P.S: I know Samwise Gamgee is not technically a man (human) but a Hobbit, but the point still stands.

P.P.S: Sam over Frodo! Batman over Superman! Rorschach over Doctor Manhattan! Nathan Petrelli over Peter Petrelli!

The Doctor

The 11 Doctors

The Doctor is a time-travelling, (seemingly) immortal alien. He belongs to a race called the Time Lords, who originated on the planet Gallifrey. The Time Lords were the first race to master Time Travel. However, taking into consideration the moral complexities of travelling through time, they swore to observe only, and never interfere with the natural flow of history. The Doctor is a renegade Time Lord who stole a TARDIS (read below) and ran off to explore time and space, frequently getting involved with and altering the flow of history. Thus, the Doctor is typically seen as a miscreant and a fugitive, though in times of need, the Time Lords have turned to him for help, and he even became the President of the Time Lords once.

The Doctor displays intelligence greater than the average Time Lord, and far greater than most other sentient species. His vast knowledge, his race’s unique perception of the time stream, his Machiavellian intellect, all enable him to out-maneuver his adversaries, and resolve catastrophic incidents, often with relative ease.

Time Lords, when mortally wounded, can regenerate their physical essence into a new body (which affects their personality as well). The Doctor has been mortally wounded 10 times over the long history of the show, and hence, has had 11 different bodies/personas. Each persona is usually referred to by the number, i.e. the fifth Doctor, the eleventh Doctor, etc. However, the person, his memories, his base personality, remains the same.

It should be noted that “Doctor” is not the Doctor’s actual name, but a pseudonym of his own choosing. The Doctor’s real name is a secret he closely guards, and known only to a handful of people. The mystery surrounding the name (which is referred to in the title ‘Doctor Who?’) and the manner in which the Doctor hides it, indicates that there could possibly be some terrible secret behind his name.

TARDIS

TARDIS

TARDIS (or T.A.R.D.I.S – Time And Relative Dimensions In Space) is the primary vehicle of time travel for the Time Lords. TARDIS are not purely mechanical, and are “grown” by the Time Lords, achieving a certain level of sentience. A newly-grown TARDIS must be imprinted with the bio-signature of a Time Lord to become fully functional. The TARDIS can travel in time and space. As a defense mechanism, the TARDIS can alter its external appearance to match the surroundings. Thus, often, its seen as bigger on the inside than on the outside. Additionally, TARDISes employ a “perception filter” which causes people nearby to not pay attention to it (unless they know its a TARDIS and its hiding there).

The Doctor’s TARDIS had its chameleon circuits damaged when in early 20th century England, where police phone boxes were common. Thus, the Doctor’s TARDIS was stuck with the exterior of a police phone box. After several attempts to repair it (over time), the Doctor gives up, claiming he’s grown fond of the exterior.

The Sonic Screwdriver

Sonic Screwdriver

The Sonic Screwdriver is the only tool that the Doctor ever carries, a multi-functional device that can open locks, alter or even disable technology based constructs. More recently, the Eleventh Doctor also uses the new Sonic Screwdriver to detect and measure various objects/media.

Daleks

Dalek

The Daleks are the arch-enemies of the Time Lords. Daleks were mutated descendants of the Kaled race of humanoids, created by the chief Kaled scientist, Davros. Little more than cerebral globs with tentacles, Daleks are encased in a technologically advanced battle armor (which resembles a salt/pepper shaker ) which has a high power forcefield as well as offensive weaponry.

Daleks, apart from Time Lords, were the only major civilization to have full-fledged time travel. This brought them into conflict with the Time Lords, who though normally pacifistic, were no less advanced in technology or weaponry. Daleks have a strong, hierarchy-based society with little individualism. Daleks display extreme prejudice to all other forms of life, and will immediately attempt to “exterminate” other life forms. This, coupled with their time travel, often brought them into conflict with the Time Lords, especially the Doctor, who also actively travels through time, fighting Daleks and other villains.

Despite  their seemigly brutish and military nature, Daleks are extremely intelligent and rely on logic rather than emotion. Their intelligence and inventive genius is the reason they were able to match the technological prowess of the Time Lords, whose race have been around since the birth of the Universe.

The Doctor has been, on multiple occasions, successful in thwarting the plans of Dalek conquests, usually opposing them alone, without the might of the Time Lord empire behind him. This has led the Daleks to fear the Doctor, so far as to bestow on him the monikers of ‘The Oncoming Storm’ and the ‘Destroyer of Worlds’.

