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Post by Rob "the Meddler" Goodfellow on Mar 31, 2014 20:38:04 GMT -5
 It didn't matter how many times he told himself this isn't home. It felt like home. The gravity was right. The sky was right. The air smelled right, the trees looked right... heck, even the dirt felt right. And somewhere, down there in the Citadel, lurked a version of himself that never left. That had married the Specialist and become Keeper of the Orrey. That had never gone utterly mad, true, but that had also never seen his children. "I wonder if we might visit the Shobogans while we are here, if we have a chance. You'd love them, Amy. Some of them are great artists, beautiful work, really.""You always did have a taste for the criminal class, Doctor," the Meddler grinned. "And you usually dragged the rest of us into it as well." He laughed, just a little. "Not that you had to drag hard, mind." To no one in particular, the Doctor said as he stared down the path to Arcadia, "River would love them too."The Meddler sighed. "We can't let this world stay, Doctor. It has to go back. Back to the realms of the neverborn and might-have-beens." He stepped three steps in front of the Doctor, walking backwards to look him in the eyes. " Remember that. They've unleashed the Culturesmiths on Earth, reshaping it's History. Their TARDISes are hunting us, and the booted heel of the Pax Gallifreya will come down on the Spiral Politic." His normally befuddled expression was gone, replaced with steel. " This world is not ours. Don't let guilt confuse the issue!" His eyes clenched shut for a moment, trying to fight away a nightmare of a memory - the quick glimpse of silver flame, engulfing a world and tearing History to shreds. Finally, he forced a grin. "Still, no reason not to do a little sight-seeing, right? Let's just not go drop in on anyone who might know us." Pivoting on his heel, he spun and dropped into step alongside the Doctor and Amy. "And that, I promise you, is the last time I will allow myself to wallow in misery on this trip. Amelia? If I mope, or brood, or anything of the sort again..? Slap me." Then, with a cry of excitement, he skipped forward a step and pointed with his cane. "Behold!" he cried out, gesturing out over a plain of darkening crimson, within which nestled a city like an enormous pearl. "The Citadel of the Time Lords!" |
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Post by Amelia Pond on May 20, 2014 11:15:54 GMT -5
"And that, I promise you, is the last time I will allow myself to wallow in misery on this trip. Amelia? If I mope, or brood, or anything of the sort again..? Slap me." The big ole' ginge smiled kindly, and a little playfully, at the Meddler and gave a nod of understanding. "Just, mind... I slap hard," Amy warned with a lighthearted wink as they continued on down the path. Then, with a cry of excitement, [the Meddler] skipped forward a step and pointed with his cane. "Behold!" he cried out, gesturing out over a plain of darkening crimson, within which nestled a city like an enormous pearl. "The Citadel of the Time Lords!" Amy marveled at the domed city, and she found herself commenting, "Wow! It's so big -- looks like a giant snowglobe... without th' snow..." Of course, that's not what she actually meant to say -- it's just what popped out. The city was absolutely beautiful -- even from this distance -- and comparing it to a snowglobe didn't do the Capitol justice. "Is it bigger on th' inside, too?" she casually inquired. "Like a TARDIS?" |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2014 17:24:47 GMT -5
The Meddler sighed. "We can't let this world stay, Doctor. It has to go back. Back to the realms of the neverborn and might-have-beens."
The words hurt, they were a reminder to the Doctor. A reminder of what he did, a reminder of what he would have to do. Tearing his homeworld out of his existence had taken it's toll the first time, he couldn't foretell the toll it would take this time. He knew very well this wasn't his Gallifrey, but it was still Gallifrey, or at least a version of Gallifrey.
He stepped three steps in front of the Doctor, walking backwards to look him in the eyes. "Remember that. They've unleashed the Culturesmiths on Earth, reshaping it's History. Their TARDISes are hunting us, and the booted heel of the Pax Gallifreya will come down on the Spiral Politic."
His normally befuddled expression was gone, replaced with steel. "This world is not ours. Don't let guilt confuse the issue!"
As tough as the Meddler's words were to listen to, they were what he needed to hear. After all, the planet may have been the same, the fauna, the air. But the people were different. The people of Gallifrey were no longer concerned with maintaining the fragility of Time, now they wanted to rule and they were prepared to do so by any means necessary. He couldn't allow that to happen.
"You're right Meddler, this isn't our Gallifrey. River is the priority." The Doctor said, reminding himself of why they were really here.
Finally, he forced a grin. "Still, no reason not to do a little sight-seeing, right? Let's just not go drop in on anyone who might know us."
"Judging from the way you described your last visit, I doubt there would be anybody who didn't recognize you." The Doctor laughed. But his laugh was cut short, he saw the Capitol before the Meddler announced it's presence, his mix of emotions was indescribable. Regret, sadness, nostalgia, exhilaration, all rolled into one.
