calufrax

x-los.livejournal.com

Story: Nonsense All Compact (The Community Theatre Remix)
Author: Neveralarch
Rating: All-Ages
Word Count: 12644
Author's Summary: “Braxiatel directs amateur community theatre in the small village of Gallifrey. Romana is the Council Leader in Gallifrey, and uses theatre as a political distraction. Eventually they hold hands. (Mundane AU of Gallifrey.)”
Characters: Irving Braxiatel, Leela, Narvin, Romana II, The Doctor (8th), Andred, K9, cameos from Eight’s companions
Pairings: Romana II/Brax, Leela/Narvin, Leela/Andred
Warnings: None
Recced because:

This is a mundane AU remix of Aralias’s excellent The Importance of Being On Stage, which is also about Brax having to rustle the denizens of Gallifrey into amateur dramatics and well worth a read. Neveralarch’s version is funny (how could anything about Gallifrey as a middle England town and Brax being dragooned into running its am-dram fail to be funny?) and lovely, with great world-building that uses all kinds of canon well and doesn’t leave you feeling left out if you don’t remember who Samson and Gemma are (don’t worry, the Doctor doesn’t remember who they are either). It’s an ensemble fic before it’s anything else, though its shippy elements are variously satisfying and amusing.

I think you’d even dig this story if you didn’t know the Gallifrey audios and had only a passing familiarity with Big Finish. Brax is the Doctor’s brother and he has a morally-dubious art collection and also does grandiose political machinations back on the Time Lord ranch and pines after Romana and nothing ever works out for him—there, you’re good to go, enjoy.

( Nice Ficbits Here )

The fact that this has 0 comments on Teaspoon and but two admirers on Ao3 is a travesty. THE CHARLEY CAMEO ALONE, PEOPLE!! Also, special prize for best use of a Monan Host. ...only use of a Monan Host.

annauq.livejournal.com

I'm really terrible with posting this time round. Apologies for that.

Story Times Such as These
Author Neveralarch
Rating teen
Word Count 4755
author's summary The Time War is too large and complex and confusing to be viewed in generalities. Four personal stories from the War.
characters/pairings Irving Braxiatel, Leela, Narvin, Narvin, Romana II, The Doctor (8th), The Master (Other)
warnings None

recced because As is clear from my previous reccing spree, I am a huge fan of the Time War. The concepts fascinates me, and I like that we do not know for sure what exactly happened. It's perfect for angst, usually involves Romana and the Doctor being awesome, and gets to be quite dark and gruesome. See, there is no downside to the Time War! (aside from the fact that (spoiler) everyone dies, of course).

This story has all things mentioned, but is written with an unusual underlying sense of dread and despair. I simultaneously hated and loved reading it for exactly that reason. It's dark (pitch black in fact), but somehow totally irresistible. There is something about the writing which drew me in and made me read until the end, despite the fact that the characters I love so much made me feel wrong. Their actions feel alien, yet I can see them behaving in exactly that way when pushed to the edge and over it. It is not an enjoyable read, but by Rassilon is it a good one.

brunhilde-1013.livejournal.com

Story: Five Time Romanadvoratrelundar Missed the Signs, and One Time She Couldn't Possibly Ignore Them
Author: JaneTurenne
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 6484
Author's Summary: The most powerful woman in the known universe has a tendency to attract admirers. She would probably find this a distinct annoyance—if she could ever be bothered to notice.
Characters/Pairings: Romana II, The Doctor (4th), Irving Braxiatel, Narvin, Leela, K9
Warnings: n/a

Recced because: This is just a joy to read. The Gallifrey audios are my favourite corner of Doctor Who, and fic that deals with them is relatively hard to come by (although of unwavering quality). The tale of Romana's many thwarted admirers makes for a genuinely funny story that nevertheless stays perfectly in character. Part of JaneTurenne's gift is the uncanny ability to make every single line of dialogue she writes sound like it belongs in the characters' voices, and this is no exception: from the Doctor's theatrical boom to Leela's earnest directness, the dialogue sparkles with wit and humour. One to bookmark and reread.

redjaywrites.livejournal.com

It's me again! Getting this one in a little bit early because it's currently past 3am, and I'm having trouble sleeping. But hey, never too early for Doctor Who. In some alternative universe somewhere, I'm probably late. Which by no coincidence at all is the theme of this next rec...

