calufrax | Entries tagged with pairing:ianto/jack

a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com

First of all, apologies are in order. I was planning to be able to rec MORE the last couple of weeks, but Life has not worked out as anticipated. :D That being said, I do still have a few more days as your official reccer here, so despite time and tide, I will do my best to make sure I get a few more goodies out to you all before it is all over! Starting with this one:

Story: Waiting for Death
Author: badly_knitted
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 442
Author's Summary: In the aftermath of the bombs going off, Jack lays in the wreckage, trapped and waiting to die.
Characters/Pairings: Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness
Warnings: Angst, Drama, Introspection, Missing Scene, Standalone

Recced because: I loved Torchwood. And though this is a 'short but sweet' fiction, it captures the events, emotions and thoughts of the characters very, very well - putting you in the moment of this scene. This author's fictions (mostly in drabble-form) are well worth the time to read! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed reccing it! But in case you need a touch more convincing, here is a taste of what you will be delving into:

( An Excerpt )

Go - enjoy!! And be sure to take time to read more of her work, as it is excellent and always hits the mark!

PhoenixDragon

but_can_i_be_trusted

Story: Small Problems
Author: badly_knitted
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 10,161
Author's Summary A routine retrieval causes some very unexpected problems for Jack and Ianto.
Characters/Pairings: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Warnings: None

Recced because: I just finished reading this a few minutes ago, and it is so fun! And I couldn't believe when I ran through the tags and saw that this author hasn't been recced before. Amending that now! :D

Go and read this. You're in for a lot of laughs and cuteness!

lyakahime.livejournal.com

Getting the last one in under the wire! I was planning to only rec crossovers this week, but then I found this fic and I couldn’t not rec it. So the last one breaks the mold. Thanks for having me, all, and to all a good night!

Story: And Indeed There Will Be Time
Author: kaydee_falls
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 42816
Author's Summary: In 1919, Harriet Derbyshire was killed while investigating the disappearance of Torchwood Four in Dublin. In 2009, UNIT pulls a dying man out of the Irish Sea with a one-word message: Torchwood. Martha joins up with Jack's team in Cardiff to track down the errant branch of the organization -- before a time-traveling race of aliens can change the course of history as we know it. (Jack/Ianto + team)
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Donna Noble, Gwen Cooper, Martha Jones, Mickey Smith, UNIT
Warnings:

Recced because: I love a good twisty time travel mystery, and this fic delivers on all counts. The Jack/Ianto pairing is so background you’ll hardly notice it, so don’t come into the fic expecting romance; this is all action adventure time travel plot mystery, all the time. Well-drawn OCs, a richly realized setting, a fantastic mystery, and insanely good writing – you’ll be up late reading it, just as I was!

kaffy_r

Story: Digita1 Gir1
Author:

nancybrown
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 6,679
Author's Summary: Lisa is human. Mostly.
Characters/Pairings: Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Lisa Hallett, Suzie Costello, Ianto/Lisa, Ianto/Jack
Warnings: None
Recced because: When I realized that this has not, as far as I can tell, been recommended, despite the author's well-deserved Calufrax ubiquity, I couldn’t help a little chortle of glee, because it falls to me to tell you how remarkable a story

nancybrown has written in Digita1 Gir1. As does much of her fiction, this centers around Torchwood, and as much of the best Torchwood fiction does, it extracts the sublime from the ridiculous, and posits a world in which the plots of too much Torchwood, generally an unholy blend of insane and inane, are abandoned in favor of what Torchwood could actually be on rare but glorious occasions; sublime, terrifying, and heartbreaking (with a tiny flame of hope somewhere, almost guttering out, but not quite.) This is an AU which does that for one of the Torchwood episodes that most horrifyingly blends insane and inane: Cyberwoman. It finds Lisa Hallet alive, in love, battling the last ghosts of her cyber-programming, and dealing with an unexpected danger to Ianto and others she may possibly care for.

nancybrown’s technical prowess shines through in the tiniest scenes — Lisa walking through a meadow, Lisa feeling the pull of electronic machinery and what it could mean for her, the descriptions of the antagonist’s laughter. The author’s emotionally mature vision of Lisa’s mind, and her description of Lisa’s distant, but still very human, view into the minds of others, have made this a story I return to again and again.

