Rec: The Life Fantastic

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

Story: The Life Fantastic   
Author: HonorH

Rating:  G (Doctor/Rose intense friendship, Jack friendship)

Author's summary: One life, from beginning to end. The Doctor grieves, lives, fights, dances, eats chips, and falls in love. Not such a bad life after all.

Characters/Pairings: Ninth Doctor, with insights into Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness
Warnings: None

Recced because: This is a gorgeous, poignant study of the Ninth Doctor. His life is defined by sacrifice: born out of one, dies in another. It’s a chronicle of his journey from that painful birth to his completely voluntary death, committed for love, and it’s a story about how he heals, helped by the most unlikely of companions for a battle-scarred Doctor: the nineteen-year-old shop-girl, Rose Tyler. It’s about why he needs people around him, and ultimately what leads him to sacrifice once more, for a much smaller cause this time than the fate of the universe. In companionship comes healing, and in death comes peace. This story is poignant, but ultimately so very affirming, and a perfect tribute to the Ninth Doctor.  
 

During their association, the Doctor will compile a laundry list of Rose’s character flaws that’s as tall as she is. She has a knack for finding trouble. She doesn’t do what he says. She cares too much about things that don’t matter, and not nearly enough about things that do. Her boyfriend is an oaf, and her mother is a harpy. (To be fair, those things aren’t strictly her fault, but they do count against her.) She argues with him when he clearly knows better. She’s stubborn. She’s childish. She prattles on and on until his head hurts. She takes too much time doing her hair. She rolls her eyes and tunes out when he’s trying to tell her important things. And she flirts! Every male that’s passably humanoid and vaguely pretty gets the full-on girlish giggle, the shy glance from under the eyelashes, the just-so stance that emphasizes the parts of her that human males gawk at in their Neanderthal way. It creates no end of difficulties. And worst of all, he’s pretty sure that she’s got a similar list in her mind for him--and he’s taller.

 

But her chatter fills the emptiness of the TARDIS. He enjoys the feeling of her hand in his, having someone to touch again. She gives affection so freely that he can’t help but return it. She’s kind-hearted almost to a fault, and he cannot bring himself to count it against her. She’s sensual--she enjoys food unashamedly, opens her eyes wide to marvel at the wonders he shows her, absorbs the smells and sounds of worlds she’s never imagined, and reaches out to touch . . . everything.

 

Comments

[fishface44.livejournal.com]

Thank you for recommending this; Honor H is consistently amazing.

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! I could have recced three of hers, but I confined myself to one story per author. It was this or Seed Pearls, and excellent though the latter is I think this one deserved it more for the insights into Nine, season one as a whole and all the other characters.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! When I discovered three new reviews for this story, I hoped it was because someone recced it, but this leaves me a little stunned and speechless. I am, no pun intended, honored.

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome indeed! When I sat down to try to come up with my top seven fics, I decided that my criteria weren't just that the story would be enjoyable, well-written and in-character. I wanted more: stories that offered fresh insights into the characters, a plot or storytelling to make readers think, and overall that left a lasting impression on readers. Obviously I had more stories than rec slots, but in narrowing down there was never any question that this one was staying on the list :) I'm glad you got some new reviews out of it!