turn and climb again

[aria]

Hah, wow. I haven't been online at all in days; nor have I done any homework in days. This is because I've been far too busy going to every possible panel at my college's sci-fi/fantasy/&c con, and going to a cabaret show and its afterparty and being mildly amazed that I actually got out of bed this morning, and generally having an excellent time! So if world-shaking things have happened on the internets, I am blissfully unaware.

My college's con is a lot more book fandom than my own experience at WisCon was last year; a lot of that probably has to do with the guests. I don't think all three of them have been in a panel at the same time, but in the last few days I've seen a lot of Tamora Pierce and Bruce Coville and Jane Yolen, so I posit that the guest list has something to do with the tone. I do not mind at all, because, oh my god, my inner ten-year-old is hanging out with Tamora Pierce and Bruce Coville and Jane Yolen!! It is just a bit weird to be harkening back to the time when my fannish experience was less media-based.

That said, I had a couple of friends dress up as Ten and Simm!Master (and when I saw them in costume together unexpectedly for the first time, I may have COLLAPSED WITH JOY); we collectively ran into a Fourth Doctor from a neighboring college; she was awesome and invited us to her con, luring us there with the promise of Doctor Who panels. There are probably pictures, but songofsongs has all of them.

I think the real point of this post, though, is a Doctor Who-related question that was brought up at one of the panels, namely, if the Doctor spontaneously turned up and asked you to drop everything and go away with him, would you? The majority of the room did raise their hand, and to my mild alarm I was among them, but I really am curious now. It would be the worst awesomest idea ever, but I would still do it! And I want to know who else would. I am a bit brokenhearted, because it just occurred to me that I currenly have no poll-posting cabilities, so I cannot actually poll you guys about this, but: talk to me! Would you go with the Doctor? Why? Why not? If so which one(s)? (Mine are probably Two, Three, Five, and Ten, not that this would save me. I would not go with Six or Eight, oh my god.)

Ahhh, I need to run to another Tamora Pierce panel. :D

Comments

[gehayi]

Oh, I'd TOTALLY go with the Doctor. I can't think of a good reason not to. Seriously, the TARDIS should have everything necessary to fix the lymphedema and if not--cripes, the Doctor could take me to all the best doctors on every planet in every time. And once I got fixed up (which would be necessary because, hello, Doctor's companions need to be able to run insanely often and insanely fast)...well, come ON! Aliens! Other planets! Other times! Adventures! Saving the world! Saving the MULTIVERSE! In what reality would this not be the coolest thing ever?

[gehayi]

Oh, and I'd go with any Doctor. I admit to not liking Six much, but...hey, how often do you get a chance to travel with a Time Lord? What am I going to do, turn the Doctor down because he's not the aspect of himself that I'm crazy about and hope that he'll still want me to come with him in a different incarnation?

[aria]

I like your reasoning for all of this!

I think even for all that, though, I would not go with Six. /o\

[carrieann]

You're right, it would be the worst awesomest idea, but to travel the universe and time? I would so do it. As in why: because my life is so boring. It really is. I'm sure there would be tons of running if I joined up with him, and the chances of death would increase by, well, billions. But the experiences would be worth it. Since I haven't seen much of the older doctors, I'm going to have to say Nine or Ten. Mostly Ten.

[aria]

YOU SHOULD SEE MORE OF THE OLDER DOCTORS. :D But really: yes. It would be the best traveling adventure ever.

[epershand]

This is actually one of those things I periodically wonder about throughout the show. Especially when watching eps with Martha, because she seems to have a lot less to escape from than many of the other companions.

Sometimes my "I need to get away from corporate America" daydreams take the form "sorry guys! I know I promised you that data you need to sell more stuff. But NOW I AM OFF TO TRAVEL IN SPACE AND TIME." Other times I am so caught up in that world that I think I'd feel guilty out there in the universe, my dashboard still incomplete.

[aria]

So really it depends on what sort of day you're having when the Doctor asks you? XD

[epershand]

Oh, I'd go. But later on when I was standing on the lavender plains of Zarzebon IV watching the birth of a new nebula I'd find myself thinking 'oh, I should really be working on that thing. And I totally owe so-and-so an email...'

[epershand]

Actually a major sticking point of Who for me is the people and things that get left behind when someone runs off to be with the Doctor. So maybe I'd be best off with Three. Nice stable job with UNIT, low likelihood of running off in the TARDIS, etc. Higher odds of Earth being destroyed or pulled into a parallel dimension though.

