#but when gwen says that of course the last person she kissed was rhys | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fishoutofcamelot · 4 years

Text

Time Heals Some Wounds (And Causes Others)

My first merthur fic!

Arthur didn't spend two years remembering his past life, rounding up all his old Camelot buddies, and tracking down where the hell his immortal idiot had dallied off to - just to be snubbed! As if their ten years together meant nothing to him!

To be fair, ten years to Arthur would've been but a scant moment or two for Merlin. He even did the math. Only 0.06% of Merlin's disturbingly long life was spent with Arthur.

People's memory started failing them at the age of seventy, let alone a thousand. Was it any surprise Merlin would forget such a fleeting moment that had happened so early in his painfully long existence? It would be like asking Arthur to remember the first few months of his life, and Arthur didn't even remember what he ate for dinner last week.

So yes, it had been wishful thinking to hope that Merlin would recall anything by the time they reunited. And yes, it had been selfish of him to be so bitter when Merlin didn't.

In 2020, Merlin went by the alias Rhys Anderson. Which, in Arthur's opinion, was the dumbest name anyone could possibly think of. So at least it was in character for Merlin, who was likewise the dumbest person anyone could possibly meet.

(Gwen had slapped him last time he said that aloud.)

But even after all these centuries, no matter how forgetful and absent-minded Merlin's age had made him, he was still Merlin. Still cheerful and sassy and kind, still wearing his heart on his sleeve and still giving the best advice. And above all, still an idiot.

Though it pained him - and everyone else, he suspected - he let himself accept that this Merlin was Rhys now. He let himself move on. Let himself befriend Rhys just as seamlessly as he'd befriended Merlin.

It didn't help that this new era brought new emotions and possibilities with it. And against all odds, Arthur found himself falling for Merlin. Falling fast and hard.

Which was no good at all, especially considering...well...all of that.

Arthur tried to quell the way his heart pounded whenever Merlin drew near; tried to ignore the way his chest heated up with a fluttering, friendly warmth whenever Merlin smiled at him; tried to ignore his aching desire to spend more, more, more time at Merlin's side.

He tried. And he failed.

Morgana - now called Morgan Barnes, an interior designer and redeemed ex-villain (and Gwen Smith's closeted admirer) - got fed up with his pining after a while and told him to just take the plunge.

"What's the worst that could happen?" She had asked while they ate ice cream and strolled along the park trail, as per their Sunday routine.

He glared at her. "You know exactly what could happen."

"Eh. Merlin - Rhys - is too nice to shut you away just because you've got a crush on him. I mean, he didn't turn Gwaine away."

Arthur gaped.

"What? You didn't know Gwaine used to have a crush on your manservant?"

Arthur continued to gape.

Morgan laughed. "How observant of you, my lord. On second thought, maybe you shouldn't confess to Rhys after all. He's far too good for you."

For all that she had reformed and straightened up her ways in this new life, she was still a maniacal bitc-

Morgan's wheedling did the trick. In a few days, Arthur found himself inviting Rhys over to his apartment for a nice, casual movie night, with a half-formed plan in the back of his mind to try and initiate something between them should the opportunity present itself.

If all went well, the kiss would spark Merlin's faintest of memories into clarity - like how it worked on television. If that didn't happen and Merlin's memories remained ever so hopelessly destroyed by time...well, he still enjoyed "Rhys's" company, and that's what counted.

The movie was some stupid sci-fi flick Merlim had picked out. For an immortal wizard, he sure seemed to like science and technology and future-y things. Arthur would have thought he'd be more fond of the past.

Of course, it would make sense that Merlin disliked historical dramas and fantasy as much as he did. It probably reminded him all too well of his own miserably immortal life. With sci-fi, he could forget for a few moments just how timeless he really was, and lose himself into the folds of terrible special effects and incoherent technobabble.

Well that was a depressing thought.

When the credits rolled, and the popcorn bowl had run empty, Arthur spotted his golden-ticket opportunity.

They were both laughing and joking about something stupid that had happened in the movie. And then the laughter faded. And then it was just the two of them staring and smiling contentedly at each other. And the lights were off, save the dim glow of the television. And their gazes turned more and more intent, and their faces drew closer...closer...closer...

Merlin turned his head to the side, face screwed up in shame. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I can't."

Arthur's heart sunk. "W-what?"

Sensing Arthur's horror and embarrassment, Rhys quickly amended. "I-I mean - I care about you! I care about you a lot, Arthur! Dare I say it, I might even love you."

Arthur's heart seized at the word 'love', but he refused to get his hopes up. "But?"

A weary sigh. "But...I love another."

Arthur mentally slapped himself. How could he have been so naive to think that Merlin wouldn't have found a special someone in all his years of life? Had he been such a fool as to believe that Merlin would never attach himself to anyone after Arthur?

"Who's the lucky guy?" Arthur asked, trying - failing - not to sound as heartbroken and bitter as he felt.

Merlin's face scrunched up in wistful confusion. "I can't remember his name. It was a long time ago. I can't remember much of anything anymore..."

That last sentence was more for Merlin to think out loud than for Arthur to hear, but he agreed nonetheless. Merlin's inability to recall Camelot wasn't the only sign of his deteriorating mind. He frequently forgot where he put things, or what year it was, or what his name was (he has a habit or confusing his current alias with his one from WWI, oddly enough). Several times Arthur had tracked him down and guided him home just because he couldn't remember where he lived. Suffice to say, the years had taken quite a toll on him.

Merlin shook himself out of his reverie. "Look. I just - he died long ago. And even though I can't even remember what he looked like, a part of me is still upset about it. As much as I love you, it wouldn't be fair to start something with you while my heart still belongs to another."

"Thanks for considering my emotions, I suppose," he acquiesced, nodding solemnly. "But - wait, you said you can't even remember what he looked like?"

Merlin gave a sheepish shrug. "I can't remember anything about him at all, really. All I know is the way I loved him."

Arthur swallowed hard. "A-and how did you love him?"

For once, Merlin dared to lift his shame-filled gaze off the floor and straight at Arthur. Though it was too dark to see, he knew by heart how intensely Merlin's blue eyes burned.

"More deeply than I'll ever love anyone else."

Knowing he couldn't compete with that, Arthur hung his head, bid his farewells, and watched Merlin awkwardly leave.

When Merlin was gone, Arthur allowed himself to vent his frustrations. To cry out and throw things and hit other things and yell into his pillow.

Who was that mystery man of his, anyway? Who could Merlin possibly love, who had he lost so long ago that he could no longer...remember...them...

Oh god.

Arthur was the mystery man.

Gwaine would have laughed at the irony. Darn near all of his friends would have, in fact. And maybe Arthur would have laughed as well, if not for the fact that he was far too frustrated to do so.

Still, this was a ray of hope. If Merlin could recall the slightest inkling of Arthur as they had once been before, regardless of the capacity that recollection came in...then maybe this wouldn't be so terrible after all.

#tonight on: im writing weird drabbles on my phone instead of sleeping #merlin bbc #merlin #bbc merlin #merthur #fanfiction #merlin fanfiction #long post #long #fish post

93 notes · View notes

agentdammers · 6 years

Text

Grand Torchwood Rewatch 1x12 & 13

IF YOU FALL I WILL CATCH U I’LL BE WAITING........ T I M E A F T E R T I M E

One season down...... It’s a Finale Double Whammy, just as it aired back in 2007! Crumbs of Jack Lore drop into our laps, some absolute plot bullshit takes place, an old man is there!!! fuck it let’s get this over with

content warn: pisstaking, fun having, oh! plot bullshit!, i absolutely lose my fucking mind, Owen Harper!!! I Won’t Hesitate Bitch

1x12 “captain jack harkness”

- a thought before we dive in, but man owen gets A LOT of story stuff over the course of the 2 seasons he’s in right??? like more story stuff than ianto and tosh combined. interesting

- AH FUCK!!! A VOTE SAXON POSTER. REMEMBER WHEN?

- so..... here’s a thing. “Ohhh people have heard music from a derelict building! better send torchwood in!” how... does that come about? Could it be squatters or something??? fuck it, let’s send in a Secret Government Agency! they’ll sort it out. i mean we don’t know what they do exactly but i imagine at least one of them is a ghostbuster or something lmao, whatever

- OH NO THIS CREEPY OLD BITCH!!! i forgot how scary he looked!! god, this dude must be a million, or a vampire, or likely both

- tosh’s eyes get SO BIG WHEN THAT GUY ASKS HER TO DANCE I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!! she’s the best one!!!!!!

- wish i could wipe this episode entirely from my memory because that fucking reveal when the Real jack harkness introduces himself? F U C K

- speaking of tosh, finding it extremely unconvincing that she, a tech nerd, would go out with a laptop with an almost completely flat battery... like, c’mon. she would be prepared

- Gwen cooper, a fully adult woman: haha me and my friends;;;; came here 4 a dare;;; cos its spooky lol....

- the camera on this show has me fucking SCREEEAMING “He wears a cravat.” THERE’S A DRAMATIC SLOW MOTION ZOOM IN ON THIS GUYS FUCKING CRAVAT AND THEN ON IANTO’S FACE LOOKING AT IT AND ITS ALL IN FUCKING EARNEST LET ME DIE!!!!!!!!!

