Making it last juuuust a bit longer ...
Whew! What a great round this has been! As scatteredlogic said yesterday, she and I decided we wanted to share some recs too, and so here are mine. A wrap-up post with stats will be up soon too, so you can see just how amazing this round has been. You all have been incredible!
Meanwhile, this post was always going to be heavy on Doctor Who and Torchwood, but I’d recently started reading some Sarah Jane Adventures fics as well. After the death of Elisabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane Smith, I decided to lead off with a few recs of fics featuring her character.
Sarah Jane and the Doctor
By Timedancer
Note: this post is image-heavy, though I've tried to scale down the display sizes. As many of these recs come from either tardisbigbang or tw_bigbang, quite a lot of the art is actually illustrations from the specific stories. In other cases, I've mostly gone with the trend we seem to have this round of simply finding art that seems to complement the fic being recced in some way. I hope it's fairly clear which are which.
~0~
Upon the Upland Road cover
By Genie aka in_the_bottle
Fandom: Sarah Jane Adventures, New Who, Classic Who
Title: Upon the Upland Road
Author: meddow
Link: http://www.tardisbigbang.com/Round1/13_upland_road.php
Rating: PG-13
Status: complete (27k)
Summary: With the Master in power and the Doctor missing, a diary, a watch and an old wedding gift send Donna Noble, Sarah Jane Smith and Clyde Langer on a mission to save a planet. But the planet they are saving may not be their own.
Why I fangirl this: This is the first “Year That Wasn’t” fic I’ve read that brought up the obvious question of what Sarah Jane and Donna Noble were up to that year. It really digs into both of their characters and those of the kids as well to some extent and takes a very intriguing twist on things.
~0~
Sarah Jane and the kidlets
By sailorptah
Fandom: Torchwood/Sarah Jane Adventures
Title: A Question of Jurisdiction
Author: AND
Link: http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=15196
Rating: G
Status: complete
Summary: If Torchwood exists to foil alien invasion and yet it's up to Sarah Jane and a couple of tweens to deal with the Bane, there's going to be a question of jurisdiction.
Why I fangirl this: One of the things that periodically irks me is the lack of connection in canon between Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures, despite Jack and Sarah Jane’s somewhat awkward acknowledgement of each other during Journey’s End. This is a very neat examination of how the two could have met and pokes a bit at the similarities and differences between two Companions the Doctor left behind.
~0~
Sonic’d Up
By rustydog
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood/touch of Sarah Jane Adventures
Title: Encounter in Cardiff
Author: travels_in_time
Link: http://travels-in-time.livejournal.com/92224.html
Rating: G
Status: complete
Summary: Someone in Cardiff has sent Professional Staffing Services an unusual package.
Why I fangirl this: It’s an absolutely brilliant take on how Donna could have adapted after “Journey’s End.” Far more satisfying, imo, than the glimpse we got in canon. No, she can’t quite remember what happened to her for that year, and it’s still dangerous if she gets too close, but she’s also not satisfied just sitting back and ignoring all the weird things in the world. Besides which, having been a temp, I just love the idea of developing a temp service with an, erm, ulterior motive like this.
~0~
Caught
By aimsleydale
Fandom: Doctor Who/Firefly
Title: Ticks & Tocks
Author: hola_meg_a_cola
Link: http://www.tardisbigbang.com/Round2/37-ticks.php
Rating: PG-13
Status: complete
Summary: After a rough ride on the TARDIS, the [10th] Doctor finds himself in the twenty-sixth century. There, he finds a ship flying around that isn't due to be made for several centuries. Meanwhile,the Serenity crew is hired for a job that is sure to set them up for the good life. However, when both worlds meet, trouble shows, and it's up to the Doctor and Serenity's mechanic, Kaylee, to set things right.
Why I fangirl this: Kaylee gets her hands on the TARDIS. What more could a fangirl of both Firefly and Doctor Who want? Crossing these two ‘verses is tricky, due to the lack of aliens in Firefly, but hola_meg_a_cola makes that all slot into place nicely so the reader can focus on the adventure that starts out as a not quite run-of-the-mill job for Serenity’s crew and escalates from there.
~0~
For Captain and Cardiff
By azarsuerte
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Title: For Captain and Cardiff
Author: blackhemlock
Link: http://www.tardisbigbang.com/Round2/45-captain.php
Rating: PG-13
Status: complete
Summary: "At midnight, a nationwide security alert was sent out... Torchwood London, demands all agencies' cooperation in issuing an arrest warrant for Ianto Merric Jones, 24, of Cardiff." Torchwood Three's Archivist has gone rogue. But, he does have a very good reason, and he looks stunning in his new suit.
