Calufrax

Story: Washing Up
Author: honeynoir
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 725
Author's Summary: In which Brian asks and the Doctor answers... maybe.
Characters/Pairings: Brian Williams, Rory Williams, The Doctor (11th)
Warnings: None
Recced because: This is at once a sweet domestic moment and a very sharp character observation. The Pond family leads very strange lives, and this conversation between Brian and the Doctor, while Rory looks on, highlights that. Thoughts of absent friends, things that are hard to explain to your parents, and guilt that can't really be helped are all in play here, softened somewhat by the warmth of family and touches of gentle humor. It's short but very insightful, and the prose is spare and lovely.

( excerpt under the cut )

Story: The Waiting is the Hardest Part
Author: scarlettgirl
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1181
Author's Summary: Rory and Martha are trapped. It's not nearly as much fun as you'd think.
Characters/Pairings: Martha Jones, Rory Williams, The Doctor (11th)
Warnings: None
Recced because: Era crossovers are always neat, and Rory and Martha have so much in common both professionally and in terms of their personalities that it's a lot of fun to see them interact. Scarlettgirl does a great job with the voices and the little details that really sell the story--Rory is very kind but also worried and a bit sarcastic and Martha always tries to stay reassuring and calm under pressure. The story hits all the right notes of professionalism, as Rory and Martha are sort of accidental field medics at a school they are protecting, and they do a wonderful job. Also? It's really funny.

( excerpt under the cut )

Story: Second and Third Definitions
Author: pocketmouse
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1932
Author's Summary: A little reinforcement never hurt anyone. [spoilers for Asylum of the Daleks]
Characters/Pairings: Amy Pond/Rory Williams
Warnings: None
Recced because: This is a sweet and in-character look at Amy and Rory and how they come back together in earnest after "Asylum of the Daleks." Pocketmouse has very deft character touches--you can feel both the lingering awkwardness from Amy and Rory's split and the undercurrent of warmth between them. The Ponds are notoriously bad at having serious conversations, and this feels quite like how they might start trying to improve. Plus, the end is just kind of adorable.

( excerpt under the cut )

This is my last rec of the week!  It's been fun sharing stories with you all, and I hope you have an awesome rest of the summer (or winter, for the readers down below)!

Story: Carbon, Earth, and Stardust
Author: Rutsky
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2731
Author's Summary: She'd been to the stars and was now of the earth. Luke Smith waits for the world to start again.
Characters/Pairings: Clyde, Luke, Maria, Rani, Sarah Jane, the Eleventh Doctor
Warnings: None
Recced because: This is a lovely story coming in the wake of Elisabeth Sladen's real life death, examining how the parallel loss of Sarah Jane affects the characters who knew her. Rutsky handles it very carefully, respectfully, and gracefully, and it's very bittersweet--in reflecting on her loss, her friends and family also remember and celebrate her life.

Story: Freedom and Lies
Author: Lyricwritesprose
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1255
Author's Summary: The Doctor says very disturbing things when he feels that he has to. An attempt to make an out-of-character idea in character.
Characters/Pairings: Rory, Eleven, a couple OCs
Warnings: None, but the author's note includes this disclaimer: Although there is no onscreen non-con, one OC is in a very abusive situation and there is definitely non-con in the back-story. Also, another OC is thoroughly humiliated.
Recced because: This is a really lovely observation of the ways the Doctor is terrifying and wonderful, not to be trifled with and yet fundamentally gentle and kind. It also deals with bringing hope to horrible situations. As usual, Lyricwritesprose hits all the right notes in the characterization.

Apparently the vast majority of my favorites tab is Eleven-era fic, but I'll try to mix things up as far as different characters/pairings go.  To that end, today's second rec!

Story: The man who
Author: honeynoir
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 2893
Author's Summary: The Doctor winds up undercover as a teacher in Leadworth, and finds out a bit more about 18-year-old Mels's obsession than he wants.
Characters/Pairings: Eleven/River (Mels)
Warnings: None, but the author's note includes this disclaimer: Rating-wise, this belongs somewhere between Teen and Adult. There’s no smut, but they’re still teacher and student. Mels is 18.
Recced because: This is a very clever story in which the Doctor and Mels match wits and size each other up. Honeynoir does a great job of balancing the sexual tension, and the story is very witty and classy. Here's an excerpt:


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Greetings, Calufrax readers!  I'm ladymercury_10, Lady Mercury on the Teaspoon, and I'll be your reccer for the week.

Story:  Circumnavigation
Author: SeungSeiRan
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 909
Author's Summary: Sometimes, he yearns for gravity. Rory-centric.
Characters/Pairings: Rory, Amy, mentions of Melody/River and the Eleventh Doctor
Warnings: none
Recced because: This is a lovely, lyrical, heartbreaking piece from Rory's point of view. The language is very stylized and can be a bit hard to follow at times, but it adds up to a really gorgeous fic and is well worth the effort. We don't get to see a lot of the fallout of A Good Man Goes to War in canon, so fic like this helps to fill in the emotional background of Series 6.

Here's an excerpt:


( under the cut )

I was out of town and missed a few days, so I'll post two recs today.  Here's the first one:

Story: Not Quite
Author: Honeynoir
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1039
Author's Summary: He reminds her of someone, but not exactly.
Characters/Pairings: River Song, Duplicate Tenth Doctor
Warnings: None

Recced because: This is a very creative story. I never thought to imagine these characters meeting, but Honeynoir makes it convincing and really lovely. She has a knack for finding the little details that make a description ring true. It has a follow-up piece here, which is equally great.