- the dance they’re at is called “KISS THE BOYS GOODBYE DANCE”, which is what my finishing move would be called if i was a character in a fighting game

- ianto and owen slapfighting over their shit girlfriend experiences fucking owns genuinely lmao

- tosh pops the top off a tin and then cuts her hand open on the obviously blunt fucking lid?????? jesus christ

- “I’m tired of living in awe of the rift!!!” .....................first i’ve heard of it. I love that owen is talking as though the rift has been a major fucking factor throughout the entire series up until this point, rather than a thing that’s just been vaguely fucking referenced as the reason why a bunch of weird shit just seems to happen in cardiff. no, im not standing for this. You can’t pull out the rift at the eleventh hour and then talk about it as though it’s a Hugely Important plot device when the biggest role it’s had over the stretch of the entire 11 Whole Ass episodes prefacing this was to allow the plane to come through in “out of time”. y’all have barely mentioned the rift this entire time and now you want to act like its the hellmouth??? eat my ass!!!!!!

- and continuing on that note: apparently they’ve had a machine that can manipulate the rift in the hub......... the entire goddamn time. but no one thought to MENTION it i guess!!!!!!!! pfft, why would THAT be important??? right???? right?????

this plot bullshit almost makes me feel bad for how harsh i was about “cyberwoman” but, i will admit.... despite this Absolute Fucking Nonsense, i do find the jack and tosh storyline in this episode really fun and interesting. its just unfortunate that all the stuff arrrrround that is some kind of fic scrawled in the back of a kid’s math book.

- also the size of owen’s fucking NADS in this episode!!!!!!!! “Don’t compare yourself to me.” SAYS MAN CRYING OVER THE GIRL HE KNEW FOR ONE (1!) (SINGULAR) WEEK!!!! as opposed to ianto’s longterm girlfriend being turned into a monster and eventually murdered by his own team!!!! Like, i understand that’s owen’s problem actually goes beyond that, and its not so much about diane herself but about the fact that he let himself feel close to someone again after his fiancee died but for us, The Audience, watching this as it airs... we haven’t unlocked owen’s tragic backstory yet. and without knowing all that it just makes owen look really bad and like a huge fucking tool lmfao.

- NEVERMIND THE END IS GAY AND SAD AND Y’KNOW!!!!!! i am a man of simple pleasures, at heart, and so... i’ll let it slide. jack meeting his namesake knowing that he’s going to die and them having a moment is more of the kind of emotional content we would get in episodes of doctor who, and its Just Right

- in honesty, theres a bunch of stuff about this ep that i DO like. that tosh gets a prominant role for a change, while gwen gets to do fuck all. the whole Real Jack story. owen gets shot and pops a tit out at the end. its just unfortunate thats its all wrapped up in this rift thing thats been wheeled out last minute for a Big Season Finale with no real foreshadowing or build up to it at all lmao. but, moving on...............................................................................................

1x13 “end of days”

- RHYS BUNS DETECTED, A SOUND WAY TO KICK OFF ANY EPISODE

- lovely reading voice ianto’s got..... i also like owen acting up to make sure we know that they remember him being shot in the shoulder last episode lol.

- “owen, if you open the rift you’ll break it” (owen opens the rift anyway) “owen, you opening the rift broke it” (owen GASPS IN DISMAY, ME??? REALLY?) yes bitch open your ears

- “So are we going to sit around crying into our lattes or are we gonna do something about it?” OWEN..... IS THIS. SUPPOSED TO SOUND BADASS I.... GENUINELY CANT TELL? IT SOUNDS BAD, OWEN

- jack was so likeable last ep now he’s a DICK. gwen calls him out on how he talked to owen and he’s really fucking catty at HER for no reason at all????

- i haaaaaaaaate this scene in the hospital where a Mystery Illness has all the fucking symptoms of the bubonic plague but apparently every doctor in the entire hospital never did high school level history and are all incapable of recognising it. if fucking *i* know what symptoms of the bubonic plague are im sure they didn’t need Absolute Brain Genius Owen Harper who is seemingly the only person with any sense in cardiff to come in and diagnose it. i also hate how owen just like casually mentions to the doctor yep, this is caused by people falling through time dude yknow!!! like they do!! expect more of this to keep happening probably idk!!

- “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU OPENED THE RIFT WITH THIS MACHINE WE HAVE THAT’S FOR UHHHHHHHH UHHHHHHH OPENING THE RIFT *big fuck off galaxy brain*” thats basically this episode.

- i love that owen has followed jack all this time but NOW in a crisis is the time to actually lose it and start questioning his authority bc they dont Actually know who jack is like???? you’ve been fine not knowing this entire time before??? thats not to say that jack isn’t an entire dumbass himself. he expects them all to follow him blindly and its so creepy. he’s like a cult leader, and as they all have Torchwood Stockholm Syndrome that ive mentioned in previous episode run downs they’ve all just gone along with it.

- owen having a little cry on the way out is such a Good scene bc he puts on such a brave and defiant front tho 💕💖💘💕

- i dont know why the really quick flashback to diane flying off in the plane made me lose my fucking mind, its just like “LMAO IN CASE U FORGOT: SHE WAS THE PLANE LADY. I KNOW SHE WAS ONLY IN FOR LIKE TWO MINUTES, BUT DONT WORRY ABOUT IT.”

- gwen for fucks sake!!!!!!!! not again!!!!! after all the cryptic shit and lies she’s told rhys up until this point, she now knocks him out and locks him in a cell and STILL offers no explanation. this poor fucking dude!!!!!!!!! and it’s about to get even worse for him...

- the way gwen screams “RHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUURRRRRSSSSS”

- YES EVERYONE REBEL AGAINST JACK!!!!!!! FUCK THIS DUDE!!!! you’re doing what a creepy old dude who is Absolutely Definitely evil wants, but still

- why does gwen start doing shit on the computer when toshiko, the computer expert, is standing right there, like.............

- JACK TRYING TO SMACKTALK TO ENTIRE GANG LIKE HIS OWN CLOSET ISN’T CHOCKFUL OF FUCKING SKELETONS

- i forget, does anyone know jack’s immortal apart from gwen? or was it just the shock of owen actually Shooting Their Boss? the only onscreen death i can recall of his after suzie shot him was in “cyberwoman”

- god, minutes ago they were all like FUCK JACK!!!! JACK DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO SAVE US AFTER ALL!!! and now theyre all crawling back asking jack to save them all from cgi pig Ganon and its just..... a lot to happen, over the space of about half an hour.

- the ending is so anticlimatic and also why does sucking all the Yummy Life Energy out of jack make abaddon die?????????? Though in its defence... after like 3 bowls of cereal, i too am like OUCH OOF MY BONES

- aaaaaaaaaand rhys is back! will he get treated any better from here on out? i dont remember!!! guess we’ll see.

- bit much of gwen who’s actually known jack the shortest time of them all to be like NO, let ME be with him uwuwuwuuw

- ahhh!!! ianto smelling jack’s coat ;_;

- aaaand jack’s back too. AND HE GETS TO HOLD A CRYING OWEN? FOR ME? oh you shouldn’t have! this Almost makes up for all that rift plot bullshit (almost. i still know what u did.)

- ANDDDDD OH SHIT. FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE GOOD ENDING. HERE COMES THE TARDIS. FUCKING YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...............................and there it goes. one season down. sorry this one was so long!!! i love and appreciate anyone to takes the time to read these posts. thank u!!!!

#grand torchwood rewatch 2018 #LONG POST #i got mad abt plot shit A Lot during this finale

7 notes · View notes

plounce · 6 years

Text

compilation post of whichever bbc america employee who wrote the captain’s blogs being an ally and a hero via treating janto as more than just a sex joke, being genuinely warm and funny, and mentioning ianto super fondly in nearly every single entry (especially s2) because jack is in love with him despite what everyone else would have you believe. but i, a gay, know, and so does bbc america social media staffer circa 2007-2008.

some may call this “fringe canon.” i call it “some of the only specks of canon that respect the show’s canon gay relationship as the loving and affectionate relationship that it is.”

text pulled from ianto’s desktop, which is a fun read despite the defunct photobucket embeds - i only included captain’s blog stuff, but there’s a couple more janto tidbits in there. none as nice as these, though. under a cut because it is Long.

season 1

(one really cool thing the writer did for early season one is have jack note unexplained energy surges in the lower levels of the hub - handy foreshadowing for cyberwoman)

1x03 (ghost machine - alien tech leads to murder mystery):

Other issues: According to Ianto, Splott is pronounced "Sploe". I think Ianto may have been lying.

Upcoming issues: Energy surges in the lower areas of the hub still unexplained; there have been several more in the past week. Ianto volunteered to investigate, but has not discovered an explanation yet.

1x04 (cyberwoman - the episode where ianto’s secrets are revealed and we all have a Bad Time):

Other Staff issues: Ianto Jones temporarily suspended from active duty, to return at my discretion. His love for Lisa clouded his judgment, and he made some serious mistakes - but I have to wonder if I would have done the same thing in his situation. Ianto's personal needs and emotional state have been overlooked; I should not have missed something like this. During his suspension, I will try to spend more time with him. Hopefully we can establish a closer working relationship.

1x05 (small worlds - the one where the “fairies” abduct the little girl and jack has to let them, which makes everyone else very mad at him):

Staff: Ianto Jones' first week back after his suspension four weeks ago. I have tried to put him at ease, and have briefed the team to be as sympathetic as possible. Obviously there is a level of resentment remaining, but they are trying.

