Hello Dad.

"Ice skating, hm? Well, let me see…oh, yes, I know! There’s a nice planet out in the constellation of Spignarok, very cold there but no problem for a Time Lord. They’ve got HUGE rinks where you can ice-skate all you like! And see…" How to explain ice-skating?

"Well, ice skating doesn’t mean that the ice can move, though it does on some planets…ice skating is when you put on special shoes with blades on the bottom and you sort of walk around, pushing and gliding-skating-on thick ice, thick enough that it doesn’t break even when dozens of creatures are on it. It’s actually quite fun, I think." He had fond memories of playing on ice in his previous regenerations, and even as a child on Gallifrey. He’d always loved the cold, and whether he had proper skates or not, he’d wander out onto the ice, thick or thin, safe or dangerous.

These characters teach us that incredible adversity can be overcome. That people can love each other forever. That life can be an adventure. That magic can be real. And even if these miracles have never happened to us, we begin to go through life believing that, someday, they could.

“And I promise you that you’re important. Don’t look at me like that- in all my 900 years I’ve never met someone who wasn’t important.”

“Cheer up mate, it gets better. Look at me, I was once a little kid living under the stairs. You’ll do fine.”

“Hey. I know it seems like life sucks, that you’ve got the devil on your tail. Hell, sometimes you do. But you’re strong enough to beat him. You’ve got friends at your back and family too, and that’s what really counts in the end.”