A taste:
( The man who does stop )

luckweaver.livejournal.com

Story: The Impossible Flirts
Author: LordRebeccaSama
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 4,935
Author's Summary: Captain Jack Harkness and Professor River Song: two people that should never meet, but they do...multiple times across both their timelines. "The biggest flirts in all the universe, and you let them have coffee!"
Characters/Pairings: Other Character(s), River Song, The Doctor (11th), Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato
Warnings: n/a

Recced because: The amount of relationship building that went into every side of this story is frankly astounding. As is the effort that went into characterisation, particularly at different points in each of the character's lives. Everyone is in character, the voices are crisp, and you can really picture the scene. I like how they've managed to seamlessly fill in some of the gaps in River's backstory to make it work, while still referencing little nods in episodes, like A Good Man Goes to War. The fish and chips nod is a pleasure, too! I also like the amount of work that's gone into both the pop culture references (eg. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and into building new planets and species to play around with. Always a plus when there's some of that to add to a brilliant plot.

Another note - sorry that my reccing has been... sporadic. I underestimated the amount of real life that would happen this week and have spent half the week driving forth across the province of Nova Scotia and sewing.

jjpor.livejournal.com

Story: Acting
Author: manyshadesoflove
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1,391
Author's Summary: Torchwood may like to think it's a secret organisation, but there are people out there who know what they're about. Though there's got to be a reason so few do.
Characters/Pairings: Ianto Jones/Jack Harkness, Other Character(s)
Warnings: None, although the use of Retcon in interpersonal relationships is not to be condoned.

Recced because: I really like Torchwood, you know? As I may have mentioned during previous reccing runs, there was a time when I was a little leery of identifying myself as a Torchwood fan, because...well, it was a bit dodgy, wasn't it? As the years have passed, however, I've managed to be true to myself and own up to it, even embrace it. And I'm not even talking the classy stuff like Children of Earth. I liked Miracle Day. Yeah, you read right. Especially the plane episode. And as for "classic" TW, i.e. S1-2, well, I can't hold my hands up and claim every single episode is a work of genius...or even that good, in a lot of cases, but my fondness for the thing as a whole only increases as time goes by and it recedes into history, because I think at this point I would be very, very surprised if we ever got another telly series. That's a sad thought, isn't it?

So oldschool TW fics like this one, with mentions of Ianto and Tosh and the gang (even Owen!) appeal to my sense of nostalgia for the "classic" era. And this is a very likeable fic with an excellent narrative voice describing Team Torchwood and their activities from a wry informed outsider's p.o.v. It's also got a good handle on one of the central aspects of the "classic" TW setting, one which the show itself used to poke fun at with increasing regularity as time went on, namely the absurdity of trying to keep an organisation like theirs, with the situations it dealt with and the less-than-subtle people it employed, secret in a city of 300,000-odd people. Especially when the secret organisation's name was written on the side of their SUV...

And the way this fic deals with that issue makes a lot of sense and remains true to the spirit of the series, because of course while Torchwood's half-hearted attempts at secrecy were patently absurd, and the source of some good jokes, if the organisation wasn't secret that was a big part of the setting fatally undermined. They had to keep it up somehow, and this fic suggests how. And no, it goes beyond the liberal use of memory-erasing drugs. The way this fic suggests that the team managed their business also fits Torchwood Three's ethos as an organisation; they were always too cool for school, or certainly had a good go at trying to be.

In addition, this is a very strongly-written fic. As well as the wry viewpoint and voice mentioned above, it's also witty, funny and affectionate and just a little bit saucy too. Oh, and if you can identify which New Who episode the character revealed as the narrator of this fic appeared in, and know of his meta-connection to Ianto, then you're doing well. A super-fan, probably. ;)

By the way, this isn't the last Torchwood fic I'll be reccing over these two weeks. Not by a long shot.

( An Appetiser )

lyakahime.livejournal.com

With the new switch to biweekly reccing, nonelvis has invited me to stick around for another week. Hooray! I'm going to finish my original planned slate of recs, then go through my backups list and pick another two or three to scatter over next week. So recs today and tomorrow, then periodically.

Story: And You Will Know Her By The Smile In Her Eyes
Author: James
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 21928
Author’s Summary: Jack is gone, and Ianto has discovered something very important that he needs Jack for. Will he find Jack in time, and, more importantly, what will happen when Jack does return? Mpreg.
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, cameos by the rest of S1 Team Torchwood
Warnings: Mpreg

Recced because: Everything James writes is amazing, but this is the amazing-est of them all. I’m a sucker for angst, tru wuv, and mpreg, so this fic is pretty much my fangirl trifecta. The writing is fantastic, and the characters are so wonderfully written you’ll forget you’re not watching canon. (Speaking of canon: the events of Children of Earth aren’t referenced, so this can’t properly be called a fix-it, but it pretty clearly operates in a world where CoE never happened/won’t happen.)

