"I wish I was called Lulubelle"

I've had moments where I've thought, "Man, I wish there was more stuff for this character I like."

But where people lose me is when that frustration turns into resentment towards other fans who are making and sharing things about the character they love.

Nobody is receiving orders from the Ministry of Popular Characters. These are just people spending their free time drawing, writing, editing, creating, and sharing things because they care about them.

They're making art because they love something.

And I don't know. It feels strange to respond to that by trying to make them feel bad for it, or suggesting they should be spending their creative energy on a different character more "deserving" of attention.

Art isn't a public utility.

People draw or write the characters that are fun for them to draw or write.

The ones that make them happy.

Fandom isn’t a finite resource where attention has to be rationed out evenly like a budgeting exercise. It’s just people being excited about different things at different intensities at different times.

the orpheus parallels are obvious, except that clara doesn't look back.

because the thing is, for all that she's seen last vastra's veil, she still doesn't believe that this is still her doctor. he's spent the last day proving that he's nothing like the previous doctor, and he's abandoned her. he can't remember her name. she has no reason to believe that he'll be there.

so she doesn't. she's been bluffing for the whole conversation. she's been trying to see so much as a ghost of her doctor in this strange old man. this is one last bluff, one last hope against hope. she doesn't believe the doctor's going to grab her hand, she only hopes he will, because that's the only thing left.

this is the thing that embodies the eleventh doctor: when nothing else is there, when everything is ending, when there isn't any chance, there is hope. and most of the time, it works.

from the space whale to the tardis exploding to saving gallifrey to surviving, the eleventh doctor is about hoping despite everything.

clara learns that from him. clara hopes even when she doesn't believe, and it works.

(the book thief; markus zusak, the snowmen; doctor who, grief lessons; eurpides, anecdote of the pig; tory adkisson, face the raven; doctor who, the oresteia; aeschylus, face the raven; doctor who, moony moonless sky; fatima aamer bilal, face the raven; doctor who, crush; richard siken)