Comparing Doctors: Finding Out It’s Your Birthday
In honor of my daughter’s twelfth birthday this week...
The Doctor’s reactions on finding out it’s your birthday
The ninth doctor would react a little disappointingly – birthdays are no big deal to him. After all, he’s had nearly a thousand. He’d give you a quick and genuine grin, say “Happy birthday then!” and take you off on your next adventure. You’d end up realizing that he just is not as human as he appears and the cultural significance is lost on him.
The tenth doctor would be full of ideas. “Oh, that’s brilliant!” he’d say, “I love birthdays!” He’d end up rambling on about birthday traditions on various planets you’ve both been to and never been to and you’d glaze over a little bit trying to catch all the details. When he finished he’d look at you expectantly, waiting for something. “What?” you’d ask, confused. “So,” he’d say, “which do you want? How are we celebrating?” You’d choose the most fun sounding one you could remember from the long list he just rattled off and away you’d go to celebrate your birthday in a most memorable way.
The eleventh doctor would already know it was your birthday. You’d wake up in the morning to find flowers in your room, and wander out to the kitchen to find him making a layer cake made entirely of pancakes. Twenty five of them, to be exact. When he saw you, he’d smile and hand you each a fork, and you’d settle in for the most over the top, sugary excess of a birthday breakfast ever. Then he’d take you to see a planet that rotates its star in a single day, so everyone there has a birthday every day. You’d stay for three or four days of the natives’ increasingly inventive celebrations and then stumble back to the TARDIS, both of you swearing off cake forever. Or at least until next year.
The twelfth doctor would arrange something quiet but lovely for you. A beautiful dinner on Darillium, a gorgeous snowscape picnic on a frozen ice moon, a trip to the sapphire waterfalls of Omega Six. He’d tell you a little about his past birthdays and ask you about your hopes for the next year. By the end of the day you’d feel incredibly optimistic about the year to come.