New Who Fluff
Since this category is fluff, I've tried not to get harsh on subject matter(s). But good writing is good writing, even if it's a lighthearted story with no-to-minimal plot.
New Discoveries by Rosie carlisle
Rose and 10.5 celebrate Christmas with the Tylers. I was bored fairly early on in this story and it was a struggle to finish. The characters didn't feel like I know them from the show, the banter wasn't all that great, the awkwardness feels like overkill and the author is too fond of using ellipses. Not one I'd recommend.
Home Improvement by Time_converges
The Doctor tries to improve Donna's coffeemaker. The predictable happens. There's one case of incorrect punctuation of dialogue (comma, dear authors, comma!) and it feels as if it should be funnier than it is, given the set-up. The last line is reusing a joke that is getting a bit old as well. Not too bad, but I wanted more from it.
Wedding Traditions by LizBee
Romana and the Doctor attend Martha's wedding. Light on plot, but the Doctor is still gloriously the Doctor in dialogue. Nice references to past adventures and I did laugh at the Judoon aunt and banning of hats. Bit too twee to me, but for a fluff category, this is doing the job.
The Best of Times by sensiblecat
An AU sort-of fixit for Journey's End, involving Donna keeping a lot of her memories, the Doctor going back to talk it all out with Rose and the other version of him. Very talk-y, and I'm not quite buying the resolution. Mostly I liked, though, and it is a decent go at treating most of the characters a bit more fairly than the show did (rushed as it was). But why is this in a fluff category? It feels out of place compared to the others and has a far more serious tone.
When Dex Was Three by Azriona
Part of a series, though the author promises it can be read independently. AU kid!fic with Torchwood guest-starring. I wasn't expecting to like this one, but I did. It's the kid's perspective that does it, as well as some glorious little touches. Such as Dex's love for Sarah Jane and his sadness at not being able to marry her at three and Janet the weevil's loneliness. It also manages a few thoughtful beats. Subject matter might not be to everyone's liking, but I give it a thumb's up as a genre piece.
Forgetfulness by The_tenzo
In some AUverse, the Doctor and Rose decides to spice things up by drinking a potion giving them temporary sort-of amnesia, then chat each other up in a pub and get horny. The writing feels weirdly formal at times, with phrases such as [t]hey each got the impression from the other that these details were not terribly important to their assessment of what they in fact wanted to do with one another and [t]hey sat in silence for a few minutes, each contentedly enjoying the charming way that the Scots have with alcoholic beverages. To me, it just doesn't feel like it fits the story.
Teach Me More by Aibhinn
Part of a series of fics previously reviewed here. The TARDIS helps Rose learn some Gallifreyan. Shagging with the Doctor ensues. Point for making lingustics foreplay, but the Gallifreyan looked distractingly Celtic to me and I just started wondering about the grammar of it all. Feels more a fit in a PWP category than fluff. Well-written enough.
A Little Healthy Competition by Rosa_acicularis
Mickey and the Doctor duke it out over who knows Rose the best. This story is all about the dialogue, which is funny, sharp and just silly enough. I was left a little curious about the timeline here, but I am weird about details like that. Plus for letting Mickey give as good as he gets and actually emerging victorious.
Hope And Glory by rjog77
A Ten/Rose story in four parts, where the first three are drabble-length and the last six times as long. That felt a bit jarring. Actually, reading this made me feel like I was missing parts of the story and the ending feels way too much like something the author wants to see rather than believable narrative. Can't quite recommend it.
Not Part of a Time Lord's Vocabulary by ZiggyChaos
References to Donna as 'the redhead' and the Doctor as 'the Gallifreyan' (more than once!) did not endear me. The Gallifreyan, seriously? The story has at least one funny line, and the Doctor getting lost in the TARDIS is a promising premise, but I tripped over a pet peeve.
Tea and Ginger by Banburytale
I'm a bit torn on this story. It has some really nice descriptions of the Doctor ([f]rom professor to court jester in a heartbeat) and good Donna bits, but parts of it just fell flat for me. Good very silly alien names, though. The author seems to have borrowed the idea of at least one line from Good Omens, which made me want to reread that book again.
Overall: Mixed bag, and at least one story would be a better fit for another genre category. I would pick When Dex Was Three or Wedding Traditions as the better fluff pieces, while A Little Healthy Competition gets a vote for the funny.