Why I fangirl this: This is a real edge-of-the-seat tale, because for the bulk of the story, you don’t quite know what Ianto’s up to. So the reader sits there with Jack and the Doctor trying to work out his motivations and yet can’t help admiring the brilliant con he’s pulling off all the while.
~0~
Wound in Time
By mitashade
Fandom: Doctor Who
Title: A Wound in Time
Author: sahiya
Link: http://www.tardisbigbang.com/Round2/25-wound.php
Rating: NC-17
Status: complete
Summary: Take one uneasy threesome, two inexplicably deserted ships, one immortal's mysterious past, and a rip in space and time. Shake well and step back quickly.
Why I fangirl this: Doctor/River/Jack is an amazing threesome, and it’s not just magically easy for them to work. Also, Jack’s timeline is enough to give a Time Lord a migraine. As the summary implies, mixing these together is potentially explosive and makes for a hell of a gripping read.
~0~
Touching the Void
By _squaredance
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Title: Touching the Void
Author: calavarna
Link: http://www.tardisbigbang.com/Round1/02_touching.php
Rating: NC-17
Status: complete
Summary: When Ianto finds himself in wartime London and in the clutches of a strange but familiar conman, he struggles to find a balance between revealing the future and creating a paradox. Meanwhile, Jack tries to get Ianto back while dealing with a head full of memories that aren't his own.
Why I fangirl this: I have a soft spot for Ianto meeting pre-Doctor Jack, and this fic hit that spot hard. Fortunately, Ianto has a knack for “managing” Jack, a knack that will help avoid imploding the universe by creating a paradox.
~0~
Paradox Cover
By mella68
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Title: Paradox
Author: snowwhiteliar
Link: http://www.tardisbigbang.com/Round1/22_paradox.php
Rating: R
Status: complete
Summary: When Torchwood were sent to the Himalayas, Ianto chose to stay behind and look after the Hub. He didn't think it would be quite this much trouble.
Why I fangirl this: A very different take on the Year That Wasn’t, this fic has Ianto defending the Hub from, well, all the baddies of the Year That Wasn’t. Depths of the Hub (and Ianto) are explored in surprising ways, and new meaning is given to the phrase “talking to yourself.” It does go a bit dark, though, so be forewarned of that.
~0~
The Rose of Jericho
By in_the_bottle
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Title: The Rose of Jericho
Author: kaydeefalls
Link: http://www.tardisbigbang.com/Round3/story.php?storyID=S11&part=1
Rating: R
Status: complete
Summary: Post-CoE. When Martha Jones encounters a dark UNIT cover-up in the wake of the 456, it's up to Gwen's new Torchwood team to bring the truth to light -- and save Ianto.
Why I fangirl this: If the only thing you’re going to fix about CoE is Ianto’s death, then there had best be a good explanation for that, because there’s loads more that needs fixing. This story manages that quite neatly using a device going back to Canary Wharf. It also has the benefit of bringing together the team I’d hoped to see in TW S3 (a team including Martha and Mickey) and bringing in one of the better additions from CoE, Lois Habiba.
~0~
The Roots of the Quadratic
By matsujo9
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Title: The Intersections Series
Author: nancybrown
Link: http://www.whofic.com/series.php?seriesid=2406
Rating: Adult overall, individual stories vary
Status: Each story is complete, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the author added to the series.
Summary: CoE compliant. Right/wrong meets person/time. Stories in the series are meant to complement each other, not necessarily to be read in order.
Why I fangirl this: This series addresses all the fallout from CoE, and in surprising ways. nancybrown’s imaginative take on the twists of Jack’s timeline and how things could be different if one just tweaked something here or there always keeps me coming back for more. The cover art I linked is, I suppose, a touch spoilery, as it’s taken from one of the later fics that was part of TARDIS Big Bang Round 3, but just who’s on it should hopefully also pique a bit of interest as to, well, how that could happen.
