Rec: A Final Toast

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

I'm sneaking in a bonus rec here, as I couldn't in the end narrow my choices down to seven. I'll be back tomorrow with my final rec for the week.

Story: A Final Toast
Author: MinervaFan
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2750 words
Author's Summary: Jo Grant-Jones, Liz Shaw, and Sarah Jane Smith have a private gathering to honor the Brig.
Characters/Pairings: Jo Grant-Jones, Liz Shaw, Sarah Jane Smith, Doris Lethbridge-Stewart. Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart mentioned.

Recced because:  There has been a lot of death-of-the-Brigadier fics lately, as is only to be expected and entirely deserved, too, given Nicholas Courtney's contribution to Doctor Who. But, in my opinion, this one is the best I've read. A Final Toast starts with Jo, Liz and Sarah attending the Brigadier's funeral, and thereafter adjourns to Liz's hotel room, where Jo instructs them on the proper and appropriate ritual to pay tribute to their departed friend: "Ladies, let's get pissed!"

There's plenty of humour in this short fic, including reference to suggestions that UNIT is a giant sex club, and this classic:

Jo has found several teeny, tiny bottles of Tequila.

She hands one to each of the women and with a grin says, "Five rounds. Rapid."

But, while the humour is indeed wonderful and completely in character, it's not what makes this story. It's the deft little character portraits of each of the women, now very much older than they were in their UNIT days. They're very different from each other, as Liz notes at one point, yet they've got a lot in common, and not just their love for and loyalty to the Brigadier (and the Doctor, who's both absent and unmentioned in this fic). It's clear too that, while they may well be getting older, not one of them's ready to give up their active and trail-blazing lives. They're all still making a difference.

This story is as much a tribute to three strong, intelligent and much-loved companions as it is to the Brigadier, and it's highly recommended.


As always, if you enjoy the story, please tell the author!

Rec: The Adventures of Ten, Rose and Jack (series)

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

This is my final rec for the week. Thank you for your lovely comments on the stories I've recced, both here and on the stories themselves! And many thanks to nonelvis for giving me the opportunity to rec again. Between the mix of New with a bit of Classic, long stories and short ones, hurt/comfort and crack, I hope you've all found at least one story to enjoy.

Story: The Adventures of Ten, Rose and Jack (a series of - so far - three multi-chapter stories)
Author: Sanguine Ink
Rating: Up to Teen
Word Count: Story 1: 30291 words in 13 chapters; Story 2: 38913 words in 15 chapters; Story 3: 24705 words in 9 chapters
Author's Summary: For the series: Starts with an AU of Army of Ghosts/Doomsday and follows the Tenth Doctor, Rose, and Jack as they travel through time and space.
Individual story summaries:
Two Months "Woke up one morning and there they all were," said Jackie. "Ghosts, everywhere! We all ran around screamin' and that. Whole planet was panicking. No sign of you." But what if there was? A story in which the Doctor and Rose show up at Jackie's flat two months earlier, completely changing the events of Army of Ghosts and Doomsday.
The Planted Past Ten, Rose, and Jack intend to visit a nice festival. Instead, they end up with mortal danger, time-y wime-y enemies, and a whole lot of running.
Loop "He was the champion – no, the lord – of foolhardy plans, whipped together at the last second with barely a prayer of working. But this…this took the cake. It was all up to Jack now."
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness, a whole host of guest characters including Jackie Tyler, Yvonne Hartmann, Ianto Jones, General Staal, a sentient plant and Captain Jack Harkness (no, that's not a mistake!).

Recced because: Sanguine Ink writes rollicking good adventures. From the first story, in which she creates an AU of her own stemming from an alternate ending to Doomsday, she takes her characters on a rollercoaster ride with lots of action and danger, solidly-constructed plot and plenty of humour, some of it laugh-out-loud. Her Jack has me nodding throughout, and she just gets the Doctor: the combination of extreme intelligence and manic hyperactivity, his ability to distract and feint, and even turning completely bizarre actions into the perfect plan. Rose is quick-thinking and determined, and Jackie is brilliant also in the first story. Even minor characters are drawn deftly and vividly in character; nobody is wasted in this story.

The series is Ten/Rose, but the focus isn't on the romance at all; it's there clearly enough for those who want it, but it never gets in the way of the story. A few Americanisms and occasional typos appear, but in stories as enjoyable as these they didn’t bother me at all.

A very short extract, showcasing the humour with no spoilers, is:( below the cut )

If you like plotty stories full of adventure, a great cast of well-written characters, lots of twists and turns, and humour around every corner, give this series a try. And if you enjoy it, please tell the author!

Rec: the Vampires of Venezuela

[macadamanaity.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone! Long-time reader, first time reccer. I’ll be reccing a hodge-podge of fics featuring different eras and Doctors. I have a soft-spot for well-done crossovers as well as anything funny and/or epic, and I especially love fics that feature women being awesome. You can find my non-Teaspoon-specific Who recs here. Now on to the first rec:

Story: The Vampires of Venezuela
Author: Gehyahi
Rating: teen
Word Count: 8928
Author's Summary: The vampires of Venice did not die. Rosanna Calvierri was too determined to allow the race of Saturnynians--now reduced to herself and her children--to perish simply because of the Doctor. Written for Femgenficathon.
Characters/Pairings: Rosanna Calvierri, the Doctor (5th & 11th)
Warnings: Minor character death

Recced because: This is an absolutely gorgeous and rich reinterpretation of, and sequel to the Vampires of Venice. Gehyahi delves deeply into the motivations of Rosanna and finds her more sympathetic, if no less cruel or hard than we see her in that episode. This is a story of women, power, and family, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s canon.