Calufrax

Story: The Unbearable Darkness of Being
Author: Pab
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 3530
Author's Summary: The Master has a new scheme to gain immense power and wealth. But first, he must travel to Umbria Prime and steal the Stone of Judgement. But having picked it up, he finds he cannot put it down.
Characters/Pairings: The Master (Delgado)
Warnings: none

Recced because: This is a great Master-centric character piece set before he encounters the Third Doctor on Earth. As usual, the Master has an evil plan, and he doesn't care how others suffer while he achieves his goal. He follows through with part of his new plan before something unexpected occurs that might change his fundamental nature. Or is that really possible? The author does a nice job of making me both feel sorry for the Master and hate him at certain points.

Story: Surprises
Author: Selena
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1749
Author's Summary: Five times Jo Grant surprised the Doctor.
Characters/Pairings: Jo Grant, The Doctor (3rd)
Warnings: none

Recced because: First, this story was recced previously, in around April 2009. However, since the original reccer's LJ and posts to this comm were deleted, I received the go-ahead to select this fic again. It focuses on the relationship between the Doctor and Jo, an underrated companion in my opinion. The author gets her voice just right and highlights her best qualities. While the first four sections are set during the Third Doctor era, the final part features a bittersweet time jump with an older Jo who remains perfectly in character.

Story: Dig Deep For Victory! (The High Explosives Mix)
Author: Palgrave
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2193
Author's Summary: The Brigadier doesn't think he'll survive having Ace as a houseguest. He's pretty certain his flowerbeds won't. (Post-episode for "Battlefield")
Characters/Pairings: Ace McShane, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Doris Lethbridge-Stewart, Seventh Doctor
Warnings: none

Recced because: First, this entertaining fic includes my favorite Doctor/companion team (though the Doctor doesn't appear until near the end) plus the Brigadier. Second, it provides plenty of interaction between Ace and the Brigadier, which I really wanted after watching Battlefield a few weeks ago. I was thinking about how those two characters might get along if they had more time to get to know each other, and that's what this fun story depicts. I also love the inclusion of Doris, who only rarely appears in fanfic.

Story: Inequalities
Author: Styrofoam monster
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 355
Author's Summary: To put it simply, things aren't adding up. Zoe-centric.
Characters/Pairings: Zoe
Warnings: none

Recced because: This short, effective story is set after the Time Lords wipe Zoe's memories of her travels with the Doctor and return her to her own time. Although Zoe doesn't remember what happened, she does feel that something is wrong. However, her attempts to work out the problem by using logic don't really succeed. Problem Child, a fic I recced on this comm almost five years ago (where did the time go?), has the same basic premise but is a humorous take on the situation. Proving that there's room for different approaches, Inequalities uses a more serious approach that works just as well in its own way.

Story: Another Day, Another Dollar
Author: joonscribble
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1574
Author's Summary: Why would tourist board employees need to order pizza at 1 in the morning? Employees of Jubilee Pizza have a couple of theories.
Characters/Pairings: Ianto, original characters
Warnings: none

Recced because: Here's a look back at Torchwood from a few years ago, up until Cyberwoman. It has the outsider perspective of the pizza delivery people who got stuck delivering to that location. I like their speculation about what's really going on at the "tourist board" and the foreshadowing for Cyberwoman.

Story: with her own wings
Author: Branwyn
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1859
Author's Summary: Martha was once the Doctor's maid. Now the Doctor seems to have become Martha's secretary.
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor, Martha Jones, Francine Jones, Tish Jones
Warnings: none

Recced because: So, it's after Last of the Time Lords and Martha has left the TARDIS. However, the Doctor still has her mobile. His conversations with the people who phone looking for Martha are humorous, as well as poignant. My favorite bit is the part where he gives her friend Vicky some unsolicited advice.

Story: House Guest
Author: Gary Merchant
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 4141
Author's summary: Liz Shaw persuades the Doctor to go house hunting, with unexpected consequences.
Characters/Pairings: Third Doctor, Liz, Brigadier
Warnings: none

Recced because: Short adventure stories with accurate characterization aren't terribly common and neither is Third Doctor-era fic in general, with barely 200 stories currently posted at Teaspoon. So this one stood out to me. It's a nice little piece centering on the Third Doctor and Liz. Believing the Doctor needs to set down more roots on Earth, Liz convinces him to buy a house that turns out be somewhat other than normal; an enjoyable mystery ensues.

( sample text )

Story: Flowers in Summer
Author: Icepixie
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 4248
Author's summary: Charley comes back to Earth. Cecilia Pollard reports. [Spoilers through "Neverland." Eight/Charley, but not excessively so.]
Characters/Pairings: Charley Pollard, Eighth Doctor, other characters
Warnings: none

Recced because: This is a lovely audio-based fic told by an engaging narrator. When Charley went off to travel with the Eighth Doctor, she left behind a family that included a younger sister, Cecilia (nicknamed "Sissy"). Six months after being presumed dead, Charley returns home alone. The story, related via Sissy's journal entries, briefly summarizes the time period between Charley's disappearance and return, then goes into more detail after she's back home. The author establishes an evocative, bittersweet tone that feels just right.

My one concern: Sissy appears in a Gallifrey audio, which Icepixie hadn't heard (neither have I!), so her characterization in this story might be very different. But if readers can get past that potential issue, or don't consider it a problem to begin with, I think they'll really enjoy Flowers in Summer.

( selected text )

Story: Not Just for Christmas
Author: paranoidangel
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1656 words
Author's summary: A dog is for life, not just for Christmas.
Characters/Pairings: Sarah Jane Smith, Luke Smith
Warnings: none

Recced because: It's an adorable Sarah Jane Adventures story about what happens when Sarah has to write a magazine review about a robot dog. Of course, the dog isn't exactly up to K9's standards. Luke misinterprets a casual comment made by Sarah and takes matters into his own hands, which leads to a touching resolution. This fic is just sweet enough without being overly saccharine.

