Rec: Back Home, by Van Donovan

[ihasstopwatch.livejournal.com]

Story: Back Home
Author: Van Donovan
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 14,923 (six chapters, each averaging at about 2,500 words)
Author's Summary: Turlough returns to Earth, not entirely of his own volition, and finds that while some things have changed, some are exactly the same.
Characters/Pairings: Turlough/Tegan, Turlough/Owen, Turlough/Various others/implied, Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Toshiko Sato
Warnings: Explicit sex, swearing
Note: (this is taken from the A/N at the beginning of the first chapter) Helps to be familiar with Turlough's run on Doctor Who, or at least his intro triology/exit serial. Basic Torchwood knowledge helpful, but not required. Set in the three month glossed-over gap in Torchwood, somewhere probably late 2007, early 2008.

Recced because: The author managed to capture Turlough's personality perfectly and in such a subtle way that it's hard to pinpoint exactly what makes the characterization so perfect. The descriptions of things Turlough smells and feels are so detailed that it's hard to not imagine you're standing right there alongside him. And the intimate moments, while not as explicit as the warning implies, focus more on the emotions between the characters and not the physicality. Overall, a beautiful story that leaves you wanting more by the time you've finished the last chapter.

Comments

[kaffy_r]

Turlough was always difficult to watch, and largely difficult for me to read, and the depth of difficulty usually reflects more my reaction to the character than to the quality of the fic. In this case, I was able to read the story all the way through, and to accept a rather more well-rounded illustration of Turlough. His emotional choices were still difficult for me to read about, but the writer's skill made me see where those choices came from. The description of Earth from Turlough's point of view, heavily centered on scent, was a prime example. Glad this was recc'd.

[time-testudinem.livejournal.com]

I truly adored this story when I read it. Good to see it getting the recognition it deserves.