Eighty Six: Inside My Head.

I started to write a blog the other day about the reasons why I love Doctor Who (I should probably tell you now that this is going to go far, far away from being a post about that), but then I started to realise that they pretty much extend to well, just about everything that I love, because I prefer fantasy to reality. Which sounds like a bad thing, and it probably is, but then I started to question where the line is between fantasy and reality and it actually seemed a lot closer together than I thought.


I mean, take Doctor Who for example. There are the fantasy elements of the show (obviously) that I love, like the trips to planets and places and different times, and the Doctor himself (again, obviously) that draws you in, that’s different from reality, that’s not something you can step outside of the house and find on your street. Then there are the reality elements, the things that make the show human. I’m not just talking about companions, but about the Doctor himself. Though on second thoughts, maybe it is partly about the companions- it’s like the Doctor has become more human as a result of them. When we meet the Ninth Doctor for the first time, you kind of get the impression that he’s not a fan of the human race. He envies them, perhaps because their lives seem so unbelievably simple to him and it doesn’t seem fair to him that he has to deal with being the only Timelord left, that humans don’t/won’t have to deal with what he has to deal with on the same level, that their identity appears to be so set in stone. It’s like when he says to Rose in the first episode of Series 1, ”The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at 1,000 miles an hour and the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at 67,000 miles an hour, and I can feel it. We’re falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go…That’s who I am.” It’s obvious that the Doctor’s changed Rose- she went from working in a shop to travelling through time and space- but perhaps it’s not so obvious how Rose changed the Doctor. It’s like the Doctor represents fantasy and Rose/the other companions are reality. They keep the Doctor in check. They remind him of his emotional side. Losing Rose hurt, but I probably don’t have to tell you that. Martha…I don’t like Martha as much as Rose because I don’t think she was as good as reminding the Doctor about his compassionate side like Rose did. She didn’t have that connection with the Doctor. I didn’t think she believed in the Doctor as much as Rose did, but then she fell in love with him and the Master would have probably destroyed most of the universe if she didn’t believe in him so I’ve kind of changed my mind about that. And I can relate to her fancying someone who doesn’t feel the same way- that’s the important thing about anything fantasy programme- it has to be relatable. You go too far away from fantasy and it’s not believable. It’s an incredibly difficult balance to get. The companions- they’re not leaders of countries, celebrities- they’re just normal people. Though not unimportant. (“You know, in 900 years of time and space, I’ve never met anybody who wasn’t important!” 2010 Christmas Special). Donna is one of my favourite companions, mainly because she can stand up for herself, she can put the Doctor in her place. In the Fires of Pompeii episode (Series 4) she makes the Doctor go back to save Caecilius’ family, something he hasn’t done before. And then Amy comes along. She’s my favourite companion. She loves the Doctor, she loves Rory, she has her own life while she has a life in the TARDIS. She’s got the balance.


On a different note, I love books. And I’m not just talking about fantasy books (though I do have a lot of them). When you get a new book, it’s exciting and wonderful and it really is like a stepping in to a different world. You forget that you’re sitting on the sofa with a cup of tea. Old books are like coming home and having a warm bubble bath; they’re familiar and comfortable, but no less exciting. And of course, this leads us on to Harry Potter. As a child I’d always loved reading, but there was something about Harry Potter that drew me in. That’s the sign of good writing, when you can create characters that are so believable that they cross your mind from fantasy to reality. That’s why I try to do when I write. And again, it’s that combination of fantasy and reality that Doctor Who has- Harry is battling Voldemort and basilisks and dragons etc (the list is endless) but at the same time he’s growing up as a normal teenager and having to deal with making friends, losing his godfather, falling in love, losing people. If I can write half as well as that, then I’ll be happy.




Anyway, this has been long and rambling enough…


B xxx :)

Seventy Eight: University.

I meant to write a blog post before I left to come to University, but I found I didn't quite know what to say. It was fairly stressful in the couple of days before I left trying to make sure I had everything (which I've now discovered I didn't) and trying to put it all in the car, which amazingly, we managed. Once I was actually at university, I discovered my room was actually bigger than I thought it was going to be and there was- and still is- a lot of space for my books.
On the whole, I've settled in better than I expected. I was a bit homesick in the first week, which I didn't see coming but I think it was just feeling a bit out of my comfort zone and everything's a bit...here and there in the first week, what with induction stuff and registration and going out. The second night we were there it was the Beach Party, so Lydia and I went to town looking for stuff and I ended up buying black high heels instead...but they are very nice. The Beach Party itself was interesting, they had a surfboard like one of those horses that try to throw you off. Actually managed to stay on for more than a couple of seconds.
Actual degree is...interesting. Good interesting, if not busy. There's a lot to learn in English; my module for this semester's on Victorian Literature and we're doing Jane Eyre (which I actually need to finish reading at some point) which isn't as bad as I thought it would be, although there are some boring bits where no one does anything. Creative Writing is my favourite so far because basically all we do is exercises in which we have to write creatively (as you may have guessed) and I'm learning about things that are helping my writing and imagination. Media is the hardest; one of the modules is on James Bond and so I thought I'd be alright but it's just getting my head round it. My other module for Media is Television Genre, which although I've only had two lectures for so far, is the most interesting. All in all, it's not too stressful though I think that'll change as we get closer to Reading Week.
My housemates are nice. I don't have that much in common with them (they like Twilight, I like Harry Potter) but it works out well enough. There are only 12 of us- the boys are downstairs and the girls are upstairs. Our shower is cleaner than theirs but our kitchen is messier. I'm getting on better with some of the boys, in particular Rob, Alex and Mike (who I'll get on to in a minute) who are all nice (though I do think I should use a better word than nice. Mike suggested awesome, so I'm going to go with that). I don't know what it is, I just find easier to talk to boys than to girls, though there are a couple of girls in my English seminar group who are alright.
I suppose now I should talk about Mike, who when I asked to write something in this blog, only wrote this: "The weeks steadily grew better, mainly when I grew feelings for a housemate.  His name is Mike and he has dreamy blue eyes, soft red lips and hair to die for." Basically, he's my boyfriend.  He wrote a load of stuff about how we got together but it sounded stupid and you probably don't want to know anyway.
On that note, I'm going to go before he can type anything else...
B xxx :)