Cybermen

Cybus Cyberman

The Cybermen are a race of cyborgs, originating from the planet Mondas, who implanted themselves with more and more technology, thus ending up as a cyborg race. Like the Daleks, they valued logic over emotion, and went so far as to purge all emotions (through inhibitor circuits). Cybermen, being biologically similar to humans, also assimilated humans and convert them into Cybermen.

In the new series, Cybermen are created on a parallel version of earth, and manage to enter the mainstream version through a rift in time and space. Similar to the original Cybermen, the new Cybermen are referred to as Cybus Cybermen (by the community) due to them being created by Cybus Corporation.

The Cybermen have a long standing rivalry with Daleks, having encountered them several times. In the new series, when the Cybus Cybermen meet the Daleks, a hilarious stand-off ensues, which I can’t help quoting here.

Dalek: Identify yourself!

Cybermen: You will identify first!

Dalek: State you designation!

Cybermen: You will identify first!

Dalek: IDENTIFY!

(Mickey Smith: It’s like Stephen Hawking meets the speaking clock.)

Cybermen: That is illogical. You will modify.

Dalek: Daleks do not take orders.

Cybermen: You have been identified as Daleks.

Dalek: Outline resembles the inferior species known as Cybermen!

Cyberman: Our technology is compatiable; although your design is less elegant.

Dalek: Daleks have no concept of elegance!

Cyberman: This is obvious.

…..

Cyberman: Daleks and cybermen; together we can upgrade the universe.

Dalek: You propose an alliance?

Cyberman: That is correct.

Dalek: Request denied!

Cyberman: Hostile elements will be deleted.

[The cybermen fire; but their weapons have no effect]

Dalek: EXTERMINATE!

[The dalek returns fire; killing the cybermen]

Cyber Leader: Daleks, be warned. You have declared war upon the Cybermen.

Dalek Leader: This is not war – this is pest control!

Cyber Leader: We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?

Dalek Leader: Four.

Cyber Leader: You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?

Dalek Leader: We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek! You’re superior in only one respect.

Cyber Leader: What is that?

Dalek Leader: You are better at dying. Raise communications barrier!

The Weeping Angels

A Weeping Angel

The Weeping Angels are one of the most terrifying new-Who villains. The Weeping Angels are an ancient race of winged humanoids, rumoured to have originated from the beginning of the Universe. The Weeping Angels are described as creatures of the abstract, having the ability to send victims back in time with a touch, which enabled them to consume the potential energy that the victim has lost. The Weeping Angels have a quantum lock defense mechanism, which means that in the sight of any living thing, they literally turn to stone, and stone can’t be killed. However, if the victim looks away, even for an instance, or blinks, they can move with unbelievable speed and kill the victim. It is to avoid looking at each other and getting turned to stone, that they cover their eyes, hence giving the impression of weeping.

One is a phone, all nice and sparkly, the best looking one. A phone which called itself a smartphone and the whole world took its word for granted, despite the fact that it didn’t possess any of the characteristics of a proper smartphone (running 3rd party applications, multitasking, copy-paste, MMS, etc. etc.).

The other is about a guy, all nice and sparkly, the best looking one. A guy who called himself a vampire and the whole world took his word for granted, despite the fact that he didn’t possess any of the characteristics of a proper vampire (drinking blood, no reflection or shadow, vulnerable to sunshine, garlic, silver, etc. etc.).

Just a thought.

P.S: I don’t really dislike the iPhone. Just how the company (and its CEO) behaves. However, I do dislike the fact that people are ok with it being feature-deficient as long as it looks pretty and smooth.

P.P.S: I haven’t really read Twilight. The synopsis gave me a headache and scared me off from reading the book.

P.P.P.S: I really hate Twilight.

P.P.P.P.S: Really, really…

I was taken aback by her sudden appearance. She was sitting on the bench beside mine. I hadn’t noticed her coming in, even though I had been gone for a scanty few minutes. She looked at me curiously, noticing my stare. I politely looked away and sat down on my bench and gently sipped the tea. A thousand questions instantly sprang up in my mind. Like me, she had to be waiting for the Intercity Express, since no others trains stopped at this station at this time. The abscence of any luggage suggested she was here to receive someone, much like me. I would put her age to be in the thirties though it was impossible to be sure. I stole another glance at her as I sipped my tea. Her gaze was fixed on something far away. Following her eyes, I realized she was just gazing at the horizon, her mind lost in thoughts. Something in her eyes vaguely unsettled me. Not wanting to get caught staring again, I turned away and closed my eyes, spending the rest of the tea wondering about her eyes.

