[identity profile] jjpor.livejournal.com
Ahoy there, Who fanfictioneers! As always when I begin a new stint reccing here on [livejournal.com profile] calufrax, I am struck by how little time at all it seems since last time I did this, and how long it in fact was. Tempus fugit and all that. Well, without further ado, allow me to kick off this round of recommendation with something of a rare gem:

Story: Bounce
Author: Nancy Brown
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 5,470
Author's Summary: A mysterious device affects the lives of the Doctor and his friends.
Characters/Pairings: Amy Pond, Canton Everett Delaware III, Jenny Flint, Madame Vastra, Rory Williams, Strax, The Doctor (11th)
Warnings: None, apart from some references to Victorian-era murders

Recced because: Well, full disclosure, this was written in response to one of my prompts in the EleventyFest ficathon, way back in 2013. When I gave the prompt, though, I don't think I was expecting it to elicit anything as seriously good as this bit of prime Eleven-era fic. This is the fic I was going to rec last time around before being distracted, magpie-like, by another story by the same author, but this time I'm making very sure indeed to put this one front and centre.

The story follows the trail of a strange, and possibly deadly, presumably alien device across three time periods, and with three groups of investigators. In the Victorian era, Madame Vastra, her wife Jenny and the inimitable Strax are called in by Scotland Yard to consult in a case of multiple murders. Meanwhile in the late 1960s, G-Man Canton Everett Delaware III looks into a slew of missing persons against the backdrop of the countercultural anti-war movement and the Nixon administration. And finally in futuristic Scotland, the Doctor and the Ponds are drawn to a museum of extraterrestrial curiosities. The skill with which the author weaves these various strands together to tell a single story, using time travel pleasingly to tie the plot together, is only one of the several great things about this piece.

I especially enjoy the way the different eras each have their own distinctive style, from the Sherlockian stylings of Vastra and Jenny's nineteenth century adventures to the hardboiled inner monologue that drives Canton's sections (and I don't think you have to find him as cool a character as I do to really dig those parts). As with those of this author's other works that I have read, it is the characterisation and the voices that I find most compelling about this. Canton's private-eye-esque patter aside, the Doctor-Amy-Rory team TARDIS (one of my favourite of all time) really shine here, and even Strax gets one excellent, and very Strax-like, exchange.

I urge you - don't walk, (metaphorically) run over to the Teaspoon and read this one, and please be sure to tell the author how much you liked it.


An Extract )
[identity profile] jjpor.livejournal.com
Story: I could never live with me before you came along
Author: Nancy Brown
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 8664
Author's Summary: Canton Everett Delaware III is on a mission from God, er, River to put the band back together.
Characters/Pairings: Amy Pond, Canton Everett Delaware III, Jenny Flint, Madame Vastra, River Song, Rory Williams, The Doctor (11th), plus Anthony Williams and OCs
Warnings: None

Recced because: I was actually planning to rec another fic by this author, and I came across this more or less at random while looking for the other one on her Teaspoon page yesterday...and loved it. And couldn't believe it had no reviews and decided the best way of remedying that with a vengeance was to get it out here on Calufrax. So win/win for me - I get to rec this magnificent fic and still have one in the hole for my next reccing stint! :D

In all seriousness, though, this is a great fic, written with excellent characterisation and just common sense, decency and humanity. You know, like the best fics are. The fact that it also ticks quite a few of my fannish boxes as regards the tail end of the Eleven era (the Capaldinator is obviously brilliant, but I'm unashamed to say Eleven remains "my" NuWho Doctor) certainly doesn't hurt either. I've made no secret of the fact that I was, and am, seriously dissatisfied with the ending Amy and Rory got in The Angels Take Manhattan, not even because of their fates but mainly because of the slapdash way it was all plotted and the way we were expected to swallow rl attempts to plaster over those plot holes by authorial "word of god", so this sort of semi-fix-it (it doesn't actually fix it, but makes its point by illustrating one of the several blatantly obvious ways that it could be fixed) will always hold a certain appeal for me. The fact that it's wise-guy G-Man Canton Everett Delaware III, still one of my all-time favourite one-shot Who guest characters, who gets to be the main instrument of that sort-of-fix-it is, for me, the shiny cherry on top.

The author gives Canton an OC boyfriend, fittingly also a smart-mouthed hard-boiled cop type, who is also the everyman observer of the Doctor's strange world, as they go about reuniting Canton, the Paternoster Row crew, Amy and Rory and their adopted son Anthony, and eventually River and Eleven himself, and even get a bit of fraught adventure along the way. Throughout, we are reminded deftly and thought-provokingly of the difficulties and dangers facing same-sex relationships over the ages, with Vastra and Jenny's relationship also portrayed with great perceptiveness and sensitivity. I think the main thing I like about this, though, is the obvious love for the diverse cast of characters; even the ones that don't get that many lines (Eleven, actually) are vividly portrayed; as I often say of fanfic I find has particularly true-to-life characterisations, you really can hear the voices as you read it.

So get over there and see what you think, and please leave some words of appreciation for the author...!


