calufrax

Hi, I'm

newmoonstar (Meadowlark on Teaspoon) and I'm finally squeaking in before my reccing period is over with a few great stories for you all! First up:

Story: Genius Loci (The Evidence of Things Unseen Remix)
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: all ages
Word Count: 685
Characters: Leela, Fourth Doctor, the TARDIS
Author's Summary: Leela does not believe in spirits. But she knows there is something here with them.
Warnings: none

Recced because: It's an interesting look at how Leela views the TARDIS, and how her supposedly primitive upbringing none the less gave her the ability to understand and connect with it without the Doctor having to explain it to her. A very lovely and insightful vignette.

romanajo123.livejournal.com

Story: Always Another on the Way

Author: AstroGirl

Rating: All ages

Word Count: 1211

Author's Summary: All the Sisterhood of Karn want is to live their lives and practice their rites in peace. But life can be difficult when you have intrusive neighbors.

Characters/Pairings: Ohila, the Sisterhood of Karn

Warnings: None.

Recced because: It's a fascinating take on the Sisterhood which combines elements of the classic and New series beautifully.

thisbluespirit

Story: All Your Life Before You (The Natural Course of Events Remix)
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 3740
Author's Summary: Susan is perceiving many things she's never seen before. One of them is Ace.
Characters/Pairings: Susan Foreman/Ace McShane, First Doctor, Susan Q
Warnings: None.

Recced because: It’s a gorgeous fic, written for the recent Remix challenge, with Susan’s time-sensitivity so beautifully painted throughout – the things she’s starting to see as she travels in time, and there’s something symbolic and circular in the first and last Classic Who companions encountering each other like this. It’s just wonderful and I had to rec it.

Have an extract:

She looks at Ace and gasps a little, because there's her timeline, too. Its beginning is carefully patterned, woven rigidly into some greater framework as if by an unseen craftsman, but before it reaches its end, it blossoms out into something fluid and free. And in the middle, there is a storm, an exuberant chaos, a turning place where it tangles up with Grandfather's life, and a small spot where it rests against Susan's own. It's bright and beautiful and confusing. Susan reaches out to touch it, and finds her fingers touching Ace's hair instead.

"Are you all right?" Ace says again. Her voice is quieter now, her brow furrowed a little in concern.

And, without warning, everything folds in on itself, pasts and futures collapsing down suddenly into one moment, two girls, and a bench.

dbskyler.livejournal.com

Story: And at the End, a Garden
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1762
Author's Summary: A regenerating Ten makes a stop in an Aztec garden.
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor, Cameca
Warnings: None

Recced because: This fic was just posted two days ago, but as soon as I read it, I knew I wanted to rec it here. As we know, the Tenth Doctor held off his regeneration and went on a goodbye tour, visiting past friends and companions. This fic tells us why he did that -- and the reason given is both obvious (in retrospect) and brilliantly insightful. Then, the author gives us a wonderful interaction between Ten and the person who is arguably the first human the Doctor ever loved: Cameca from the First Doctor episode "The Aztecs." It's sweet, and melancholy, and beautifully written. And, it takes place in a garden.

( A taste )

but_can_i_be_trusted

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.

doctorxdonna.livejournal.com

Story: Does the Doctor Know Where His Towel Is?
Author: Astro Girl
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 623
Author's Summary: Nowhere in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's entry on the Doctor is there any mention of towels. This fact has more significant consequences than you might imagine.
Characters/Pairings: None, technically.
Warnings: None

Recced because: I don't know about you, but I usually prefer to have my Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters with a side of crossover fic. A brief and humorous nod to the most famous work of late and great former Who writer Douglas Adams'. Probably still funny if you haven't read The Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy, but I strongly recommend doing that if you haven't already. If anything, it will make the Doctor's hatred of 'funny robots' that much more entertaining for you. ;-) Astro Girl does a good job of capturing the spirit and mood of both Hitchhiker's Guide and DW.

nonelvis

Hello,

calufrax! Since I still have power (at least for the moment!) here at the edge of Hurricane Sandy, I figure it's time to post a rec. If you're interested in reccing at

calufrax, let me know over at the sign-up post -- we're running low on reccers.

