Torchwood not-a-Thursday recs

[sholio]

Look at that, I still have a Torchwood icon!

My sister is watching Torchwood for the first time and invited me to (long-distance) join her in a rewatch. We are currently up to 2x07, "Dead Man Walking," and I have fallen HARD into a waiting pit trap of feelings (with rusty spikes at the bottom). I had a very hard falling out with this show when they started killing off characters left and right, and haven't watched a single minute of it since Children of Earth, but now I'm remembering how much I loved this dumbass show and its sweetly earnest team dynamics back in the day. I don't expect this to be a long-term fandom for me, but it's a fun little nostalgic flirtation.

I've also gone poking around for fic, which I haven't read since 2008-ish (the pre-AO3 days!) and found some really good stuff. This is one of those fandoms where I'm out of step with most of what people are writing about; I enjoy everyone and all the canon pairings on the show, but ficwise my heart belongs to the Owen-Tosh-Ianto triad, and there is not really much there. However, some of what I found is really amazing.

Fic

Two of Us Are Hung From the Same Twisted Rope by ShastaFirecracker (15K, late season 2)
Alien tech leaves Ianto and Owen stuck in one body. This is probably hands down the best bodswap/body-sharing fic I have ever read. It's hilarious and heartbreaking and fantastically well written, Ianto and Owen are perfectly themselves, and the rest of the team is great too. The Jack/Ianto is also super sweet here. Seriously, I cannot rec this enough; I stayed up way too late last night reading it.

Welcome to Anger Management by engagemythrusters (2300 words, late season two)
Owen drags Ianto out for a drink ... well, Ianto drinks, Owen complains about not being able to drink. It's prickly and angry and sweet, and really nails their dynamic at its best.

Foreign Languages by starfishstar (500 words, pre-series to season 1-ish)
A series of drabbles about Jack getting to know the team through different languages. Insightful and nicely characterized.

Walking Wounded by cold_feets (5300 words, between seasons, Ianto/Owen, unfinished WIP)
So technically this is a never-finished WIP, so yeah. But the style is such that I'm not sure whether you ever could really tack an ending on; it's a series of vignettes about Ianto and Owen getting to know each other and comforting each other and kind of developing a fuckbuddy sort of thing after Jack leaves at the end of season one. And I love the pairing and there's really not much fic for it. (Yeah, so I could read the canon M/M juggernaut pairing that everyone loves and there are a squizillion fics for, or how about I go looking this almost nonexistent rarepair instead!).

Inappropriate Workplace Conversations by ShastaFirecracker (2500 words, early season 2)
Cute bantery teamfic in which the team speculates about Jack's prowess in bed, and Ianto refuses to confirm or deny allegations. Some sweet, hot Jack/Ianto at the end.

Trundling on by Cmdr_Spadge (1200 wds, season one-ish)
Slightly AU-ish; Owen and Ianto develop a grudging friendship in season one.

Vids

Home by winter_jasmine
Gorgeous Tosh character study.

Affirmation by Butterfly
An upbeat, fun Doctor Who/Torchwood vid from back in 2008.

Life Is A Song by catnap332
A sweet/sad vid about the team's journey in seasons 1 & 2.

The Pioneers by giandujakiss
Nice team vid.

Comments

[sovay]

but ficwise my heart belongs to the Owen-Tosh-Ianto triad, and there is not really much there.

Did you write any of it?

(I have never seen this show.)

[sholio]

I have not! I was never into the show for long enough to write anything; I had a very brief, very intense flirtation with it that involved marathoning two entire seasons right before - like seriously, about four days before - the episode aired in which they killed off both my then-favorite characters. (I'm definitely stopping on a specific episode on the rewatch.)

However, my brain has been kicking various plot ideas at me, so if I manage to fit any of them in between everything else I've been writing lately - including more terrible things planned for Ward, naturally - there may be fic showing up here sooner or later!

[sovay]

I had a very brief, very intense flirtation with it that involved marathoning two entire seasons right before - like seriously, about four days before - the episode aired in which they killed off both my then-favorite characters.

That's . . . impressive. Jeez.

However, my brain has been kicking various plot ideas at me, so if I manage to fit any of them in between everything else I've been writing lately - including more terrible things planned for Ward, naturally - there may be fic showing up here sooner or later!

I approve of all of this!

[aroberuka]

I had a very brief, very intense flirtation with it that involved marathoning two entire seasons right before - like seriously, about four days before - the episode aired in which they killed off both my then-favorite characters.

ouch. my sympathies. children of earth was my introduction to torchwood so at least i knew what i was in for "xD (pain, what i was in for was pain)

if you're looking, dmarley_recs has a list of ianto & tosh (both gen & ship) recs and a couple of owen & ianto ones. most of those links aren't even dead!

[sholio]

Ooh! Thank you so much for the links! :) Recs are fab - I will check them out!

[trobadora]

I'm more of a Doctor Who fan overall, but I loved Torchwood, including Children of Earth. (Not what came after, alas.) Haven't revisited it in ages either ... Glad you're enjoying it again!

[sholio]

I wasn't expecting to fall for it this hard on the rewatch! I don't think it'll pull me away from my main fandoms, but it's terrific for a short-term infatuation, especially since I have someone who is watching for the first time to talk to about it.

[yalumesse]

I was never a big Owen fan but I am completely with you on the hard falling out with this show. I watched Children of Earth and Miracle day and HATED, with vitriol, the lot of them. I wrote a furious fix-it for those seasons and now only ever watch the first two. OH MY GOD I CANNOT PUT INTO WORDS HOW ANGRY THIS SHOW MADE ME. I stopped watching it for a long time. I don't know if I can get back into it anymore.

[sholio]

.... revisiting this two months later, I am mildly alarmed at how hard I've re-fallen into this show. SEND HELP.

[yalumesse]

I wish I could, but HOW? fandomers, we fandom hard and I don't know how to un-fandom. I don't think I've ever stopped stanning a fandom except by time and exhaustion.

btw, all your gifsets and excitability are putting me on the path to rewatching it too (s1-2 ONLY). I reaaaaaaally haven't got the mental or emotional energy right now... but it'll probably happen sooner or later.