Entries tagged with rating: teen

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rec: Love/Hate by nostalgia

Ahoy there, Calufraxers! I'm

lost_spook (vvj5 on Teaspoon) and I'll be your reccer for the next two weeks. I have a fondness for pretty much all eras, so I'll be reccing a fair mix (I hope!). To start with, however, let's get bang up to date.

Story: Love/Hate
Author: nostalgia
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 3552
Author's Summary: Missy blackmails the Doctor into spending some time with her at a posh hotel. Yay?
Characters/Pairings: Twelfth Doctor/Missy (mentions of River/Doctor)
Warnings: Swearing

Recced because: Missy blackmails Twelve into a romantic holiday. It could never go well, but the really terrible thing is it’s not as bad as the Doctor would like it to be. This is just so funny and sharp and true to the pair of them (and Doctor-Master relationships generally). In particular, Twelve’s continual annoyance throughout the fic is a joy to behold, though Missy’s constant needling isn’t far behind.

Have a snippet to tempt you:

This wasn't going at all well, which was only to be expected. He was being blackmailed into a holiday and it wasn't even a good one. He found a barstool and a drinks list and waited for the barman to notice him. He half wished he'd changed into something cooler, but he knew Missy would have taken that to mean he was prepared to enjoy himself.

“What will it be?”

“Water, with ice, and a banana daiquiri for my... “ Arch-nemesis? Best enemy? Former friend? “Annoying woman in black.”

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Rec: I could never live with me before you came along by Nancy Brown

Story: I could never live with me before you came along
Author: Nancy Brown
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 8664
Author's Summary: Canton Everett Delaware III is on a mission from God, er, River to put the band back together.
Characters/Pairings: Amy Pond, Canton Everett Delaware III, Jenny Flint, Madame Vastra, River Song, Rory Williams, The Doctor (11th), plus Anthony Williams and OCs
Warnings: None

Recced because: I was actually planning to rec another fic by this author, and I came across this more or less at random while looking for the other one on her Teaspoon page yesterday...and loved it. And couldn't believe it had no reviews and decided the best way of remedying that with a vengeance was to get it out here on Calufrax. So win/win for me - I get to rec this magnificent fic and still have one in the hole for my next reccing stint! :D

In all seriousness, though, this is a great fic, written with excellent characterisation and just common sense, decency and humanity. You know, like the best fics are. The fact that it also ticks quite a few of my fannish boxes as regards the tail end of the Eleven era (the Capaldinator is obviously brilliant, but I'm unashamed to say Eleven remains "my" NuWho Doctor) certainly doesn't hurt either. I've made no secret of the fact that I was, and am, seriously dissatisfied with the ending Amy and Rory got in The Angels Take Manhattan, not even because of their fates but mainly because of the slapdash way it was all plotted and the way we were expected to swallow rl attempts to plaster over those plot holes by authorial "word of god", so this sort of semi-fix-it (it doesn't actually fix it, but makes its point by illustrating one of the several blatantly obvious ways that it could be fixed) will always hold a certain appeal for me. The fact that it's wise-guy G-Man Canton Everett Delaware III, still one of my all-time favourite one-shot Who guest characters, who gets to be the main instrument of that sort-of-fix-it is, for me, the shiny cherry on top.

The author gives Canton an OC boyfriend, fittingly also a smart-mouthed hard-boiled cop type, who is also the everyman observer of the Doctor's strange world, as they go about reuniting Canton, the Paternoster Row crew, Amy and Rory and their adopted son Anthony, and eventually River and Eleven himself, and even get a bit of fraught adventure along the way. Throughout, we are reminded deftly and thought-provokingly of the difficulties and dangers facing same-sex relationships over the ages, with Vastra and Jenny's relationship also portrayed with great perceptiveness and sensitivity. I think the main thing I like about this, though, is the obvious love for the diverse cast of characters; even the ones that don't get that many lines (Eleven, actually) are vividly portrayed; as I often say of fanfic I find has particularly true-to-life characterisations, you really can hear the voices as you read it.

