Bete Noir Application
1. Player Information
Name (or internet handle): Ash
Current characters in Bete Noire: N/A
2. Character Information
Name: Fifth Doctor
Livejournal Username: thecricketer
Fandom: Doctor Who
Image: http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/57804618/12179315
3. Character Information II
Age/Appearance: The Doctor is over eight centuries old, but appears to be in his early thirties at most. This body is the youngest he's ever been in. Floppy blond hair and soft blue eyes complete the picture of a rather harmless looking individual. This often irritates him, though he'll admit it can come in handy. He'll usually be wearing his own variation of an Edwardian cricketer's uniform. It consists mainly of red, white and beige, save for the celery on his lapel. Beneath his jumper is a white shirt; holding up his trousers are question mark suspenders. He speaks with an Oxford English accent.
History: The Doctor was born on Gallifrey, a planet with a highly advanced but stagnate, corrupt society. During his first life he stole a TARDIS - a ship that travels through space and time - and with his granddaughter set off to explore the universe. He was tired of the binding rules, the fear of change and most of all the strict policy of non-interference. He wanted to see the universe, to make a difference.
By the time he reaches his fifth life, the Doctor has saved countless lives, liberated or saved various worlds, and generally been a meddler throughout around eight centuries of existence. He's both got himself exiled from and made President of his home planet, but never stays there long. His status changes from criminal to tolerated renegade to begrudged hero, and he ignores it when he can.
This particular regeneration began when the Fourth Doctor fell from a radio tower attempting to save the universe from entropy. The Master - his oldest friend and best enemy - was trying to use said entropy to his advantage, being a reckless megalomaniac, so naturally tossed him off the thing.
Then he attempted to send the newly regenerated, weak, confused Doctor to Event One - the beginning of the universe, the Big Bang - and then trapped him in an artificial world using the Doctor's own companion. Adric had been with him for some time, by then.
This absurdly intricate plan was destroyed when the Doctor realised what was going on and used the Master's tragic puppets against him. Through all this, Nyssa and Tegan did their best to protect him, despite barely knowing him, and he'll never forget that.
Since then, he went on to live as he always had, travelling, saving, discovering, preserving. Sometimes he failed; sometimes he lost people he cared for a great deal. Seeing Adric die - such a young boy, who reminded him so much of himself - took a heavy toll on him. He kept on, but he was never quite as confident, quite as earnest. He'll always feel grief and guilt for Adric, and he's all right with that.
Still, he treasured the wonders he saw, the adventures he had, and the friendships he made. He even befriended his would-be assassin, and Turlough became another companion. It helped him bear Nyssa's farewell, and then Tegan's.
As time went on, he was forced to make harder and harder choices, to see more and more bloodshed. His chosen way of life was wearing him down; the execution of his oldest enemy and friend was almost too much. Turlough left him, that day, to return to a home that might finally accept him again.
Two young, vibrant, determined women renewed his fervour for the wonders of the universe. It became easier to weather the violence and injustice, to bear the memories. Peri and Erimem made him feel like himself again.
He met another, long after she'd left him, only to discover that she was dying, that it was his fault, that she wouldn't let him help her. Tegan had always been stubborn. It was a hard blow, and he's travelling alone for now. His friends, of course, will never know how long he was without them.
Personality: This Doctor is often polite, using tact to his advantage. He can be tetchy, however, even snapping at his closest friends when he's annoyed. In a pinch his subtle, wry sense of humour can turn into sharp sarcasm, often in the face of wilful ignorance or needless cruelty.
He's a very knowledgeable sort, and enjoys going off on tangents about anything he finds interesting, which is quite a long list. He loves to learn more about the universe, and has the mind to retain it all. Sometimes he retreats into the guise of researcher, of spectator, focusing on the wonder of the universe rather than the tragedy.
He tries to remain remote while still being compassionate, so that emotions won't cloud his judgement, though he doesn't always succeed. He's somewhat repressed, never talking about his own doubts or pain, doing what he should rather than what he wants. As a result he doesn't deal well with intimate emotions, keeping his own under control and becoming uncomfortable when faced with those of others. Still, he'll do his level best to be comforting.
Usually he'll take everything in his stride, or seem to, even making glib remarks while he's tortured. This does not endear him to his adversaries, and can at times irritate his allies. The easiest way to make him show anger or distress is to harm someone, particularly a friend. He's been especially protective of his travelling companions since he lost one of them.
He'll always try to talk through a conflict first, and wishes that others would act peacefully and rationally more often. This doesn't mean he isn't willing and able to use violence if necessary; he knows exactly how to incapacitate many beings, and can aim perfectly. He'll become less adverse to it as time goes on, much to his distaste.
He thinks that makes him less; less of a hero, less of a Doctor. He's a bit insecure in general; none of his previous incarnations save the first ever lost a companion. He has a guilt complex a mile wide. He very rarely deals with trauma, preferring to just keep dashing about the universe, losing himself in the life he loves.
Sexual Preferences/Orientation: The Doctor doesn't have much of a libido to speak of; his species is so very long-lived, and sex isn't necessary for procreation. Besides, there are so many things to do with his time, sex doesn't really rate. This doesn't mean he's never attracted in that way, and when he is, it's not limited by much. He'd think 'pansexual' is a fairly fitting term.
Powers: As a Gallifreyan the Doctor's physiology is unique, and often beneficial. He can live for centuries if he's not killed. If he is, he'll regenerate into another body; every cell will transform. In many ways he'll change, and in others - his curiosity, his bravery, his compassion - he will not. He has seven lives left.
He has two hearts, and a respiratory bypass system that allows him to go without air for some time. He has a great deal of stamina and heals quickly.
Every Time Lord has a measure of psychic ability - they can share memories, invade thoughts, bend people to their will - but the Doctor never developed his much. He's only ever used it to call out to other Time Lords and soothe troubled minds.
Reason for playing: I love the Fifth Doctor because there's so very, very much going on under that affable, mild surface. He can be heartbreakingly vulnerable and utterly horrifying, and you might blink and miss both. There's so much that he keeps buried, that he resists or dismisses; righteous rage, bitter regret, weary cynicism, self-loathing despair, desperation for some measure of control. Bete Noir is the perfect place to delve into it all.
Third-Person: The Doctor isn't headed anywhere in particular. He knows where he doesn't want to go; not Australia, not Monte Carlo. Nowhere on Earth, preferably, but he does end up there so very often. Perhaps because of the TARDIS's disguise; perhaps because it was the first place they landed, he and Susan.
Susan…
No. Now isn't the time to wonder. Not when he knows how Tegan's life will end.
The Doctor closes his eyes and refuses to focus on his fingers as they fly across the console - after, of course, he sets course for a different planet. The TARDIS may or may not follow the route he's mapped for her, but it should at least guide her decision.
He knows immediately, when he walks through the doors, that he's in a place he's never been. Excitement crackles through his misery, dispersing it for a few precious moments.
The architecture is that of Earth's, he's certain, but there's something off. He can feel it, at the tip of his mind. It feels a bit like Stockbridge, outside of Time, but not quite. There's something else at play, something that leaves a foul taste in his mouth.
As he surveys the city properly, shutting the door behind him, he sees that it's dirty and dilapidated, worn and jagged.
"Well," he murmurs wryly. "At least it suits my mood."