calufrax | Entries tagged with companion: k-9

aralias.livejournal.com

Story: A Family Affair
Author: bagheera
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 19860 (still planning to podfic it!)
Author's Summary: Leela and Narvin in a buddycop story, set between 3.4 "Mindbomb" and 3.5. "Panacea"
Characters/Pairings: K-9, Leela, Narvin, Romana II, various excellent OCs
Declaration of interest: I not only ran the ficathon that spawned this fic, I also betaed it.

Recced because: When Gallifrey the series is good it has a cracking whodunnit type plot (where whodunnit is taken for whobetrayedme/whoissecretlyonmyside) and lots of cracking dialogue between people who either dislike each other but are pretending not to, or respect each other but find the other person utterly exasperating. The series is very funny, and very engaging, and it reaches its height in series 3. This brilliant fic should be a real episode of Gallifrey, because it has everything that a good episode of Gallifrey should have (except an appearance from Braxiatel). Then again, as an interpretation of the buddycop genre it's perfect, giving our protagonists, the free-spirited hunter and the by-the-book spy, time to get to know each other and misunderstand one another in between its action set pieces. It also works as Gallifrey-lover fan-service, featuring (almost) all our favourite Gallifrey regulars and lots of original characters, who all feel like favourite characters we've just not noticed in previous episodes. It also gives Narvin a convincing and compelling backstory, and fleshes out Leela's relationship with Andred. Some absolutely hilarious things happen, and the dialogue is pitch-perfect. I know it's long, but don't let that put you off. It won't feel that long.

Excerpt:

“When I entered basic training, I found this immensely frustrating. Machines don’t dissemble or act illogically. They obey their own laws to a fault. You can be a perfectly good data technician without ever coming across a moral dilemma. As a spy, you don’t just have to make compromises. You have to compromise yourself. You can’t afford trust or friendship or honour. To uphold your most precious ideals, you sometimes have to betray them. That’s what Andred tried to do, and it broke him. It would break you too, if you ever tried it.”

“It did not break you.”

Narvin glanced at Leela, unsure if that was a question, or a statement, or an expression of doubt.

“No,” he said. “I find it doesn’t affect me very much.”

As part of

pod_aware I have recorded yesterday's rec, ceremony for the living, which can be downloaded here.

jjpor.livejournal.com

Story: A tin heart can bleed too
Author: Who_La_Hoop
Rating: Teen, probably
Word Count: 441
Author's Summary: In which K-9 and Mickey do stuff that they really, really shouldn't.
Characters/Pairings: Mickey Smith/K-9. Yes, you read that right.
Warnings: I know the comm rules say we shouldn't warn for either het or slash (and rightly so), but...what do you call man/tin dog?

Recced because: I'll keep this brief, because it's very late and I need to sleep, but here goes: Now, dear readers, I don't want you to go reading this rec and thinking I'm some sort of...odd character for liking it so much. But I do actually think it's pretty awesome, for a variety of reasons. And you know, tin dogs of all kinds need love too, right?

I'll confess to always feeling a bit sorry for Mickey. He never seemed to get a break. Well, until he became a freedom fighter against the Cybermen, somehow married Martha and then ended up running away from Sontarans in derelict industrial areas as Ten angsted at them from afar. So it all came good in the end, you might say. But in between times, he didn't have much luck did he? Which is why I like the idea of him finding a bit of companionship and satisfaction, even with a...yeah...

Look, I'll stop being silly and get to the point. I think you should read this story, because it's very funny, very well written (I love the economical way the author captures Mickey's voice in particular) and if the ending doesn't make you go "Awww"... (while simultaneously snorting whatever beverage you're currently consuming out of your nose), then you probably ought to go and buy a soul somewhere. The review I left over on Teaspoon when I first read it just says "Genius!" and I don't think I was incorrect. :)

neveralarch

Hi! Here's the first of my recommendations this week - I hope you all enjoy.

Story: The Only Renegade Time Lords Not To Be President This Time War
Author: aralias
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 6,508
Author's Summary: In which Braxiatel and Romana are not president (though not for lack of trying). Meanwhile, various other unsuitable people are.
Characters/Pairings: Iris Wildthyme, Irving Braxiatel, Leela, Narvin, Romana, The Doctor (8th), The Master (Other), The Rani, (also, Drax, Salyavin, Darkel, and K-9)
Warnings: None.

Recced because: Last time I recced, I did a theme set of BFA fics. I'm not going to try for that this time, but I figured I'd start with an awesome story about a set of somewhat obscure characters. This is the story of who was president of the Time Lords during the Time War (practically everyone), and I think it's funny even if you're not a bit obsessed with BFAs in general and the Gallifrey series in particular. But if you are, you'll find a lot of nods to the canon which make the fic amazing.

( excerpt under the cut )

derekmetaltron.livejournal.com

Hey everyone, it’s September 9th! You know what that means? We’re 107 days away from Christmas! And what better way to celebrate the festive season way, way too early than by fourteen tales of Winter Wonder with – get this – EVERY Doctor, Sarah Jane, Torchwood and K9?

