More fanfic recs

You know, when people complain that character X "whines" or "is whiney", I'm tempted to reply "well, the reason is clearly that it WORKS". As demonstrated by yesterday's post, which made several lovely people rec fanfic to yours truly. (And I still have yahtzee63's First Gen Spies AU of yesteryear to read, but I am saving that for a special treat.) Since I want to share the happiness, here are the recs together with some more (as I said, one of the many great benefits of DW is that there is such a HUGE reservoir of fanfiction) I found myself:


A fantastic Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Dr. Who crossover, which is part of a (kick-ass) series but works as a standalone as well. Buffy meets the Doctor, after the Year That Wasn't. Recent discussions have made me a bit nostalgic for the Jossverse (yes, criticial thought and fondness are completely compatible!), and this is a wonderful portrait of Buffy in her mixture of strength and scars, trauma and hope, and the Tenth Doctor with the cheerful babble that disguises his own grief. It uses Buffy's backstory of death and resurrection in a clever, clever way. Extra bonus for the Martha reference!

The Monster in the Dark: Old School Who, a story starring Ace, the Seventh Doctor and the Master. It takes place shortly after Survival, draws on Curse of Fenric as well, and manages to do justice not only to its three main characters but also to the dynamics between them. Adventure, angst, and character exploration in the best way.

Stories You Don't Tell: so, once upon a time, after Old Who got cancelled and before New Who began, there was a tv movie which was, shall we say, really really NOT successful in many regards. One of the least liked elements in it, which all other DW incarnations happily ignore, was the idea of the Doctor as half-human (presumably because the American producers thought the audience wouldn't identify with a complete alien; or perhaps they confused the Doctor with Spock?). However, as with nearly every concept, it depends on the telling. "Stories you don't tell" actually takes the idea of the Doctor's mother as a human and makes it work, creating a vivid portrait of the woman with neat and subtle foreshadowing (oh, and an explanation for the Doctor's granddaughter's name). Oh, and it's the anti- happily ever after, or: why Gallifreyan-Human marriages are probably a really bad idea...

What Was Lost: a great crossover between The Sarah Jane Adventures and Doctor Who, set after Voyage of the Damned for the later and the first season finale for the former. It's about friendship most of all, both between Luke, Clyde and Maria and between Sarah Jane and the Doctor. And, of course, about saving the world.

Unknown Quantities: this one is Torchwood, a take on Owen and Jack after A Day In the Death, Jack's pov. Great take on my favourite dynamic on the show, and just how messed up Owen's prospects are.

And lasty, in case any interested parties missed it: versaphile has put up a great new archive devoted to the Doctor and the Master, containing both gen and slash stories. Have one from one of my favourite writers from Heroes, futuresoon: The Name Isn't Always Important . The Doctor and the Master during the Year That Wasn't, and that ever shifting balance of power.