Story: Doing Time
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1,005
Author's Summary: The Doctor isn't the only one in exile.
Characters/Pairings: the TARDIS
Warnings: None

Recced because: If the Third Doctor's exile was hard on him, how hard must it have been for the TARDIS, literally born to travel in time and space? AstroGirl weaves elements of "The Doctor's Wife" into this poignant TARDIS character study, examining how the relationship between ship and thief is strained by their mutual grounding. The TARDIS' perspective feels believably alien, but her feelings of longing and loss are universal.

pitry.livejournal.com

Story: For Destruction, Ice
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1010
Author's Summary: Combines two requests: "Something where the Master takes on Lucy as a companion and wife without anything so underhanded as mind control and the like" and "the Master takes Lucy to Utopia."
Characters/Pairings: The Master (Simm)/Lucy Saxon
Warnings: None.

Recced because: The author's note says it was supposed to centre on the Master, but much like in many of the good Doctor Who stories (and episodes), it's the companion that's at the centre of the piece, and in this case, this companion is Lucy Saxon. Despite being relatively short, this story does a good job of studying her without giving a too easy way out.

thisbluespirit

On how it feels to lose your planet and be the last of your people:

Story: Every Present is A Past
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 798
Author's Summary: This is all that's left of Traken.
Characters/Pairings: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa of Traken
Warnings: None. (Spoilers for Logopolis, but no more than in this rec.)

Recced because: The Doctor’s not the first character in the show’s history to lose his people and his world. This sharp, beautifully written fic is a moment in which Nyssa is reminded of her loss. For Nyssa is not human, she is from Traken, home planet of an empire which (the Doctor says) was held together by people “just being terribly nice to each other” (and it’s a little bit fairy tale, too) and is now lost forever. The joy of this story is not only the capturing of Nyssa’s contained, logical character, and her courage (as the Doctor will one day say, she is a very brave person – and it shows in her decision here), but it’s written also as a foreshadowing of what the reader knows will happen to the Doctor, giving it an admirably dark edge.

thisbluespirit

Story: Does the Doctor Know Where His Towel Is?
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 623
Author's Summary: Nowhere in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's entry on the Doctor is there any mention of towels. This fact has more significant consequences than you might imagine.
Characters/Pairings: The Doctor, The Guide
Warnings: None.

Recced because: Clearly a short fic was needed to give people chance to catch up on some of the previous days’ historical epics. This is a wonderful crossover piece on the Doctor’s entry to the legendary Hitch Hiker’s Guide. I can actually hear it when I read it, it’s so pitch perfect – which should be all the recommendation anyone needs. More, please!

thisbluespirit

Story: Box of Tricks
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 3083
Author's Summary: A Blake's 7 crossover featuring the Fourth Doctor and Vila.
Characters/Pairings: Fourth Doctor, Vila Restal
Warnings: None.

Recced because: AstroGirl writes some wonderful crossovers, and having just discovered Doctor Who's long lost TV sibling in Blake’s 7, I was thrilled to stumble over this. You don’t need to know anything and there’s no spoilers for either series. Vila encounters the TARDIS in this sweet, humorous piece that is perhaps as much an exploration of the TARDIS through new eyes as anything else.

AstroGirl has Vila’s jokey POV down perfectly, ditto Four’s chaotic approach to life – and you don’t need to know B7 to get filmed-in-a-quarry jokes. There’s only one downside – I wish there were more adventures for this AU TARDIS team.

dbskyler.livejournal.com

Story: Within, the Enemy
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 2634
Author's Summary: An AU branching off from the TV movie, in which the Master succeeds in taking over the Doctor's body.
Characters/Pairings: Eighth Doctor, the Master, Jo Grant
Warnings: None

Recced because: Assume the Master takes over the Doctor's body and inhabits it as his own. What happens next? This is an AU from the TV movie and thus an Eighth Doctor story, but it can be fully appreciated by anyone who's acquainted with the Master, including readers only familiar with New Who. (There's a brief moment with Josephine Jones -- nee Grant -- but all you need to know is that she is a former companion of the Doctor. There, now you know it.) The premise of the story allows for a fascinating exploration of the Doctor, the Master, and the Doctor/Master relationship, and the author doesn't disappoint, forging fearlessly ahead with a gripping and thought-provoking tale. Perhaps the author's most amazing accomplishment is that the plot is full of surprises, but at the very end there is a sense that everything that happened was in fact inevitable. And speaking of the end, there are no words to convey its utter brilliance. But you'll have time to try to think of some, because it's an ending that will stay with you for long after you've finished reading.