Story: Christmas
Author: darkestboy
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 20,432
Author's Summary: A collection of Christmas themed stories throughout Time and Space. Spoilers from all of Doctor Who, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures and K9.
Characters/Pairings: 9th Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Jackie Tyler; 5th Doctor, Peri Brown; 10th Doctor, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, The Cybermen; K9 Mark 2, Alistair Gryffen; 7th Doctor, Ace, Mel Bush, Sabalom Glitz; 8th Doctor, Grace Holloway; 4th Doctor, Leela, Romana II; Jack Harkness, Alonso Frame; 3rd Doctor, Liz Shaw; 1st Doctor, Steven Taylor; 11th Doctor, Amy Pond, Rory Williams, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright; Sarah Jane Smith, Luke Smith, Clyde Langer, Rani Chandra, Jo Jones, Santiago Jones; 2nd Doctor, Ben Jackson, Polly Wright; 6th Doctor, Evelyn Smythe.
Warnings: None

Recced because: darkestboy is one of those authors who has done the seemingly impossible and written fan fiction for nigh-on every corner of the Doctor Who Universe, yet he has yet to receive any significant recognition for it, which is a tad unfair. This collection in question via a logical theme is a perfect example of this fact and every short story is great, ranging from the lost Christmas for Rose Tyler, to Winter reunions with Grace Holloway and Liz Shaw to the 1st Doctor dressed as Santa Claus! A fine introduction to this author’s work. The idea of a set of stories for all the Doctors is inspired too and he’s already started a second one for spooky Halloween. Indeed I’m thinking of trying something similar myself! Hope you like this!

Current Mood: creative

jjpor.livejournal.com

Well, that week went quickly, didn't it? It's been a lot of fun, and I hope people have enjoyed the recs I've posted so far. Just one more to go...

Story: Nothing gold can stay
Author: clocketpatch
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 16,535
Author's Summary: In which Romana saves the Doctor's butt, the universe, and some newt people.
Characters/Pairings: The Doctor (4th)/Romana II, K9
Warnings: Although there's nothing explicit, the story does involve possession and the Doctor acting very strangely; it hints at some pretty dark stuff, including violence, but without going into the details

Recced because: Here's another story that I've been meaning to rec either on Calufrax or elsewhere for at least three years now, but somehow never got around to it, because I'm bad like that. I have put in a good word for it here and there, though, in LJ conversations and elsewhere as and when the opportunity arose, because I really do think as many people as possible should read this one, and hopefully enjoy it as much as I have. I'll be honest, clocketpatch has become a pretty firm internet acquaintance of mine over the past couple of years, but I'm not exaggerating or gilding the lily even a little bit when I say she's one of the best writers I've come across online and that I wish her busy real life gave her more time to write, because the world needs more writing of this quality.

Very nice prose stylings, interesting use of words and vivid descriptive passages are the things I most associate with clocketpatch's writing, and this story is no exception. Another thing which endears it to me is the fact that it's about Four, Romana and K9, with more than a hint of Four/Romana about it; I can't get enough of that sort of stuff, as anybody who has had any fanfic-related dealings with me probably knows. Here, though, what is often thought of as a quite light, fluffy Team TARDIS find themselves involved in some quite grim, dark stuff indeed. I don't want to give more away than I did in the warnings section above, but it's interesting to see these characters in that sort of setting, and strangely it's extremely effective. Another thing this author does very well is to ground her stories very much in the often harsh reality of life, but without going overboard with grimness for grimness's sake. It's a fine line to tread, but she does it very well.

It's not all darkness, though - the portrayal of Four and Romana and their unique star-crossed relationship, and the whimsy of it, is very nice indeed. It makes me smile, and kind of "get something in my eye" at points, especially in the epilogue which provides a perfectly bittersweet ending to the whole tale. Another thing well worth mentioning is the world-building in this story; the author's aliens are very alien while remaining understandable to the reader, a hard thing to achieve.

Lastly, I cannot overstate the big impression this story made on me the first time I read it and how it consciously or unconsciously influenced my own later fic about Four and Romana and indeed the way I see their characters nowadays. Go and read it!

( Four Reflects )

And it occurs to me, somewhat shockingly, that I've managed to go a whole week without reccing any Seven fics... I suppose I'll just have to do better next time. :)

jjpor.livejournal.com

Well, hello there. Long-time reader, first time reccer here. If you'll all just try and bear with me, we can all get through this week as easily and painlessly as possible...

