New Dawn Fades
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| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | New Dawn Fades |
| Author(s): | omphalos |
| Date(s): | 2007 |
| Length: | 138,557 words |
| Genre(s): | Slash, Canon Divergence |
| Fandom(s): | Doctor Who |
| Relationship(s): | |
| External Links: | LiveJournal AO3 |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
New Dawn Fades is a Doctor Who story by omphalos focused on the Doctor/Master pairing, specifically Ten/Simm!Master. It is canon divergent from the end of the Last of the Time Lords and looks at what it would have been like if Simm!Master had lived and been put in the custody of The Doctor as the Tenth Doctor had suggested.
Summary
Sometimes second chances turn out even more disastrously than the first attempt, especially when they involve the Master. Epic time adventure and dark romance in which Jack's voice is every bit as important as those of the Doctor and the Master.
Authors note on AO3
Set after most of the events of Last of the Time Lords, in a pocket timeline wherein the funeral pyre never happened because the Master wasn't allowed to die. Where it exists, and with the obvious exception of canon events in episodes airing after LotTL, I try to follow TV canon to the letter. I've also nicked at least one concept from the spin-off novels, albeit adapting it to fit TV canon.
Reactions and Reviews
This fic could probably tie for first-place on the Most Rec’d Ten/Simm Story scale. It’s heartwarming and angsty and fluffy, and probably was one of the first ever “The Master Didn’t Die And The Doctor Keeps Him” S3 AU fics, published…gee, 2007-2008 I do believe. Bear in mind that AO3 only opened in beta in 2009, and before then the majority of fic lived on now-defunct LJ comms. I prefer reading these in their original context, but alas, it’s not always possible. Anyway. Personally, this fic isn’t dear to my heart, but it was for many many people. Within lies banter, snark, Jack Harkness, Gallifrey, and soul-bonding and telepathic mind-melds. I certainly didn’t regret reading it.[1]
If I was allowed to rec just one fic out of everything ever written for the Ten/Simm era, I think this would have to be it. Utterly epic in every sense you could hope for, this is a story unafraid to make getting a Happily Ever After for the Doctor and the Master every bit as unforgivingly difficult as it absolutely should be. Lest I make it sound like too much heavy going, it’s also brilliantly written, full of high-concept shenanigans and well-used nods to old-Who canon, and just generally roaringly good fun in the way of all the best Doctor Who stories (canon or otherwise). When it’s not busily ripping your heart out, that is - which it will do, and with gusto, though it’s worth it every step of the way. Definitely not one to start if you plan on getting anything else done today.[2]
Easily one of my all time favourite Doctor/Master fics (and this is a hotly contested category, make no mistake), and one of the first Ten/Simm fics I ever recced. It’s massive, it’s epic, it’s funny, it’s smoking hot, it’s brilliantly written and characterised, and it will gleefully rip your heart out along the way. Meticulously plotted id-fic does not get much better than this! You can find it both on LJ and AO3.[3]
A caveat here. I don't like the fic-trope used to explain how the Doctor keeps the Master initially contained (or rather, I don't think the author took it far enough to work; of course, that's just me), but luckily it's dropped by Chapter 2 and thereafter the fic greatly improves, so persevere if the fic premise doesn't immediately appeal to you.[4]
AU after the end of “Last of the Time Lords.” I love this fic. Though I don’t read much Doctor/Master in general, I read this a long time ago and just finished a re-read after remembering that it exists. Jack manages to prevent the Master from dying in the Doctor’s arms, and now the last two Time Lords have each other for company. There are huge amounts of Old!Who details and characters in this, and they were incorporated into the plot with such finesse. Every little bit made sense, each piece fit into the puzzle. Jack plays a large part in this tale, and it makes me wish sometimes that events had turned out this way, much like “Cloisters” did when I first read that one. There is some torture, mind you, and mentions of rape. But they aren’t needless: they serve a definite purpose for the plot. All in all, this fic is gorgeous writing. It played with my heart, and I wound up loving it in the re-read just as much as I had the first time around.[6]
Utterly amazing, kept me up way later than I intended. I know barely anything about Doctor Who canon beyond being able to fit names to a handful of faces, but the characterisation in this was detailed and wonderful, totally swept me up in the story and the emotion. I especially loved the sheer need the Doctor has for the Master. Well, actually I love the Master POV as well, so basically I love all of it![7]
References
- ^ "Ultimate Doctor/Master Reclist (1/?)". Archived from the original on 2023-09-03.
- ^ "Rec at Doctor/Master recs, May 18, 2014". Archived from the original on 2024-02-08.
- ^ "Nov 5, 2014 Tumblr post". Archived from the original on 2024-02-08.
- ^ "Doctor Who: Master/Doctor Massive Recs Post". Archived from the original on 2024-02-08.
- ^ "Torchwood&Doctor Who Top 10 (long fic rec list)". Archived from the original on 2024-02-08.
- ^ "FanFictions That Are SOOO Worth Reading". Archived from the original on 2022-08-17.
- ^ "This week I 'ave been mostly eatin' ... ketchup". Archived from the original on 2024-02-08.