Entries tagged with reccer: aralias

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Rec: The Very Model

Thank you very much for having me. Please give some of my obscure canon choices a chance. It may lead you down the road to a side of Who fandom you've not considered that is actually brilliant.

Today, I was planning on reccing a completely different Neveralarch story, and then I saw this one right below the moderately sensible choice I'd been planning, and I thought 'nobody knows what Gallifrey is or wants Age of Sail AUs of it', but... well, the other choice was more Doctor/Master and probably not as brilliant as this. So-

Story: The Very Model
Author: neveralarch
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 10070
Author's Summary: Being the tale of how Admiral Romana kept her job, how Rear-Admiral Braxiatel fought off the empire's enemies, how Leela of the Sevateem gained an audience with the Admirality, and how Captain Narvin was irritated by just about everyone. (A Gallifrey/Age of Sail fusion, where most of the characters are still Time Lords, even though that doesn't make much sense when they're on wooden ships.)
Characters/Pairings: Romana II, Leela, Braxiatel, Narvin, K-9s, and various other Gallifrey people who aren't on Teaspoon

Recced because: Reasons I love this fic that hopefully apply to more people who aren't me:

a) Age of Sail is a particular vice of mine. If you are fond of this genre, but haven't heard Gallifrey - give it a try.
b) I particularly like Age of Sail fics in which Romana is a headstrong admiral who beats people up with buckets, and Leela is a pirate. (A small category, alas). Other characters are also treated very well - K-9 is Age of Sail-ified most brilliantly, and Brax is sort of trying to take over the navy and Narvin is trying to play by the rules and is so angry that nobody else will.
b2) It is a true ensemble fic.
c) The narrative voice is consistently hilarious. And so is the dialogue.
d) For all that it is an Age of Sail AU, it is also a brilliant Gallifrey-type plot that you can actually get wrapped up in. Do you like intrigue and backstabbing? Yes. Great. Read this fic.

( Excerpt )

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Rec: Supreme Courtship

Story: Supreme Courtship
Author: x_los
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 6023
Author's Summary: From the Best Enemies Kink Meme: "Legally Blonde (the musical) crossover, Ainley!Master/Davison!Callahan. The Master is surprised to find an older version of the Doctor working as a cutthroat lawyer, but it's okay because older men are hot." Now with more Eight and Lucie, because Sheridan Smith!Elle Woods could not be ignored.
Characters/Pairings: Five/Ainley!Master, Eight, Lucie

Recced because: OK, so, logic dictates that I should probably choose something a bit more accessible (and I did say more serious... and I doubt x_los will thank me), but I want to rec this one, so, er, here it is!

Regarding the accessibility issue though and to bring us all up to speed, know this:
In 2010 'Legally Blonde: The Musical' (surprisingly excellent, despite being a musical adapated from a film)(which I also think is surprisingly excellent) opened on London's West End starring Sheridan Smith (who plays Eight's companion Lucie Miller) as Elle Woods, and Peter Davison (Five) as Professor Callahan, who is much more villainous than the movie version of the same character (one of his songs is called 'Blood in the Water') but who still makes a move on Elle towards the end. This spiffy video advert they did has some fun visuals of Smith as Elle, and Davison as Callahan (dancing). Really all you need to know is that Five's been chameleon-arched and now thinks he's a lawyer. I just think the Legally Blonde stuff is a fun background.

Anyway, so it's a good and amusing idea. Five is so totally unlike Callahan, who is quite like Ainley!Master. There's a lot of humour to be derived from that and from misunderstandings, etc, and if you're read other x_los stuff you'll know she's good at humour. She's also very good at a) writing porn - so if you like that sort of thing, there is some of that and b) writing the Doctor/Master relationship. Nothing is easy and no conversation isn't actually a confrontation, but they like each other enough that it works if either of them are willing to admit it.

This fic also has something else to recommend it - Eight and Lucie! One of my all time favourite Team TARDISes. They are very good here, particularly Lucie, who brings some fun meta-commentary on the Doctor/Master relationship towards the end. In short: I like this fic very much – I hope you enjoy it.

