Torchwood story recommendations...

[fajrdrako]

A few odds and ends to recommend:

• A music vid about Ianto that I liked by jekyllhj7.


• The Comedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by reina_isabella. The funniest thing I've read for a long time. The TARDIS as a "cerulean spectre" and the Doctor sounding just like himself, but in Shakespearean metre... "I could a tale unfold whose lightest word/Would gobsmack thee..." Okay, okay, it cracks me up. Every time.


• Keys by reina_isabella, who stunned me twice in two days by the quality and originality of her work. This is just a drabble, but what a drabble. Smart and snappy and sexy.[1]


• Erogatio by misspamela. R. A Doctor Who crossover with Rome: Captain Jack decides he wants sex with Marc Antony. Good choice. Original, in character for characters of both shows, with imaginative use of time travel. And I love the little coda at the end.


• Every Time We Kiss by fatchickengirl. Jack/Ianto. I have become wary of Jack/Ianto stories, but this was a cut above the norm. Maybe I was just charmed by the rating: "I'd call it filthy, but Ianto's a clean boy."


• Think Yourself Out In the Darkness and Spin by 3jane. Jack/Owen. R. Jane St. Clair is one of my favourite slash writers, and though I preferred her previous Torchwood story, this had an edge to it that even made me like the pairing in spite of myself.


• Live in Infamy by livii. G. Jack/Tosh AU. This story really rises above itself: what if Jack and Tosh were not able to return from 1941 after "Captain Jack Harkness"? Not a promising premise, I would have said, but the story pulled me in. I loved Jack's steadfastness here.


• Torchwood Emergency Protocols for the Recognition and Apprehension of the Doctor by shaggydogstail. R. Starts with Jack/Doctor and Jack/TARDIS and more or less moves on too everybody/everybody. Yes, it's as silly as it sounds, and I don't usually go for 'silly' but there are always exceptions, and after all, Jack/Doctor stories are rare and to be valued. Especially when they have lines like, "There was a crash from the coffee-area and a stream of muttered obscenities that the TARDIS refused to translate."


• The Honey Trap by basingstoke. R. Torchwood crossover with Highlander for Jack/Duncan. I'm really not sure why this ended up on my 'recommend' pile. Perhaps it's the charming notion of Jack being beheaded as an immortal. Maybe it was the lift/CCTV sex. Mind you, all the time I was reading it, a little voice in the back of my head was thinking, "Why Duncan? Why not Methos?" But that, of course, would be a very different story.


• Kissing is for Lovers by cupiecake. Jack/Ianto. PG-13. A ficlet about denial and acceptance.


• Fractal Julia by troyswann. G. No pairing; Jack introduces Gwen to an alien. Of sorts. This is delightful science fiction, a story about concepts and - well, just read it. Clever. Unique.


• Ianto Doesn't have a Thing For His Boss and Jack Doesn't Fancy the Tea Boy by dikaeopolis. Jack/Ianto (of course). PG. Deserves an award for the titles alone.


• Shiny Prize by lightgetsin. Jack/Doctor and Jack/Ianto. PG-13. Another story that's greater than the sum of its parts. I love lightgetsin's writing style.


• Think of Something by lightgetsin. Jack/Doctor. PG-13. A time paradox.


• A Maddening Addiction by hegemony. Jack/Ianto/Toshiko. NC-17. Quirky, edgy, haunting.


• Inhibitions (And Jack's Lack Of) by _afterism. Jack/Doctor. R. An odd story with a Jack that didn't quite work for me, but which made it to my rec list on the strength of its final sentence.


[1] Truth is, I'm grappling with jealousy here because I wish I'd written this one. I have wanted to write a "Jack and the TARDIS key" story from the time Torchwood began and I hope to do it soon, and nothing in my head yet is nearly as good as this drabble. But I'll get there, one of those days.

Comments

[becky-h.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for doing this. Torchwood is so big, and has so much activity I'd be lost without wonderful people willing to take the time and write up their recs. I'll make sure I feed the author's as I read through, too, of course.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes. I am surprised and pleased at how big Torchwood fandom became, and how fast. Before November, I was frustrated - finding Captain Jack stories was difficult. Now the problem is sorting through the quantity!

I find that a lot of the stories fall into certain themes (like Ianto angst) and I like to find the stories that are different and striking, the ones that stand out.

And yes, feedback is good. I make make sure I've sent feedback to all the authors I've listed.

[ze-toaster.livejournal.com]

*squeezes* Oh, thank-you. I'm pretty much a newbie in this fandom, and a rec-list is a fantastic thing to have. XD

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the comment! Yes, I always appreciate it when other people post rec lists - even if I don't agree with all their choices, it's a place to start and a good tip as to what writers to look for, what kind of stories are out there. Heck, I don't always agree with even my own choices.

It's also a way for me to sort out the stories I like if I need to find them again.

I hope you enjoy what your find - !

And that's a terrific icon.

[msilverstar]

They look great, I will read them soon!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Hope you enjoy! And if you find any good stuff I've missed, do let me know.

[spiderine.livejournal.com]

*coughmystuff*

*spiderisawhore* *snicker*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

LOL. You said it!

[basingstoke.livejournal.com]

Duncan and not Methos because Duncan is the one who flirts with danger. ;) Methos gets spooked easily, which is why he'll be alive long after Duncan is dead.

I keep trying to think up a way to get Jack and Methos together, but it never works!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Duncan and not Methos because Duncan is the one who flirts with danger. ;)

Good answer. Good logic. I wish I could, offhand, see a loophole here.

I keep trying to think up a way to get Jack and Methos together, but it never works!

It's a worthy goal!

I've been playing with the idea myself, but like you, not coming up with any particularly good rationale or story.

This doesn't mean I'll give up. It just means I haven't done it yet.