~0~
Amy Pond
By Mark Satchwill
River Song
By Mark Satchwill
Fandom: Doctor Who
Title: Something in the Atmosphere
Author: alt_universe_me
Link: http://alt-universe-me.livejournal.com/52423.html
Rating: R
Status: complete
Summary: When Amy wakes up on the day of her wedding, she wasn’t expecting her world to be turned upside down. And who is the amazing and mysterious woman who has come to her rescue? (Okay, I admit it is River…)
Why I fangirl this: I love Amy/River, but I also adore Rory, so it’s lovely to see an alternate ending to S5 that results in both Amy/River and a happy ending for Rory too. I may also be somewhat biased, as alt_universe_me wrote this for me as part of the thepurpledove auction, which explains the lovely … oops, spoilers! ;-)
~0~
Be All My Sins Remembered
By rexluscus
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Title: Be All My Sins Remembered
Author: nancybrown
Link: http://nancybrown.livejournal.com/58051.html
Rating: R
Status: complete
Summary: Someone from Jack's past comes through the Rift. Gwen puts two and two together and comes up with nine months. Meanwhile, Ianto is dealing with a morning after he wasn't expecting, Martha is rethinking her agreement to work here, Johnson is definitely not dating anyone, and Lois is quietly reporting everything back to her true bosses. (Well, almost everything.) Also, invisible face-eating aliens may be stalking Cardiff. Must be Tuesday.
Why I fangirl this: While this is part of an alternate third season for Torchwood, it catches you up enough to be read as a standalone, and it uses some very interesting plot devices to really pick apart all the characters. Also, while I’ve already recced her Intersections ‘verse, I just couldn’t help reccing another of nancybrown’s alternate takes on CoE.
~0~
Lupin
By silverwing24
Trchwd: Janto Sketch
By cacell
Fandom: Torchwood/Harry Potter
Title: What You Want (Baby, I've Got It)
Author: remuslives23
Link: http://remuslives23.dreamwidth.org/tag/series:+war+is+hell
Rating: NC-17
Status: each story is complete, series may continue
Summary: 'So. Death Eater. What was she doing with me? Not that I'm not charming company, but I suspect it wasn't my witty banter and very fine arse she was interested in. Shame. She looked like fun - up until she killed me, that is.'
Why I fangirl this: This is an extremely hot series that starts during the First Voldemort War (chronologically at least, and that’s the story whose summary I quoted) and as of right now is somewhere between OotP and DH. The HP events are just a backdrop, though, as this is all about some rather amazing hookups. Jack/Moody, Jack/Remus, Ianto/Remus, Jack/Ianto/Remus. Extremely hot, yes, but as with the best PWP, does some really insightful character exploration along the way.
Meanwhile, this post was always going to be heavy on Doctor Who and Torchwood, but I’d recently started reading some Sarah Jane Adventures fics as well. After the death of Elisabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane Smith, I decided to lead off with a few recs of fics featuring her character.
Sarah Jane and the Doctor
By Timedancer
Note: this post is image-heavy, though I've tried to scale down the display sizes. As many of these recs come from either tardisbigbang or tw_bigbang, quite a lot of the art is actually illustrations from the specific stories. In other cases, I've mostly gone with the trend we seem to have this round of simply finding art that seems to complement the fic being recced in some way. I hope it's fairly clear which are which.
~0~
Upon the Upland Road cover
By Genie aka in_the_bottle
Fandom: Sarah Jane Adventures, New Who, Classic Who
Title: Upon the Upland Road
Author: meddow
Link: http://www.tardisbigbang.com/Round1/13_upland_road.php
Rating: PG-13
Status: complete (27k)
Summary: With the Master in power and the Doctor missing, a diary, a watch and an old wedding gift send Donna Noble, Sarah Jane Smith and Clyde Langer on a mission to save a planet. But the planet they are saving may not be their own.
Why I fangirl this: This is the first “Year That Wasn’t” fic I’ve read that brought up the obvious question of what Sarah Jane and Donna Noble were up to that year. It really digs into both of their characters and those of the kids as well to some extent and takes a very intriguing twist on things.
~0~
Sarah Jane and the kidlets
By sailorptah
Fandom: Torchwood/Sarah Jane Adventures
Title: A Question of Jurisdiction
Author: AND
Link: http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=15196
Rating: G
Status: complete
Summary: If Torchwood exists to foil alien invasion and yet it's up to Sarah Jane and a couple of tweens to deal with the Bane, there's going to be a question of jurisdiction.
Why I fangirl this: One of the things that periodically irks me is the lack of connection in canon between Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures, despite Jack and Sarah Jane’s somewhat awkward acknowledgement of each other during Journey’s End. This is a very neat examination of how the two could have met and pokes a bit at the similarities and differences between two Companions the Doctor left behind.
