calufrax | Entries tagged with companion: liz

Story: Ladies Living Sequentially
Author: rutsky
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 2,672
Author's Summary: Liz Shaw wanted someone to talk about her old, odd world. Jo Grant was the perfect someone.
Characters/Pairings: Liz Shaw, Jo Grant

Recced because: I was looking for another story to rec this week, preferably one involving Liz Shaw, whom I adore, and I ran across this gem I'd somehow missed. rutsky is a reliably good author, and here she takes on one of my favorite tropes: the one where two companions who never met in canon meet up to dish about the Doctor. Jo and Liz have lived long, full lives by now -- the story takes place after the death of both the Brig and Sarah Jane -- so they bring the wisdom and perspective of age to the conversation, while still sounding exactly like themselves. It's a delightful read, and I'm very glad I found it.

Excerpt: ( after the cut )

scripsi.livejournal.com

Title: Armagnac at 4 a.m.
Author: rutsky
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1036
Author's Summary: The base sleeps, but Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart can't. He can appreciate friendship, however.
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Liz Shaw, Third Doctor
Warnings: None

Recc'ed Because: This is such a lovely little story about friendship, focusing on the Brigadier.

( Excerpt )

eve11

Title: One Out of Three Isn't Bad
Author: Daystar Searcher
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 696
Author's Summary: Missy decides to go back in time and seduce Three's companions. It doesn't entirely go as expected.
Characters/Pairings: Jo Grant, Liz Shaw, Sarah Jane Smith, Missy
Warnings: Explicit Sex

Recc'ed Because: Because of course Missy would decide to go back to her old stomping grounds in an attempt to overpower and entrance the Doctor's old companions. And it goes about as well as you'd expect. This short little story has perfect character voices and is equal parts sexy and hilarious and yes, because it's Missy, also a tiny bit chilling.

( Excerpt (slightly NSFW) )

merryghoul

Story: Life Goes On
Author: Llywela
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 49785
Author's Summary: Case-file. The Doctor has left UNIT…but life goes on without him and so do extra-terrestrial incursions. When mysterious fissures appear and unidentified aliens attack, Liz Shaw finds herself drawn back to UNIT after an absence of several years, while a newly returned Sarah Jane Smith is wondering what the future holds for her, now that her dearest friend has left her behind.
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Harry Sullivan, Liz Shaw, Sarah Jane Smith, Sergeant Benton, UNIT
Warnings: no standard warnings apply

Recced because: After the Doctor leaves UNIT, several of his former companions and colleagues investigate a mysterious alien. I'm not usually someone who likes reading longer fics, and especially chaptered works (especially when those chaptered works are abandoned without a conclusion). I remember seeing this years back on

who_daily and falling in love with it after the fic was completed. I find the mystery in this fic compelling. I couldn't stop reading this one, and I'm glad I did!

scripsi.livejournal.com

Hello! I’m

scripsi here and Dancingsalome at Teaspoon. This is my first round of reccing and I hope you will enjoy my recs as much as I have!

Story: Friends In High Places
Author: nostalgia
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1753 words
Author's Summary: In which Torchwood completely fail to locate the Doctor while he's pretty much on their doorstep.
Characters/Pairings: The Third Doctor, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Liz Shaw, Jack Harkness, Donna Noble, the Tenth Doctor, The Master (Delgado), River Song, the TARDIS
Warnings: None stated

Recced because: The Doctor is thinking of getting a pet snake, the Brigadier fudge personal files and the Master takes a part time job at Torchwood. What is not to love? The fic consist of a couple of short scenes with various characters that are described spot on and why they want to find, or hide, the Doctor. I laughed out loud several times while reading it.

( Excerpt )

newmoonstar

Story: Adventures in Scientific Babysitting
Author: Lyricwritesprose
Rating: all ages
Word count: 200
Characters/pairings: Liz Shaw [and Kate Stewart]
Author's summary: When Liz Shaw babysits, the science is going to get done right.

Recced because: This is an adorable little drabble that I absolutely think must have canonically happened. I love the idea of companions remaining in each other's lives after they leave the Doctor, and it just fits perfectly to imagine that the Brigadier would ask his former colleague to look after his daughter, since in 'The Power of Three' she did say someone had taught her that 'science leads'.

Not going to bother with an excerpt because it's so short. Just go read it and smile.

a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com

Story: Moving Day
Author: eve11
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 738
Author's Summary: "As it happens, my exile has been rescinded."
Characters/Pairings: Liz Shaw, The Doctor (3rd)
Warnings: Drabble, Missing Scene, Vignette

Recced because: I love the Third Doctor. As a toddler, he was one of my clearest memories. Dashing, mysterious, handsome, slightly prickly and debonair. His Doctor always had that disapproving set to his mouth, but his eyes twinkled like he knew a good joke and his sharp tongue covered a big heart (and a lot of sorrow). He was my first 'James Bond' and the best one ever as far as I am concerned.

It's really hard to capture that. It is easier to remember the acerbic tongue and sharp wit that was often used to lash out - and really hard to remember that sometimes, that's the sound of someone who needs a friend. The Doctor of this era had a lot of friends, but not many of them were able to stand up to him. Not many of them had an intelligence to rival his. Liz was one of those people. Sadly, she moved on - for a variety of reasons, though it was more than heavily hinted that her 'bitter rivalry' with the Doctor for head of the science division was one of them. It was all to easy to remember that - and forget that Liz left behind all that she knew, as well as a potential friendship with the Doctor. She moved on and did bigger and better things. But sometimes, it doesn't hurt to have old friends drop by for a visit. And sometimes old hurts can be forgotten and new friendships forged upon the fire of fond absence.

