[identity profile] romanajo123.livejournal.com
Author: johne
Rating:  Teen
Word Count:  5000
Author's Summary: Drabbles from ten different alternate universes.
Characters/Pairings: The Doctor (8th), Lucie Miller,  Ben Jackson/Polly Wright, The Doctor (7th), Ace McShane, The Doctor (4th),  Romana I, Romana II,  Romana III, Jamie McCrimmon/Samantha Briggs (from The Faceless Ones)
Warnings: None

Recced because:  These fics aren't very long, but are very fun and manage to keep everyone in-character (something not easy to accomplish when writing alternate universes).
[identity profile] romanajo123.livejournal.com
Author: helluin
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 4592
Author's Summary: After the Big Finish "Five Companions" Audio, the Doctor has to see his friends back to their proper places and times. Saying goodbye to one of them is more pleasant than expected, and more painful than the Doctor lets on.
Characters/Pairings: The Doctor (5th)/Nyssa, Ian Chesterton/Barbara Wright,  (Cameos from: Steven Taylor, Sara Kingdom, Polly Wright)
Warnings: Explicit sex and a lot of feels

Recced because: Set during (and after) the audio The Five Companions, this fic is sad, yet lovely and portrays the dynamic between this particular Doctor and companion team well.
[identity profile] jjpor.livejournal.com
Story: The Darkness of Mere Being
Author: Sakura Tsukikage
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1,833
Author's Summary: Set during the Season 4 Serial "The Moonbase." The Doctor and Jamie discuss the nature of the Cybermen.
Characters/Pairings: Ben Jackson, Jamie McCrimmon, Polly Wright, The Cybermen, The Doctor (2nd)
Warnings: None

Recced because: I like to think of myself as a tolerant Who fan, all in all. Indulgent of the foibles of my fellow Who fans where others might be moved to irritation and internet rage. Well, unless it's about The Angels Take Manhattan...or angst about viewing figures. Then I get...animated.

Anyway, apart from the above hot-button topics, one of the things that is guaranteed to make me frown slightly when I encounter it in Who fandom is somebody claiming that (insert name of bigtime Who monster/villain - usually but not always the Daleks) is "overused". I maintain that while such icons of the show's lore are quite often used badly, or even worse blandly, there's always the chance that this time (e.g. in both the Capaldi-tastic Series 8 and 9 imho) they won't be, and that these hoary old concepts might even throw up a few surprises. They are classic monsters for a reason, at the end of the day; Daleks, Cybermen and their select few peers are, by and large, concepts that keep on giving. And that's just as true of fanfictional treatments of them as it is of official stories.

And this piece, by an author who unfortunately only has two stories archived on the Teaspoon, is an excellent meditation upon the denizens of Mondas, on what they have done to themselves and continue to do to others. It is even better for being filtered via a conversation between the Second Doctor and Jamie. The author really captures the traits of both characters; this Doctor's combination of compassion and a deep morality with a steely and at times vaguely worrying certainty that some things "must be fought", set against Jamie's relative innocence, especially when it comes to adventuring in time and space, but also genuine, for want of a better word, canniness and sense of right and wrong. At the same time, the examination of the Cybermen in all of their folly and tragedy (they are both monstrous and pathetic, the author reminds us) contains more than one sly parallel to human history and politics, and to another society that we have seen much of in Who canon.

What really makes this fic worthwhile, however, is the aforementioned characterisation. It used to be a truism that the Second Doctor was hard to write properly in (fan)fiction, but I think that was mainly down to the fact that not enough people tried it. Two leaps off the page here, as does Jamie (some will have an aversion to phonetic spelling of Jamie's dialect, but it's practically traditional in Who fanfic - I for one would be rather hypocritical if I complained about it!), and when Ben and Polly show up for a brief appearance at the end, it serves as yet another reminder of just what a good Doctor-companions team this one was, albeit one with far too few stories.

So as you may be able to tell, this is another one I like very much. I hope you will too when you read it, and if so I also hope that you will leave some words of appreciation for the author.