Story: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Author: Brunhilde
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 2,230
Author's Summary: The Lady Romana is a powerful witch, a talent passed down from her mother and nurtured by Professor Irving Braxiatel of the Magical Academy. It is a talent that will shape her life.
Characters/Pairings: Irving Braxiatel, Leela, Narvin, Romana II, Other Character(s)
Warnings: n/a

Recced because: I found this one only recently, but I am an absolute sucker for an alternative universe and sci-fi and magic go eerily well together. The inclusion of Leela in this fic was a delightful surprise, and the society and world that has been built up for this story is as believable as any canon story from the show itself. The adaptations fit perfectly, and I like how the story is split up into scenes that span Romana's life. The dialogue is charmingly witty, the implications of what goes on behind the scenes the perfect addition, and the whole story could cut like a knife. A real gem, and well worth the three read-throughs I've just given it.

annauq.livejournal.com

Hello everyone, I’m a Whovian over from Belgium, and I’ll be your reccer this week. It is my first time here so apologies if anything goes wrong. I will rec a variety of stories covering most eras of the show so I hope there is something for everyone to enjoy the coming week.

Story: Girls’ morning after
Author: diabolicalfiend
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 615
Author's Summary: Iris' visit leaves Romana with a headache.
Characters/Pairings: Iris Wildthyme, Irving Braxiatel, K-9, Leela, Narvin, Romana II
Warnings: none

Recced because:

Gallifrey V came out recently, and to celebrate that I have this hilarious little ficlet for you all to start off the week. It captures the characters and the tone of the series perfectly, and it made me laugh out loud more than once. I always enjoy stories which show the author is familiar with less known facts in canon, as is the case here.
I almost didn’t read this because I don’t know Iris other than by reputation, but since she doesn’t actually feature here (other than by reputation!), it wasn’t a problem. The characters are perfectly portrayed, especially Romana II and her wicked sense of humour.
The set-up for the story itself is quite ingenious, and brings out everything I love about the Gallifrey series. There is banter, humour and even a bit of political backstabbing. What more could you wish for on a Monday morning?

I realise the Gallifrey fandom is quite small, but I hope non-listeners will enjoy this too. The story does not require extensive knowledge of the series, so just give it a go (and perhaps check out Gallifrey after that!). The author does not appear to have been recced before, which is also a bonus.

aralias.livejournal.com

Thank you very much for having me. Please give some of my obscure canon choices a chance. It may lead you down the road to a side of Who fandom you've not considered that is actually brilliant.

Today, I was planning on reccing a completely different Neveralarch story, and then I saw this one right below the moderately sensible choice I'd been planning, and I thought 'nobody knows what Gallifrey is or wants Age of Sail AUs of it', but... well, the other choice was more Doctor/Master and probably not as brilliant as this. So-

Story: The Very Model
Author: neveralarch
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 10070
Author's Summary: Being the tale of how Admiral Romana kept her job, how Rear-Admiral Braxiatel fought off the empire's enemies, how Leela of the Sevateem gained an audience with the Admirality, and how Captain Narvin was irritated by just about everyone. (A Gallifrey/Age of Sail fusion, where most of the characters are still Time Lords, even though that doesn't make much sense when they're on wooden ships.)
Characters/Pairings: Romana II, Leela, Braxiatel, Narvin, K-9s, and various other Gallifrey people who aren't on Teaspoon

Recced because: Reasons I love this fic that hopefully apply to more people who aren't me:

a) Age of Sail is a particular vice of mine. If you are fond of this genre, but haven't heard Gallifrey - give it a try.
b) I particularly like Age of Sail fics in which Romana is a headstrong admiral who beats people up with buckets, and Leela is a pirate. (A small category, alas). Other characters are also treated very well - K-9 is Age of Sail-ified most brilliantly, and Brax is sort of trying to take over the navy and Narvin is trying to play by the rules and is so angry that nobody else will.
b2) It is a true ensemble fic.
c) The narrative voice is consistently hilarious. And so is the dialogue.
d) For all that it is an Age of Sail AU, it is also a brilliant Gallifrey-type plot that you can actually get wrapped up in. Do you like intrigue and backstabbing? Yes. Great. Read this fic.

( Excerpt )

neveralarch

Story: A Country of Smaller Wars
Author: levendis
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 23,303
Author's Summary: Looking for home in all the wrong places: Narvin, professional voyeur and artful patriot, follows his ex-president, a con-man, and a savage through alternate universes only to find himself pretty much, but not quite, back where he started.
Characters/Pairings: Narvin/Romana II, Leela, Irving Braxiatel, K-9
Warnings: Swearing.