( A small excerpt here... )

Ahh, yes - MARVELOUS. And a perfect way to ease the sting of Liz's departure. This was another goodie, folks - please stop by and tell the author how they made you smile. It will likely make THEM smile (and then...they'll MAKE MORE. *Nods*)

*HUGS*

Mandy

nonelvis

Story: Found
Author: Fayza
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 4,605
Author's Summary: The Brigadier has his hands full when an alien escape pod lands.
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart/Liz Shaw, Captain Yates, Jo Grant, Third Doctor
Warnings: None

Recced because: UNIT is used to dealing with the strange and unusual, but not always peacefully ... which makes the arrival of an alien baby more than a little confounding, especially for the Brigadier. He might have a daughter of his own, but that doesn't necessarily make him comfortable dealing with an alien infant, and his substitute for a temporarily absent Doctor – Liz Shaw – isn't entirely happy at being drawn back into UNIT's unique brand of chaos, either. (Not in the least because it reminds her of certain inappropriate feelings she'd had for her supervisor.) But the plot isn't why you should read this story, although it's a good one; no, you should read it because it's really a sweet-natured character piece with emotional depth for both the Brig and Liz, written with such thoughtful attention to voice that I had no trouble hearing each character speak in my head.

Excerpt: ( after the cut )

thisbluespirit

Story: Time Delay
Author: nonelvis
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1324
Author's Summary: "You're forty years late, Doctor."
Characters/Pairings: Liz Shaw, Third Doctor
Warnings: None.

Recced because: The Doctor finally comes back to offer Liz a trip in his TARDIS – forty years late, but what do details like that matter between old friends? This is a lovely, quiet look at both characters. Liz is still her recognisably brilliant and snarky self, the Doctor’s come to make up for lost time, and neither of them are too old for friendship, or another adventure together. As I’ve already said, it really is just lovely. Go read it – you won’t regret it.

lyakahime.livejournal.com

Story: Prey of the Cheetahs
Author: neveralarch
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 5869
Author’s Summary: There are strange things happening at Cambridge, and they seem to be connected with the appearance of a black cat. (A Three-era retelling of Survival.)
Characters/Pairings: Three/Delgado!Master (also Three/Cheetah!Delgado!Master); the Brigadier, Jo Grant, Liz Shaw, and Sergeant Benton
Warnings: none

Recced because: Do you like cats? Do you enjoy this pairing? Then you, like I, probably spent the entirety of Survival with your jaw unhinged at the sheer amount of slash on the screen. I love the fandom trend of rewriting Survival with different Doctors and Masters, and this Three-era retelling shines, with well-written dialogue and characterization. For bonus points, it showcases the old-school UNIT crew, even to the point of including both Liz AND Jo. It’s just a shame there will never be a televised episode in which Delgado gets to rub up against Pertwee like an oversized cat.

lyakahime.livejournal.com

Hello, Calufrax! I’m

lyakahime (Lyaka on the Teaspoon). Thanks for having me. I’m a shipper, so most of what I rec will have some kind of relationship in it, but I’ve got a mix of pairings at the ready to entertain a variety of tastes. And now, without further ado…

Story: Placebo Effect
Author: Bagheera
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2411
Author’s Summary: The Master falls into his own trap.
Characters/Pairings: Third Doctor/Delgado!Master, the old-school UNIT crew
Warnings: None

Recced because: Lighthearted without being frivolous, humorous without being cracky, and introspective without being melancholy, this lovely little fic has such perfect balance that everything seems effortless. There’s a real skill in taking one of the oldest, most overwrought clichés in the book – in this case, the mythical soul-bonding stone – and turning it into something that’s not only plausible, but has the reader cheering along. (How does she do this? The title provides a clue.)

Optimism and cheer are the tone of the fic, but there are currents hiding underneath that make me keep coming back to reread it. Insecurity is a powerful demon and one that never seems to quite stay dead. I’ve struggled with it, and I know many other fans do too. Beneath the good humor and banter, the deeper themes of self-esteem and security are deftly handled here, and the whole poses questions each reader will answer differently.

brunhilde-1013.livejournal.com

Story: Within A Mile Of Home
Author: sleepismyfriend
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 3924
Author's Summary: Eleven takes Amy to Bannerman Road, only he encounters a few more than he expected once he arrives.
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Jack Harkness, Jo Grant, Liz Shaw, Martha Jones, Mickey Smith, Sarah Jane Smith, Tegan Jovanka, The Doctor (11th), Wilfred Mott, Luke Smith, Amy Pond
Warnings: n/a

Recced because: To round off the week, a return to the multi-era ensemble cast - just look at that list of characters! Full disclosure requires me to say that the author is one of my friends, but this is one of those stories that I'd have to admit to loving were it written by my worst enemy. Plot takes a backseat to a beautifully-written interlude of friendships and nostalgia that still manages to feel fresh, and the interactions between the Doctor's former companions and friends are delightfully genuine. I particularly love the portrayal of Amy, who bounces around full of teasing energy but clearly holds a great deal of affection for the Doctor - and, of course, the centre of the story is the eternal relationship between the Doctor and Sarah, which is dealt with in a sensitive and nuanced manner. It really is one of my favourite stories, and one that reminds me just why I love the show so much.

