Calufrax

Story: An Evil Memory Lingering
Author: whispersecho
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1372
Author's Summary: Perivale, 1983: a thirteen-year-old girl runs from an all-too-real nightmare seeking the solace of an old house no one ever visits. What she finds is a house of dead things that aren't quite dead.
Characters/Pairings: Ace McShane
Warnings: Some spoilers for Ghost Light.

Recced because: In Ghost Light Ace returns to the scene of her worst memory: this is that worst memory played out in full and it's excellent and thoroughly unnerving – shivery-good.

Story: Celery
Author: Cyber Moggy
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 491
Author's Summary: An unconscious Tegan is being carried back to the Tardis by the Doctor.
Characters/Pairings: Fifth Doctor, Tegan Jovanka (Five/Tegan maybe if you squint)
Warnings: None.

Recced because: It’s such an atmospheric and gorgeous ficlet, focusing, unusually (and excellently) around the sense of smell – and using it to illuminate something of the relationship between the Doctor and his favourite stroppy Australian.

Hi, I'm lost_spook and I'll be your reccer for this week! I enjoy all eras, so hopefully there'll be something for everyone along the way...

Story: Soft Jaws, Strong Bite
Author: nonelvis
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 2141
Author's Summary: A brief and heartwarming story about the Doctor, Romana, space pirates, and the universe's greatest children's show about prehistoric reptile cyborgs.
Characters/Pairings: Twelfth Doctor/Romana II
Warnings: None.

Recced because: It has Twelve, Romana and some space pirates? What more do you want in a fic? And yes, it is every bit as much fun as that sounds, particularly all the Doctor-Romana banter. It’s sweet, smart and silly in all the right ways - very like our show (and its hero).

( Have an extract )

My final rec! Apologies for slightly falling off the reccing wagon this week, but here's a nice shiny fic to finish with - and if you enjoyed any of the fics, don't forget to feed the authors!

Story: Pawn To Queen Three
Author: Lukry McLurklurk
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1168
Author's Summary: A little post-ep fic for Survival. Or maybe a grand unified theory of Time Lord telepathy.
Characters/Pairings: Seventh Doctor, Ace McShane
Warnings: None.

Recced because: It’s a lovely missing scene for Seven and Ace, but more than that, it’s an amazing glimpse of how Time Lord minds and telepathy might work, all wrapped up in the metaphor of the Seventh Doctor’s favourite game: chess. I'm still pretty much in awe at the whole thing.

Have a snippet:

"All Time Lord brains have the same structure of the board, the same underlying matrix," the Doctor said. "It stays fixed even across regenerations, as each and every cell making it up renews itself. Which means--"

Ace interrupted gleefully as she grasped it. "That you can have the exact same pattern of pieces on there as someone else, at the same time."

"There are minor issues with how one defines 'same time' in such situations," the Doctor said. "But yes, that's how we can make contact. Even all the way across the universe."

"It's unlikely, of course," Ace went on, all but ignoring him. "Odds of squillions to one. So you must do it on purpose. You probably learn it at Time Lord School, in between Being Pretentious and double How To Avoid Giving Straight Answers.

Story: Six Things Zoe Learned From Jamie
Author: Penny
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 8042
Author's Summary: Jamie was giving her that look which said 'You poor soul, is this not screamingly obvious' and being on the receiving end of it for a change was giving her a nasty sinking feeling in her stomach. Things Jamie taught Zoe, or how Zoe learned that she doesn't always have to know everything.
Characters/Pairings: Zoe Heriot, Jamie McCrimmon, Second Doctor
Warnings: Possible spoilers for The War Games.

Recced because: It does what it says on the tin, basically, and very well. Despite all her advantages over Jamie, there are some things that Zoe can learn from him, and this is a thoughtful, engaging and sometimes humorous ramble through some of those – and also a great look at their friendship. It’s a lovely character piece, with a true feel for Jamie, Zoe, the Doctor and this particular era, something that is always a treat to read.

Story: From the Dust
Author: Daleks of the Daleks
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1976
Author's Summary: Omega discovers definitively that some gifts can very quickly become terrible curses.
Characters/Pairings: Omega, The Time Lords
Warnings: None.

Recced because: This is a great, unusual fic that I was lucky enough to stumble over when browsing the Spoon, and I’m so glad I did! It’s a chilling and evocative piece that follows Omega on his one way trip through the black hole, as his initial triumph at what he’s achieved and hope of rescuing turning over the years to isolation and despair, and finally to anger and madness. It’s a fascinating, excellent look at a ‘villain’ as he’s never quite portrayed in the series itself. I hope very much we’ll see some more from this author, too.

Story: All Your Life Before You (The Natural Course of Events Remix)
Author: AstroGirl
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 3740
Author's Summary: Susan is perceiving many things she's never seen before. One of them is Ace.
Characters/Pairings: Susan Foreman/Ace McShane, First Doctor, Susan Q
Warnings: None.

