Manifesto: Second Doctor Era
Jun. 7th, 2019 01:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
auroracloud posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
tardis_libraryI'm a bit late for this one - but well, the TARDIS in this era is never when and where she's supposed to be, either!
Era/Spin-off: Second Doctor Era
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon, Victoria Waterfield, Zoë Heriot, Isobel Watkins. Two/Jamie, Zoë/Isobel, Jamie/Victoria
Notes/warnings/spoilers Spoilers for the ending of the War Games, and some generic spoilers for other things like how someone joins or leaves the TARDIS.
I'm a fairly recent convert into Classic Doctor Who, but when I found it at last, I fell head over heels in love fast — especially as soon as I came across the Second Doctor era (1966-1969). Something just clicked, the way it sometimes does. This was what I'd always wanted to see, without knowing it; in a way it feels like something I have known before, though I know I can't have (I live in Finland, and there's no way these have been shown on our TV, and no way I'd have forgotten if they had been).
Also, this was the Doctor I'd been waiting for. I always used to watch the show for the companions, but suddenly, I was finally watching it just as much for the Doctor. This is partly due to Patrick Troughton, who is easily among the best actors to ever have played the role. I also simply love the character of the Second Doctor. He's got lots of playful glee, quirkiness and enthusiasm, and easily comes across as comical and harmless -- and at times he'll gladly take advantage of this. He'll happily make enemies underestimate him until he gets a chance to destroy all their plans. He can be a very cunning Doctor with clever plans, but he's not all cunning mastermind: he's also got plenty of heart. He's a warmer and more caring Doctor than most, though he's also got temper and sharp edges. During his run the Doctor becomes a more heroic figure, fighting agains the evils of the universe and injustices of tyrants, but his heroism isn't blatant or machoist; it's heroism of the mind and the will, and often sly or placed in the sidelines, solving the problem while nobody notices.
Of course, one tremendously important thing about the Second Doctor, and the reason why every Doctor Who fan ought to watch at least some of his stories, is that well, he is the Second Doctor. He's the first time the role was cast again, and the new Doctor was a different man, rather than a lookalike of the old one. And if the Second Doctor hadn't been so engaging and Patrick Troughton's acting so excellent, and his relationship with his companions so wonderful, it's unlikely we'd have had any of the Doctors that followed him.
And there are the companions; I love them all, and their relationships with the Doctor. Jamie McCrimmon is the quintessential Second Doctor companion, with Two in all but his first story. He's a young Scottish Highlander, joining the Doctor, Ben and Polly from the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Jamie being from the past makes him perfect for asking all the questions about science and tech beyond his time, though travelling with the Doctor does teach him quite a few things. Jamie is ever loyal to his friends, ever hot-headed and springing straight to action (spoiling a few of the Doctor's clever plans on the way, though always with the best intentions), and ever willing to fight for what's good and right. He may adopt wrist watches and fancy music playing devices, but he will rarely go anywhere in trousers instead of a kilt. (I was going to write "without a kilt" but that didn't quite convey the right thing.)
Polly and Ben were there already before Jamie. They joined the Doctor together from 1960s London, having met each other during their first adventure with him, while he was still the First Doctor. Polly is a clever young secretary, Ben is a young sailor, and while their first interaction doesn't seem to go so well, they end up making a great team. They saw the regeneration from the First Doctor to the Second, and travelled with him (and Jamie) for several adventures afterwards. Most of their episodes are missing, sadly, though in the recent years there have been several animated reconstructions — I still need to watch most of them, so I haven't seen many Ben and Polly stories.
Victoria Waterfield joined the show after Ben and Polly left. She's young woman from the Victorian era whose father was killed by the Daleks and who joined the Doctor and Jamie to not be left alone. Victoria is first understandably confused by modernity and time travel and all that, but she soon adapts (and even changes her opinion about mini skirts after some time). She sometimes gets unnecessarily dismissed by fans as just a screamer and a damsel, but I find her to also be a smart, resourceful girl who displays plenty of sass in many stories. Both her first and last story are missing, sadly. Victoria is one of the many Classic Who companions who chooses to leave the TARDIS when she finds something that's more right for her.
Zoë Heriot is the best known companion along with Jamie, probably both because most of her stories exist, and because she was something quite exceptional. Coming from the far-off space age of the 21st century, Zoë is a young mathematical and scientific genius whose abilities save the day many times. She's also known to like fabulous jumpsuits. She and Jamie spar and squabble quite a bit, but they and the Doctor are a great team together. Zoë thinks the Doctor is almost as clever as she is.