~0~
Sonic’d Up
By rustydog
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood/touch of Sarah Jane Adventures
Title: Encounter in Cardiff
Author: travels_in_time
Link: http://travels-in-time.livejournal.com/92224.html
Rating: G
Status: complete
Summary: Someone in Cardiff has sent Professional Staffing Services an unusual package.
Why I fangirl this: It’s an absolutely brilliant take on how Donna could have adapted after “Journey’s End.” Far more satisfying, imo, than the glimpse we got in canon. No, she can’t quite remember what happened to her for that year, and it’s still dangerous if she gets too close, but she’s also not satisfied just sitting back and ignoring all the weird things in the world. Besides which, having been a temp, I just love the idea of developing a temp service with an, erm, ulterior motive like this.
~0~
Caught
By aimsleydale
Fandom: Doctor Who/Firefly
Title: Ticks & Tocks
Author: hola_meg_a_cola
Link: http://www.tardisbigbang.com/Round2/37-ticks.php
Rating: PG-13
Status: complete
Summary: After a rough ride on the TARDIS, the [10th] Doctor finds himself in the twenty-sixth century. There, he finds a ship flying around that isn't due to be made for several centuries. Meanwhile,the Serenity crew is hired for a job that is sure to set them up for the good life. However, when both worlds meet, trouble shows, and it's up to the Doctor and Serenity's mechanic, Kaylee, to set things right.
Why I fangirl this: Kaylee gets her hands on the TARDIS. What more could a fangirl of both Firefly and Doctor Who want? Crossing these two ‘verses is tricky, due to the lack of aliens in Firefly, but hola_meg_a_cola makes that all slot into place nicely so the reader can focus on the adventure that starts out as a not quite run-of-the-mill job for Serenity’s crew and escalates from there.
~0~
For Captain and Cardiff
By azarsuerte
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Title: For Captain and Cardiff
Author: blackhemlock
Link: http://www.tardisbigbang.com/Round2/45-captain.php
Rating: PG-13
Status: complete
Summary: "At midnight, a nationwide security alert was sent out... Torchwood London, demands all agencies' cooperation in issuing an arrest warrant for Ianto Merric Jones, 24, of Cardiff." Torchwood Three's Archivist has gone rogue. But, he does have a very good reason, and he looks stunning in his new suit.
Why I fangirl this: This is a real edge-of-the-seat tale, because for the bulk of the story, you don’t quite know what Ianto’s up to. So the reader sits there with Jack and the Doctor trying to work out his motivations and yet can’t help admiring the brilliant con he’s pulling off all the while.
~0~
Wound in Time
By mitashade
Fandom: Doctor Who
Title: A Wound in Time
Author: sahiya
Link: http://www.tardisbigbang.com/Round2/25-wound.php
Rating: NC-17
Status: complete
Summary: Take one uneasy threesome, two inexplicably deserted ships, one immortal's mysterious past, and a rip in space and time. Shake well and step back quickly.
Why I fangirl this: Doctor/River/Jack is an amazing threesome, and it’s not just magically easy for them to work. Also, Jack’s timeline is enough to give a Time Lord a migraine. As the summary implies, mixing these together is potentially explosive and makes for a hell of a gripping read.
~0~
Touching the Void
By _squaredance
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Title: Touching the Void
Author: calavarna
Link: http://www.tardisbigbang.com/Round1/02_touching.php
Rating: NC-17
Status: complete
Summary: When Ianto finds himself in wartime London and in the clutches of a strange but familiar conman, he struggles to find a balance between revealing the future and creating a paradox. Meanwhile, Jack tries to get Ianto back while dealing with a head full of memories that aren't his own.
Why I fangirl this: I have a soft spot for Ianto meeting pre-Doctor Jack, and this fic hit that spot hard. Fortunately, Ianto has a knack for “managing” Jack, a knack that will help avoid imploding the universe by creating a paradox.
~0~
Paradox Cover
By mella68
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Title: Paradox
Author: snowwhiteliar
Link: http://www.tardisbigbang.com/Round1/22_paradox.php
Rating: R
Status: complete
Summary: When Torchwood were sent to the Himalayas, Ianto chose to stay behind and look after the Hub. He didn't think it would be quite this much trouble.
Why I fangirl this: A very different take on the Year That Wasn’t, this fic has Ianto defending the Hub from, well, all the baddies of the Year That Wasn’t. Depths of the Hub (and Ianto) are explored in surprising ways, and new meaning is given to the phrase “talking to yourself.” It does go a bit dark, though, so be forewarned of that.