( Excerpt - this is Eight and Ainley, discussing options )

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Rec: Tell Me About Your Mother

Story: Tell Me About Your Mother (The Slightly Freudian Remix)
Author: Elliptic Eye
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1516
Author's Summary: A defining moment wherein a true friend helps the young Theta Sigma look deep within himself and understand the ways in which he is a wanker.
Characters/Pairings: Theta (pre-series Doctor), Delgado!Master, arguably Doctor/Master

Recced because: Elliptic Eye has written some very funny things - this is one of them. If you like jokes about the Doctor's teenage angst and bad poetry and/or jokes about the Master being a loser, you've come the right place (although, to be fair to Delgado, he comes off by far the better of the two in this). I also think the choice to turn a supposed therapy session on Gallifrey into a comedy skit was inspired - and, on that note, I think this is a very clever remix. The original is about a totally different character (although no names are given, so it's a fair ~~cop~~ swap) mentoring the young Doctor - and is without so much piss taking. But I like the piss taking. And I'm probably going to rec a more serious one tomorrow.

( Excerpt )

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Rec: Terms of Art

Story: Terms of Art
Author: Raven
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 4676
Author's Summary: The Doctor learned to draw on Gallifrey.
Characters/Pairings: Ten, Martha, John Smith, Joan Redfern

Recced because: I used to think I didn't like Martha very much, but I'm increasingly coming to believe that I was very wrong, and that I like her a lot.

My all time favourite Martha scene is the bit where she tells the Doctor she's 'getting out', but I also love the bit where she makes him talk about Gallifrey. This fic is a bit like that, except more so and it showcases the way in which Martha is able to help the Doctor get over his massive angst in a completely different way to Rose, a way that is no less viable and is, in fact, incredibly charming and wonderful - because it's about her determination to do what's right and look after people, particularly him, even when it hurts her. My excerpt from this fic is along these lines, because I feel this is mostly a fic about how Martha is really awesome, and awesome for the Doctor, but the bits that aren't about Martha are about the Doctor's massive angst about being John Smith (and Gallifrey)(still not over that, eh?), and that is a lovely and wonderful part of this fic, too (I almost chose to show you a bit about what it was like to open the fob watch instead). I like what a terrible, awkward nerd Smith is and how he is great in a similar way to Martha. I also really like the Doctor in this fic - he has some nice lines towards the end.

And it's written very beautifully. I think you'll like it.

( Excerpt )

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Rec: Lines from an Unwritten Book

Story: Lines from an Unwritten Book
Author: RobinC
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 487
Author's Summary: The Doctor, under his many names and titles, is known to billions of beings who never met him, on thousands of planets he never visited. How did they learn about the Last Time Lord?
Characters/Pairings: None

Recced because: Stories that are about the Doctor's legend interest me a lot - mostly I tend to feel I know him quite well, and it's interesting to see him from an outsider's perspective. The conceit of this fic (an academic introduction to a bibliography of Doctoriana) is smart, and the ideas for various titles that might be contained in such a compendium are amusing while also being plausible. I also like the kindness and warmth of the supposed author of this piece - that's how I'd want the Doctor to be treated, really.

( Excerpt )

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Rec: Changing History

Story: Changing History
Author: Brunhilde
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 721
Author's Summary: After leaving the Doctor behind, Tegan meets a stranger down by the river. Spoilers in the Author's Note, and by implication, for SJA's "The Death of the Doctor" and the Big Finish audio "The Gathering".
Characters/Pairings: Tegan, Ten

Recced because: I like Tegan and I really like how she leaves the show - in fact, I think it's one of the best moments of the classic series. I like the way this fic builds on that awkward and upsetting moment, and all the other awkward and upsetting moments Tegan and Five have had, and then slightly undercuts all that (by making it a bit better) without making the actual scene from 'Resurrection of the Daleks' any less powerful. The summary and the author's note imply you need to know the Big Finish audio 'The Gathering' to understand what's going on - but I don't think that's true, really (and I don't like 'The Gathering').

