Suki Blue

I can't believe I haven't rec'd this one before.

Stranded by ceefax_the_sane

It's Ianto's first time. For a threesome with Jack and an alien, that is.

Ianto/Jack/OMTA (Original Male Tentacled Alien)

I know, it sounds weird and squicky, but it's fabulously funny, brilliantly written, and the tentacle sex is actually rather hot.

New year, new layout. I'm going with a Nero banner this time. I think my infactuation with him will last as long as the game does, so best give him banner time while the urge is hot.

As years went, 2008 was okay. Some of it was fantabudastic, some of it made me wish I'd been born anyone but me and some of it was just fine.

I passed my OU course with a distinction, wrote two original novels, attended writerconuk, found several new fandoms, read a shit-load of books, comics, magazines and fanfic, got to know my family a little more ...

No wonder I'm exhausted!

My favourite books of 2008 were Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider books, Mark Haddon's A Spot of Bother and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and The House at Riverton by Kate Morton.

My favourite film was Iron Man. Not a good year for films. I actually found The Dark Knight to be somewhat of a disappointment. I feel a chick-flick phase approaching.

My fabourite TV shows were Torchwood, Doctor Who, Merlin and The Apprentice (When is that back on? I need some Sugar).

My favourite fandom was Torchwood (Jack/Ianto).

My favourite fics were Time Enough (Jack/Ianto) by veronicaluv, It Didn't Start Like This (Jack/Ianto) by szm, Take a Sad Song and Make it Better (Harry/Draco) by femmequixotic and Drop Dead Gorgeous (Harry/Draco) by Mistful.

My favourite dog was Indy, my favourite socks the red, stripy, fluffy ones, my favourite PJs the purple Eeyore with checked bottoms, favourite slippers the red slip-ons with pom poms. Fav perfume J-Lo Glow, fav body cream Molton Brown Yuan Zhi, fav people YOU GUYS!!!

Recs first.

Compromise by sam_storyteller -- Jack/Ianto

After the Beacons, Ianto's inner censor is offline and Jack refuses to go home. German expressionism ensues.

Post Countrycide fics are among my favourites in this fandom and this is the one I feel I've been waiting for all my life. As always with this author, it's beautifully written with perfect character voices, bouncing dialogue and interesting narrative. Plus, it proper hits the H/C buttons.


Children of Time is a relatively new Doctor Who/Torchwood fic archive run by our very own shannon730. Clear, well orgainised and thought out, it rivals and, in my opinion, betters A Teaspoon and an Open Mind.


It's Spander comm bloodclaim's 5th birthday coming up (tomorrow?) and in celebration of this, the gorgeous and talented literati has posted a big batch of Spander icons. Lit is a good friend of mine, but putting that aside for a brief moment, these are the best Spander icons I've seen in a very long time.


Now on to the chatter.


I took my iPod to work yesterday and I have now therefore listened to John Barrowman's new album, Music, Music, Music twelve trillion times. Along with the two tracks I mentioned last time, What About Us? and I Know Him So Well, I am now completely in love with the grand campness of I Am What I Am and the quiet Angel which I'm positive will make me cry if it catches me at the wrong/right moment.

Does anyone else find this news story about Gay Penguins Stealing Eggs absolutely heartbreaking?

And speaking of eggs:

It's been a while since I've mouthed-off about Torchwood so you were all overdue. Ahem.

Firstly, I would like to say how I simply cannot wait another second for S3. I've been a spoiler whore and it all sounds brilliant and the filming pics are just tantalising. I'm also working myself into an 'OMG, TELL ME THEY WON'T SPLIT JACK AND IANTO UP!' frenzy. I'm also worried about Rhys and PC Andy as they are the most expendable characters. Also, I have so much love for Rhys. Please don't let Gwen shit on him anymore. I like really her. I don't want that to change.

Secondly, I am so jealous of the folks who went to the Hub convention this weekend. I wish I'd gone. Although I have to say, I may not have survived the hug with Gareth or John. Still, I would give anything to witness all that snogging. Liek whoa. You've all seen the pics, yes? The best ones are HERE and HERE. Gareth sitting on John's lap does pleasant things to my brain.

Thirdly, I read The Torchwood Archives book today. Very cool. I highly recommend it to any fan. I was mega-chuffed that it had all the Captain's Blog stuff in it. I love reading the little bits Jack says about Ianto, like about having to replace the stopwatch when it was damaged "moving a desk", ha ha.

Fourthly, my friend R, who supports me through all my phases, obsessions and general craziness, spotted the latest three Torchwood novels in Tescos for four quid each, the same price as Amazon when I'd pre-ordered, and was still waiting for because they're totally out of stock. Demand must be high. This now means I will have to drop everything. Russell T Davies's The Writer's Tale will have to wait. Lancelot picspam will most likely be delayed. I'm on a tight reading schedule to clear my backlog of books before my birthday so I can rip open my birthday box from amejisuto and make an instant start on the new and shiny books within. Yays!!

Fifthly, I've been watching S1 commentaries. Cyberwoman and Countrycide so far because they're my fav S1 eps. I assume you guys have watched some of them? Are there any with John and Gareth? Which are the best ones to watch? I've only got a few days until my NCIS DVDs arrive, which is entirely Ame's fault :oD

I'll shut up now.

Just two, but they are both absolute musts.