Other Staff issues: After what happened with Jasmine, nobody is talking to me (except Ianto). They'll come around. Everyone comes around.

1x06 (countrycide - the one with the cannibals and we all have a Bad Time):

Staff: Brought Ianto Jones along to get him out of the Hub, out of the city, get some relaxing time in the country with the team. May not have been the best decision I made this year.

1x07 (greeks bearing gifts - mindreading and predatory lesbian, the episode):

Other Staff issues: Ianto is still suffering, but putting on a brave face. Will try talking to him over dinner, outside the Hub, see if there's anything more I can do for him.

1x08 (they keep killing suzie - the episode that ends with ianto hitting on jack with a stopwatch):

Other Staff issues: Ianto and I stayed back to go over the case files and reorganize the safe. Internal security cameras were temporarily shut down to run diagnostic tests, so there was no monitoring of the Hub for approximately four hours - but there were no security breaches to report. Everything went very smoothly.

Upcoming issues: Need to requisition a new stopwatch. Old one damaged while moving a desk.

1x09 (random shoes - outsider pov, the episode):

Staff: Things seem to be calming down with everyone. Ianto is coping well; I'm pleased with his progress.

1x11 (combat - owen has manpain and fights weevils. whatever):

Other Staff issues: Ianto surprisingly proficient at the good cop/bad cop routine. Although obviously, he's the good cop. He's too cute to be the bad cop.

1x12 (captain jack harkness - jack and tosh are stuck back in time during the cardiff blitz and owen and ianto fight about what to do about it):

Other Staff issues: Ianto tried to stop Owen opening the Rift, and actually shot him in the shoulder. Everyone except Owen is finding this very amusing.

season 2

2x01 (kiss kiss bang bang - jack returns from his doctor who appearance, deals with his terrible ex spike from buffy, and asks ianto out on a proper date):

Other Staff issues: Gwen is now engaged. I'm happy for her, but I'm concerned about what it might mean - can she stay here, still keeping everything from Rhys? I worry that we're going to lose her. And I worry about Ianto. I think he took it harder than anyone when I ran off. It's going to take me a while to make things up to him. He is a decent, good man, and I'm lucky I met him.

2x02 (sleeper agent - the episode with sleeper agents):

Other security issues: Gwen taken hostage again. I’m beginning to think she’s jinxed. And why am I never taken hostage? I could be a good hostage. I never get any of that Stockholm Syndrome action. And according to Ianto, my bad cop routine needs some work.

Other Staff issues: I’m in trouble with Ianto for duct-taping a CB aerial to the SUV. Apparently the tape made the wing mirror “disconcertingly sticky”. Still, nothing a bit of warm, soapy water can’t fix.

2x03 (a man out of time - tosh’s cryo-boyfriend they unfreeze once every year. also, jack and ianto Have A Talk and then make out):

Other Staff issues: Ianto and I made some progress, talked things through. What happened with Tommy got to us all. I know it got to Gerald and Harriet, too, back then, considering what they went through to try and make up for it – but that’s another story for another day.

2x04 (meat - the episode with the whale and rhys finding out. some of the team gets taken hostage and ianto tazes a bad guy in the head and growls out “pray they survive.” or something and it’s VERY GOOD TELEVISION):

Staff: Ianto turned into a fighting, kicking, stun-gun machine, it was very exciting. I must get put in danger more often.

2x05 (adam - an alien infiltrates their memories and inserts himself into the team, and his plot is foiled by ianto reading his diary and finding inconsistencies because he’s Very Clever):

Other security issues: The only thing out of place was Ianto’s diary, which I found in my office. Naturally, I gave it back to him immediately after reading through it. Several interesting factual errors in there - and I thought he would know how to convert inches to centimetres. You think you know someone...

2x06 (reset - martha visits and owen ‘dies’):

Security: Must speak to Ianto about using names from ‘’Sex and the City’’ on fake IDs. Last week he sent me into an alien smuggling operation as ‘’Mr Big’’, without telling me. Wish I knew how he kept a straight face. I’d give him a stern talking-to, but I think he enjoys that too much.

(right after this is a very solemn paragraph about owen dying lmfao)

2x07 (dead man walking - jack resurrects owen and owen has manpain about it):

Other Staff issues: In big trouble with Ianto for risking everything to go and get the second glove. I should have told him before I went, but he’d probably have cuffed me to the chair to stop me. And I’ve fallen for that one way too many times.

2x08 (a day in the death - owen continues to have manpain):

Other Staff issues: Now that we have all tried, it is clear that only Ianto knows how to operate that damn coffee maker. I suspect it contains alien technology.

2x09 (something borrowed - gwen gets married, but not before playing host to shapeshifting pregnancy alien):

Security: ... Female Nostrovite proved to be extremely resilient to bullets, so I had to get my massive weapon out and take care of business. Ianto is still quietly chuckling about that now, days later. Gwen’s mother taken hostage. Must run in the family.

2x10 (from out of the rain - the terribly written ianto-’centric’ episode about circus film reel ghosts):

Alien activity: ... We only managed to save one of them, but that’s better than nothing. Sometimes in this job, one is enough. I can still see the faces of the people we lost - they weren’t part of this, they were just living their lives, until they were taken. Ianto took it badly, this one really got to him.

Staff: Have convinced Ianto to take me to a normal cinema, to see an actual movie. He’s also curious to know if I still have my old circus outfit. If I can find it, I think a private show is in order.

2x11 (adrift - gwen pursues a mystery about the people the rift takes and then puts back traumatized, even though jack resists. ianto is the one who gives her the info she needs. she also walks in on them naked in the greenhouse. wild):

Staff: Gwen would never have found the facility if Ianto hadn’t helped her. He was wrong to do that. But, of course, he was actually right in the end. There’s no way Gwen would have let it go. I should have trusted her with the information, but I knew what it would do to her. Sometimes, the only way to realise that you shouldn’t look behind that door is to actually go and look. Gwen learned that. Nikki learned that. We all did.

Other Staff issues: Seeing Gwen experience it for the first time took me right back to when I first heard that terrible scream. After Gwen had gone home, I just held on to Ianto for a couple of hours, as tightly as I could.

2x12 (fragments - a bomb explodes and everyone gets a flashback to how they joined torchwood 3 as jack and gwen rescue them from the rubble):

Staff: Everyone came out of the explosion pretty beaten up, but no major damage. We got lucky. And so did John. Because if he’d killed anyone - if he had hurt Ianto - I would have slowly ripped him limb from limb.

Other Staff issues: Although I have to say, Ianto does look good all messed up and dirty.

2x13 (exit wounds - jack’s brother comes back and blows up half of cardiff and kills owen and tosh):

Other Staff issues: The one glimmer of hope in all this? I still have Ianto and Gwen. Whatever the future throws at us, whatever madness the Rift vomits out next, whatever we have to face - Torchwood will be ready.

Capt. Jack Harkness.

Ianto, I know you’re reading this over my shoulder, pretending to fix that damn shelf. So get over here and take me out somewhere.

#chirps #janto #torchwood

18 notes · View notes

dinodina · 6 years

Text

Tagged by @cozsheep

Rules: Always post the rules. Answer the 11 random questions posted for you. Create 11 new ones and tag 11 people. Let the person who tagged you know that you answered. What’s your favourite Torchwood episode from the TV series and why?

1. What’s your favourite Torchwood episode from the TV series and why? Probaby To The Last Man. It’s the one I rewatch most often, anyway (also Meat, Something Borrowed, Adam, and From Out of the Rain). I’m going with TTLM for this one, though, because it has so much awesome stuff: Tosh saving the world, Owen being nice, and - of course - Jack and Ianto’s epic kiss. I think it’s a super fun episode to watch: it’s interesting, optimistic, and Tommy (even though he’s a minor character in the great scheme of things) is brilliant!

2. What’s your favourite Torchwood audio (BBC or Big Finish) and why? I... haven’t listened to any. I want to - but I always forget to buy them when I have the opportunity to. I want to listen to a ton of them, though, ever since I asked for recommendations, and I hope to get to them soon! So I guess none at the moment, but I’m super excited for Believe and The Last Beacon... both of which I will listen to.

3. What’s your favourite Torchwood novel and why? Once again... haven’t read any of them. It’s harder to find one that I’d like to read, though, than it is with the audios. Maybe someday?

4. Who is your favourite Torchwood main character and why? Ianto. No question about it. He’s such an interesting character and there’s always so much to find out about him. Also his evolution - as we got to know him - from a background character to such a capable, valuable, and lovable character. It’s everything about him, really!!! :D

5. Who is your favourite Torchwood secondary character and why? Rhys or Andy. I can’t pick one!! I love Rhys because he was so loyal and understanding (even when he shouldn’t necessarily have been), and because he was also pretty badass in the end. And I love Andy because... well, he’s just lovable.

6. What is your favourite line of dialogue from all of Torchwood (TV, audio, etc.)? Oh, there’s a few! Jack and Ianto’s kiss scene from TTLM; Jack asking Ianto out in KKBB; or... my favorite moment from CoE: Jack and Ianto standing up to the 456, which is, until it fails, such a powerful scene! Also Owen and Tosh’s last dialogue (as sad as it is), becuase it’s so emotional and absolutley heartbreaking. Or Owen’s “Ready to see the dead man dance?” to Tosh in Something Borrowed.