There are many awesome guest characters in this era, but two come up particularly often. There's Isobel Watkins, a cheerful young photographer with a devil-may-care attitude and fabulous minidresses who meets the Doctor, Jamie and Zoë in 1970s (I think) London and immediately takes a shine to Zoë. After impromptu photoshoots, they traipse around London happily together for much of the 8-episode story, to the neverending joy of femslash fans and those who enjoy female friendship. Oh, and there's the Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. You may have heard of him. And that organisation called the UNIT which he puts together. Though the first time we meet him, he's only a Colonel.
I love this era for its cozy old-timey sense of adventure, and for the sense of camaraderie, friendship and found family aboard the TARDIS. I love the way the show starts figuring itself out in this era but still doesn't stop experimenting (hello, Mind Robber!). This era is so much fun, this is where all the running starts, this is even when the sonic screwdriver first makes its appearance (did you know it can also unscrew screws?). But with all the fun and adventure, some of the best stories also have plenty to chew on and think about.
This era often comfort viewing in the best way, like a big fluffy blanket and a large mug of cocoa in Doctor Who form. But every now and then it gets you quite viscerally. There are great characters, and there's so much running, and the actors manage to be as though things like killer robot Yetis and evil foam make sense, and like the special effects are a lot more convincing than they are (though the black-and-white helps, too).
Ships
Second Doctor/Jamie is by far the most popular ship — in fact among the most popular ships in the whole Classic Doctor Who fandom. This may have something to do with the way these two are always clinging and clutching at each other at the slightest provocation. As well as the great chemistry between them and the way Jamie is with Two in all but one of his stories.
While other ships don’t reach anywhere near the numbers of Two/Jamie, there are some, especially Ben/Polly, Jamie/Victoria, and Zoë/Isobel.
Other
One of the tragedies of such a wonderful era is that so much of it doesn't exist. If you've heard of Doctor Who fans talk about missing episodes — many of them are Second Doctor era. In its great wisdom, the BBC wiped many of the 1960s Doctor Who episodes by taping over them, and though some have been recovered since, from basements and abandoned TV stations in far-off countries and goodness knows where, many remain lost. There are fan-made and official reconstructions as well as animations of the missing stories, since all the audios remain, as do some books, the scripts etc.
Something that will come up in the fic of this era is the concept of Season 6B. To explain this, I need to explain the ending of The War Games, so this is where you get a spoiler.
(A few line breaks of spoiler space)
The ending of the War Games very evilly shows the Time Lords wiping Jamie and Zoë's memories of their travels with the Doctor (though not their first adventures) when sending them back to their own times, which is one of the more traumatising things the show has ever done if you ask me. Fortunately, the show also accidentally created a fix-it later on, resulting in the fan theory of Season 6B, where the Doctor doesn't regenerate right away after his trial. Instead, he is on missions for the Time Lords and eventually gets Jamie back as his companion. This is something like half-official, so the Doctor and Jamie can run in corridors and save bases under sieges for as long as you like. And fanfic writers are happy to take advantage of this, as you can see in the recs section.
(Spoilers end.)
The Fic Recs
Caveat: though I've read a lot of wonderful fic from this era, I haven't read everything — just looking for the fics I wanted to rec in this, I found several new ones to read, and had to save especially the longer ones for later. I've tried to make sure there's something for all the important characters, and at least something for the most important ships, but I do feel bad for not having more Ben and Polly recs in this one. There's a lot of Two/Jamie and Two & Jamie, and a lot of Jamie anyway, but I'd say that reflects the fandom, not just my tastes! I've had to leave out many lovely fics and authors because if I didn't stop at some point, I'd still be writing this around Summer Solstice. But I tried to include a wide spread representing many different aspects of this era and the fanfic about it.
Because there are so many lovely fics, I ended up not even trying to include fan art. I've recced some fan art from this era before in this community, though, so you can look through the tags to find some.
I also feel like I should have included more gen with the Doctor! It's just that a lot of the things I've either already recced or I haven't yet read. So if you want more, check the tags!
1. Title: Blankets and Biscuits
Creator: Penny/![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
kathkin
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size:
Creator's Summary: The Doctor had told her to entertain herself and entertain herself she would. She intended to excel at entertaining herself. She would entertain herself so well he’d be impressed at all the fun she’d had. Or, the Doctor and Jamie make a blanket fort and Zoe has a unusual idea of fun.