Thank you for having me for the week, guys, and if you enjoy the recs then don't forget to go and tell the authors all about it!

brunhilde-1013.livejournal.com

Story: A Man's Game
Author: atraphoenix
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 3009
Author's Summary: Science is a man's game, but Liz Shaw likes to think that she knows how to play along.
Characters/Pairings: Liz Shaw, The Brigadier, Sarah Jane Smith, UNIT.
Warnings: n/a

Recced because: An early rec today (it's just past midnight in my part of the world!).

One of the strengths, I think, of Classic Who is that the lack of focus on the companions' personal lives leaves them far more open to interpretation than their more modern counterparts. This in particular is an interpretation I love: Liz, trying to find her place as a scientist in a male-dominated world, and figuring out how to deal with her sexuality in a world that is, across the timespan of the story, not entirely accepting - if it is at all. The counters to this are the Brigadier, who brings some real warmth to all his scenes, and Sarah Jane herself, who dances and flirts her way through this in perfect character. Liz is (as I may have mentioned) one of my favourite companions, and this story more than does her justice both as a scientist and as a person.

brunhilde-1013.livejournal.com

Story: Resonance
Author: Lurky McLurklurk
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 3533
Author's Summary: 1969 fic. Finding components for the timey wimey detector leads the Doctor and Martha to an encounter with Liz Shaw before she ever met any mysterious men who travel round time and space in a police box.
Characters/Pairings: Martha Jones, Liz Shaw, The Doctor (10th)
Warnings: n/a

Recced because: Liz Shaw is one of my absolute all-time favourite companions, and the period of her life before she worked with the Doctor isn't something that often gets explored. Best of all, it's another one of those great era-crossing stories, this time working with the time the Doctor and Martha spent in 1969. Liz is right in her element as a scientist, and the parallels between her and Martha are a bonus. It's the brilliant minor details that make this fic for me, from the Doctor thinking that 'blending in' in the sixties involves dressing as hippies to Liz's unbothered assumption that he and Martha have snuck into the laboratory for sex. Definitely one to enjoy.

jjpor.livejournal.com

Story: Every Rank Begins With N
Author: Brunhilde
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 689
Author's Summary: Another universe's Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart. Comes with severe warning for craziness!
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart/Dr Elizabeth Shaw ...or are they??
Warnings: None

Recced because: Well, the title and the severe warning in the author's notes really say it all more clearly than I probably can. Taking inspiration from Inferno and its eyepatch-wearing fascist Brig (and nasty fascist doppelgangers of the other S7 UNIT stalwarts), this fic explores the terrifying upside-down world that is the universe where...every rank begins with "N"!

It's one of those crack!fic premises that might seem a bit too silly (if that's even possible) at first glance, but it's not the only excellent joke and clever idea this fic has going for it (and after a couple of paragraphs you'll in any case find yourself going with the flow and chortling along anyway - or that was my experience, anyway). It's also poking affectionate fun at those much-loved (in my corner of fandom, at any rate) alternative-universe segments of Inferno and the horrible world they briefly sketched out (I don't know about you, but the allegations made about Brigade Leader Lethbridge-Stewart and Section Leader Shaw have the ring of truth about them as far as I'm concerned).

And on top of that, even, it's also subtly sending up the whole concept of mirror-universe episodes so beloved of television science fiction and the idea that in order to really mark that this isn't the world we know, you need some easily-identifiable visible gimmick. Like fascist!Brig's eyepatch. Or Spock's beard, to bring That Other Fandom into the proceedings. As well as fully revelling in that sort of thing, with characters who in our universe are heroes displaying the most black-hearted villainy (and dodgy fashion sense) you can imagine.

All that, and it's even a Brig/Liz fic of sorts, and I don't know about you but Brig/Liz is pretty much The Business from my point of view. And it also manages to bring out one of the very best aspects of the Infernoverse, eye-coverings and Evil!Sgt Benton aside - the fact that the alternative versions of our beloved UNIT characters aren't so much inversions of their normal personalities, but rather the same personalities with some of their pre-existing traits greatly amplified at the expense of the others.

Oh, and as I may have mentioned, it's dead funny too. I implore you; go and read it and leave some kind words for the author.

( The sort of thing you're letting yourself in for... ;) )

trdimension.livejournal.com

Hello, everyone! I'll be reccing for you this week! For anyone who doesn't recognise the username, I'm known as TheRelativeDimension over on Gallifrery Base, and you might have seen some of my fan fiction under the name Samuel Marks. Anyway, enough about me. Let's get started!

Story: Yuletide, with Bars of Iron
Author: King Rat
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1295
Author's Summary: The Doctor always feels most despondent about his captivity on these cold, clear nights. Can anything break him out of his despair?
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Jo Grant, Liz Shaw, Mike Yates, Sergeant Benton, The Doctor (3rd), The TARDIS, UNIT
Warnings: None

Recced because: I have some good news for you all - there are only 98 days until Christmas! I bet that cheered you up, didn't it? So, to celebrate, here's a brilliantly sweet festive tale for you all.

Modern Doctor Who is so inextricably linked with Christmas that it seems hard to imagine how (or why) the Classic series didn't often refer to it. I never thought of the Third Doctor sipping mulled wine as he sits beneath a Christmas tree and opens his presents. But as it turns out, that's sort of what he did...