An Excerpt )
newmoonstar: (Doctor Who: Victoria)
[personal profile] newmoonstar
Title: In the Kirkyard
Author: Penny
Rating: all ages
Word Count: 2034
Characters: Polly, Ben, Jamie
Author's summary: He flew to the moon and back. He liked the Beatles. He was one of the bravest people I ever knew. I miss him. On holiday in Inverness, Polly stumbles upon Jamie's grave.
Warnings: none except massive feels

Recced because: It's one of the sadder stories I'll probably ever rec, but it rings true all the same. It's heartbreaking to realize that companions who come from different times may never see each other again once they leave the Doctor- one may well have died before the other was even born, and how do we humans make peace with a paradox like that? This glimpse of Polly being confronted with the fact that she'll never see Jamie again makes your heart ache for her, but Polly has the advantage of having someone else around who understands. The hope that maybe Polly & Ben can help each other through gives a small uplifting note to this meditative, elegiac, beautifully written piece. You'll need to get out a box of tissues for this one, but trust me, it's worth it.
newmoonstar: (Doctor Who: Ian & Barbara)
[personal profile] newmoonstar
My reccing period comes to an end today, and I've had so much fun re-reading all these favorites and pointing more readers to them. I look forward to doing it again someday! For my last day, here's a little gem that I can't believe hasn't been recced here before:

Story: When the Boat Comes In
Author: vvj5
Rating: all ages
word count: 515
Characters/pairings: Ben Jackson/Polly Wright
Author's summary: Ben and Polly, coming home again.

Recced because: There's not a great deal of fic for Ben & Polly, so when you find a good one, you treasure it all the more. This is a short but excellent look at their relationship after they came home, and their voices are captured perfectly. It's sweet but not syrupy, and will definitely put a smile on the face of anyone who's always rooted for our duchess and sailor to find happiness together. Guaranteed to make you go 'aww'!

An excerpt )
newmoonstar: (Doctor Who: The Romans)
[personal profile] newmoonstar
Story: Jamie Learns Something About Vegetables...And So Do Ben And Polly
Author: RobotRollCall
Rating: all ages
Word count: 846
Characters/pairings: Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon, Polly Wright, Ben Jackson
Author's summary: In which the TARDIS crew discovers the origins of broccoli.

Recced because: This is pure fluff of the best kind. It's lovely to imagine what those ordinary moments between adventures are like, and I bet there were plenty like this for this wonderful team. (It's also a brilliant idea; I'm sure many children would accept this explanation of broccoli easily, though it would probably make them want to eat it more, not less!) So have some warm and fuzzy cuteness as Team Two settles in for dinner. (And even though it's not Christmas themed, the happy family dinner atmosphere makes it perfect reading for Christmas Eve!)

An excerpt )
clocketpatch: A small, innocent-looking red alarm clock, stuck forever at 10 to 7. (Kitty hug)
[personal profile] clocketpatch
Story: Felis Catus Temporus
Author: Lissy_Strata
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 6032
Author's Summary: The Doctor needs Peri's help, but can she stop laughing long enough? (This fic has evolved into a series of unrelated cat stories.)
Character/Pairings: Sixth Doctor, Fifth Doctor, Third Doctor, Second Doctor, Eleventh Doctor, Peri Brown, Tegan Jovanka, Nyssa, Ace McShane, Second doctor, Polly Wright, Ben Jackson, Jamie McCrimmon, Jo Grant, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Delgado!Master, Amy Pond, Rory Williams, Sarah-Jane Smith, K-9
Warnings: Kitties

Recced Because:

Awwww, who's a kitty! Mostly the Doctor. Though several companions, enemies, and by-standers are also affected by acute Felis Catus Temporus in this adorable sequence of fic which answers several important, kitty-related questions such as: What happens when K-9 meets a kitty? Do kitties get along with nitro-9? Can you put a kitty in a fez?

