Doctor Who on Tor.com
   When Your Doctor is No Longer the Doctor: How to Survive Regeneration
   Emily Asher-Perrin
   December 27, 2013 12:00PM

   Doctor Who, Eleven, Amy

   Theres a thing that happens in the Doctor Who fandom that plenty of
   people talk about, and no one can prepare you for. See, fans love each
   and every Doctor but one of them is yours. That Doctor belongs to you
   very specificallythey helped define parts of you, they saw you through
   rough times, they encompassed a portion of your life. And for many
   Whovians, that Doctor will soon be gone.

   Its okay, Eleven fans. Im here to help.

   Having already dealt with 2010s I Dont Want to Go Farewell Tour, I
   have some tips. Or maybe theyre just stages of grief. Or things to
   expect as you brave the next year without bow ties.

   To start this off, lets talk regeneration: You might have noticed that
   Elevens passing felt a little more real to you than the average
   fictional character death. (Or nota lot of them seem unfortunately
   real on my end.) So youre basically in mourning. Youre allowed.
   Dont let anyone make you feel weird about it. Dont let anyone tell
   you that youre not allowed to wear tweed and a fez every day for the
   next ten years. Or a black armbandhey, Gary Oldman did it for Sirius
   Black, so its totally a cool thing to do.

   Doctor Who, Eleven

   Speaking of thatsupport group time! Hugs all around! Unless you dont
   like hugs, in which case, weve got a crate of Jammie Dodgers and
   probably TARDIS blankets. Actually, is that a real office somewhere? It
   sounds like a service that should be available to the general public
   regardless.

   Of course, thats what the internet and fandom friends are for. There
   will be a sudden pressing need to rewatch every Eleventh Doctor episode
   in marathon form, and long after that, youll have moments where
   nothing will comfort you so well as a viewing of The Lodger with a
   cup of tea. Its especially useful for whats comingan era shift that
   will leave the show markedly different in ways that are often difficult
   to explain.

   Whats odd about Who fandom is how its rhetoric consistently changes
   over time. Its not like Star Trek where there are distinct, separate
   series, each with their own entity that are easy to define and keep
   apart in your mind. Doctor Who may shift in tone and execution, but
   its still ultimately the same show. The Doctor is still the same
   character. Except now, your Doctor is no longer the Doctor.

   Its a weird feeling.

   Doctor Who, Eleven

   And it will likely never pass. Its entirely unique to the Whovian
   experience. Sure, it sort of happens with James Bond, but thats a
   different can of dirt due to how long it takes for an actors Bond
   tenure to come due, and how staggeringly different each incarnation is.
   (Call me when Robert Downey, Jr. is no longer playing Tony Stark and
   well talk again, I think.) The point is, its always going to be
   awkward knowing that your Doctor is now former. That someone else is
   ably holding up the mantle and carrying it off into the dark corners of
   the universe. Its like a microcosm of aging, revved up to light speed:
   This was mine. Its still mine. But now it belongs to someone else.

   That doesnt mean that the new Doctor wont mean anything to you!
   Learning to love a new Doctor is part of the charm of the fandom. What
   you will have to be prepared for are the fans who find that their
   Doctor is Peter Capaldi. Those new kids who are just like you, only a
   few years removed. Respect their experience. Dont get into better
   Doctor battles with them. This is not a fight that anyone can win, nor
   should they. Its down to the individual, down to what you needed and
   when. In fact, it can be its own reward, watching those new fans revel
   in their experience with a Doctor who moves them the same way. To see
   the difference in the fanbase, to watch it shift and morphto watch it
   regenerate. Whovian history is singular that way.

   Its exactly as the Eleventh Doctor put it: you will carry all these
   lives with you always, but you will always be especially glad for the
   time that the Doctor was the Eleventh Doctor. The same way I will
   always be especially glad that the Doctor was Ten. Give yourself time.
   Heal up from the loss and launch yourself back in. Never let go of the
   time that Doctor Who was specifically, unequivocally yours.

   Doctor Who, Eleven, Amy

   Thats what makes it special. Thats what makes it your show. Youre
   not supposed to let that go, youre supposed to celebrate it. So do
   just that and never be sorry.

   Its hard to say goodbye to a friend... but you never really have to.
   Keep that Raggedy Man close and keep going. You never know when you
   might need him.
     __________________________________________________________________

   Emily Asher-Perrin wants all the Eleven fans out there to know that
   shes so, so sorry, and shes here for a shoulder to cry on. You can
   bug her on Twitter and read more of her work here and elsewhere.


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