Calufrax

I'll try my best to squeeze in one more rec after this, but not too sure about my odds of fitting in the time.  If this is my last, then thank you for having me!  I'm not usually a vocal participant in online communities, often quite content to silently lurk, but this has been a blast.  Hope you've enjoyed the recs this week!

Story: Harmony (a Doctor Who Novella)
Author: thebunnyinthetardis
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 60,264
Author's Summary: The Slow Path had never been as agonizing as now. Years had passed since that fateful day when the Doctor had left him with Rose Tyler on a desolate beach in Norway. Years for both of them--and while life had gone on, he was reasonably sure his had not been the fairy tale the Time Lord might have intended it to be. Now, as fate would have it, their paths were once more to cross, leading them on a journey through Time, a journey in Space, and a journey toward Wholeness. A voice he cannot identify calls. A 17th century cannon ball lands in the garden. A blue box he never thought he would see again lands in the forest. And a Time Lord is running out of Time.
Characters/Pairings: Eleventh Doctor, metacrisis Doctor, Rose Tyler, and the other usual suspects
Warnings: Swearing

Recced because:  A few of thebunnyinthetardis' works have been recced, and for good reason. She's an excellent writer.  The voice she uses for the metacrisis Doctor is unique, and the perspective she brings to his character is moving, enlightening, and rings true in every aspect.  It's a painful journey, but it doesn't stagnate and wallow in angst, and is an excellent adventure romp as well as wickedly insightful character development.

This is another long fic, but most of the fics I read are long ones.  I love authors who take the characters on a journey that progresses them beyond what we know and already love about them, and the longer format really gives authors space to play.  In this particular story, thebunnyinthetardis starts with a mystery and artfully feeds us hints and clues in amongst the adventure, building the background of what has transpired in the metacrisis Doctor's life.  It's beautifully done, and the anticipation made me race through the story the first time, and then I went back to re-read it leisurely.  I have a great appreciation for the care and attention she pays to environment, atmosphere, and characterization, and there is more than enough meat in this story to bear up to several re-readings.

There are many TenToo/Rose stories - it's a dime-a-dozen genre in New Who fics, but it's an understandably rich area of canon to mine.  This one is very special and worth a read, even if you're a bit tapped out on the genre.  My eternal pet peeve is the blithe idealisation of the Doctor's transition to humanity and his relationship with Rose, and I'm much more taken with this gritty, honest take.  It's harsh but hopeful, and the adventure plot makes it a very true-to-Who story.  All around a great read.


( Excerpt )

Story: Hush
Author: lysia
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 2643
Author's Summary:
A slashy alternative take on the scene in the warehouse in 'End of Time' before the soldiers kidnap the Master. The Doctor finds his
nemesis in the wasteland and tries to protect him. The Master decides to play a game.
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor/Simm!Master
Warnings: Explicit sex

Recced because:   In the author's notes, lysia says she wrote this as a challenge to herself to escape from the trap of being too chatty when she writes.  I haven't been lucky enough to read any of her other stories, but I think she succeeds at her self-challenge.  There's no dialogue in the entire story, but it is gripping and personal and entirely captivating.

The relationship between the Doctor and the Master is so twisted I feel like I'd need a psychology degree to understand it fully.  There's an obvious power play dynamic between the Doctor and the Master in any incarnation, but Ten's desperation for a connection to his people makes the relationship between Ten and Simm!Master particularly messy.  In a lot of fics, that dynamic falls into some pretty dark territory, and can often ignore the fact that there is a deep connection between them.  I like lysia's take because while the Master does artfully pull the Doctor's strings and manipulate him through a mix of kindness and cruelty, in the end the Master knows when the game is over, and when it would go too far.  He lives to best the Doctor, not destroy him - whatever melodrama he may drum up, he loves the game far too much to risk losing his opponent.  And, no matter what face he puts on it, he needs the Doctor as much as the Doctor needs him.

( Excerpt )