Characters/Pairings: Zoë Heriot, Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon
Reasons for reccing: It's this Team TARDIS being so very them, and gets to Two's whimsical, playful side, as well as Zoë's awesome science-y-ness.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4859414
2. Title: Scream
Creator: alouzon
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 1181 words
Creator's Summary: Victoria screams a lot. But we already knew that.
Characters/Pairings: Victoria Waterfield, Jamie McCrimmon. A smattering of Jamie/Victoria, but mostly Victoria-centric gen.
Reasons for reccing: I love the way this story explains Victoria's tendency to scream while also showing her as a strong-minded, capable girl, proving that just because you scream when you're scared doesn't make you any less awesome. The scene with Jamie is also very cute.
Link:
https://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=22021
3. Title: Here To Help
Creator: Penny/kathkin
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 4205 words
Creator's Summary: “I’m here to help.” / “You? Help us do what?” / “Why, help you to wipe every last filthy human off this planet, of course!” said the Doctor. The Doctor and Jamie's friendship gets pushed to the brink and back.
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon
Reasons for reccing: I love the occasional angsty, conflictual story with a satisfying resolution, and this one deals wonderfully with some of the sorer points of the Doctor and Jamie's friendship. It takes an often-repeated theme from the series: the Doctor having a clever, cunning plan that requires pretense, but Jamie, unaware of the plan, nearly spoiling it with an action that it's in itself good, loyal and courageous. It takes this theme to one logical consequence that doesn't happen in the show but very well could, and makes the Doctor and Jamie deal explicitly with trust issues and why they care for one another.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7379749
4. Title: Six Things About Two and Jamie
Creator:chaya
Rating: Teen
Word Count/Length/Size: 1009 words
Creator's Summary: Exactly what it says on the tin.
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor/Jamie McCrimmon. Also Victoria Waterfield, Zoë Heriot.
Reasons for reccing: A lovely fic that manages to pack a lot of different facets of a Two/Jamie relationship into six brief scenes. Also, Zoë's just fabulous in her scene.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/485626
5. Title: Obsessions
Creator: Van Donovan/Van
Rating: Explicit
Word Count/Length/Size: 24,600 words
Creator's Summary: Some obsessions are impossible to ignore.
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor/Jamie McCrimmon, Victoria Waterfield.
Warnings/Notes: Explicit m/m sex. Some initially dubious consent due to, well, a bit of an aliens-made-them-do-it/sex-pollen type thing that's at the heart of the plot, but it's all right, I promise.
Reasons for reccing: One of the "classics" for this ship, it seems to me, and Van's characterisations of everyone are delightful. There's plenty of plot here as well, not just shippiness and sex, though there's that, too. And it's very well written shippiness and sex.
Link: https://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=7909
6. Title: Melt
Creator: Penny/kathkin
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 1724 words
Creator's Summary: It was turning out to be a day for strange, beautiful new things. The Doctor introduces Jamie to the joys of chocolate.
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor/Jamie McCrimmon. And a bit of Ben and Polly in the end.
Warnings: May cause acute chocolate cravings. (My warning, from experience)
Reasons for reccing: From the cute, fluffy end of spectrum of Two/Jamie fics, this is them at their adorable best. There's chocolate and lots of kissing, what more could you ask for.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6003982
7. Title: Fabulous Investigations (series)
Creator: johne/JohnAmendAll
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 32,501 words, 5 works
Creator's Summary: What if... Zoë and Isobel got their own spin-off series?
Characters/Pairings: Zoë Heriot/Isobel Watkins. Some works in the series are just gen with Zoë and Isobel, focusing on plot.
Notes: post-canon, fix-it
Reasons for reccing: There isn't enough Zoë/Isobel fic out there, and this series is delightful. I'm all for getting a fix-it for Zoë's ending while bringing her and Isobel together and plunging them into adventures!
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/series/34841
8. Title: Better
Creator: Penny/kathkin
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Word Count/Length/Size: 2018 words
Creator's Summary: In a forest on an alien world, Zoe wakes Jamie from a nightmare.
Characters/Pairings: Zoë Heriot, Jamie McCrimmon
Warnings/Notes: some PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
Reasons for reccing: I like some Zoë and Jamie friendship fics, and this is a lovely one. It's one of the more serious fics for them, exploring some trauma caused by Jamie's past. (I know I'm reccing lots of fics by kathkin, but she's written a lot, too. And it's just so good.)