Current Mood: relieved

merryghoul

Story: Namesake
Author: johne
Rating: General
Word Count: 3027 for both parts
Author's Summary: A Royal audience for Section Leader Shaw.
Characters/Pairings: Liz Shaw, Liz Ten, Other Character(s)
Warnings: no standard warnings apply

Recced because: Parallel universes are nothing new in Who. ~~This fic is set in a parallel universe where Liz Shaw meets herself as a queen in another dimension.~~ Scratch that, it's Liz Shaw and Liz X from "The Beast Below." I thought this fic was a fun ride myself.

ffutures.livejournal.com

Story: Appreciation
Author: Persiflage
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2900
Author's Summary: While stuck in 1969, Martha and the Doctor run into some members of UNIT.
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Liz Shaw, Martha Jones, Other Character(s), The Doctor (10th), The Doctor (3rd), UNIT
Warnings: None

Recced because: A little timey-wineyness is always fun, and stories where the different Doctors and companions work together are about as timey-winey as you can get. This one is just fun, and a nicely handled look at the relationships between doctors and companions in different eras. That it's another Liz Shaw story is a bonus.

( A small sample )

Incidentally, there's a Liz Shaw tribute video here:
http://youtu.be/m6H_sakDHeQ

ffutures.livejournal.com

I'm Marcus Rowland, and I'll be your reccer this week. As usual I'll try for a mixed bag including some classic and modern Who, crossovers and pure Who*, etc.
* Which I consider to include Torchwood, SJA, etc.

Story: Down The Rabbit Hole
Author: Atraphoenix
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 3341
Author's Summary: Liz found that she wanted to give River a chance that she didn’t necessarily deserve. It was unusual and irrational, but she’d felt the same way when she’d met the Doctor for the first time.
Characters/Pairings: Liz Shaw, River Song, The Doctor (3rd)
Warnings: None

Recced because: I was saddened to hear of the death of Caroline John (Liz Shaw) last week, and wanted to include at least one story starring her. This one is a beauty, in which she encounters a mysterious stranger named River Song and together they fight aliens and snark at the Doctor's less desirable qualities, before going off to do science (archaeology) together.

( A small sample )

lindenharp.livejournal.com

Sorry this is late, but I was at a conference all day, and got home shortly before midnight. (It’s still Tuesday somewhere, right?) Now we take a visit back to Classic Who...

Story: Impossible
Author: Sigyn
Rating: all ages
Word Count: 1996
Author's Summary: The Doctor is in an impossible situation. He's been banished to earth with his memory sliced and his TARDIS gutted. If only he could gnaw off a leg -- it would be better than just sitting and enduring it. Is there any reason to keep on fighting?
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Liz Shaw, The Doctor (3rd)
Warnings: none

Recced because: This is an insightful portrait of the Third Doctor in the early days of that incarnation. Sigyn shows us a Doctor full of frustration and rage at the situation he finds himself in. The Time Lords forced him to regenerate (an execution of sorts), tampered with his mind to block his knowledge of time travel, and exiled him to Earth. The wanderer who once called himself “a citizen of the universe” is now confined to one small planet. He takes out his frustration on his two closest human friends: brilliant Cambridge scientist Liz Shaw, and the stalwart Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.
( A snippet... )

Read the story here.

Current Mood: tired

justice-turtle.livejournal.com

Aaand I fear I have only four recs for you this week, O tolerant Calufraxians. *ducks vegetables* I could have sworn I had five! But when I double-checked, one of them (and my favorite of the lot, if I could pick a favorite - TigerKat's Torchwood/Howl's Moving Castle crossover What Planet Are You From?) had already been recced! I don't know how I missed that the first time; I maintain that some timey-wimey reccer snuck it in when I wasn't looking. ;P

Anyway. Last fic of the week!

Story: A Ghost Story for Christmas
Author: JJPOR
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 28,991
Author's Summary: It's Christmastime; a time for family, and memories, and ghosts, even if you're the Doctor. Especially if you're the Doctor.
Characters/Pairings: Third Doctor, Delgado!Master, Jo Grant, Sgt Benton, Mike Yates, Liz Shaw, Brig/Doris, UNIT
Warnings: None

Recced because: Here is a nice long story suitable for weekend reading. (I swear I meant to post it Friday evening, but Life intervened. :P) It's another Christmas story, peripherally; it's also a Brigadier family story, and a full-cast UNIT story, and one of those fabulous Delgado!Master missing episodes that JJ does best of anybody.

Also, it is ALL of the timey-wimey, in the best possible way. I love how every one of the OCs in this story, both timey-wimey-stuff-related and, um, not, is so very thoroughly characterized. I would read remixes of this story from everybody's point of view; if it were on the telly, I would icon it and quote it and write fic of it; to summarize, it is an excellent story and you should read it. If you are a New Whovian, all you need to know is that the Doctor is trapped on earth and cranky about it, and that UNIT are (mostly) not evil but he snarks at them anyway. Also, Liz and Jo are both awesome companions and they both get to kick arse here. WIN.

jinxed-wood.livejournal.com

Story: The Watchmaker
Author:

lizbee
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 19,748
Author's Summary: None
Characters/Pairings: Harriet Jones, Liz Shaw, Mickey Smith, Romana II, Rose Tyler, The Daleks, The Doctor (10th)
Warnings: None

Recced because: Romana survives the Time War - one of my favourite tropes - and settles down on Earth. This is a lovely meaty story thats wonderfully paced.