Jack actually plays a surprisingly small role for most of the fic, which gives Ianto the space he needs to step out from Jack’s shadow and demonstrate his underlying strength. It’s a story where you can love but still see clearly, be loyal without giving up your self-respect, and have faith but work hard to achieve your goals. The Doctor appears briefly to deliver a paeaen to love and devotion in the face of immortality (bring your Doctor/Whoever goggles) and the ending is eminently satisfying.

lyakahime.livejournal.com

Story: Finding Ianto
Author: Blackbird Song
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 14930
Author’s Summary: A long time ahead, in a space bar far, far away, Jack gets a message he didn't expect.
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, various OCs
Warnings: None

Recced because: Let me put it this way. You know that Star Wars/Torchwood fusion you want, where Jack Harkness is Han Solo? Except how you don’t actually want that, particularly, because then you have to deal with everything that’s going on in the Star Wars universe, when all you really want is to watch Jack buckle swashes and dash handsomely about and navigate through a rich and well-realized universe, awash with alien culture and mind-boggling sights?

(Oh, and for bonus points, if it could also double as a CoE fix-it and allow Ianto some space to show off exactly how awesome he is, that would be great, am I right?)

Too much to ask from one fic? Apparently not, because Blackbird Song has written it. This is what would happen if Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina and Finding Nemo had a baby in the Whoniverse. And then that baby starred in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s an adventure story, and it has heart. I can’t recommend this enough.

ellyfanfic.livejournal.com

Title: Public Enemy Number One
Word count: 16,676
Author: idelthoughts
Author summary: The prisoner drew himself up tall, facing Jack squarely, and Gwen was suddenly glad he was bound. “Yes, I am the Doctor.” He looked Jack up and down with a stern expression, and his voice was heavy with scorn. “And you’re Torchwood.”
Characters: Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Jack Harkness, The Doctor (10th)
Warnings: Spoilers for Torchwood through season 2.

Recced because:
This is one of my favorite Who stories. It manages to be fun and deep at the same time. It has a heavy dollop of Torchwood, and in fact is written from Gwen's POV. This makes it interesting, because it's a look at the Doctor through the eyes of someone who doesn't know him at all. The characterization for Ten is spot-on in this-- he switches from goofy to angsty in the blink of an eye, just as he does in the series. There's also a lot of nice filling-in of Ianto's story, which was never fleshed out enough in Torchwood to suit me.

ffutures.livejournal.com

Story: Just Because They Protect You Doesn't Mean They Like You
Author: Nancy Brown
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 14122
Characters: Amy Pond, Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Owen Harper, Rory Williams, The Doctor (11th)
Author's Summary: Working for Torchwood Cardiff means dealing every day with aliens, time travellers, annoying co-workers, and worst of all, tourists. A day in the life of someone who'd rather be somewhere else.
Warnings: Swearing
Recced because: When I started reading this I was drinking coffee, and ended up with coffee over my keyboard. It's fun and extremely silly, a day in the life of Torchwood 3. Warts and all...

Before the excerpt I should mention the introduction, which adds a few more warnings including "language, character death, necrophilia, dub-con, excessive whining, incredibly offensive humour." I don't find it offensive, but tastes differ

Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

6:13AM

***

The noise broke into the middle of Ianto's dream: a raucous buzzing and tweeting, like the repetitious caw of a thousand angry ... somethings. Birds? The dream morphed into terror -- giant, slouching, with skeletal black wings and razor-like beak -- then scattered to rags as he opened his eyes.

The noise continued.

Everything was dark. Ianto thrashed his limbs, did not encounter another body but did manage to unwind the blanket he'd wrapped around himself twice as he half-rolled, half-fell onto the floor. As he became more alert, he saw that he was nowhere near his bed but in fact had slept naked in the wardrobe.

His mobile kept ringing. He stumbled to where he'd dropped it on the night stand, flipped it open, and said in a sleep-roughened voice, "Yeah?"

"I woke you up."

Ianto rubbed a hand over his face. Events from the previous night made their presence known in his memory, pickled with a bit too much whisky and aged about three hours. "Did you catch the Weevil, then?" When the call came, Jack had kissed him stupid and told him to stay put. As Ianto had just experienced a fantastic orgasm, backed up against the wall of his wardrobe and buffered by shirts and suit coats, he hadn't been in the mood to argue.

"Yeah. Piece of cake. I didn't want to wake you, so I came back here."

"Thanks."

