calufrax

jjpor.livejournal.com

Ahoy there, Who fanfictioneers! As always when I begin a new stint reccing here on

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 )

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 )

luckweaver.livejournal.com

Story: An Unearthly Guest
Author: apolesen
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 14,774
Author's Summary: When Jenny finds an alien stranger outside the house at Paternoster Row, she and Madame Vastra follow instructions the Doctor has given them months in advance: “Take him in. Take care of him. Don’t get anyone else involved.” But the mysterious guest’s stay only leads to more questions. What has made him lose his memory? Why have they been told to keep the existence of alien life from an alien being? And how come the nameless guest reminds Jenny of the Doctor, when he looks nothing like him?
Characters/Pairings: Jenny Flint, Madame Vastra, The Doctor (11th), The Doctor (8th)
Warnings: n/a

Recced because: Another long rec! I'm actually still in the process of reading this one, but it's so good that I decided to take a break and add it to my reccing queue. The Eighth is my favourite Doctor and frankly, he fits in almost perfectly into Victorian England - after all, he looks like an Edwardian man. That, and 'amnesia' as a trope for this particular Doctor works particularly well. And can you see the potential for him hanging out with the Paternoster Gang? Especially considering the role of Sontarans in the War... Oh, I was delighted when I first stumbled across this fanfiction. The different POVs you get as the story go on stop you from getting bored with such a long piece, and it's well worth the fact that it may take you a few sittings (unless you're like me).

ffutures.livejournal.com

I'm

ffutures, Marcus Rowland at Calufrax, and I'll be reccing for the next couple of weeks. I'm going to try for my usual mix of old and new Who, including spin-offs, crossovers and some authors who haven't been seen here before. Let's start with a nice New Who fix-it.

Story: Stories, songs, and gallant girls
Author: Kit
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 9219
Author's Summary: River Song rights a wrong, and finds herself rather charmed in the process.
Characters/Pairings: Donna Noble, Jack Harkness, Jenny Flint, Madame Vastra, River Song, The Doctor (11th), The Ood
Warnings: Explicit Sex, Alternate Universe

Recced because: I'm a sucker for fix-it stories, and one of the biggest things to fix in New Who is the problem of Donna. This story, by an author who hasn't been recced here before, romps through that via a relationship between Donna and River Song. Along the way it visits Oodspace, Victorian London, 1920s Germany, and other fun locations. I'm not sure it says anything especially profound, except that the Doctor should fix his own problems, it's just a lot of fun.

( A small extract )

a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com

Story: Bright Shadow (The Don't Be Alone Remix)
Author: honeynoir
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 2692
Author's Summary: Amy Pond once said, 'Don't be alone, Doctor.' Vastra is the Doctor's best friend during the dark days.
Characters/Pairings: Amy Pond, Jenny Flint, Madame Vastra, Strax, The Doctor (11th)
Warnings: Angst, Character Study, Drama

We have hit the end of my two-week reccing period here at calufrax - so this will be my last rec. They are all my favorites, but this one is rather close to my heart, so I hope you enjoy it just as much as you have the others. We started off with darkness leading to hope - so let us end it the same way, yes? Thank you for giving these fics a chance - and thank you for letting me share them! But I digress...onto the fiction in question!

Recced because: Once upon a time I wrote a fiction. That fiction was then Remixed by a brilliant author who did such gorgeous work, I should have honestly given her the idea and let her run with it to begin with. This is a selfish rec: honeynoir took a fiction that was semi-adequate (in my mind at least) and made it into a masterpiece of words. She honed and shaped and drew out any beauty within, taking my clumsy attempts at telling a story and creating a world within a world that is just breathtaking to behold.

This fiction is about the Doctor after he lost his Ponds. He has a dark road ahead (long and dark) and he feels no respite from his grief - an unexpected hammer-blow that drives him away from his Girl (also grieving) and into the streets of Victorian London. Lost, angry, confused and overwhelmed, he happens to run into an old friend. A friend that not only understands what he is going through, but also understand the dismay, the crushing surprise of what he has lost. She may not be able to hold the darkness and depression at bay forever, but she can give him a brief rest right now - and maybe someone to talk to when it gets to be too much.

This is a tale close to my heart. This is a fiction that speaks to me on a variety of levels that are difficult to comprehend, because the words used were derived from my own words - and lovingly repainted into a glorious sweep of color, music and vivid image. The author's insight and sympathy to the Doctor's pain is staggering (breath-taking, really), and she guides us on a journey of hope and light when there is none to be had. A hand to hold when the abyss is under your feet. She shows us how even those who are lost can find a way home again. All they have to do is look and one will be found. But don't take just my word for it. Read and know the beauty this author has brought to the page. I guarantee you will wish it never had an end...