If you want to know, read on and find out (just be aware that the resulting cute may leave you incapacitated with kitty!love for an unspecified duration…)



A Teaser-Taste )
thisbluespirit: (dw - Two)
[personal profile] thisbluespirit
Story: Four Things Jamie Learned about Time (and Travelling in it)
Author: Doctor Tam
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 517
Author's Summary: As the title says. "Jamie frowned at his watch, then shrugged. Maybe he’d get the Doctor to explain in later."
Characters/Pairings: Jamie McCrimmon, Second Doctor, Polly Wright, Victoria Waterfield, Zoe Heriot, Ben Jackson
Warnings: None.

Recced because: Another, much earlier companion, trying to make sense of travelling with the Doctor – this time Jamie, learning about time itself. Despite the brevity, this fic gets a lot into each of its sweet and perfectly-characterised snapshots of Jamie’s days aboard the TARDIS and the strangeness, pleasures - and friendships - they bring.
[identity profile] solo-by-choice.livejournal.com
Story: Take a Look (It’s in a Book)
Author: RobotRollCall
Rating: All Ages

Word Count: 1950
Author's Summary: Jamie finally learns how to read.
Characters/Pairings: Jamie, Ben, Polly, Second Doctor
Warnings: None

Recced because: It’s really difficult for me to pick a favorite Doctor, but Two is the one I can say I consistently adore. All of his companions were great, especially Jamie. This is early Jamie and I like the slight uncomfortable-ness of his interactions with the others, trying to find a place to fit in. Mostly, though, I love this because it’s Two teaching Jamie how to read and, like so much of that era of the show, it’s adorable.
[identity profile] derekmetaltron.livejournal.com
Hey again folks! You know I always love fanfics where characters from one era of a show or universe get to interact with those of another. I also love Doctor Who stories where we get to see what companions have been up to since they left the TARDIS! Well the good news is that this one has both!

###

Story:  Two Guys, Two Girls and a Dinner
Author:  RobotRollCall
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 6308 Words
Author's Summary: Marital wisdom, advice on stain removal, and ultimately hilarity ensue when companions past and present meet in a diner.
Characters/Pairings: Amy/Rory, Ben/Polly, Eleventh Doctor
Warnings: None

Recced because: As the author themselves points out, there are really not enough stories with Ben and Polly in them! This is a fairly simple premise – the male companions meet up and discuss their wives and time the TARDIS, the girls do the same and of course the Doctor gets to see some long-lost friends – yet Robot writes these characters so brilliantly that you don’t mind. Plus comparing stories about different fish people and Cyber types is always a fun conversation piece.
[identity profile] 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!
thisbluespirit: (dw - Polly fab)
[personal profile] thisbluespirit
Hi, I’m [livejournal.com profile] lost_spook (vvj5 on Teaspoon); I’m your reccer for this week, and I shall try to include a fairly wide mix of eras, stories and authors, so hopefully everyone will find something to like. And, bearing in mind the date, I had to start with this, really:

Story: Certainity
Author: mithrel
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 2401
Author's Summary: Ben asks the Doctor for a holiday. Set between The Macra Terror and The Faceless Ones.
Characters/Pairings: Ben Jackson/Polly Wright, Jamie McCrimmon, Second Doctor
Warnings: None.

Recced because: You know how it is with [livejournal.com profile] calufrax; you have a carefully planned-out list of recs, and then you change them all round at the last minute… This time I belatedly remembered it was Valentine’s Day today, so what better than a sweet, but not soppy, Ben/Polly love story? In which the TARDIS crew actually get a holiday for a wonder – but will Ben get the girl?

Mithrel captures the Two-era dynamics perfectly; there is a lovely, relaxed holiday feel to the fic, with plenty of nice little alien details – and a very special ring. Ben/Polly = ♥ If you don’t already know that, you should read this and find out why.
thisbluespirit: (dw - ben and polly)
[personal profile] thisbluespirit
Story: Reciprocal Quandaries
Author: Primsong
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 31,492
Author's Summary:
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon, Polly Wright, Ben Jackson

