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

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... )

2. Smile by anduria_trianys. ( A post-Exit Wounds story, interesting... )

3. Addict by sistercarrion. ( A post-Kiss Kiss Bang Bang story, as John thinks about Ianto... )

4. Filing Away by sistercarrion. ( Ianto's point of view used to good effect. )

5. Impossible by sistercarrion. ( Playing to Captain John's kinks. )

5. Safety Catch by sistercarrion. ( Sexual fun and games with Jack, Ianto and Captain John. )

6. Share and Share Alike by sistercarrion. ( No plot here, and almost no theme, just an unrepentant pwp. )

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.

FIC: Torchwood (drabble) - Pilrgim

Title: Pilgrim
Author: fajrdrako
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack/Jack
Challenge: tw100, challenge: america(n); also at_the_ritz Weekly Challenge #66: 'It's in the past now'.
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine, no claims, all property of the BBC.
Notes: Spoilers for Torchwood episode 1x12, "Captain Jack Harkness". Cross-posted to my lj, to at_the_ritz and to tw100.

( Pilgrim )

Veronica Mars...

monsieureden sent me this interesting news: that Rob Thomas is working on the script of a Veronica Mars movie.

My fannish heart cheers.

But... yeah, there's a but. One thought is: he hasn't even written the thing yet, who's to say when/if it will be made into a movie? The TV show got well-deserved rave reviews, and was cancelled during third season. Moreover, the tight, suspenseful, witty brilliance of first season had faded to something much more random and loose by third season, and some of the best things about the show, like the wonderful sexual tension between Veronica and Logan, were being frittered away.

Then there's the precedent of Firefly, where one of the best TV shows ever was made into a movie that didn't quite play on the TV show's strengths; that relied overmuch on frantic action, and in which tragedy was the consequence of random chaos rather than meaningful themes and plotting.

Of course I want to see the love story of Veronica and Logan played out to its implausible but necessary successful conclusion. Will I get that? With a good script, characterization that's totally up to par, along with a riveting and complex mystery for Veronica to solve? How about the resolution of Keith Mars' romance with the wonderful Francine - remember that?

And the TV show caught them - the characters, and the actors playing them - at a precious and evolving point in time. Would a fully grown-up Veronica be as interesting?

Seems to me that the chances of the movie being what I actually want are slim.

On the other hand... the chances of the show's existence in the first place was improbable, and we got it anyway. As if Twin Peaks and Buffy had a bastard style in the form of the beautiful and lovable Kristen Bell.