( Small taste here... )

Ohhh, just lovely!! Truly awe-inspiring. And one last taste of the Darkness...with a hint of purity, light and hope to round it off gorgeously. Please stop and let the author know how much they have moved you. I know that would thrill them to no end (and of course, there is always the 'they'll make more' as a motivator).

Again, thank you all for allowing me to share with you these last two weeks. I certainly hope you have enjoyed all the fictions and authors I have reccomended here and I hope you have found a gem within all of these recs that speaks to you and keeps you coming back again and again.

Until Next Time!

*HUGS*

Mandy

ffutures.livejournal.com

I'm

ffutures, Marcus Rowland at the archive, and I'll be reccing for the next two weeks. I've been a little pushed for time and haven't been able to do much research - okay, let's be honest, I more or less forgot I was going to be doing this until

nonelvis reminded me - but fortunately I seem to have seen some excellent stories recently. At least one has been posted or linked to on other livejournal communities within the last few days, but I'm hoping that they'll be new to enough people here that you won't think I'm wasting your time.

My recs are predominantly New Who this time, with some crossovers - and I should probably mention that I don't count stories merging Dr. Who, Torchwood, and/or The Sarah-Jane Adventures, or different eras, as crossovers; to me they're all part of the same wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey universe.

Starting with something brand new:

Story: In Her Absence
Author: Cyberjulie
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 71047
Author's Summary: A tale of the early days of the Silurian warrior Madame Vastra, ranging from her early travels with the Doctor to her adventures in the alleys of Victorian London.
Characters/Pairings: Jenny Flint, Madame Vastra, Other Character(s), The Doctor (11th)
Warnings: None.

Recced because: I'm a big fan of Madame Vastra and Jenny, and would love to see them in a spinoff series, but there are relatively few stories about their early relationship, and I can't think of any that cover Vastra's initial meeting with the Doctor and the beginning of her career in Victorian London. This covers all of that, adding in an explanation of her use of Japanese swords, an alien encounter, a mysterious menace, and lots of other fun stuff. It was posted to the

lizardladylove community just days ago, and I knew as soon as I read it that it would be one of my recs. Incidentally, there are some author's notes for the story here: http://lizardladylove.livejournal.com/28726.html

( A small sample )

clocketpatch

Story: A Terrible Case of Love
Author: Leiascully
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1354
Author's Summary: Strax is concerned for the Doctor and the lady with the giant head
Characters/Pairings: River Song, Strax, Eleven, Jenny, Madame Vastra
Warnings: N/A

Recced because:

Strax's Sontaran up-bringing has left him confused about many things. He thinks that River's hair is a part of her head and he doesn't understand why his allies keep pressing their faces together, but he does understand strength when he sees it – even if he doesn't completely understand its source. His misinterpretations are as hilarious as they are tragic, but his observations are still very keen and provide an intriguing insight on the Doctor's relationship with River.

( Sample: )

annauq.livejournal.com

And we're down to my last rec! I'm sorry for the slow start, Life got in the way, but I hope you liked reading my recs anyway.

Story: Janus
Author: Nancy Brown
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 795
Author's Summary: Sometimes her name was Jenny, sometimes James.
Characters: Jenny Flint, Madame Vastra
Warnings: non-explicit mentions of sexual exploitation of women and children

recced because: One of the greatest character additions to the show recently have got to be Vastra and Jenny (okay, Strax too). While a lot of fic around focusses on the, ehem, physical side of their relationship, this one takes a different approach and fleshes out the character of Jenny a bit more.

The author paints a good picture of Victorian society, and doesn't shy away from the darker details. All of it fits so very well with what little we know of Jenny that I realised while rewatching some episodes recently I had made this story my headcanon for Jenny's life before she met Vastra. It shows her bravery without placing her in her mistress' shadow, and gives us more of the independent woman we got a glimpse of in the Crimson Horror.

There is a lot going on behind the words, and the whole thing flows beautifully. In under a thousand words, the writer manages to create a small autobiography for a brilliant character, giving Jenny a slightly tragic but fitting backstory. The small twist at the end is very nicely done too.

So yeah, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thank you for having me, and I'll be back with more soon!

eve11

Title: Bad Parts
Author: ClocketPatch
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 10589
Author's Summary: Alternative ending to Nightmare in Silver. The Cyber-parts don't just drop off at the end, and Mr. Clever isn't giving up so easily...
Characters/Pairings: Eleven, Clara, the Paternoster Gang (Jenny, Strax, Madam Vastra)
Warnings: None listed. Author notes "There are brief allusions to what Eleven may or may not have got up to during his "dark times" in Victorian London which may be triggering to some readers."

Recc'ed Because: I admit, the aspects of television that necessitate "miraculous cures" for the benefit of telling a story in 45 minutes or less... sometimes can be frustrating. This story is a re-telling of the end of Nightmare in Silver that doesn't pull any punches. It's Doctor Who meets Victorian Horror, makes getting rid of "Mr. Clever" come at a cost. But it's more than just beating up on Eleven or OOC H/C (I should clarify it is NOT OOC, but so many whump and H/C stories are), because it also stealthily adds some of the best Clara characterization I've read, as well as giving perfect voice to the Paternoster trio. A chilling but ultimately rewarding read.

