Book Club: Back in action!
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Welcome (back) to the Person of Interest Book Club! It's a new and hopefully better year. Your mods are
st_aurafina and livenudebigfoot and we're hoping to read all of the 2018 Big Bang fics. This is the reading and discussion post for February 2021. This month's fic is a Firefly fusion, which is a surprisingly good fit for these characters!
Remember, the discussion post will be here. I'll link back here on the 21st. You don't have to wait till the 21st to comment, though. Have at, if you're done early.
All fics are linked by permission of the authors, and the same goes for the art. (Thank you, creators!)
Our fic for February is An Alluring Companion by
An Alluring Companion. (22070 words) by Michaelssw0rd
Chapters: 4/4
Fandom: Person of Interest (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Harold Finch/John Reese, Harold Finch & Nathan Ingram
Characters: Harold Finch, John Reese, Logan Pierce, Nathan Ingram, Zoe Morgan, Carl Elias, Anthony Marconi
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Firefly AU, Fluff, Massage, Hair Washing, Companions, Logan Pierce being an asshole I'm sorry, Slow Dancing, Alternate Universe - Escorts, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Torture, Harold Egret also makes an appearance :P
Summary:
Harold is a genius, loner programmer, belonging to the elite and prestigious society. He gets invited to a party he can't get out of-- not without drawing too much attention to himself-- and Nathan encourages him to hire a Companion as a social buffer. Harold ends up hiring the services of John Reese.
It goes exceptionally well.
So well that Harold hires him again, and again, learning John's secrets and sharing his own, until he inevitably falls in love with the person he is paying to keep him company.
(Set in Firefly Universe, but the knowledge of Firefly is not compulsory)
Go forth and read! Here are some questions to bear in mind while you read:
1. What was your initial reaction to the fic? Were you immediately hooked, or did it take you a while to get into it?
2. What themes or style choices did you notice as you were reading the fic?
3. In what ways does the fic feel like canon? In what ways does it differ?
4. What was your favourite scene?
5. Which character did you relate to most and what was it about them that you connected to?
6. Did the fic change your perspective on an aspect of canon or a character?
7. Share a favourite quote or excerpt.
8. What did you think of the ending?
9. How did the art affect or enhance your reading of the fic?
10. What are some questions you have for the author?
I'll check back in on the 14th with a reminder, then again on the 21st to start some discussion. Then on the 1st of March, all going according to plan, we'll do it again with a new big bang fic.
Go forth, read and enjoy.
Here's a handy-dandy box where you can cut and paste the questions. And don't forget to comment on the fic itself to let the author know you enjoyed it.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-02-22 08:41 am (UTC)I had already watched Firefly to better appreciate another PoI fusion fic, so I was delighted to see this one. Plus, it's Tee, whose works I really admire.
2. What themes or style choices did you notice as you were reading the fic?
Guilt and secrecy, maybe? Harold is still trying to stay out of the limelight as much as possible. John is still a spy and would prefer not to be. I was very impressed with the worldbuilding. Thanks to the author's skill at weaving them together, Firefly's universe accounts amazingly well for the PoI characters.
3. In what ways does the fic feel like canon? In what ways does it differ?
There are more differences than similarities, since it's AU, set in space, and Nathan is alive. Harold and John feel very much like the same people, with some necessary adjustments for their AU circumstances.
4. What was your favourite scene?
It has to be that final confrontation with Pierce where Reese walks away with Harold instead. It's very satisfying for a Rinch shipper. :)
5. Which character did you relate to most and what was it about them that you connected to?
I had a lot of empathy for Harold from the first scene, because of the cold, and throughout, because of his anxiety. The way he relies on Nathan to handle social situations he's afraid of, and then handling himself really well once he actually gets out there.
6. Did the fic change your perspective on an aspect of canon or a character?
Not really? It's not dealing with canon directly enough for that to happen. The characters are all adapted to the setting in ways that preserve their canon personalities.
7. Share a favourite quote or excerpt.
This, from my second favourite scene:
Harold closed his eyes against the spray of water, as it wetted his hair. When John’s fingers caressed his scalp, the sigh of contentment was as involuntary as his proceeding blush. Fortunately, John didn’t comment on it.
8. What did you think of the ending?
It's so cute! They resolve the misunderstanding between them and I'm hopeful that they're both going to start feeling better in general from now on.
9. How did the art affect or enhance your reading of the fic?
The art is so well suited to the fic, it blew me away. Really appreciate getting to see Rinch walking out together arm in arm <333
10. What are some questions you have for the author?
How did you go about deciding which secondary characters would appear in this fic and where they would find themselves?
And this is a cheeky one, but...Might you someday still get around to writing more in this verse? (Please, please.)
(no subject)
Date: 2021-02-24 06:22 am (UTC)Right? I didn't think this was going to work half as well as it did!
Guilt and secrecy, maybe?
Oh, yes, of course!! That's so obvious!
(no subject)
Date: 2021-03-02 03:44 am (UTC)This is such a wonderful analysis omg. Guilt and secrecy, yes. I can see how they are overarching themes of these characters, and this story.
About what secondary characters I thought would appear in the story... I definitely knew Nathan would NOT be dead. I wanted him there. I thought of Zoe being a companion early on too. Also Pierce and the final confrontation was driving the fic. But other characters just... appeared as the story went along. SPECIALLY the Elias part. I genuinely considered not writing that cause it would increase the story length so much, but I am glad I did.
And, well.... yes. I want to get around writing a PWP for it cause WE GET A COMPANION!JOHN WITH ALL THE TEASING and no followthrough? But like... I find myself wanting to READ it more than write it :P. So yeah, someday if inspiration strikes... i will!