Calufrax

Well then - this has been my recs week. I hope that despite the somewhat sporadic posting, I've managed to provide a good reading experience. Two more left... and I actually like to think I saved the best for last.

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Story: With Enemies Like These
Author: Honourable Jester
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 16,492
Author's Summary: A question of Martha's sets the Tenth Doctor off down memory lane, back to his sixth incarnation, and a disturbing encounter with the Rani and the Master.
Characters/Pairings: Ten, Martha, Six, Ainley!Master, the Rani.
Warnings: Non-con, graphic sex, swearing, violence.

Recced because: Due warning - when I say non-con, I mean a serious, powerful look at rape as a concept, crime and weapon. This highly disturbing, highly effective story probes the ragged edges of the Doctor/Master/Rani dynamic while providing a fantastic portrayal of all three. The Master here is at his most indestructible, mesmerising and wretched self, nor does the author shy away from the Rani's clinical evil. Caught between the two, the sixth Doctor shines in his strength and his vulnerability. And somehow the whole ordeal manages to be - I wouldn't call it sexy, but it's quite a sensory experience that manages to balance captivating and repulsive almost magically. Longer than my other recs, but reads with bated breath.

The story is incomplete. I'm not sure if the author plans to take it up again. I'm rather hoping this would help.


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Story: "Yeah, I Know What an Allegory Is," Said Ace
Author: merripestin
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 100
Author's Summary: There once was a man who married goldfish.
Characters/Pairings: The Doctor (Seventh, presumably)
Warnings: None

Recced because: It is possibly the best drabble ever written in the fandom. A solid knife to the gut. Indescribable in its perfection. 100 words and the Doctor's life with his companions is summarized in awe and love.



Enjoy!

Story: Not One Line
Author: rickmaniac101
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 4389
Author's Summary: The Doctor and River always begin things at the end. This is their life.
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor/River Song
Warnings: SPOILERS for 4X09 "Forest of the Dead"

Recced because: I felt the need to recommend a Doctor/River story, and there was this one, teasing the reader something mad. All the usual and expected things happen - the story being inevitable - but it still managed to make me squirm and twitch and stupidly hope that it would end differently. The Tenth Doctor displays a rare and painful self awareness, River is everything I loved about her in the show itself, and, stunningly, the end does manage to surprise. Reactions to River split the fandom and looking for fics if you liked her can be daunting, so I figured I'll do fellow fans a service: this one delivers.

Story: Nothing Ordinary
Author: ClocketPatch
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 802
Author's Summary: "Ace, I'm getting too old for this sort of thing. He's all yours from now on... I'm going home to Doris." - The Brigadier, in "Battlefield"
Characters/Pairings: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Warnings: Character death. And how.

Recced because: This one is more than a swan-song for a character; it is a love song. Pure poetry, and hurts something fierce. The Brig is not really an easy character to write for, perhaps since he's essentially a simple character; ClocketPatch succeeds through that very simplicity, with a story that's perfect just because it's so unbearably simple.