Womanpain: a reclist
Many wise things have been said about the trope of manpain, in which men's pain is fetishized and glorified to the exclusion of female characters' pain. A male character's girlfriend dies, and the focus is on his pain, not the pain of the girlfriend's mother or sister or best friend, for example. Well, I'm a sucker for angst, and I think women's pain is just as interesting and worthwhile to read about as manpain, so I've compiled a reclist of fanfiction about women dealing with pain both emotional and physical, and trying to find dignity in the face of terrible circumstances.
Doctor Who & Torchwood
The Candle That Burns Brightest
Doctor Who | Rose, TARDIS, Jackie, Mickey | All Ages | 8,886 words
She'd made the TARDIS turn around and take her back, to Satellite Five and the Doctor and Jack, and she'd helped the Doctor finish building his Delta Wave thing and he'd never meant to send her away, not at all, it was just an accident and he was so happy to see her, he spun her around in a huge grinning hug.
Consanguinitas
Torchwood | Alice, Jack | All Ages | 2,800 words
Five glimpses at Alice and her father.
Edge of Human
Doctor Who | River, Eleven | Teen | 5,213 words
Right after "Let's Kill Hitler", the Doctor visits River.
Mobius
Doctor Who/Torchwood | Rose/Jack, Donna, Ianto, Tosh, Gwen | Teen | 5,461 words
To save the universes, they had to save the Doctor. To save the Doctor, they had to save Donna. To save Donna, a certain non-Euclidean geometry was required.
Sic Semper Tyrannis
Doctor Who | Harriet Jones, Ten, Simm!Master | All Ages | 3,327 words
Where was Harriet Jones, in the Year that Never Happened? "Trying to incite a rebellion, of course; it's the only sensible thing to do under the circumstances."
The Time Traveler's Daughter
Torchwood | Alice, Jack | PG-13 | 5,977 words
He always said he'd be there for her, whether she wants him there or not.
The Weight of Us
Doctor Who | Amy/Rory, River | PG | 4,662 words
Amy Pond, and motherhood.
Small Fandoms
Just Below the Surface
Animorphs | Rachel, ensemble | PG-13
Rachel is called to testify at Visser Three’s trial after the end of the war, all the while suffering for the loss of her friend and teammate, and the loss of the war that formed such a huge part of her self-identity. A quick exploration of what would have happened if Rachel had lived, and another Animorph had been the one to die.
The Low-Set Window
Vorkosigan Saga | Ekaterin, Nikolai, Miles | All Ages | 2,172 words
Scenes from the night before the funeral and after.
The Sun Shone on Venus
All Summer in a Day (Ray Bradbury) | Margot | All Ages | 5,302 words
A little girl who missed the sun suffered a terrible act of cruelty. This is what happened to Margot, after.
There is a Kingdom (The Daughters of Eve Know No Forgiveness)
Chronicles of Narnia | Susan, Jill, Lucy | Teen | 5,709 words
Wartime London may have made her jaded, but New York has opened Susan's eyes and Narnia feels like a dream. Perhaps if she can convince the others that it was then Peter will seem less like a stranger, and Lucy won't have to cry herself to sleep at night.
Doctor Who & Torchwood
The Candle That Burns Brightest
Doctor Who | Rose, TARDIS, Jackie, Mickey | All Ages | 8,886 words
She'd made the TARDIS turn around and take her back, to Satellite Five and the Doctor and Jack, and she'd helped the Doctor finish building his Delta Wave thing and he'd never meant to send her away, not at all, it was just an accident and he was so happy to see her, he spun her around in a huge grinning hug.
Consanguinitas
Torchwood | Alice, Jack | All Ages | 2,800 words
Five glimpses at Alice and her father.
Edge of Human
Doctor Who | River, Eleven | Teen | 5,213 words
Right after "Let's Kill Hitler", the Doctor visits River.
Mobius
Doctor Who/Torchwood | Rose/Jack, Donna, Ianto, Tosh, Gwen | Teen | 5,461 words
To save the universes, they had to save the Doctor. To save the Doctor, they had to save Donna. To save Donna, a certain non-Euclidean geometry was required.
Sic Semper Tyrannis
Doctor Who | Harriet Jones, Ten, Simm!Master | All Ages | 3,327 words
Where was Harriet Jones, in the Year that Never Happened? "Trying to incite a rebellion, of course; it's the only sensible thing to do under the circumstances."
The Time Traveler's Daughter
Torchwood | Alice, Jack | PG-13 | 5,977 words
He always said he'd be there for her, whether she wants him there or not.
The Weight of Us
Doctor Who | Amy/Rory, River | PG | 4,662 words
Amy Pond, and motherhood.
Small Fandoms
Just Below the Surface
Animorphs | Rachel, ensemble | PG-13
Rachel is called to testify at Visser Three’s trial after the end of the war, all the while suffering for the loss of her friend and teammate, and the loss of the war that formed such a huge part of her self-identity. A quick exploration of what would have happened if Rachel had lived, and another Animorph had been the one to die.
The Low-Set Window
Vorkosigan Saga | Ekaterin, Nikolai, Miles | All Ages | 2,172 words
Scenes from the night before the funeral and after.
The Sun Shone on Venus
All Summer in a Day (Ray Bradbury) | Margot | All Ages | 5,302 words
A little girl who missed the sun suffered a terrible act of cruelty. This is what happened to Margot, after.
There is a Kingdom (The Daughters of Eve Know No Forgiveness)
Chronicles of Narnia | Susan, Jill, Lucy | Teen | 5,709 words
Wartime London may have made her jaded, but New York has opened Susan's eyes and Narnia feels like a dream. Perhaps if she can convince the others that it was then Peter will seem less like a stranger, and Lucy won't have to cry herself to sleep at night.