calufrax

redjaywrites.livejournal.com

It's me again! Getting this one in a little bit early because it's currently past 3am, and I'm having trouble sleeping. But hey, never too early for Doctor Who. In some alternative universe somewhere, I'm probably late. Which by no coincidence at all is the theme of this next rec...

Story: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Author: Brunhilde
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 2,230
Author's Summary: The Lady Romana is a powerful witch, a talent passed down from her mother and nurtured by Professor Irving Braxiatel of the Magical Academy. It is a talent that will shape her life.
Characters/Pairings: Irving Braxiatel, Leela, Narvin, Romana II, Other Character(s)
Warnings: n/a

Recced because: I found this one only recently, but I am an absolute sucker for an alternative universe and sci-fi and magic go eerily well together. The inclusion of Leela in this fic was a delightful surprise, and the society and world that has been built up for this story is as believable as any canon story from the show itself. The adaptations fit perfectly, and I like how the story is split up into scenes that span Romana's life. The dialogue is charmingly witty, the implications of what goes on behind the scenes the perfect addition, and the whole story could cut like a knife. A real gem, and well worth the three read-throughs I've just given it.

annauq.livejournal.com

Story: All time is unredeemable
author: Brunhilde
rating: All Ages
word count: 1432
author’s summary: He's given up on second chances, she's given up on hope. But the Universe is cracking, and impossible things can happen.
characters/pairings: Romana II, Eleventh Doctor. (or Doctor/Romana if you really want it to be).
warnings: Time War angst?

Recced because:
This story combines all my favourite fic things in one story, and I cannot believe it has not been recced before:

Romana in any incarnation is quite possibly my favourite character of the entire show. I love what the audio's and books have done with her character after she left the series, and her being president of the High Council at some point is my favourite (head)canon. Another favourite of mine is the Time War. Aside from the obvious angst involved (I’m a sucker for angst) the whole concept of a war fought across all of time is utterly fascinating. The fact that we don’t know exactly how it ended or started, what the Doctor’s or Romana’s role was makes for an endless list of great stories. Many of them have already been recced here, and I would like to add this one to that list.

It probably isn’t much of a shock to anyone anymore now that Doctor/Romana is my favourite pairing, especially when set during the Time War. The beauty of this particular story however lies in that it doesn’t pair them together explicitly, but you can easily read it with shipping glasses on. The fic uses an interesting concept from the recent series to bring about a beautiful and sad conversation between two old friends (or lovers, however you want to read it), forming a bittersweet exploration of their relationship; how they influence and how they complete each other. A long time has passed since they said their goodbyes, and they have both grown and changed considerably. Yet Romana’s behaviour in the final day of the Time War as painted here feels very true to her character, and the Doctor’s babbling is so perfectly Eleven that it hurts. The ending haunted me for quite some time after I'd finished it.

jjpor.livejournal.com

Story: Every Rank Begins With N
Author: Brunhilde
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 689
Author's Summary: Another universe's Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart. Comes with severe warning for craziness!
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart/Dr Elizabeth Shaw ...or are they??
Warnings: None

Recced because: Well, the title and the severe warning in the author's notes really say it all more clearly than I probably can. Taking inspiration from Inferno and its eyepatch-wearing fascist Brig (and nasty fascist doppelgangers of the other S7 UNIT stalwarts), this fic explores the terrifying upside-down world that is the universe where...every rank begins with "N"!

It's one of those crack!fic premises that might seem a bit too silly (if that's even possible) at first glance, but it's not the only excellent joke and clever idea this fic has going for it (and after a couple of paragraphs you'll in any case find yourself going with the flow and chortling along anyway - or that was my experience, anyway). It's also poking affectionate fun at those much-loved (in my corner of fandom, at any rate) alternative-universe segments of Inferno and the horrible world they briefly sketched out (I don't know about you, but the allegations made about Brigade Leader Lethbridge-Stewart and Section Leader Shaw have the ring of truth about them as far as I'm concerned).

And on top of that, even, it's also subtly sending up the whole concept of mirror-universe episodes so beloved of television science fiction and the idea that in order to really mark that this isn't the world we know, you need some easily-identifiable visible gimmick. Like fascist!Brig's eyepatch. Or Spock's beard, to bring That Other Fandom into the proceedings. As well as fully revelling in that sort of thing, with characters who in our universe are heroes displaying the most black-hearted villainy (and dodgy fashion sense) you can imagine.