My thoughts were rudely interrupted by the blast of the train’s whistle. Finishing off the tea, I got up and walked towards the approaching train. The brakes screamed as the train screeched to a halt at the platform. I hurried down the length of the train, my eyes scanning for Raj. In a while, I noticed his familar form struggling with a pair of bags. As I hurried towards him, I couldn’t help casting a quick glance backwards. She was standing now, scanning the faces that had alighted. She looked taller than I had judged her to be. Turning back, I realized that Raj hadn’t seen me yet and was looking around in confusion. Pushing myself through the human multitude, I called out to him. Whipping around, he gave a gasp of relief and promptly made his way towards me. Without further ado, he threw one of the bags at me and launched into a tirade of complaints about everything wrong with the railway system. I smiled and nodded along as we made our way through the crowd. I saw her still looking, her eyes searching the crowd.

As we reached the exit, the engines roared up and the train slowly started pulling out of the station. Raj kept on grumbling about the food that tasted horrible, the fans that didn’t work, the sleepless night of battling mosquitoes, and I kept nodding absent mindedly, my thoughts elsewhere. As we stepped out the gate, I looked back, one last time. There she stood, on the platform that was nearly empty now. In her eyes, I could see it now. I could finally understand the sadness and the hurt as they kept searching.

The sharp pain in his chest was accompanied by a sound like thunder. He looked up in confusion. It was a kid from his class. For a long moment, they looked at each other. With every second the pain grew. Already his breaths were becoming strained. Time was frozen as they looked at each other silently. Then a gasp escaped his lips as the pain grew sharper. Struggling, he opened his mouth and uttered just one word.

‘Why?‘

My tea’s gone cold, I’m wondering why
I got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window
and I can’t see at all
And even if I could it’d all be grey,
but your picture on my wall
It reminds me that it’s not so bad,
it’s not so bad

I go through the mechanical motions of getting dressed. The clock stares at me accusingly. I hurry out, locking the house behind me. I jog to the bus stop, hoping feverently that I haven’t missed the 333.

I drank too much last night, got bills to pay,
my head just feels in pain
I missed the bus and there’ll be hell today,
I’m late for work again
And even if I’m there, they’ll all imply
that I might not last the day
And then you call me and it’s not so bad,
it’s not so bad

Even after I hang up, your voice hangs around me, elevating me from this dullness. I make a silent prayer, grateful that I have you in my life. You fill my senses as I lose myself to our special inner world.

And I want to thank you
for giving me the best day of my life
Oh just to be with you
is having the best day of my life

A long day’s work done, I make my way home. The next bus is not for another half an hour and I decide to walk. Five minutes later, I regret it as drops fall from the heavens, covering me in their cold embrace. Resigning myself to my fate, I trudge home, sullen and cold.

Push the door, I’m home at last
and I’m soaking through and through
Then you hand me a towel
and all I see is you
And even if my house falls down,
I wouldn’t have a clue
Because you’re near me

And I want to thank you
for giving me the best day of my life
Oh just to be with you
is having the best day of my life

The sight that greeted him as he stepped outside was a startling one. Many houses and shops were burning. People were running around scared. There was commotion everywhere. In the midst of all this chaos, the bandits ransacked the place, without being challenged.

Before he could react, one of the riders came up to him and leered at him.

“What are you looking at? Hand over all your money if you want to live.”

“I don’t think I will be doing that.”

The answer caught the rider by surprise. The shock was soon replaced by fury.

“How dare you speak to me in that insolent tone? Have you lost the will to live? Or is that you have not heard of the Pamiskari, you fool?”

His pleasant face remained impassive.

“You shall kiss the dirt at my feet or face my wrath, you insolent cur!!”

For a moment, he was silent. Then in a calm voice, he said, “You’re making me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I am angry.“

It was still dawn and the sun hasn’t yet risen. They crept slowly through the shadowy woods, taking extreme care not to make any noise. The younger one started getting anxious.

“You know we are not allowed to go this deep into the woods.”

“Don’t be a sissy. Stay close to me and nothing will happen.”

After almost an hour of moving stealthily, they reached a clearing, near a lake. Two figures were silhouetted against the rising sun, the lake shining like a glass mirror behind them. The two kids watched with wide eyes as the two figures faced each other.

The tall, slim figure belonged to a woman. With the air of a predator, she observed her opponent. Had they gotten closer, they would’ve seen, that despite her bold stance, her eyes were cautious, cautious as they studied him intensely.

