Calufrax

first of all: a happy new year to everyone!

Story: They
Author: Prochytes
Rating: teen
Word Count: 2295
Author's Summary: Remarkably, the Doctor was the easy one.Warnings: none

Recced because: What a great year it was for Doctor Who in its fiftieth year. Lost episodes found, regenerations shown and so many new stories told. One of my favourite characters in the fiftieth special was Kate Stewart. After  her (re)introduction on the show I immediately went looking for fic, but sadly, there isn't much available. The Teaspoon hosts less than fifteen stories featuring her, of which 'They' is the newest addition. Luckily, it's a great story, featuring not just Kate, but many others, too. The dialogue (and it is mostly dialogue) is truly great, with lots of references and name dropping for the careful reader. It had me smiling, laughing and, at the end, almost crying.

'They' is a heartwarming story about 'them'; the people around the Doctor, those who stay on earth and do the very best they can do. It's about Kate Stewart working to get UNIT back on track, with Martha Jones and Gwen Cooper guiding her along the way. It is about Torchwood and UNIT and all those other people, who sometimes make the wrong choices and cannot travel back in time to put them right. It's also about the Doctor, and how he touches the lives of those around him: both of those who travel with him and those who don't. It's not pretty and it's not forgiving, but it's beautiful regardless (or perhaps because of that).

enjoy!

And we're down to my last rec! I'm sorry for the slow start, Life got in the way, but I hope you liked reading my recs anyway.

Story: Janus
Author: Nancy Brown
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 795
Author's Summary: Sometimes her name was Jenny, sometimes James.
Characters: Jenny Flint, Madame Vastra
Warnings: non-explicit mentions of sexual exploitation of women and children

recced because: One of the greatest character additions to the show recently have got to be Vastra and Jenny (okay, Strax too). While a lot of fic around focusses on the, ehem, physical side of their relationship, this one takes a different approach and fleshes out the character of Jenny a bit more.

The author paints a good picture of Victorian society, and doesn't shy away from the darker details. All of it fits so very well with what little we know of Jenny that I realised while rewatching some episodes recently I had made this story my headcanon for Jenny's life before she met Vastra. It shows her bravery without placing her in her mistress' shadow, and gives us more of the independent woman we got a glimpse of in the Crimson Horror.

There is a lot going on behind the words, and the whole thing flows beautifully. In under a thousand words, the writer manages to create a small autobiography for a brilliant character, giving Jenny a slightly tragic but fitting backstory. The small twist at the end is very nicely done too.

So yeah, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thank you for having me, and I'll be back with more soon!

Story: Purpose
Author: Kesomon
Rating: All Ages
Author's Summary: Anyone who had chosen to stop and listen, to say a few words, to step inside his frankly magnificent time ship, had been there for a reason, even if they, or he or anyone else had yet to discover what that reason was.
Word Count: 541
Characters/Pairings: Ace McShane, Adric, Barbara Wright, Evelyn Smythe, Ian Chesterton, Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Jo Grant, Katarina, Martha Jones, Mel Bush, Nyssa, Owen Harper, Peri Brown, Steven Taylor
Warnings: None

Recced Because: It is an odd little story, exploring the idea of predestination paradoxes. Usually with this kind of thing, the Doctor is the one who changes the companion. He shows them the universe, and they become a better person because of that. It is quite easy to forget that the companions change the Doctor just as much as he changes them, and that is why I love this fic. It clearly shows the delicate relationship between the two, while also paying homage to the fact that the companions are amazing and usually go on to be amazing after their time in the TARDIS. The last line is a nice touch too, with the Doctor portrayed not as the all-knowing Time Lord, but the wanderer, the traveller who marvels at the beauty and mystery of the universe.

Sorry for not posting yesterday. It is a bit less hectic here now, so I might just get round to the rest of my reccing scheme.

Story: The Magic Door
Author:LilacFree
Rating:All Ages
Word Count: 1396
Author's Summary:Tegan is lost in Scotland and has an interesting encounter with a kilt-wearing Clansman
Characters/pairings:Jamie McCrimmon, Nyssa, Tegan Jovanka, The Doctor (5th)
warnings:None

Recced Because: I love multi-era fics where characters, particularly companions, meet who've never met before. It is so much fun to see them interacting together, bickering about the Doctor and boasting about their travels. While this fic has little bickering and boasting, it does the interacting part brilliantly. The Author manages to combine two entirely different eras of Doctor Who in a really clever way. To this extend the summary is a bit misleading, probably on purpose. I'm going to leave it that way, and try to write without spoiling.

This story, while seen through the eyes of Tegan, is actually an exploration of another much loved character. Jamie here is portrayed in an original way, allowing his incredible sense of wonder to take centre stage. He is one of my favourite characters on the entire show, and the way he is portrayed here, while very different to how he was in the series, rings true to his character.

Some names are spelled non-canonically, but don't let that put you off. The author knows the characters and creates a heartwarming little tale. I can't really say anything more without spoiling it, so you should just go and read it now, because it is magical.

