Fic: Born Every Minute (Torchwood, AU, Jack/Ianto)

[hope]

Title: Born Every Minute
Author: Hope (angstslashhope @ LJ / hope @ Dw)
Fandom: Torchwood
Wordcount: ~4,000
Genre: AU, slash, kink
Rating: R
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Warnings: Acrotomophilia [to avoid spoilers, save wikipediaing it 'til you're done]
Notes: Ginormous kudos to wenchpixie for the enthusiasm that kickstarted this, as well as for the ace britpick and beta.

Summary: All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.

( Click here to read the story )

Feedback is adored.


PS. This is the circus!AU. Wingfic coming in the next week or so :D

x-posted to torch_wood, torchwood_fic & the_hub.

Comments

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[hope]

Posting on the_hub @ Dreamwidth: http://the-hub.dreamwidth.org/1154.html

[hansbekhart.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, that was AWESOME. So many layers to it. I loved the literary feel of the narrative, how much thought you put into each of their new roles. It underscored canon in a really creative way, and I loved the last part. It really added so much depth, not only because "one of us" made me think of Freaks, but that Ianto was willing to still include Jack as one of them made me feel like there was an entirely different layer added to their relationship.

I hope that there could be more done in this 'verse!

[hope]

I could have put so much more in their alterna-roles, for serious (Toshiko the fire-breathing equine acrobat!!1), but had to stop myself from taking even more thousands of words describing FANTASY LAND.

It really added so much depth, not only because "one of us" made me think of Freaks, but that Ianto was willing to still include Jack as one of them made me feel like there was an entirely different layer added to their relationship.

Yea, the more I write Ianto the more sneaky he gets. Like NINJA in emotional stakes, I am surprised myself.

IDK if there'll be more in this 'verse... I've sort of left it behind me, now. Its original intention was to be the first in a set of "teams Torchwood Three never was" AUs, so we'll see how that goes!

[hansbekhart.livejournal.com]

Ianto is completely an emotional ninja. I think that's what makes it so delicious when you see a writer really capture that, because he's just so complex.

Oh well! Any new Torchwood story from you is fantastic news, so I'm happy either way.

[hope]

*beams* You're a doll!! Hopefully there'll be another from me within the next week or so :D

[laurapetri.livejournal.com]

Interesting AU

[hope]

Thank you!

[criccieth.livejournal.com]

ok that was intriguing. I don't normally go for AUs that are that far removed from cannon but this....are there more in this AU?

[hope]

I don't usually write AUs this far from canon, so that makes two of us *g*

I doubt there'll be any more in this 'verse, sorry!

Thank you for the feedback :)

[zoethezombie.livejournal.com]

That was brilliant! The circus theme was quite believable for them and the description was very vivid. More please!

[hope]

Thank you! I don't think I'll write more in this 'verse - though the world is much bigger in my head, I've not a plot to hang it on!!

Loving the AFP/DD icon, btw :)

[lone-star-woman.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this fic. The imagery was gorgeous. I loved all of the circus roles (including Janet). Great.

[hope]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was great fun coming up with roles for everyone, even the 'pets' :)

[wenchpixie]

HURRAH!

I really ought to enable you more often, if this is how it turns out. (so leverage mpreg, yes?)

[hope]

I TOLD YOU IT'S CALLED LEVERPREG!

:D

Thank you for putting up with me. <3

[wenchpixie]

Just because you told me doesn't mean I've not blocked it out...


My pleasure, it wasn't exactly hard :D

[hazelayes.livejournal.com]

Brilliant :D What an unusual fic. I don't think i've ever read a similar one, certainly not in TW. Really clever. Thanks!

[hope]

Thank you for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed it :D

[laurab1.livejournal.com]

How very cool :) I sent you something, too :)

[hazelayes.livejournal.com]

You did? *bounces excitedly*
Can you give me a clue?
I haven't received anything yet, other than your message above, that is. :)

[hazelayes.livejournal.com]

Oh! *is embarrassed* message not meant for me!!!!
*hides*

[laurab1.livejournal.com]

Sorry! I meant to direct that comment to angstslashhope! But I've made her something for this story, it's on my LJ :)

[hope]

Thank you again! I've linked it above. It's very shiny :D :D

[cupidsbow.livejournal.com]

You have such a lovely turn of phrase. I could almost smell the greasepaint.

[hope]

Thank you! <3 I worry about being too purple, but I think the sporadic crackfic helps to break it up :)

[misswinterhill.livejournal.com]

I didn't comment on this earlier because I needed to read it a few times to wrap my head around it. I'm so glad that I've discovered your work! I really enjoyed this, and I adored the "one of us" at the ending because the allusion instantly made me think of "Freaks" and all of the imagery and baggage that comes along with that!