7. Who is your least favourite main character and why? Gwen. It’s not that I dislike her, which I don’t... I actually like her a lot of the time (most of the time). What I don’t like - and what makes her my least favorite - is that she’s inconsistant in her flaws and abilities, and that she never has to face the consequences of her actions, like every other character does; it’s the fact that she’s made out to be a perfect character, but still has flaws - and those flaws and shortcomings never get addressed so she can’t learn from her mistakes.

8. Who is your least favourite secondary character and why? Is it cheating if I say “Gray”? I feel like it is, a bit, because he’s not exactly a secondary character even if he is a main villain. He’s my least favorite because his actions got Tosh and Owen killed.

9. What is your least favourite Torchwood episode/story (TV, audio or novel) and why? Oh, this one’s hard... I don’t watch the episodes I don’t like, which I mostly don’t like (like CoE or EW) because of what happens to characters. So I’m not sure if it’s my least favorite, but I’m going to go with Captain Jack Harkness. At any other moment, I think that this episode would be good - touching and heartbreaking. And I LOVE Ianto taking charge (and, yes, shooting Owen). But the storyline with the Real Jack rubs me the wrong way because I think it’s so unfair to him, to Jack, and to Ianto. Ianto gets basically cheated on (if you want to believe that he and Jack are in a relationship at this point - my thoughts on that vary) while he shoots Owen to try to stay loyal to Jack. Jack gets his past brought up and, while being potentially manipulated, is caught in Bilis’s plot. And the Real Jack gets the courage to dance with Jack, to break such a big taboo and finally be himself - only for Jack to kiss him in the crowded hall and LEAVE. And he dies the next day! I think it’s unfair to him to be in that situation, and to be potentially put into a dangerous situation if the people in the hall have a problem with his sexuality.

10. If you could go back and change one line/scene/event of Torchwood (that isn’t a character’s death), what would it be and why? Probably the fact that we never saw Gwen being reprimanded for her actions in Meat. While I think that Rhys shouldn’t have been Retconned, she was out of line to attack the team like that, to imply that they didn’t care about people, and to hurt them by implying that they didn’t have anyone. I think that either Jack should have called her out on it then and there - telling her that her teammates are human and deserve her compassion, and to tell her that disobeying orders by giving herself up was wrong - or that he should have done that in an ending scene, or in a later episode.

11. What are the five best Torchwood fanfics or fanfic authors that you would recommend? I’ve been dreading this question! There are so many amazing authors and stories out there, so off the top of my head: authors: gmariam, Milady Dragon, badly-knitted, Earendil Eldar, Waldo, soera, m_findlow, AVAantares, riftintime, tamaar, black.k.kat... I know I’m forgetting a ton of people, but that’s a vague collection of a few from ffn, AO3, and LJ.

(I’ve also been dreading this part, I never know who to tag or what to ask, so I just wrote down the first questions that came to mind, feel free to ignore.) I tag: @jantotrash, @aliciaizzicole, @janto-owns-my-soul, @trashmel, @iantojonesss, @iant0jones, @demisexual-ianto-jones, @bazwillendinflames, @jbharrisauthor, @young-bek, @ijustreallylikeclass, And finally, my questions:

1. What is the last book you’ve read, and did you enjoy it? 2. What is the last movie/TV show you’ve seen, and would you recommend it? 3. Is there a song currently stuck in your head, and if so, what is it? 4. What are you looking forward to? 5. What is your favorite flower? 6. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? 7. Do you use notebooks? If yes, do you prefer large or small notebooks? 8. Do you have any hobbies? 9. Have you ever built a snowman? 10. Do you currently have a paper calendar hanging up? If yes, what’s on it? 11. Do you like novelty socks and/or mugs?

#torchwood #tagged

6 notes · View notes

proofthatihaveaheart · 5 years

Note

I'm gonna send a lot :) :DC, Marvel, Borderlands, Gayperion, Carol Danvers

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my (DC):

Favorite character: i have a lot of characters i really love in dc but no one really jumps out as my top favorite above all others…. i’m going to say selina because i love her in a lot of media and i picked up the current batman comic to read about her specifically (and then dropped them when she left lol, i’l have to pick up her solo series sometime too)

Least Favorite character: hmmm………..i don’t know……….can i say jervis from gotham specifically? he makes my skin crawl in a very bad way and i kinda want to punch him in the face. although he also has his charming moments and i think his power-set makes for a very interesting villain hmmm. OH can i say all the various Big and Boring Cosmic Villains like Steppenwolf??? they all blur together and i just don’t care about any of them

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): selina/bruce, harley/pamela, oswald/ed, raven/beast boy, diana/steve

Character I find most attractive: diana aka wonder woman aka have my heart

Character I would marry: as much as i want to say diana, i feel like i would constantly be overwhelmed with awe around her so maybe that’s not a good idea………. can i marry bruce for his money?

Character I would be best friends with: if she wasn’t evil, pamela, she could be one of my fellow grad students (y’know, in another life). i would hang with steph too, she’s cool

A random thought: dc was my first superhero love, teen titans specifically, and that show probably laid the groundwork for what i want in my superhero teams. also i should get back to reading dc comics

An unpopular opinion: i don’t think this is unpopular exactly but the joker is overused, there are so many other good batman villains

My canon OTP: bruce/selina (GIVE ME THEIR WEDDING YOU COWARDS)

Non-canon OTP: harley/pamela except it’s canon in some verses if i remember correctly sooooooooooooooooo :)

Most badass character: i want to say diana……..and i can’t think of anyone more badass so

Pairing I am not a fan of: clark/diana is just Bad, what were they thinking?

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): it’s comics, who hasn’t been screwed up by a writer at some point? ok but jokes aside, no one specific is coming to mind right now

Favourite friendship: i love all the batfam so *points at all of them*

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my (Marvel):

Favorite character: i don’t know how you could possibly expect me to choose a single character when there are so many………….. carol at the moment, kamala and mj and peter (parker, not quill) in general are at the top of the list too

Least Favorite character: ……………….there’s probably someone i hate…… but no one is coming to mind…… i guess thanos? i can’t believe he got a solo series

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): the spidey ot4 (peter/harry/gwen/mj), steve/tony, carol/jessica, carol/maria, clint/natasha

Character I find most attractive: ooooooooo, a good question. i think i’ll go with carol because brie larson is

Character I would marry: if it had to be a superhero, janet. if not, gwen and we would run away together and never get involved with the angst of superheroes

Character I would be best friends with: maybe cindy moon (she likes pokemon! and is just a lovely person!) or gwen

A random thought: in the avengers tower that absolutely exists and that they all live in (at least part of the time), tony builds additional rooms for all the new members. he puts glowing stars up in carol’s room and calls her space-face and laughs when she chooses star wars for movie night because of course that’s what you pick, danvers

An unpopular opinion: spider-man h*mecoming is bad and it isn’t a comics-accurate adaptation of spider-man, let alone the most accurate

My canon OTP: any of the canon ships within the ot4 - but if i had to choose just one, it’d be peter/mj. all the good comics history

Non-canon OTP: THE SPIDEY OT4, MY ULTIMATE MARVEL SHIP

Most badass character: CAROL ‘SORRY I’M A BADASS’ DANVERS

Pairing I am not a fan of: sp*deypool is the ultimate notp. i don’t get why it has such a massive following

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): see my above point about comics (though the other thing about comics is that once there’s a switch in writers, it often resolves itself). currently, i feel this way about peter (although i’m behind so maybe spencer’s undid all the slott nonsense) + eddie and the symbiote (not so much their individual characters but the relationship between them)

Favourite friendship: steve and carol and tony currrently

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my (Borderlands):

Favorite character: lilith or fiona

Least Favorite character: i love them all but salvador is….. well i just don’t have as much of a connection to him (sorry sal)

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): lilith/roland, brick/mordecai, fiona/rhys, rhys/vaughn, athena/janey

Character I find most attractive: lilith. also amara who may outcompete lilith, we shall see

Character I would marry: would i marry any of them?? (the answer is no but i guess if i had to, maybe janey? at the very least, she could repair any problems in our house)

Character I would be best friends with: janey possibly

A random thought: each set of vault hunters is a weird dysfunctional family and nothing can convince me otherwise (i will be sorely disappointed if the bl2 gang aren’t close in bl3)

An unpopular opinion: there’s more to borderlands than handsome jack and i wish fandom would focus on some of the other characters more

My canon OTP: lilith/roland or athena/janey

Non-canon OTP: rhys/vaughn just edges out fiona/rhys

Most badass character: zer0

Pairing I am not a fan of: rhys/handsome jack

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): no one really except where they killed roland and it was sad

Favourite friendship: i love timothy and athena as friends

002 | send me a ship and I will tell you (gayperion):

when or if I started shipping it: i think it was sometime during episode 1???? i can’t remember a specific moment, it just kinda happened

my thoughts: they’re very good and it would be even more amazing for them to date now. can you imagine the ceo of atlas with the scruffy leader of a bandit gang (who also happens to be a math nerd)? SO GOOD

What makes me happy about them: they’re best friends, they have a lot of stupid jokes between them, they very clearly would go to the end of the earth for each other

