On The Mystery of Fashion
As the Doctor is currently gone to partake in the Spring Welcoming Rites on Antar 5 (he mentioned something about the fireworks and parades being worth a look), I decided to take this opportunity and answer rattus_aerius question of what I think about my Time Lord’s fashion choices
It is a curious question, in my opinion, as I do not understand the fascination many life forms seem to have with clothes. They do not serve a discernible purpose the way my Chameleon Circuit does (or would, if it were working). Most outfits, both of the Doctor and our companions, would not aid in blending in with their surroundings or the locals - I gather especially my Time Lord’s sixth incarnation would have failed miserably at this task - nor would they protect their fragile bodies.
My personal guess is that it has to do with mating rituals, or at the very least represents a social remnant of that. Many species express their fertility by displaying bright colors or intricate patterns, and they may change according to season or status. This theory, however, leaves me puzzled as to why the Doctor bothers with clothes, for he is neither particularly interested in gaining status nor mates, and he often does not adjust his outfit according to the standards of the society he finds himself in. Any attempts of mine to ask him about this are usually met with a confusing mix of amusement and embarrassment, and he likes to brush me off with remarks on how I have “too much sentience for my own good” and that I should instead worry about the vector I am flying on, or whatever fault he can find in my navigation at the time. It is very confusing. Perhaps you, dear readers, have an explanation for his behaviour? I would be very grateful if you could shed some light on this for me.
Now that I have made my general confusion regarding fashion clear, I will try to explain my feelings towards the Doctor’s clothes in particular. Personally, I am much more concerned with his personality changes after a regeneration than with what kind of outfit he picks afterwards. I have heard of TARDISes who had a perfectly well balanced relationship with their pilot prior to their regeneration, but the next incarnation treated them horribly. Even my own Doctor did so frighten me during his ninth regeneration, when he was so unstable that he overrode several security protocols and flung me through the time vortex at such speed that I thought I was going to sustain serious damage. His mind was a complete mess at the time too and he shut out my pleas and attempts at assisting him in the regenerative process. I was truly afraid that I had lost him then, and I admit I am rather nervous about his next regeneration.
Ahem, I apologize for following this tangent instead of answering your question. As I do not have eyes of my own the way you humanoids know them, I sometimes take a peek through the eyes of a companion to see things from their perspective (I tried it on the Doctor a few times, but he soon noticed me and told me to “stop poking about his mind” in this way). Thanks to these experiences, I can say that I found the clothes of his first three incarnations rather unremarkable. The fourth had a scarf that I would call “cute” if I were a human being, but otherwise did not deviate much from what I had come to expect of my Time Lord. The fifth incarnation was apparently rather pleasant to look at for humans, but his colour choice made me contemplate changing my interior to something darker on more than one occasion, because I thought looking much the same as my Doctor was quite dull.
Thankfully the next incarnation made this unnecessary, as he provided all the colour I could wish for in me. From a TARDIS point of view this fashion choice was very unwise, for we usually strive to blend in as much as possible. But I know I am quite unique in my outer appearance and have come to like this, so it is not hard for me to understand why the Doctor wanted to look as unique as he indeed is. His seventh incarnation again dressed rather unremarkably, but I was extremely pleased with his eighth incarnation, because he matched my new interior so very well. I think I was very much to his liking as well, if I may say so myself. As for the Doctor’s next incarnation… well, the Time War changed us all. His current incarnation once again does not stand out to me as far as clothes are concerned, but he seems to find the approval of many humans. Whether this is due to his clothes or some other factor, I do not know.
Well, I hope this was informative for you, dear readers. More questions are very welcome, for I quite enjoy this new pastime of sharing my thoughts while the Doctor has gone off having his own adventures. I can sense he is very excited and quite inebriated right now, so maybe I will try to sneak into his mind and see the fireworks with him.
It is a curious question, in my opinion, as I do not understand the fascination many life forms seem to have with clothes. They do not serve a discernible purpose the way my Chameleon Circuit does (or would, if it were working). Most outfits, both of the Doctor and our companions, would not aid in blending in with their surroundings or the locals - I gather especially my Time Lord’s sixth incarnation would have failed miserably at this task - nor would they protect their fragile bodies.
My personal guess is that it has to do with mating rituals, or at the very least represents a social remnant of that. Many species express their fertility by displaying bright colors or intricate patterns, and they may change according to season or status. This theory, however, leaves me puzzled as to why the Doctor bothers with clothes, for he is neither particularly interested in gaining status nor mates, and he often does not adjust his outfit according to the standards of the society he finds himself in. Any attempts of mine to ask him about this are usually met with a confusing mix of amusement and embarrassment, and he likes to brush me off with remarks on how I have “too much sentience for my own good” and that I should instead worry about the vector I am flying on, or whatever fault he can find in my navigation at the time. It is very confusing. Perhaps you, dear readers, have an explanation for his behaviour? I would be very grateful if you could shed some light on this for me.
Now that I have made my general confusion regarding fashion clear, I will try to explain my feelings towards the Doctor’s clothes in particular. Personally, I am much more concerned with his personality changes after a regeneration than with what kind of outfit he picks afterwards. I have heard of TARDISes who had a perfectly well balanced relationship with their pilot prior to their regeneration, but the next incarnation treated them horribly. Even my own Doctor did so frighten me during his ninth regeneration, when he was so unstable that he overrode several security protocols and flung me through the time vortex at such speed that I thought I was going to sustain serious damage. His mind was a complete mess at the time too and he shut out my pleas and attempts at assisting him in the regenerative process. I was truly afraid that I had lost him then, and I admit I am rather nervous about his next regeneration.
Ahem, I apologize for following this tangent instead of answering your question. As I do not have eyes of my own the way you humanoids know them, I sometimes take a peek through the eyes of a companion to see things from their perspective (I tried it on the Doctor a few times, but he soon noticed me and told me to “stop poking about his mind” in this way). Thanks to these experiences, I can say that I found the clothes of his first three incarnations rather unremarkable. The fourth had a scarf that I would call “cute” if I were a human being, but otherwise did not deviate much from what I had come to expect of my Time Lord. The fifth incarnation was apparently rather pleasant to look at for humans, but his colour choice made me contemplate changing my interior to something darker on more than one occasion, because I thought looking much the same as my Doctor was quite dull.
Thankfully the next incarnation made this unnecessary, as he provided all the colour I could wish for in me. From a TARDIS point of view this fashion choice was very unwise, for we usually strive to blend in as much as possible. But I know I am quite unique in my outer appearance and have come to like this, so it is not hard for me to understand why the Doctor wanted to look as unique as he indeed is. His seventh incarnation again dressed rather unremarkably, but I was extremely pleased with his eighth incarnation, because he matched my new interior so very well. I think I was very much to his liking as well, if I may say so myself. As for the Doctor’s next incarnation… well, the Time War changed us all. His current incarnation once again does not stand out to me as far as clothes are concerned, but he seems to find the approval of many humans. Whether this is due to his clothes or some other factor, I do not know.
Well, I hope this was informative for you, dear readers. More questions are very welcome, for I quite enjoy this new pastime of sharing my thoughts while the Doctor has gone off having his own adventures. I can sense he is very excited and quite inebriated right now, so maybe I will try to sneak into his mind and see the fireworks with him.