#TOTW: Doctor ... wtf?

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

🔬Some of the weirdest pieces of Gallifreyan biology we've not thought much about

GIL's already discussed quite a lot of odd Gallifreyan biology, but let's dive into some truly strange and unsettling aspects of their physiology—things that might make you rethink your cheerful view of Gallifreyans.

🧠 Memory RNA: The Ghosts in Their Cells

Gallifreyan metabolism is capable of interpreting human Memory RNA*, converting it into the Gallifreyan equivalent. This means that, with enough exposure, they could literally absorb and process human memories.

But here's the creepiest part: a Gallifreyan could theoretically consume a human's body tissue to absorb those memories, devouring their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Human lives wouldn't just end—they'd be consumed, trapped forever in the psyche of their memory-munching Gallifreyan host.

*Memory RNA is a controversial concept in real-world biology, but a common sci-fi trope

👁️ Eye Removal: Eternal Blindness

Gallifreyans can easily regenerate damaged organs like eyes, right? Wrong. Physical removal of their eyes is one of the most traumatic injuries a Gallifreyan can suffer, and recovering from this is very difficult. If their eyes are removed and destroyed, they likely won't grow back—not even through regeneration.

In fact, if a Gallifreyan regenerates without eyes, they can stay blind in their new form, relying solely on their psychic and somatosensory abilities to function. Without sight, they're cut off from much of Gallifreyan technology. If you really want to hurt a Time Lord, total eye removal is one of the most sadistic ways to do it.

🧠 Conditioning the Unconditionable: The Lateral Interpositus Nucleus

You'd think Time Lords, with their advanced brains, would be immune to psychological conditioning. Think again. They possess a Lateral Interpositus Nucleus, the same brain structure responsible for classical conditioning like in Pavlov's dog experiment.

The twist here is that in Gallifreyans, this nucleus is highly associated with memory implantation. So, a Gallifreyan could be conditioned quite easily—and not just mildly, but to a puppet-like state—through forced memory implants, which they'll have no idea about.

🧟‍♂️ Regenerating Into Monsters: The Horror of Chain Regenerations

Regeneration might seem like a gift, but it can also be very disturbing. You'll already know that regenerations are pretty unpredictable, but this can get much worse.

If a Gallifreyan regenerates in an alien environment, their body will try to adapt—there are horror stories on Gallifrey of Time Lords trapped in chain regenerations, becoming monstrous, unrecognisable creatures with each new form.

Probably the most horrific permanent death for a Gallifreyan is dying in deep space. Once regeneration is triggered, the body burns through all remaining regenerations in a futile attempt to survive—becoming an increasingly mutated, twisted version of themselves—until they, thankfully, permanently die.

Gallifreyan Biology for Tuesday by GIL

Any orange text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →📢Announcements |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts → Features: ⭐Guest Posts | 🍜Chomp Chomp with Myishu →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired 😴

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

😱The creepiest adventure the Doctor's ever had

Think the Weeping Angels are creepy? The Vashta Nerada? Psh, child's play. This is the story of the Face-Painter.

Imagine being led through the streets of West Hollywood every Thursday afternoon, wrists tied together with bright handkerchiefs to your companions, and not a single face among you. That's the Doctor's life now, along with two others—Jamie and Victoria. They don't have faces, just smooth, pink, egg-like heads. As their handler Rachel describes them: 'They're OK from the neck down... But what can you do with the heads?'

Despite having no eyes, no noses, or mouths, they can see, breathe, and speak—though the words come out muffled, like 'they're chewing' or gagged. It's surreal and disturbing, but no one looks too closely. In this part of West Hollywood, Rachel notes, 'No one looks too hard at no one for long, unless they want trouble.'

Each week, they visit the Face-Painter on Santa Monica Boulevard. 'So what's it gonna be?' he asks, but he doesn't ask them—he asks Rachel, as if they're not even there. Victoria always requests the same face, sketching it out with care. But this time, the Face-Painter plays a cruel trick, painting deep folds into her face like the crumpled paper she drew on. 'She looks like she's been in some real bad accident,' Rachel reflects as Victoria cries without tears.

Jamie, meanwhile, shrugs off the whole thing. When asked who he wants to be, he says he doesn't care. Rachel jokes, 'Make him Brad Pitt,' and the Face-Painter obliges.

And the Doctor? Silent, distant. He doesn't ask for anything, so the Face-Painter goes rogue and paints a giant sunflower on his blank head. The Doctor just sits there, helpless.

The real horror is that they're trapped. Rachel is paid to keep them locked in her basement, like prisoners. 'None of them say much,' she muses, 'but they know I look after them.' They live in silence, with Rachel mocking them as boring when they don't respond, but in reality, they're completely at the mercy of whoever is keeping them. Victoria can barely contain her despair, whispering, 'I can't bear it... these dreadful, shapeless clothes, greasy, sickly food...'

There's something even darker beneath the surface. Jamie wonders if their faces might be stored somewhere, like in the jars Rachel keeps in her apartment. The Doctor, always the optimist, tries to reassure the others, 'We're suffering from some kind of illusion, a spell that's been placed on us somehow.' But even he is unsure. As Jamie rages, 'How can it be? Why are we being kept here, week after week?' There are no answers—just a grim routine, the threat of something worse if they try to escape, and the chilling possibility that their faces—and their lives—are slipping away forever.

(Face Painter from Short Trips: A Universe of Terrors)

Whoniverse Facts for Friday by GIL

Any orange text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →📢Announcements |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts → Features: ⭐Guest Posts | 🍜Chomp Chomp with Myishu →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired 😴