For a moment the Doctor stood in completely silence, awe struck.
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Post by Rob "the Meddler" Goodfellow on Nov 23, 2014 16:55:41 GMT -5
"Behold!" he cried out, gesturing out over a plain of darkening crimson, within which nestled a city like an enormous pearl. "The Citadel of the Time Lords!" The Doctor was struck speechless, something the Meddler had seen exactly... zero times in his life. Amy rallied, struggling for the right words to describe the scene before her. "Wow! It's so big -- looks like a giant snowglobe... without th' snow..."The Meddler chuckled. "Look upon these my works ye mighty, and despair." Amy made a face like she'd swallowed a bug, and tried to recover. "Is it bigger on th' inside, too?" she casually inquired. "Like a TARDIS?"The Meddler strode towards the stairs that led down the mountainside. "All of our architecture is," he answered. "Or, well... was. We could have fit the population of Gallifrey into a box that - externally - was no bigger than a mailbox. But that would have been boring."
The trio of Renegades and Aliens made their way down the Mountain of Initiation, It was an easier trip than it looked, from the rarified peak. The same science that allowed a TARDIS to be bigger on the inside than on the outside allowed the stairs to be shorter than they appeared from the top. From there, it was a short walk along a broad marble road to a slender arch of shimmering silver. As they approached it, the Meddler extracted a battered old sonic screwdriver - elaborately scrimshawed with ogham runes - and waved it briefly in front of them. "In the general spirit of constructing overly elaborate tools," he said, "I engineered both harmonic and noetic keys into this thing centuries ago." The air didn't ripple as they passed through. Indeed, there was no sensation of motion whatsoever, other than that produced by their walking. But, on the other side of the arch, they stood on the foothills of a different mountain. A town, faintly resembling a Tuscan village, was laid out before them. If the village had been laid out by architects inspired by both the Parthenon and St. Peter's Bascilica, that is. The winding path was no longer marble - it had spread to some twenty meters across and was now flagged with turquoise and lapis lazuli. Ornate buildings of white and grey marble, buttressed and pillared, engraved with bas reliefs and set with mosaics. Vast gardens sprawled between the Houses, topiary mazes or rolling prairies or deep forests, all carefully sculpted and immaculately tended. The Meddler stopped, leaning on his cane and tucking his screwdriver away. "I never spent much time in Lungbarrow, Doctor," he observed. "You'll need to lead the way." (OOC: First of all, YAAAAAYYYY! I'd thought this thread was dead! Second, I hope nobody's offended by me pushing things along to Lungbarrow itself. Don't let me discourage conversations as we climb down.) |
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Post by Amelia Pond on Dec 31, 2014 13:32:34 GMT -5
"Lungbarrow?" Amy asked, largely ignorant of the Doctor's past. She turned to look at her raggedy man and asked, "Wot's Lungbarrow?"
Now, Amy hadn't mentioned that she didn't know what 'noetic' meant, because she hadn't wanted to sound stupid; however, she felt that asking about where they'd arrived and its significance to the Doctor was worth that risk.
"Is this yuir village, then?" she probed. Previous to now, Amy had just sort of imagined Gallifrey -- the big, red planet -- as where the Doctor was from... But, what was this place -- Lungbarrow -- the Doctor's actual home?
Her eyes danced over the elaborate decor, enchanted by the bejeweled road and the other lavish riches that sprung up all around.
"It's so beautiful..." Amy murmured appreciatively.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2015 18:46:23 GMT -5
Stood on the foothills of Mount Lung, the Doctor looked down on a sight he believed he would never seen again. The Meddler was right, as he had explained it to Amy, this was not a joyful experience for him. For all intents and purposes, this was the House of Lungbarrow. But it was a Lungbarrow that should not have been and shouldn't be. It wasn't his Lungbarrow. Once again, the sight of his home had silenced him, luckily Meddler was there to put him back into focus.
"I never spent much time in Lungbarrow, Doctor," he observed. "You'll need to lead the way."
"Ah yes, of course," he stepped forward excitedly, "Admittedly, however, I spent most of my time trying to escape." He smiled foolishly and clasped his hands together, signalling he was ready to go. In the back of his mind, he thought of River, he was concerned about her and had a right to be, after all, she was his wife.
"Lungbarrow?" Amy asked, largely ignorant of the Doctor's past. She turned to look at her raggedy man and asked, "Wot's Lungbarrow?"
"One of the Prydonian Houses, affiliated with the Pydron Chapter of the Academy..." The Doctor trailed off, realising he was talking about things as to which Amy wouldn't have the slightest clue about. He continued further on down the winding path and occasionally stopped to look at something, if there was one thing the Doctor was good at, it was getting distracted. Even at the most inappropriate of times.