Story: UNIT: Strange Weapons
Author: vvj5 a.k.a

lost_spook
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 36335
Author's Summary: April 1985: Good scientific advisors are hard to find. Dr Webber discovers why when he’s expected to deal with zombies, aliens and Torchwood on his second day and his only help is a tin dog and a ghost. Colonel Crichton and Sarah Jane are planning an exit strategy of sorts, Bambera is trying to keep her men from joining the opposing forces. They'll all be lucky to stay alive.
Characters/Pairings: K9, Sarah Jane Smith, Winifred Bambera, Colonel Crichton, UNIT, Torchwood, OCs
Warnings:

lost_spook isn't really that type of author :)

Recced because: Recced firstly because when I first read it I more or less immediately thought "if I ever rec on Calufrax, this is definitely going on my list!", and secondly because I think more people should read it and then go on to read the "80s UNIT" series of which it is part and allow themselves to be drawn into and captivated by it the way I have been. This isn't actually the first story in the series, although it is the first to feature our soon-to-be heroes Nat and Tilly. Some people are understandably wary of fanfic heavily featuring OCs, but I think these OCs and this story and its sequels more than justify the author's decision to use them. They're lovely, they are. :D And as you can see from the summary above, there are plenty of "canon" Who characters getting in on the act (K9 is brilliant in this, and you can never have too many fics featuring Bambera, I say), not least Colonel Crichton from The Five Doctors (briefly), who here goes from walk-on obscurity to a certain quiet, noble British heroism that would do the Brig himself proud. And plus you get to find out just what UNIT was up to between Seeds of Doom and Battlefield and learn all about their ongoing struggle with the dastardly men in grey suits from the Torchwood Institute. I could go on gushing for another few paragraphs, but suffice to say, read this. And then read all of the sequels. Yes, all of them.

( A taster )

pitry.livejournal.com

Story: Broken Telephone
Author: Macadamanaity
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1,244
Author's Summary: Five conversations about something else.
Characters/Pairings: Luke Smith, Clyde Lander, Rani Chandra, Sarah Jane Smith, Maria Jackson (,K-9)
Warnings: None

Recced because: Good friendships fics are always a treasure, and in this Macadamanaity captured the friendship between the SJA gang perfectly. On the surface, Luke has finally learned the art of practical jokes and is testing his new ability on his old friends. Peel it a bit more and you get a wonderful depiction of friendship that is true to the characters and to the stories they are usually in.

janeturenne.livejournal.com

*waves* Hello all! I’m Jane, and I’ll be your reccer this week. I’ve never met a corner of the Whoniverse I didn’t like, and this week’s recs will include stories set during Classic Who, New Who, and in the Big Finish Audio ‘verse. I’m particularly fascinated by the Time Lords as a species, so every rec this week will include at least one Time Lord or Time Lady other than the Doctor (though he’s in plenty of them too).

This first rec is set in the Gallifrey audio ‘verse. Let me just take a moment here to say to those who have not heard Gallifrey: Look at your life. Look at your choices. And then go forth immediately and listen, for lo, it is amazing.

Story: On Her Lady President’s Secret Service
Author: neveralarch
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 13025
Author’s Summary: Narvin and Leela tracking down spies in the Citadel. And also fighting with people. And fighting with each other. And having discussions about CIA training methods. But they also track down spies.
Characters: Irving Braxiatel, Leela, Narvin, Other Character(s), Romana II, K-9 Mark I
Warnings: Explicit Violence
Recced because:

I’ll admit from the top that I am wildly biased where this story is concerned, because it’s got tons of Narvin in it, and Narvin is quite possibly my favorite character in the whole of the Whoniverse. But I think anybody who’s at all familiar with the Gallifrey audios is bound to enjoy this story just as much as I do, because it’s a solid piece of writing in every possible way: excellently plotted, perfectly characterized, with all the wit and dry humor that are so characteristic of the show itself. In addition, this fic is unusual for being set during Gallifrey’s first season, so not only does it have the ‘Torvald’ plotline to play with, it also serves as an excellent antidote to the shifting paradigms of season four, grounded back on the Gallifrey we knew, before wars, plagues or alternate universes. If I had to pick one single candidate for the classic Gallifrey fic, it would be On Her Lady President’s Secret Service.

( Excerpt: )

persiflage-1.livejournal.com

This is my last rec this week (and the longest fic!). I hope everyone's found at least one new story to enjoy!

And don't forget - if you've read and enjoyed any of the fics this week, leave a review (however brief) - such things are better than meat and drink to us fic authors.

Story: A Time of Grace
Author: Rivendellrose
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 44439
Author's Summary: Following the Time War, Romana discovers that she has enemies she'd rather forget, friends she's never met, and a duty to the memory of her planet.
Characters/Pairings: Ace McShane, Gwen Cooper, Jack Harkness, K-9, Leela, Lucy Saxon, Martha Jones, Other Character(s), Other Character(s), Other Character(s), Other Character(s), Other Character(s), Romana II, Romana (Author Created)

Recced because: It's a brilliant post-Time War fic that combines Classic and New Who seamlessly.

There was a... thing, in the Tardis control room.

The Doctor had picked it up on a dark, ravaged moon in the Equinos system - one of those places he hadn’t really meant to go to, but had nonetheless found himself landing on after entering random coordinates into the Tardis’ systems. The last time he’d been there there had been the first tiny, delicate sparklings of life beginning to burst out on its icy, rocky surface. Now, nothing.

Nothing except this thing. The thing, as he’d begun to think of it. It was almost at the point of developing independent capitalization in his mind, and that was, in his experience, never a good sign.