( Excerpt )

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Rec: Imaginary Worlds (the Here I Dreamt I was an Architect remix)

Story: Imaginary Worlds (the Here I Dreamt I was an Architect remix)
Author: Bagheera
Rating: Teen (it says All Ages, but I might even go so far as to say Adult)
Word Count: 5897
Author's Summary: There is a room in the TARDIS that always stays locked. (Written for the best_enemies remix challenge.)
Characters/Pairings: Doctor/Master - arguably including pre-series Doctor/pre-series Master, pre-series Doctor/War Chief!Master, Three/Delgado!Master, Three/Crispy!Master and Five/Master. One thing it doesn't have is Pryce!Master, although he is listed on Teaspoon
Warnings: None listed, though there is sex and swearing and horror

Recced because: This fic was written in 2009, since when dark fairy tales and Doctor Who have become increasingly intertwined. If you like the sort of story where something terrible is presented as a good thing in beautiful, soothing language, you might like this fic - even if you think Doctor/Master isn't really your cup of tea.

I think a brief introduction is necessary, though, before you read it. This fic is a 'remix' (of sorts) of another fic I also like (Imaginary Worlds by x_los), which posits that, at some point, the young Master made a copy of the Doctor that lived in his mind and which he could interact with as though it were the real Doctor. He abandoned the copy for a time, but returned to it after the Doctor left Gallifrey/him. In the original fic, the copy/construct idea was played largely for laughs - but it's very creepy, really, particularly in a universe where thoughts can think for themselves (see- oh, I don't know... 'Castrovalva', for example).

This fic is an atmospheric and disturbing examination of that idea, and of obsession carried too far. Thus, it also functions as an excellent character study of the Master.

( Excerpt )

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Rec: The Flower Tender

Story: The Flower Tender
Author: apolesen
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 5237
Author's Summary: A beautiful madman, who talks of begonias and mermaids. A girl who is not a tenant or a maid or a companion, perhaps not even the pious rescue worker she seems to be. Fitz Kreiner, who leaves his rooms in the semislum of Hoxton to join the eccentric household, entering into a world which challenges the very values of the time.
Characters/Pairings: Eight, Fitz, Sam

Recced because: Another 'guess what

aralias has just finished reading' moment (answer: it's 'Blue Angel'). I am very fond of AUs, and I'm very fond of Victoriana. The era has been used as a setting EDAs have employed as a place the characters could go, rather than a place they live (the Doctor gets sort of mad-housed in 'Camera Obscura', for example), so it's particularly interesting to see it here as a place these characters have always lived. The Doctor is presented entirely from the outside (unlike in 'Blue Angel') as this fascinating, bizarre, and unknowable person, and there are so many hints that this is part of a larger narrative. It seems like a very strange piece, but ultimately it's about Fitz feeling left out of life and then not feeling like that any more, and that simple human kernel of this story is what makes it much more accessible to me than say... 'Blue Angel'. The writing's good, too.
ETA: By going to the author's LJ I've just discovered... there are 5 more chapters still be posted on Teaspoon. Hopefully those will go up soon. This rec was based on the first chapter only (although I anticipate that the other chapters are very good too).

Excerpt:

Feeling rather clumsy in his oddly matched clothes, he offered her his arm, which she nevertheless accepted. They walked in silence for a long time. First, he was worried that she would try to ask questions about his mother, but she only looked around the park, as if the world was new to her. He watched her instead; she looked so innocent, and he wondered how she had ended up living with a madman.

‘Is the Doctor your uncle?’ he asked. It was the only explanation he could think of.

‘When people ask, yes,’ she said. ‘Or guardian.’

‘“When people ask”?’ Fitz repeated.

‘He’s really nothing of the kind,’ she admitted with an unconcerned smile. ‘Although he’s the closest I’ve had to a father or an uncle or a guardian for a long time.’

‘How did you meet him? If I may ask...?’

She nodded. ‘He saved me,’ she said. ‘Not in the Christian sense, in the actual sense.’

As part of

pod_aware I have recorded yesterday's rec, Personal Statement, which can be downloaded here. I will post the outstanding podfics (including, hopefully, a podfic of today's rec) in the comments of the appropriate rec (i.e. so the podfic of this fic will be in the comment of this post).

I hope you've enjoyed some of the recs this week - and the podfics!

