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Fanfic / The Next Doctors

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To best explain this story, we should start at the beginning:

A Doctor Who fanfiction author was upset with how "Journey's End" had written Donna out of the show. So, he decided to redo the ending so that Donna didn't have to leave with her memory erased.

The catch? The Tenth Doctor ended up regenerating in order to save her. From there, he and Donna continue adventuring, making their first stop together in Victorian England, Christmas eve.

And thus, we have "The Next Doctors", the first of a series of stories concerning the Eleventh Doctor and Donna taking part in the 2009 specials.

How much does this change the story? Let's find out...

(It is recommended you watch "The Next Doctor" or go to the recap page first before reading this story/page.)


The Next Tropes:

  • Blatant Lies: The narrator explains how the Doctor hated the cheers he has getting for what he did... except not really:
    "He hated it so much he smiled back and waved. He was so revolted he rang the bell joyously. Okay, maybe he liked it a little, but not much at all."
  • Christmas Carolers: Tells the Doctor he's arrived at Christmas Eve at one point.
  • For Want Of A Nail: The Tenth Doctor regenerating before stopping in Victorian England.
    • The most notable difference shown here is in the CyberKing's destruction, where instead of it being sent into the Time Vortex so it can self-destruct harmlessly, Miss Hartigan willingly sends the Cyberking away. Notably, this is similar to the alternate version of the scene that Davies envisioned for the actual episode.
  • Foreshadowing: Near the end of the story, the Doctor notices a crack in the wall of a building.
  • Have We Met Yet?: When Rosita makes her claim that "there can't be two of [the Doctor]", the Doctor tries to figure out which one she's referring to:
    The Doctor: But... which one? Is it the one with the scarf? Celery? Recorder? Any of these things ringing a bell?"
  • In Spite of a Nail: The Eleventh Doctor is the same one as in the show.
    • The CyberKing still runs rampant.
    • Need we mention the crack again?
  • Is That Cute Kid Yours?: Essentially, anyway; in "Planet of the Dead", when Christina meets the Doctor and Donna, she admits that she initially assumed Donna was the Doctor's mother, as his current incarnation looks young enough that Donna could have given birth to him when she was a teenager. Naturally, the Doctor and Donna find this hilarious.
  • Prolonged Prologue: "Always Another Way" acts as this to "The Next Doctors".
  • Resurrection Sickness: Like in "The Eleventh Hour", the Doctor still has the same post-regeneration problems he had then, like the cramps. Which really comes to bite him in the ass when running away from a Cyberman in Chapter 3.
  • Shout-Out: See Have We Met Yet?.
    • Instead of choosing "John Smith" as his name, the Doctor goes with "Ian Foreman", a reference to two of the First Doctor's companions.
    Donna: "Well, what about 'Ian Foreman'? Where'd that come from? What about John Smith?"
    The Doctor: "Dunno. I just don't feel like a 'Smith' in this body." note 
  • Skewed Priorities: The Doctor decided to put off pursuing the CyberKing... so that he can find some clothes in a school.
  • The Stations of the Canon: The Doctor still finds his signature outfit (this time in a school), and the cracks in time still exist.
  • Talkative Loon: True to form, the Eleventh Doctor still has the problem for talking too much. A good example is during the scene mentioned for Have We Met Yet?, where the Doctor keeping going on about his past selves, all while ignoring the shaking, banging door.
  • What Year Is This?: Averted, as the Doctor not only already knows that he and Donna landed in Victorian England, but also figures out that it's Christmas (eve) thanks to hearing carolers.

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