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4925392
https://archiveofourown.org/works/4925392
9. Title: Old Shame
Creator: johne/JohnAmendAll
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 1172 words
Creator's Summary: The Land of Fiction has one last surprise for Zoë and Jamie.
Characters/Pairings: Zoë Heriot, Jamie McCrimmon
Reasons for reccing: There must without a doubt be at least one Mind Robber related fic in such a manifesto/recs list. Here you have a more light-hearted story of Zoë and Jamie, with the Land of Fiction serving up something many of us may recognise… I only found this when I was searching for some other fics for this manifesto, but I had to post it!
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/489710
10. Title: Unlaced
Creator:liadt / Liadt
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Word Count/Length/Size: 890
Creator's Summary: Jamie and Victoria have to remove their clothing...
Characters/Pairings: Jamie McCrimmon/Victoria Waterfield
Warnings/Notes: contains non-descriptive nudity (no sex though)
Reasons for reccing: Cute, funny and adorable Jamie/Victoria
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4111933
11. Title: Making Time
Creator:timeandcelery
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 5192 words
Creator's Summary: During Season 6B, four unexpected reunions.
Characters/Pairings: Two/Jamie, Ben/Polly, Zoë, Victoria.
Warnings: The author warns for major character injury, but notes in the summary that it's only lightly described and resolved quickly.
Reasons for reccing: Basically fix-its and happy endings for everyone, and lots of hugs and Zoë being awesome. One of my favourite Season 6B fics, and basically my headcanon since I read it.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11728134/chapters/26423763
12. Title: In Its Place
Creator:Rochelle_Templer
Rating: Teen
Word Count/Length/Size: 22054 words
Creator's Summary: Set within Season 6B. After years of working for the Celestial Intervention Agency, the Doctor is given a chance to regain one of his companions. Meanwhile Jamie is running for his life and struggles to understand the gaps in his memories. Both of them will be presented with choices that will change everything....
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon
Warnings/Notes: some off-screen violence, injury and danger, mentions of psychological trauma
Reasons for reccing: A fix-it that makes you first go through bad stuff caused by the ending, but it makes the comforting ending feel all the more earned. I love the way this deals with Jamie's memories, too — I can't believe he wouldn't notice something strange, and remember some things.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13389210/chapters/30669681
13. Title: Tinsel and Bettys and Curling Up By the Fire
Creator:Mungo_of_Maundery
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 2021 words
Creator's Summary: Not long after their reunion in season 6B, Jamie's memory is returning slowly. Jamie is concerned about the Doctor. The Doctor is concerned about Jamie. Perhaps Christmas is just the thing for easing post-separation awkwardness...
Characters/Pairings: Jamie McCrimmon, Second Doctor, with some slight Two/Jamie tones though mostly gen.
Reasons for reccing: Comforting, hopeful sort of Season 6B. Christmas may not be the most topical thing right now, but this is lovely at any season.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9094513
14. Title: As We Go Along
Creator:RoseOfPollux
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 15863 words
Creator's Summary: Life isn't always about saving worlds and going on missions. Sometimes, it's the little things that end up being just as memorable. A series of Season 6B slice-of-life vignettes for the Doctor and Jamie.
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon
Reasons for reccing: Several lovely slice-of-life fics of the Doctor and Jamie during Season 6B, focusing on their friendship and how much they matter to one another, fun hijinks and whatever else comes up. RoseOfPollux has a whole lot of Season 6B fics, but I haven't read nearly all yet — some of them are more adventurous and plotty than this, do check them out as well!
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5934709/chapters/13647901
15. Title: AU Meme: Jamie McCrimmon & Zoë Heriot
Creator:thisbluespirit
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 649 words
Creator's Summary: Ten AU scenarios for Jamie and Zoe for an LJ meme.
Characters/Pairings: Jamie McCrimmon, Zoë Heriot
Reasons for reccing: For something little and fun to finish us off, here are 10 bite-sized AUs for featuring Jamie and Zoë!
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6543343
Era/Spin-off: Second Doctor Era
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon, Victoria Waterfield, Zoë Heriot, Isobel Watkins. Two/Jamie, Zoë/Isobel, Jamie/Victoria
Notes/warnings/spoilers Spoilers for the ending of the War Games, and some generic spoilers for other things like how someone joins or leaves the TARDIS.