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Rec: Personal Statement

Story: Personal Statement
Author: ProfessorSpork
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 594
Author's Summary: In which Amy helps Rory complete an odious task. Pre-series.
Characters/Pairings: Amy, Rory

Recced because: There's quite a lot of job seeking going on in my household at the moment. So, while scrolling down through the list of Eleventh Doctor stories, I saw this one, and said 'Ha ha, there's one about a personal statement!' out loud, which promoted a groan from my fellow seekers. Then I decided to read the fic for the lols, and after about five lines said something like 'Actually it's pretty good', and then a bit later 'Actually it's very good'. Well, reader: it is very good. It's not just a fic about characters we know doing things we have to do, but wouldn't probably do on a sci fi action show (although actually that is a valid thing to do). Here the plot point of a personal statement is an opportunity for us to see what sort of a person Rory is, and for him to try and articulate why it is he wants to be a nurse (it's a little bit like that bit in 'Billy Eliot' that they made into a song it was so good). It also gives him an opportunity to think about the things he doesn't want to be - in life and to Amy, and shows us the things that are so good about Amy and Rory's relationship i.e. how they support each other. It's a very clever and thoughtful fic, and I wasn't at all surprised when, having scrolled back up to the top, I saw that it had been written by the author of one of my other all time favourite Eleven era stories, Playing Dress Up, which similarly illuminated and deepened this relationship for me.

Excerpt:

"What if I can't?" he asks quietly, and she rolls her eyes. She's watched him have this freakout a thousand times. "What if I'm rubbish at everything?"

"You're not rubbish at everything."

"But what if I am?"

"Then you wouldn't want to be a nurse. Rubbish people only care about themselves."

As part of

pod_aware I have recorded yesterday's rec, To go daringly where few people have travelled in the past, which can be downloaded here. (I didn't do the American accents - much).

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Rec: To go daringly where few people have travelled in the past

Story: To go daringly where few people have travelled in the past
Author: ElapsedSpiral
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 3293
Author's Summary: Utter, utter crack. Crossover with "Star Trek". Hopefully funny-ish if you've seen both shows. Amy watches a certain science fiction movie. The Doctor possibly insinuates that said certain science fiction movie is not entirely fictional.
Characters/Pairings: Eleven, Amy

Recced because: This fic has some brilliant dialogue, mostly delivered by a very uncomfortable Doctor, but some crackers also go to Amy. It's a fic full of banter too, which I like, and the 'real' Star Trek is a nice reinterpretation of the Star Trek universe we might be more familiar with. Nothing very much happens, people just sit around and talk and get pissed, but a very funny time is had by all. (Sadly Rory was busy that day).

Excerpt:

“Amy,” he said plaintively, “I don’t have a bowl cut. Look at me, all bowl cut free. What’s he got that I haven’t?”

“Conflict.”

“Oh come on, you know I’ve got that in spades.”

“Human mother, alien father.”

“So have I!”

Amy’s mouth, chocolatey and moist, hung open momentarily. The Doctor shook his head.

“Another time; long, long story. I’ve never had a bowl cut-well maybe I came close when I had that recorder but it wasn’t quite. Time Lords hold logic up above all other pursuits too, they’re stuffy too, they have silly jumpers too. They have odd physiognomy, strange names and their planet was destroyed. I’ve got the lot!”

No podfic today. Hopefully more tomorrow. Remember to check out

pod_aware!

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Rec: Fitz Kreiner and the Chronology Protection Conjecture

After a somewhat obscure choice yesterday, I thought I'd choose something more everyone-friendly. Then I read this one and absolutely adored it. So everyone-friendly choice tomorrow, people. For now, please enjoy some more obscure paracanon awesomeness.

Story: Fitz Kreiner and the Chronology Protection Conjecture
Author: Lurky McLurklurk
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 3817
Author's Summary: Things go rapidly downhill when Fitz nips out for a quick cigarette.
Characters/Pairings: Fitz, Anji and Eight.

Recced because: It's perfectly structured. The bit in the pub at the beginning seems like it's just setting the scene, giving Fitz somewhere to walk out of but it's going to come back, all the moments of Fitz noticing things are going to be important, and the layers of disaster stack up until the narrative can literally take no more and Fitz has to shout at everyone to be quiet so we can think. One of the things this fic does well is to showcase some serious Fitz competence - his actions are perfectly Fitz-like, but also perfectly rational and clever (although he thinks they're slightly cleverer than they are, which is a lovely character trait also very well portrayed here). Although they aren't main characters here, there's also a great portrayal of Anji and the Doctor, and some good bickering between this excellent Team TARDIS. The fic is very funny, but it would also be wrong to class it simply as comedy, as there's, you know, a serious scientific theory being expounded on. I think even people unfamiliar with the EDAs will like this one, but if you are familiar with them and haven't read this you should definitely do that now, because you're in for a treat.

