stunt_muppet

Pinched from calapine : People I Ship the Doctor With. This was rather a difficult list to put together, as it would be much easier to list the people I don't ship the Doctor with. I'll read Doctor/almost anyone if the fic's good. Maybe not Doctor/Susan. Or Doctor/Jenny. I'm oppressive that way.

But I decided to leave aside who I'd read and go more with the couples I actively ship, the kind where I point at the screen and go "look look they're looking at each other that is obvious solid canonical proof that they're totally doing it".

1. Cameca. Because it's quite canon, you know, and I like to think that at some point one of his incarnations went back for her and she became a proper traveling companion and it was lovely.

2. Steven. I never said it had to make sense. And they do have rather a lot of arm-grabbing going on. And the Doctor was all sad and lonely and introspective when Steven threatened to leave. Don't make fun of me, okay, I kind of just like shipping Steven with people.

3. Vicki, sort of. Mostly I think of their relationship as that of the indulgent grandpa and the adventurous granddaughter, but occasionally I'm a bad person and anyway ambiguously-paternal relationships between people who aren't actually related are my guilty guilty kink.

4. Jamie. I do not think anyone doubts this. Also, the mere existence of Season 6B means that most of fandom is aware of the fact that had it not been for the Time Lords Jamie would have never left so there. No matter who else I ship the Doctor with after that I think part of his heart(s) will always belong to Jamie. Also, clinging. And groping of Jamie's sporran.

5. Liz. Normally I like this best as part of a Three/Liz/Brigadier trio of hotness and awesome, but I'm amenable to the concept of Three/Liz. I can't help it. They're totally flirting to pass the time. And I do think the Doctor loves her, though in a selfish and immature way, the kind of love that doesn't really recognize that the other person has needs, too. And despite herself she has a bit of a soft spot for him but not enough of one to put up with him when he's being a git. Also I'm pretty sure he was looking at her tush that one time.

6. The Brigadier. I can interpret their relationship as ambiguously paternal, especially during Three's tenure, and the complicated power dynamics between them in the early days are just delicious. And then even after they get over the power struggles and straining against one another's authority they have this wonderful friendship that still isn't entirely easy but lasts through the rest of the Doctor's lives and they just get each other more than anyone else really does. And it's all very sweet in an understated sort of way.

Though what I would really like is fic where they share awkward emotional moments and are both really bad at it. Please produce some of that, fandom.

7. Jo. 'Cos they hug and cling and tug on each other's sleeves and she helps him get over his stuck-on-Earth angst. Also after reading far too many fanfics it has become my fanon* that she's his part-time dominatrix. I mean, she's kind of a sweet domme who doesn't do the heavy stuff, but not all dommes are into bullwhips and verbal abuse, dontcha know.

*Just because it's fanon doesn't mean I actually think it happened between episodes, though. My definition of fanon is flexible.

8. Benton. The Doctor has such a sweet spot for him and Benton will disobey any order if he thinks the Doctor needs his help. And the Doctor likes his coffee which obviously means they are in love. I sometimes ship Yates with the Doctor but not with quite the same frequency.

9. Sarah. I'm not sure whether I like them better as ambiguously romantic BFFs or as an actual proper ship but either way they balance each other out nicely and have this wonderful playfulness to them, though I think I might be alone in liking Four and Sarah as much as Three and Sarah. Also, Four has this tendency to flip out when Sarah's in danger, which I like.

10. The Master. Three/Delgado!Master is my favorite because I'm much more of a buddy-shipper than a rival-shipper or enemy-shipper and they're the closest Doctor/Master ever gets to that even though they in no way qualify as buddy slash, which I also like. They both want and even need the other in the worst way and enjoy each other's company far more than they'd like to admit and I kind of think both of them are getting off on the high-stakes games they play with each other, and on the ensuing stalemates. Also Three/Delgado!Master is one of the only D/M pairings where anyone writes the Doctor topping, or at least has written it more than, like, once.

11. Leela. Mostly because Leela is stubborn and fierce and independent and doesn't listen to Four at all, which is kind of what he needs. And it'd be hot. That's my argument, really.

12. Romana. All of her. Because...well...it's Doctor/Romana. It might as well be textual. Also I love watching her and the Doctor match wits and be intellectual and just spark off each other like a couple of eccentric academics in love and unaware of the world. I'm not so crazy about post-War Doctor/Romana but that's just because I'm a little burned out on Time War fic at the moment. Surely that'll change later.

13. Adric. Stop that, I warned you I liked ambiguously-paternal ships, and there are so many complex issues that go with Four's regeneration into Five and the paternal relationship getting pulled out from under him and Romana leaving and...you're judging me. I can sense it.

14. Nyssa. For some reason I think Five and Nyssa complement each other really well, and have a kind of understanding that I think Five needs given his conflicts with his other companions. I feel like if I watched more Tegan and Turlough I would ship them with Five, but Five/Nyssa struck me right away. Plus, see above re: friend-shipping vs. rival-shipping.

After that point I haven't really watched enough of the episodes or read enough of the EDAs to know if I ship anybody else with the Doctor in the Five-Eight era (though I'm tempted to include Iris in this list but I have only read a bit of her canon, so I shall resist), so I'll skip to New Who:

15. Donna. I am amenable to shipping him with Rose and Martha, but the Ten/Donna relationship is so much fun I can't resist it. I feel a bit guilty for shipping them since Donna wasn't supposed to be a love interest and I feel bad taking that away from her, but they're exactly the kind of pairing I like - could be friends or could be lovers, call one another on each other's faults but get along just dandy most of the time, stand by each other in times of crisis, etc.

16. Lynda-with-a-y. BAD WOLF ROSE TOTALLY BROUGHT HER BACK WE JUST DIDN'T SEE IT.

Those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure as soon as I hit "post" I'll think of a bunch of others involving one-shot characters that I forgot, such is life. And even if you didn't see a character mentioned here, there's a good chance I either sort of passively ship them or would at least be open to reading fic about them if it was good, so hopefully I am not oppressing you all too hard.