[roadrunner]

i would, even though i'm not really into doctor who the way i used to be. it's mildly concerning that my reasoning is essentially "well, what the fuck else am i doing?"

pretty sure i would get myself killed or left on an alien planet though.

[aria]

Being left on an alien planet would be awesome, though! Being killed, not so much.

[anekdot]

Whoa, it looks like I am in the minority who would actually not want to run off with the Doctor ever. For a number of different reasons of varying validity, including: instinctive aversion to getting into vehicles with strange men, intense dislike of physical activities like running away from imminent peril, being overinvested in my own life and my own plans even with the terror about my future, attachment to my awesome friends, and my ego's kneejerk desire not to be a sidekick. I think it's just that generally speaking I'm very skeptical of any plan that involves "drop everything."

THIS TL;DR BROUGHT TO YOU BY SARES' REFUSAL TO DO WORK BEFORE SHE SACRIFICES HER DAY AT THE ALTAR OF SINGING IN DOUBLE MUSIC COMPOSITION THESES. <3333

[feverbeats]

THIIIIIS. I would never run off with the Doctor! For many of the same reasons!

[anekdot]

*FISTBUMP*

[aria]

I am not surprised by this! (Actually I am surprised that everyone else is all "I WOULD GO!!" but I am not surprised that you are staying) -- essentially for all the reasons you say.

GO GO GADGET SINGING!SARES. <3333

[anekdot]

:DDD I'm not gonna lie, though, I might be persuaded to accept one-night set of hijinks for Historical Research Purposes. Although then citing my findings would be a biiiiitch.

HAHAHA YES EXACTLY. luckily it went awesomely! although oh my GOD so much rehearsal.

[damned_colonial]

I am not well versed in the ways of Doctor Who (I only know New Who, and not all of it at that), but my question is... what's the survival rate for companions?

[aria]

I actually calculated this for you, because I am nerdy! Out of 39 old-and-new TV companions, only 5 die, which gives you a ... 78% chance of survival, I think? I'm not sure that those make such good odds. On the other hand, by my subjective count, only 16 of those 39 companions leave the Doctor to return to more or less their own time, on their own planet, with the memories of their travels intact; that's about a 76% chance you'll end up somewhere or somewhen else, or without any recollection of having traveled with the Doctor at all.

And yet a lot of us would still go. XD

[damned_colonial]

Hmm, I told myself that if there was an 80% chance of survival, I'd do it... so that's close. Augh! Winding up somewhere else wouldn't bother me (hi, inveterate traveller here), but not remembering would bother me. Hmmm.

[fahye]

I would do a Martha :D "BUT YOU CAN DROP ME BACK AT A TIME THAT ALLOWS ME TO FINISH MY MEDICAL DEGREE, RIGHT?"

Because I'm sorry, but considering the average length of a companion's tenure, there's no way I'm taking the risk that I'll have to come back and have the past few years of work be for nothing.

[aria]

Ahaha, of course you would! I bet you would be just as awesome as Martha, too, and the Doctor would be lovely and drop you off at such a time as degree-finishing would happen.

[reflectedeve]

. . . I don't think I realized that you were at my alma mater! That's nifty; I'm glad the con's apparently going so well this year. :D I considered heading back to see Tamora Pierce, but it just wasn't feasible. (I did get to meet Patricia C. Wrede the last time I attended, which was neat.)

[aria]

!!! Smithies are everywhere. :D

It's the first time I've been able to attend the entire con; literally every other year I've been ill. So it was pretty wonderful. I'm sorry you couldn't make it, though!

[polarisnorth]

I wouldn't go; I know myself well enough to realize that I would have a life expectancy of approximately zero were I a companion.

We need to hang out and compare con experiences!

[aria]

MumbleIwouldgoanyway. /o\

Indeed! Mind you, I also need to do a week's worth of homework. Ahahaha.

[(Anonymous)]

I think I'd rather be the Doctor.

[aria]

That is an excellent answer. :D

I THINK YOU KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT

[pen42]

AAAAUUUGH WHY DID YOU NOT TELL MEEEEEEEEEE I THOUGHT WE ESTABLISHED THIS AFTER I MISSED SEEING PATRICIA C. WREDE

Re: I THINK YOU KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT

[aria]

OH GOD I AM HORRIBLE WHY DID I NOT TELL YOU /o\

Here is something I will tell you! Mt Holyoke's having its con on April 10, 10:30am-11:30pm, only $5, I can give you the location, and I have no idea if it has any cool guests but the awesome woman dressed as Four assured us that it would have Doctor Who panels plural. SO AT LEAST I AM TELLING YOU THIS??

From now on I will tell you EVERYTHING NERDY. FORGIVE ME.