Excerpt:

"How'd you like to go somewhere more private?" Jirina asked.

Fitz was not a man to ignore his instincts. Given how loudly they were screaming "Yes" right now, it would have been difficult anyway. But he had other instincts, ones that had been honed by his long travels with the Doctor. Ones that said things like "If it's too good to be true, it probably is" and "there's definitely something going on here".

But then if there was something going on, he probably ought to investigate, oughtn't he?

Fitz dropped the cigarette to the floor and ground it beneath his heel, priding himself on his talent for uniting seeming opposites.

"Love to," he said.

As part of

pod_aware I have recorded yesterday's rec, A Family Affair, which can be downloaded in three parts: one, two, three

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Rec: A Family Affair, by bagheera

Story: A Family Affair
Author: bagheera
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 19860 (still planning to podfic it!)
Author's Summary: Leela and Narvin in a buddycop story, set between 3.4 "Mindbomb" and 3.5. "Panacea"
Characters/Pairings: K-9, Leela, Narvin, Romana II, various excellent OCs
Declaration of interest: I not only ran the ficathon that spawned this fic, I also betaed it.

Recced because: When Gallifrey the series is good it has a cracking whodunnit type plot (where whodunnit is taken for whobetrayedme/whoissecretlyonmyside) and lots of cracking dialogue between people who either dislike each other but are pretending not to, or respect each other but find the other person utterly exasperating. The series is very funny, and very engaging, and it reaches its height in series 3. This brilliant fic should be a real episode of Gallifrey, because it has everything that a good episode of Gallifrey should have (except an appearance from Braxiatel). Then again, as an interpretation of the buddycop genre it's perfect, giving our protagonists, the free-spirited hunter and the by-the-book spy, time to get to know each other and misunderstand one another in between its action set pieces. It also works as Gallifrey-lover fan-service, featuring (almost) all our favourite Gallifrey regulars and lots of original characters, who all feel like favourite characters we've just not noticed in previous episodes. It also gives Narvin a convincing and compelling backstory, and fleshes out Leela's relationship with Andred. Some absolutely hilarious things happen, and the dialogue is pitch-perfect. I know it's long, but don't let that put you off. It won't feel that long.

Excerpt:

“When I entered basic training, I found this immensely frustrating. Machines don’t dissemble or act illogically. They obey their own laws to a fault. You can be a perfectly good data technician without ever coming across a moral dilemma. As a spy, you don’t just have to make compromises. You have to compromise yourself. You can’t afford trust or friendship or honour. To uphold your most precious ideals, you sometimes have to betray them. That’s what Andred tried to do, and it broke him. It would break you too, if you ever tried it.”

“It did not break you.”

Narvin glanced at Leela, unsure if that was a question, or a statement, or an expression of doubt.

“No,” he said. “I find it doesn’t affect me very much.”

As part of

pod_aware I have recorded yesterday's rec, ceremony for the living, which can be downloaded here.

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Rec: ceremony for the living, by Branwyn

Story: ceremony for the living
Author: Branwyn
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1370
Author's Summary: The Doctor attends his own funeral.
Characters/Pairings: Seven, Ace, mentions of Benny
Warnings: NA canon (not necessary to understanding)

Recced because: I love the summary - that's brilliant. Another way of looking at that central conceit - the seventh Doctor eavesdrops on a conversation someone is having with him - shows it to be equally brilliant. He doesn't say anything, but he thinks many things and these are all exquisitely expressed: one of my favourite parts is below, but there are other really striking metaphors peppered throughout the story. The Doctor's prose is cool and lyrical, while the only dialogue is Ace's. Ace is a woman of short sentences and strong, very expressed emotion - her stuff stands out strikingly and rawly from the prose. It's very well done: a dialogue without two speakers. The conclusion is not unexpected, but that isn't the point - it still needed to be said.

Excerpt:

Time Lords know precisely what awaits them after death, which is to say, more death, and some life, and then nothing. Still, a seasoned traveler has to give some thought to the notion of cosmic balance, a reckoning of sorts. He wonders how, if some entirely hypothetical god were to weigh his soul now, whether he or she or it would consider the equally hypothetical unity of which his many personalities have been mere fractures, or if each chapter of his life is a story in itself, justified (or not) by its own conclusions.

