Calufrax

I'll try my best to squeeze in one more rec after this, but not too sure about my odds of fitting in the time.  If this is my last, then thank you for having me!  I'm not usually a vocal participant in online communities, often quite content to silently lurk, but this has been a blast.  Hope you've enjoyed the recs this week!

Story: Harmony (a Doctor Who Novella)
Author: thebunnyinthetardis
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 60,264
Author's Summary: The Slow Path had never been as agonizing as now. Years had passed since that fateful day when the Doctor had left him with Rose Tyler on a desolate beach in Norway. Years for both of them--and while life had gone on, he was reasonably sure his had not been the fairy tale the Time Lord might have intended it to be. Now, as fate would have it, their paths were once more to cross, leading them on a journey through Time, a journey in Space, and a journey toward Wholeness. A voice he cannot identify calls. A 17th century cannon ball lands in the garden. A blue box he never thought he would see again lands in the forest. And a Time Lord is running out of Time.
Characters/Pairings: Eleventh Doctor, metacrisis Doctor, Rose Tyler, and the other usual suspects
Warnings: Swearing

Recced because:  A few of thebunnyinthetardis' works have been recced, and for good reason. She's an excellent writer.  The voice she uses for the metacrisis Doctor is unique, and the perspective she brings to his character is moving, enlightening, and rings true in every aspect.  It's a painful journey, but it doesn't stagnate and wallow in angst, and is an excellent adventure romp as well as wickedly insightful character development.

This is another long fic, but most of the fics I read are long ones.  I love authors who take the characters on a journey that progresses them beyond what we know and already love about them, and the longer format really gives authors space to play.  In this particular story, thebunnyinthetardis starts with a mystery and artfully feeds us hints and clues in amongst the adventure, building the background of what has transpired in the metacrisis Doctor's life.  It's beautifully done, and the anticipation made me race through the story the first time, and then I went back to re-read it leisurely.  I have a great appreciation for the care and attention she pays to environment, atmosphere, and characterization, and there is more than enough meat in this story to bear up to several re-readings.

There are many TenToo/Rose stories - it's a dime-a-dozen genre in New Who fics, but it's an understandably rich area of canon to mine.  This one is very special and worth a read, even if you're a bit tapped out on the genre.  My eternal pet peeve is the blithe idealisation of the Doctor's transition to humanity and his relationship with Rose, and I'm much more taken with this gritty, honest take.  It's harsh but hopeful, and the adventure plot makes it a very true-to-Who story.  All around a great read.


( Excerpt )