Recced because: It’s a gorgeous fic, written for the recent Remix challenge, with Susan’s time-sensitivity so beautifully painted throughout – the things she’s starting to see as she travels in time, and there’s something symbolic and circular in the first and last Classic Who companions encountering each other like this. It’s just wonderful and I had to rec it.

Have an extract:

She looks at Ace and gasps a little, because there's her timeline, too. Its beginning is carefully patterned, woven rigidly into some greater framework as if by an unseen craftsman, but before it reaches its end, it blossoms out into something fluid and free. And in the middle, there is a storm, an exuberant chaos, a turning place where it tangles up with Grandfather's life, and a small spot where it rests against Susan's own. It's bright and beautiful and confusing. Susan reaches out to touch it, and finds her fingers touching Ace's hair instead.

"Are you all right?" Ace says again. Her voice is quieter now, her brow furrowed a little in concern.

And, without warning, everything folds in on itself, pasts and futures collapsing down suddenly into one moment, two girls, and a bench.

And so the end is near, and I'm going out with a wave, but I hope you've enjoyed my recs - and if you've read anything you've liked, please don't forget to stop and let the author know.

Story: Gallifreyan Hand Porn
Author: thatsdemocracyforyou
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 639
Author's Summary: The Gallifreyans of the Citadel are almost a sub-culture of their own. They are composed of technicians, archivists, Time Lords, and many others alike, and among them all there is one particular thing in common... a great many gloves. Surely there is some interest and-- er-- inspired works.
Characters/Pairings: Clara Oswald/Damon
Warnings: None.

Recced because: I love it when authors take an aspect of canon, read so much into it and then in fic, take what ought to be crack to its limits and sell it completely, and that’s exactly what the author does quite brilliantly here. You see, Gallifreyans wear gloves a lot. Could there be some sort of related taboo…? Of course there could. Throw in one Clara-splinter, a young Time Lord from Arc of Infinity, and, voila, you have some serious hand pr0n.

Story: Time Waits for No Godot
Author: BetaCadabra
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1882
Author's Summary: What the world never realised it so desperately wanted: a Doctor Who/Samuel Beckett crossover story. Familiarity with 'Waiting for Godot' not necessarily required.
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor, crossover characters.
Warnings: None.

Recced because: Where to even begin? A work of literature is amusingly turned around by the arrival of the Doctor (who doesn’t have much truck with a permanent state of waiting, after all), and then what ought to be the crackiest of crossovers turns out to be unexpectedly serious in all the right ways. And I can echo the author’s assurance that no knowledge of Waiting For Godot is needed, because I’ve never actually read or seen it myself, and I loved this enough to rec it here. Plus, I think they’re right about the other thing, too – the world really did need this crossover, even if it didn’t know it.

Story: Professional Development
Author: johne
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1403
Author's Summary: Once, Karen was just Lucie's friend at work. Now, she's her bitter enemy. Lucie knows what the next stage has to be.
Characters/Pairings: Lucie Miller, Karen. (Slight Lucie/Karen).
Warnings: None (or maybe for the sort of insults you might expect between these two).

Recced because: Well, for one thing it’s great Lucie fic, and there’s not nearly enough of that. For another, it brilliantly uses Lucie, Karen and the scenario to poke fun at the concept of an archnemesis and it’s very funny. And it even comes with cake. Does a person really need to ask for more in a fic?

( Small taster under the cut )

Story: When In Rome
Author: Meadowlark
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 3362
Author's Summary: The TARDIS team explores an abandoned villa in ancient Rome, and Ian and Barbara discover the wine cellar. Cracky shenanigans ensue.
Characters/Pairings: Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright, First Doctor, Vicki
Warnings: None.

Recced because: Here’s a story to give everyone’s spirits a lift as we struggle towards the end of the week! Just how did the TARDIS team stumble over a handy abandoned villa – and what made them stay? This fic explores the gap in The Romans with much humour and warmth, and the author captures the four adventurers perfectly, even in more unusual (but completely plausible) circumstances. It’s delightful, and guaranteed to leave you smiling by the end.

I'm lost_spook and I'll be your reccer for the next two weeks. I'm very fond of most corners of the Doctor Who universe, so hopefully there'll be something for everyone before my time is up. Here goes...

Story: The Hump Day Party Mix
Author: eve11
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 4080
Author's Summary: Shuffle. Record. Rewind. Play.
Characters/Pairings: Clara Oswald, Eleventh Doctor, Frobisher
Warnings: None

Recced because: It’s a wonderful romp of a 'missing' story, involving Eleven, Clara, centipede nuns, multiple thefts (sorry, procurements), nods to all sorts of corners of the Doctor Who universe, and Clara gets to run into a certain shape-shifting private eye. It’s a joy from start to finish, but it’s also got heart and depth, centering on the mix tape of the title and what it means to Clara.