"I need you to get dressed and head in." Jack's tone was apologetic, but Ianto heard the distinct sound of his lover sliding back into boss mode. Jack may have sucked Ianto's brains out through points south last night, but this morning, he was all work.

merryghoul

I think it's high time I recced a Torchwood fic this week, and here's my first rec:

Story: Adjectives, or "Three Times Jack Didn't Shag a Member of His Team and the One Time He Got Played"
Author: Canaan
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1310
Author's Summary: What it says on the tin. Four character studies from Jack's point of view. Jack/Gwen, Jack/Ianto
Characters/Pairings: Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato
Warnings: no standard warnings apply

Recced because: The title pretty much explains what this fic's about, but this fic does a great job of explaining why Jack refused to have sex with his post-Suzie Costello team. Except for Ianto, of course.

(Also, I tried putting the whole subtitle in the header, but it cut off the D. Blasted LiveJournal.)

firefly124.livejournal.com

Story: Three Kids and a Baby
Author: Danse Macabre
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 5878
Author's Summary: Previously titled 'Playtime'. An accident in the hub leaves Ianto and Rhys trying to work together to fix the situation and keep the rest of the team under control. Set series 2, after 'Meat'.
Characters/Pairings: Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Owen Harper, Rhys Williams, Toshiko Sato, canon pairings
Warnings: Language, Fluff

Recced because: Yes, it's another regression!fic, this time in the Torchwood Hub with bonus Ianto-Rhys interaction. (If you liked the audiobook Ghost Train, you'll almost certainly enjoy this, even though it's set much earlier and they don't know each other that well yet.) There is much cuteness with a side of character insight from the extrapolation of what the team might have been like as youngsters.

( Teaser )

firefly124.livejournal.com

Story: Blocking Your Own Shot
Author: Arnica
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 84,540
Author's Summary: Eighteen days into his suspension, Ianto tries to start putting things back together by tearing them all down first.
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Ianto/OC, Jack/Ianto/OC
Warnings: Explicit sex, language

Recced because: There are at least dozens if not hundreds of “What Ianto did during his post-Cyberwoman suspension” fics out there. This is one of the best I've read. It delves into just how seriously messed up Ianto is, and more than that, what it takes to piece him back together. The OC, Cheyenne, is gritty and flawed and mirrors many of Ianto's dysfunctions through a different lens in really interesting ways. It's not, however, a strictly character piece (though I would call it highly character-driven), and while parts are extremely steamy, it's not PWP. It's also got a solid action/adventure plot that sort of sneaks up on the reader, as it sneaks up on Ianto.

( Teaser )

elisi

Torchwood will soon return to our screens, so here's a story to remember what was.

Story: Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
Author: derryderrydown
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 6601
Author's Summary: "You let Ianto fall into the Rift," Jack said, with a level of strained calm that had Owen edging towards the door. "Alright." He took a deep breath. "But you should know that nobody sleeps until we find him. And I'm probably going to fire you all."
Characters/Pairings: Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness
Warnings: Explicit Sex
Recced because: I have read a lot of Jack/Ianto fics. No really, a lot. And most of them were pretty good, because I’m quite a cautious reader. But this one is one of those that stuck in my mind, and that I still come back to. I don’t want to give too much away, but it is in many ways a very unusual story, which tries to cast light on who the characters are, even when they’re not quite themselves, focussing on what’s fundamental to them and their relationship. It also delves into Jack’s past in rather brilliant way, beautifully highlighting how he’s changed over the years, and why. Plus, it’s just a really good, well-written story. Oh and hot too! :)

wendymr.livejournal.com

Story: The Miracle Series
Author:

trobadora
Rating: Up to Adult
Word Count: 7 separate stories so far, with word counts varying from 918 to 4204.
Author's Summary: "I really don't mind." - A series of encounters between Jack and the Doctor after Last of the Time Lords.
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor/Jack Harkness; also occasionally Jack/Ianto Jones, other Torchwood team members
Warnings: None

Recced because: There are, of course, many stories and series pairing Jack Harkness with the Tenth Doctor. But few of these do it in a believable way: not just taking into account the fact that Jack has a life of his own now, a team that matters to him and a relationship - with Ianto - which also matters very much to him, but also taking into account the history between Jack and the Doctor, and this Doctor's treatment of Jack in the past, as well as his massive avoidance issues. This series truly is a portrait of a dysfunctional relationship between an ancient alien with commitment-phobia and an immortal torn between his Earthbound team and the Doctor. The series is set some time after Last of the Time Lords, with Jack back with his team and the Doctor travelling on, but trying at the same time to build a relationship with Jack. However, the Doctor being the Doctor (and especially Ten), he does this rather backwards, in that they become lovers before there's been any attempt to sort out all the outstanding issues between them - let alone what they actually want from each other. This leaves Jack 'flying blind', as he puts it, because he has no idea if he can believe that this is real, that the Doctor will keep coming back - or that if he happens to say the wrong thing or give any indication that he's expecting too much the Doctor will disappear and never return.