Recced because: This is one of the best Gallifrey fics I've ever read, and that's already a quality subset of Doctor Who fandom. This rec is later than I expected, because I got so caught up in rereading the story that I kind of forgot I was reading it for a reason.

A Country of Smaller Wars follows the plot of the Gallifrey series of audios from Coordinator Narvin's perspective, before moving beyond the latest audios and into speculation for the next ones. The fic takes knowledge of the Gallifrey series more or less for granted, but if you haven't listened to Gallifrey I really recommend the audios as well - personally, I think they're the best work Big Finish has done in the Doctor Who universe. And then you can come back and enjoy the fic!

If you've already listened to Gallifrey, then you should definitely read A Country of Smaller Wars. It has some fascinating conceits and a really great take on Narvin, and Narvin and Romana's relationship. Also, a fantastic Leela. I am running out of adjectives, here - you should just read this.

aralias.livejournal.com

Story: A Family Affair
Author: bagheera
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 19860 (still planning to podfic it!)
Author's Summary: Leela and Narvin in a buddycop story, set between 3.4 "Mindbomb" and 3.5. "Panacea"
Characters/Pairings: K-9, Leela, Narvin, Romana II, various excellent OCs
Declaration of interest: I not only ran the ficathon that spawned this fic, I also betaed it.

Recced because: When Gallifrey the series is good it has a cracking whodunnit type plot (where whodunnit is taken for whobetrayedme/whoissecretlyonmyside) and lots of cracking dialogue between people who either dislike each other but are pretending not to, or respect each other but find the other person utterly exasperating. The series is very funny, and very engaging, and it reaches its height in series 3. This brilliant fic should be a real episode of Gallifrey, because it has everything that a good episode of Gallifrey should have (except an appearance from Braxiatel). Then again, as an interpretation of the buddycop genre it's perfect, giving our protagonists, the free-spirited hunter and the by-the-book spy, time to get to know each other and misunderstand one another in between its action set pieces. It also works as Gallifrey-lover fan-service, featuring (almost) all our favourite Gallifrey regulars and lots of original characters, who all feel like favourite characters we've just not noticed in previous episodes. It also gives Narvin a convincing and compelling backstory, and fleshes out Leela's relationship with Andred. Some absolutely hilarious things happen, and the dialogue is pitch-perfect. I know it's long, but don't let that put you off. It won't feel that long.

Excerpt:

“When I entered basic training, I found this immensely frustrating. Machines don’t dissemble or act illogically. They obey their own laws to a fault. You can be a perfectly good data technician without ever coming across a moral dilemma. As a spy, you don’t just have to make compromises. You have to compromise yourself. You can’t afford trust or friendship or honour. To uphold your most precious ideals, you sometimes have to betray them. That’s what Andred tried to do, and it broke him. It would break you too, if you ever tried it.”

“It did not break you.”

Narvin glanced at Leela, unsure if that was a question, or a statement, or an expression of doubt.

“No,” he said. “I find it doesn’t affect me very much.”

As part of

pod_aware I have recorded yesterday's rec, ceremony for the living, which can be downloaded here.

neveralarch

Hi! Here's the first of my recommendations this week - I hope you all enjoy.

Story: The Only Renegade Time Lords Not To Be President This Time War
Author: aralias
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 6,508
Author's Summary: In which Braxiatel and Romana are not president (though not for lack of trying). Meanwhile, various other unsuitable people are.
Characters/Pairings: Iris Wildthyme, Irving Braxiatel, Leela, Narvin, Romana, The Doctor (8th), The Master (Other), The Rani, (also, Drax, Salyavin, Darkel, and K-9)
Warnings: None.

Recced because: Last time I recced, I did a theme set of BFA fics. I'm not going to try for that this time, but I figured I'd start with an awesome story about a set of somewhat obscure characters. This is the story of who was president of the Time Lords during the Time War (practically everyone), and I think it's funny even if you're not a bit obsessed with BFAs in general and the Gallifrey series in particular. But if you are, you'll find a lot of nods to the canon which make the fic amazing.

( excerpt under the cut )

rainshaded

Hi, I'm

agapi42 and I shall be your reccer for this week. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.

