dw - the space between opposites by storyseller
The Space Between Opposites by storyseller
On linguistics, best enemies, and breaking the rules. The Doctor and the Master, travelling not-so-merrily. AU ending to Last of the Time Lords.
gen, ~5500 words
reasons you'd like it: I'm always fascinated by the various fanon takes on the Gallifeyan language, and the way Storyseller approaches it here is both the most complete and the most intriguing I've seen. The language feels fleshed out and complex in a way that it oftentimes doesn't, and Storyseller uses the intricacies and inadequacies of Gallifreyan to explore the very strange balance between the Doctor and the Master perfectly. They both feel perfectly in-character and their struggle for power is well depicted; Storyseller expertly has them walk the tightrope between hatred and affection that we see in the end of series 3.
reasons you might not: I put this as "gen" because technically I suppose it is, but rather like the series it doesn't take much squinting to see subtext, which might put some off. Maybe you do not share my same intrinsic fascination with languages, particularly of the fictional variety. And, well, it is technically an AU, although to be fair, canon for this series is so convoluted I find it hard to believe anyone is particularly fussy over AUs -- especially ones like this, where the characters stay true-to-form despite a different situation.
On linguistics, best enemies, and breaking the rules. The Doctor and the Master, travelling not-so-merrily. AU ending to Last of the Time Lords.
gen, ~5500 words
reasons you'd like it: I'm always fascinated by the various fanon takes on the Gallifeyan language, and the way Storyseller approaches it here is both the most complete and the most intriguing I've seen. The language feels fleshed out and complex in a way that it oftentimes doesn't, and Storyseller uses the intricacies and inadequacies of Gallifreyan to explore the very strange balance between the Doctor and the Master perfectly. They both feel perfectly in-character and their struggle for power is well depicted; Storyseller expertly has them walk the tightrope between hatred and affection that we see in the end of series 3.
reasons you might not: I put this as "gen" because technically I suppose it is, but rather like the series it doesn't take much squinting to see subtext, which might put some off. Maybe you do not share my same intrinsic fascination with languages, particularly of the fictional variety. And, well, it is technically an AU, although to be fair, canon for this series is so convoluted I find it hard to believe anyone is particularly fussy over AUs -- especially ones like this, where the characters stay true-to-form despite a different situation.