Recced because: I can’t believe it hasn’t been recced before. (I’ve been checking again and again, but it doesn't seem to have been.) It’s one of my very favourite fics, produced for the seemingly all-round-amazing ficathon [livejournal.com profile] tardis_gen last year. Primsong has a knack of capturing the feel of an era, and produces what feels like a missing episode (for a TARDIS team whose episodes are mainly lost, so making up for things just a bit), with the wonderful backdrop of the 1900 Paris Exposition, unlikely doubles (in the true tradition of black and white episodes) and villainous skulduggery. It may be long, but it never feels it. It’s gone, like candyfloss, far too soon. I meant to try and be a little less obvious in my recs this week, but this one is just too good to miss. (Plus, it was written for a gen ficathon, but there's still the perfectly in-keeping bit of Ben/Polly. And Ben/Polly equals awwwness and ♥)
[identity profile] 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.
thisbluespirit: (dw - Two)
[personal profile] thisbluespirit
Story: The Spartans
Author: JJPOR
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 69,883
Author's Summary: Greece, 480 BC: As the vast armies of the King of Kings prepare to battle the outnumbered defenders of the Hot Gates, the Doctor and his friends find themselves where they often find themselves at times like this – caught in the middle.
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon, Polly, Ben Jackson
Warnings: Some violence.

Recced because: I love this so much if someone had recced it before me I might have had to kill them? No, wait, that’s not a reason… (Not a good one, anyway.)

Okay: because it’s a proper, Sixties-style, straight historical with note-perfect characterisation, and it uses the TARDIS team of Two, Jamie, Ben and Polly to great effect – and given how many of this era’s stories are missing, we need fanfic like this to make it up to us. What’s more it’s a straight historical, but with a cast of thousands, battles, and all the things that would have happened off-screen on TV (or with two stuntmen being unconvincing somewhere) described in glorious detail. Really. It’s absolutely brilliant – don’t miss out.
ext_23531: (ben/polly)
[identity profile] akashasheiress.livejournal.com
Story: Five Times Polly Patched Up Ben (And One Time Ben Got to Do the Honours)
Author: vvj5/[livejournal.com profile] lost_spook
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 3126
Author's Summary: Ben gets injured by everything from Cybermen to TARDIS appliances. Luckily for him, Polly's always on hand to pick up the pieces. More or less, anyway.
Characters/Pairings: Ben/Polly, First Doctor, Second Doctor, Jamie.
Warnings: None, I think.

Recced because: Ben/Polly is pretty much on the same scale as Ian/Barbara when it comes to Companions Who Obviously Married Each Other. This story is packed with charm and sweetness, just like our lovely couple.
clocketpatch: A small, innocent-looking red alarm clock, stuck forever at 10 to 7. (Default)
[personal profile] clocketpatch
Greetings! I'm Clocketpatch and I will be your assigned reccer for the week. Most of the stories I've picked out already are a trifle on the long side and I do apologise in advance. I'll try to get some shorter ones in as well for those who enjoy having tales which they can read and digest over a lunch break.


Story: Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey (Book I: Exile)
Author: I Walk In Eternity
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 33280
Author's Summary: “People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect… but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly…. timey-wimey…. stuff.” (The 10th Doctor, ‘Blink’) An adventure spanning all of the Doctor's lives begins with a series of vignettes from the eras of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Doctors. May they rest in peace.
Characters/Pairings: Barbara Wright, Ben Jackson, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Dodo Chaplet, Ian Chesterton, Jack Harkness, Jamie McCrimmon, Jo Grant, John Benton, Liz Shaw, Martha Jones, Omega, Polly Wright, Romana (author created), Susan Foreman, The Autons, The Doctor (10th)
Warnings: Some swearing

Recced because:
For my first rec of the week I wanted to start at the beginning, literally. Using the simple, yet brilliant, premise of a diary bequeathed from companion to companion, this story follows the life of the Doctor and those many companions, allies, and enemies who have been swept into the whirl-wind of his existence. The plot is, in some ways, straight-forward, but at the same time it is very, well, I guess the scientific term is “wibbly-wobbly”, as it darts from past to present. This is, really, a love song to the show. Every character from Jack, to the Brig, to Ben and Polly, to the Doctor himself(s), is perfectly voiced and painted with the palate of an author who is both a very talented writer and a very devoted fan. There are continuity references galore for those who like them, though the story should still be a good romp for someone who has only basic knowledge. There's a mystery as well!
[identity profile] elyssadc.livejournal.com
HAPPY HOLIDAY WEEK, EVERYONE!