( an excerpt )

eve11

Story:Out of the Dark
Author: Astrogirl
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 4389
Characters: Jenny
Author's Summary: Jenny finds the limits of the universe, and keeps right on going.

Recced because: It's an epic tale told in under 5000 words, in which Jenny from "The Doctor's Daughter" traverses the universe and finds her perfect calling. It's not often you see this kind of style done well-- sweeping narration and far-reaching plot points, but still coherent, brilliantly characterized, complete and satisfying. But Astrogirl is great at it. I love the description of Jenny's perceptions, I love the scope of the story and her journey, and the ending is just perfect. We only met Jenny for one episode, but she had a distinct personality mix of naivete, hardness, and unchecked Time Lord potential that Astrogirl captures beautifully.

( Tiny excerpt )

livii.livejournal.com

Story: Old Soldiers
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: All Ages
Author's summary: What the Brigadier and other UNIT folks were doing during some of the events of the new series.
Characters: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Doris Lethbridge-Stewart, John Benton, UNIT
Warnings: none
Word Count: ~ 4,000 words

Recced because: A brilliant take on some new skool via old skool UNIT characters; this story follows the Brigadier, dear old Brigadier who never gives up, never stops wanting to help (and be a part of things, something he finds shameful but is so terribly human), and the major events of World War Three, The Christmas Invasion, and Army of Ghosts/Doomsday. It's plotty and slips perfectly into the canon (I'd like to believe this happened!) and has great cameos from Doris and in particular Benton, who is written exactly right ("I've heard you say it yourself often enough, and, if I may say so, it would be a crushing disillusionment if I had to start doubting your word now" he says about the Brig, which is so perfect). A sensational story, and the last line is a killer.

silly-cleo.livejournal.com

Story: The Heart Is an Open System
Author: Astrogirl
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2293
Author's Summary: Tegan demonstrates that Companion Emo is not exclusively a new series phenomenon. Fortunately, Nyssa's an excellent shoulder to cry on.
Characters/Pairings: Tegan, Nyssa
Warnings: None.

Recced because: Simply a lovely character study of Tegan, Nyssa, their relationship AND both their relationships with the Doctor. I can so easily picture this happening in the background of Five-era and it delights me to do so. I love this one because so much happened to the 5th Doctor and his companions and of course none of it's ever discussed. Which is what fic is for and this one does it gorgeously.

kerravonsen

Story:A Stranger in the City
Author:

astrogirl2
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 5889
Author's Summary: The 51st century and the 23rd cross paths in 1930, where they discover that tragedy is timeless. A Star Trek crossover featuring Jack Harkness and Spock.
Characters/Pairings: Jack Harkness
Warnings: Swearing

Recced because: If you haven't seen the Classic Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Forever", you probably wouldn't be interested in reading a Classic Trek crossover anyway. This was a perfect point of intersection for these two universes; time travel and tragedy. The characterisation of Jack here is by no means a one-note song: it dances between the light and the dark; disillusionment, hope, grimmness, charm, and compassion. It is also interesting to see Spock through Jack's eyes, and how it reflects on Jack himself.

Current Mood: cheerful

usuallyhats

Story: Of a Lifetime
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1578
Author's Summary: When she was young, Rita knew a man called the Doctor. (Features Rita-Anne Smith, Mickey's grandmother.)
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor, Rita-Anne Smith, Mickey Smith
Warnings: None

Recced because: It takes a minor character and makes her live, as well as showing how meeting the Doctor changes your life. It's understated and very touching. Rita-Anne is a great, well drawn character, and the Tenth Doctor' voice is spot on.

kerravonsen

And here's my last rec for this week!

Story: Upon A Time
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1127
Author's Summary: Time travel, fairy tales, the Ninth Doctor, and the TARDIS.
Characters/Pairings: 9th Doctor, TARDIS
Warnings: None

Recced because: I'm surprised that this wasn't recced by the person who was doing a TARDIS-themed week, but that means I can rec it myself!