The thing came up to about the top of his breast-bone, and was about as wide as his arms could reach around, though it tapered a bit at the top. When he first saw it he’d had the sick thought that it was a new kind of Dalek armour that had somehow survived the war, but closer inspection hadn’t borne that out. It was gold, but the shape and design of it was completely unlike their circular knobules and venting. It wasn’t made of dalekenium, anyway, but some other metal equally impervious to all the scans he’d subjected it to. The elemental make-up seemed somehow familiar, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

Current Mood: cold
Current Location: Home
Current Music: Classic FM - Tim Lihoreau

ffutures.livejournal.com

Story: Blast from the Past
Author: Jinxed Wood
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2046
Author's Summary: Martha's first call to the office, at UNIT, holds a surprise for her she hadn't expected. Sequel to 'The House Call'
Characters/Pairings: Martha Jones, Sarah Jane Smith, Unspecified Companion
Warnings: None
Recced because: The death of Nicholas Courtney earlier this year gave us another character to remember, the Brigadier. This is a lovely story which shows him doing what he does best; acting as a foil for the other characters, Martha Jones and Sarah Jane Smith. Although it's a sequel, it works perfectly well on its own.

eve11

It's my last rec of the week. Thanks for coming along with me and letting me tell you guys about my favorite fics once again. This one just went up yesterday but I've loved it ever since I read it on lj and when I saw it on the "most recent" update list it was like a present to make my last recc day all that much easier.

Story: Comon Issues in Child Care
Author: neveralarch
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 4873
Author's Summary: From a prompt by aralias: "Some sort of Gallifrey babyfic - yes, that's what's happening here." Set in a idyllic future of the canon, where both the K-9s are there and also Elbon is not a zombie.
Characters: Irving Braxiatel, K-9, Leela, Narvin, Other Character(s), Other Character(s), Other Character(s), Romana II, Romana II, The Doctor (8th)
Warnings: None

Recc'ed because: Gallifreyans can handle all of the machinations and political manouverings from millennia-old society, but add one tiny humanoid baby and...well. I am not all that familiar with the Gallifrey chronicles but loved all of the characters that show up here and how they all deal differently with the little baby that the Eighth Doctor drops in their laps. This really is a delight of a fun story, told in a round robin format as the baby changes hands, and the characterizations are a peach.

( Excerpt )

kilodalton

And we come to the end of my rec week! I had an epic blast, so I leave you with an epic crack!fic XD I hope you guys enjoyed the fics this week - they are all gems imo! =D

Story: There Was a Master in a Game
Author: Azriona
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 66712
Author's Summary: Gallifrey wasn’t entirely lost when it went back into the Time Lock; it just got stuck. The Master wants out. Isn’t he lucky that the Doctor left him a way?
Characters/Pairings: K-9, Lynda Moss, Sally Sparrow, The Master (Simm), Romana, OCs
Warnings: none

Recced because: I'll be honest and say that I wasn't initially planning on reading this fic when it came out. It didn't have any pairings I recognize or fangirl, and I'm not really into The Master fics, so I was gonna take a pass. Then, my Friend List literally exploded with praise for this fic, so I decided to read it and see what all the fuss was about. SO GLAD I DID!! It is an incredibly funny, ingenious account of the Master post-End of Time. We know and love him as an evil crazy guy ... but, between the crack!tastically funny dialogue, this fic has mystery (what is the point of the game?) and even character development, which is a rare feat for a crack!fic to pull off so beautifully and believably!! I read it the whole thing in one sitting 2 days before a big midterm - that is how much I liked it!! I hope you enjoy it as well! =D

nonelvis

Story: Lights and Cheer
Author: leamichelle
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2,301
Author's Summary: In the Vortex, one loses a sense of when and where. It's fitting that the Doctor decides for all.
Characters/Pairings: Four/Romana I, K-9
Warnings: None

Recced because: Okay, I'm a good two months late for Christmas fic, and I don't even celebrate the holiday myself, but I am still going to rec this irresistible Four/Romana I Christmas fluff because it is just that charming. We've all seen the "Doctor and companion celebrate Holiday X" trope before, but rarely is it this entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny. Four's holiday observance starts with a strand of multicolored lights, moves on to spiked eggnog, and (unsurprisingly) becomes progressively sillier not long afterwards.

Excerpt: ( after the cut )

aralias.livejournal.com

Story: Time Lords Made Us Do It
Author: Bagheera
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 978
Author's Summary: After "End of Time", the Time Lords figure out that their only hope for survival is to give the drums to the Doctor. (Gallifrey crack fic).
Characters/Pairings: Romana 2, Braxiatel, Narvin, Leela, K-9, (various Doctor/Master in the background)

Recced because: Another Doctor/Master fic, but one that distinguishes itself by never actually featuring those characters. As the summary notes, this is a Gallifrey fic, first and foremost, and is largely about those brilliant characters trying to tackle a problem - that problem just happens to be making the Doctor and the Master have sex, something that some characters find discomforting (very funny), and others are completely fine with (also very funny). It's largely dialogue based, which works well in an audio fandom and with such distinct voices, it's well structured, and cleverly punctures the pomposity of much of 'End of Time'.

Excerpt: "Andred once showed me this psychic union you speak of," Leela said thoughtfully. "I was not impressed."