What makes me sad about them: the fear that they may never interact in bl3

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: there isn’t enough fic for me to have noticed any annoying tropes

Things I look for in fanfic: any fic in general

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: rhys/fiona

My happily ever after for them: they haven’t spoken for a while but vaughn comes along on sanctuary (idk how he ends up there, maybe he’s upset with his bandits leaving for the children of the vault) and then he hears rhys’ voice over the comm for the first time in YEARS, he could cry, he’s so happy. anyway us vault hunters help rhys out with his maliwan problem, vaughn and rhys reunite, there are tears and hugs and then they kiss and have to figure out what they want (hint: they want to be together forever but rhys has a company and vaughn has his bandits and they need to navigate that complexity - but they do and it’s awesome)

003 | Give me a character & I will tell you (carol danvers):

How I feel about this character: if you told me last year that i would fall in love with carol, and read everything i could with her, i probably would not have believed you. but here i am, almost caught up with the captain marvel comics and helplessly in love with her. i love her bravery, her humor, her impulsiveness, her kindness, her fight-me attitude, her determination, her cockiness - really i love everything about her and i’m inspired by her drive to be better and to protect as many people as she can (also the whole speech but especially this quote at the end of captain marvel (2012) #1: and we will be the stars we were always meant to be GETS me every time i see it, i love ambitious ladies who reach for the stars)

All the people I ship romantically with this character: carol/jess is the ultimate 616 otp while carol/maria is the ultimate mcu otp. i also like carol/rhodey and i read a ship manifesto for carol/wanda that has made me interested in learning more about them

My non-romantic OTP for this character: steve and tony, i can’t choose between her two relationships with them because they’re both so good (it might be tony??? he helped her through aa and i love their snark? but then steve and carol are also very good). also in the mcu, nick fury, their chemistry is GOLD

My unpopular opinion about this character: i hate that so many people have started putting carol into the role of peter’s mom/aunt, not every adult that interacts with him is automatically his parental figure and she has no real reason to feel that way towards him. also they went on a couple dates in the comics and even though i don’t ship it, it’s weird to think about

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: LET HER DATE A WOMAN

My OTP: …………how could i possibly choose between carol/jess and carol/maria………….they’re both so good in different ways

My OT3: i don’t have one for her although now i’m considering whether a jess/carol/maria situation would work idk i feel like it wouldn’t just because there would be this imbalance in two of them having superpowers and maria unable to join in their superhero battles so??? idk. i need to think about it a little more

#thank you #<3 #ask box stuff #natasha talks marvel #natasha talks bl #natasha talks dc #helow365

0 notes

myotishia · 5 years

Text

Emergency measures part two

Fandom: Torchwood. Trigger warnings: None as far as I know but feel free to suggest. Characters: Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato, Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, Gwen Cooper, Elise Carter (oc) Rating: Teen and up

Blurb: After saving Gwen from a would be assassin the team have to deal with someone wanting them all dead, though they’re not going down without a fight.

Jack was pissed off, though the wannabe assassin had jumped into a getaway car, a bulletproof one at that, he had his suspicions who had sent them. The timing was just too convenient. He almost wished Torchwood had been the only ones to to contact the four five six. The government was much too quick to make a deal with the devil and he guessed they wanted to make sure no one would be able to speak about it. That put a target on all of their heads being as the government knew about his unique condition he wondered what they planned to do with him. It didn’t bare thinking about. He called through to Ianto.

“I’ve sent Gwen and Rhys to a safe house for tonight. Elise was right.”

“Did you catch who it was?”

“No. They got away but I think I know who sent them. I’ve got a few calls to make when I get back. For now just be on your guard.”

“I am.”

“Hows Elise?”

“She’s fine. The bleeding stopped and she says it’s not serious.”

“What does Owen think?”

“He thinks it’s the after effect of a large air pressure change but he looked a lot more concerned than that would call for.”

“Time travel isn’t exactly something we’ve had many good experiences with. I don’t blame him for being worried.”

“Tosh was wondering if she could study one of the time watches to help stabilize Elises jumps.”

“I’ll allow it. Their ability to manipulate time is DNA locked but if anyone can get some use out of them it’s Tosh.”

Tosh had gone to bed slightly excited to start looking at one of the time watches in the morning. Even if the next day would be tense at least she’d have something to do. She’d wondered why Gwen of all of them had been targeted first but in a way there was logic to it. She was the most presence ‘on the grid’ after all. But if it was a government agency behind the hit, then why not go after Tosh herself. They always had to know where she was. It was just part of the deal that gave her her freedom however much she liked to try and forget it. She could think about it in the morning, she needed to get some sleep.

After only a couple of hours she heard something that was out of place. The front door opening quietly. Owen was already awake, having heard the same thing. He grabbed his gun, hidden beside the bed out of a mix of paranoia and habit. As he stood he mimed for Tosh to hide and get Elise, who had stayed asleep, to do the same. They’d just managed to get out of sight when the bedroom door slowly opened and a hand, holding a silenced pistol could be seen in the low light. Owen realised how useful this person could be so instead of just killing them he grabbed their wrist and rammed the door into their arm as hard as he could. The pistol dropped as the arm it was connected to snapped. A scream of agony erupted from the other side of the door and Owen aimed for the noise, swinging his fist directly into the guys nose. It wasn’t the first fight he’d ever been in and he knew that a broken nose wouldn’t stop this ‘professional’ killer for long. The man swung at Owen with a knife in his left hand, missing his throat by a hair. So focused on Owen he didn’t even notice a very sleepy Elise holding a tazer. The prongs hit the assassin in the shoulder and sent him into convulsions. He dropped to the floor like a lively sack of potatoes.

“This means we have to go back to work, doesn’t it?” Elise yawned, detaching the wires from the tazer.

“I think he was more shocked by the fact that Owen attacked him butt fuck naked.” Elise smiled, leaning back in her chair, explaining what had happened to Jack. In the cells the guy was still shouting about his arm and nose as Owen had refused to set them until the morning.

Tosh was curled up with her head on Elise’s lap, dozing. “Is Ianto ok?” She mumbled.

“Yea. He’s asleep.” Jack smiled softly.

“Is he living here now?” Asked Elise, curious.

He shook his head. “Of course not. But with the situation it was the safer option.”

“Why not? You two’ve been together for a while now.”

“I’m not going to make anyone live here.”

“You’re doing that distancing thing. It’s ok to get close to people you know.”

“I’m not getting into my personal life.”

“Excuses, excuses… Any idea who’s called in these hits?”

“I know exactly who and he isn’t answering my calls. Coward.”

“So what’s this guys problem? We’re the ones keeping the weevils from their door so why try and get rid of us?”

“To cover his own guilt. If the public or even other government officials found out what happened with the four five six he’d never see the light of day again. Last I checked he was aiming for prime minister.”

“Fucking politicians.”

“If they were they wouldn’t be such a pain. Until I can speak to him I’m not sure what to do. At least you’re in the clear for now.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t strictly exist. On the surface all the documents you have will pass as legitimate but as far as MI5 is concerned you were never born. There’s no trail to follow.”

“Can we use that?”

“If he was willing to talk then yes, but if he isn’t it could just put you in more danger. I could contact the queen but there’s only so much she can do these days.”

“You have a direct line to the queen?”

“That’s who pays us.”

“I thought that was just on paper.”

“No. It’s very literal. Lizzy signs everything herself.”

“Lizzy? Now I know you’re pulling my leg.”

He smiled nostalgically. “I met her a long time ago. She drives worse than I do.”

“Seriously?”

“I told her that once during the war. She slapped me.” He laughed.

“Not many people out there can say they’ve been slapped by the queen.”

“More than you’d think.”

Gwen always found it hard to sleep in new places but after such a long day she had crashed out, only woken up by her alarm. She grabbed her phone and switched the alarm off, checking her messages with bleary vision. A text told her that Elise would pick her up for work as her car could be targeted. Wonderful. What was next, changing her name? Rhys was already awake and trying to keep busy. He handled stress surprisingly well but the bullet in the door frame had shaken him. He’d spent some of the night before just looking at places to move to.

“Morning.” He said with a forced smile.

Gwen appreciated the attempt. “Morning. My workmate Elise is going to pick me up in half an hour.”

“It’s good you’re not going to be alone. Have I met her?”

“Not in person I don’t think, no. She’s Toshiko’s girlfriend.”

“Oh yea, I remember you mentioning her.”

She’d decided not to tell Rhys about Elises abilities, wanting to keep the human stuff and alien stuff very separate. A quick shower, breakfast and throwing on something clean Gwen heard a knock at the door, followed by her phone ringing to assure her of who it was.

She opened the door to a sleepy looking Elise.

“Morning. I brought coffee.”

“I’ve just got to put my boots on. Come on in.”

Elise walked in and closed the door behind her, placing the carry cups on the table.

“You must be Elise.” Rhys greeted cheerfully.

“Yea, nice to meet you. You must be Rhys. Gwen talks about you all the time.”

“Nothing bad I hope.”

“Naa. Only good things.”

“Would you like to sit down for a bit?”

“Can’t stay long. We ended up having an eventful night last night.”

“Oh?”

“Yea. Woke up at about three to a guy trying to kill us, so that was fun.”

“Christ, are you ok?”

