CoE blather - Part Quatro

[51stcenturyfox]

I couldn't actually make a list of things I found funny in the penultimate episode of Children of Earth, so this is really about something... else. It's about the way fandom reacts to things like this.


Spoilers, obviously.



Since those rumors and spoilers first made it out there, I've been reading them voraciously (though I did NOT APPRECIATE being spoiled yesterday live on Twitter, ya dorks.)

So I thought Torchwood fandom was intellectually prepared to lose another cast member in S3.  EVEN THOUGH we just lost Tosh and Owen at the end of the last series.

I'd been reassuring my friends - and still am - with the fact that this is sci fi. It's the Whoniverse.  In Torchwood alone, they've brought back Suzie and Owen, and of course Rhys was gone before the Rift was reopened in End of Days.  So death... isn't always permanent.  Ianto's passing could even be a fakeout of some sort and a reversal could occur - OR the door could be left open for S4.  

Given the death scene and final moments I still think it's possible. But don't think it's that likely. Oh Gwen. Straightening Ianto's tie...    

But that's not what I'm thinking about after last night.

There are a lot of comments I've seen all over LJ and Twitter about people "not being able to watch Torchwood ever again" now that Ianto is gone.   And intellectually, I get that. I do.  It's hard when you REALLY care for a character and they... kark it.  

But people say that RTD "made them care" about the character and Jack/Ianto's relationship so therefore feel betrayed.

Well, most of us write fanfic. Or we read it.  And if we don't care about these characters in the fanworks, we don't care about what happens.  We have it easy when we write, most of the time. We're writing about a programme that our friends already watch and care about, but we want to make the reader feel something when they read our stuff as well. 

But think about it; fanfic and our discussions (and even a parody RP) made us care more about many of these characters than the actual SHOW.  It's true for me and I can't be the only one.

Look how long it's been since new canon.  What did RTD really give Ianto's fans and fans of the Jack/Ianto relationship before CoE?  Three onscreen kisses in two series. A tiny bit of relationship-based exposition. Some subtext. Yeah. Wow!  I write Jack/John fic and I've had two whole episodes to work with, peeps. 

Fanfic makes the true reality for fans. The relationship (and many others on Torchwood) are often better-explored in a week of stories listed on torchwood_three  than in the entire three series to date.

So when you think about leaving the fandom after this... really?   The 456 wants 10 percent of the Earth's kids for snacks and 80 percent of fandom... to freak the fuck out and leave. Apparently.  ;)

RTD has given us a bunch of Torchwood characters we care about: Jack, Gwen, Ianto, Tosh, Owen, John Hart (FUCKERS, I STILL CARE ABOUT JOHN OKAY) and even insaniac Suzie. Now there's Lois, whom I sincerely hope does not kark it today.  *pets Lois*

Throwing the toys out the window because you're mad at Uncle Rusty doesn't wound him in the slightest.  But it'll make fandom less fun for you fellow writers and readers. 

I hope you stick around and play.

 
- Foxy
is still on the X-Files fic comm, for fuck's sake. Did you see the second film? It was crap. Seriously. 


PS. If you lobbed abuse at one of the show's writers on Twitter or a blog because you didn't like the ending of episode four, shame on you.  They don't have to interact with the fans but are nice enough to do so anyway.  They give us shiny toys and we make the toys do NAUGHTY STUFF. Which is awesome.  Don't be an ass.   


ETA:  Pre-ep 5 BLANKET BURRITO HUDDLE @ Casa de hanuueshe