Coordinator Narvin made a horrible grimace that seemed to say: I did not need to know this. Romana privately agreed.

singeaddams.livejournal.com

Sorry for the very late rec but I didn't come crawling home from work until ass-o'clock.

Title: Hearts and Flowers
Author: JJPOR
Rating: All Audiences
Word count: 1,014
Author's summary: "Love triangles can be a terrible thing, especially when one of the corners is a tin dog."
Characters: Doctor 4, Romana, K9
Warnings: None

Recced because: It's adorable and we needed a Valentine's Day story! I'd tell you more but I can't beat the author's own summary. Ahhhh, poor, wretched K9...

The Doctor looked at her in puzzlement as she frowned at the card in her hand. It had two large pink hearts on the front and a verse inside, which she proceeded to read aloud:

““Mars is red, police boxes are blue, the Eye of Orion is quite lovely at this time of the aeon, and so are you…”?” She looked up, frowning even more intensely: “Well, I can’t say I think much of the poetry.”

biichan.livejournal.com

Story: Ramona and the Blue Box
Author: Primsong
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 8837
Author's summary: The Doctor finds himself in for an interesting afternoon when he and Romana land on Klickitat Street. Or was it Ramona? Crossover with the classic Beverly Cleary series.
Characters/Pairings: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, Henry Huggins, Ribsy, Ramona Quimby, Beezus Quimby, K9
Warnings: Crossover with Beverly Cleary's Ramona books

Recced because: I have no idea if Beverly Cleary's books ever made it across the pond, but here in the US they've become a cultural institution. Generations of children have grown up reading about Ramona Quimby, her sister Beezus, Henry Huggins, his dog Ribsy, and the rest of the various inhabitants of Klickitat Street. So it's really not surprising that I squee'd out loud when I found this fic: Doctor Who and Beverly Cleary really are two great tastes that go well together. And Primsong blends them together with such skill that you'd have thought Ms Cleary herself stepped in to pen an serial.

Oddly enough, though the fic's really about Ramona (and Romana, who unfortunately gets left behind on Klickitat street by mistake), as far as Cleary canon goes it actually takes place during the Henry Huggins books. Instead of the misunderstood school-age Ramona of the Ramona books, we instead have the bratty little kid of Cleary's early stuff lost inside the TARDIS. Which makes it all the more fun, because there's nothing like little Ramona for causing trouble. As you will see.

Current Mood: bouncy

sciathan-file.livejournal.com

Happy Saturday! Today we're era hopping.

Story: A Shift in Perspective
Author:  Persiflage
Rating:  Teen
Word Count:  50234
Author's Summary:  The Tenth Doctor goes missing and it's up to Martha Jones to track him down again, but it proves both harder and more instructive than she expects.
Characters/Pairings: Sarah Jane Smith, The Doctor (All incarnations), The White Guardian, Torchwood, a plethora of companions
Warnings: Spoilers for just about everything. They are warned for in the author's notes of each section.

Recced because: Set a few months after series 4, "A Shift in Perspective" sends Martha on a journey that has her meeting the Doctor - yes, every incarnation of him. What stands out about this particular fic (and Persiflage's writing in general) is her nuanced and strong portrayal of Martha Jones: she's independent, she's strong, and she does what she has to do. Part of the charm of "A Shift in Perspective" is the fact that you get to see glimpses of Martha interacting with all of the Doctors (who are all impeccably characterized) as well as many of the previous companions. Moreover, the fic is fast-paced and features a solid plot alongside the solid characterizations. Overall, a wonderful fic to park yourself and read on a summer day (or on any day, really).

( A small sample... )

pitry.livejournal.com

Story: On The Benefits of Having An Attic
Author: dbskyler
Word count: 897
Rating: All ages
Author's Summary: The Doctor sent K-9 to Sarah as a gift. Now what's she supposed to do with all the other stuff?
Characters/ pairings: Sarah Jane Smith, K-9

Recced because: You know those awkward bits when your exes give you back all the stuff you left in their house over the years? When the ex is the Doctor and the house is the Tardis.... well, it can get a bit uncomfortable, too. And messy. And hilarious, especially if the fic is in diary form and you just can't wait to see what's the next thing Sarah Jane has to deal with!

thisbluespirit

Story: A Vampyre More Accursed
Author: jinxed_wood
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 7519
Author's Summary: On their way back from Cambridge, Earth, the Eighth Doctor and Romana find themselves shunted off to 19th century Switzerland, and a dark and stormy night with Mary Shelley and Lord Byron. (Set after BF's Shada)
Characters/Pairings: Eighth Doctor, Romana II, K9
Warnings: None. (Although please bear in mind it was written before Big Finish’s Company of Friends).

Recced because:Vampires with this group of historical characters was, of course, begging to be done, but this is a lovely piece and every bit of the Doctor and Romana’s banter here is a joy. (I can absolutely hear Eight on the subject of buttercups). It’s the sort of fic that leads the reader to wind up like the Eighth Doctor himself – dancing around telling everyone else how good it is. (And the ending is priceless.)

curuchamion.livejournal.com

Story: Don't Tell Mum
Author: Darqstar
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 7371
Author's Summary: “The Doctor is sent on a very important mission; babysitting. Yes, that's right, babysitting.”
Characters/Pairings: Fourth Doctor, K-9, other characters
Warnings: None.