As part of

pod_aware I have recorded yesterday's rec, Operator, Operator, which can be downloaded here. I hope to, with each author's permission, record all my recs this week (posting them a day after the rec). Sound quality is variable - as is quality of Doctor impression (both vary between not good and not bad). I apologise but hope you enjoy.

rec: Operator, Operator, by neveralarch

Hello! Back again for my third reccing slot, and very happy to continue the fine tradition of Calufrax. I'm the one who recs an absurd amount of Four/Master - or did last time. I shall try not to do that so much this time. Right! So, here is a story-

Oh.

Wait.

Story: Operator, Operator
Author: neveralarch
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 6107
Author's Summary: The Master works as a phone sex operator in order to kick-start his political career. That's it, really.
Characters/Pairings: Doctor/Master, One through Ten/Simm!Master
Warnings: BDSM, Explicit Sex, Swearing

Recced because: With such a prompt this fic could have been a disaster. In neveralarch's hands it becomes a thing of lightness and grace, deceptively funny (so funny - biting down on things so that nobody asks what the hell is so funny!funny) and actually dark and sad - while still being funny. Essentially, what I'm saying is, this fic is like Simm!Master distilled into a fic about the Doctor's outlandish sexual practices. And that it's hilarious. Please read it, even if you don't ship it.

( Excerpt - cut due to swearing )

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rec: The Moment Has Been Prepared For

This is my last day of reccing - I'm sorry so many were of a similar theme, but I hope you've enjoyed some. Here I must trouble you once again with some more excellent Doctor/Master - and bizarrely it is yet more Four/Master, as if that is a common pairing one can easily over rec without caution...

Story: The Moment Has Been Prepared For
Author: x_los
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 3955
Author's Summary: From the Best Enemies Kink Meme, "Four/Ainley - sex at Logopolis, in which they genuinely connect and the Doctor thinks the Master isn't so bad after all..." Now with more DOOM. Also a Prelude to Scarf Destruction.
Characters/Pairings: Four/Ainley!Master

Recced because: I think this is one of x_los's best fics, which is saying something because I love pretty much everything she's written. It's a fantastic character study of each of the characters (in general, and in these specific regenerations - at these specific and important points in their lives. Four at the end, Ainley at the beginning) and examination of the relationship between the Doctor and the Master. It's melancholy and thoughtful, like 'Logopolis', but not without hope - or humour. Four becomes so dour in his final stories that he needs someone like the Master (someone he knows of old, someone it's worth impressing) to challenge him and push him to be his old self just before he becomes his new self. It's a very important and transformative fic, both plugging a gap between 'Logopolis' and 'Castrovalva' and changing the way those stories and their central characters are viewed. Also the prose is very good. I hope you read and enjoy it.

Excerpt: ““We may die,” the Master said, explaining himself when he didn’t need to, pressing the Doctor when he’d already surrendered. “We should take this chance,”–he meant ‘you,’ as if he needed the persuasion–“it could be our last. This may fail, we might never–”

The Doctor spoke for himself, unequivocally. “It is, and it won’t. But I’m dying regardless.”

The Master gave him a troubled look, and spoke more sharply than he intended to. “What do you mean?”

“The Watcher paid me a visit.”

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rec: Time Lords Made Us Do It

Story: Time Lords Made Us Do It
Author: Bagheera
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 978
Author's Summary: After "End of Time", the Time Lords figure out that their only hope for survival is to give the drums to the Doctor. (Gallifrey crack fic).
Characters/Pairings: Romana 2, Braxiatel, Narvin, Leela, K-9, (various Doctor/Master in the background)

Recced because: Another Doctor/Master fic, but one that distinguishes itself by never actually featuring those characters. As the summary notes, this is a Gallifrey fic, first and foremost, and is largely about those brilliant characters trying to tackle a problem - that problem just happens to be making the Doctor and the Master have sex, something that some characters find discomforting (very funny), and others are completely fine with (also very funny). It's largely dialogue based, which works well in an audio fandom and with such distinct voices, it's well structured, and cleverly punctures the pomposity of much of 'End of Time'.

Excerpt: "Andred once showed me this psychic union you speak of," Leela said thoughtfully. "I was not impressed."