And have a taster! This is from one of my favourite instalments in the series, the fourth, Leave:

( Excerpt below cut )

I hope you enjoy the series - and if you do, please tell the author!

allonymity.livejournal.com

Story: Intersecting Geodesics
Author: Nancy Brown
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 36704
Author's Summary: Stuck in the wrong time with a Jack who hasn't met him yet, all Ianto really wants is a way home.
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Jack/John Hart
Warnings:. Various shades of dub-con, non-descriptive mentions of sex trafficking, character death.

Recced because: This story is an absolute must-read for anyone who loves Ianto Jones, but even those who’ve never watched Torchwood can enjoy this well-written story of a man who finds himself stranded outside his own time, searching for a way to get back home. Nancy Brown does a great job of staying within canon while telling Ianto’s story after Children Of Earth. The portrayal of the Time Agency and its Agents seems chillingly plausible, and Ianto’s resourcefulness and courage are convincingly rendered.

allonymity.livejournal.com

Story: Second Opinion
Author: DameRuth
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 8732
Author's Summary: Jack is showing signs of stress, and won't take any help from his team; Ianto decides it's time to enlist the help of a certain Doctor.
Characters/Pairings: Ianto/Jack, Ten/Jack, team Torchwood
Warnings:. none

Recced because: This story is my favorite in DameRuth’s wonderful Flowers universe because of fascinating interactions between Ianto and the tenth Doctor. Even if you don’t ordinarily read Torchwood stories, this one is worth a try. Ianto’s point of view reveals how utterly alien the Doctor can be, while at the same time still being entirely the Doctor.

juliet316

Let's have a long and dark trip with Torchwood for our Thursday reading.

Story: Jack Harkness - Super Temp
Author: madder_rose
Rating: Adult/R
Word Count: 38609/33 chapters. Complete
Author's Summary: Jack Harkness lives in a cubicled office. Then one day, he meets a blue eyed man, and things slowly start to change.

Characters/Pairings: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, Gwen Cooper, Rhys Williams, Mickey Smith, Martha Jones, Sarah Jane Smith, OCs, Jack/OC, Gwen/Rhys, Jack/Ianto
Warnings: Domestic Violence/Rape, Torture, Mind Control, Adult language, character death

Recced because: What starts out seemingly as a complete AU, quickly turns into a terrifying and twisted story, involving a secret, evil branch of Unit, technology that's scary in both it's implimentation in the story and how scary it could be if used in real life, and a Jack who's victimized by both technology and the environment he's been placed in. Also features a kick-ass Ianto who takes no prisoners and is very much like the man who put shot Owen in the shoulder in Capt. Jack Harkness and used a stun gun to incapacitate one of the villians in Meat.

( Excerpt )

Current Mood: crappy

siani.livejournal.com

Everyone needs to have a good cry now and then, right?

Story: Note to Self: You're Going to Forget All This
Author: Teacupnosaucer
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 2380
Author's Summary: Three thousand years later, Jack doesn't remember much about the leather strap he wears around his wrist; all he knows is that the device inside it needs to be repaired as soon as possible. Every year that passes he finds himself forgetting more and more, his mind collapsing under the weight of his own prolonged existence. So he does his best to follow the clues his younger self leaves him in the hopes they'll lead him somewhere that makes sense again. For now, that means one date, expressed as coordinates: 2009-08-23.
Characters/Pairings: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones
Warnings: Swearing

Recced because: I don't consider myself a shipper as such (although I love a good romance,) I don't usually read much Torchwood fic (although I loved the show,) and the tag 'angst' usually makes me skip right over something automatically, and yet the description of this fic was so intriguing I had to give it a shot. I'm glad I did! Romance, angst, and a splash of timey-wimey combine perfectly in this sweet, sad story. You don't need to be a shipper or like Jack/Ianto to enjoy this one, you just have to have loved someone before.

Current Mood: content

humantales.livejournal.com

Story: What Never Should Be
Author: blucougar57
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 165,325
Author's Summary: What might have happened if Jack had refused to join Torchwood in 1899?
Characters/Pairings: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones
Warnings: N/A

Recced because: I love the good AU's and this is one of them. I found this story compelling because of the nature of the psychological damage Jack suffers in it, the relationship that begins to grow between Jack and Ianto as Jack begins to heal (it does eventually become Jack/Ianto), and how the canon characters respond to the two of them and to Torchwood's actions. I also like that the Doctor has to face up to and deal with the consequences of leaving Jack behind on the Game Station; I have never liked how that played out in canon.

