Chapter Thirty Four

Update: I would just like to say a huge (and I mean HUGE)...

THANK YOU

 Lost Boys has just reached over 10,000 views. I am absolutely stunned by all the support and interest that my story has been given.Well, I suppose it's the Doctor and Master's story, really, but still. 
 When I first started writing it, I had no idea that it would find such support. I just wanted to write the story as I'd always imagined it, but seeing that other people are interested has given me such a fantastic boost. 
 Sometimes I struggle with self-belief, I don't mind telling you. I think it's a general disease that comes with being a writer, but sometimes it can be crippling. Hearing from other people...seeing that they're enjoying what I have to say is the only antidote that could possibly work against it, and you've done wonders for me, you really have.
 So once again, I say: thank you. Words are sometimes not enough, but hopefully this will go some way to letting you all know how much I appreciate it.


Now... back to the chapter review.

Sometimes I need Jack and the Doctor to clarify things. Also, it's nice to have foreshadowing (is it foreshadowing if it's already happened? Sometimes I confuse myself) to remind us that there is more to the story than just the Valiant.

We're finally beginning to get a sense that there is more to this story than just a simple retelling of events. A few revelations are just around the corner (in the next interlude, which I'd estimate is about 3 chapters away), and there's one very big moment coming for the Doctor in the next chapter. There is one hint in chapter thirty-four of the nature of it, but I think I'll leave you to wonder for a bit longer...

Jack has been struggling to understand for quite a while. It's not that I think he's stupid, but unless he's in the Doctor's head there's no way for him to understand yet. The reader has the added extra of getting a glimpse into the Doctor's thought processes, so maybe we don't struggle quite as much.

 As someone said in the reviews - Jack is like the ambassador between the reader and the Doctor. He asks the questions that I think we'd like to know the answers to. At the same time, I hope I'm getting him in character. Jack is a fabulous, cheeky, and just... gloriously fun character to work with. At the moment he's just asking questions I know, but it's in the interludes and the scene breaks that he springs to life.


And so... once again I go on hiatus. I have essays to write and real life to deal with.

 In the meantime, please let me know what you think. Whether that be in the shape of reviews, messages, likes or comments here. Every single one is appreciated, as you should all know by now.

 Oh, and one final piece of advice before I go:

 Always bring a banana to a party.

Chapter Thirty Three

This chapter has been giving me a headache for about a week. There were several ways it could have played out, but in the end the handcuffs needed to come off. For one reason, the Doctor would never have allowed the Master any closer while he was tied up, staring out at the destruction of Japan (to let it happen would be out of character, no matter what influence the Master has); and for another, the Master knows bloody well that this is true. As much of a monster as he can be, as I've said before - there's just too much history and a twisted sense of respect there for anything darker to happen.

 There's been a lot of talking. An awful lot of talking and calmness from the Master recently. In the end, his emotions towards the Doctor are convoluted and confusing (I would explain more, but in a way I'd like to leave the reader to form their own opinions). The decision the Master makes this chapter pretty much speaks for itself, but have no doubt that the Doctor's risky comment about Lucy will come back to bite him in the none-too-distant future.

 I know I spend a lot of time on facial expressions. This is due to the fact that when it comes to the Doctor and the Master, a lot of their emotions are shown purely through their faces, tone, or body language. What they say doesn't always meet up with how they say it, and with these two there's always more to the words than meet the eye.

 As for further chapters, we are extremely close to the end of this phase of memories. Either next chapter or the one after will bring us to the more... ahem... intimate side of their relationship. (Although I should warn you -  we're about to enter a semi- dark and twisty stage in it. Nothing awful (I refuse to degrade either character that way - for reasons that the Doctor will finally be explaining in the next interlude), but we are leaving fluff-ville for a little while. As much as I long to write these two fluffy as hell, I have too much respect for the Doctor and the Master to make them out of character. This is, after all, written as canon, and there are some parts of this very very odd relationship that need addressing...)

 Thanks so much for reading. Until next chapter.

Chapter Thirty Two

It would have been so very easy to turn this whole scenario into something unpleasant. Too easy. While the Master may be an insane megalomaniac with a god-complex, I never saw any reason to turn him into a different kind of monster. From all the evidence I've ever seen, there's too much respect between the Master and the Doctor for something like that to happen. Trying to kill each other is one thing (or the occasional amount of physical violence, as we all know), but taking that... other direction would take him beyond any kind of redemption.

 This scene takes us a little bit more into their history, if only a very small amount. It also sees the power struggle between the two hit a more complex, personal level. It isn't about saving the world at this point - that's Martha's job - it's about survival, on a mental and physical level. It's also about the Doctor's slowly growing ability to understand the way the Master works.

 The next few chapters will see the Master and the Doctor swapping power plays. If I can get it right, I'll also be going into the workings of the Doctor's mind, too. So far, it's been the Master who we've been struggling to understand, but the fact is that both of them have incredibly complex histories, and the Master isn't the only one with a (canon) skeleton in his closet.

 Link to the chapter is HERE

Chapter Thirty One

Playing with these characters is both infuriating and satisfying. Trying to get their voices right in situations that have never been seen before can be extremely stressful - at least for me. When you care about characters (and I only ever write about characters I care about) you want to represent them as true to form as possible. The Master is exceptionally tricky, considering we only see him in five episodes, whereas we had four years to study and understand the Doctor. All a fanfiction writer can do is hope that their story represents the characters as well as they're capable of.

Whew. Anyway.