Recced because: There is not enough Whofic in that odd little subgenre, "fandom characters playing with kids fic". In fact, this is the only piece I've found, but it's really worth reading.

Both the main characters are spot-on. Four, as the "childish" Doctor, was the obvious choice for this story, and he romps through it with his usual slightly bewildered buoyancy. And the little girl he has to babysit should seem very familiar to anyone who's ever dealt with four-year-olds!

There really needs to be more Whofic in this genre, but "Don't Tell Mum, the Babysitter's an Alien" is a wonderful start to the collection!

nonelvis

Story: In the Moment
Author: JJPOR
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 6,924
Author's Summary: He has been lying about his age for so long now that it is hard to remember exactly how old he is, but however many years it is, he is feeling every one of them today.
Characters/Pairings: Four/Romana II, K-9
Warnings: None

Recced because: The author calls this "shameless Four/Romana" love, but personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. "In the Moment" is charming, with spot-on, sparkling dialogue between Four and Romana II as they spend a lazy day picking out clothes and relaxing in a park. There's also unexpected emotional depth here – the Doctor's reminiscences of his early life on Gallifrey and what drove him to leave, and the two Time Lords' acknowledgement that they're running away together not just out of love, but out of fear of the future. If you're a Four/Romana II fan, I can't recommend this story highly enough.

philosophercat.livejournal.com

Title: Walking the Labyrinth.
Author: LilacFree.
Characters/Pairings: 4th Doctor, Adric, K9, Tegan Jovanka, the Master (Ainsley).
Rating: All ages.
Warnings: None.
Word Count: 3419.
Summary: Doctor who? Has any one else ever walked into the TARDIS without having met the Doctor? This story is an attempt to walk in Tegan's high-heeled shoes. It follows canon from the 4th Doctor episode 'Logopolis' fairly closely, with a couple of additions.
Follows my story 'First Step' and is part of the same series. It also draws from the drabble 'He Laughs'.

Recced Because: Taking a couple of scenes from Logopolis where not much happens other than Tegan exploring, getting lost and frightened, in the TARDIS before she has met the Doctor and turns it into an effective character study. I like to see this both as Tegan working through her fears but also as a study of the Doctor by means of the TARDIS. The author makes use to two meanings for the labyrinth: meditation tool, and location for the Theseus and the Minotaur myth, with the Master as the Minotaur.

thisbluespirit

Story: An Old Cliched Joke
Author:A Moment In Subtext
Rating:All Ages
Word Count: 316
Author's Summary:How many Doctors does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Characters/Pairings: K-9, Rose Tyler, Tegan Jovanka, The Doctor (10th), The Doctor (1st), The Doctor (2nd), The Doctor (3rd), The Doctor (4th), The Doctor (5th), The Doctor (6th), The Doctor (7th), The Doctor (8th), The Doctor (9th)
Warnings: None, but absolutely not to be taken seriously…

Recced because:How about a joke for the middle of the week? Okay, then: how many Doctors does it take to change a light bulb?

Frankly, anything would be quicker than all ten of him. It’s a short, daft fic but the sly humour at the Doctors’ expense makes me grin every time I read it. It’s completely silly, but it works and I keep sneaking back to it when I need cheering up.

mysticalchild_isis

Story: The Good, the Bad, and the Hovercrafts
Author:

eponymous_rose
Rating: All-Ages
Word Count: 1814
Author's Summary: In which various alien entities get held off at the pass, the Doctor and Romana take up jogging, and K-9, to everyone's horror, tells a joke.
Characters/Pairings: Four, Romana I, K-9
Warnings: K-9 tells a joke.

This is one of those brilliant, funny stories that reads just like one of the classic episodes. From the banter ("Rather clever bits and bobs?" Romana echoed, and narrowed her eyes. "You just dropped the sonic screwdriver in the works, didn't you?"), to the angry aliens of the week, to Romana's choice in footwear- it all scans perfectly.

clocketpatch

Hi I’m Clocket and I’ll be your assigned reccer for the next seven days. Hopefully I’ll be able to give you a nice selection of lengths and eras with a good crack-to-angst ratio. Since I’m swamped with school this week I wrote most of these up a good month in advance so here’s hoping no one steals the recs.

Story: To the Rescue
Author: dbskyler
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1381
Author's Summary: Sarah Jane is in Aberdeen! Help is on the way.
Characters/Pairings: Sarah-Jane, Jack Harkness, K-9, Jo Grant, Romana II, Harry Sullivan
Warnings: probably best not to be drinking anything that might wreck your laptop when reading this

Recced because:
Mondays need a bit of humour, therefore I bring you this wonderful and highly plausible fic about what Sarah-Jane did after getting dumped in Aberdeen. Did she weep and angst in a corner, a helpless little maiden in distress?
– of course not! She’s Sarah-Jane!
The Doctor, however, is set on the notion that she must be rescued, and sends various companions to do the deed; the results are predictably hilarious as Sarah-Jane rolls her eyes at each in turn and gets on with her sight-seeing (this involves wild misappropriations of UNIT funding).