Story: Wipe the Sleep Out of My Eyes
Author: Bagheera
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2498
Author's Summary: Dodo Chaplet tries to be normal for forty-one years.
Characters/Pairings: Dodo Chaplet, Donna Noble, Jack Harkness, Martha Jones, Polly Wright, Tenth Doctor
Warnings: None

Recced because: This story is magical. Dodo got shafted in the series and she REALLY got shafted in the extended universe. This story takes a look at what might have happened to Dodo in her post-TARDIS years and manages to make the character more real, more heartbreaking, but in the end more hopeful than I would have thought possible. The language, the interweaving of events from different eras, it's all beautiful. I can't recommend this story highly enough.

a small taste... )
[identity profile] elyssadc.livejournal.com
Story: Snatches of an Old-Fashioned Coat
Author: Primsong
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1321
Author's Summary: A jumbled pile of old-school drabbles to share.
Characters/Pairings: Barbara Wright, Ben Jackson, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Ian Chesterton, Jamie McCrimmon, Jo Grant, John Benton, Mike Yates, Polly Wright, Romana II, Susan Foreman, The Doctor (1st), The Doctor (2nd), The Doctor (3rd), The Doctor (4th), Victoria Waterfield
Warnings: None

Recced because: This is gorgeous collection of drabbles that really are drabbles. And there is something here for everyone. The author nails the voices and the eras, and the whole series will definitely put a smile on your face. Lovely, lovely stuff.

A small taste... )
ext_15290: (smith and jones)
[identity profile] jinxed-wood.livejournal.com
Story: In a World She Never Made
Author: [livejournal.com profile] biichan
Wordcount: 1,525
Rating: All ages
Author's Summary: Stranded in the twentieth-first century, nearly eighty years after she ought to have died, Charley Pollard begins to make a new life for herself. (Big Finish/Torchwood crossover)
Characters/Pairings: Charley Pollard, Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, OC Andy Davidson, Polly Wright, The Doctor (8th), Other Characters

Recced because: It's so rare to find good characterisation for Charley, so I was delighted to stumble across this little gem. It charts Charley's slow tranformation into a citizen of the 21st century, and it's beautifully done, with just the right amount of bittersweet.
[identity profile] pimpmytardis.livejournal.com
Story: Cartographers
Author: [livejournal.com profile] calapine
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2892
Author's Summary: Former companions during the latest invasion. (Set during tSE/JE.)
Characters/Pairings: Barbara Wright/Ian Chesterton, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Harry Sullivan, Jo Grant, Liz Shaw, Polly Wright/Ben Jackson, Ancelyn/Winifred Bambera
Warnings: none given

Recced because: This is a great shapshot of some Classic companions as the Daleks are at it again in tSE/JE. The pacing and characterization are stellar; it's insightful, funny, and ultimately delves into what being the Doctor's influence is really about. This has sailed straight into my personal canon.
[identity profile] livii.livejournal.com
Story: The Power of Pol
Author: Van Donovan
Rating: All Ages
Author's summary: Ben is shot and Polly is fearless. Watch out for the blink-or-you'll-miss-it cameo.
Characters/Pairings: Ben/Polly
Warnings: none
Word Count: ~1,600 words

Recced because: This is just delightful: written for me in a ficathon, it gets Ben and Polly exactly right, and they are just too cute for words here. Polly gets to wear a fabulous dress, Ben gets to see her turn it into a mini, they fight Cybermen – the perfect returning enemy for them to face - and there's even a cameo by a young Harry! Sweet, funny, and a loving look at some very underrepresented characters.
ext_17679: (rhube)
[identity profile] netgirl-y2k.livejournal.com
Story: Dating in the Workplace
Author: Paranoid Seat
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2471
Author's Summary: If anyone had asked the Doctor whether he begrudged his companions their interpersonal relationships, he would’ve denied it strenuously, with much hand-waving and/or babbling. Because it was true! For the most part. Crackfic, plain and simple. Have your brain-bleach on standby. Do not attempt to eat or drink while reading unless you have a valid warantee on your monitor/keyboard.
Characters/Pairings: Ian/Barbara, Ben/Polly, Two/Jamie, Brigadier/Benton, Tegan/Nyssa, Peri/Erimem, Ace/Hex, Five/Turlough, Jack Harkness.
Warnings: Crack

Recced because: Sometimes you want to read long plotty gen, sometimes you want to read some character driven angst and sometimes what you really want to read is some brain bendingly hilarious crack!fic.