I'm a fairly recent convert into Classic Doctor Who, but when I found it at last, I fell head over heels in love fast — especially as soon as I came across the Second Doctor era (1966-1969). Something just clicked, the way it sometimes does. This was what I'd always wanted to see, without knowing it; in a way it feels like something I have known before, though I know I can't have (I live in Finland, and there's no way these have been shown on our TV, and no way I'd have forgotten if they had been).
Also, this was the Doctor I'd been waiting for. I always used to watch the show for the companions, but suddenly, I was finally watching it just as much for the Doctor. This is partly due to Patrick Troughton, who is easily among the best actors to ever have played the role. I also simply love the character of the Second Doctor. He's got lots of playful glee, quirkiness and enthusiasm, and easily comes across as comical and harmless -- and at times he'll gladly take advantage of this. He'll happily make enemies underestimate him until he gets a chance to destroy all their plans. He can be a very cunning Doctor with clever plans, but he's not all cunning mastermind: he's also got plenty of heart. He's a warmer and more caring Doctor than most, though he's also got temper and sharp edges. During his run the Doctor becomes a more heroic figure, fighting agains the evils of the universe and injustices of tyrants, but his heroism isn't blatant or machoist; it's heroism of the mind and the will, and often sly or placed in the sidelines, solving the problem while nobody notices.
Of course, one tremendously important thing about the Second Doctor, and the reason why every Doctor Who fan ought to watch at least some of his stories, is that well, he is the Second Doctor. He's the first time the role was cast again, and the new Doctor was a different man, rather than a lookalike of the old one. And if the Second Doctor hadn't been so engaging and Patrick Troughton's acting so excellent, and his relationship with his companions so wonderful, it's unlikely we'd have had any of the Doctors that followed him.
And there are the companions; I love them all, and their relationships with the Doctor. Jamie McCrimmon is the quintessential Second Doctor companion, with Two in all but his first story. He's a young Scottish Highlander, joining the Doctor, Ben and Polly from the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Jamie being from the past makes him perfect for asking all the questions about science and tech beyond his time, though travelling with the Doctor does teach him quite a few things. Jamie is ever loyal to his friends, ever hot-headed and springing straight to action (spoiling a few of the Doctor's clever plans on the way, though always with the best intentions), and ever willing to fight for what's good and right. He may adopt wrist watches and fancy music playing devices, but he will rarely go anywhere in trousers instead of a kilt. (I was going to write "without a kilt" but that didn't quite convey the right thing.)
Polly and Ben were there already before Jamie. They joined the Doctor together from 1960s London, having met each other during their first adventure with him, while he was still the First Doctor. Polly is a clever young secretary, Ben is a young sailor, and while their first interaction doesn't seem to go so well, they end up making a great team. They saw the regeneration from the First Doctor to the Second, and travelled with him (and Jamie) for several adventures afterwards. Most of their episodes are missing, sadly, though in the recent years there have been several animated reconstructions — I still need to watch most of them, so I haven't seen many Ben and Polly stories.
Victoria Waterfield joined the show after Ben and Polly left. She's young woman from the Victorian era whose father was killed by the Daleks and who joined the Doctor and Jamie to not be left alone. Victoria is first understandably confused by modernity and time travel and all that, but she soon adapts (and even changes her opinion about mini skirts after some time). She sometimes gets unnecessarily dismissed by fans as just a screamer and a damsel, but I find her to also be a smart, resourceful girl who displays plenty of sass in many stories. Both her first and last story are missing, sadly. Victoria is one of the many Classic Who companions who chooses to leave the TARDIS when she finds something that's more right for her.
Zoë Heriot is the best known companion along with Jamie, probably both because most of her stories exist, and because she was something quite exceptional. Coming from the far-off space age of the 21st century, Zoë is a young mathematical and scientific genius whose abilities save the day many times. She's also known to like fabulous jumpsuits. She and Jamie spar and squabble quite a bit, but they and the Doctor are a great team together. Zoë thinks the Doctor is almost as clever as she is.
There are many awesome guest characters in this era, but two come up particularly often. There's Isobel Watkins, a cheerful young photographer with a devil-may-care attitude and fabulous minidresses who meets the Doctor, Jamie and Zoë in 1970s (I think) London and immediately takes a shine to Zoë. After impromptu photoshoots, they traipse around London happily together for much of the 8-episode story, to the neverending joy of femslash fans and those who enjoy female friendship. Oh, and there's the Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. You may have heard of him. And that organisation called the UNIT which he puts together. Though the first time we meet him, he's only a Colonel.