“Me? Yea, I’m fine. Owen broke the guys arm and his nose. Then I tazed him. He did not want to go down. Tosh was pretty shaken, bless her. I don’t know if she’ll want to go home tonight.”

“Don’t you have anywhere you can go?”

“We’ll just stay at Owens place. Hopefully we can get this nonsense sorted soon. I’d like to get some sleep some time soon.”

Gwen stood and kissed Rhys on the cheek. “Glad you two are getting along but we’ve got to go.”

“Have at least a safe day.” He said softly to his wife.

“You too. Come on, are you driving or am I?” She asked Elise.

“I can drive. I wonder if Owens set that guys arm yet. He wouldn’t stop bitching about it all night.”

Jack sat next to Tosh explaining how the time watch, original name being a vortex manipulator, worked. He’d checked them over and found them to be upgraded versions of his own.

“Mine burned out but these are basically brand new. Looks like the time agency added more security in these, adding a DNA lock. It should still protect whoever’s wearing it from the side effects of travelling through the time vortex.”

“Was that what caused Elise’s nosebleed?”

“Possibly. Early models didn’t have the protection and after too many time jumps… It killed them.”

“That could happen?!”

“I didn’t know it was possible to time travel without any sort of technology. Even time lords can’t travel without a TARDIS. Elise shouldn’t even exist so I have no idea, maybe she’s immune to the effects and it was just the air pressure change. Don’t worry, we won’t let anything happen to her.” He tried to reassure her. At least it would be easier with the newer models but he was still concerned that it wouldn’t work.

“What if it breaks? The watch I mean.”

“I’ve heard of these things surviving a star going supernova. It breaking won’t be a problem.”

“I did wonder how yours survived this long.”

“I think this is the twelfth strap but it’s the same manipulator underneath. It can’t travel time anymore but it’s still useful for controlling half of the mechanisms here.”

“And it’s sentimental.” Tosh smiled, seeing how Jack looked at the strap around his wrist.

“Anyway.” He began, changing the subject. “If anything starts glowing just close it. I don’t want you getting irradiated by the internal battery.”

“That’s comforting, but I can handle it.”

“I wouldn’t let you if you couldn’t.”

“So what’s your plan now?” The failed assassin asked, his arm set and splinted. It needed a cast but Owen wasn’t feeling that generous.

“My plan? I don’t have a plan. You’re the one who tried to kill me remember.” Owen grumbled.

“You can’t let me go so what are you going to do with me.”

“That’s up to your boss, not mine.”

A huff came from the next cell along.

“What is that? You got animals down here?”

Owen smirked. “Animals? No. We don’t have any animals other than you down here.”

“You’re the animals that sold those kids off.”

Owen grabbed the man by the collar. “Listen to me you pathetic little fuck, your boss was one of the shitheads that gave those kids up so don’t you dare start talking shit about us, especially after trying to fucking kill us.” He let the man go and charged out of the cell, slamming the door behind him. He knew he hadn’t held his temper well. Usually he could hold himself together, even in front of those who’d attacked him before, but this time all he could think of was what would have happened if Tosh or Elise had been killed. It made his blood boil. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He needed to trust that Jack would get this all sorted out sooner rather than later.

Jack rubbed his temples, trying not to throw his phone across the room in frustration. He hated being actively ignored. Time to change tactics. Ianto had sent him all the information he could find on the man they had captive. It wasn’t as difficult as you’d expect as long as you knew what to look for. With that information all he needed to do was set up a meeting posing as the assassins handler. Also not too difficult but he’d have to hand the job off to Owen as his accent would give him away in seconds. Then it was just a matter of attending said meeting without being shot on sight. It made communication so much more difficult. A public place would be best as there was much less chance of a firefight. He wanted to end this with as little bloodshed as possible. He’d have to take the risk.

After a very tense day and a half the meeting was set up. Gwen sat in the corner of the small cafe, sipping tea and keeping one eye on the door. She was out of view of the window from the outside, as was Owen at the other side of the room. Other patrons sat around with no idea of the meeting they were about to witness.

John Frobisher, home office permanent secretary, entered with a briefcase in hand. He looked nervous as he looked around and took a seat at his table. Another man that had entered just behind him sat beside the door. The air in the room seemed so still and clammy. Too thick to breathe comfortably. Mr Frobisher turned ghost white as Jack entered, his usual confident self. The agent by the door seemed just as caught off guard.

“Good afternoon Mr Frobisher.” Jack smiled as he took a seat across from the man.

“How.. You can’t..” The weasley gentleman spluttered.

“I can and I have. What I want to know is why you’ve been trying to kill my people.”

“I couldn’t let anyone know… They’re back. I know they are… I can’t let this get out.”

“And if you’d left me to deal with it then it wouldn’t have. The four five six have been dealt with already. You could have pretended it never happened.”

Gwen quietly moved across from the agent who was weighing his options.

“I wouldn’t do anything if I were you.” She told him, eyes pointing to Owen who smiled in reply.

Frobisher eyed the door. “How was I meant to know. After what happened it shouldn’t be possible.”

“Technology changes. And you could have asked, or don’t you have the clearance for that? Does anyone even know that you’re here? That you hired a man to kill innocent people who had nothing to do with any of this? I wonder what would happen if your name was connected with an attempted murder investigation. It’s something to think about.” Jack smiled over at the busy waitress who had started to look a little concerned.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Why wouldn’t I? It was sheer luck that I don’t have a dead body and a grieving family on my hands.”

“Please. I have a family.”

“And I’m sure they’re very proud. Now, here’s what is going to happen. You and your friend over there are going to walk out of here, get into your car and go home. Your assassin is going to wake up in hospital with no idea how he got there and we are all going to forget this ever happened. I’m doing this for your families sakes.”

“Thank yo-”

“But, if I ever see you, anyone employed by you or anyone even slightly connected to you in any way I will not hesitate to destroy your life. Do you understand?”

Frobisher shrank in his chair, Jacks icy gaze telling him that the captain was not messing around in any way shape or form. There was something otherworldly behind those blue eyes that sparked a primal fear in the man.

“I’m gone. You’ll never see me again. I promise.”

“Leave.”

Jack watched the man skitter out very carefully, before letting out a breath he’d been holding. Looking down he saw the abandoned briefcase and picked it up, taking it outside and away from any other people before opening it. It really was filled with money. Part of him thought there would be a bomb inside. Part of him thought there still was. He closed the case and looked back to see Owen and Gwen giving him questioning looks.

“So it’s over?” Asked Tosh as her workmates returned.

“Yea. Well, if he wants to live it is.” Jack said, matter of factly.

Elise smiled. “So we can go home without worrying.”

Tosh didn’t look convinced. “Maybe we can stay at Owens for a little while. I’m not sure about going back to mine just yet.”

“Yea… I mean give me a chance to go and clean up first.” Owen shrugged, trying to hide that he really didn’t want them to see his place as it was.

“I’ve visited you before, you don’t need to do anything special.”

“Yea, you visited. I just threw everything into the wardrobe and hoped the door wouldn’t give.”

Elise snorted. “That is such a uni guy move.”

“You have to learn somewhere. Anyway, I’ve not been there in a bit so I need to turn the heating back on.”

“I’m sure we can warm the place up.” She grinned.

“Even more reason for me to tidy up.”

“Well if we have a free afternoon fancy helping me with the space jumping thing.”

“I thought you weren’t going to do that for a while.”

“It’s the time jump I’m not doing. Space jumping just makes me a little dizzy because it messes up my equilibrium. It just takes some getting used to is all.”

“Only if I can monitor you. The second I see anything out of the ordinary we’re stopping, got it?”

“Works for me.”

Tosh looked over to them. “Can I get that data too? It might help with a project I’m working on.”

“Yea, what project is this?” Owen asked.

“I don’t know if it’ll work but I’m modifying one of the vortex manipulators -”

“The what?”

“The time watches. I’m modifying it to try and negate the side effects from the time jumps. So far I’ve managed to get it to essentially factory reset but I need to know how I should calibrate it.”

“You’re doing that thing again.” Elise grinned.

“My job?”

“Being gorgeous, yes.”

Owen scooted by and picked Elise up in a fireman's lift. “Nope. I’ve seen where this goes and no one gets to see that but me.

“Jack, I’m being kidnapped.” She giggled.

Jack looked up from what he was doing. “Bring her back in one piece.”

“I promise nothing.” Owen replied as he carried her off.

On the outskirts of the city Father Peter Lyric was dealing with something he never thought he’d have the misfortune to encounter. He’d been called a few times to the Willis family residents with complaints of paranormal activity. At first he thought it was the same as other cases he’d heard of: rusty creaking pipes, loose wires, carbon monoxide poisoning. These were the most common causes of ‘hauntings’. The Willis family had checked for all of these, being a generally agnostic family, and had contacted the church in a last ditch attempt to free themselves from the haunting. The first visit the priest had made was uneventful so he had blessed the house and left. A week later he was called as the haunting had gotten worse. Furniture was being thrown around during the night, voices had been heard from the unplugged TV and the children had spoken of figures looming over them in the night. Father Lyric had practically doused the place in holy water and prayed his old heart out. Evidently it hadn’t worked.

Kirren Willis sat up in his bed, eyes pure black and unfamiliar letters seemingly burned into his skin, an unnervingly calm smile on his face.

A much deeper voice than a child of nine should ever be able to produce emanated from his mouth. “Hello Father. Have you come to get rid of me?”