( a little text )

Story: And That Was How The Doctor Was Forced To Eventually Invent Retcon
Author: koshiroryuu
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 457
Author's summary: To his great shock, the Doctor discovers that he's about to marry... the Doctor!
Characters/Pairings: Fourth Doctor/Tenth Doctor
Warnings: none

Recced because: Look at the title! Doesn't it make you even a little curious? Come on, it has to. Even without the added glory of that great title, though, I would have read the story because I have a marked fondness for good crack. Such as the Tenth Doctor learning that he's supposed to marry his fourth self. Featuring perfect dialogue and a killer last line, this fic is one of many excellent efforts to come out of churchontime.

( a snippet, to convince you )

Story: Sweet are the Uses
Author: Bagheera
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 4156
Author's summary: Depressed by his exile, the Doctor spends a few hours with the Master.
Characters/Pairings: Third Doctor/Delgado!Master
Warnings: PWP

Recced because: The slashy possibilities of Three/Master practically leap off the screen in their serials. Here, that dynamic is captured in a well paced fic. The Doctor, angsting about his exile on Earth, encounters the Master. He stops to have a talk, which turns into more. Why would the Doctor tolerate the Master's presence? Well, his reasoning is plausibly explained and so are the Master's motives. The dialogue is excellent and the ending is just about perfect.

( Excerpt. )

Story: Night Out
Author: Empress of the Eclipse
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 4304
Author's Summary: When the Doctor goes out for a walk and comes back drunk, Adric has to put him to bed. Doctor/Adric slash.
Characters/Pairings: Fifth Doctor/Adric, Nyssa, Tegan
Warnings: none

Recced because: While I very much expect almost all potential readers to skip right past this recommendation the second they see the pairing, this story is well written and deserves a mention. I'm not at all enthusiastic about the idea of Five/Adric, yet I liked what the author did here. Empress of the Eclipse wrote a good balance of humor and angst and a fine portrayal of Adric. The fic is Five/Adric, but it's also believable Five/Adric.

( Excerpt. )

Story: Possession
Author: phyllis4jean
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 4996
Author's Summary: Sarah isn’t used to feeling alone... Or rather, she isn’t used to noticing it.
Characters/Pairings: Sarah Jane Smith/f, the Brigadier, Benton, the Third Doctor
Warnings: none

Recced because: It's a beautiful character study of Sarah, set during Planet of the Spiders. Complex and believable, this story really gets into her head. There happens to be a lot going on in there during this particular serial. The author describes her fic as "femslash, broadly defined" without being more specific (there's good reason for this ambiguity) and after reading it, you'll probably view Planet of the Spiders in even just a slightly different way.

( Excerpt. )

Story: End of Devils
Author: Sheila Adamson
Rating: All Ages
Author's summary: Ben and Polly take a short break in the picturesque village of Devil's End.
Characters/Pairings: Ben/Polly, the Master
Warnings: none

Recced because: It's always interesting to look at the lives of companions after they've stopped travelling with the Doctor. In this case, Ben and Polly are married and living pretty ordinary (in fact, rather boring) lives. When they go on holiday in a village called Devil's End, though, all that could change, because the Master is lurking around. Certain elements of this charming story make more sense if you've seen the Third Doctor serial The Daemons (if you haven't, the Daemons summary at Wikipedia should help), but the best bits lie in the interaction between Ben and Polly, and the little details about their lives. Also, the name they gave their son? The perfect touch.

Story: Tinged with Red
Author: Patrice
Rating: not given at Teaspoon, but at ff.net it's Teen.
Author's summary: The Doctor's plan to involve his companions in an interesting project leads them all into a perilous situation that will prove to be a test of each one's personal strengths.
Characters/Pairings: Fifth Doctor, Adric, Nyssa, Tegan
Warnings: none

Recced because: I love Fifth Doctor adventure fics, and Patrice has written several excellent ones. All are well worth reading, but I settled on this particular one because it has especially good characterization of Adric. While exploring a seemingly peaceful planet, Adric quickly manages to become separated from the others and finds himself in a dangerous situation. Of course, Doctor, Nyssa, and Tegan don't fare very much better during their search for him, so all four have their problems. The alien world is interesting and the resolution is believable, making this story a highly satisfying read.

Story: Wither and Die
Author: LillyRose
Rating: not given, but I'd say All Ages.
Author's summary: It's the little things that remind him that nothing is forever.
Characters/Pairings: Seventh Doctor/Ace
Warnings: none

Recced because: Like I was going to make it through an entire week of reccing without singling out a Seventh Doctor story! I remembered initially finding this vignette on LJ, and was very pleased to see that it had been posted to Teaspoon as well so I could use it. The title is taken from the Tenth Doctor's famous line in School Reunion. Here it's applied to the Seven/Ace relationship, in a completely believable manner. The result is a bittersweet gem about the passage of time and the little defining moments along the way. I love all of it, including the ending. Even though it kind of broke my heart.

Story: Theft
Author: agent compassion
Rating: All Ages
Author's summary: Just what exactly did the Doctor mean when he said 'I was a dad once?'
Characters/Pairings: First Doctor, OCs, Susan
Warnings: none

Recced because: Really good character studies of the pre-series First Doctor are pretty thin on the ground. So when I found this one, it nearly jumped off the page at me. In about a thousand evocative words, the author takes us from the day the Doctor first meets his wife to the day he leaves Gallifrey. Readers might debate how well (or if) various plot elements fit in with their version of canon, but the use of language is lovely and the heartwarming final exchange with Susan made this story for me.