I love this era for its cozy old-timey sense of adventure, and for the sense of camaraderie, friendship and found family aboard the TARDIS. I love the way the show starts figuring itself out in this era but still doesn't stop experimenting (hello, Mind Robber!). This era is so much fun, this is where all the running starts, this is even when the sonic screwdriver first makes its appearance (did you know it can also unscrew screws?). But with all the fun and adventure, some of the best stories also have plenty to chew on and think about.
This era often comfort viewing in the best way, like a big fluffy blanket and a large mug of cocoa in Doctor Who form. But every now and then it gets you quite viscerally. There are great characters, and there's so much running, and the actors manage to be as though things like killer robot Yetis and evil foam make sense, and like the special effects are a lot more convincing than they are (though the black-and-white helps, too).
Ships
Second Doctor/Jamie is by far the most popular ship — in fact among the most popular ships in the whole Classic Doctor Who fandom. This may have something to do with the way these two are always clinging and clutching at each other at the slightest provocation. As well as the great chemistry between them and the way Jamie is with Two in all but one of his stories.
While other ships don’t reach anywhere near the numbers of Two/Jamie, there are some, especially Ben/Polly, Jamie/Victoria, and Zoë/Isobel.
Other
One of the tragedies of such a wonderful era is that so much of it doesn't exist. If you've heard of Doctor Who fans talk about missing episodes — many of them are Second Doctor era. In its great wisdom, the BBC wiped many of the 1960s Doctor Who episodes by taping over them, and though some have been recovered since, from basements and abandoned TV stations in far-off countries and goodness knows where, many remain lost. There are fan-made and official reconstructions as well as animations of the missing stories, since all the audios remain, as do some books, the scripts etc.
Something that will come up in the fic of this era is the concept of Season 6B. To explain this, I need to explain the ending of The War Games, so this is where you get a spoiler.
(A few line breaks of spoiler space)
The ending of the War Games very evilly shows the Time Lords wiping Jamie and Zoë's memories of their travels with the Doctor (though not their first adventures) when sending them back to their own times, which is one of the more traumatising things the show has ever done if you ask me. Fortunately, the show also accidentally created a fix-it later on, resulting in the fan theory of Season 6B, where the Doctor doesn't regenerate right away after his trial. Instead, he is on missions for the Time Lords and eventually gets Jamie back as his companion. This is something like half-official, so the Doctor and Jamie can run in corridors and save bases under sieges for as long as you like. And fanfic writers are happy to take advantage of this, as you can see in the recs section.
(Spoilers end.)
The Fic Recs
Caveat: though I've read a lot of wonderful fic from this era, I haven't read everything — just looking for the fics I wanted to rec in this, I found several new ones to read, and had to save especially the longer ones for later. I've tried to make sure there's something for all the important characters, and at least something for the most important ships, but I do feel bad for not having more Ben and Polly recs in this one. There's a lot of Two/Jamie and Two & Jamie, and a lot of Jamie anyway, but I'd say that reflects the fandom, not just my tastes! I've had to leave out many lovely fics and authors because if I didn't stop at some point, I'd still be writing this around Summer Solstice. But I tried to include a wide spread representing many different aspects of this era and the fanfic about it.
Because there are so many lovely fics, I ended up not even trying to include fan art. I've recced some fan art from this era before in this community, though, so you can look through the tags to find some.
I also feel like I should have included more gen with the Doctor! It's just that a lot of the things I've either already recced or I haven't yet read. So if you want more, check the tags!
1. Title: Blankets and Biscuits
Creator: Penny/
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size:
Creator's Summary: The Doctor had told her to entertain herself and entertain herself she would. She intended to excel at entertaining herself. She would entertain herself so well he’d be impressed at all the fun she’d had. Or, the Doctor and Jamie make a blanket fort and Zoe has a unusual idea of fun.
Characters/Pairings: Zoë Heriot, Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon
Reasons for reccing: It's this Team TARDIS being so very them, and gets to Two's whimsical, playful side, as well as Zoë's awesome science-y-ness.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4859414
2. Title: Scream
Creator: alouzon
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 1181 words
Creator's Summary: Victoria screams a lot. But we already knew that.
