The Crane Wife: Chapter 7 of 8 (Part I)

[x_losfic]

Title: The Crane Wife
Chapter: Seven (Part I): Eight
Author: x_los
Rating: PG
Pairing/Characters: Five/Ainley!Master, Benny, Tegan, Turlough, Nyssa
Summary: In which the Master hunts the Doctor across the stars (like the faithless git he is), and in the process takes tea with his mother.
Beta: aralias, for doing the hard work for me, and innocentsmith and alex_e_smith for much-needed

Comments

[alexwearspants]

VERITYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.

[x_losfic]

WHATEVER NEXT CHAPTER SHE DIES.

[alexwearspants]

AUGH SHUT UP I HATE YOU YOU AND YOUR FILTHY LIES. VERITY/SYDNEY IS LIKE STARDUST SHE'S DOOMED TO A LIFE OF TRAGEDY. ....... wait..........

[x_losfic]

Really? She has a super-extended lifespan. I think she's doomed to a life of roasting things.

[skipthedemon]

I know I was critical of the last section, a while back, but I *loved* this. Possibly in part because the Master really is realizing how capable the Doctor, completely independent of what the Doctor can do for the Master.

Hee, I like the Doctor's parents too, who in my fanon were largely absent, if well meaning. I like that he has a warm family here.

Conversely, the Master's mother is rather I have always imagined her. Brilliant but seeing her child almost purely as a genetic legacy who she has impossible expectations for, and not really seeing him as a person at all. Poor Koschei.

[x_losfic]

I'm glad it's working better for you. :) And I do like his growing 'you are even cooler than I thought' awe, and that it doesn't occur to him to be intimidated by that.

[silvermoon_06]

I've just read through this entire fic from this morning until now. And, I must say that I've really enjoyed it very much. :D

[x_losfic]

That's very sweet of you, I'm glad you seem to have enjoyed it so much!

[innocentsmith]

Verity: amazingly awesome!

Sydney: adorable!

Tremas being still alive and tolerantly amused by the goings-on: lolarious!

This whole chapter: win!

I love how the Doctor is clearly a cross between his parents - I loved Verity going after the unexploded bomb, especially. And the hinted explanation for what happened in alt!"Keeper of Traken" is great, because it must have all been so much more pleasant this go around. Also, the Master being foiled by domesticity and sort of fuming and also being charmed/overwhelmed by the Doctor's parents never gets old, nor does his pining after baby!Doctor in his Eton outfit. ♥ It's much better this way, Master, take it from us.

[x_losfic]

Sydney is just waiting for Verity to dole him out his daily jelly baby allowance. And I do love the silly human-mother canon the TVM gave us--at first I was afraid, I was petrified, but now no amount of New Who can take it away from me. I like a crazy, adventurous, determined, VERY ENGLISH mother for him, who believes in the healing power of tea and keeping calm/carrying on.

The Doctor is just lucky the Master's not QUITE crazy enough to run up to baby!Doctor and be like WANT A RIDE IN MY TIME-SPACE MACHINE? Because baby!Doctor? Would say yes. And would totally sleep with him. I mean no one else is going to be interested enough to overlook the ridiculous Eton 'bum freezer' coat.

[tula_peiwa]

Ah, here look at me, finally commenting on this fic.

You made me like a story with the Doctor's family. You made me LOVE a story with the Doctor's family. That shouldn't be possible.

They're both undeniable their own people with their own personality, but you can tell they're his parents. Sydney is so sweet, of COURSE he knows how to juggle, and I would gladly go live with Verity.

TREMAS LIVES! That may be one of my favorite little details in this AU. I was grinning like an idiot, it's partially the mental image of Tremas!Ainley and Ainley!Master together, partially how amused by the whole thing he is. Oh, Tremas, never change.

I've been reading along like the quiet lurker I am, but I have thoroughly enjoyed it. You draw out the AU beautifully, they're both still themselves. You write one of the most convincing Ainley!Masters I've read.

[x_losfic]

OMG HELLO STRANGER!!

In a sad way, I think Tremas hanging around so much sort of emphasizes him as a reason that this universe could end more happily than the real one, i.e. that the Master hasn't crossed HUGE lines (a la dead Tremas, no more Traken).

As far as Ainley!Master: o_O I find this bitchIMPOSSIBLE to write. I just wish I were writing delgado or something, because he's so consistent you can just /hear/ how his voice is supposed to sound, and work from that, but with ainley it is always a stab in the dark. So I'm glad he sounds okay for you.