 This was sort of fun. I always loved the way the Doctor managed to manipulate almost hopeless situations to his advantage: no weapons, no technology, just a very very over-active mouth. The relationship between Master and Doctor has always been a sort of push and pull situation, and this just goes to show that even under immense stress the Doctor can still wrong-foot the Master and try to take control.

And yes, I do talk about my writing as if it's actually happening. As far as I'm concerned, if you don't at least try to convince yourself a little that what you're writing is realistic, it loses it's spark.

Do you want to steal a Tardis?

Okay, I don't normally do this - I like to just talk about my writing, but this is just... fantabulous (is that a word? It is now) on so many levels. It made me grin.

Enjoy.

Chapter Thirty

Okay, this is now vying for first position in my head as Best Chapter. Granted, it's not a side to the Master we usually see (not at this point, anyway), but I honestly honestly believe that it's canon. There were flickers of it in The Sound of Drums - just moments; but the presence of the Doctor for such an extended amount of time - someone who knows him so well - would be bound to bring it out of him eventually.

Some people may say I'm writing him too soft at the moment, but that's not true - keep reading, and you'll see I know what I'm doing. This story would not be interesting if the characters stayed in the same state of mind all the way through.

 Seriously, though, It's just nice to get inside the characters' heads once in a while. The Master is so wound up in his own little mind games most of the time that we don't get to see what lies under the surface. This is just one of those moments where the walls come down. Yay for angst.

"I didn't try hard enough." - I've been waiting chapters to get that line in. Back in chapter 19 we got a hint of that sentiment, but for the Doctor to openly come out and say it is on a whole new level.

Basically - finally - the characters are starting to reconnect on more than a physical level. How long it's going to last I won't say, but fleshing these characters out for prose means that you have to delve deeper than what's shown on the TV and see what could be underneath.

The greatest example of the change in relationship is this: Looking back at the first few chapters, would the Doctor ever have dared to say that final line? (Which, by the way, I grinned at while I was writing it - it's so very him).

Link to the chapter can be found HERE

Oh, and just because I'm a geek and a showoff - I thought I'd share one of my birthday presents with you. Yay.

Chapter Twenty Nine

Edit:  The final line has been changed. I felt a bit uncomfortable with it (I get uncomfortable with weird little things). Originally the Doctor said: 'If nothing had changed, I'd be dead.' which isn't really what I wanted: the Doctor and the Master have always had this connection, and the Master is still dangerous and insane. Of course it's the same, it's just that both of them have finally given in to what they feel (er... sort of).

 The line now reads 'I didn't say it had; but that doesn't stop me from being right.' Simple change, but important to me - it indicates that everything that's coming to the surface now has always been there, just hidden under all the enmity.

Finally we're getting back into that connection. I'm so glad to be back in private with these two - they interact so beautifully on a one-to-one basis.

I must admit, though, that I am having a little trouble tempering the Master at the moment - while I know what's going on in his head, it's difficult treading that fine line between his two extremes.

I'm also glad to be going into their back story a bit. The only tiny problem I had with the Master arc in the reboot was the lack of reference to his previous regenerations. Obviously, post-Time War the two characters would be different (there is no way they wouldn't be suffering from PTSD), but it's still nice to give a nod to what has gone before. It always did make me smile in reminiscence when the Doctor said 'The Master always was sort of hypnotic...'

 Anyway, the Doctor and the Master are now firmly back in privacy for the time being. Depending on how the scene flows, this phase of the story is drawing to its close. After this, things really begin to pick up pace

...'Running. Lots and lots of running'...

Chapter Twenty Eight

Now that the irritation of Season Eight is out of the way (see the previous entry for the link to my opinion on the whole horrific situation. Beware if you're in America, though - spoilers!) I can get back to some proper work.

 If you've been hanging around Fanfiction.net, you may know that this chapter has been rewritten several times. I now have several grey hairs, in fact, due to the stress this one has caused me. I knew the set points I wanted to get across, but having the Doctor non-vocal for a whole chapter while the Master talked to himself was difficult at best. Normally when I write them, they spark off each other. This time, I had no material to work with except the Master's little soliloquy.

 The little line about torture was an empty threat, in case anybody was wondering. While I admit that before this regeneration it might have been a possibility, by this point the Master's insanity and emotions have become far too complex.

 The first time I watched Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Timelords I paid a huge amount of attention to Simm's facial expressions (he is a fabulous actor). Even when he was mocking and vain, you could still see the way the Master reacted to the Doctor - almost afraid of what he might do/say/see.

Obviously we know that the Timelords have telepathy (see The Girl in the Fireplace for an example), and I wanted to show the Master's fear - the Doctor's ability to scare him, even when he's bound and gagged.

When I'm writing my version of the Master, there are a lot of conflicting ideas inside that corrupted head of his, but when I'm trying to get into his character there's a single statement that keeps recurring. As melodramatic as it might sound I imagine him shouting it furiously inside his head:

MAKE IT STOP

I'm not saying that's literally what goes through his head, but from a writer's perspective, those three words pretty much sum up all the anger, confusion and downright fury that is the Master.

Chapter Twenty Seven

This chapter doesn't really need much of a justification. All that needs to be said is that it brings the Master and the Doctor back into privacy - something that I've been longing to do for a number of chapters.

I don't want to go too much into character motivations for this scene, as that would constitute spoilers for what is to come.

Sorry for the short post - I'm sick, and I'm terribly terribly sad about what has happened in the Season 8 Finale tonight. I won't spoil it for you, but if you're not spoiler-shy you can read my perspective on things HERE

 Seriously, I can't thank you enough for the support so far.