Story: Gothic Romance
Author: vvj5
Rating: teen
Word Count: 7513
Author's Summary: It is a fact universally acknowledged that any beings splintered in time will inevitably run into each other. No law says it has to end well, though…
Characters/Pairings: Clara Oswin Oswald, Scaroth
Warnings: none

Recced because: This is an entertaining and atmospheric short story that's part gothic novel parody, part heist fic, part timey-wimey sci-fi story, and combines characters from many different eras of Doctor Who in a very clever way. It's probably best read after you've seen 'City of Death' and know who Scaroth is, but the central concept of characters who are displaced in time and thrown together in unusual circumstances is probably easy for any Whovian to catch on to. You wouldn't think 'fake relationship' trope fic featuring a time-stream Clara & a classic Who monster could be so amusing, but you'd be wrong. With it's crisp dialogue, well-realized setting, and unexpected pathos toward the end, I could easily picture this making a very fine Big Finish audio. I thoroughly enjoyed this one the whole way through, and hope lots of others will too.

Hello all! I'm newmoonstar, (aka Meadowlark on Teaspoon), and I'm glad to be back reccing for the next two weeks! I'm going to start with a fic I recently found which has immediately become one of my faves:

Story: See Ye Not That Bonny Road
Author: Lyricwritesprose
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 12,195
Characters: Jamie McCrimmon, Eighth Doctor
Author's summary: Jamie McCrimmon is wounded, exhausted, and feels like a stranger in his own head.
Warnings: explicit violence (also spoilers for 'The War Games')

Recced because: Do you ever come across a fic that you read for the first time and immediately say to yourself 'omg, this is perfect'? This is one of those fics. I can't believe it hasn't been recced before, but I'm all too happy to do the honors!

Fresh off my first read of it, I'm still in flail mode, but I'll try to highlight it's strengths with a modicum of clarity:

First of all: Post-War Games Jamie. What happens to companions after they leave is a great subject for fic, and Jamie is a particularly interesting case, seeing as his memory is supposedly erased- but how can all the memories be truly gone after all the ways he's learned and changed? How can he forget the best friend he's ever had? In this story, he hasn't quite forgotten, and the memories come to him in snatches of ideas- and he makes sense of them in the context of his own time and culture. The references to Scottish faerie lore are perfectly fitting, and the attention the author has paid to all the little details made me, as someone who once considered getting a degree in folklore, absolutely delighted.

Second: The Eighth Doctor. The scenes between Eight and Jamie are spot on. Sensitively written, thoughtful, and a little bit heartbreaking, but in a good way. This fic does a beautiful job of highlighting the strength of the Doctor & companion bond regardless of which face he wears.

Third: Kirstie McLaren gets a featured role, in a way that makes her more than just an ancillary love interest to Jamie's story. (And hints at interesting possibilities for the future.)

Basically, this is a beautifully written, touching story, with a great mix of action/adventure and insightful character-based scenes. I could hear all the characters voices perfectly while reading it, and I'm accepting the whole thing as my new headcanon now. If you love Jamie and wish his fate had been different, reading this might be a tonic for some of those War Games blues. (Though I would advise having some tissues handy while reading it- the feels will sneak up on you!) Go forth and read: this fic is the kind of fic that ficcing is all about.