Calufrax

Story: Tributary, Confluence, Distributary, Fork
Author: Nancy Brown
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 4244
Author's Summary: Four hellos and one goodbye.
Characters/Pairings: River Song, Jack Harkness, the Eleventh Doctor
Warnings: None

Recced because: River and Jack are both travellers through time whose lives have been permanently altered through their association with the Doctor. But what if their lives had also been permanently altered through their association with each other? Expertly woven through time and space, this fic shows us their first meetings, the power of friendship, and the importance of being in the right place at the right time.

( An excerpt )

Story: Girlfriend, Date, Stake-out, Sex
Author: koshiroryuu
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1297
Author's Summary: The Doctor and Martha spy on Jack's date, and things, as expected, go horribly wrong.
Characters/Pairings: The Tenth Doctor, Martha Jones, Jack Harkness
Warnings: None

Recced because: Ten and Martha hide in the hedgerows to spy on Jack Harkness and his date. It's a very funny fic with an amusing premise and an even better execution. There's also a bonus alternative ending in the second chapter.

( A sample )

Story: Breaking the Bounds
Author: vvj5
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2416
Author's Summary:The TARDIS is nothing more than the Doctor’s means of escape – or so he tells himself. Any other thoughts concerning a mere machine would be quite nonsensical, wouldn’t they?
Characters/Pairings: The First Doctor, Susan Foreman, the TARDIS
Warnings: None

Recced because: Shortly after leaving Gallifrey with his granddaughter, the Doctor does his first bit of TARDIS maintenance. It's expertly written, with great character moments, but what I particularly love about this fic is how it shows us the beginning of what is, arguably, the central relationship of the entire series: the Doctor and the TARDIS. Next stop: everywhere.

( An excerpt )

Story: Set Yourself On Fire
Author: Calapine
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2634
Author's Summary: River Song, time, stories and choices.
Characters/Pairings: River Song, Tenth Doctor, Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond, Rory Williams
Warnings: None

Recced because: River is a fascinating character, and this fic really captures her spirit and her life. It's whirlwind and brilliant and glorious, just like River herself.

( An excerpt )

Story: Loose Sand
Author: schildkroet
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2687
Author's Summary: Torchwood is facing a problem and Jack doesn't want to call the Doctor for help. Martha does so anyway.
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor, Jack Harkness, Martha Jones, Sarah Jane Smith, Mickey Smith, Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones
Warnings: None

Recced because: This fic is like the best of Twilight Zone in the way it quietly unfolds, starting with a mystery -- why doesn't Jack want to call on the Doctor for help? -- and then turning on a simple, horrifying reveal. The story was written back in 2008, so it's AU now, but perhaps that just means this happened in an alternate timeline (something else both Doctor Who and Twilight Zone have in common).

( Try it  )

Story: Reputation to Uphold
Author: The_Bookkeeper
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 100
Author's Summary: They think he’s not him. It’s freedom, of a sort. Set during The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People.
Characters/Pairings: Eleventh Doctor
Warnings: None

Recced because: I used to not like drabbles, and then I realized it was because I hadn't been reading the right drabbles. Done well, a drabble is like a scalpel in the hands of a skilled surgeon -- precise and incredibly powerful. This drabble, about the Eleventh Doctor during "Rebel Flesh / Almost People," is done extremely well. Go read it.

Story: The Doctor Cooks (The Eleventh Time Lucky Remix)
Author: paranoidangel
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 3264
Author's Summary: The Doctor offers to cook dinner for Amy and Rory. What could go wrong?
Characters/Pairings: Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond/Rory Williams, First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright, Susan Foreman, Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon, Zoe Heriot, Third Doctor, Jo Grant, Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith, Fifth Doctor, Tegan Jovanka, Nyssa, Sixth Doctor, Evelyn Smythe, Seventh Doctor, Ace McShane, Eighth Doctor, Charley Pollard, Ninth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Tenth Doctor, Donna Noble.
Warnings: None

Recced because: The Doctor claims he can cook. Actually, as it turns out, the Doctor has always claimed that he could cook. This fic starts off with the Eleventh Doctor promising to cook a special meal for Amy and Rory, and then moves on to a series of flashbacks that show past Doctors, past companions, and past culinary (mis)adventures. Much of it is very funny, but there is also a wonderful depth to the writing, especially in the framing story of Eleven, Amy, and Rory.

( A teaser )

Hello! I will be your reccer for the next two weeks, and I'm excited to share some of my favorite fics with you! I hope you find in these recs at least one new favorite of your own.

First up:

Story: Stories with Swordfights
Author: ClocketPatch
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1659
Author's Summary: Rory Williams loves his family. He loves his wife. He loves his son. And he loves his daughter. Of course he does. Except…
Characters/Pairings: Rory Williams/Amy Pond, River Song
Warnings: None

Recced because: Set after "The Angels Take Manhattan," Rory thinks about River, and wishes he could have gotten to know her as her father. It's beautiful and moving, and the ending is wonderful.

