Calufrax

Story: Serendipity
Author: Thriaemis
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2,315
Author's Summary: In which Theta Sigma doesn't just dig his own grave, but Braxiatel's as well. Braxiatel has roughly two micro-spans to think 'Rassilon's balls, a cliff,' before he crashes back onto the earth and loses all the air in his lungs in a single whump.
Characters/Pairings: Irving Braxiatel, The Doctor (1st)
Warnings: None

Recced because: There's a school of thought in Who fandom that the less we know about the Doctor's origins and his years on Gallifrey before he took the momentous decision to nick a TT capsule and go on the lam the better. Certainly that element of mystery about exactly who or what the Doctor was and what had led him to that abandoned scrap yard in 1963 has always been important part of the series' central premise (indeed it's right there in the title), not least because when it first began the production team themselves knew no more about the character's past than the audience did. And largely the series has continued in this vein ever since, with hints and snippets gradually revealed about that part of the Doctor's life or lives, but even in the modern era really no more than that.

And this is almost certainly the best way to go about things, because not only does it mostly leave room for the rich tradition of weird and wonderful Gallifrey-related lore developed in various Who spinoff media over the decades, it also leaves plenty of space for fan extrapolations upon that lore, such as in this very well done fic. Taking bits and pieces that have been suggested by various sources over the years and extrapolating upon them according to the whim of the author, this is a delightfully warm and whimsical bit of fannish speculation about the young Doctor's family life and friendships, as he goes on an early adventure and falls foul, characteristically, of his own curiosity and sense of adventure.

The portrayal of the Doctor's relationship with his brother is really top notch, capturing all of the petty antagonisms and frictions of that sort of relationship, while also showing that deep down they really do love and need each other. Of course, this is a Gallifreyan childhood, so there are also some good insights and speculations concerning how a budding Time Lord's experience of that time of life would differ from a human's, as well as lots of nice references and nods to different bits of Who's not-really-canon. Most of all, it is told with great humour and compassion, with an ending that will leave you smiling wistfully.

Highly recommended - go over to the Teaspoon and give it a whirl.


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