Hello everyone, I am back for my second round of reccing. I don't know if I will be able to share the new limit of ten stories with you, as I am moving to London for my freshers week this week, but I'll do my best. Let's start with a lovely story starring my favourite Doctor and (one of) his awesome companions!

Story: Dangling Conversation
Author: aces
Rating: All ages
Word count: 3963
Author's summary: It’s not so much that he doesn’t fancy girls as he loves one bloke in particular.
Characters/pairings: Fitz Kreiner/Eighth Doctor
Warnings: none (except the angst. Oh, the angst).

Recced because: I really, really like it. The fic is a beautiful, quiet moment between two of my favourite characters, seen through both their eyes. The childlike wonder of the Doctor in part one is placed in such nice contrast with the angst filled musings of Fitz in part two, and the setting (the TARDIS' ball room!) only adds to it. The two parts are slightly different, and I see them as two takes on the same situation, rather than being the same story. Still, both parts are amazing and you should definitely read them both.

I've only read a few EDAs, but this feels like it could easily be part of the range. It's shippy in exactly the right way (when is anything involving Eight and Fitz not shippy), an the characters feel true to themselves. Most of all though, it is a beautiful exploration of a complicated (friend)ship.

Go read it!

And for today’s rec we are back to the Time War. No Romana this time (it was tempting but I realise not everyone likes her as much as I do).

Story: Nightmare Child (The Bad Dreams Remix)
Author: Livii
rating: all ages
word count: 1843
author's summary: "O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space—were it not that I have bad dreams." Susan, in the Time War.
characters/pairings: David Campbell, Leela, Susan Foreman, The Doctor (8th)
warnings: none

recced because: Instead I have a story with Susan, who is another fascinating character in Doctor Who canon because there is just so much we don’t know about her. Firstly, this story is a haunting character study of her; and secondly, I am always fascinated by stories which explore the relationship of the Time Lords with Time. This fic brilliantly contrasts that Time Lord life with Susan’s life on Earth through a collection of fragments. The result is a story about growing up, taking responsibility and facing consequences.

So many of Livii's fics have been recced here already, which I think shows that this is a fantastic fic. So go and read it.

Story: All time is unredeemable
author: Brunhilde
rating: All Ages
word count: 1432
author’s summary: He's given up on second chances, she's given up on hope. But the Universe is cracking, and impossible things can happen.
characters/pairings: Romana II, Eleventh Doctor. (or Doctor/Romana if you really want it to be).
warnings: Time War angst?

Recced because:
This story combines all my favourite fic things in one story, and I cannot believe it has not been recced before:

Romana in any incarnation is quite possibly my favourite character of the entire show. I love what the audio's and books have done with her character after she left the series, and her being president of the High Council at some point is my favourite (head)canon.  Another favourite of mine is the Time War. Aside from the obvious angst involved (I’m a sucker for angst) the whole concept of a war fought across all of time is utterly fascinating. The fact that we don’t know exactly how it ended or started, what the Doctor’s or Romana’s role was makes for an endless list of great stories. Many of them have already been recced here, and I would like to add this one to that list.

It probably isn’t much of a shock to anyone anymore now that Doctor/Romana is my favourite pairing, especially when set during the Time War. The beauty of this particular story however lies in that it doesn’t pair them together explicitly, but you can easily read it with shipping glasses on. The fic uses an interesting concept from the recent series to bring about a beautiful and sad conversation between two old friends (or lovers, however you want to read it), forming a bittersweet exploration of their relationship; how they influence and how they complete each other. A long time has passed since they said their goodbyes, and they have both grown and changed considerably. Yet Romana’s behaviour in the final day of the Time War as painted here feels very true to her character, and the Doctor’s babbling is so perfectly Eleven that it hurts. The ending haunted me for quite some time after I'd finished it.

I queued this one so I hope it works out.

Story: Too beautiful to live
Author: TygerTyger
Rating: teen
Word Count: 1702
Author's Summary: "I didn’t kick you out. I gave you up."
Characters/Pairings: Amy Pond, Rory Williams
Warnings:  trigger warnings for infertility, miscarriage and surgery trauma.

Recced because: Asylum of Daleks was without doubt my favourite episode of series 7A. Granted, it isn’t flawless, but the one thing it made absolutely clear I think is that travelling with the Doctor is not without risks and can leave scars. It was hard-breaking to learn that what Amy went through in ‘A Good Man Goes To War’ has in fact had serious consequences, and this fic explores that concept beautifully but also respectfully. The author describes it as ‘tough to write, and likely tough to read’, and I agree with that. It turns one of the most memorable visual moments of the episode into something else entirely, but somehow it fits. Most of all though, it is a bittersweet study of Amy and Rory and their relationship, and it fits into the series seamlessly.

 I was going to rec it in combination with another story by pocketmouse; second and third definitions, but that fic was recced not so long ago (all the better, it is well worth a read). During one of my late-night treks through the teaspoon I stumbled upon them one after the other, and consequently they are now forever linked in my mind. I encourage you to read this one first and then (re)read Pocketmouse’s story.

Oh and as always, let the author know what you think.