( A small sample )

Story: With True Love and Brotherhood
Author: LizBee
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 831
Author's Summary: The Doctor has an invitation, Rosita has a firm right hook, and then there's a Yeti.
Characters/Pairings: The Tenth Doctor, Rosita, Jackson Lake
Warnings: None

Recced because: After the events of The Next Doctor, the Tenth Doctor tries to recruit Rosita to be his next companion. I won't tell you the outcome, but I will tell you that this is a wonderful, feel-good fic. Go read it.

( an excerpt )

Story: Pollination
Author: Lissy Strata
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1374
Author's Summary: While touring an alien garden, Peri runs headlong into a cliché.
Characters/Pairings: Peri Brown, the Sixth Doctor
Warnings: None

Recced because: It's a sex pollen fic with Peri and Six, and it's hysterically funny, and also very, very clever. Notice the lack of Peri/Six pairing in the header. Yes, this is a genfic, and also a sex pollen fic. It makes sense! It makes more sense than any other sex pollen fic you have ever read. As for the ending? I'm still laughing.

( a teaser )

Story: Block Transfer Computations
Author: stunt_muppet
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1040
Author's Summary: He hasn't been thinking about what came between before and after. Post-ep for Castrovalva.
Characters/Pairings: Adric, the Fifth Doctor
Warnings: None

Recced because: One of the best things about fanfic is that it allows us to explore the aftermath of an episode's events on the characters. In Castrovalva, Adric went through a great deal -- not to mention the fact that he saw the Fourth Doctor plummet to his death at the end of the previous episode, Logopolis. This scene between the Fifth Doctor and Adric isn't just wonderful; it gives us some much-needed closure, and shows us the new beginning.

( a sample )

Story: Dead Things
Author: rosa_acicularis
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2381
Author's Summary: Rose always did have a thing for dangerous older men. A Pete's World crack!fic.
Characters/Pairings: Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Jake Simmonds, the Tenth Doctor, the Duplicate Tenth Doctor
Warnings: None

Recced because: I love a good crack!fic, and this one is especially noteworthy because its humor isn't silly, it's deadpan -- a trick that I didn't realize could even be pulled off in a fic, let alone pulled off as well as it is done here. Rose Tyler becomes a vampire between "Doomsday" and "Journey's End," and if that's not cracky enough for you, plenty of vampire tropes get skewered here, too. (Did I mention that I also love fics that skewer tropes?)

( Try it out )

Story: (untitled prompt fic)
Author: Paul A
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 52
Author's Summary: “Quietly,” the Doctor whispers. “We don’t want to startle them.”
Characters/Pairings: The Fourth Doctor, Romana II
Warnings: None

Recced because: I've wanted to rec this one for awhile, but I've been hesitant because it's so short, and I don't want to "waste" a rec. However, I keep coming back to it, which surely means that it deserves -- no, needs -- to be recced. Consider this an "amuse bouche" for my fortnight of recs -- a perfect little concoction to whet your appetite. It leaves me with a smile on my face, and I bet it will do the same for you.

Story: Into the Fire
Author: Daystar Searcher
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 777
Author's Summary: A warrior like Leela would be the first volunteer for any dangerous, last-ditch plan the Doctor would have against the Daleks. And they would want to make an example of her.
Characters/Pairings: Leela, Eighth Doctor
Warnings: Implied major character death / torture (nothing very explicit in the fic itself, however)
Recced because: Yes, I've yet another short fic to rec to you, but one that's incredibly powerful. This is Leela, Warrior of the Sevateem, at war against the Daleks. The writing is evocative, and Leela's characterization is perfect. You can hear her voice in the narrative, and feel her fierce spirit. Leela herself would approve of this fic, and I can think of no higher praise.

( An excerpt )

Story: Lost in Translation
Author: Pitry
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 646
Author's Summary: The Doctor and Jack talk all the time: one of them opens his mouth and words come out. They never listen.
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor, Jack Harkness
Warnings: Spoilers for "The Sound of Drums" / "Last of the Time Lords"
Recced because: Pitry knows a lot about linguistics, and she shows off her expertise here with her speculations about the effect of time travel on language. As fascinating as that is, however, the real power of this story comes from its quiet build and the incredible punch at the end.

( A sample )

Story: The Real Reason the Doctor and Rose Tyler Never Had Sex
Author: azriona
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 315
Author's Summary: Exactly what it says on the tin, kids. The reason that the Doctor and Rose didn’t have sex has NOTHING to do with the hour the show was aired.
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Warnings: None
Recced because: It's hilarious, and like the best humor fics it needs no other excuse. But even better, the humor comes from a well-known fact about the Doctor that I'd never thought about in this context until I read this fic. The result is total win.