Ten/Master
- You may be looking for a different Doctor/Master pairing; see The Doctor/The Master.
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Tenth Doctor/The Master |
| Alternative name(s): | TenSimm, SimmTen, Timecock |
| Gender category: | M/M |
| Fandom: | Doctor Who |
| Canonical?: | No |
| Prevalence: | |
| Archives: | |
| Other: |  Last of the Time Lords by Niki-UK (2007) |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
Ten/Master is the pairing of the Tenth Doctor and The Master from Doctor Who fandom. This almost exclusively refers to the pairing of Ten/Simm!Master, but pairings featuring the Tenth Doctor with other iterations of the Master also appear.
Canon
The Master appeared in the finale of the third New Who series. Having spent many years as a human, the Master regains his identity, immediately regenerates and steals the Doctor’s TARDIS. He then engineers his rise to Prime Minister of Britain, and subsequently ruler of the Earth in the year 2008. Between these two events the Doctor attempts to dissuade the Master from world-conquest over the phone in what is often acknowledged as the show’s slashiest scene.
The Doctor’s plan to defeat the Master and reboot the Earth necessitates a year of Martha Jones walking the Earth. During this time (referred to as The Year That Never Was), the Master keeps the Doctor as his prisoner. Following the Doctor’s victory, he promises to “keep” the Master aboard his TARDIS, but Lucy Saxon kills the Master before this state of affairs can come into effect. The Doctor pleads with the Master to regenerate, but he refuses, which he says is a victory at last.
The Master reappears at a time in which the Doctor is convinced he is the last of the Time Lords, and it is possible his extreme interest in the Master this time round is a result of wanting to bond with another member of his species. However, given the Doctor’s general dislike of the Time Lords, his claiming of the Master as his responsibility may be down to more than their genetics.
In the End of Time the Master returns, and The Doctor spends a lot of time this serial attempting to connect with him, and remind him that he could be as “beautiful” as he was as a child. At the end of the serial, the Master tells him to “step out of the way” of his battle with Rassilon, saving the Doctor’s life and dooming himself to what may be oblivion, or at the very least the Time War he tried so hard to escape.
This ending leaves his relationship with the Doctor extremely unclear. Interestingly the decision to have the Master sacrifice his life for the Doctor's could be said to derive from a similar Three serial, The Final Game, which was discussed, but never fully scripted or filmed due to Delgado's death.
Simm!Master was designed specifically by writer Russell T. Davies to echo the Tenth Doctor: he is young, bouncy, funny, and rude. The Doctor shows more care for the Master than almost anyone else in the new series, becoming serious around him and constantly trying to appeal to his better nature. The Master meanwhile is somewhat dismissive of the Doctor this regeneration, but when the Doctor collapses after being shot with lightning/the Master’s life force, the Master runs over to catch him (before dropping him, disgusted with himself). When asked about the Master’s reaction here in the online commentary for this episode, Russell T. Davies remarked, “Well, he loves him really.”
Fandom
Ten/Master(also commonly known as TenSimm) was the first version of the Doctor/Master pairing in NewWho. It was very popular, despite this Master was more aggressive than previous versions of the Master leading to a darker dynamic in fic. However certain scenes and/or moments from the Season 4 finale "The End of Time" lead to a softer, more emotionally driven load of fic, exploring the vast and complicated history between the two characters that lead them to act the way they do towards each other.
Common Tropes
- Works set during the year that never was. These works can be dark as the Doctor is the Master's prisoner for that year. Fanfics set during this year sometimes featured side pairings for both the Doctor and the Master, including Ten/Jack Harkness, The Master/Jack Harkness, The Master/Lucy Saxon and occasionally The Master/The Doctor/Lucy Saxon.
- Fanfics featuring non-con, dub con and BDSM elements were not confined to works set in the year that never was.
- Fix-its were very common post-The Last of the Timelords. In many works the Master lived and the Doctor kept him prisoner on the Tardis.
- Fix-its and canon divergent works set after the End of Time often depicted the Master as a slightly more willing companion of the Doctor, exploring the complex dynamic between the two.
- Doctor Who and Life on Mars crossovers.
Fanworks
Fanfiction
- New Dawn Fades (LJ link) by omphalos, 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. (2009)
- Praxis (LJ link) by Versaphile, The Year That Wasn't. All of it, from The Sound of Drums to The Last of the Time Lords and beyond. (2008)
- The Courtship and Marriage Rituals of Time Lords by Lyaka, Or, how the Doctor and the Master finally stopped courting and got married, to the relief of most of the known galaxy and the confusion of the humans in attendance. (2012)
- dwseason4 and dwseason5 by ariastar
- Eclipsing Binary by astrogirl2
- The Pandora Project by calapine
- Passing Notes by Adalia Zandra
- Precious Little Space Dumplings of Love by shaggydogstail
- You Are Not Alone by fiveainley_ohmy
- The Twin Suns of Gallifrey by SumOfAllThings
Archives and Communities
- Tenth Doctor/The Master (Simm) work on Ao3
- Tenth Doctor works at Teaspoon and an Open Mind
- The Prydonian (Ao3 Link) a Doctor/Master archive, now a collection on Ao3