Time Enough by veronicaluv

You've heard of an episode tag? This is The Ultimate Episode Tag and then some. It starts post-Cyberwoman and finishes post-Exit Wounds 66,000 words later. It's all the in between bits between Jack and Ianto that we've all wondered about, and so much more. It's absolutely beautiful, with a perfect balance of angst and romance, plot and character study, canon and fanon. Seriously stop whatever you are doing and read this right now.


It Didn't Start Like This by szm

Remember the DW season 1 episode Boom Town with Captain Jack, and the Slitheen trying to meltdown Cardiff's powerplant? Now, imagine Captain Jack never went on to be part of Torchwood. Imagine Suzie Costello running Torchwood. Now imagine Ianto leaving Torchwood One before the battle of Canary Wharf and transfering to work for Suzie. Now imagine Ianto became suspicious of this supposed power plant ... See where I'm going with this? Now as I've stated before, I'm not a fan of AUs, but this is fabulous and fun and my goodness I'm damn well going to go and read it again right this minute. There's a lot of angst in the TW fandom and this has none of that, instead showing us a completely untainted Jack and Ianto.

I really feel like I've achieved something today. No, I haven't redecorated or donated money to charity or even so much as managed to drag myself out of the house. No, no, no, I have finally finished lucy_locket's Magnificent Monster Janto Rec List of Doom. (I seem to make that title longer every time I mention it.) Anyway, it's done. I've read the lot. 75 pages of pure gold recs. Two weeks, that took, and now I have 211 LJ notifications waiting in my Googlemail Inbox. Gulp.

If anyone would like a copy of the list, I am more than happy to email it. Just drop me a comment with your email address and I'll send it along. Lurkers and anonymous people, the offer is open to you guys, too. No one should miss out!

In other news, I have no Muse. I think he left me (and, yes, I know its weird to have a male Muse, but I can't help it). I can't seem to write anything. Not fanfic or original. I shall whine about this in my other journal at some point very soon, but I thought I would just mention in passing that this is the worst writers block I've ever experienced.

And lastly, I'm siiiiiiiiiick! My throat is sooooooooooore!

So, I'm slowly working my way through lucy_locket's Janto Masterlist of DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM and I came across (not literally) this one:

Belonging by burkesl17

Ianto goes home to visit his family on his birthday – and comes home to a surprise party at the hub arranged by Jack.

This is going in my top ten Janto fics ever. You know how in different fandoms you have a particular preference on type of story? For Spander it was always H/C, with McShep it was the comedy fics, with Drarry it was adult!future!Drarry. Well, for Janto, it's country boy!domestic!Ianto. I LOVE to see how people imagine Ianto's life outside of Torchwood.

This fic is beautifully written with a calm, meandering storyline that perfectly reflects Ianto's personality and his family life.


On a completely separate note, I've just installed Word 2007 and dear lord it's so pretty!!

Firstly, by sam_storyteller:

Dresser and the sequel Naked

First Day

Sleeping my Way to the Top

Manchild

Hard Bargain and Zero sum (These are two fics, but they were posted together.)

Out of those above I particularly enjoyed Hard Bargain, a pre-series AU about how Ianto joins Torchwood 3. It's given me a yen for welsh-farm-boy!Ianto so if anyone knows of any more, do let me know.

Now on to some other authors:

Blinkers by blackbird_song

Green!injured!Ianto, auw! Told from Gwen's POV, bless her.

The Face of God by alex51324

Ianto looks after a civilisation in a jam jar. So totally original, and don't forget the cute!

Every Day by the9thdoctor and leofuller

Another injured!Ianto fic, told this time from PC Andy's POV as someone observing Torchwood and Jack and Ianto's relationship. This is quite touching.

Bored of this yet? ~g~

Take Me There by coffeejunkii

Jack and Ianto get some hands-on experience with The Joy of Gay Sex.

I know this sounds like it's only a PWP, but actually it's much more than that. Beatifully written, funny and tender. There is a potentially squicky element, but trust me and keep reading because it's worth it. I wasn't squicked at all and it is often a major one for me.


No Word For Yes by sam_storyteller

Someday he will have a Jack-to-English dictionary. Though it will contain more than just the words, he supposes. And be unsuitable for children.

It's Sam, and if you've read my previous recs you'll know how good he is. I adored this little glimpse of Jack and Ianto in a domestic setting. It's how I imagine cannon to be, and I get such a thrill out of that.


Pavlov's Bell by smirnoffmule

“It wasn’t as though his other charges were undemanding. Google wasn’t turning up much in the way of help on caring for your first pterodactyl, and Myfanwy wasn’t eating very well. At least, she wasn’t eating food very well. She ate technology, carrying out dawn raids on the computers and spreading wires about like entrails. She liked paperwork too, and shredded it with relish as fast as Ianto could file. And then there was Jack, who was blessedly uncurious about Ianto’s personal life, but none the less demanding in his own way.”

Another version of how Jack and Ianto initially got together. Again, completely believable. This is an angsty piece, and beautifully written. I love Ianto's desperation and pain, and I adore Jack's quiet concern and flirtatious behavior.


Right, that's me done for the evening. I'm off to watch X Factor.

Sorry about the spammy posts this evening. I'm trying to catch up with myself.

Blind Date by lady_razzle -- Jack/Ianto

It’s Ianto’s first solo field assignment. Jack is not best pleased.

More jealous!Jack anyone? Ianto is undercover trying to find an alien speed-dater. Jack is so cute with his disapproval, and I could completely see him behaving like this. I cackled.