I have been holding off on Torchwood until next week, when I can watch it with some friends of a friend (two girls who are so ripe for fandom it's not even funny. In fact I suspect they already are in fandom and I am trying to figure out how to drop that hint.) But these cut tags are killing me!

To make up for it I've been making my way through the tardis_bigbang entries and have a couple recs:

For Captain and Cardiff by blackhemlock. Gen-ish Jack/Ianto, 43.000 words, PG-13. "At midnight, a nationwide security alert was sent out... Torchwood London, demands all agencies' cooperation in issuing an arrest warrant for Ianto Merric Jones, 24, of Cardiff." Torchwood Three's Archivist has gone rogue. But, he does have a very good reason, and he looks stunning in his new suit.

A fun adventure story in which Ianto is competent, saves the day, and meets the Doctor.

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Guard Them, and Him Within by etharei. Jack/Ianto, 38.000 words, NC-17. Ianto Jones finds himself far from home. But there are guns, aliens, and more Strange Happenings than one can shake a stick at, so sometimes it’s like he hasn’t left. Of stories within stories, and the adventures of small characters.

This is such a fantastic sci-fi story in the best possible sci-fi tradition. It features time-traveling Ianto, one of my very favorite plots, but instead of being cliched, etharei really made the story her own, and the result is utterly original in concept and execution. The world building is fantastic, thorough, and spooky, and the mythology is so cool. I also love the original characters, which is high praise for any work of fan fiction.

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And Indeed There Will Be Time by kaydeefalls. Jack/Ianto, 43.000 words, R. In 1919, Harriet Derbyshire was killed while investigating the disappearance of Torchwood Four in Dublin. In 2009, UNIT pulls a dying man out of the Irish Sea with a one-word message: Torchwood. Martha joins up with Jack's team in Cardiff to track down the errant branch of the organization – before a time-traveling race of aliens can change the course of history as we know it.

This is also a time-traveling Ianto story, and like Guard Them, and Him Within, it is brilliantly executed. Utterly unique in the plotting, this felt exactly like the best of the Who/Torchwood episodes. It was gripping, wonderfully characterized, and I love this Ianto with all of my heart. He's smart, and competent, and adaptable even in the toughest situations.

This is just one of those perfect stories for me, it was fantastically plotted; I loved each and every one of the characters, and it was wonderfully inventive. Stories like this, that use canon as a jumping off point and then take it to a whole new level are the reason I love fanfic.