Story: 165 Eaton Place
Author: JJPOR
Rating: All ages/PG
Word Count: 4431
Author's Summary: Gerald and Harriet of the Torchwood Institute run an errand one rainy London night, scarcely realising the danger they are walking into. Crossover with Upstairs Downstairs.
Characters/Pairings: Harriet Derbyshire, Gerald Carter
Warnings: None.

Recced because: It’s a galloping good read, that’s why. If you don’t know the crossover fandom (Upstairs Downstairs – the 1970s one, that is) or Gerald and Harriet (who are characters from Edwardian Torchwood), fear not – neither do I and I still loved it. It makes use of a bit of cross-casting (one of the UD characters was played by one Anthony Ainley) and dives into adventure, fun and some romance between our old-fashioned heroes. What’s not to enjoy?

Story: Satisfaction Guaranteed
Author: Pitry
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 650
Author's Summary: Some people would complain about anything.
Characters/Pairings: None.
Warnings: None.

Recced because: You’ve got to wonder what it would be like living in the Doctor Who universe where every Christmas seems to be interrupted by alien invasion – and it’s not as if the rest of the year is much better (and even worse if you live in Cardiff). Well, this fic is a fun parodic piece dealing with that idea and should be guaranteed to put a grin on your face.

Story: a red light or a star
Author: ClocketPatch
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 476
Author's Summary: What comes, goes. What goes, comes. Everything in its time.
Characters/Pairings: The TARDIS
Warnings: None.

Recced because: It’s such a wonderful and unusual ficlet, exploring the TARDIS’s origins from her point of view. It’s strange and poetic and not-quite-linear and it’s another brilliant example of how much can be achieved in relatively few words.

Story: Hope and Dust
Author: padawanpooh
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 509
Author's Summary: Nyssa and Tegan in a quiet moment on the Saturnian moon Tethys.
Characters/Pairings: Nyssa, Tegan Jovanka
Warnings: None.

Recced because: It’s a beautiful, brief vignette that quietly says a lot in a few words, capturing a sense of both science and wonder, of the friendship between Nyssa and Tegan – and a foreshadowing of what will cause them to give up the ability to explore space and time like this.

Hello, I'm lost_spook, back for another reccing stint! I'm otherwise known as vvj5 on Teaspoon and I'm very fond of all eras of our show and my recs will hopefully reflect that, with a fair mixture of all fifty years (and counting). So, let's get started...


Story: You Don't Have To Be Mad (But It Helps!)
Author: Roach Patrol
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1045
Author's Summary: "Doctor, it says right there that it's not supposed to do anything," Amy says. "You've been running scans on it for ages! How do we know it's not some lame time traveling archaeologist joke? 'You don't have to be mad to go running about in time and space but it helps'?"
Characters/Pairings: Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond, River Song
Warnings: None.

Recced because: What better than a great piece of humour to start off the week? River gives the Doctor a box with a red button on it, which doesn’t do anything at all. Naturally, this is more than the Doctor’s curiosity can stand. It’s very funny, the explanation when it comes is both beautifully simple and very clever, and it’s all completely in character. I loved it; I hope you do, too.

Story: A Perfect Heart
Author: Mandragora
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1033
Author's Summary: The story of a Queen, a curse and a perfect love.
Characters/Pairings: Seventh Doctor, Ace McShane
Warnings: None.

Recced because: It’s something out of the usual run of fics and it’s gorgeous, with an excellently done Seven and Ace, together in the snow – and an enigmatic fairy tale that may or may not be only a story. But then, there’s no such thing as “only a story”, is there?

Hopefully, we've all recovered from the anniversary, so I'm back with my regular recs now...

Story: I’ll have to come to you
Author: honeynoir
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1670
Author's Summary: The Doctor maps Clara's lives and learns that she can still surprise him. Oh, and there are Daleks. / 'She was his big friendly button, his reset after the dark days.'
Characters/Pairings: Eleventh Doctor, Clara Oswin Oswald, Twelfth Doctor
Warnings: None.

Recced because: It’s a beautiful look at the Doctor and Clara, in the past and the future, with wonderfully fractured glimpses of her many lives, and the confusion of it for the Doctor. It explores some of the consequences of that, but lightly, and not without humour and there's sharp characterisation in the short snatches that comprise the whole that is the story. It’s lovely.

Story: Five Minutes / Bognor Blues
Author: padawanpooh
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 214
Author's Summary: Two Seven/Ace drabbles written for the Livejournal DW100 comm
Characters/Pairings: Seventh Doctor, Ace McShane
Warnings: None

Recced because: A pair of drabbles that perfectly capture Seven and Ace and their relationship in a few, well-chosen words – one the darker side, the other the lighter. Or both together, perhaps. And Seven and Ace being awesome as ever, of course, because they are.