So get over there and see what you think, and please leave some words of appreciation for the author...!

( A Taste )

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Rec: Gymnophoria: Take One by Culumacilinte

Story: Gymnophoria: Take One
Author: Culumacilinte
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1256 words
Author's Summary: She knows intimately the sensation of a pair of eyes trained on her; the awful, crawling knowledge that someone is staring at her, imagining her naked, imagining doing more than just looking.
Characters/Pairings: The Sixth Doctor, Peri Brown
Warnings: Discussion of sexual harassment, and references to the implied sexual abuse of a minor.

Recced because: I’m re-watching old Who at the moment and just finished Mindwarp. I quite like Peri, but I dislike her being made into a perpetual sex object. This fic deals with how Peri feels about all these guys fawning over her and makes a great job describing it. I also enjoy Six showing his caring side.

( Excerpt )

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Rec: Friends In High Places by nostalgia

Hello! I’m

scripsi here and Dancingsalome at Teaspoon. This is my first round of reccing and I hope you will enjoy my recs as much as I have!

Story: Friends In High Places
Author: nostalgia
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1753 words
Author's Summary: In which Torchwood completely fail to locate the Doctor while he's pretty much on their doorstep.
Characters/Pairings: The Third Doctor, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Liz Shaw, Jack Harkness, Donna Noble, the Tenth Doctor, The Master (Delgado), River Song, the TARDIS
Warnings: None stated

Recced because: The Doctor is thinking of getting a pet snake, the Brigadier fudge personal files and the Master takes a part time job at Torchwood. What is not to love? The fic consist of a couple of short scenes with various characters that are described spot on and why they want to find, or hide, the Doctor. I laughed out loud several times while reading it.

( Excerpt )

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rec: Metamorphosis by Rose of Pollux

Story: Metamorphosis
Author: Rose of Pollux
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 19872
Author's Summary: Season 6B, post-"The Two Doctors." After learning about Dastari's experiments on the Doctor, the Rani brings her old classmate, along with his Scottish companion, back to Space Station Chimera for a new series of experiments. With two Grigs of Androgums aiding the Rani, the Doctor and Jamie may never be the same again...
Characters/Pairings: Jamie McCrimmon, The Doctor (2nd), The Rani
Warnings: None

Recced because: Just the idea of the Second Doctor and Jamie facing the Rani is intriguing; and the author manages to execute it well with the characters' dynamic written perfectly and a very unique twist (which I won't spoil).

Current Mood: jubilant

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rec: "Beauty and Folly" by helluin

Story: Beauty and Folly
Author:helluin
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 4134
Author's Summary: After a year spent pushing through a time-barrier on Planet Folly, the Doctor is rather the worse for wear. However, he does not entirely appreciate Nyssa's attempts to play nursemaid.
Characters/Pairings: The Doctor (5th), Nyssa
Warnings: None

Recced because: Set during the Big Finish audio "Demons of Red Lodge" (though there is enough context given for this story to work as a standalone), this is a wonderfully angsty and well-written character study for Nyssa and the Doctor.

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Rec: "Self-Preservation," by Memory Dragon

Posting on behalf of Styrofoam monster on Teaspoon.

Story: Self-Preservation
Author: Memory Dragon
Rating: teen
Word count: 16429
Characters: Delgado!master, Three, Simm!master
Summary: Running for his life with the Master, the Doctor finds someone he just can't leave behind.
Warnings: This fic is part of a well balanced diet of angst and cuteness. The Master gets a bit beaten up (off screen abuse of the insane on backwater planets) and there is a small bit of violence towards the Doctor, but I don't think it's anything major. Just a bit of choking, really.