eve11

Story: Turn Your Back
Author: Singe
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 21943
Author's Summary: The Eleventh Doctor had a simple philosophy about public nudity. "If it embarrasses you, turn your back." Hmmm, what about the other Doctors? Here are ten humorous vignettes with a central theme of nakie-ness.
Characters/Pairings: Doctors 1 through 10 and various companions (ETA for the intrepid calufrax tagger: Susan, Ian, Barbara, Victoria, Jamie, Liz Shaw, Brigadier, Mike Yates, John Benton, Sarah Jane, Adric, Tegan, Nyssa, Melanie Bush, Ace, Jo Grant, Martha Jones)
Warnings: Swearing
Recced because: Honestly, how can you pass up a story with that summary? Do you need more? Okay, it's ten stories that go effortlessly from era to era, that are quirky and imaginative and funny and outlandish. They are also well-written and fun, inducing a little bit of ear reddening blushes at times, but also exploring concepts of friendship, acceptance, vulnerability, and the tendency of the Doctor to gravitate to gift shops in more ways than one. And well, if it's not your cuppa you can always turn your back...

( Small excerpt (chapter 7) )

derekmetaltron.livejournal.com

Hey everyone, it’s September 9th! You know what that means? We’re 107 days away from Christmas! And what better way to celebrate the festive season way, way too early than by fourteen tales of Winter Wonder with – get this – EVERY Doctor, Sarah Jane, Torchwood and K9?

Story: Christmas
Author: darkestboy
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 20,432
Author's Summary: A collection of Christmas themed stories throughout Time and Space. Spoilers from all of Doctor Who, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures and K9.
Characters/Pairings: 9th Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Jackie Tyler; 5th Doctor, Peri Brown; 10th Doctor, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, The Cybermen; K9 Mark 2, Alistair Gryffen; 7th Doctor, Ace, Mel Bush, Sabalom Glitz; 8th Doctor, Grace Holloway; 4th Doctor, Leela, Romana II; Jack Harkness, Alonso Frame; 3rd Doctor, Liz Shaw; 1st Doctor, Steven Taylor; 11th Doctor, Amy Pond, Rory Williams, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright; Sarah Jane Smith, Luke Smith, Clyde Langer, Rani Chandra, Jo Jones, Santiago Jones; 2nd Doctor, Ben Jackson, Polly Wright; 6th Doctor, Evelyn Smythe.
Warnings: None

Recced because: darkestboy is one of those authors who has done the seemingly impossible and written fan fiction for nigh-on every corner of the Doctor Who Universe, yet he has yet to receive any significant recognition for it, which is a tad unfair. This collection in question via a logical theme is a perfect example of this fact and every short story is great, ranging from the lost Christmas for Rose Tyler, to Winter reunions with Grace Holloway and Liz Shaw to the 1st Doctor dressed as Santa Claus! A fine introduction to this author’s work. The idea of a set of stories for all the Doctors is inspired too and he’s already started a second one for spooky Halloween. Indeed I’m thinking of trying something similar myself! Hope you like this!

Current Mood: creative

rainshaded

Story: Going Home
Author: Brunhilde
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 8174
Author's Summary: A life can't be summed in a few tiny moments, but it can, possibly, be understood. Elizabeth Shaw through the years. (Crossover with the P.R.O.B.E. series, but no prior knowledge of it is required.)
Characters/Pairings: Liz Shaw/original character, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Three, Patricia Haggard (from the P.R.O.B.E series), Ten, Sarah Jane Smith, Clyde Langer.
Warnings: None

Recced because: I have to agree with the author's summary here. This fic is a collection of evocative moments - some happy, some quiet, some dark - from four different phases of Liz's life. Pulling together several strands of her story, Brunhilde shows Liz's growth, through all the new challenges she seeks and through her connections with some new and some old (some older than others) friends. This isn't the total of Liz's life, but it's a wonderfully clear and thoughtful insight into it.

( Excerpt )

paranoidangel

Story: Overheard at the UNIT Christmas party, 2009 (probably)
Author: shinyjenni
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 593
Author's Summary: Conversations overheard at the UNIT Christmas party.
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Cliff Jones, Harry Sullivan, Jo Grant, Liz Shaw, Martha Jones, Sarah Jane Smith, Sergeant Benton, UNIT
Warnings: None

Recced because: It's short and funny. The conversations are interesting, as the combinations of participants.

( Excerpt )

If you like this, don't forget to tell the author.

persiflage-1.livejournal.com

Story: Just A Jump To The Left
Author: sleepismyfriend
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 18317
Author's Summary: The Doctor goes to 1976 to retrieve one Liz Shaw.
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Liz Shaw, Luke Smith, Martha Jones, Rory Williams, Sarah Jane Smith, The Doctor (11th)

Recced because: I love the way sleepismyfriend has got so many different era companions working together, under the Doctor's guidance (more or less!) to save Liz from the effects of an unpleasant alien encounter.

"Hello everyone, how long was I gone?" He asked, and Sarah looked to her watch as Rory and Martha exchanged glances.

"Forty-five minutes or so?" Martha looked to Sarah.

"Forty-seven and a half, to be exact." Sarah looked up from her watch, dropping her wrist as the Doctor looked to her, and she smiled. "Which is definitely a new record for him."

"Yes." The Doctor gave himself a mental congratulatory pat on the back before stepping forward to pat the side of the TARDIS's door. "That is what I am talking about. Over nine hundred years, and I finally get the guidance systems calibrated properly. That takes skill, you know. Slept through that class quite a bit in school."

[...]

"Heh, last time you said that, the TARDIS ended up underwater for seventeen hours during fish migration." Rory added. "Although, the colours were remarkable, I'll have to give you that. I see you didn't leave the parking brakes on again."

