Calufrax

I'm back! And I come bearing gifts!

Story: Lies Told to Children
Author: Lyricwritesprose
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1274
Author's Summary: The Doctor explains why he travels with humans, or possibly just spins a tale.
Characters/Pairings: Barbara Wright, Ian Chesterton, First Doctor, unspecified Doctor

Recced because: I thought I'd start off the week with the Doctor who started it all, and when it comes to First Doctor fics, nothing compares to this one. It's gorgeously written, deeply affecting, and just so goddamn smart. On one hand, the lies of the title refer to the xenophobia taught both consciously and unconsciously to the children of Gallifrey (a goldmine of a subject that far too few authors tap). On the other hand, the Doctor tells the story of his moral evolution and changing attitude towards humans by using the framework of a fairy tale--and a metaphor is a kind of lie as well. The way this story compares and contrasts these two kinds of lies, all through the lens of the Doctor struggling to understand what makes someone a good person--and more importantly, what makes someone a person at all--will leave you with the most wonderful combination of heartache, warm fuzzies, and geeky glee.

Excerpt:

This is false from beginning to end, of course. But there's more than one kind of lie. There are lies like the notion that electrons go around atoms in sedate planetary orbits: false but useful, good for making pictures in your head. And then there are the other kind.

You'll have to decide for yourself which sort this is. Imagine--

Imagine that you were born in a fairy-tale kingdom that shines like a diamond. Imagine you grew up there. And imagine that every day, in a thousand tiny ways, that kingdom whispered, we are the only real, true people in the world.