All that, and it's even a Brig/Liz fic of sorts, and I don't know about you but Brig/Liz is pretty much The Business from my point of view. And it also manages to bring out one of the very best aspects of the Infernoverse, eye-coverings and Evil!Sgt Benton aside - the fact that the alternative versions of our beloved UNIT characters aren't so much inversions of their normal personalities, but rather the same personalities with some of their pre-existing traits greatly amplified at the expense of the others.

Oh, and as I may have mentioned, it's dead funny too. I implore you; go and read it and leave some kind words for the author.

( The sort of thing you're letting yourself in for... ;) )

aralias.livejournal.com

Story: Changing History
Author: Brunhilde
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 721
Author's Summary: After leaving the Doctor behind, Tegan meets a stranger down by the river. Spoilers in the Author's Note, and by implication, for SJA's "The Death of the Doctor" and the Big Finish audio "The Gathering".
Characters/Pairings: Tegan, Ten

Recced because: I like Tegan and I really like how she leaves the show - in fact, I think it's one of the best moments of the classic series. I like the way this fic builds on that awkward and upsetting moment, and all the other awkward and upsetting moments Tegan and Five have had, and then slightly undercuts all that (by making it a bit better) without making the actual scene from 'Resurrection of the Daleks' any less powerful. The summary and the author's note imply you need to know the Big Finish audio 'The Gathering' to understand what's going on - but I don't think that's true, really (and I don't like 'The Gathering').

( Excerpt )

merryghoul

Hello again! I'm

merryghoul, back with a second round of fic recs. To get us started, how about a Romana-centric fic?

Story: through time time is conquered
Author: Brunhilde
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1945
Author's Summary: Their story has been foretold and they cannot escape Time. The Doctor and Romana through the ages, from beginning to end.
Characters/Pairings: Romana I, Romana II, Romana III, The Doctor (4th), The Doctor (8th), The Doctor (9th)
Warnings: No standard warnings apply.

Recced because: Romana is one of my favorite companions ever. This is a brief but sobering look at her life (and how it intersects with the Doctor's life), from her original regeneration to her death.

daystarsearcher.livejournal.com

Story: be still, and wait without hope
Author: Brunhilde
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 956
Author's Summary: The Lady President Romanadvoratrelundar in captivity. Here lie vague spoilers for the BFA 'The Apocalypse Element', and also mild allusions to torture.
Characters/Pairings: Romana II
Warnings: torture

Recced because: Brunhilde uses stark yet elegant and beautiful prose to weave a portrait of Romana in captivity, stripped of the trappings of her office and any all outward signs of individuality, yet irrevocably Romana, stubbornly clinging to her core self and refusing to let go. It is a harsh portrait rather than a happy one, yet it is because of this that Romana's strength, and the story's underlying hope, shine through all the brighter.

Excerpt:

I am Romanadvoratrelundar she told herself imperiously. I am a Timelady and President of Gallifrey. I am more than a number and I am not a slave.

And yet Romana would always remember the day she was enslaved.

rainshaded

Story: Going Home
Author: Brunhilde
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 8174
Author's Summary: A life can't be summed in a few tiny moments, but it can, possibly, be understood. Elizabeth Shaw through the years. (Crossover with the P.R.O.B.E. series, but no prior knowledge of it is required.)
Characters/Pairings: Liz Shaw/original character, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Three, Patricia Haggard (from the P.R.O.B.E series), Ten, Sarah Jane Smith, Clyde Langer.
Warnings: None

Recced because: I have to agree with the author's summary here. This fic is a collection of evocative moments - some happy, some quiet, some dark - from four different phases of Liz's life. Pulling together several strands of her story, Brunhilde shows Liz's growth, through all the new challenges she seeks and through her connections with some new and some old (some older than others) friends. This isn't the total of Liz's life, but it's a wonderfully clear and thoughtful insight into it.

( Excerpt )

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: brunhilde

rec: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

All time is unredeemable

Rec: Every Rank Begins With N by Brunhilde

Rec: Changing History

Rec: through time time is conquered

Rec: be still, and wait without hope by Brunhilde

rec: going home

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April 2018

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