~0~
The Rose of Jericho
By in_the_bottle
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Title: The Rose of Jericho
Author: kaydeefalls
Link: http://www.tardisbigbang.com/Round3/story.php?storyID=S11&part=1
Rating: R
Status: complete
Summary: Post-CoE. When Martha Jones encounters a dark UNIT cover-up in the wake of the 456, it's up to Gwen's new Torchwood team to bring the truth to light -- and save Ianto.
Why I fangirl this: If the only thing you’re going to fix about CoE is Ianto’s death, then there had best be a good explanation for that, because there’s loads more that needs fixing. This story manages that quite neatly using a device going back to Canary Wharf. It also has the benefit of bringing together the team I’d hoped to see in TW S3 (a team including Martha and Mickey) and bringing in one of the better additions from CoE, Lois Habiba.
~0~
The Roots of the Quadratic
By matsujo9
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Title: The Intersections Series
Author: nancybrown
Link: http://www.whofic.com/series.php?seriesid=2406
Rating: Adult overall, individual stories vary
Status: Each story is complete, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the author added to the series.
Summary: CoE compliant. Right/wrong meets person/time. Stories in the series are meant to complement each other, not necessarily to be read in order.
Why I fangirl this: This series addresses all the fallout from CoE, and in surprising ways. nancybrown’s imaginative take on the twists of Jack’s timeline and how things could be different if one just tweaked something here or there always keeps me coming back for more. The cover art I linked is, I suppose, a touch spoilery, as it’s taken from one of the later fics that was part of TARDIS Big Bang Round 3, but just who’s on it should hopefully also pique a bit of interest as to, well, how that could happen.
~0~
Amy Pond
By Mark Satchwill
River Song
By Mark Satchwill
Fandom: Doctor Who
Title: Something in the Atmosphere
Author: alt_universe_me
Link: http://alt-universe-me.livejournal.com/52423.html
Rating: R
Status: complete
Summary: When Amy wakes up on the day of her wedding, she wasn’t expecting her world to be turned upside down. And who is the amazing and mysterious woman who has come to her rescue? (Okay, I admit it is River…)
Why I fangirl this: I love Amy/River, but I also adore Rory, so it’s lovely to see an alternate ending to S5 that results in both Amy/River and a happy ending for Rory too. I may also be somewhat biased, as alt_universe_me wrote this for me as part of the thepurpledove auction, which explains the lovely … oops, spoilers! ;-)
~0~
Be All My Sins Remembered
By rexluscus
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Title: Be All My Sins Remembered
Author: nancybrown
Link: http://nancybrown.livejournal.com/58051.html
Rating: R
Status: complete
Summary: Someone from Jack's past comes through the Rift. Gwen puts two and two together and comes up with nine months. Meanwhile, Ianto is dealing with a morning after he wasn't expecting, Martha is rethinking her agreement to work here, Johnson is definitely not dating anyone, and Lois is quietly reporting everything back to her true bosses. (Well, almost everything.) Also, invisible face-eating aliens may be stalking Cardiff. Must be Tuesday.
Why I fangirl this: While this is part of an alternate third season for Torchwood, it catches you up enough to be read as a standalone, and it uses some very interesting plot devices to really pick apart all the characters. Also, while I’ve already recced her Intersections ‘verse, I just couldn’t help reccing another of nancybrown’s alternate takes on CoE.
~0~
Lupin
By silverwing24
Trchwd: Janto Sketch
By cacell
Fandom: Torchwood/Harry Potter
Title: What You Want (Baby, I've Got It)
Author: remuslives23
Link: http://remuslives23.dreamwidth.org/tag/series:+war+is+hell
Rating: NC-17
Status: each story is complete, series may continue
Summary: 'So. Death Eater. What was she doing with me? Not that I'm not charming company, but I suspect it wasn't my witty banter and very fine arse she was interested in. Shame. She looked like fun - up until she killed me, that is.'
Why I fangirl this: This is an extremely hot series that starts during the First Voldemort War (chronologically at least, and that’s the story whose summary I quoted) and as of right now is somewhere between OotP and DH. The HP events are just a backdrop, though, as this is all about some rather amazing hookups. Jack/Moody, Jack/Remus, Ianto/Remus, Jack/Ianto/Remus. Extremely hot, yes, but as with the best PWP, does some really insightful character exploration along the way.