ext_23786 ([identity profile] jjpor.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] calufrax2015-07-11 08:29 pm

Rec: Fifteen Minutes by TheBigCat

Story: Fifteen Minutes
Author: TheBigCat
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 4845
Author's Summary: Solving a murder mystery on a train? All in a day's work for the Doctor and Ace.
Characters/Pairings: The Doctor (7th), Ace
Warnings: Some mild murder/violence

Recced because: Well, it's no secret by now; I love the Seventh Doctor and Ace, both individually and collectively as they go about writing wrongs, fighting for justice and generally injecting a little anarchy into space and time. And this fic offers a fine example of them doing what they do best, unplugged, as it were; no aliens, no universe-threatening eeevills from the dawn of time, just a Professor and his eager pupil unable to stand by and let evil go unpunished and just too good at it for any hapless villain who isn't even an alien or an aforementioned eeevill to stand a chance (although comparatively small-scale evils are still, you know, evil and as far as Seven and Ace are concerned still need to be sorted out). Just to make it even more impressive, they do it all aboard a moving train carriage in the space of time it takes to get from one station to the next.

Even more than a lot of other Doctor-companion relationships, I think a big part of the appeal of Seven and Ace is their interactions with each other, the banter and conversation, the way there's always more to what they say to each other than simple exposition. It's the way they interact, more than anything, as well as the teacher/pupil relationship and the genuine bond of friendship and affection they have even as he's testing her half the time and the rest of the time they're lying to each other more often than not. This all shines through in this fic, with some delightful Seven-Ace repartee and all of the little quirks and tics you come to expect from the pair of them. Like most of the best Seven fiction (fan and otherwise) it's told from Ace's p.o.v. and manages to pack in a lot of subtle characterisation by showing the world through her unique lens. And the Seven portrayed here is, I would say, extremely Seven-ish, with some great little bits of business that you can imagine Sylvester McCoy carrying out with aplomb were this a scene from a television story.

Anyway, go over to Teaspoon and see what you think, and be sure to let the author know that you like it (because I'm sure you will).


"It could have been a red herring," she said. The Doctor grimaced a bit.

"Duly noted, but that's more the stuffing of a Sherlock Holmes novel than any real life situation."

Ace smiled. "Are you saying that we're Sherlock and Watson?"

He hummed a bit. "If that's so, which of us is which?"

"You'd be Watson, right?" she said. "Because you're the one who's a
Doctor."
but_can_i_be_trusted: (Casual Eleven)

[personal profile] but_can_i_be_trusted 2015-07-11 07:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Nice pick! I read this a few months ago, and loved it!
(deleted comment)
but_can_i_be_trusted: (Sacrifice Your Queen)

[personal profile] but_can_i_be_trusted 2015-07-11 07:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Very! I was so impressed; it's very suspenseful and tricky, and so clever! I'd love to try my hand at something like this, but I'd only make the solution painfully obvious.
clocketpatch: A small, innocent-looking red alarm clock, stuck forever at 10 to 7. (TARDIS Blue)

[personal profile] clocketpatch 2015-07-12 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
I've got it open in another tab, because how can I ever resist Seven and Ace? Thanks for the rec!

Thank you!

[identity profile] kittyeden.livejournal.com 2015-07-12 08:04 am (UTC)(link)
I've been reading and rereading this thing, because it's honestly the best anyone's said about anything I've written. Thank you a million times over for this! I've been happy all day because of it. :D
thisbluespirit: (dw - seven & ace)

[personal profile] thisbluespirit 2015-07-12 08:10 am (UTC)(link)
Nice rec, thanks! :-)

[identity profile] a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com 2015-07-13 10:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Definitely look forward to reading this!