A quick thought

[eldarwannabe]

So, let's take two steps back to before House of the Dead.

What if Jack was the one who was constantly sharing his feelings, saying "I love you" to Ianto a la this as a casual, everyday sort of thing, and Ianto was the emotionally closed one

Comments

[analineblue]

I am completely on board with Ianto + Carlie fic. :D

And you know, it's funny - I've actually been sort of having a hard time with this whole confession thing of Jack's because for so, so long I've struggled to make sense of what happens in COE, and him NOT saying it? I mean, it devastated me at first, and then I came to terms with it, and then I sort of fell in love with what that 'don't' came to mean to me (basically for me it's not even a response to what Ianto says at all, more of a reaction to the entire situation, to the fact that Jack knows that this is the moment that he's losing him. That 'don't' is denial, to me, more than anything else ;__;) and so... Yeah, IDEK anymore. I guess I sort of see this confession as... True desperation, maybe? He's had time to think and regret and all of that since COE, so this is just one of those things. And of course it doesn't need to be said, but at the same time... I think Jack struggles so much with wanting to be normal, and so I think that could explain also why he feels like he needs to say it?

[/rambling] Geez, and that's not even when you were talking about! :P I do think the idea of a role reversal is interesting though~ *nodnod* It's crossed my mind in terms of COE, too. That maybe the 'don't' is a reaction to hearing something like that actually coming out of Ianto's mouth, and like you said, knowing that this means it's really the end. ;_;

[eldarwannabe]

Yay Ianto and Carlie!

I'm actually writing this epically long thing where I try to puzzle out why I haven't embraced House of the Dead fully, and probably never will. And I think the fact that fandom was forced to deal with it on their own terms was something good, and pandering to us isn't necessarily the best step to take.

When I first watched Day Four, I thought the "don't" was beautiful. Much more real than an instinctive "I love you too." (I came in already having had fandom tell me that it was a Huge Tragedy, and it puzzled me for a while.) I totally agree that House of the Dead is after Jack has been kicking himself for the lost opportunity and is desperately trying to make everything alright.

Rambling is good! Fandom conversations are the best thing ever!! I'm just puzzling over the role reversal, because it's so obvious that they intended Jack to be the close-to-the-chest one and Ianto is all "I FALL HARD. I LOVE YOU." and I take that as my canon a lot, but changing that one (off-screen) thing gives it this little subtle different spin.

[analineblue]

I have no idea whether I can fully embrace House of the Dead completely either. Now that it's been a day or so, I find that it's left me with this weird lingering feeling that I can't put my finger on, and it's kind of driving me nuts! Maybe reading your puzzling-it-out post will help me too? ;)

But yeah, for me it's just... SO MUCH to come to terms with all at once, when we haven't had anything new for forever, you know? I honestly came into this fandom and started writing, I think mostly to work out how to make canon make sense in my head? So honestly, even more than MD, the idea of having NEW CANON to work in to how I see them is just... not easy. *_* And I mean, I love seeing so much emotion between them again, and I love so much of THOTD, but I still don't know how to make it all make sense either. *_*

And for me, I was honestly really angry with Jack for a while after Day Four. XD; Or at least, I just couldn't reconcile it? But then I did, and now I think it's beautiful, and absolutely would never even think of trading it for that stock "yeah, me too" response. (And you've heard the story about how Jack was initially supposed to say it back and then GDL requested the change to 'don't'? When I heard that I think it just drove it home more that it had to be that way. *_*)

sariagray said it really well below, too. I don't think it's so much of a role reversal, as much as it is Jack showing how completely human he is, even after all this time, and even though he thinks he's mastered losing people, you know? (It makes me think of that line in Submission, actually, when Ianto says that Jack's become a master of letting go?) I think Jack needs to say it for himself though, to fulfill that basic human need, to stave off some of the regret that's so inevitable once someone is gone. ;__;

*sigh* So many thoughts, lol. ;)