Calufrax

Last one already? Time flies. (..pun maybe intended, oh pfsh.)


Story: Warning
Author: Prochytes
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 162
Author's Summary: Theta Sigma was not the only one who planned to grow old disgracefully.
Characters/Pairings: The TARDIS
Warnings: Should I warn you for literary references?

Recced because: I thought I'd end the week with a nice multi-era piece.
I came across this after Neil Gaiman's episode (of brilliance) because I wanted to read more fic that had the TARDIS as an actual character, preferably with a voice of her own (which she deserves).
Now I'm a literature student. The way to my heart is through tea and poetry, basically. The DW fandom has plenty of tea and this was the poetry I had been waiting for. Prochytes is one of those writers who often writes fic that leaves me feeling a little baffled and very impressed and this was no exception. This poem captures the TARDIS very well, I think. Her stubbornness and autonomy, her individuality. (And really: even if you don't like poetry, try to read this as prose instead, because it is very visual and imaginative.)
Good way to step into the weekend.

It's Friday. Freya's day. Something with love. And smut.
I couldn't just pick one fic, so I picked two - here's one.
(I'm procrastinating, I should be reading medieval manuscripts.)


Story: Finger on the Trigger
Author: jinniyah
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 2,546
Author's Summary: Eleven has an inner gun-kink he isn't aware of yet. River fully takes advantage of this.
Characters/Pairings: River Song, The Doctor (11th)
Warnings: Explicit Sex

Recced because: This is not only very good smut (I appreciate good, original smut), but also well-written. The Doctor and River are very much in character and, more importantly, their timey-wimey not-in-syncness plays an important part in the story, too, which not only fits with canon very well, but also keeps the reader on his/her toes.
The dialogue is quick and witty (see preview) and really adds to the action that takes place. As much as this is a smutty oneshot, I do like it when there is a bit of framework involved - this isn't just River and the Doctor doing nasty things, there's a fair bit of psychology involved. After all, River knows something the Doctor doesn't (always a good place to start) and gently pushes him into knowing himself just that little bit better (through sex) and we get to see it.
River has the upper hand in the story and it is really interesting to see the way the Doctor responds to the things she does (I personally especially like the babbling - 'Nervous? Of course I'm not nervous! Not at all. I'm a Time Lord, I walk in eternity. Do I look like I'm nervous? No! Don't answer that!'). The 'power' dynamic in their relationship in canon is fascinating to begin with and this is developed in this fic very well, too. It could totally have happened at some point.
Well, and I may have a bit of a thing for dirty talking - and River does that very well.


( Preview )

So, today a bit of a shorter fic. I love short fic as much as I love long fic.

Story:  All That For A Rubbish Punchline
Author: Nostalgia
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 752
Author's Summary: Err, it might be a DW/Hitchhiker's Guide crossover. Only not. Ten/Jack
Characters/Pairings: Jack Harkness, The Doctor (10th)
Warnings: Swearing

Recced because: I know, we're not supposed to rec the same pairing all the time. I have not recced this fic for the pairing, however. I've recced it for the crossover (even if the author doesn't actually classify it as a crossover). I think it's fair to assume that people who like Doctor Who have at least heard of the HItchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (seen the film, read the book(s), etc.). Nostalgia does a great job mimicking the overall Hitchhiker-tone and it really made me giggle (I mean, this is lovely: 'The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy has this to say about the Doctor: "Freelance chaotic element. If something bad happens to you, it's probably his fault. Has attractive sidekicks."').
This fic is a great start of the day. Today is Wednesday, the middle of the week, often that point in your weekly cycle when you think 'I wish it was the weekend' - this fic is certain to brighten your day. Best read over breakfast (be careful not to splurt your weetabix over your laptop, though.)
The beauty of short fic (and short stories in general) is that a lot can be poured in a very small amount of words - and Nostalgia does a great job. This is just packed with a lot of info that makes both reading and rereading it a joy.

Eloquent, short, funny - the punchline is also good (and not rubbish at all).
(If you're reading this, I recommend pretending Stephen Fry is the narrator.)

Hi all! *waves awkwardly*
So my name is Bianca, a whovian hailing from the Netherlands, and I'll be reccing for you this week (:
I understand that for a part of you it's still Sunday, but well.. let's just view this as a bonus than, shall we? ;)

Besides, if you're going to read this fic (and I think you should) you're going to need the extra time...


Story: Terminal Decay
Author: Unslinky
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 3,071,407 (yes, you read that right - this is not a typo)
Author's Summary: Set shortly after The Planet of the Dead. AU to everything Doctor Who and Torchwood after that.
Characters/Pairings: Clive Jones, Francine Jones, Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Jack Harkness, K-9, Leo Jones, Luke Smith, Martha Jones, Martha Jones, Mickey Smith, Sarah Jane Smith, Sarah Jane Smith, The Doctor (10th), The TARDIS, Tish Jones, Tom Milligan, Torchwood (I've only copied the list of characters Unslinky indicated on Teaspoon because I do not want to spoil what happens in the story! :))
Warnings: Explicit Sex, Explicit Violence, Swearing

Recced because: This fic took Unslinky nearly two years to complete and it has just over a 1,000 chapters. I came across it when the fic had been growing for some time already, but rapidly caught up and then followed it all the way to the end. I realise three million words may seem rather daunting, but trust me when I say that once you start reading this fic, it becomes part of your life shockingly easily and quickly. (I'm rereading it at the moment - worth every step of the way.)

So what makes this fic so captivating? There is more Doctor!Whump out there in which he (nearly) dies [keeping open the outcome so as not to spoil you guys], after all, and those are not as epically long as this fic. There are several reasons.
One is that Unslinky's characterisation is amazing. Unslinky knows how people work, what makes them tick, what makes them laugh, and she manages to write the dilemmas that come with being/caring for a dying alien, the last of his kind, in a way that is incredibly realistic. There are no good or bad guys in this story - everyone has two sides. There will be moments when you really hate a particular character (at least I did), but later that will always be put into perspective because the reasons for their behaviour are revealed and you suddenly understand that even though sometimes people say or do things that make you want to punch them in the face, they're not all bad. Every story has two sides and nothing is ever only black or only white.
That brings me to my second reason: realism. The Doctor is suffering from a degenerating disease, which will kill him if nothing is done, and a lot of people (see character list and then some) get involved. That means there are a lot of angles to be written, a lot of point of views, tensions, opinions - not to mention that an illness as seriously as the one from which the Doctor suffers in this story simply can't be fixed in two or three chapters. The illness is described very naturally, over a period of time, and Unslinky gives us readers wonderful medical details and descriptions without making it too brainy too understand - and then of course there is also the psychological side. The Doctor has to accept that he is ill and that he needs help, he bonds to people in entirely new ways, but the other characters are also affected - they have doubts, are hurt, hope, work, scream, cry (everything you might expect of someone with a close friend who is dying). Rather than rush through events towards a happy ending [or not!], Unslinky isn't afraid of putting the main storyline on hold to be introspective or have a flashback. This doesn't impede the story at all, however, but rather adds to it, shaping the characters and making them incredibly real.
In the end, this didn't feel like a story, but rather as a journey. It has made me look at some characters in an entirely new way and by the time I got to the end I didn't think 'oof, I've finally read it', but rather 'why is this over already?'.


( Preview )