Recced because: Self-Preservation features two incarnations of the Master, and Memory Dragon writes them both splendidly (though of course, anything Memory Dragon writes with the Master is guaranteed goodness). This fic shows the trust between the 3rd doctor and his master, something that has been lost in their later regenerations, and the mercurial nature of simm!master, and offers a believable explanation for how Delgado becomes who he will be. The story is very much one of contrasts, a moment of truce in a conflict that almost feels like a farce because it's obvious in this fic that Three and his master don't hate each other - rather the opposite. The concern the 3rd doctor and Delgado!master show for each other only underscores how bitter their battles will become. The conversation between the two Masters was also well done, with Delgado characteristically dismissive of his older self's melodrama. And the ending is excellent.

I could go on about it all day -- go ahead and read it!

excerpt: ( after the cut )

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Rec: "Force of Nature," by Nostalgia

Posting on behalf of Styrofoam monster on Teaspoon.

Story: Force of Nature
Author: nostalgia
Rating: Teen
Word count: 2637
Characters: Missy, 12
Summary: The Doctor reluctantly assists Missy's life of crime.
Warnings: none

Recced because: This story is Classic Master. Missy keeps the Doctor and the reader guessing all the way through - the prose is crisp, the banter is strong, and the characterization fitting. The Master is simultaneously superior and vulnerable, the Doctor frustrated and reluctantly fond, and there is a customary blend of trust and mistrust between them. Good Missy stories are hard to find, and this is a good one.

excerpt: ( after the cut )

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Rec: 'The Enmity of Ages', by Forge

Story: The Enmity of Ages
Author: Forge
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1,718
Author's Summary: A battle that has stretched across time. From childhood games, to burning planets, to the Immortality Gate. The never-ending conflict between the Doctor and his oldest enemy.
Characters/Pairings: The Master (unspecified), the Doctor (unspecified)
Warnings: None

Recced because: I can't think of a word to say that would sell this one. It's just...good. Very damn good. We'll let it speak for itself.

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Rec: Bring Up the Bodies (Ian Chesterton, Dark AU)

Title: Bring Up the Bodies
Author: Yowza
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 2571
Author's Summary: He wished the beeping would stop. It was bad enough only having hours to live, but listening to those hours being counted down by that shrill monotonous beep was intolerable. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the Doctor and Barbara and Susan to get him out of this situation – they’d been in difficult circumstances before, after all, but that he didn’t trust the justice system here one little bit. It may not matter that they could prove he was innocent if everyone else was so convinced he was guilty.
Characters/Pairings: Ian Chesterton
Warnings: (reposting Author's note): Warnings for execution, and spoilers for Keys of Marinus. I don't know what made me wonder what would happen if Barbara and the Doctor didn't catch the murderers in time, but I did wonder, so here it is.

Recc'ed Because: This one was only posted a few days ago but it really grabbed my attention, just because of the mixture of the mundane world amid the absolute madness of the overarching idea of time traveling adventures, and of course the dread and helplessness and heartbreak of the inevitable. Even reading the warning, the reader is right there with Ian on the inability to process the absurdity and reality of the whole thing. It's dark and sad and horrible, and brilliant for all that.

( Excerpt )

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Rec: The Existing Scheme of Things by Culumacilinte (Eleven, Amy, Historical Adventure, Teen)

Title: The Existing Scheme of Things
Author: Culumacilinte
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 6835
Author's Summary: In which the TARDIS acquires two more passengers, and there are Antarctic explorers in love. And a little bit of altering the course of history.
Characters/Pairings: Eleven, Amy Pond
Warnings: None

Recc'ed Because: It's a fantastic historical adventure about the Terra Nova Expedition of the Antarctic in the early 1900s, a could-be-an-episode story with the moral and ethical arguments of when and why the time stream should stay fixed or can be altered. The secondary characters really shine. Not being a history buff, I did not know anything about the expedition before reading the story, but the author did a great job of telling both the history and the Doctor Who perspective in a seamless manner. It is a quick read for such a complete and well-written adventure tale. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon.

