Calufrax

Story: Aftermath
Author: Kathryne
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 1998
Author's Summary: The Stormcage guards know by now that they have as much chance of keeping Doctor Song locked up as they do of waking up to blue skies over the prison. That doesn't mean they don't try, but they've developed a coping mechanism, too.
Characters/Pairings: River Song, other characters
Warnings: none

Recced because: Original characters are cool.  I realize that they've been done badly, often, in every fandom there is, but when done well they make the story so much richer.  And personally, I happen to love explorations of what happens to ordinary people as a result of the things the heroes do.  So I wanted to rec at least one story that was mostly about background characters, and this is a good one, well-written and amusing.  Not chock full of jokes, you understand, but a sort of humor that is almost part of the background setup.  I don't know if this will make sense, but I think of it as Get Smart humor: the funny that comes from people trying to cope sensibly with a situation that is, frankly, just a tad shy of sanity.

Story: Mockingbird
Author: icebluenothing
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 14754
Author's Summary: Rose was convinced -- even though he looked nothing like the man she'd met, this new man was still the Doctor. Unless it was all a lie.
Characters/Pairings: Mickey Smith, Rose Tyler, the Doctor (ninth and tenth)
Warnings: none

Recced because: This is a plotty, suspenseful adventure.  That's one reason to read it.  It's also a story that deals with the utter weirdness of regeneration.  One thing that always rang a little false to me, in the classic series, is how well human beings adjusted to the fact that a very good friend had just turned into someone else—not just in face and body, but in all his personal quirks as well.  Rose's freakout on the subject seemed quite reasonable to me.  Regeneration isn't something that human beings are particularly prepared to cope with.

This story explores what would happen if Rose learned that everything that happened for the past few months of her life was a lie.  Or maybe that's the lie—she has no way to tell.  Her confusion and her fear are utterly believable, and quite compelling.  It's well-written, complex, and ends with a beautiful, poignant touch.  Seriously, it's good.  Go read it.

Story: On the Importance of Doing Your Research (Especially Regarding Virgin Sacrifices)
Author: Daystar Searcher
Rating: Teen.  The rating on the pictures in your head will probably be higher, though.
Word Count: 1593
Author's Summary: When selecting someone for virgin sacrifice, you should probably ask them a few questions first. Like, you know, whether or not they’re actually a virgin.
Characters/Pairings: Fourth Doctor/Sarah Jane Smith
Warnings: To quote the author: while there is no bdsm or explicit sex "onscreen" (hence the lack of warnings), there are oblique references to bdsm, many sexually suggestive lines, and one sexually graphic line of dialogue. Proceed at your own risk.

Recced because: It made me laugh.

Okay, yeah, I need a more in-depth reason than that, don't I?  Right.  So, there's a fair amount of fiction that reflects on how traveling in the TARDIS would change your viewpoint on things such as danger.  Sarah Jane Smith is an experienced companion, having traveled with two different incarnations of the Doctor.  She has been repeatedly kidnapped, hypnotized, tied up, and menaced by monsters and villains ranging from the terrifying to the ridiculous to the terrifying and ridiculous.