Story: Imitatio
Author: JaneTurenne
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 3114
Author's Summary: Romana, Narvin, Leela and Brax: reflections on heroism, in the image of a certain renegade.
Characters/Pairings: Romana, Narvin, Leela, Brax
Warnings: None

Recced because: The Doctor isn't in the Gallifrey series of audios. That doesn't mean he's absent, as this fic so beautifully shows. It's a gorgeous character study of the four main characters and their personal acts of heroism through the first three series, with absolutely wonderful prose.

( Excerpt )

janeturenne.livejournal.com

*waves* Hello all! I’m Jane, and I’ll be your reccer this week. I’ve never met a corner of the Whoniverse I didn’t like, and this week’s recs will include stories set during Classic Who, New Who, and in the Big Finish Audio ‘verse. I’m particularly fascinated by the Time Lords as a species, so every rec this week will include at least one Time Lord or Time Lady other than the Doctor (though he’s in plenty of them too).

This first rec is set in the Gallifrey audio ‘verse. Let me just take a moment here to say to those who have not heard Gallifrey: Look at your life. Look at your choices. And then go forth immediately and listen, for lo, it is amazing.

Story: On Her Lady President’s Secret Service
Author: neveralarch
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 13025
Author’s Summary: Narvin and Leela tracking down spies in the Citadel. And also fighting with people. And fighting with each other. And having discussions about CIA training methods. But they also track down spies.
Characters: Irving Braxiatel, Leela, Narvin, Other Character(s), Romana II, K-9 Mark I
Warnings: Explicit Violence
Recced because:

I’ll admit from the top that I am wildly biased where this story is concerned, because it’s got tons of Narvin in it, and Narvin is quite possibly my favorite character in the whole of the Whoniverse. But I think anybody who’s at all familiar with the Gallifrey audios is bound to enjoy this story just as much as I do, because it’s a solid piece of writing in every possible way: excellently plotted, perfectly characterized, with all the wit and dry humor that are so characteristic of the show itself. In addition, this fic is unusual for being set during Gallifrey’s first season, so not only does it have the ‘Torvald’ plotline to play with, it also serves as an excellent antidote to the shifting paradigms of season four, grounded back on the Gallifrey we knew, before wars, plagues or alternate universes. If I had to pick one single candidate for the classic Gallifrey fic, it would be On Her Lady President’s Secret Service.

( Excerpt: )

eve11

It's my last rec of the week. Thanks for coming along with me and letting me tell you guys about my favorite fics once again. This one just went up yesterday but I've loved it ever since I read it on lj and when I saw it on the "most recent" update list it was like a present to make my last recc day all that much easier.

Story: Comon Issues in Child Care
Author: neveralarch
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 4873
Author's Summary: From a prompt by aralias: "Some sort of Gallifrey babyfic - yes, that's what's happening here." Set in a idyllic future of the canon, where both the K-9s are there and also Elbon is not a zombie.
Characters: Irving Braxiatel, K-9, Leela, Narvin, Other Character(s), Other Character(s), Other Character(s), Romana II, Romana II, The Doctor (8th)
Warnings: None

Recc'ed because: Gallifreyans can handle all of the machinations and political manouverings from millennia-old society, but add one tiny humanoid baby and...well. I am not all that familiar with the Gallifrey chronicles but loved all of the characters that show up here and how they all deal differently with the little baby that the Eighth Doctor drops in their laps. This really is a delight of a fun story, told in a round robin format as the baby changes hands, and the characterizations are a peach.

( Excerpt )

aralias.livejournal.com

Story: Time Lords Made Us Do It
Author: Bagheera
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 978
Author's Summary: After "End of Time", the Time Lords figure out that their only hope for survival is to give the drums to the Doctor. (Gallifrey crack fic).
Characters/Pairings: Romana 2, Braxiatel, Narvin, Leela, K-9, (various Doctor/Master in the background)

Recced because: Another Doctor/Master fic, but one that distinguishes itself by never actually featuring those characters. As the summary notes, this is a Gallifrey fic, first and foremost, and is largely about those brilliant characters trying to tackle a problem - that problem just happens to be making the Doctor and the Master have sex, something that some characters find discomforting (very funny), and others are completely fine with (also very funny). It's largely dialogue based, which works well in an audio fandom and with such distinct voices, it's well structured, and cleverly punctures the pomposity of much of 'End of Time'.

Excerpt: "Andred once showed me this psychic union you speak of," Leela said thoughtfully. "I was not impressed."