"Oh, quiet you." The Doctor waved Rory off. "Just because Mr. Amy Pond decided to take some outrageous holiday with River in Egypt does not give you, Mrs. Amy Pond, the right to be cheeky. I half expect Interpol to call us any moment now."

Current Mood: thoughtful
Current Location: Home
Current Music: Classic FM - Mark Forrest

persiflage-1.livejournal.com

There are, alas, too few Liz fics out there, but of the few people who regularly write Liz Shaw,

lost_spook is my favourite.

Story: Only Visiting This Planet
Author: vvj5/

lost_spook
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 7564
Author's Summary: Liz Shaw meets a student who has a problem that forces her back into contact with UNIT. And there are some things that can't be solved with cups of tea.
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Jo Grant, Liz Shaw, Mike Yates, Sergeant Benton, The Doctor (3rd)

Warnings: Character Deaths

Recced because: I've lost count of the number of times I've read this story, and yet it *still* makes me cry every time. It's a beautifully written look at Liz post-UNIT, that's funny and moving by turns, and vvj5 has all the characters' voices spot on. Plus, the alien is interesting.

“So what is it you wanted to say?”

The girl was sitting forward on the other chair, her hands around the mug of tea, but she hadn’t drunk any yet. “It’s difficult. I thought — tonight — I thought you might understand, but it all sounds so mad. I shouldn’t have come.”

“Try me,” said Liz, smiling at her. “If I’d told the truth back there, everyone else would have thought I was mad too. Why don’t you start with your name and move on to the rest?”

She coloured. “Janey Lewis. I’ve got an alien in my head.”

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Location: Home
Current Music: Classic FM - Mark Forrest

biichan.livejournal.com

Story: There Can Be Only One
Author: Calapine
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: ~1400
Author's Summary: Five times in the life of Jamie McCrimmon when he became immortal and never left the Doctor. As you do
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon, Zoe Heriot, Liz Shaw, Fourth Doctor, White Guardian, Romana I, Ninth Doctor, Tenth Doctor
Warnings: Not actually a crossover. No heads are lost in the course of this fic.

Recced because: It's light and silly and very fun and quite clever. Zoe ends up looking into the heart of the TARDIS and accidentally makes Jamie unable to stay dead. So of course he gets to stay with the Doctor for the rest of his (un)natural life as an immortal highlander. Er. Not that kind of highlander. Really.

Jamie folded his arms, determined to stand his ground, even though he was, in fact, sitting up in bed. “I saw it in one of those talking pictures. He had to keep chopping off people’s heads.”

Current Mood: cheerful

wendymr.livejournal.com

I'm sneaking in a bonus rec here, as I couldn't in the end narrow my choices down to seven. I'll be back tomorrow with my final rec for the week.

Story: A Final Toast
Author: MinervaFan
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2750 words
Author's Summary: Jo Grant-Jones, Liz Shaw, and Sarah Jane Smith have a private gathering to honor the Brig.
Characters/Pairings: Jo Grant-Jones, Liz Shaw, Sarah Jane Smith, Doris Lethbridge-Stewart. Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart mentioned.

Recced because: There has been a lot of death-of-the-Brigadier fics lately, as is only to be expected and entirely deserved, too, given Nicholas Courtney's contribution to Doctor Who. But, in my opinion, this one is the best I've read. A Final Toast starts with Jo, Liz and Sarah attending the Brigadier's funeral, and thereafter adjourns to Liz's hotel room, where Jo instructs them on the proper and appropriate ritual to pay tribute to their departed friend: "Ladies, let's get pissed!"

There's plenty of humour in this short fic, including reference to suggestions that UNIT is a giant sex club, and this classic:

Jo has found several teeny, tiny bottles of Tequila.

She hands one to each of the women and with a grin says, "Five rounds. Rapid."

But, while the humour is indeed wonderful and completely in character, it's not what makes this story. It's the deft little character portraits of each of the women, now very much older than they were in their UNIT days. They're very different from each other, as Liz notes at one point, yet they've got a lot in common, and not just their love for and loyalty to the Brigadier (and the Doctor, who's both absent and unmentioned in this fic). It's clear too that, while they may well be getting older, not one of them's ready to give up their active and trail-blazing lives. They're all still making a difference.

This story is as much a tribute to three strong, intelligent and much-loved companions as it is to the Brigadier, and it's highly recommended.

As always, if you enjoy the story, please tell the author!

aralias.livejournal.com

Most people reading this will already have heard the sad news about Nicholas Courtney aka Brigadier Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart. While he won't be on screen again as the Brigadier, we can, like the Doctor, always visit the Brig again at any point in his past - though with the written word and DVD/video-recordings, rather than a time machine.

Obviously, in light of this event I wanted to rec something with the Brig in it. What I have chosen is almost more a story about Liz, certainly a story more about their relationship than simply about the Brig, but I was planning on reccing it anyway, and it seems wrong to shy away from it just because it's relatively light-hearted and not entirely about Sir Alistair.

Story: A Turn In The Park
Author: johne
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 549
Author's Summary: Liz, the Brigadier, and a cliché.
Characters/Pairings: Liz/the Brigadier

Recced because: It's a lovely, understated story about the relationship between these two characters: Liz, stubborn but willing to change her mind if there is evidence to support such a change, and the Brigadier, a man of restrained emotional responses, but one not without great care and affection, not that at all. A thorough gentleman, despite whatever amusement he might derive from a situation. It's very short, there are relatively few events (in fact, the only event, 'Liz hurting her ankle', happens off screen), but the fic does a lot with its word count, and with what the summary describes as a cliché.

