Crispy!Master and folk tales bunny

[curuchamion.livejournal.com]

This has been kicking around my brain for a while, but it only just coalesced into something postable.

Okay. The Master's Academy nickname, in quasi-official fanon somewhere, is "Koschei". This was snaffled by a tie-in author from a Russian folk character, Koschei the Deathless - an evil magician (sometimes portrayed as a feral bogeyman with uncut hair and fingernails and no clothes), haunting the forests and riding a steed as fast as the wind. At one point I think he was enslaved by the Baba Yaga (the old witch who lives in a chicken's-legged hut in the middle of the forest and eats children), though I can't find the reference. He keeps his heart separate from his body, so cannot be killed unless you can find and destroy his heart.

Anyway! All of that sounds like an awesome setup for a "this folklore was based on a Time Lord" story, to me. Writer's choice for how much of this waffling to use, of course, but how about:

Delgado!Master, after his exit from the show, sets up as an evil magician in Tsarist Russia somewhere. Gets a reputation. Through ill-luck, pitchfork-wielding mob, or someone's machinations, regenerates into Crispy!Master. May be enslaved by someone serving the narrative function of Baba Yaga, either a Time Lady or not. Eventually gets back to Gallifrey with or without her assistance, where "Deadly Assassin" etc.



Short version of bunny? The Master = Koschei the Deathless. Crispy!Master = feral!insane!Koschei, who I think was enslaved by the Baba Yaga (for seven years?) at some point.

MASSIVE points for using Baba Yaga in any way, shape or form. Doubly massive points for working in other odd little details of the Koschei legend. ALL THE POINTS EVER for anyone having a chicken-legged TARDIS.

Comments

[librarylover82.livejournal.com]

This is such weird timing, because I am planning to write an historical fic set in Tsarist Russia, that involves the Master! This provided additional ideas.

BTW if anyone is going to take a whack at this and needs help with any Russian words, contact me. My Bachelor's degree is in Russian.

[thisbluespirit]

That is an interesting idea - clever and creepy and dark. (Actually, I love the Delgado Master far too much - probably wouldn't be able to bear reading it, but it does feel disturbingly right, so I think this is fascinating.)

(PS. Not that it actually matters, except that I am a librarian sort who tends to be tidy and want to catalogue, classify and order everything - so much so I can't post drabbles individually on Teaspoon or AO3 - there is an html form for posting the bunnies - it is here in the posting guidelines post (which can be found at the top of the tags) and also it is on the user info. *cough* But if you find it annoying, I would of course, rather have the marvellous ideas any way. :-D)

[curuchamion.livejournal.com]

I utterly forgot about the posting form... *hangs head*

Do we not have a separate tag for Crispy!Master? Or is everything before Ainley considered Delgado?

(Poor Delgado!Master. What a comedown. *smishes*)

'it does feel disturbingly right'

Thank you! :-) *bows*

[thisbluespirit]

Heh, yes... I was going to create a tag for the crispy!master, but on seeing the format I had used: 'the master (delgado)' etc etc, then tried to do: 'the master (pratt)' but it was just, well... :lol:! So I left it till I could think of an alternative. (I will maybe do 'the master' (pratt/beevers) which is prob even sillier, but sounds less as though I am commenting on the Master's rubbish plans.)

[lilbakht.livejournal.com]

I just ran across your prompt and am so deeply in love with it!
I grew up on Russian folk tales and yes, Koschei the Deathless- who looks like a skeleton- served Baba Yaga to earn one of her magical horses.
I know you made this prompt a long time ago in internet!time, but I may have to play with it just because it's brilliant!

[but_can_i_be_trusted]

I...like this. A lot. I see some major potential. Might have to bone up on my Russian folklore and see what that gives me. ^.^

Oooooooooooookay. Have had some few hours to do a bit of basic research, and I am loving this that much more. Ideas are tickling at my imagination. This is absolutely going to be one of my next projects!

It'll be tricky, though, as I'm barely familiar with Delgado, and really have nothing much to go on between him and Ainley, whom I'm most familiar with of the Classic versions. So I might have to do some basic tweaking of this idea; I'm not sure, yet. Depends on what my imagination decides to give me. But I am determined to write this gem!