This story is so lovely. It isn't just that this is one of those rare stories that feature the TARDIS-as-person (a person, but alien in its personhood); it is the way that this takes myths and fairy tales, weaves them into the events of Nine's tenure, and makes them fit. Full of symbolism, resonance and love, painted with a vibrant and poetic brush.

kerravonsen

Story: Travel Light
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 14259
Author's Summary: A Farscape crossover. Seven and Ace become involved in a rebellion against the Peacekeepers. (Takes place sometime after the Peacekeeper Wars miniseries.)
Characters/Pairings: Ace McShane, Other Character(s), The Doctor (7th)
Warnings: None

Recced because: This was my favourite story to come out of the Multiverse 2005 ficathon. The Seventh Doctor and Ace become involved in a rebellion against the Peacekeepers. This makes perfect sense. Of course if the Doctor happens to drop into a situation of rebellion against oppressors, he's going to help. It's what the Doctor does! Since this is told from mainly Ace's point of view, one doesn't have to be familiar with the Farscape universe, really. This has got so much in it: adventure, rebellion, plans, betrayal, dilemmas, good, evil, good intentions, gizmos, loyalty, encouragement, and a hopeful ending. And Baniks, of course. With a great Stark, and Planning!Doctor and GungHo!Ace, and, like, it's great, okay? Don't let the fact that it's a crossover scare you away.

Current Mood: busy

kerravonsen

Woo hoo! My week to rec! There's going to be a mixed bag from me, and here's the first one.

Story: First-Hand Knowledge
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 4482
Author's Summary: You know that thing that the Doctor lost on top of the spaceship in 'The Christmas Invasion?' This is the story of what happens to it.
Characters/Pairings: Other characters
Warnings: None

Recced because: This delightful story is not only an original idea, but it was far more fun than one might think. The narrator is endearingly stuffy; well-intentioned but oblivious. He has no idea of the chaos that will ensue when he makes a clone from Ten's hand. As for the clone itself, he's irresistable, irrepressable, hyperactive, perfectly realized; Ten without the weight of knowledge, years, or angst, but still very much Ten.

kindkit.livejournal.com

Story: And Change Their State
Author: AstroGirl (

astrogirl2)
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1376
Author's Summary: The world is ending. The Doctor drinks tea.
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor
Warnings: None.

Recced because: "And Change Their State" is a quietly harrowing look at the Doctor facing something he really can't fix. Too much description would ruin this brief story, I think, so I'll just give you ( a little excerpt )

violetisblue.livejournal.com

Story: Nine and a Half
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: All Ages
Author's Summary: The Doctor's regeneration goes wrong. How wrong? Well, this was written for a zombie-themed ficathon...
Characters/Pairings: Ninth Doctor, Rose
Warnings: None

Recced because: Admittedly, you can sell me on nearly anything if you say the five magic words: "It's got zombies in it." That said, this story of "The Parting of the Ways" gone pear-shaped also stands out by virtue of being exceedingly funny, with an admirably unflappable Rose and a Doctor who, in the most literal sense possible, loves her for her ~~braiiiiiiiiiins~~ mind. A nice bit of cracky fun for all your crackfic needs.

in-the-end.livejournal.com

Story: Elipsing Binary
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: Adult
Author's Summary: The Doctor and the Master in a psychological power play, with smut.
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor/Simm!Master
Warnings: Slash, BDSM, Graphic Sex
Recced because: This was one of the first Ten/Master fics that I read and I absolutely fell in love with it. It's a pretty accurate take on their extremely complicated relationship.

With sex.

reccity-rec-rec

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 author: astrogirl

Rec: Genius Loci (The Evidence of Things Unseen Remix) by AstroGirl

Rec: Always Another on the Way by AstroGirl

rec: All Your Life Before You (The Natural Course of Events Remix) by AstroGirl

rec: and at the end, a garden, by astrogirl

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

rec: Does the Doctor Know Where His Towel Is? by Astro Girl

Rec: Doing Time

For Destruction, Ice by AstroGirl

rec: Every Present Is A Past by AstroGirl

rec: Does the Doctor know where his towel is?

Rec: box of tricks

rec: within, the enemy, by astrogirl

rec: Out of the Dark by Astrogirl

Old Soldiers by AstroGirl

rec: the heart is an open system

Rec: A Stranger in the City

rec: of a lifetime by astrogirl

Rec: Upon A Time

Rec: Travel Light

rec: First-Hand Knowledge

rec: and change their state

Rec: Nine and a Half

rec: Eclipsing Binary

reccity-rec-rec

Links

April 2018

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