[hope]

:D Thank you! I am glad to return the favour, your fic has given me much joy since I discovered it :)

Yeah, the more I think about this story and its Freaks allusions, the more baggage it seems to have - originally it was just sort of a vehicle for the tongue-in-cheek reference of rolling around under circus waggons and chanting "one of us! one of us!" ... but really, it fit too well. Turns out this is pretty much an articulation of how I think Jack fits into the Torchwood team! he's not so much the heroic leader guiding a bunch of poor emotional misfits with his aged wisdom, but is pretty much just as fucked up as the rest of them.

AND THAT'S WHY THEY ALL LOVE EACH OTHER SOOOOO MUCH.

Er. /ramble.

:D

[misswinterhill.livejournal.com]

True, and that is why we love them so much too!

[adjovi.livejournal.com]

this was lovely...the imagery was really great here. when jack was in with management, i was thinking something along the lines of "carnivale", actually, but definitely see the relation to "freaks" as well.

[hope]

Thank you! And yeah, you identified my two major influences, there *g It was a struggle to *not* describe the dust bowl imagery that infuses Carnivale so deeply. Had to keep reminding myself it's supposed to be set in Britain... not a lot of dust, here.

:)

[dil-deal.livejournal.com]

I don't really have coherent thoughts after that. I'm completely blown away. This is something special. Thank you so much for writing.

[hope]

Thank you for reading! And for the lovely feedback :)

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

“You are, you know.” Vision adjusted to the near darkness, even with the new distance that separates them, he can easily make out the gleam of Jack’s eyes when he turns his head. “One of us.”

:D just quite liked that little nod there

[hope]

Hee, cheers. Yeah, half of this was just an excuse for me to reference Freaks.

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

as excuses go, it's not a bad one!

[wynkat1313.livejournal.com]

Here via Torchwood House, and glad for the recommendation!

wow, that was... a fascinating read. I *think* I like it. I know it works. And I adore your Gwen. so yes, I do like it. very very cool.

[hope]

:D Thank you!

[ecce-echo.livejournal.com]

This was really wonderful and different (in a good way). This is just one example, but it is a really great bit of 'show, don't tell', and the details used to tell us that Mainframe is a horse go towards creating a rich world for the characters.

Mainframe whickers as he nears the makeshift yard, probably scenting his approach even as he can detect her; manure and chaff and horse sweat. He smoothes his palm over her forehead where her headdress was, stroking the nap of her hide back to rights. She jerks her head, snorting into the feedbag, and Toshiko appears, bobbing around Mainframe’s shoulder.

I liked the grittiness of the traveling show, the smells, the running makeup, and Gwen's hoarse voice- it matches nicely with the grittiness of Torchwood and the sense that it is a very thin veneer that allows either of these professions to appear thrilling or glamorous.

I don't know if you intend to continue this, but it would be really cool if you could somehow work it that the 'team' became the Night Travelers (though perhaps they''d manage without an 'audience'). (Sorry, couldn't resist angling for that.)

[hope]

Thank you for the lovely feedback! I doubt I will continue it... it seems such a massive world, I'm not sure I could keep it short enough if I did. This snapshot is enough for me!

Cheers :)

[mcparrot.livejournal.com]

Oh my. I'm reading my way through some TW house recs and discovered this story. It is quite extraordinary. All the more so, because a long time ago I used to work in a circus (I had my own caravan) and you have caught the flavour and colour of that experience so well. I could never have pictured these characters in that setting on my own, but you did it superbly. I went out with the Ring Master myself for a time and know the jealousies and strangeness of this enclosed little travelling world. Wow. Never expected to find any of that in TW fic.
Loved the way you brought in the canon we knew and wove it in there with this very different AU.
Would love to know the back story to Ianto's amputation, and I'm assuming more serious disfigurement as well if the child's response was anything to go by.
I'm just cobsmacked actually.
Wonderful piece of writing.

[hope]

Wow, thank you for the awesome feedback! I must say, I've been to the circus once, and one absolutely unlike this, from what I can remember (I was quite young), so it makes me gleeful to hear you say that I got the setting right, here!

Though it was a while ago that I wrote it, now, I think I've still got in my head how I tied in all those intricacies with canon and Ianto's disfigurement. Someone requested I write more in a timestamp meme, so hopefully I'll be able to squeeze some more of it out :)

Thank you again!!

[nancybrown.livejournal.com]

Really loved this. Nice texture to the world.

[hope]

Thank you :) It was great fun to construct.