It's a good "What if this happened instead of what did?" story.

humantales.livejournal.com

Story: Shades of Ianto
Author: sarcasticchick
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 34,165
Author's Summary: Ianto is more than just a teaboy.
Characters/Pairings: Ianto Jones, Jack/Ianto
Warnings: Muddled/dubious consent in chapter 4.

Recced because: This is an alternative view of Ianto Jones: his family, his heritage, his past and his abilities. It was written before Doctor Who Season 3 and Torchwood Season 2, so the information we discover from those wasn't available. I was, quite frankly, shocked that it hadn't already been recced.

In general, although there are exceptions other than this story, I don't enjoy Ianto protrayed as anything but a standard human with, at best, a middle class background. It is his humanity that I enjoy most about the character.

Shades of Ianto, however, although there's quite a bit of exceptional in both his background and heritage, keeps him "human"; he's still just a man in exceptional circumstances. He's not immortal, not overly powerful; he struggles with dealing with Canary Wharf, with Lisa, with Torchwood, with Jack. And it's those struggles that make the story.

I first read this story elsewhere, in which it was formatted as one long story. Here on Teaspoon, it's formatted as three; I've linked to the first "Prologue". There are two "Seasons" after that, but it is designed to be read as one story. The whole story is over 200,000 words.

elliptic-eye.livejournal.com

Story: To the End
Author: sheldrake
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2431
Author's Summary: He always means it at the time.
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Estelle, Jack/Ianto
Warnings: none

Recced because: What I've always loved most about this fic, the thing that makes me remember it and reread it, is its rendering of young Estelle, Estelle as Jack first knew her. She's brought alive with remarkable clarity in few words, and though the author had many years to work backward through, she fits. She's a marvel, but she fits.

There are a lot of other beautiful things to love about it, too, though: an Ianto who is flawed and conflicted and pissed off and developing; gorgeous details from the inside of Jack's head that we know must be there but rarely get to see; and a Jack who loves recklessly and frequently and by the measure of his life, briefly (and always means it at the time).

( Excerpt )

joking.livejournal.com

Story: Mobius
Author: Canaan
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 5472
Author's Summary: To save the universes, they had to save the Doctor. To save the Doctor, they had to save Donna. To save Donna, a certain non-Euclidean geometry was required. Timey-wimey angstfic with some h/c moments.
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Rose, Jack/Ianto, Tosh, Owen, Gwen, Donna, Jackie, others
Warnings: None

Recced because: This fic, which fills in the missing period in Rose's life during Turn Left when she was looking for Donna, is dark and difficult and thorny. It's full of sharp angles that stab and jab until you hurt. It's about might-have-beens and should-have-beens, and it's never easy or smooth, but it's worth every painful moment. Canaan writes wonderful darkfic, and here she serves up the best.

nonelvis

Story: The Glasgow Files
Author: Dune
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 4,190
Author's Summary: The official invitation only ran two words after giving the address and the relevant access codes: Come immediately.
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Warnings: None

Recced because: After "End of Days," Ianto is summoned to Torchwood's Glasgow office, where he spends quiet days cataloguing alien artifacts and mourning Jack. He also discovers that the slightly eccentric, middle-aged man running Torchwood Two is keeping a surprising and important secret. There's some great Ianto introspection here, and equally great insight into the complexities of his relationship with Jack – but saying any more would give away the plot twist, and that's worth discovering on your own.

elliptic-eye.livejournal.com

Story: Moving In
Author: Calico
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 6,850
Author's Summary: Ianto's first day at work. AKA, Oblivious Jack is oblivious!
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Warnings: Swearing, explicit sex, extremely complicated consent issues

Recced because: It's dead smack in the middle of yet another work-week; let's have some porn.

This fic isn't porn from beginning to end, though. It's porn nearly from beginning to end that manages to be one of the most brilliant Torchwood character studies I've read. Amazingly crafted, Moving In plays on everything we already know, rather than secrets the author holds, to deliver killer punchlines on so many levels at once. Darkly, bitterly funny, chilling, and hot all at once.

This fic seems to be well-known within TW fandom already; since I was clueless as to its existence until I stumbled on a rec somewhere not long ago, though, I wanted to share.

( Excerpt )

juliet316

I was going to rec something else entirely, but in light of somebody deciding to leave COE spoilers wide open for anybody to see them (including the subject line), I decided to rec a Jack/Ianto fic tonight.