"Is this yuir village, then?" she probed.
"Guess you could call it a village, yeah. More of a House though, actually, less of a house, more of a home. My home." He spoke with a fondness and smiled at Amy.
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Post by Amelia Pond on Apr 3, 2015 18:38:31 GMT -5
"It's beautiful," Amy said a bit reverently. Apparently, she was experiencing a rare, snark-free and heartfelt moment.
She may not have been able to fully comprehend the weirdness that her Time Lord companions had already started to experience here, on this 'other Gallifrey', but... she had an inkling. Amy understood that this trip wouldn't be at all easy for them, emotionally or otherwise.
So, she gave both the Doctor and the Meddler a moment to take in this Lungbarrow-place before she spoke up again, gently asking, "Well... Shall we get started?"
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Post by Rob "the Meddler" Goodfellow on Aug 14, 2015 7:38:04 GMT -5
The Meddler stopped, leaning on his cane and tucking his screwdriver away. "I never spent much time in Lungbarrow, Doctor," he observed. "You'll need to lead the way." "Ah yes, of course," he stepped forward excitedly, "Admittedly, however, I spent most of my time trying to escape.""Didn't we all, in one way or another?" he responded. "You and your motorcycle and your sneaking off in your TARDIS. Me and my studies and my introversion and my general indifference to manners. The Master and his little mind games. None of us ever really fit in, not here." "Lungbarrow?" Amy asked, largely ignorant of the Doctor's past. She turned to look at her raggedy man and asked, "Wot's Lungbarrow?""A prison," the Meddler quipped. "One of the Prydonian Houses, affiliated with the Pydron Chapter of the Academy..." the Doctor answered, letting his voice trail off. Although she probably wouldn't have known a Prydonian from a Mallowmourn, Amy rallied and made an effort to understand. "Is this yuir village, then?" she probed.
"Guess you could call it a village, yeah. More of a House though, actually, less of a house, more of a home. My home." He spoke with a fondness and smiled at Amy."A clan, maybe?" the Meddler suggested, trying to figure out a way to explain it as well. "Or a clade, perhaps? Those are the homes of the House of Prydon. A few hundred kilometers that way," he gestured with his cane, "see that bluish mountain? That is the ziggurat of the House of Arpexia." Then he snapped his fingers as realization hit. "Think of the Bourbons, or the Hapsburgs. Only make them immortal and gifted with the scientific knowledge to reshape the universe in their image." He tapped his cane on the ground. "Shall we make for your family home, Doctor? Or did you have another idea?" |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2015 20:21:50 GMT -5
"It's beautiful," Amy said a bit reverently.
It was beautiful. But the Doctor remained silent. He was doing his best to stay detached from the situation, he had to stay focused. He couldn't afford to get distracted, not with what was at stake.
"Well... Shall we get started?"
"Yes, I believe we will Pond." The Doctor smiled at his friend. It had almost slipped his mind how shocking this experience must have been for Amy.
He gave himself a second to gaze Lungbarrow. The sight was uncanny, beautiful and horrifying. He thought about the Meddler and wandered if he felt as horrified by the sight of their homeworld as the Doctor had. It certainly brought back memories.
Memories of a world forgotten.
In the end, it took the sound of the Meddler hitting his cane against the floor to wrestle him away from his somber thoughts.
"Shall we make for your family home, Doctor? Or did you have another idea?"
"No, I didn't. Let's go, I think the sooner we get River, the better." He actually wanted to tell them that the sooner they left Gallifrey entirely, the better. But decided against it.
Glancing at the Meddler, then Amy, he took the lead and descended down the foothills of Mount Lung, and towards Lungbarrow itself.
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Post by Amelia Pond on Nov 20, 2015 18:31:05 GMT -5
Following after the Doctor, toward Lungbarrow, Amy asked, "So... Wot do we do when we get there? Just knock on th' door an' ask t' borrow th' loom?"
Maybe the direct approach wouldn't be employed, in which case, there may be some breaking and entering so that they could sneak to this loom-thing and bring River back.
The thought that River was actually Amy's own future-daughter was mind boggling to the ginger. It seemed so impossible! How could the smooth talking, crazy-haired woman with the Vortex Manipulator be her daughter?!
But... she was. Or, rather, she would be.
Oh, the questions that Amy had! The things she wanted to ask River... and the Doctor... and probably the Meddler, too. There was so much that she didn't know... didn't understand. But, she wanted to!
Of course, it never crossed her mind that she might not remember all of this after everything was said and done...
"Is there, like, a butler, or a housekeeper or somethin', who might let us in?" Amy asked as they made their way.
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