[identity profile] jjpor.livejournal.com
And so I come to the end of another Calufrax stint, and as usual it's a bittersweet moment. Glad that people enjoyed the recs over the past few weeks, disappointed that I didn't make time to post the full ten recs (I promised more Torchwood, but alas there will be no more Torchwood - maybe next time!). By way of apology, I leave you all this parting rec:

Story: Twistin' the Night Away
Author: Maggadin
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 436
Author's Summary: It might not actually be Valentine's Day. But that won't stop the Doctor from celebrating it (Seven/Romana).
Characters/Pairings: The Doctor (7th)/Romana II
Warnings: None I can see.

Recced because: Well, I don't know if you've noticed this somewhat embarrassing Doctor/Romana problem I have. It's nice to encounter other fic writers who have the same sort of condition from time to time, and this very nice short fic (whose author, I hasten to add in the interests of disclosure, I do kind of knock around with online) shows all of the symptoms.

It's my deeply held private fanon that in that brief gap between the end of the NA novel Lungbarrow and the unfortunate San Francisco shooting incident that we don't talk about (before he got sent on that patently absurd mission to claim the Master's remains from the notoriously fair and scrupulous Dalek judicial system) the Seventh Doctor basically just hung out on Gallifrey with the Lady President Romana, and they might have gone on the odd adventure together, or just out on dates, but they generally had a bit of a "thing" going on. Yes, I'm a sap, I know. Stop sniggering.

And this fic basically takes the same position, which wins it massive bonus points. The thing is, though, it actually works. Seven probably isn't an obvious choice to be having a romantic relationship with anybody, despite us fan-fictioneers and our little foibles, but the way he's portrayed here, it's actually plausible. You can imagine Sylvester McCoy doing that kind of Sylvester McCoy thing with some of the lines, and Romana II is basically as appreciative as she used to be when Four used to take her out on "dates" (that is, not very, on the face of it, but you know she is really, underneath). And it is exactly the sort of time and place Seven would choose for a romantic night out, based on his track record.

So yeah, this kind of overt Doctor-shipping may not be everybody's cup of tea (or your preferred Doctor ships may vary) but I like it, and recommend it. And I strongly suggest you should read it and leave some words for the author. :)

Until next time...


A Moment )
[identity profile] jjpor.livejournal.com
And so I come to the end of another week's reccing here on Calufrax. It seems to have gone over very quickly this time, but I've still got one story to rec before I leave you to your own devices. Anyway, thanks those of you who have posted reviews on this week's recs and I hope we can do it again some time.

Story: Soon, Love, Soon
Author: Maggadin
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1147
Author's Summary: Soon, love, soon/Such a wide, wide chasm of faith to leap.
Characters/Pairings: The Doctor (11th), the TARDIS, Romana (author-created)
Warnings: None, unless for some reason you have a real aversion to Doctor/Romana.

Recced because: Repeating yourself, they say, can be an indication of advancing old age. I hope not, because this is the second time this week I've recced a story featuring the Doctor and Romana, although this time we have a different Doctor and indeed a different Romana, and the two stories themselves are, I think, very different in tone and intent.

When I rec here, I often use these notes to pontificate on what I think good fanfiction is and the things fanfiction can do. And I think the idea of crossing different eras of Who is one of the things that a great many writers of Who-fic toy with at one time or another. I suppose such fics ultimately take their lead from the multi-teamup anniversary stories in the original series, principally The Five Doctors, although of course there was no (intentional!) shipping in that. I don't know whether the idea of Eleven/Romana is an obvious one or not, but there are quite a few examples out there by now and in just about all of them the pairing works very well indeed, and casts interesting sidelights on Eleven and his situation. And I think this fic is one of the very best examples.

I'll be honest, the author of this is a firm online associate of mine, but I know for a fact that I would be reccing this regardless of whether I knew the writer or not. This is one of only two stories she has posted on Teaspoon (the other a drabble), but on this evidence she needs to write more. I would describe this story as haunting, hallucinatory (and possibly some other words beginning with "h" if I could think of any); it hints things rather than states them and I find it extremely affecting indeed. In short, it's the sort of Doctor/Romana fic that has me going away shaking my head in admiration and quiet envy. If you're into this pairing, and even if you're not, I urge you to read this and leave encouragement for the author, and maybe she'll write some more.

An excerpt )

reccity-rec-rec

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April 2018

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