( Brief snippet: )

mysticalchild_isis

Story: La Vie Boheme
Author: Doctor Tam
Rating: All-Ages
Word Count: 2075
Author's Summary: A non-linear character study: "He composes a symphony for accordion and dog whistle, goes pike fishing in the Thames, and gets a sunburn on his nose. After all, the universe isn’t his responsibility."
Characters/Pairings: Four, The Brig, Harry, Sarah Jane, Leela, Romana I, Romana II, K-9
Warnings: None

It's not too hard to scratch the surface with Four (teeth & curls, scarf, jelly baby, hello!), but he's always seemed to be one of the more difficult Doctors to get beneath the surface with.

This story not only goes deep, but also provides a lovely illumination of Four: his fears, his hopes, his motivations, and his interactions with his friends and companions. Even the non-linear nature of the story is perfectly suited to the Fourth Doctor (and the sections are scattered to great effect).

fearlessfirefly.livejournal.com

Story: There's No Way Out Of Here
Author: MrWhat
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1060
Author's Summary: When you come in, you're in for good.
Characters/Pairings: The Doctor (4th), K-9, Romana I
Warnings: None.

Recced because: This is one of the first Fourth Doctor-era fanfics I ever read, and even now it brings tears of laughter to my eyes. It is side-splitting hilarity told in diary format, and to say any more would spoil the fun, so go on and read!

Current Mood: awake

ionlylurkhere.livejournal.com

Story: Dread Pirate Roberts
Author:

biichan
Rating: Teen
Word count: 3000
Author's summary: If you fall in love with someone pretending to be someone else, are you in love with them or the person they're pretending to be? S3 AU.
Characters/Pairings: Martha/Romana, Seven, K9
Warnings: None

Recced because: For some reason, Martha seems to be the new school companion shipped with the most old school characters. And one of the popular femslash pairings for her (along with Martha/Ace, which I could easily have recced an entire week for by itself, to be completely honest) is with Romana.

biichan's take on it (again from this year's

dw_femslash ficathon) is lovely and does something very interestingly different: it's an alternate S3, with the alternateness coming from Romana having been the one to survive the Time War, not the Doctor. What follows from there is a really clever set of inversions of and counterpoints to canon, not just Martha's journey in S3 but all sorts of other bits as well. It's a succession of fantastic moments, by turns funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking and inducing pure punch-the-air fannish glee. A wonderful fic.

jinxed-wood.livejournal.com

Story: 17 Reasons Why Romana is (better than) the Doctor
Author:

calapine (Carmen Sandiego on Teaspoon)
Wordcount: 1165
Rating: All Ages
Author's Summary:Cause she is, y'know.
Characters/Pairings: K-9, Romana II, The Doctor (4th)

Recced because: I know you all know about my unshakable belief that Romana pawns the entire multiverse - whether my proof for this theory is sound is another story! The truth, I suspect, lies somewhere between Shrodinger's cat and Newton's apple tree... this wee story shows 17 of the steps between.

akashasheiress.livejournal.com

Story: Sixteen Degress
Author: Melengro
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 627
Author's Summary: Cold hands, burning heads, boiling stomachs.
Characters/Pairings: Doctor/Romana, K-9
Warnings: Nuclear fallout stuffs, genocidal angst

Recced because: Because it should have been recced a long time ago. It's basically this beautiful, feverish mesh of alieness and Time Angst and Sehnsucht.

( Excerpt )

akashasheiress.livejournal.com

Story: Alien Abduction
Author: JJPOR
Word count: 43269
Rating: Teen
Author's Summary: UFOs! Men in Black! Psychedelic Hippies! Tentacle-Beasts from Dimension X! New Mexico, 1968: Evil lurks beneath the Diablo Mesa as the Doctor and Romana take on the might of the Military-Industrial Complex; the Military-Industrial Complex probably ought to be very scared.
Characters/Pairings: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K-9
Warnings: Explicit violence, drugs, hippiness

Recced because: This story might as well be a Classic Who serial. It has suspense, creative aliens, entertaining tertiary characters, not to mention delightful Four/Romana chemistry.

( Tiny excerpt of cuteness )

ionlylurkhere.livejournal.com

Story: Remnants
Author: katuah
Rating: All Ages
Word count: 2200
Author's Summary: What does the Doctor do when his current Companions are asleep? How does he explain his life to them? Does he think often about the ones who were with him before? What about the things they leave behind in his TARDIS - or in his heart?
Characters/Pairings: Leela, K9, Four/SJS
Warnings: None

Recced because: Leela as a character, and Four/Sarah Jane as a ship, don't get enough attention in my opinion, but here they're both done very well indeed (in particular, Leela's background is used very well, without demeaning her, and the treatment of the ship strikes me as perfect for all Doctor/human stuff). And it makes good use of the TARDIS, which always gets two thumbs up from me.

biichan.livejournal.com

Story: Gaze into the Abyss
Author: JJPOR
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 22, 811
Author's summary: She wanted to make a difference; she wanted to do good. She wanted to be able to say that she had done something more with her life than simply watching. Most of all, she wanted to be like him, to please him. Events dictated otherwise.
Characters/Pairings: Various Doctors/Romana II, Leela/Andred, Davros, K9, Fourth Doctor, Seventh Doctor, Eighth Doctor, Jacobi!Master, Daleks, and various assorted Time Lords
Warnings: Sad and long. Bring tissues. Also, explicit violence (but then it is a war story.)

