OOC: November Writing Prompts
Very, very late.
[oo1] Thursday: Character Bibliography: five books.
I. The Aubrey-Maturin Series by Patrick O'Brian
I haven't actually had the opportunity to read all (or, well, most) of these books and the one I did read, I don't remember that much about (lulz, library!). But I can draw heavily on the parallels between the two characters and Jack and Ianto. Plus, I actually think that it's a series Ianto would enjoy reading.
II. Henry V by William Shakespeare
Admittedly, Shakespeare's historical plays are not my favorites. However, this one has some of the best speeches ever written for anything, and I can definitely imagine it being something of an inspiration for Ianto's morale in the earlier days of the year of hell. I think he has a copy of the play, with tattered edges and a broken spine, sitting under the piles of paperwork on his desk.
III. The Complete Works of Lord Byron
I'm a nerd - this is the biggest area of self-insertion for me with this character, transferring my love of literature over to Ianto, but I can see it working, so I'll forgive myself. Byron's the classic Romantic period hero, and his poetry is rife with cynicism, lost and unrequited love, separation. Of particular interest to me is 'When We Two Parted.'
IV. Down the Long Wind by Gillian Bradshaw (trilogy)
I'm an Arthur nut, and while I'm not particularly sure whether Ianto would've been interested in reading these, I read them a very long time ago and they started me on the road of interest in ancient British history, as well as learning more about Wales, since the Welsh are considered by some to be the closest remaining connection to the ancient Britons. This definitely helps out, and the names inspired me to learn something about Welsh pronunciations, since Gwynhwyfar and Gwalchmai aren't exactly easy names to wrap your tongue around.
V. Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins (series)
I feel a little bit awkward about this one, since it's a series of Christian fiction about the Rapture. But it definitely gave me inspiration for the year of hell. I could definitely imagine a parallel between Harry Saxon and Nicolae Carpathia, and the description of the time following the Rapture, with the Christians forming a resistance and going underground, definitely inspired me for things that could have happened in the year of hell. I drew a lot off that and I'm actually disappointed I didn't get to use more of it.