so you aren't as human as you thought you were

Fanfiction
Title:	so you aren't as human as you thought you were
Author(s):	timeisweird
Date(s):	2018 - 2023
Length:	113,884
Genre(s):	Gen, AU
Fandom(s):	Doctor Who
Relationship(s):
External Links:	Ao3 link
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

so you aren't as human as you thought you were by timeisweird is a gen Doctor & Donna story. It has been nicknamed the Tupperware AU or Tups AU, due to a scene where John steals tupperware containers.

In this story, John Smith appears to be a university student studying for his doctorate in chemistry, but he is actually a fobbed version of the Tenth Doctor. timeisweird employs a different mechanism for altering the Timelord's memories and biology than was originally depicted in canon. Rather than using a fobwatch, the Doctor's memories are kept dormant using a psychelock, and a separate biolock makes Ten biologically human. In this story, the biolock malfunctions; resulting in John Smith, who only remembers his life as a human, gaining a Timelord's biology.

This story was inspired by Amnesia and Other Phenomena by Westward.

There is also an Ao3 collection, the john t. smith archives, which contains additional stories in this verse as well as recursive fic, written by timeisweird and other authors.

Summary

John Smith. Sure, he's a bit eccentric. He can't resist keeping his friend Donna up at three in the morning with existential questions about the universe and toasters. He's prone to arguing with history professors about 'what really happened,' and what is up with his fashion sense? But he's a normal, human person.

A completely normal, one hundred percent human person.

But then again, statistics lie, everything is relative, and when John wakes up with the ability to see Time itself and the terrible feeling that the alien beat of two hearts in his chest where he once had one is somehow familiar, he finds it's worth revisiting his definition of 'normal.'

Reactions and Reviews

I honestly think it’s best to go into this as blind as possible about the plot but it’s an absolutely incredible story about john smith. a normal dude. every couple of months I reread this and go insane

Inspired Fanworks

• Tuesday Shift fic by Nitronine
• What’s that u say??? Disaster noodle alien and amazing ginger friend are QPPs and need to HOLD HANDS????, ^{Archived version} art by aeviart