( Excerpt )

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Rec: Future by Styrofoam Monster (Doctor/Master, Teen)

Title: Future
Author: Styrofoam Monster
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 423
Author's Summary: They are not humans, and they will not be Time Lords.
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor/Simm!Master
Warnings: None

Recc'ed Because: A dark, imaginative, and brutal AU where the Doctor and the Master end up on Earth, almost domestic but with old habits that die hard. There is an amazing amount of depth packed into so few words. The poetic dread of being the last of their kind, of fitting nowhere, not even with each other--simmers just under the surface of this story, unstated but pervasive. I love the discussion of Gallifreyan synonyms and tenses. I am not sure whether to be happy or sad at the ending.
( Excerpt )

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Rec: Lost in the Echo, by PhoenixDragon (Master, academy era)

Title: Lost in the Echo
Author: PhoenixDragon
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 2812
Author's Summary: When he cut and ran from the Vortex, the thud-thud-thud of his hearts like drum-beats within his ears, he knew they had deemed him a coward. Unfit. Unbecoming material for Time Lord.
Characters/Pairings: Borusa, Irving Braxiatel, The Master (Academy era), The Rani (Academy era), The Doctor (1st)
Warnings: None

Recc'ed Because: Great world-building, and a chilling and very believable backstory for how Koschei started on the road to the incessant sound of drums. The Time Lord mythology is both intriguing and mysterious, and I love how the Master's downfall is brought about by his own brilliance and insatiable desire--not just to know, but to cement his own superiority in his mind and chase away his insecurities.

( Excerpt )

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Rec: 'No Will but My Will', by Astrogirl

Story: No Will But My Will
Author: Astrogirl
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 511
Author's Summary: Who needs empathy when you have mind control?
Characters/Pairings: The Master (Delgado version)
Warnings: None

Recced because: To be perfectly frank, the Master fascinates me. This is a scary and gorgeous look into his mind that only serves to increase that fascination. Again, I have to point out that this is a version I have yet to see...but, just as before, unfamiliarity does not reduce the chilling, raw power behind the story.

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rec: And Indeed There Will Be Time by kaydee_falls

Getting the last one in under the wire! I was planning to only rec crossovers this week, but then I found this fic and I couldn’t not rec it. So the last one breaks the mold. Thanks for having me, all, and to all a good night!

Story: And Indeed There Will Be Time
Author: kaydee_falls
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 42816
Author's Summary: In 1919, Harriet Derbyshire was killed while investigating the disappearance of Torchwood Four in Dublin. In 2009, UNIT pulls a dying man out of the Irish Sea with a one-word message: Torchwood. Martha joins up with Jack's team in Cardiff to track down the errant branch of the organization -- before a time-traveling race of aliens can change the course of history as we know it. (Jack/Ianto + team)
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Donna Noble, Gwen Cooper, Martha Jones, Mickey Smith, UNIT
Warnings:

Recced because: I love a good twisty time travel mystery, and this fic delivers on all counts. The Jack/Ianto pairing is so background you’ll hardly notice it, so don’t come into the fic expecting romance; this is all action adventure time travel plot mystery, all the time. Well-drawn OCs, a richly realized setting, a fantastic mystery, and insanely good writing – you’ll be up late reading it, just as I was!

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rec: Chance and a Grey Sky by rivendellrose

Story: Chance and a Grey Sky
Author: rivendellrose
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 2154
Author's Summary: Susan Ivanova meets a strange woman on an isolated planet. (Crossover with Babylon 5, post "Sleeping in Light.")
Characters/Pairings: Romana II, Susan Ivanova
Warnings: None

Recced because: If you’re a fan of Doctor Who, odds are good that you’d love Babyon 5 (give it a try if you haven’t already!). If you’re not familiar with it, some background will help: B5’s five-year plot ultimately centers around an epic war between two ancient, powerful races who were originally charged to be the protectors and guiders of lesser species (i.e. humans) but differed so widely about how to go about doing this that they ended up using us all as pawns in a war stretching for millenia – first a Cold War, but then a very hot one indeed.

Or to put it another way: Babyon 5 is what would happen if someone set a sci-fi series during the Time War from the point of view of the species who are caught in the crossfire, asked to choose sides, destroyed by whichever side they rebuff, and in all cases fundamentally unprepared to choose between two races who don’t actaully look that different from our limited point of view. Cass from “Night of the Doctor” would be the main character.

