really fun to do
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