Torchwood: Comments and reviews of Captain John Hart fics...

[fajrdrako]

I don't often comment on fanfic in my LJ here, mostly because I don't have time. You know I can never be brief when I talk about something I've read. I also don't talk much about the books I read. (Currently enjoying Linnea Sinclair's Gabriel's Ghost).

But I feel like commenting, so... Because of the anniversary of "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" and the Hart-fest on guns_n_poodles, and because Jack/John is one of my favourite Torchwood pairings (and one of the more complex and enigmatic ones), I did a bit of a Captain John Hart fic-binge last night and this morning. One doesn't usually put ratings or warnings on reviews and comments, so be warned, my comments on these stories are somewhat NC-17, reflecting the nature of some of the stories. This is also making me think that my own writing has become very vanilla, and I should do something a little deeper or spicier for a change.

I read:

1. Mission of Mercy by 51stcenturyfox. A series of scenes following the Captain John Hart as he trains (indoctrinates?) a partner or acolyte named Hoffman. 51stcenturyfox has a great sense of dialogue, especially Captain John's. For example:

"Am I allowed to talk now?"
"Is that sarcasm I hear?"
"No! I-"
John laughed. "Joking. Go ahead. Talk to me, gorgeous."

This is also one of those rare and beautiful things: a story with a sense of structure. The last line is a strong one. The material here is worthy of a novella; my only regret was that it was comparatively short and sketchy, given the scope of its theme.

2. Smile by anduria_trianys. A post-Exit Wounds story, interesting in that it resolves John's state at mind at the end of "Exit Wounds", something I would have thought impossible - yet it is clearly and deeply based on canon, and on what we see of John in that episode. I don't buy the resolution, and yet it's a fascinating way to read the story. The only flaw here is that it was a song-fic; further cementing my belief that I don't generally like song-fics. That aspect, though, was easy to ignore.

3. Addict by sistercarrion. A post-Kiss Kiss Bang Bang story, as John thinks about Ianto. sistercarrion's voice for John is spot-on, playing on his addictive nature and his deathwish tendencies, tying it into possibilities in Jack's relationship with Ianto. A short, strong, beautifully-written piece. Fresh. Clever.

4. Filing Away by sistercarrion. This reminded me of some of Dorothy Dunnett's writing (yes, that's a strong compliment to sistercarrion!) in that the story creates its effect by using the point of view of someone who doesn't know what is going on; the reader extrapolates and understands better than the narrator, who isn't so much 'suspect' as 'uninformed'. A glimpse of the Jack/John relationship through Ianto's eyes.

5. Impossible by sistercarrion. Playing to Captain John's kinks. sistercarrion takes it as given that Captain John has used Jack's wristband technology to get himself onto the Valiant during the Year that Never Was. While there, he doesn't encounter Jack: he is taken by the Master, and we get to see their brief, sexually-oriented meeting.

Now, I am perhaps unique in Doctor Who fandom in that I am not enchanted by either John Simm or his depiction of the Master, and to explain why or why not would be more of an essay than anyone is probably intersted in. But this was the Master at his best, and John being John, it had just the right light/dark BDSM tone and I loved it. Good lines:

• "His eyes spark with a dark intelligence as he scrutinizes me..."
  
• "He... dips his leather clad fingers into my mouth, pressing my tongue down hard. I taste my own blood, leather, and a strange tingling sensation underneath it all that I haven't tasted before." Vortex energy?
  
• "You really are a cocky little bastard, aren't you?"
  
• "You taste like time. Do you have any idea how rare that is these days?"

The best and most powerful part is when Captain John realizes the Master is inside his head, using and abusing telepathy, and it stops being gamelike to him - he panics. He can't control the situation as he thought he could. Shivers-down-the-back time.

Again, sistercarrion does that thing I love so much: she uses structure and form to enhance and strengthen her story. The title has meaning and emotional power. Things come together - story themes, not just body parts. Nicely powerful.

Again, the only flaw to the story is its brevity. I'd have loved a full story here: full scenes showing John's curiosity over where Jack had been, more action than the strictly sexual, perhaps more difficulty in escape for the panicked and desperate John. And perhaps more focus on his love/need of Jack. Ah, well, I don't ask much of my favourite authors, do I? I know, I know, I should write my own novels, if I want them so much.

5. Safety Catch by sistercarrion. Unlike the others in sistercarrion's set here, this doesn't play so much to my taste; the sexual action was great, but a dom!Ianto tends to bore me, so it didn't have the power it might have. But still... There's some very hot dialogue and description, some delightful gunplay. No complaints, though if Jack climaxed, I missed it... and would have like to have seen it all. Uncharacteristically for sistercarrion, the final line was weak: her endings are usually terrific.

6. Share and Share Alike by sistercarrion. No plot here, and almost no theme, just an unrepentant pwp. If you like double-penetration threesomes, which I do, this is a delightful one. Good passage:

"You're too cute when you do that couply thing, y'know?"
"Shut up," Jack and Ianto snapped in unison.

7. A selection of drabbles from sistercarrion:

• Ties that Bind Us - A nice John pov for "Exit Wounds".
  
• Bleeding Me Dry - tamer than it sounds, given the context.
  
• Bittersweet - my favourite of these: heartbreaking, and very like I see the Jack/John relationship.
  
• The Line Drawn in the Sand - Sexy, but the last line, which should have been punchy and strong, failed to convince me. I'm not sure why.
  
• Sleeping Rough - A cute scenario to say, essentially, the same thing as "The Line Drawn in the Sand" - much subtler and stronger, though not as sexy.
  
• Spank the Monkey - A cute visual play on John's jacket.

I ran out of time to comment on more, and there was a lot I want to say about paperclipbitch's I Nothing But to Please His Fantasy, which was the story that moved me to write down my thoughts in the first place. Nor have I commented personally to these authors on all their stories, as I intended to do before posting this. Ah, well, good intentions remain. I'll write more later.