New Discoveries by Rosie carlisle
Rose and 10.5 celebrate Christmas with the Tylers. I was bored fairly early on in this story and it was a struggle to finish. The characters didn't feel like I know them from the show, the banter wasn't all that great, the awkwardness feels like overkill and the author is too fond of using ellipses. Not one I'd recommend.
Home Improvement by Time_converges
The Doctor tries to improve Donna's coffeemaker. The predictable happens. There's one case of incorrect punctuation of dialogue (comma, dear authors, comma!) and it feels as if it should be funnier than it is, given the set-up. The last line is reusing a joke that is getting a bit old as well. Not too bad, but I wanted more from it.
Wedding Traditions by LizBee
Romana and the Doctor attend Martha's wedding. Light on plot, but the Doctor is still gloriously the Doctor in dialogue. Nice references to past adventures and I did laugh at the Judoon aunt and banning of hats. Bit too twee to me, but for a fluff category, this is doing the job.
The Best of Times by sensiblecat
An AU sort-of fixit for Journey's End, involving Donna keeping a lot of her memories, the Doctor going back to talk it all out with Rose and the other version of him. Very talk-y, and I'm not quite buying the resolution. Mostly I liked, though, and it is a decent go at treating most of the characters a bit more fairly than the show did (rushed as it was). But why is this in a fluff category? It feels out of place compared to the others and has a far more serious tone.
When Dex Was Three by Azriona
Part of a series, though the author promises it can be read independently. AU kid!fic with Torchwood guest-starring. I wasn't expecting to like this one, but I did. It's the kid's perspective that does it, as well as some glorious little touches. Such as Dex's love for Sarah Jane and his sadness at not being able to marry her at three and Janet the weevil's loneliness. It also manages a few thoughtful beats. Subject matter might not be to everyone's liking, but I give it a thumb's up as a genre piece.
Forgetfulness by The_tenzo
In some AUverse, the Doctor and Rose decides to spice things up by drinking a potion giving them temporary sort-of amnesia, then chat each other up in a pub and get horny. The writing feels weirdly formal at times, with phrases such as [t]hey each got the impression from the other that these details were not terribly important to their assessment of what they in fact wanted to do with one another and [t]hey sat in silence for a few minutes, each contentedly enjoying the charming way that the Scots have with alcoholic beverages. To me, it just doesn't feel like it fits the story.
Teach Me More by Aibhinn
Part of a series of fics previously reviewed here. The TARDIS helps Rose learn some Gallifreyan. Shagging with the Doctor ensues. Point for making lingustics foreplay, but the Gallifreyan looked distractingly Celtic to me and I just started wondering about the grammar of it all. Feels more a fit in a PWP category than fluff. Well-written enough.
A Little Healthy Competition by Rosa_acicularis
Mickey and the Doctor duke it out over who knows Rose the best. This story is all about the dialogue, which is funny, sharp and just silly enough. I was left a little curious about the timeline here, but I am weird about details like that. Plus for letting Mickey give as good as he gets and actually emerging victorious.
Hope And Glory by rjog77
A Ten/Rose story in four parts, where the first three are drabble-length and the last six times as long. That felt a bit jarring. Actually, reading this made me feel like I was missing parts of the story and the ending feels way too much like something the author wants to see rather than believable narrative. Can't quite recommend it.
Not Part of a Time Lord's Vocabulary by ZiggyChaos
References to Donna as 'the redhead' and the Doctor as 'the Gallifreyan' (more than once!) did not endear me. The Gallifreyan, seriously? The story has at least one funny line, and the Doctor getting lost in the TARDIS is a promising premise, but I tripped over a pet peeve.
Tea and Ginger by Banburytale
I'm a bit torn on this story. It has some really nice descriptions of the Doctor ([f]rom professor to court jester in a heartbeat) and good Donna bits, but parts of it just fell flat for me. Good very silly alien names, though. The author seems to have borrowed the idea of at least one line from Good Omens, which made me want to reread that book again.
Overall: Mixed bag, and at least one story would be a better fit for another genre category. I would pick When Dex Was Three or Wedding Traditions as the better fluff pieces, while A Little Healthy Competition gets a vote for the funny.