“What are you? What is your name?”

“I am Legion. For we are many.”

“Don’t quote films at me demon! In the name of God what is your true name?”

The boy laughed. “You aren’t as ignorant as I assumed. You may call me Gelial.”

Elise steadied herself from the jump before falling with a thud.

“I’m ok.” She said as she pulled herself up.

“Come on, I think that’s enough for now.”

“I haven’t even broken a sweat.”

“Your heart rate begs to differ. You agreed to the deal.” Owen gave her a look like a stern teacher.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Think there’s enough data for Tosh to work with?”

“It should be. I’m just hoping she won’t need a time jump too.”

“Me too.”

“I thought you planned to use it.”

“Only if someone dies or the world tries to end. Even then I don’t know how to activate it. The space jumps I just need to concentrate on the place I want to be and it just happens but time jumps feel a bit different. I think I have to give it a reason I think.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Yea, but I don’t like the idea that it’s judging what is and isn’t important. Whatever it is.”

“Think it’s an outside entity?”

“Not an entity exactly.” She studied the scar on the back of her hand. “More like time itself. It’s strange. You wouldn’t think that sort of connection from one symbol.”

“I wondered about that too. Mind if I take a closer look at it? I thought maybe there was something underneath.”

“That should be fine. You’ve got the scanner thing so it’s not like you have to cut me open.”

“How’s your arm by the way?”

“It’s fine, barely even bruised. How far have you gotten in replicating the implant.”

“I’m nearly done. Just have to do a few tests but I’m running low on female rats. The cage had become a boys club before I realised.”

Father Lyric collapsed backwards onto the floor, clutching his crucifix to his chest.

“Out demon!” He ordered, though his voice had started to shake. “Leave this boy!”

Galial laughed. “Why should I ? This is a perfectly healthy vessel.”

“In the name of God I command you!”

“Your deity has no power over me. I am far from his reach.”

“Lies!”

“Come now Father, you and I both know that God has abandoned you.”

“No!” The old man cried, covering his ears.

“I know the truth can be painful but I wouldn’t have said it if you didn’t believe it. I’m very skilled in reading the thoughts you like to ignore. This boy hates his brother and wants to throw him down the stairs. He hates his parents for talking about a divorce. He thinks he should run away from home.”

“Leave him alone! Please.”

“Please?”

“Please. He’s innocent.”

“But you are not, are you Father Lyric?”

“Stop!”

“You left a girl out on a snowy night because she was drunk and you thought she might vomit in the church. What happened to her Father?”

“How do you know that?!”

“She died. Froze to death because you wanted to keep the church clean. You told the police you weren’t there. You lied. You tell others you are a man of faith but I see a murderer.”

“It’s not true! I couldn’t have known!”

“It was a blizzard and she didn’t even have a coat. Her blood is on your hands and you speak as if I’m the evil one. I could help those feelings go away.”

“I won’t listen to your lies demon!”

“I haven’t lied once. You’re going to hell anyway, why not let me ease your pain for a while.”

Tears ran down Peter’s face as he looked up into the lightless orbs that the boy had for eyes. His mind couldn’t think of anything other than the spirits words. He had killed that girl and had never felt as if he had done enough to earn forgiveness. It was all too much. He’d lost control. “How?”

Mrs Willis heard crying from her sons bedroom and ran up, tearing the door open to find her son confused and upset but seemingly fine. His eyes had returned to their normal green and his skin was clear of markings. She pulled the boy into her arms and kissed him on the head.

“Thank you Father. Is it gone? Is the ghost gone?” She asked through relieved sobs.

“When I leave you will have no more problems with this haunting.” Father Lyric smiled softly, the image of serenity.

“Thank you. We’ll be at church on Sunday I promise. You saved my baby.”

“I look forward to your attendance. I do hope you will bring your family and friends.”

“Of course! Of course. Is there any way we can repay you for this?”

“Your attendance is more than enough payment Mrs Willis.” He said as if he had done her a simple favour before making his way downstairs to leave.

“Is there anything we should do to stop this from happening again?” Asked Mr Willis as he opened the front door.

“Oh no, you should be just fine now. Isn’t it strange?”

“W-what is?”

“That your son looks so little like you. Families are very odd, don’t you think?”

“I suppose?” Mr Willis paled slightly, watching the priest leave. He swallowed hard and called up to his wife. “We need to talk, can you come down here?”

Owen looked up at the magnified image of Elises scar projected on the wall, not completely sure what he was seeing on the smaller screen. The surface layer had been normal scar tissue but underneath hid what looked like thousands of microscopic symbols, etched in black, almost tattooed into the flesh. The lines were only a fraction of a millimeter thick so they couldn’t actually be normal tattoos. It was as if the pigment in the cells themselves had been changed.

“It looks like source code.” Elise mused.

Owen nodded, still scanning the image with his eyes. “It does.” He hit the screenshot button on his computer. “Tosh has a few translation programmes. Maybe we can find out what it says. Keep still, I want to get a few more images for it to work on.”

“It’s so intricate. I don’t know how he did all of it so quickly. I barely even felt it.”

“Keep still.”

“I am.”

He grumbled at the blurry screenshots before taking his phone out of his pocket and taking a picture of the projection on the wall. At least that seemed to be a clear image. “Stay there, I’m going to get a better camera. Your hands doing the blurry thing again.”

“Why would another camera help?”

“It can take pictures of the projection. I just can’t take screenshots.”

She watched him leave before turning her attention back to the projection. The symbols moved with her pulse but they were drawn so clearly it didn’t make them illegible. It almost looked as if each figure was surrounded by a golden glow, that got stronger the longer she looked.

She was pulled from her trance like state by a hand being waved in front of her eyes.

“Are you still with me?” Asked Owen, a camera in his other hand.

“Yea. Yea, sorry I spaced out.” She looked back at the projection but didn’t see the golden glow anymore. “Did you get the pictures you needed?”

“Yea, and then I noticed you were daydreaming. I was going to worry if you didn’t snap out of it.”

“I’m fine. Jumping must have made me more tired than I thought.”

“I hate to say it but -”

“Don’t say it.”

“I told you so.”

#torchwood #toshiko sato #owen harper #ianto jones #gwen cooper #jack harkness

0 notes

myotishia · 5 years

Text

Music box part one

Blurb: With things calming down Elise is given an alien puzzle box to try and solve.

Another quiet morning dawned. As Elise entered the hub she heard her boss call over.

“My office. Five minutes.”

“Yes sir.” She grinned, tucking her bag under her desk.

“What’s that about?” Asked Owen as he took off his coat.

“Not a clue. Can’t be bad though otherwise I wouldn’t get five minutes. Wish me luck.” She trotted into Jacks office and sat to wait. Seconds later he scooted in and closed the door behind him.

Sitting in his chair and leaning back, sipping his coffee. “So.”

“So?”

“How did it go?”

“Captain Jack Harkness did you bring me in here just for gossip?”

“Not just for gossip.” He smirked over the rim of his mug. “But mostly gossip.”

“It went pretty damn well. We’re going to see how it goes. Owen made breakfast.”

“Really well then. Either way it’s out in the open at last.”

“And the other reason you called me in here?”

He sat forward and brought a box, about the size of a rubix cube, from his desk draw. It was ornately patterned in black and gold.

“A box?”

“It’s a puzzle box we think but no one’s ever been able to solve it. I thought you could give it a try with fresh eyes.��

“If your resident geniuses couldn’t solve it then what makes you think I have a shot?” She picked up the cube and turned it over in her hands.

“Everyone thinks differently, you might see something they didn’t. It’s one of a few we’ve found over the years. Some we can’t try and solve because human minds can’t handle the concept of a four dimensional object. What we can tell is that they seem to be made by the same person out of the same material, that we can’t scan though and can’t even break.”

“I’ll give it a go.” She nodded and headed out, still studying the cube.

Ianto handed Elise her morning coffee on the way out of Jacks office. “What’s going on today?”

“Why?”

“Owen thanked me… He’s never thanked me for anything.”

“He’s just in a good mood. We had a fun night.”

“Whatever happened it’s an improvement.” He looked down at the cube in her free hand. “The lament configuration. I thought after Tosh tried to crush it it was stored away permanently.”

“The what what? The box?”

“Hellraiser? The film?”

“Sorry, before my time. I’ll add it to the list of things I need to watch.”

“The puzzle box that opens a portal to hell in that film is called the lament configuration. Everyone gets so frustrated while trying to solve it I thought the name fit.”

She laughed. “Well, I’m not as smart as anyone else here so I’m not getting my hopes up.”

“I can give you a little head start. The corners all pull out so the layers can be moved.”

“Thanks. I thought I heard cogs moving when I turned it.”

“I hadn’t noticed.”

“Yea.” She placed down her mug and held up the box, slowly turning it. “Maybe it has some sort of gyroscope inside so certain moves only work if it’s the right way up. Let’s see if we…” she pulled two opposing corners and turned it by them. “The sound is different now. I’ll have to spend some time listening to it.” She picked up her drink again and palmed the box. “Thanks.” She beamed and trotted back to her desk.

Gwen leaned on Elise’s desk, watching her twist the puzzle box and test different configurations of buttons.

“Could you ask Owen if I can borrow a stethoscope? I can’t quite catch the click.” Elise asked, holding the item up to her ear.

