Gwen Cooper
The Lost Woman Song by Apiphile
A Gwen-centric character study of the Torchwood staff, written with insight and a genuine feel for what makes each character tick. (Ianto's dry wit is handled especially well.) If I have one complaint about the story, it's that I wish Apiphile had made the passage of time more explicit through formatting, because it's a pretty big leap from "Something Borrowed" to "Exit Wounds" without so much as an extra line space to mark the change.
Peace Attend (Our Weak Light Together) by Thirstyrobot
In the aftermath of "Exit Wounds," Gwen's stressed-out and restless, and eventually seeks comfort in a late-night (platonic) visit with Jack and Ianto. It feels true to all the characters, but most important, to Gwen, who lets her dedication to her job outweigh her responsibilities to herself.
Circus Girl Without a Safety Net by Find-rightbrain
This story feels a little lightweight in comparison to the first two, but only because it's short and has less densely packed exposition. There's still a nice punch at the end when Jack remembers what one of Gwen's coping mechanisms is.
Domestic Goddess by Doyle_sb4
The "character can't cook" trope usually annoys me, but here it's handled with deftly written and very funny dialogue as Gwen contacts her father and then Ianto to teach her how to make lasagna. The opening section could have been quicker to identify Gwen's dad, but that's the only technical error in an otherwise clever and sparkling fic.
Overall: Not a bad choice in the bunch. For sheer humor value, I'm going with Domestic Goddess, but you can't go wrong with any of these stories.
A Gwen-centric character study of the Torchwood staff, written with insight and a genuine feel for what makes each character tick. (Ianto's dry wit is handled especially well.) If I have one complaint about the story, it's that I wish Apiphile had made the passage of time more explicit through formatting, because it's a pretty big leap from "Something Borrowed" to "Exit Wounds" without so much as an extra line space to mark the change.
Peace Attend (Our Weak Light Together) by Thirstyrobot
In the aftermath of "Exit Wounds," Gwen's stressed-out and restless, and eventually seeks comfort in a late-night (platonic) visit with Jack and Ianto. It feels true to all the characters, but most important, to Gwen, who lets her dedication to her job outweigh her responsibilities to herself.
Circus Girl Without a Safety Net by Find-rightbrain
This story feels a little lightweight in comparison to the first two, but only because it's short and has less densely packed exposition. There's still a nice punch at the end when Jack remembers what one of Gwen's coping mechanisms is.
Domestic Goddess by Doyle_sb4
The "character can't cook" trope usually annoys me, but here it's handled with deftly written and very funny dialogue as Gwen contacts her father and then Ianto to teach her how to make lasagna. The opening section could have been quicker to identify Gwen's dad, but that's the only technical error in an otherwise clever and sparkling fic.
Overall: Not a bad choice in the bunch. For sheer humor value, I'm going with Domestic Goddess, but you can't go wrong with any of these stories.