#war!master

———

“You realize why the Doctor hates having you around, don’t you?” The Master asked Jack from where he had been sitting silently at the kitchen table, simply watching the fall out of the fight he had just witnessed with a, supposedly, disinterested gaze. “It’s because you’re too tempting.”

“I don’t think the Doctor finds me any kind of tempting.” Jack replied, voice still agitated from the fight but quickly slipping towards dejection. “Don’t think he ever did.”

“Oh don’t be crude.” The Master snorted, sitting back up in his seat, the front two legs clattering back down onto the vinyl floor as he stood. “The Doctor isn’t tempted like that. No no, it’s what you are. The power you hold.” He spoke, almost reverent in tone as he moved around the table seemingly towards Jack before moving past him for the kettle instead, his back to the once-human man as he flipped it on. “You see, there are powerful objects, machines, well weapons really, that exist. Only they require powerful temporal energies to use and you, you are the most powerful temporal energy there is!” He exclaimed, turning to look at Jack again now that the kettle was on and waving an expletive hand at his whole body, “An abomination of course, but an abomination of the greatest kind!”

“Gee thanks.” Jack mumbled, watching the Time Lord with the same weary skepticism he always seemed to direct towards him. If the Master was affected he didn’t show it, instead he simply went on.

“With you the Doctor could power a machine strong enough to bring back all of Gallifrey! All of the Time Lords! And that terrifies him.” The man smiled widely, his eyes twinkling in that way that always made Jack feel uncomfortable, “I can see it in his eyes, you know, when he looks at you. All those possibilities running through his mind. He wouldn’t have to be alone any more. He could have everything back. His home. His people. His family.” He emphasized and Jack swallowed, unable to tear his gaze away from the other man. “Did he ever tell you about them? No? What a shame, I suppose he didn’t want to upset you. He was quite attached to his granddaughter you see. She was the whole reason he ran away to begin with. Well, no matter.” And then the Time Lord was turning away from him, humming a small tune as the kettle whistled. Jack blinked, feeling like he was trying to awake from some kind of dream. “Tea?” The Master offered.

———

What was your first Master

And

Who is your favorite Master

My first Master was Jacobi/Simm (only putting Simm bc we really only got the war! Master for a few seconds. But he deserves to be brought up.

Wanna talk about media that literally describe the Doctor? Or even Doctor and the Master? Here:

I can't think of a music that fits War!Master, War!Doctor, Simm!Master (last sanction) and Twelfth Doctor better than this one.

However, the part of this music that most gets to me and makes me think about them is this:

So you wanna start a war?

In the age of icons?

So you wanna be immortal?

With a loaded gun on?

For me it portrays them on point because the War!versions, Simm!Master and Twelfth were all fighting - somehow - against the tyranny of Rassilon and of Gallifreyan's political structure as whole!

And the tone of the music - in my opinion implies that "the age of icons" isn't something inherently good. It is meant to signify that it's an age of "heroes". The word "icons" is purposefully chosen.

The Oxford language dictionary defines "icon" as "a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of of veneration" which in Gallifrey comes with power, position and poise.

The Master and the Doctor did nothing but demonstrate all of those three on the years following their departure from Gallifrey - in their own ways.

The Eighth Doctor & War!Doctor.

When the Doctor is called back he runs from war, yes. He is relatively young and doesn't have as many burdens as Twelfth does but he still afraid of what he might become. He knows the potential he has of becoming object of immense power to be wielded against the universe he loves so much. There is no doubt that they will, Gallifrey changed history of whole planets to have their "help" - aka time manipulation at its finest.

War Master

The Master on the time war might be doing unhinged things but he probably loathes himself for obeying the orders coming from the country that did nothing but reject him and, yes, his old friends from long ago. The Master knows how cold he can go to disassociate his actions in the name of Gallifrey from himself... until he forgets himself.

They both are forces to be reckoned. Aware of their potential and the damage they can do to themselves and the universe.

Call me crazy, but I don't think the Master wanted for the universe to prostrate itself on its knees for him this way. He is very autonomous and independent and most of all individualistic. He wants it to himself not to give it to Gallifrey.

On the other hand we have the post-war; Simm!Master and Twelfth Doctor which not only put to prove what they could do but - I imagine - went beyond what they thought capable of do and with this comes the disgust they must have felt at... everything.