A Taste )
[identity profile] ljgeoff.livejournal.com
Story: Assignment: Unremembered
Author: Orinoco II
work count: 25644
Complete: Yes
Author's description: By 1969, Torchwood is aware of the Silence. Even if they can't remember them. In the wake of the moon landing, Freelance Agent Jack Harkness is ordered to investigate. But a certain FBI Agent is also on the case.
Rating: Adult/explicit sex. Also it says slash but I wouldn't call this true slash.

Why I recced it: I love Canton and I love Jack, so Jack/Canton make a kind of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of fic-love. But that's not all -- it's just very well written. As one reviewer commented: " Your characters practically leap off the page and the plot was very believable." WinWinWin!
[identity profile] morganfm.livejournal.com
Hello all! This is my first time reccing, like, ever, and I am so excited to share some really excellent stories with all of you! My two ships are Ten/Donna and Doctor/River, but I enjoy anything that's really well written. Fics I enjoy are often of a happier or more emotional persuasion, often containing many giggles and fun banter.
This first fic I'm reccing is by the lovely [livejournal.com profile] starjargon, for whom I am honored to beta and who kindly returns the favor. I think you'll all really like it.

Story: May The Best Woman Win
Author: Starjargon
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2948
Author's Summary: Martha and Rose both care deeply for the same man. So of course, the only logical thing to do is fight for him. With jousting poles. AU, obviously.
Characters/Pairings: Amy Pond, Canton Everett Delaware III, Donna Noble, Harriet Jones, Harriet Jones, Jack Harkness, Jack Harkness, Lynda Moss, Martha Jones, River Song, River Song, Rory Williams, Rose Tyler, Rose Tyler, Sarah Jane Smith, The Doctor (10th), The Doctor (11th), The Doctor
Warnings: None

Recced because: This is a very fun, enjoyable fic that has pretty much every nuWho companion out there, as well as three different Doctors. Incredibly well written, with a strong, even representation of opposing characters, and some fantastic plot twists. It's one of my favorites that she's written, because she handles the complexity of dealing with so many different characters and emotions all at once in such a masterful and brilliant way.
nonelvis: (DW Amy hat)
[personal profile] nonelvis
Story: The Pond Continuum
Author: kaydee falls
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 5,407
Author's Summary: Five people who have never heard of the Ponds (but might have met them anyway), and one who has.
Characters/Pairings: Amy/Rory, Amy/Rory/Jack, Martha, Sarah Jane, Rose, Ninth Doctor, Canton Everett Delaware III
Warnings: Swearing

Recced because: "The Angels Take Manhattan" left a giant-sized hole in canon for fic writers to fill: namely, how Amy and Rory spent their years in the past. Kaydee Falls posits quite reasonably that they could have met any number of characters with whom we're already familiar -- Martha during the Depression, Rose during Elizabeth II's coronation, Jack during World War II, and others. The characterization and voices are spot-on, and there's a gentle sense of humor that feels completely in keeping with the Ponds' unconventional relationship to each other, not to mention their unflappability when it comes to accepting the unusual, like a stranger in Barcelona, Spain berating himself for not mentioning something travels in time.

Excerpt: after the cut )
[identity profile] gaia-lulia.livejournal.com
Story: fly me to the moon
Author: such_heights
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1669
Author's Summary: After the moon landing, Canton comes home. Canton/his boyfriend, the Doctor & the Ponds.
Characters/Pairings: Amy Pond, Canton Everett Delaware III, Other Character(s), Rory Williams, The Doctor (11th)
Warnings: Spoilers for The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon, obviously.

Recced because:

I really just like this because I liked Canton so much. such_heights gives him a totally sensible, fleshed-out boyfriend, and I'm a sucker for sensible, fleshed-out OC's. They have Serious Talks about what happened, and then the Doctor shows up. And then he shows them a universe that's so big, it's got no room for idiotic things like harassment because of race or sexual orientation. This is a warm, fluffy fic which is mostly about Canton and his boyfriend, with the Doctor and the Ponds along for the ride.

A small sample )
[identity profile] solo-by-choice.livejournal.com

It's been fun reccing this week! See you next time, maybe :)

Story: The First Time the Doctor Met Phil Coulson
Author: LJG
Rating: All Ages
Word Count:  1246
Author's Summary: Based on this Tumblr:
 
Canton Everett Delaware III, father of Phil Coulson -- "The reason why Agent Phil Coulson is so good at dealing with weird sh*t is that he f**g grew up with it. Because don’t tell me that Canton wasn’t recruited by SHIELD as soon as he got fired from the FBI. He helped a bunch of time-travelers deal with an alien invasion, stood up to the President of the United States, and did it all without batting an eyelid. CLEARLY PHIL COULSON’S PERPETUAL, FAINTLY-SMILING CALM IS A GENETIC TRAIT."
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor, Phil Coulson, Canton, Carol Danvers
Warnings: None


Recced because: For Sunday, have some crack with your crossover (this time with the Marvel Universe movies). The summary and title should tell you all you need to know about why I clicked on this one. As for why I’m reccing it, well, it’s sweet, it’s dorky, and it’s my new headcanon. Because Canton would so be recruited by SHIELD and of course Eleven taught Phil Venusian Judo. Of course. If you don’t know much about the MU, don’t worry. I still have no idea who Carol Danvers is and I enjoyed this all the same.

reccity-rec-rec

[community profile] calufrax is sleeping in your mind. One day, it may be brought back in front of your eyes.

April 2018

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