Coordinator Narvin made a horrible grimace that seemed to say: I did not need to know this. Romana privately agreed.

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rec: Recognition

Story: Recognition
Author: Kindkit
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 505
Author's Summary: Jamie, the Doctor, and the art of seeing.
Characters/Pairings: Two/Jamie
Warnings: Based around an event in 'The Mind Robber'.

Recced because: Kindkit is very good at these short snapshot fics, most of which revolve around one central idea and revelation. This is an excellent example of that genre, with some lovely phrasing and memorable images that fit well in Jamie's idioms and experience. It's also very well paced, with time slowing down towards the end as the mood of both characters changes. In general, it is a very beautiful and well-crafted thing.

Excerpt: For a second Jamie is very small and very homesick. Then the feeling drifts away, and he stares into the Doctor's funny little creased face, which for once is not smiling, which has folded into something new, like when Victoria learnt to make a crane from a sheet of paper. Jamie knows then that he'd follow the Doctor all the way to the end of the universe. Or farther, because Zoe says the universe doesn't have an end.

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rec: The Amazon

Story: The Amazon
Author: neveralarch
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 9417
Author's Summary: Jo made a poor choice in husbands, the Master made a poor choice in building materials, and the Doctor's gone off in a scarf.
Characters/Pairings: Jo, Delgado!Master/Four
Warnings: Alternate Universe

Recced because: So many wonderful Neverlarch fics to choose from, and really I recommend you read all of them (particularly 'On Her Lady President's Secret Service'), but 'The Amazon' is my most favourite.

More so than any other Master and Companion, Delgado and Jo had an almost amicable relationship. Some of my favourite scenes from the third Doctor's era are between these two characters, but there's far too little (except in the glorious 'Frontier in Space'), but now there's this fic, and it's so joyful and joy-inspiring. The fic's conceit is that Jo ends up as the Master's companion some time post 'Green Death'. They don't get on all that badly, as he's always quite liked her. She's really competent in all the ways Jo was competent in the show (escapology! getting information!) while still being ditzy and Jo-like, but she does keep trying to tell him that he should sort out his relationship with the Doctor (in much the same way that she tried to tell the Doctor this in 'Frontier'), which the Master does not appreciate at all, because he doesn't have a relationship with the Doctor - what's more, doesn't want one! (Jo eye rolls.)

It then proceeds through the events of 'Deadly Assassin' (another v good serial), but because the Master has Jo there to point out his mistakes and irritate him, things take a different turn. This is a very clever, very funny story (the Master's POV, often in direct opposition to his dialouge) about an unlikely friendship, the difficulties of being Jo Grant, and what happens when the Doctor and the Master finally listen to her advice.

Excerpt:
"You!" said the Doctor once he was close enough to be heard without shouting. "I should have known."

"Yes, my dear Doctor, me." The Master threw his cloak off altogether and swung the staser pistol concealed under it to point at Jo. "And I've got one of your abandoned companions with me as well."

"Jo? Jo, what are you doing with him?" The Doctor stepped forward into the sudden chaos of people running away from the gun, but the Master stopped him with a shake of the head.

"No, keep back. I'm a little over-tired, and you wouldn't want to make me act rashly."

"So this was your plan all along," said Jo. "Master, I thought we were friends! You took me shopping!"

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rec: A Turn In The Park

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."

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rec: The Littlest Celery

Story: The Littlest Celery
Author: TheRothwoman
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 928
Author's Summary: Once upon a time, there was a bowl of celery, and the littlest celery dreamed of being worn on some nice man's lapel and being taken on adventures...
Characters/Pairings: OC, Five, Five's companions (very background)

Recced because: I suspect this fic already has a bit of a following, but I hope there are people out there who haven't read it yet, and will get to as a result of this rec. Did you know Five's celery (his first celery, that is) had hopes and dreams of its own? Well, it did.

This is a thoroughly charming story written in a whimsical children's book tone. Like many great children's books, it's surprisingly moving, despite its silly premise. One could argue that 'The Littlest Celery' is a story about companions (who dream of adventure), or about the Doctor himself (the strange outsider), but it would be sort of a waste of time, because this is a perfect story as it is.

Excerpt: The man wearing the littlest celery took his three friends to a blue box. What was it for, wondered the littlest celery. Surely they couldn’t all fit inside it. But they did, for the box was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside.