The Doorway: a panfandom game

I have decided that I quite enjoy the modern Christmas. It would be very easy to concentrate on the negative things but I choose not to. I enjoy the lights and the seemingly endless cheer. I enjoy the songs and the trees and the decorations. It is not how I was used to celebrating Christmas at home but there is a charm and a joy to it that I like.

I think I've found my new hobby. Seldom does one find a trend that combines delinquency with British humorists.

And apparently the risk of death.

BEST. DAY. EVER.

Came home from work to find out that the tesseract somehow got me a boxed set of the best book series ever. Now I'm just sad I won't get any new books of his - even though it always took forever for each book to come out.

If it weren't for the dogs and their Christmas sweaters our apartment would be seriously devoid of any holiday spirit.

[Helena]

We should probably take out the decorations and put them up. And think about getting a tree. Unless you didn't want to. Because in that case Serena and Trailer can be our holiday decorations.

I say, the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was creating Gordon Ramsay to convince the world that the British might know the first thing about the culinary arts, as opposed to our true talent: stealing things from other people and passing them off as our own.

[Tony Stark (616)]

I'd like a word with you this afternoon, if I might. I could stop by your offices after lunch if there's the time.

I barely remember the day my son was born. I remember leaving the base in a panic, and then I remember hearing him scream bloody murder and thinking this child was going to give us hell. Everything in the middle's a blur now. He was the light of our lives for eleven years, and then his mum died, and nothing was the same. I was a shit father after that. He was raised by machines more than he was raised by me, and I dragged him halfway around the world just so I could feel useful, so I could take revenge on the creatures who'd destroyed so much. He became a better pilot than his old man, and he knew our jaeger inside out. And he died. Because I made a mistake. Because I couldn't see through the trees clearly enough to know when to stop. All the time in the world can't make that right.

No one ever prepares you for that, as a parent. I don't think anyone can. I lost part of myself that day, and I've lost a part of myself twice here, each time he's left. And it's bullshit - to give us something and to take it away. It's bullshit. Once was enough.

I am still trying to understand how it is that my brother, who was usually such a dolt, actually got into some semi-original writing after I was gone. Even though he kept using my established name and lifting from my then-unpublished phrasings and ideas, he found new purposes for them or waited until they had some relevant context to release them with his modern flourishes.

In particular, he became prolific in these mixed writings about war, and "the war that will end war".

I didn't live through this "World War I" as he did, and I could only imagine war at that level as faraway stories. I wish such wars would never happen outside of telling tales. In my darkest moods, I've thought that humanity could never overcome its lust for inflicting these horrors upon our own and upon other nations. I've imagined terrible scenarios; I have to remind myself to hope we can be better than that and that so many believe we can be. Perhaps there really will be an end to war someday.

Thus today, I find myself missing my dear Charles, and even admitting that he was dear.

On his behalf and my own, I thank everyone who has fought in the hope that their war would be the final war. I wish we had been right about that so long ago.

FILTER: Rose Tyler
When was the last time we went on an adventure? Africa?

FILTER: Donna Noble
Is it alright if I check up on you

Oddest thing happened to me at the shop today. Some girl started making kissy faces toward me and laughing. No idea what that was about. Have I missed something?

Well.

There's nothing to make one feel old-fashioned like opening your shirt more or less in public to get an injection from a young woman who's probably passed more exams than you've been to schools.

Except, I suppose, dying of influenza. That would be quite a throw-back, wouldn't it?

It's been quite some time since I participated in a "round robin" storytelling, but it occurs to me that this medium is well suited to it.

Would anyone else find it diverting to tell a Halloween tale together?

Filter: Helena G. Wells

How backed up do you think our potential cases are after an entire month of being ignored?

As I continue to work my way through the boxes left from my previous stay, I came across a box containing books that I somehow missed. I believe I can safely say that I am as mortified now as I was the last time at discovering the book from which I come. I did discover, despite being from a romance novel, that as a character I am well-loved by many. It's humbling. Also embarrassing. And very strange to have read about moments which clearly happened but of which I have absolutely no memory. I also found myself smiling, because while no one ever expected it -- least of all me -- I was the one to get the prince in the end. Well, he was my princeand didn't seem to be much of a prince when he was here, anyway.

I am put out with the Tesseract, though. When I left London, spring had only just begun and the days were only beginning to think of warming up. I arrive here just as summer ended -- I was cheated out of the warmer months.

One final observation: I received in the post today a card with a lovely note inside, along with a photograph of a sweet, smiling baby I helped to deliver. The mother mentioned a Clint Barton, who also helped to deliver this baby. As I have no memory of this, perhaps Mr. Barton would be the more appropriate recipient of this picture?

Painting always takes the stress away from a really bad day!

Hard to believe that in a little less than a month, I will have been here six months. Time flies so quickly and in unexpected ways -- although one won't hear complaints from me. No other way would I have met my great-grandson -- and today I learned that in seven months, give or take, I shall be able to hold another great-grandchild.

I am quite, quite pleased.

How fusions, it seems Cincinnati has an event coming up to slanders my birthday, a "Rome recalls ball". And I've received a kata invitation. Perhaps I ahold consider accepting. 148 doesn't come everyday, ftw all, and it skulls vs quite a party.


[OOC: Brought to you by my phone's genuine autocorrect fails, aka method RPing???]

I miss KiSo I saw some posters about a bar crawl and I was like HELL YES and then I get there and it's like, for lit geeks. And let me tell you, those people know how to party. And they're fucking smart. But like, I didn't black out, but I got really fucking smashed because it's like they were channeling whatever dead author they liked who drank like a fish. All of them.

Lit geeks, man. They're hardcore.

Only they didn't really start drinking until we got to the last bar, and until then they were all wine this and wine that. WTF.

I think that it wouldn't be too far off the mark to say that my first day as a teacher in over one hundred years was a success. I think that I and my students will get along splendidly, although I do believe I got the feeling that my expectations for my students are a trifle more than modern students are used to. Luckily, I also believe that my students will surpass these expectations by leaps and bounds. I'm looking foward to this school year.

Filter to Friends

I am in need of a vacation, and I am now taking suggestions as to what -- most likely it will be later this month or in October, and won't be longer than a four day weekend.

Filter: Helena G. Wells

Agent Wells, you have an hour before I begin eating your chocolate covered strawberries. Your only clue is that they are somewhere on the Great Lawn in Central Park.

California! Golden gates, Hollywood hills, and beautiful beaches. Don't know why I don't come out here more often! Almost a shame I've got a schedule to abide by now, would stay out here longer. Me! With a proper schedule! Not certain how much longer I can manage this business of being confined to linear time. So human. So very human.

ROSE TYLER
Right, then. Sorry. I'm in San Francisco, was a bit keen on seeing Alcatraz. Realised I've been... well, anyway. Dropped off Sam Winchester and Veronica Mars, mostly the reason why I'm here.

RIVER SONG
Hello, River. Doing all right?

DONNA NOBLE
Donna. Are you busy?

[Day 1]
I have signed up through the ESD to teach the Archaeology class this far. Thus far, I haven't had any students sign up, so do let me know if there is still an interest or if it should be dropped. I considered suggesting a Victorian course of some sort, but I've no idea if anyone would want to take it. Do let me know.

If anyone teaching the various composition and literature classes has an interest, I'm available for guest lectures.


[Day 2]
Something is very strange. Has anyone else felt a rather intense déjà vu this morning? If I was back home, I would say I was under the effects of an artifact. Myka didn't seem aware that she was saying the very same things she said when we woke up yesterday.


[Day 3]
Bugger!