Characters/Pairings: Victoria Waterfield, Jamie McCrimmon. A smattering of Jamie/Victoria, but mostly Victoria-centric gen.
Reasons for reccing: I love the way this story explains Victoria's tendency to scream while also showing her as a strong-minded, capable girl, proving that just because you scream when you're scared doesn't make you any less awesome. The scene with Jamie is also very cute.
Link:
https://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=22021
3. Title: Here To Help
Creator: Penny/
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 4205 words
Creator's Summary: “I’m here to help.” / “You? Help us do what?” / “Why, help you to wipe every last filthy human off this planet, of course!” said the Doctor. The Doctor and Jamie's friendship gets pushed to the brink and back.
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon
Reasons for reccing: I love the occasional angsty, conflictual story with a satisfying resolution, and this one deals wonderfully with some of the sorer points of the Doctor and Jamie's friendship. It takes an often-repeated theme from the series: the Doctor having a clever, cunning plan that requires pretense, but Jamie, unaware of the plan, nearly spoiling it with an action that it's in itself good, loyal and courageous. It takes this theme to one logical consequence that doesn't happen in the show but very well could, and makes the Doctor and Jamie deal explicitly with trust issues and why they care for one another.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7379749
4. Title: Six Things About Two and Jamie
Creator:
Rating: Teen
Word Count/Length/Size: 1009 words
Creator's Summary: Exactly what it says on the tin.
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor/Jamie McCrimmon. Also Victoria Waterfield, Zoë Heriot.
Reasons for reccing: A lovely fic that manages to pack a lot of different facets of a Two/Jamie relationship into six brief scenes. Also, Zoë's just fabulous in her scene.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/485626
5. Title: Obsessions
Creator: Van Donovan/
Rating: Explicit
Word Count/Length/Size: 24,600 words
Creator's Summary: Some obsessions are impossible to ignore.
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor/Jamie McCrimmon, Victoria Waterfield.
Warnings/Notes: Explicit m/m sex. Some initially dubious consent due to, well, a bit of an aliens-made-them-do-it/sex-pollen type thing that's at the heart of the plot, but it's all right, I promise.
Reasons for reccing: One of the "classics" for this ship, it seems to me, and Van's characterisations of everyone are delightful. There's plenty of plot here as well, not just shippiness and sex, though there's that, too. And it's very well written shippiness and sex.
Link: https://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=7909
6. Title: Melt
Creator: Penny/
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 1724 words
Creator's Summary: It was turning out to be a day for strange, beautiful new things. The Doctor introduces Jamie to the joys of chocolate.
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor/Jamie McCrimmon. And a bit of Ben and Polly in the end.
Warnings: May cause acute chocolate cravings. (My warning, from experience)
Reasons for reccing: From the cute, fluffy end of spectrum of Two/Jamie fics, this is them at their adorable best. There's chocolate and lots of kissing, what more could you ask for.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6003982
7. Title: Fabulous Investigations (series)
Creator: johne/
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 32,501 words, 5 works
Creator's Summary: What if... Zoë and Isobel got their own spin-off series?
Characters/Pairings: Zoë Heriot/Isobel Watkins. Some works in the series are just gen with Zoë and Isobel, focusing on plot.
Notes: post-canon, fix-it
Reasons for reccing: There isn't enough Zoë/Isobel fic out there, and this series is delightful. I'm all for getting a fix-it for Zoë's ending while bringing her and Isobel together and plunging them into adventures!
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/series/34841
8. Title: Better
Creator: Penny/
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Word Count/Length/Size: 2018 words
Creator's Summary: In a forest on an alien world, Zoe wakes Jamie from a nightmare.
Characters/Pairings: Zoë Heriot, Jamie McCrimmon
Warnings/Notes: some PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
Reasons for reccing: I like some Zoë and Jamie friendship fics, and this is a lovely one. It's one of the more serious fics for them, exploring some trauma caused by Jamie's past. (I know I'm reccing lots of fics by kathkin, but she's written a lot, too. And it's just so good.)
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4925392
https://archiveofourown.org/works/4925392
9. Title: Old Shame
Creator: johne/
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 1172 words
Creator's Summary: The Land of Fiction has one last surprise for Zoë and Jamie.
Characters/Pairings: Zoë Heriot, Jamie McCrimmon
Reasons for reccing: There must without a doubt be at least one Mind Robber related fic in such a manifesto/recs list. Here you have a more light-hearted story of Zoë and Jamie, with the Land of Fiction serving up something many of us may recognise… I only found this when I was searching for some other fics for this manifesto, but I had to post it!