All of that aside, this alas-too-short fic is set post-series for B5 and centers on Susan Ivanova in the twilight of her career (arguably the character who walked away with the most scars), setting her up with Romana (also fresh from the Time War) in a character-driven piece that is both achingly sweet and inexpressibly sad. The fic doesn’t flinch from any of the realities of what the characters have been through but still manages to end on a believably hopeful note. Comforting without being saccharine, it’s exactly what I need after all the tragedy. Give it your time and you won’t be disappointed.

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Rec: Falls The Shadow by bethemoon

Story: Falls the Shadow
Author: bethemoon
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1596
Author's Summary: Doctor Who/Narnia. She finds it ironic that she has never tried running and he has never tried anything else. Susan Pevensie runs with the Doctor through time and space, and learns to love again. PG-13.
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor, Susan Pevensie (blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Ten/Susan)
Warnings: None

Recced because: Narnia is made for a crossover with the Doctor Who universe, especially on the Problem of Susan, and this crossover delivers on the promise beautifully. It’s told in fifty short snippets that are deliberately out of order and there’s a lot left unstated for the reader to explore; though it’s relatively short at 1.5K, the reread value is through the roof, and every time I go back to it I change my mind on what some of the snippets mean. Everyone reading this fic will have their own unique experience with it, so why not go find out what yours will be?

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rec: Gallifreyan Hand Porn by thatsdemocracyforyou

And so the end is near, and I'm going out with a wave, but I hope you've enjoyed my recs - and if you've read anything you've liked, please don't forget to stop and let the author know.

Story: Gallifreyan Hand Porn
Author: thatsdemocracyforyou
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 639
Author's Summary: The Gallifreyans of the Citadel are almost a sub-culture of their own. They are composed of technicians, archivists, Time Lords, and many others alike, and among them all there is one particular thing in common... a great many gloves. Surely there is some interest and-- er-- inspired works.
Characters/Pairings: Clara Oswald/Damon
Warnings: None.

Recced because: I love it when authors take an aspect of canon, read so much into it and then in fic, take what ought to be crack to its limits and sell it completely, and that’s exactly what the author does quite brilliantly here. You see, Gallifreyans wear gloves a lot. Could there be some sort of related taboo…? Of course there could. Throw in one Clara-splinter, a young Time Lord from Arc of Infinity, and, voila, you have some serious hand pr0n.

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rec: By The Naked Sword by the_seventh_l

Story: By The Naked Sword
Author: the_seventh_l
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 295
Author's Summary: Ask not what your Governor can do for you, but whether he's lived long enough to do anything.
Characters/Pairings: Governor of Varos
Warnings: Refs to death.

Recced because: I have a love for fic that looks at minor characters and fleshes them out, and this piece is a brief but brilliant and chilling exploration of the Governor of Varos (from Vengeance on Varos), sitting day after day on his “poisoned throne” as the author puts it, and why he does it. It’s excellent.

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Rec: The Devil's Harvest

Story: The Devil's Harvest
Author: vvj5
Rating: teen
Word count: 3395
Characters/parings: Sixth Doctor, Clara Oswin Oswald
Author's summary: Clara's alone in a wood in the middle of the night, but there's something else out there...

Recced because: The concept of what it must be like for Clara in the Doctor's time-stream, to be all those Claras, different yet the same, over and over, is an intriguing idea only just touched on in the show. This fic is a very well-done take on that concept. You can hear the voice of the Clara we know perfectly in this fragment of her, and her brief meeting with the Sixth Doctor here works very well, as he's equally well-written. This is an eerie story with some mentions of gore, and obviously, because it's a time-stream Clara, this version of her does die, but it's fascinating to hear her thought process as she realizes what's happening, and heartbreakingly poignant too, especially at the end. This story would be perfect reading for Halloween, but I had to rec it today, because I want everyone else to go read it too.

( An excerpt )