“I can try. Owen’s possessive over his things.”

“You might be lucky today. He’s in the best mood right now.”

Gwen decided to give it a try. She guessed he’d be where he usually was and walked over to the autopsy bay. She looked over the railing to see Tosh sitting on his lap and laughing at something. Gwen cleared her throat and Tosh blushed, trotting away in embarrassment.

Owen looked up, still smiling as if he were very proud of himself for something. “What’s up?”

“Elise wanted to borrow a stethoscope to help with the cube but it looks like you’re busy.” She didn’t know what to say about what she’d seen, a million thoughts running through her head. .

“Oh yea. Here.” He kicked off, sliding across the room in his office chair, stopping himself with his heels at a set of draws. “Here. Tell her good luck. I never want to see that thing again.”

Gwen nodded and took the stethoscope, returning to Elises desk. “We should grab something for lunch later.”

“Huh? Sure, why not. It’s quiet this morning and I don’t think this’ll go anywhere.” Elise sat back away from the cube and pulled on her jacket. She waved at Tosh who still looked bright red. “Want anything while we’re out?”

“No. I’m fine. It’s your turn to cook dinner so you could look for that.”

“Cool. See you an a bit.” She blew a kiss as she followed Gwen out. Once on the street Gwen seemed to lose a little of the tenseness she was carrying.

“So… How are things between you two?” She asked uncomfortably.

“Good, why?”

“Well, when I walked in… Tosh was sitting on Owens lap and I’m not saying they were up to anything but it didn’t exactly look innocent.”

“Cheeky sods.” Elise laughed to Gwens utter astonishment.

“You’re not upset?”

“No. It would be pretty hypocritical if I was.”

Gwen stopped in her tracks, wondering if she was getting across what she was trying to say. “So you’re ok with them two fooling around while you and Tosh are dating?”

“Yep.”

“Am I missing something here? I didn’t know you had an open relationship.”

“We don’t. It just happens that the closed relationship has three members instead of two. It’s about time they stopped dancing around the issue anyway.”

“When did that happen?!” she squeaked out of surprise.

“Last night. I made sure they could sit down and talk things over. It’s kind of sweet, Owen wanted to take the idea to his grave until I convinced him otherwise.”

“The words Owen and sweet don’t usually appear in the same sentence and it was your idea?”

“Course it was. Those two nerds would have never said anything to each other. For all his bravado Owen’s just as socially awkward as the rest of us. Aren’t you relieved? I mean if this hadn’t been the case you would have had a whole host of drama to deal with.”

“I’m just… In shock I think. I’m used to Jack talking about that sort of thing and I’m never sure if I believe him or not.”

“You know what’s good for this kind of shock?”

“What?”

“Chocolate cake.”

Jack had shut himself in his office, trusting that the rest of the team were dealing with everything just fine. The presence of the earthquake machine bothered him. The time ripples had to grab the time agency’s attention and they weren’t fans of unlicensed time travellers. Since Jacks watch no longer worked to actively travel he’d been staying under their radar but if they were snooping around it might only be a matter of time. The rift usually covered the time anomalies but it didn’t cover the effect of changing the past. At least, to the best on his knowledge, Elise hadn’t time jumped since the pharm so she wasn’t glowing like a beacon to any passing agent. Well mostly. The security cameras still couldn’t pick up her right hand and if they were unlucky that would be spotted. He hoped the agency would assume they’d done their job and eliminated the problem. They were rarely that lucky.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a knock at his door.

“Come in.”

Ianto opened the door. “Elise brought cake if you want some. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’ll with you in a minute.”

“Jack…”

“Yes?”

“Your smile isn’t meeting your eyes.”

“Do you have to pay attention to everything?”

“I believe it’s in my contract, yes. It’s just below the small print that stops me poisoning Owen on a bi weekly basis.”

“I’m just concerned about the possibility of the time agency tracking me down.”

“We’ll deal with whatever happens when it happens. Frankly, if Owen could break time and space to save, not only, his own life but others then we can all handle an agency that couldn’t track you when you’ve been here for quite some time. Now come and have some cake before there’s nothing left.”

The team sat in the boardroom where the cake had been demolished. Elise sat back in her chair with the cube, spinning it by the corners like a large fidget spinner. After each rotation it gave a satisfying clink.

Gwen was leaning on the table looking a little green.

“Too much cake?” Asked Owen.

“Sod off. I think I just picked up a bug somewhere.”

“How long for?” He asked with actual concern.

She shrugged. “A few days. It’ll go just after lunch.”

Owen looked around the room to see if everyone else was thinking what he was. They were. Elise even put the cube down.

“So you get this sickness every morning?” He continued.

“Oh don’t start. I’m on the pill.”

“You might want to check anyway.”

Elise leant forward. “Yea. I heard that there was an issue with that type of birth control. There was so much in the water system that everyone's bodies were getting used to it so it wasn’t working as it should. There were lawsuits and everything.”

Gwen looked up, a little nervous. “Seriously?”

“Yea. The pill was retired in 2026. It was replaced by these implants that can be turned on or off by a doctor. 100% effective.”

“Shit.”

Owen placed a hand on Gwens shoulder. “Come on. We can find out and if not I can see what’s really causing it.”

Gwen groaned but followed, kind of hoping it was just a virus. She couldn’t really hang up her life for a while to have a baby. How would she even bring up a child with her job as it was. What would Rhys think? Another wave of nausea hit her though likely more from stress.

The short wait felt like forever.

“Will we have to open a creche? I don’t think it’s possible to baby proof the hub.” Ianto mused out loud.

“Gwen’ll just be on maternity leave for a while, though in the past parents haven’t returned to work because of the risk. I can’t blame them.” Said Jack, his mind wandering to his own family.

Tosh was pacing, thinking about the possibilities for herself. She sat down close to Elise. “You have one of those implants, don’t you?”

“Yea. Since I was eighteen. It’s the earliest you can get it because it puts your reproductive system into a sort of stasis.”

“Any idea how it works?”

“Not a clue but we might be able to reverse engineer one. If Gwen isn’t pregnant then she’ll probably be interested too.”

“I can’t imagine what she must be feeling right now. A baby just throws your whole life upside down.”

“Yea, but she has Rhys. I’m sure he’d be ecstatic.”

“Have you ever thought about having kids?”

Elise shook her head. “No way. If my mum was anything to go by I should never have kids. What about you?.”

“I don’t have time for children and I don’t think I could stay away from work. It’s the Torchwood curse. Normal stops being a thing.”

“There’s a thought, what would my power even do if I got pregnant?”

“That doesn’t bare thinking about.”

Gwen tensed up waiting for the result that felt as if it was taking forever when only seconds had passed. Negative.

“Oh thank god.” She almost collapsed, relieved.

“You always looked the type to want kids.”

“I do, just not right now. I can’t bring a baby into all this. At least now I can change my birth control before I get caught out. Of course the pill wouldn’t work with all the radiation and crap we end up covered with.”

“I’m surprised this is the first scare we’ve had. With Jack alone we should have had them once a week.”

“Says you.”

“I’m very careful thank you very much.” He sat down in his wheely chair.

“What about this new relationship you’ve got going?”

“I’m not the dad type. I’m the drunk uncle that doesn’t get invited to family parties anymore type. They know that.”

“Yea and that was a shock.”

“Same here if I’m honest, but fuck, why not? The world could end tomorrow. Last real relationship I had was before I even joined Torchwood. Maybe it’s been long enough.”

“What happened?”

“She died.”

Gwens face fell. “Oh god Owen, I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t know. I didn’t want to move on really but… When you could be crushed any second by a tonne of concrete you start to look at your life differently. Plus the other Owen was a better man than I’ve ever been. He’s the one Elise fell for originally so I’ve got to live up to that now.”

“You and him are different people.”

“I know, but he’s who I could have been.”

“What, dead?”

He laughed softly. “You should go up and give everyone the news. They’re probably waiting with bated breath.”

“After this long I think they would have suffocated.”

Four pairs of eyes watched the door as it opened.

“It’s negative, thank god.”

There was a collective sigh of slight disappointment.

“Oh thanks.”

Jack smiled. “We’re happy you’re happy but a pregnancy’s exciting.”

“I know.” She waved him off.

C#, F#, E, D, B, F#, C#, B… Each correct movement of the box made a note, only audible with a little help. G#, F#, click. The top of the box popped up and turned 90 degrees, creating an eight pointed star, followed by three other layers. The whole thing then flattened to about half its height, but in the new configuration. It looked completely different than it had but no less beautiful. The surface seemed to have taken on shapes similar to symbols. Writing maybe? She couldn’t tell at first.

Then she saw a very familiar one. She stood suddenly and excitedly carried it to find Ianto. He nearly jumped out of his skin as she trotted up to him.

“I got further with the box.”

He looked at the puzzle in surprise. “How did you solve it?”

“It was a music puzzle. It was too quiet for human ears to naturally hear it so I used a stethoscope to work it out. I don’t think it’s solved yet though so I need that book with all the symbols in.”

“I’ll grab it for you and bring it over, just wait for me to get back before you show anyone else.”

“Why?”

“I want to see their reactions.”

Elise laughed at his smug smile, knowing how it had frustrated everyone.

#torchwood #jack harkness #gwen cooper #ianto jones #toshiko sato #owen harper

0 notes