[internet cafe] and that's that

[likesthecoat]

[Filtered to Friends]

I fell asleep about two hours ago and woke up a man again. Everything seems to be in working order, and nothing's missing, right down to the scars on my knee.

I have no pithy comment to sum this up, really. For three days I saw life on the other side, and how it felt--how I felt--it's already fading. The entries I wrote, the emotions I had . . . it's like reading someone else's diary.

There's one thing that hasn't fled, at least. One thing I'll get to hold onto. I hope.

Comments

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

Everything seems to be in working order

Did you check? You know, just to make sure it still performs up to its previous standards?

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did.


Cheeky monkey.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

I'm just looking out for you. Gotta keep that joystick in good working order.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

I am moved by your concern for my equipment, Major.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I get a little shiver up my spine when you call me Major ;).

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I didn't call you Gladys, then.


I have no idea where that came from. I believe I'm a bit giddy with relief.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

I think that would've hit a little too close to home after recent events. And seriously? Gladys?


Sure, sure. If you buy that, I've got some ocean-front property in Switzerland you might want to take a look at.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

The name of my sainted gran.

Oo, Switzerland's lovely . . .

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

I remind you of your grandma? I'm hurt, Ianto. Truly hurt.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

Besides, I doubt at even your most feminine you'd resemble my gran.

. . . there's no way I'm going to talk my way out of this one, is there. Just chalk it up to the giddiness, like I said.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

I don't know, Ianto, quoting Shakespeare will go a long way towards making me forget my indignance.

I'm really hoping I didn't look like your grandma even when I was a woman.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

Oo. . . well then.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impedimence. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds
Or bends with the remover to remove
Oh, not--it is an ever fixed mark
Which looks on tempests and is never shaken
It is the star to every wandering bark
Who's worth's unknown, although its height be taken.


Drat. I can't remember the rest.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

That'll do nicely.

I believe it ends with:

Love's not time's fool; though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickles compass come.
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out unto the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Which doesn't actually rhyme, but hey, he's Shakespeare so you can't really hold that against him.

(Sometimes I remember the weirdest things from classes I barely stayed awake in during school.)

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

*applauds* Very well done.

They might have rhymed in his time. English changes a lot--it's a rather odd language that way.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

I do my best.

It's apparently not the only language that does that.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

Any living language will change: Welsh has a literary version and a spoken version, for example, but anybody from five hundred years ago would understand me without much trouble, at least as far as pronunciation is concerned.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

My initial response was, "That's fascinating!" And then I realized that I was starting to sound like the linguistics department. They'd kill to be working with a language that had changed so little.

Actually, I'd like that too. Then we wouldn't get into situations caused by someone saying, "It can be translated as either peace or peril, but based on the context, I'm certain it's peace."

[ooc:I actually do find that fascinating. Has Welsh pronunciation really changed that little? Suddenly I want to learn Welsh even more than I did five minutes ago. *end language geek mode*]

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't know enough about linguistics to comment on it more intelligently. I suspect millenia would have to pass in order for similar words to have opposite meanings . . . although English has cleave/cleave, which means either to bring together or split apart depending on context.

In short, I have no idea.


[ooc: According to everything I've read, yup.]

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

That sounds about right, actually.

See this is why I like rocks so much. They don't change. They might break down, but granite today is pretty much the same as granite 10,000 years ago.

[cptn-astro-fan.livejournal.com]

Darn, I see I was too late to make the funny joke. Oh well. Its good to have everything back to normal at least, right?

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

(I just tell Lorne it's funny to boost his ego. Shhh.)

It's very good. It's like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

Hey!

[cptn-astro-fan.livejournal.com]

That's good.

[chigong-master.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're back to your old self and that things are back to normal for you. It sounds like it was an interesting experience, and even if the memories fade, you do have what you wrote to serve as a reminder of sorts... However, I would suspect that it would feel different, because even though you were still YOU, you were also a completely different person with different emotions, senses, affections and passions (if I can totally butcher the Merchant of Venice for a moment here).

I bet the experience felt somewhat surreal, but when you look back on it, do you view it as a good experience or a negative one (albeit quite weird)?

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

Positive, I think. I learned some things and experienced some things I never thought I would, and after the initial "OMG I'm a girl!!!" shock it was actually . . . fun.