This fic has something for everyone, and by that I mean that whoever you ship they probably get a mention in there somewhere. It's very funny and never fails to cheer me up any time I read it.

Plus who doesn't love a fic that contains the line 'Captain Jack Harkness, at your service. Ah... I’ll find my pants, shall I?' 
[identity profile] livii.livejournal.com
Story: Everybody Wants You
Author: aces
Rating: Teen
Author's summary: Jack Harkness. He's quite shaggable, really.
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Fitz, Jack/Ace, Jack/Peri, Jack/Nyssa, Jack/Harry, Jack/Jo/Yates/Benton/Brigadier (really!), Jack/Polly, Jack/Ian
Warnings: none
Word Count: ~2,900 words

Recced because: Captain Jack. Meeting (and sometimes shagging) his way through the DW canon. A tremendous amount of fun, and even if you don't know each character involved (I still haven't read any non-fanfic Fitz, myself) there's bound to be some you know and love. Some gorgeous characterizations - "It’s not as if I expected to walk into your—invisible spaceship, now, is it?” Harry retorted, nettled. “Now, look here, old chap, you can’t just leave things like this lying about where anyone could trip over them." - a mix of funny, insightful, and hot scenes, and a moment in UNIT's history that will keep me amused for the rest my life just picturing it all add up to an incredibly enjoyable fic.
[identity profile] pontisbright.livejournal.com
Looks like the calufrax slash representation is going to be up after this week then... :D

Story:
Summer in the City
Author: aces
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 1578
Author's Summary: Traveling with the Doctor was a little more complicated than Rose had expected.
Characters/Pairings: Rose/Polly
Warnings: femslash, but nothing explicit

Recced because: 'Any time you want a little brightness in your life, come to Pol.'  Polly is tragically underepresented in fic, and the portrayal of her in this little gem is so beguiling that it might just result in more.  It's a simple vignette: Rose wakes up in 1966 after an atypical (but not at all regretted) one night stand with someone the Doctor would recognise - if he wasn't off trawling record shops.  But there are no tricksy games with crossed timelines and mentions of TARDISes here.  This is all about two women in the moment: Polly, the blithely confident, effortlessly charming party girl, singing in the shower; Rose, blearily remembering the evening's events and moving from hungover to something rather better. 

If you know Polly, you'll delight in aces' perfect characterisation.  If you don't, it's a lovely introduction: read this, leave a review, and then dig out a copy of The War Machines so you can be seduced by her too.
[identity profile] biichan.livejournal.com
Story: Winterlude
Author:Van Donovan
Rating: None, probably Teen
Word Count: ~12800
Author's summary: There is fun for all at a winter carnival.
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor/Jamie, background Ben/Polly
Warnings: none, really

Recced because: One of the more difficult periods of canon to find fic for is Patrick Troughton's first season as the Second Doctor, where he travels with Ben and Polly as well as Jamie. This isn't really surprising: we don't actually have a full, un-burninated episode with the four of them. Half of them don't even have surviving episodes. (In fact, we only have one full surviving serial with Ben and Polly: The War Machines, where they join the First Doctor. The only companions that come off worse for surviving episodes are Katrina and Sara Kingdom. Even Steven and Dodo have more episodes extant.)

To find any fic at all for this underrepresented period in canon is a happy accident and to find a fic as good as Van Donovan's Winterlude is pure unbridled luck. Set during a fortunate lull in monsters, the Second Doctor and his companions attend a winter carnival together. Ben and Polly decide to go off together on that date they never got to have and so Jamie and the Doctor are left to explore the carnival together.