The short, strapping figure was undoubtedly male. He stood stock still, maintaining a low stance. He was much shorter than she, and his wild hair gave him a savage look. There was definitely something animal in his eyes.

The two young voyeurs watched them breathlessly. For a long instance, all was still. The audience. The two fighters. The lake. The sky.

With a loud battle cry, she launched herself at him. His eyes narrowed as he effortlessly blocked her kick, even as she spun and delivered two more in rapid succession. One of them broke through and hit the man on his ribs. He staggered back, but quickly regained his stance. That brief instance was enough for her to launch her next attack. Blow after blow, she drove him back, her attacks faster than the eye could see. Yet, hardly any connected as he skillfully defended himself, parrying and blocking most of the blows. After a while, her blows came down less harshly, her face now covered in sweat.

She drew back and fell into a defensive stance. With an animal growl, he attacked. His attack was swift and brutal. She dodged most of them, only catching a glacing blow in between. With each missed blow, his rage grew, but he kept it in check. He threw a weighted punch to her right shoulder. She fell for the feint, dodging, only to catch a kick from the right. A gasp escaped her lips. She pulled back a little and launched into a renewed offensive. She was obviously no match for him in power. What she lacked in strength, she made up in skill. They danced for a while more before backing off.

Even as they studied each other, the man suddenly went stiff. He sniffed the air and looked right at the boys. Terrified, the two stumbled backwards, turned around and ran into the woods.

He nodded to his partner as they passed each other on the patrol. There was plenty of time left on their shift and it would be a while before he could rest. Pushing away tantalising thoughts of home, he continued patrolling. A long night lay ahead of him. Or so he thought.

An intense, piercing pain shot through his neck for a moment, before he blacked out.

One by one, the guards were dropped by arrows. A dark figure ran through the shadows towards the backdoor. A few deft movements with his lock pick and he was inside. Without making any noise, he crept through the room and paused at the door. From the voices, he could make out atleast 5 security guards, and possibly more. He was at the doors of the barracks. He waited for a few moments, picturising the room, positioning each guard mentally from their voices. He readied 3 arrows on his bow. Checking that his dirk was accessible on his belt, he kicked open the door.

The events of the next few moments were a blur of arrows and blades. The first 3 guards dropped instantly, with arrows sticking out of their chests. The next one got full eight inches of blade in his gut, and in a flowing motion, he pulled out the knife and slashed the next one’s neck. Two guard were sleeping in the bunks. Hearing the commotion, they jumped out of their cots and reached for their swords, only to be felled by two more arrows in rapid succession. In under a minute, the room lay still as he observed the scene with dispassionate eyes. All his mercy had died the day they took his father.

He made his way through the house, backstabbing and slitting the throats of any patrolling guards until he reached his destination – the trophy room. It took some amount of trying before he was able to pick the lock and enter. The trophy room was huge with countless glass cases on either side stretching into the distance. He knew he had very little time before reinforcements arrived. Even he couldn’t take down an entire army on his own. He ran down one side, quickly scanning through the items, until he found it, the glass case labelled with his father’s name.

The sight of it sickened him. His father’s mask was placed on the velvet floor of the case. Beside it was his father’s lucky bow and several arrow heads – the trick arrows. Moments later, he was on his way out, sneaking through the shadows, running, climbing walls. He had got what he had come for. Vengeance will have to wait for another day.

The sight that met his eyes was ghastly. The long, serpentile form of a majestic, green dragon lay crashed through the trees, smoke billowing from several places, its shiny, green hide spotted with bruises and cuts.

He approached it cautiously. The dragon had apparently passed on, leaving behind its mortal husk. The magical energies contained in its body were already escaping to the heavens. Even as he walked around the body of the mighty beast, a human gasp sounded nearby and he realized, with a start, that the dragon was a manned one.

The broken form of a tall, thin person lay a few feet away, in a pool of blood. His shiny, green robe was soaked in blood and his painful moans foretold impending death.

He knelt beside the dying rider and examined him for signs of life. The heart beat was faint. Suddenly, the rider’s eyes flickered open. His breath was long and drawn.

“They will be here soon. You have to run away.”

“Who are you? Who is coming?”

“They will kill you, and they will take the Ring. It must not fall into their hands. You have to take it.”

The rider nodded to his right hand. A large, emerald ring shone on his finger.

“Take it. Take it and run away.”

The boy took it from the rider’s fingers. Even as he was removing it, the air grew dark and heavy. Terror-struck, he looked up at the rider, but he had breathed his last. He could hear movement behind him in the woods. Fearful, he clutched the Ring in his hand and ran into the darkness of the woods.