Coordinator Narvin made a horrible grimace that seemed to say: I did not need to know this. Romana privately agreed.

biichan.livejournal.com

Story: Five Times Lord Braxiatel Had Occasion to Regret The Doctor’s Exile Very Deeply Indeed (And One Time He Wished The Doctor Would Just Sod Off Forever)
Author: x_los
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 8119
Author's summary: The Doctor is many things to many people, but to Irving Braxiatel he is the universe's most annoying little brother.
Characters/Pairings: Braxiatel, Susan, Delgado!Master, Fourth Doctor, Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough, Ainley!Master, Sixth Doctor, Evelyn, Peri, Romana II, Leela, Eighth Doctor, Narvin
Warnings: spoilers for the Gallifrey audios in the final part

Recced because: It sucks to be the Doctor's older brother. It really, really sucks. And nobody knows that better than “Irving” Braxiatel. Luckily, nobody suffers quite as beautifully as Brax does, either, which is a good thing as this fic is pretty much as it says on a tin: an exercise in showing all the many ways that the Doctor has ruined Braxiatel's life. No, wait, let me rephrase that: all the many hilarious ways that the Doctor has ruined Braxiatel's life. Because this fic is one of the funniest I've read in a long while. And, oddly enough, it's one of the better character studies too.

The sound of a dematerialization made them all look towards the TARDIS–but she was showing no signs of immanent departure. Indeed her sturdy blue frame seemed to silently rebuke them for doubting her reliability. In the direction they’d all just turned from, someone coughed. In unison three heads swiveled back to the plant. A man in a human business suit hovered above the manzanita.

“You stop right there, Master, that plant is endangered!” Peri yelled, standing as if she planned to fight him off the bush.

“Peri,” the Doctor sighed, “not everyone who’s made unwise facial hair decisions and wants a chat with me is the Master. Sometimes it’s only Shakespeare, or, in this case, Irving Braxiatel.”

Current Mood: cheerful

livii.livejournal.com

Story: The Unplanned Pregnancy (of Rassilon)
Author: LizBee
Rating: Teen
Author's summary: It's the wrong bed, on the wrong planet, and he's sharing it with the Lady President. And that's just the start of Narvin's problems.
Characters/Pairings: Romana II/Narvin, Ten
Warnings: none
Word Count: ~1,500 words

Recced because: Well-written, well-characterized, and hysterical Gallifrey fic – what's not to love? Coordinator Narvin is regularly portrayed in this audio series as Romana's foil, but here we see there might be something more lurking under the surface. From lines of beauty like "Romana, I am not sending K9 out to find your sex tape—" and numerous hilarious skewerings of clichés, to a finale with Ten that's pitched just right, this is a delight.

silly-cleo.livejournal.com

(Second post to make up for missing yesterday. Apologies!)

Story: Seconds Ticking
Author: Biichan
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 908
Author's Summary: Of course they had a back-up plan. No one said that it was sensible.
Characters/Pairings: Leela, Tenth Doctor, Donna Noble, Martha Jones, K-9, Romana II, Braxiatel, Narvin, Jackie Tyler, Rose Tyler, Pete Tyler
Warnings: None.

Recced because: I love pocket-watch stories and I love Big Finish and this story manages to combine the two fantastically. Awesome, awesome theory and it's incredible how many good lines are packed in to so few words. I really sort of wish this were canon. Everyone's voice sounds just right, especially Leela's. This one's a must if you like the Big Finish series Gallifrey but is still heaps of fun even if you're not familiar with it, I think.

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: narvin

rec: Nonsense All Compact (The Community Theatre Remix) by Neveralarch

Times Such as These by Neveralarch

rec: Five Time Romanadvoratrelundar Missed the Signs, and One Time She Couldn't Possibly Ignore Them

rec: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

Girls' Morning After

Rec: The Very Model

rec: a country of smaller wars

Rec: A Family Affair, by bagheera

rec: the only renegade time lords not to be president this time war

rec: imitatio

rec: On Her Lady President's Secret Service by neveralarch

rec: Common Issues in Child Care

rec: Time Lords Made Us Do It

REC: Five Times Lord Braxiatel Had The Occasion To Regret The Doctor's Exile...

Rec: The Unplanned Pregnancy (of Rassilon) by LizBee

rec: seconds ticking

reccity-rec-rec

Links

April 2018

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