Extract: "I suppose you think I should have stayed put and screamed?" she said.

"At least one patrol would have been in earshot the whole time. We are investigating two disappearances, after all, and I'd rather that the third one wasn't you."

thisbluespirit

It’s always a sadness to get to the end of the week, and find I can only rec one more of the stories I’ve thought were great, but here we are again – I hope people have all found at least one new fic to like!

Story: Memory
Author: Persiflage
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 3481
Author's Summary: A decade after she left UNIT, Liz encounters the Doctor again.
Characters/Pairings: Eighth Doctor, Liz Shaw
Warnings: None. (I suppose minor spoilers for BFAs The Blue Tooth and a possible spoiler (ish) for The Girl Who Never Was).

Recced because: It’s an unusual but very workable Doctor-Companion combination as Liz Shaw finds herself receiving a visit from a different man in a velvet jacket to the one she knew; a visit that both brings back unwelcome memories and helps her to deal with them.

It’s a well-written, thoughtful and measured character piece, with a bit of adventure mixed in, and a nice underlying vein of humour in the exchanges between Liz, who’s never lost her acerbic edge, and a typically enthusiastic Eight (and a more touchy-feely Doctor than Liz was ever used to). It does refer to incidents from Big Finish’s The Blue Tooth, but that shouldn’t worry you, as I was lucky enough to have this written for me a long while before I’d ever listened to that audio.

And, as for the perfect ending – it would be lovely if Big Finish ran with that one!

singeaddams.livejournal.com

My last rec. *sings* "IIIII'm so glaaaad we had this time togetherrrr!"

Title: An Experiment of Sorts
Author: Stunt Muppet
Rating: All Audiences
Word count: 1,873
Author's summary: "Everyone needs a new challenge, from time to time. Post-ep for Inferno, written for the Cliche-Swap Ficathon."
Characters: Doctor 3, Liz Shaw
Warnings: None

Recced because: The characterization is perfect. Here is Liz Shaw, a prickly, tough woman as self-contained as an oyster and about as inviting, making the Doctor an offer to jolt him out of his blues. Not that kind of offer but certainly one she was surprised at herself for making.

The story flows beautifully, Liz and the Doctor are spot-on, it's funny, it's sad, it's relate-able (would we have the guts to do what Liz did? I don't think I would.) and it's simple. I loved it. The only complaint I have is Stunt Muppet doesn't go into What Happened Next. Not that she needs to. Always leave your audience wanting more.

So she does and, hopefully, so I do, too. Goodbye, folks! I can't come back I don't know how it works! Goodbye!

“I’ve been to that moon once,” he continued, ignoring her, “not so long ago. One of the great metropolises of the galaxy. The central plazas were covered in mosaics — miles of them, chips of stone no bigger than a thumbnail forming these exquisite patterns.” He laughed. “Called their planet ‘Rathesei’. ‘Golden’. But here? No. Gamma Cephei alpha beta. That’s not even a name, it’s a — it’s a designation, is what it is. It’s a serial number. A whole civilization, nothing but a serial number.”

She peered up in the direction he’d pointed. Cephei, he’d said; a star in Cepheus, perhaps? It would be high in the sky at this time of night. No planets had been found out there yet; from here even the most advanced telescopes could see only empty space and those faraway points of light. It occurred to her, as if for the first time, that there could very well be dozens of planets, orbiting every star in every constellation (statistically improbable but nicely poetic in service of a point), just out of sight, just out of reach of their instruments.

She was tempted, as she sometimes was, to ask him for more, to sit down and listen while he named faraway planets, telling probably half-true stories of his own adventures, just to hear their names and where they were. To know that the sky was rich with them, like some grand inverted sea.

She suspected this wasn’t a good time, though.

pitry.livejournal.com

Hello, and welcome to Calufrax ~~Pitry's 2010 reccing comm~~! I'm Pitry, and I'll be your reccer for this ~~year~~ week. I bring you a variety of recs to enjoy the end of ~~2009~~ 2010 and the beginning of ~~2010~~ 2011. And now I shall spare you any more failed attempts at humour and go to my first story:

Story: All These Things That We've Done (The Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow Remix)
Author: atraphoenix
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 3,516
Author's Summary: “Another world, Doctor! You've brought Miss Shaw and myself to another world without even asking for our consent!”
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart/Liz Shaw, The Third Doctor.
Warnings: None

Recced because: This is a very sweet and funny what-if story, that gives two wonderful companions the chance to see what's out there. It was always quite a shame they didn't get it in the show itself, especially Liz, and I'm all for fixing that unfortunate situation. Atraphoenix doesn't just fix it, but fixes it with a lot of honesty for the characters (and some romance to boot), a good story and the right amount of humour to make a story truly joyful to read.

ffutures.livejournal.com

Story: The Brigadier's Wedding
Author: Aralias
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 5166
Author's Summary: For a man profoundly against public displays of emotion, the Brigadier had certainly had a lot of weddings. The Doctor is invited to Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart's third wedding, but accidentally goes to all of them.
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Clyde Langer, Jack Harkness, Jo Grant, Liz Shaw, Sarah Jane Smith, Sarah Jane Smith, Sarah Jane Smith, The Doctor (10th), Turlough
Warnings: None
Recced because: A good strong plot is always nice, but character is just as important. This story is a lovely example of character-driven comedy, with the Doctor attempting - not always successfully - to get his head around human marriage customs and be the perfect wedding guest.