Van Donovan is well-known for his Classic Who slash fic. I think perhaps Winterlude is my favorite of them, though it can be quite hard to choose when they're all very good. Van's voices for his characters are absolutely spot-on, so much I could virtually hear Patrick Troughton and Frazier Hines as I read this fic. His characterization is similarly well done--Jamie is particularly well captured in all his stubborn pride--and Ben, Polly, and the Second Doctor are quite true-to-character as well. The awareness between the Doctor and Jamie builds slow and gradually and there's an immense sense of achievement when they finally kiss.
[identity profile] kindkit.livejournal.com
Story: Together, On This Same Earth
Author: Biichan ([livejournal.com profile] biichan)
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 3891
Author's Summary: Once you've started traveling in time and space, things are never quite the same when you stop. Luckily, Victoria's new friend Martha understands this.
Characters/Pairings: Victoria Waterfield/Martha Jones, Tenth Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Jamie McCrimmon, Barbara Wright, Polly Wright
Warnings: None

Recced because: This story, set during Ten and Martha's 1969 sojourn in "Blink," is a powerful look at how travelling with the Doctor changes people's lives. I love stories about the afterlives of companions, and Victoria is an especially good subject for one, since she's chosen to stay in a time not her own. Biichan writes Victoria extremely well, keeping her of her time while showing her growth as she explores the new possibilities of the twentieth century.

Victoria/Martha is not a pairing I would ever have expected to work, but it absolutely does. Biichan develops the emotional connection between them slowly and plausibly. (By the way, although adult-rated, the story's one sex scene is not at all graphic. You should be able to enjoy this story even if explicit f/f slash isn't your thing.)

Another delightful aspect of the story is its reunion of several companions from the First and Second Doctor's eras. They reminisce, naturally, and it's all great fun for the reader. "Together, On This Same Earth" has its sober side, however. 1969 isn't paradise, and neither, as Victoria and Martha both know, is the future. One of the things I really like about this story is its attentiveness to to the darker side of Doctor Who, and especially the emotional toll that all those monsters and near-apocalypses might take on a companion. Which isn't to say it's depressing--the story really captures the enthusiasm for life which has always been an important part of Doctor Who.

snippet )

I hope you like this story as much as I do; please don't forget to leave feedback for the author.
[identity profile] ghost2.livejournal.com
Story: End of Devils
Author: Sheila Adamson
Rating: All Ages
Author's summary: Ben and Polly take a short break in the picturesque village of Devil's End.
Characters/Pairings: Ben/Polly, the Master
Warnings: none

Recced because: It's always interesting to look at the lives of companions after they've stopped travelling with the Doctor. In this case, Ben and Polly are married and living pretty ordinary (in fact, rather boring) lives. When they go on holiday in a village called Devil's End, though, all that could change, because the Master is lurking around. Certain elements of this charming story make more sense if you've seen the Third Doctor serial The Daemons (if you haven't, the Daemons summary at Wikipedia should help), but the best bits lie in the interaction between Ben and Polly, and the little details about their lives. Also, the name they gave their son? The perfect touch.
[identity profile] doyle_sb4.livejournal.com
Story: Like Nobody's Watching
Author: Andraste
Rating: All Ages
Author's summary: The Doctor has been dancing for a long time.
Characters/Pairings: Doctors One through Ten, also Barbara, Ian, Vicki, Ben, Polly, Benton, Romana I, Tegan, Turlough, Evelyn, Mel, Charley, C'rizz, Rose and Jack. (Apologies to the unfortunate person doing the tags...)
Warnings: None

Recced because:
Ten Doctors, thirteen companions and a hell of a lot of dancing (that's dancing, not 'dancing'). I really appreciated the fact that this went for some less usual Doctor-companion pairs - Benton, C'rizz, the Seven segment being about Mel instead of Ace. I loved this for the humour and the insight, but what pushed it into must-rec category was the last section, with Barbara dancing at her wedding with a strange man in a pin-stripe suit, bringing the dance right back to the beginning.

reccity-rec-rec

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

April 2018

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