Story: Sensory Chaos
Author: queenofhearts
Rating: PG/All Ages
Word Count: 1269; one - shot
Author's Summary: Post Exit Wounds. Spoilers for the TW S2 final.
Characters/Pairings: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Warnings: If there is any chance you have not seen how s2 of Torchwood ends, then it's probably best not to read this fic.

Recced because: This is one of the better fics that I've seen post - Exit Wounds that actually deal with what Jack went through in that episode. The author takes those events and handles the effects on Jack really well. The way Ianto deals with that is brilliantly done and begins the healing process I feel for both in the aftermath of that episode. It's one of the better fics I've seen dealing with the episode.

Current Mood: annoyed
Current Location: Home
Current Music: Fall Out Boy - America's Sweethearts

mizz_destiny

hi all!

mizz_destiny here as one of your recers this week. I have a passion for strange crossovers and stories with crazy timelines that can make your head hurt (or just grin). Most of my recs will fall in those two categories. Enjoy them!

Story: Non Linear
Author: winterhill
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 21531
Author's Summary: A TW/DW/Dead Like Me cross-over. I am only using the DLM universe - no DLM characters appear. Ianto's job after he dies is to collect the souls of the dead, but he's surprised to learn that he's got a very particular specialization. A fluffy Janto-together-forever fic with bonus Doctor(s). Multiple character deaths with the promise of an afterlife.
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, The Doctor
Warnings: Death fic.

Recced because: It's a brilliant, brilliant piece that shows a *realistic* relationship between Jack and Ianto. Their life isn't all sunshine and roses. There's plenty of death, mischief and mayhem. Winterhill manages to show us the boys' lives with healthy doses of reality, time hijinxs, dark humor, and mysticism. (There is also one of the best explanations of how we went from John Barrowman to Giant-Head-in-a-Jar). Have fun with it!

Note: As the Author's Summary reads, only the Dead Like Me universe is used. You really don't need to know that show to get this story. It's pretty much explained within.

( Excerpt under the cut )

misswinterhill.livejournal.com

Story: Disconnections
Author: Vera Steine
Rating: teen
Word Count: 7189
Author's Summary: Ianto woke up feeling depressed. Now he is also having a bad morning. Jack/Ianto.
Characters/Pairings: Ianto Jones, Torchwood
Warnings: S1 of TW

Recced because: This is a story with a simple premise - being stopped by the police because of a silly misunderstanding - and Vera Steine uses that event to illuminate the disconnection of the title, a sense of velleity that is all too real and familiar. This is a very different Ianto to the rec I gave you yesterday, and this fic gives great insight into Season One Ianto and his complications. There's no sobbing, no magic Jack who sweeps in and saves everything (although it is a Janto story), but there's hope at the end of the story that Ianto's bad day will get better.

dameruth.livejournal.com

Today I'm invoking the "yesterday was a holiday" clause (You there in the back with the rule book, pipe down, it is so allowed!) and posting a second rec, so I can fit in the stories I had lined up. Happy New Year again!

Story: "Dances In Four Worlds"
Author: Mercy_Brown
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 2335
Author's Summary: Four dances that could be happening somewhere. (Ianto/Lisa, Ianto/Rose, Ianto/Ten, Ianto/Jack)
Characters/Pairings: Ianto/Lisa, Ianto/Rose, Ianto/Ten, Ianto/Jack, as the summary says. :)
Warnings: None

Recced because: Four memorable dances that one Ianto Jones might be sharing, with four different partners. By the time I was done reading these four vignettes, I was utterly charmed and wanted all of them to be true. Happily, thanks to the magic of alternate universes, they are. ;)

such_heights

Story: Lacunae
Author:

kenazfiction (Kenaz)
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 4697
Author's Summary: There are many things Jack has forgotten.
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Warnings: None

Recced because: Jack/Ianto is a little under-represented as a ship here! And this is one of those stories that makes me want to pack up and go home. Kenaz writes amazing well, and even better her grasp on the characters is perfect, in that age-old tradition of fandom where we delve deeper into the stories than the show ever does. Because 'Exit Wounds' leaves Jack in an unimaginably horrible place, and Lacunae picks it up and deals with it head-on whilst never descending to melodrama. And though this is Jack's story, Ianto's thoughts and feelings are enormously vivid here too, and the end result is a story that makes me ache so beautifully for both of them.

