My goal with this fic was to see if I could believably twist Jack into something different. Given your response to it, I'm guessing I've managed. Jack is a little skewed in this fic, and I think a large part of it is the changed dynamics of the team.
Without Ianto, there's one less person that Jack can rely on. Given that Ianto appears to be the one who tackles the daily minutiae (like getting food for the team) it's easy for me to believe that without him, Jack would be that little bit more sucked into the job. On top of that, "Ianto" is actually a faerie which is actively trying to influence him back into a kind of amoral lifestyle, and which is playing so many mind games with him I'm surprised he isn't a gibbering wreck yet. Ianto's shaping Jack to be something he otherwise wouldn't be.
The other part of that, of course, is that the withdrawn despondency (is that the word I'm looking for?) we see in Jack is largely only in his mind. When interacting with the team (for the most part), I tried to keep the language in-character (for the series, not this fic). The contrast with his thought processes is even more pronounced that way, methinks, and you really get to see how Ianto's influenced him. (More of that in the next part!)
I don't think Jack will reintegrate well into Torchwood as fairy!Ianto's posession. -- You're quite right; Season 2's going to play out... shall we say, differently.
I specifically wanted to avoid having this fic go epic like my previous fic. So, one chapter for Season 1, one for the YTNW, one for Season 2. And the pared-down feel of the chapters, I think, worked in conveying the horror, especially of the YTNW. It's like the faeries; the scariest thing is what you don't see, and I tried to give just enough detail (with moments of stark description) to pique your imagination. I'm really glad it worked for you, because that's my favourite thing about the fic.
I do think there's a disconnect between Jack and the Doctor (rant for another time), and in this case, yes, there's a sense that Jack's just turned away the one person who might be able to help him. He's chosen Ianto now, despite knowing what he's getting himself into. That's probably the most fascinating thing about writing this Jack, really - that he's going into the situation with eyes wide open, but he's choosing to do so anyway. Why is up to anyone's interpretation.
Thanks for the lovely, long, thoughtful review; I hope you don't mind me blathering on endlessly in reply. I tend not to know when to shut up, once I get going!
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2010-06-08 01:34 pm (UTC)Without Ianto, there's one less person that Jack can rely on. Given that Ianto appears to be the one who tackles the daily minutiae (like getting food for the team) it's easy for me to believe that without him, Jack would be that little bit more sucked into the job. On top of that, "Ianto" is actually a faerie which is actively trying to influence him back into a kind of amoral lifestyle, and which is playing so many mind games with him I'm surprised he isn't a gibbering wreck yet. Ianto's shaping Jack to be something he otherwise wouldn't be.
The other part of that, of course, is that the withdrawn despondency (is that the word I'm looking for?) we see in Jack is largely only in his mind. When interacting with the team (for the most part), I tried to keep the language in-character (for the series, not this fic). The contrast with his thought processes is even more pronounced that way, methinks, and you really get to see how Ianto's influenced him. (More of that in the next part!)
I don't think Jack will reintegrate well into Torchwood as fairy!Ianto's posession. -- You're quite right; Season 2's going to play out... shall we say, differently.
I specifically wanted to avoid having this fic go epic like my previous fic. So, one chapter for Season 1, one for the YTNW, one for Season 2. And the pared-down feel of the chapters, I think, worked in conveying the horror, especially of the YTNW. It's like the faeries; the scariest thing is what you don't see, and I tried to give just enough detail (with moments of stark description) to pique your imagination. I'm really glad it worked for you, because that's my favourite thing about the fic.
I do think there's a disconnect between Jack and the Doctor (rant for another time), and in this case, yes, there's a sense that Jack's just turned away the one person who might be able to help him. He's chosen Ianto now, despite knowing what he's getting himself into. That's probably the most fascinating thing about writing this Jack, really - that he's going into the situation with eyes wide open, but he's choosing to do so anyway. Why is up to anyone's interpretation.
Thanks for the lovely, long, thoughtful review; I hope you don't mind me blathering on endlessly in reply. I tend not to know when to shut up, once I get going!