Here's an excerpt:

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Hello again!  Here is your rec of the day:

Story: ceci n'est plus qu'un conte de fée
Author: leiascully
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 4085
Author's Summary: This is the story of two irresistible forces and an immovable universe.
Characters/Pairings: Eleven/River, Amy/Rory
Warnings: None

Recced because: This is a lovely follow-up to "The Wedding of River Song." The prose is lyrical, and it's a very gentle, graceful story. It doesn't hesitate to touch on sadness, but the emphasis is on redemption, family, and joy. The fairy-tale/mythology allusions work wonderfully.  Plus, bonus Donna. How can you not love it? 

Here's an excerpt for you:

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 Story: And if I am a number, I am infinity + 1
Author: winterhill
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1183
Author's Summary: There were sunflowers on the table in her room.
Characters/Pairings: Eleven, Amy
Warnings: None
Recced because: It's a lovely, poignant meditation on the relationship between the Doctor and Amy post- "Cold Blood" and "Vincent and the Doctor." Amy and the Doctor have seen a lot of loss, and winterhill acknowledges this is a subtle, elegant vignette. Moody, gorgeous, and definitely worth a read.

 Story: The Wind's Will
Author: eve11
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1062
Author's summary: On Kurhan, the Doctor learns that neither he nor Martha are very good skaters.
Characters: Ten, Martha
Warnings: None

Recced because: I'm a sucker for post-"42" fics, and this is a very quiet, gentle coda to that episode.  Eve11's deft writing makes this a very sweet moment between Martha and Ten while highlighting the gap between them.  Here's an excerpt:

( Under the cut )

 Story: Donna's Choice
Author: elisi
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2443
Author's Summary: Eleven visits Donna. (A fix-it that's not a 'fix-it'. No spoilers for S5.)
Characters/Pairings: Eleven, Donna
Warnings: none

Recced because: What happened to Donna always bothered me.  Elisi has redeemed it in a way that's both believable and a nice fit with canon.  The story gives a good contrast between Ten and Eleven and their natures, although Ten is not actually present.  Plus, the ending is perfectly bittersweet.  

Hello, lovelies!  I'm here with the last rec of the week.  I really can't believe nobody's recced this yet!

Story: Twelve Years in Twelve Days
Author: Siani
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 18,439
Author's Summary: Twelve days from twelve years of waiting, or, What Amelia Pond did for Five Minutes.
Characters/Pairings: Amy/Rory, Eleven
Warnings: none

Recced because: This is an absolutely darling exploration of what Amy got up to for those twelve years while she was waiting for the Doctor.  Each chapter focuses on a day in one of the twelve years after he fixed the crack in her wall.  It's a bit long, but it's really worth whatever time it takes you to read it.  It is perfectly in-character throughout, and each story is completely plausible.  And it's lovely.  It really delves into the characters and gives them a backstory you can't help but want to believe.  You may find some additions to your 'personal canon' here.  Keep an eye out for the way she works in the legend of Janet and Tam Lin--it makes a wonderful addition.  This is really one of the best Eleventh Doctor fics I've read.  

Story: Closer to Fine
Author: Etherati
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2105
Author's Summary: The Doctor is very good at pretending that he’s fine, but he’s running on fumes, and hiding in the shadows is no way to replenish your light. Ten, Martha, Post-42.
Characters/Pairings: Ten, Martha
Warnings: None

Recced because: "42" was a really intense episode, and we never really get to see the aftermath of it.  "Closer to Fine" provides a lovely coda.  The author manages to convey Ten's lingering fear and Martha's bravery while steering clear of excessive angst.  The tone manages to be thoughtful and lighthearted at the same time, and the characterizations are spot-on.  Plus, the marshmallow scene is simply splendid. 

Story: Jokes I May Have Misremembered
Author: Fahye
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1682
Author's Summary: He travels and travels until the jetlag would have killed anyone else, until he can feel the time sickness shredding his sanity, and then he aims himself at the last clue he’s got and pulls back on the throttle.
Characters/Pairings: Jack Harkness
Warnings: None

Recced because: I've never seen an episode of Torchwood, but this story still grabbed me right away.  It's a wonderful character study, literary and moody, and it has section breaks with titles taken from McSweeney's lists!  What more could you ask for?

An excerpt:

The faint outline of the TARDIS is still in the air when Jack starts running through reactions in his head, trying each one on for size and then discarding it. He wonders if crying would help; decides that it wouldn’t. He wonders if praying is viable; decides that he probably hasn’t racked up enough good karma yet for it to be worthwhile, considering his former occupation, and anyway, he’s an atheist, and now he’s babbling away on the inside of his head because he can’t hear anything but the hiss of air filters and the raggedness of his own breath and he is very, very alone.

Jack, after some further consideration, decides to start with anger.

Hello, Calufrax!  I'm ladymercury_10 and I will be your reccer this week, which is exciting since I've never done this before.  Today we have some post-"Cold Blood" introspection courtesy of honeynoir. 

Story: Comfort
Author: honeynoir
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 485
Author's Summary: He tries to gather his thoughts.
Characters/Pairings:  Eleven, River, mentions of Amy and Rory
Warnings: Spoilers for "Cold Blood" and other bits of season 5. Also spoilers for "Forest of the Dead".

Recced because: The characterization is excellent.  It's a convincing, subtle portrayal of the Doctor grieving and dealing with his feelings of guilt over the people he's lost.  It's poignant without being angsty, beautifully written, graceful, and concise.  (Can you tell it's really one of my favorites?)

And now I will leave you with an excerpt:

He tries to be normal, but it’s exhausting enough to do it all the time with Amy, and he doesn’t really apply himself. His face falls and he doesn’t even try to hide it. It was comfort he wanted, wasn’t it?