Guard Him and Them Within by Etharei
Guard Them and Him Within by etharei
Jack/Ianto NC-17
When the Rift takes Ianto he finds himself in the future under seige on a desolate outpost with only a future version of Jack to keep him company. A Jack who doesn't remember who he is.
The fandom shattering events of Children of Earth rather overshadowed the latest round of Tardis Big Bang which is an immense shame as this is a fic which deserves to be widely read.
Lengthy, satisfying, well paced fic with great characterisation.
Ianto is far too often depicted in fic as an emo 12 year old girl so its a joy to finally find a fic in which Ianto is strong and capable. His situation may be terrifying but he adapts no matter what is thrown at him. I was expecting there to be a scene where he suffers an emotional collapse in front of Jack and tells him all about their relationship together and was delighted that we didn't get it. Whilst I initally thought it was a cop out that future Jack didn't know who Ianto was that's dealt with in the story very well and the author does a great job of making this Jack different enough from our Jack to keep us intrigued while still making him recognisably Jack. The OCs are also strongly drawn and engaging - normally I shy away from a fic with multiple OCs as the potential for Mary and Gary Sue's is huge but not in this case. These characters are quirky and interesting and we fall for them just as much as Ianto does. And the base on which Ianto reluctantly finds himself posted is almost another character in the story. It's a wonderful, vivid piece of world building with "The Wake" an eerie presence permeating the story. Whilst the author's infuences seem clear (a touch of Pitch Black, Total Recall, Ghosts of Mars) the piece still seems fresh and enjoyably original. There is a slight deus ex machina in the form of a character who appears in the story for no apparent reason but that's instantly forgiveable as the rest of the story is so strong.
Highly recommended.
Jack/Ianto NC-17
When the Rift takes Ianto he finds himself in the future under seige on a desolate outpost with only a future version of Jack to keep him company. A Jack who doesn't remember who he is.
The fandom shattering events of Children of Earth rather overshadowed the latest round of Tardis Big Bang which is an immense shame as this is a fic which deserves to be widely read.
Lengthy, satisfying, well paced fic with great characterisation.
Ianto is far too often depicted in fic as an emo 12 year old girl so its a joy to finally find a fic in which Ianto is strong and capable. His situation may be terrifying but he adapts no matter what is thrown at him. I was expecting there to be a scene where he suffers an emotional collapse in front of Jack and tells him all about their relationship together and was delighted that we didn't get it. Whilst I initally thought it was a cop out that future Jack didn't know who Ianto was that's dealt with in the story very well and the author does a great job of making this Jack different enough from our Jack to keep us intrigued while still making him recognisably Jack. The OCs are also strongly drawn and engaging - normally I shy away from a fic with multiple OCs as the potential for Mary and Gary Sue's is huge but not in this case. These characters are quirky and interesting and we fall for them just as much as Ianto does. And the base on which Ianto reluctantly finds himself posted is almost another character in the story. It's a wonderful, vivid piece of world building with "The Wake" an eerie presence permeating the story. Whilst the author's infuences seem clear (a touch of Pitch Black, Total Recall, Ghosts of Mars) the piece still seems fresh and enjoyably original. There is a slight deus ex machina in the form of a character who appears in the story for no apparent reason but that's instantly forgiveable as the rest of the story is so strong.
Highly recommended.