( extract )

nonelvis

Story: Captain Jack's Adventures in Fanfic
Author: RedScharlach
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 683
Author's Summary: Jack can't tell you what he's thinking right now, but he CAN try to write it down afterwards, in copious and explicit detail. What a shame he sucks at summaries...
Characters/Pairings: Ten/Donna/Ten, Gwen, Jack/Ianto
Warnings: Explicit sex

Recced because: It's my last day of recs, so it's time for crackfic! The kinkmeme at

sizeofthatthing has produced some outstanding fic, but none funnier than this one. Written for a prompt based partially on Jack's line from "Journey's End" – "I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now" – this story is rude, crude, and made me laugh so hard I cried. Jack is an appalling fanfic author – his prose couldn't be more purple, he sticks author's notes wherever he feels like it, and he uses similes that are perhaps best described as "unique" and "unforgettable" in that "dear God, how could someone possibly write this" sort of way. Especially recommended for any fans or members of the

fanficrants and

weepingcock communities.

whochick.livejournal.com

Story: The Death of Me
Author: serenity_jane
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 3219
Author's Summary: Fifty years after his own time, John Ellis took his own life. Not alone, though, because Jack knew there were many ways to go, and dying alone was worse than dying with company. Ianto, however, doesn't see it that way.
Characters/Pairings: Ianto Jones/Jack Harkness
Warnings: Swearing - Angst, Drama

Recced because: My second rec in this post is pure crack, so I'm hedging my bets with a neat little piece of Jack/Ianto angst. I always found the scene where Jack stays with John Ellis while he takes his own life to be strangely disturbing and reassuring at the same time. Serenity_jane's take on Ianto's impression of things is dark and bitter and very Ianto.

Story: Toy Box
Author: wish wielder
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 2271
Author's Summary: As reunions go, this was a bit…well, ridiculous. Not that anyone was asking him, of course…
Characters/Pairings: Jack Harkness, Rose Tyler, The Doctor (10th)
Warnings: None

Recced because: I haven't yet posted anything that could be classed as pure crack ... and this one certainly can! Of all the fandoms I've read fic from, DW is uniquely formed for brilliant crackfic. This is a fine example of a common theme (post Doomsday reunion) which from the very first sentence has an enjoyable air of the ridiculous about it. Bits of it could have been tighter, but I stumbled upon this today when I was visiting for the links to the last few fics I'm reccing ... and it was the check-out aisle impulse buy of my week in the calufrax spotlight. Enjoy.

ghost2.livejournal.com

Story: Excerpts from the Sekrit Diary of Ianto Jones
Author: Sulla
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 3874
Author's Summary: A few excerpts taken at random from Ianto's diary.
Characters/Pairings: Ianto/Jack, Gwen, Toshiko, Owen
Warnings: none

Recced because: I already recced a "diary fic" this week, but I also like this one. It has a different pairing than the other story: Ianto/Jack, which has been sorely underrepresented on this comm so far. Maybe someone else will recommend serious Ianto/Jack; I'm going with crack. It's a reasonably quick read that contains a lot of amusing lines.

( Excerpt. )

wendymr.livejournal.com

My final two recs are explicitly ship-fics, but chosen because they stand out among a multitude of ship-fics in the modern Who era. Relationships, romance, even sex, but not as you’d expect, and again stories to make the reader think. If you’re interested in seeing Doctor/companion stories done well, try these last two recs of mine.

Story: At Thirty Paces
Author: Rallalon

Rated: Adult

Author’s summary: He's not coming. Not tonight.

Characters/Pairings: Jack Harkness, Rose Tyler, Tenth Doctor, Ninth Doctor, Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato, Estelle Cole. Pairings: Tenth Doctor/Rose/Jack; Tenth Doctor/Rose; Rose/Jack; Tenth Doctor/Jack, Jack/Estelle Cole, Jack/Ianto.

Warnings: Adult, Explicit Sex

Recced because: Here, finally, is an explanation for Jack’s ‘wrongness’ that I can accept and completely get behind, and an AU in which the Doctor doesn’t completely abandon him. It’s not an easy story to read, because it’s a painful, tragic love story in which no-one gets a happy ending. Yet it’s haunting, sticking in my mind for a long time after I read it. The Doctor is actually ‘allergic’ to Jack: if he comes any closer to Jack than a distance of thirty feet, he’s in excruciating pain. This is the story, in part, of how the three of them deal with that over the century-plus of Jack’s living the slow path (they space out Rose’s life, ‘rationing’ her so that Jack doesn’t lose her too soon), and it’s also how Jack copes with the slow path, and with his own doomed relationships while he waits. Waits for the Doctor, and for Rose, who almost never come. Tissue-warning, I think.

( Selected quote: )

reccity-rec-rec

calufrax is sleeping in your mind. One day, it may be brought back in front of your eyes.

April 2018

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A rec comm for A Teaspoon And An Open Mind

Entries tagged with pairing:ianto/jack

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