( Excerpt )

nonelvis

Story: The Case of the Purloined Sailor
Author: Nancy Brown
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 755
Author's Summary: On the hunt for a killer, Sherlock Holmes runs afoul of a vigilante: Madame Vastra.
Characters/Pairings: Madame Vastra, Jenny, Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Inspector Lestrade
Warnings: None

Recced because: Having recently picked up Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes stories after last having read them in my teens (and let's just say that was a while ago), it was delightful to find a fic that not only felt like an ACD missing scene, but included two of my favorite characters from S6: Madame Vastra and Jenny. Even though Vastra and Holmes' verbal joust doesn't last long, what's there is just perfect – and if you're anything like me, you'll wish there was a lot more.

ffutures.livejournal.com

Story: Tea on Mount Ida
Author: Silverr
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 2977
Author's Summary: Silurians live for centuries, humans not nearly so long. Vastra knows that she will lose Jenny someday, and it's a loss she's already bracing herself against. Written for the Rare Women Fanfic Exchange 2012.
Characters/Pairings: Other Character(s)
Warnings: None

Recced because: I'm a great fan of the Eleventh Doctor's best non-companions, Madame Vastra and Jenny. She's a Silurian, she's her human servant / lover, together they fight... all sorts of things. Unfortunately there aren't many stories about them on Calufrax, this is in my opinion the best, in which Madame Vastra reflects on her life with Jenny, shows some of the concerns we usually only see with the Doctor and his companions, and with the Doctor's help they make life a little better for a historical figure.

( A small sample )

For more on this pairing and resources for writing the characters see the

lizardladylove community.

nonelvis

Last rec of the week! I hope you enjoyed them. We're still looking for reccers, so please consider signing up -- you can do so by joining the comm and leaving a comment on the sign-up post.

Story: The Wyrm and the Maiden Fair
Author: Daystar Searcher
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1,321
Author's Summary: Jenny and Vastra. Sometimes, it's like a fairy tale.
Characters/Pairings: Jenny/Madame Vastra
Warnings: None

Recced because: I wasn't familiar with the fairy tale Daystar Searcher used to frame this story, but it didn't matter. In fairy tales, sometimes a human has to look past outward appearances to find true love, and so it is here – although unlike the original fairy tale, the dragon stays a dragon, and the human falls in love with her anyway. The language here is just beautiful: romantic, dreamy, and very true to the magical spirit of fairy tales themselves.

Excerpt: ( after the cut )

ffutures.livejournal.com

Story: Adventures
Author: DameRuth
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 304
Author's Summary: “Adventure” can be a relative term. (Jenny/Vastra)
Characters/Pairings: Other Characters (Madame Vastra / Jenny)
Warnings: None

Recced because: For me the most interesting characters to emerge from the last series are probably Madame Vastra and Jenny; she's a Silurian, she's a human, together they fight - well, all sorts of things. But sometimes it's just nice to stay at home and read a good book... A nice cute slightly timey-wimey story, not quite a crossover.

daystarsearcher.livejournal.com

Hi, I’m

daystarsearcher, but I’m known on Teaspoon as Daystar Searcher (truly, the breadth of my imagination is blinding). I’ll be your reccer for this week. I’ve watched all of New Who and SJA, and am currently working my way through Two and Seven’s eras, having finished Three and Four’s just a few months ago. I hope I’ve managed to put together a good mix of characters, pairings, genres, and ratings. The general arc of the recs will start out with some fun and happy stories, segue into some delicious angstiness, and then go out on a hopeful note.

Story: Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before
Author: Glinda
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 2754
Author's Summary: You know the one about the lizard with the eight-foot tongue? No? (Madame Vastra/Jenny)
Characters/Pairings: Madame Vastra/Jenny
Warnings: Explicit Sex

Recced because: ( not sure if mentioning two awesome side characters counts as a Good Man Goes to War spoiler, but just in case )

( “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 character: jenny flint

Rec: Bounce by Nancy Brown

Rec: I could never live with me before you came along by Nancy Brown

Rec: An Unearthly Guest

Rec - Stories, songs, and gallant girls by Kit

Bright Shadow (The Don't Be Alone Remix)

Calufrax Rec - In Her Absence by Cyberjulie

A Terrible Case of Love

Janus by Nancy Brown

Rec: Bad Parts

Rec: The Case of the Purloined Sailor

calufrax rec - Teas on Mount Ida by silverr

Rec: The Wyrm and the Maiden Fair

[calufrax] Rec: Adventures by DameRuth

rec: Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before

reccity-rec-rec

Links

April 2018

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