( A small sample )

nonelvis

Story: Do I Dare to Eat a Peach?
Author: Rivendellrose
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1,481
Author's Summary: The Doctor's getting older, and not all his former companions are all that broken up about not staying with him forever. And that's not a bad thing.
Characters/Pairings: Ten, Liz Shaw
Warnings: None

Recced because: Traveling on his own – and moping about it on a beach – the Tenth Doctor encounters Liz Shaw, now much older and not fooled for a minute by the young man before her who calls himself "John Smith." It's a sweet, touching story, which makes it sound cloying, but it isn't; rather, it's a lovely portrait of two old friends reconnecting after having lost touch for many years.

biichan.livejournal.com

Story: Ten Times The Doctor (Almost) Got Hitched
Author: vvj5
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 5549
Author's summary:You wouldn't believe how difficult it is for a passing Time Lord not to get married to famous historical women completely by accident. Seriously. Happens all the time.
Characters/Pairings: *takes deep breath* First Doctor/Cameca, Second Doctor/Mary, Queen of Scots, Third Doctor/Jane Austen, Fourth Doctor/Florence Nightingale, Fifth Doctor/Joan of Arc, Sixth Doctor/Boadicea, Seventh Doctor/Charlotte Bronte, Eighth Doctor/Christabel Pankhurst, Ninth Doctor/Elizabeth Woodville, Tenth Doctor/Elizabeth I, Ben, Polly, The Brigadier, Liz Shaw, Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan, Tegan Jovanka, Vislor Turlough, Evelyn Smythe, Benny Summerfield, Charley Pollard, Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness
Warnings: Real Person/Fictional Person Het

Recced because: Just knowing that this fic exists fills me with unholy glee. It's the sort of thing that I was hoping someone would write after last fall's Children In Need preview scene and I was so happy to find out that someone did. Every single one of the ten scenes that make up this fic is brilliant in its own way and every single character is drawn as if from life. The Sixth Doctor bit is especially hilarious. I also loved the Seventh Doctor bit for Benny's diary entries and the Third Doctor bit for containing one of my own personal ships. They're all good bits, however. Highly recommended for everyone.

Current Mood: giggly

elliptic-eye.livejournal.com

(U.N.I.T. double-feature!)

Story: Face Value
Author: Gary Merchant
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 2294
Author's Summary: Corporal Bell learns about UNIT's scientific advisor
Characters/Pairings: Corporal Bell, the Brigadier, the Doctor, Liz, Benton
Warnings: none

Recced because: I'm a sucker for a good story from the POV of a one-off or minor character, and Corporal Bell, who often seems to be the U.N.I.T. equivalent of an office manager, is a particularly golden opportunity. And there's something deeply satisfying about seeing Three run up against the universal truth that you just don't mess with the office manager.

Just a lovely little sketch of Corporal Bell learning about the broader universe, on her own initiative… via the medium of the olive-and-khaki, paper-fueled base she keeps running.

elliptic-eye.livejournal.com

(U.N.I.T. double-feature!)

Story: Lessons
Author: stunt_muppet
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 5,333
Author's Summary: In a past that might have happened, Liz and Jo learn from each other. Written for amaresu in the 2009 DW Femslash Ficathon, with the prompt "Nothing ever changes, not even when it does."
Characters/Pairings: Liz/Jo, the Brigadier
Warnings: none

Recced because: What makes a really satisfying AU is when, however far things have been shifted to the left or the right, we can still recognize the characters as possible versions of the ones we already love. Lessons only sidles a little bit to the side of canon, but it delivers all the charm of the U.N.I.T. years: spot-on characterizations, especially of Liz and the Brigadier, and the mundane humans finding adventure on Earth, taking on the world as it comes to them and saving the day.

Only super-concentrated, because this way we get Liz, Jo, and the Brig all at the same time.

Lessons has a pretty simple premise: In a universe where the third Doctor never became U.N.I.T.'s scientific advisor, Dr. Liz Shaw—conscripted before Three ever appeared on the scene—must simply do the job herself. Or would do the job by herself, if the Brigadier didn't insist on saddling her with an assistant… and so Liz and Jo end up learning from each other in much the same way that Three and Jo did. Stunt Muppet takes the opportunity to capitalize on the differences between Liz and the Doctor as well as the parallels, however, especially Liz's history as a teacher and the sense of camaraderie that develops between two women isolated in a world worlds away from what has been normal for them.

Oh, and there's light bondage.

( Excerpt )

livii.livejournal.com

Story: The Strength To Hold On (The Halley's Comet Remix)
Author: stunt_muppet
Rating: Teen
Author's summary: Forty years in the life of Elizabeth Shaw, waiting for a paradox to unravel.
Characters/Pairings: Liz/Martha, Liz/OFC, Three, Eight
Warnings: none
Word Count: ~6,600

Recced because: And one more remix, which also does a fantastic job of pulling out something from the original story and creating a fabulous parallel story. The original is atraphoenix's excellent The Strength To Let Go, told from Martha's POV on meeting and re-meeting Liz forty years later, though very little time has passed for her. The remix gives us Liz during those long forty years, and creates a gorgeous portrait of her, a life lived half in waiting but never not lived. It's well-written, thoughtful, with some great imagery and excellent cameos by two different Doctors, helping nudge Liz along the path to understanding and appreciating what she has in her life. It's a terrific remix and a terrific story in its own right as well.

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 companion: liz

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