Recced because: Tonight you get two Calufrax recs from me! I've already recced the short one; this is the long one. Believe me, it's worth every sentence.

Gazing Into the Abyss is, without a doubt, my favorite Time War fic. It's written from the perspective of Romana and through her JPOR does an excellent job of showing the horrors of war. We begin with Romana in all her youth and idealism, wanting to do good and finding the role of President as the perfect way to accomplish this and we end at the end of Gallifrey herself, the final hour. It's sad and heartbreaking, but the writing is beautiful and there were moments reading this where I forgot that it isn't actually canon. I cannot recommend this one more.

Current Mood: enthralled

carawj.livejournal.com

Story: Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons)
Author: eponymous_rose
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2260
Author's Summary: Four seasons with the Doctor, with the TARDIS, and with the impossible.
Characters/Pairings: Fourth Doctor, Harry Sullivan, K-9, Romana II, Sarah Jane Smith,
Warnings: None

Recced because: Four snapshots that beautifully capture TARDIS life, using the most gorgeous, evocative language. The characters are all wonderful, with brilliant Sarah Jane and Harry, and it's particularly notable for having an absolutely perfect Fourth Doctor voice, which is often difficult to find in fic. This one is really all about the way it's written, because it is just spellbinding.

silly-cleo.livejournal.com

(Second post to make up for missing yesterday. Apologies!)

Story: Seconds Ticking
Author: Biichan
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 908
Author's Summary: Of course they had a back-up plan. No one said that it was sensible.
Characters/Pairings: Leela, Tenth Doctor, Donna Noble, Martha Jones, K-9, Romana II, Braxiatel, Narvin, Jackie Tyler, Rose Tyler, Pete Tyler
Warnings: None.

Recced because: I love pocket-watch stories and I love Big Finish and this story manages to combine the two fantastically. Awesome, awesome theory and it's incredible how many good lines are packed in to so few words. I really sort of wish this were canon. Everyone's voice sounds just right, especially Leela's. This one's a must if you like the Big Finish series Gallifrey but is still heaps of fun even if you're not familiar with it, I think.

netgirl-y2k.livejournal.com

Story: Then Sleep the Season
Author: Cherry Ice
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1954
Author's Summary: The TARDIS is not her home, and she is more a stranger here than she has ever been. Romana, last of the Time Lords.
Characters/Pairings: Romana, Mickey Smith, K-9
Warnings: N/A

Recced because: The very idea of an AU where Romana is the last of the Time Lords with Mickey as her companion is of course fantastic, but it's the execution that really makes this fic. The characterisation is superb, Romana's guilt over the war and how ill at ease she feels in the Doctor's TARDIS is both painful and wonderful.

netgirl-y2k.livejournal.com

Story: Scent on the Wind
Author: icebluenothing
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1241
Author's Summary: Big Ben ruined, a crashed alien spaceship in London -- the call has gone out for alien experts. But one of them finds a reason to stay home ....
Characters/Pairings: Sarah Jane Smith, K-9
Warnings: N/A

Recced because: When Sarah was first reintroduced in School Reunion she was carrying the broken K-9 around in the boot of her car and at first glance this fic is the tale of how K-9 came to break down. But it also ties beautifully into series one and is a lovely look at the affection Sarah feels for K-9.

( Snippet )

biichan.livejournal.com

Story: Threads
Author: Vali
Rating: All Ages
Author's summary: Romana finds that her tastes have begun to change.
Characters/Pairings: Romana I/Fourth Doctor, K9
Warnings: none that I can think of (unless you want me to warn for Classic Who)

Recced because: Of the two Romanas, Romana I definitely gets the less play in fandom. Is this because Romana's first incarnation was so standoffish? Less blond? Less overtly shippy with the Doctor? Probably the most likely explanation is that while fic with Romana II has her whole life ahead of her to play with, Romana I only really had the Key To Time Arc. Whatever the reason, it's rare to find well-written fic with Romana I in it and the fact that "Threads" is so very much more than just well-written makes this fic a joy to rec.

Vali takes Romana as we first meet her--a prissy young know-it-all straight from the Academy--and shows how she grows and changes over the course of the search for the Key To Time. It's a character study, but it's also a love story--or, rather, a falling-in-love story--between Romana and the Doctor. We see him through her eyes, nothing more than a crazy old vagabond at first and something altogether different at the end. There's also a good deal of commentary on Gallifreyan society, which sheds some light on why Romana might have chosen to regenerate at the start of S17.

In short, "Threads" is a real treat to read.

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: KT Tunstall - Suddenly I See

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calufrax is sleeping in your mind. One day, it may be brought back in front of your eyes.

April 2018

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A rec comm for A Teaspoon And An Open Mind

Entries tagged with companion: k-9

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