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/489710
10. Title: Unlaced
Creator:
liadt / Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Word Count/Length/Size: 890
Creator's Summary: Jamie and Victoria have to remove their clothing...
Characters/Pairings: Jamie McCrimmon/Victoria Waterfield
Warnings/Notes: contains non-descriptive nudity (no sex though)
Reasons for reccing: Cute, funny and adorable Jamie/Victoria
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4111933
11. Title: Making Time
Creator:
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 5192 words
Creator's Summary: During Season 6B, four unexpected reunions.
Characters/Pairings: Two/Jamie, Ben/Polly, Zoë, Victoria.
Warnings: The author warns for major character injury, but notes in the summary that it's only lightly described and resolved quickly.
Reasons for reccing: Basically fix-its and happy endings for everyone, and lots of hugs and Zoë being awesome. One of my favourite Season 6B fics, and basically my headcanon since I read it.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11728134/chapters/26423763
12. Title: In Its Place
Creator:
Rating: Teen
Word Count/Length/Size: 22054 words
Creator's Summary: Set within Season 6B. After years of working for the Celestial Intervention Agency, the Doctor is given a chance to regain one of his companions. Meanwhile Jamie is running for his life and struggles to understand the gaps in his memories. Both of them will be presented with choices that will change everything....
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon
Warnings/Notes: some off-screen violence, injury and danger, mentions of psychological trauma
Reasons for reccing: A fix-it that makes you first go through bad stuff caused by the ending, but it makes the comforting ending feel all the more earned. I love the way this deals with Jamie's memories, too — I can't believe he wouldn't notice something strange, and remember some things.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13389210/chapters/30669681
13. Title: Tinsel and Bettys and Curling Up By the Fire
Creator:
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 2021 words
Creator's Summary: Not long after their reunion in season 6B, Jamie's memory is returning slowly. Jamie is concerned about the Doctor. The Doctor is concerned about Jamie. Perhaps Christmas is just the thing for easing post-separation awkwardness...
Characters/Pairings: Jamie McCrimmon, Second Doctor, with some slight Two/Jamie tones though mostly gen.
Reasons for reccing: Comforting, hopeful sort of Season 6B. Christmas may not be the most topical thing right now, but this is lovely at any season.
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9094513
14. Title: As We Go Along
Creator:
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 15863 words
Creator's Summary: Life isn't always about saving worlds and going on missions. Sometimes, it's the little things that end up being just as memorable. A series of Season 6B slice-of-life vignettes for the Doctor and Jamie.
Characters/Pairings: Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon
Reasons for reccing: Several lovely slice-of-life fics of the Doctor and Jamie during Season 6B, focusing on their friendship and how much they matter to one another, fun hijinks and whatever else comes up. RoseOfPollux has a whole lot of Season 6B fics, but I haven't read nearly all yet — some of them are more adventurous and plotty than this, do check them out as well!
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5934709/chapters/13647901
15. Title: AU Meme: Jamie McCrimmon & Zoë Heriot
Creator:
Rating: General
Word Count/Length/Size: 649 words
Creator's Summary: Ten AU scenarios for Jamie and Zoe for an LJ meme.
Characters/Pairings: Jamie McCrimmon, Zoë Heriot
Reasons for reccing: For something little and fun to finish us off, here are 10 bite-sized AUs for featuring Jamie and Zoë!
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6543343
no subject
Date: 2019-06-07 08:39 am (UTC)I don't think you're wrong there! :-D
And thanks for this lovely manifesto. I can see I'll be having to check out some of these at some point, where I haven't already...
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Date: 2019-06-07 09:00 am (UTC)And hope you find some enjoyable ones you haven't yet read! I'm sure I'm missing a lot of amazing ones, but I tried to get a wide spread representing many aspects of this era, while giving attention to some lesser-known stories as well as better-known ones. I still need to read more of the longer, adventure-type stories - I found more I hadn't yet read when I was looking for some of these stories. Well, gives me more stuff to rec in the future!
And oops, I forgot to fix my numbering after adding a story in the beginning. Well, the numbers were mostly for my own benefit, ensuring I won't go over the limit... I did mean to stop at 12 or so, but then I was like "oh, what about this one..." and yeah. :-)
no subject
Date: 2019-06-09 09:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-06-08 06:54 pm (UTC)