#thinking of really playing with the real-world concept of sin-eaters

[kitabasis]

Reading through the Geist: The Sin-Eaters Second Edition corebook to prep for a campaign I’m going to run this year (assuming I can get enough players) and. I’ve heard a lot of praise for this game I was shocked at how transparently it was written with an audience of GTSE First Edition fans in mind. YMMV, but there’s a ton of terms that aren’t really…explained until later (they throw around all the different Keys before even telling you what a Key is), and the lore is generally really weirdly interspersed. I mean, I’m going to change a decent amount of lore, as is my wont, so I would already have to type up a bunch of stuff… But now I’m probably going to have make a doc explaining the rules in an order that won’t confuse the players if they haven’t read a 300 page book.

[liim-bo]

DYLAN

BASICS

STAGE NAME \\ dylan ( 딜런 )

MEANING \\ son of the sea

BIRTH NAME \\ jeon yeon a ( 전연아 )

NICKNAMES \\ dill, dad

BIRTHDAY \\ may 27, 1995

ZODIAC \\ gemini

CHINESE ZODIAC \\ pig

BIRTHPLACE \\ gimpo, south korea

HOMETOWN \\ seoul, south korea

HEIGHT \\ 166.1cm ( 5'5" )

WEIGHT \\ 53kg ( 116lbs )

BLOOD TYPE \\ a

ETHNICITY \\ korean

NATIONALITY \\ korean

LANGUAGES \\ korean ( fluent ), english ( fluent )

CAREER

GROUP \\ miss.tori ( 2008 - 2010 ), limbo ( 2011 - present )

POSITION \\ main vocalist, sub dancer, centre

REPRESENTATIVE SIN \\ sloth

REPRESENTATIVE VIRTUE \\ diligence

COMPANY \\ dsp media ( 2005 - 2007 ), pledis entertainment ( 2007 - present )

TRAINEE PERIOD \\ 2 years ( dsp ), 1 year + further 10 months after miss.tori disbandment ( pledis )

DEBUT \\ september 23, 2008 ( miss.tori ), august 5, 2011 ( limbo )

DEBUT AGE \\ 13 years old ( miss.tori ), 16 years old ( limbo )

STATS

VOCALS \\ 10/10

DANCE \\ 8/10

RAP \\ 5/10

VARIETY \\ 4/10

ACTING \\ 7/10

PRODUCING \\ 9/10

PHYSICAL

TATTOOS \\ "222" on hip, "angel" on inside of right arm, "v.o.i.d" on left of upper chest, angels on back

PIERCINGS \\ four on left ear ( 3 x lobe, snug ), three on right ear ( 3 x lobe )

FACE CLAIM \\ lee si yeon ( dreamcatcher )

VOICE CLAIM \\ siyeon ( dreamcatcher )

DANCE CLAIM \\ jiu ( dreamcatcher )

PERSONAL

SEXUALITY \\ bisexual

RELIGION \\ christian

EDUCATION \\ korea art high school

MBTI \\ intj-a, architect

STRENGTHS \\ informed, independent, determined

WEAKNESSES \\ arrogant, combative, romantically clueless

STYLE \\

LIKES \\ the movie charlie's angels, miley cyrus, ok raon (rain), playing video games, cargo trousers, pot noodles, public transport, going to comic con, aegyo, going on day trips with her sisters, bold coloured lipstick

DISLIKES \\ the concept of survival shows, walking around barefoot, people assuming things about her, the taste of white chocolate, floral perfumes, being too warm, surprises, relying on other people, going to the gym, forgetting to put on her jewellery, getting the hiccups

HABITS \\ a very slow eater. Insists on cutting upall her food into tiny pieces before she even thinks about eating, to avoid choking

TALENT \\ power vocals, has amazing breath control and really knows how to hold a note

HOBBIES \\ playing video games, cosplay, watching limbo edits

FEARS \\ anginaphobia ( fear of choking )

FAMILY

MOTHER \\ jo soo yun ( 1969 )

FATHER \\ jeon dong min ( 1965 )

SISTER \\ jeon haneul ( 1994 )

SISTER \\ jeon mirae ( 1994 )

SISTER \\ jeon jin ae ( 1996 )

TRIVIAL

ONE \\ dylan chose her stage name after one of the main characters from her all-time favourite film, charlie's angels

TWO \\ dylan is known as the dad of the group, by both fans and the members

THREE \\ strangely enough, dylan loves travelling on public transport; she finds it calming, even when its super busy

FOUR \\ dylan is a former member of the girl group miss.tori, alongside fellow member rain. the group of four members debuted september 23, 2008 under pledis entertainment. due to a series of unfortunate events, including the passing away of one of the members, the group officially disbanded in the october of 2010

FIVE \\ whilst in miss.tori she was known by her real name, yeona

SIX \\ she is a former dsp media trainee

SEVEN \\ dylan is very protective over her younger sister, jinae. she makes sure to constantly check in with her whenever she can, and has assured her that if she ever needs anything, even if dylan is halfway across the world, she'll be there 

EIGHT \\ her representative sin is sloth

NINE \\ her representative virtue is diligence

TEN \\ her representative symbol is a goat

ELEVEN \\ her representative colour is light blue

[stillness-in-green]

Changeling: The League (3/3)

Bonus Miscellanea!  A sampler round of various other villains and some AU-of-the-AU versions of the story and characters, including some alternate takes on characters using other game lines from the World of Darkness.  

This post is the last one I have in mind for the concept, but I hope everyone who was curious enough to read them enjoyed them.  There’s some fun stuff in this post in particular, I think--the Word of Darkness really is a very versatile setting.  Find the explanations and the League of Villains here, the follow-up with the Meta Liberation Army here, or just hit the jump for the bonus material.

THE MINIONS

All for One’s direct loyalists and followers.  All are dual-kithed or otherwise eyebrow-raising in kith/seeming combination, and all have a high enough Wyrd that their kith abilities are starting to evolve--serving AFO does have its benefits.  With AFO imprisoned back in Faerie and the cycle stalled out, AFO’s followers are finding themselves facing an unclear future, and so each is having to come up with what they want to do going forward.  Mostly want Tomura to come back and get things moving again, having little sense that there is a world out there that’s more “real” than the one they currently inhabit.

Kurogiri

Type: Palewraith Darkling, Chatelaine dual kith.  Once a caretaker for Tomura, he opts to find Tomura out in the real world in hopes of resuming that directive.  When Tomura does not show even a shred of recognition, Kurogiri opts to set up a bar in the local Hedge, making himself “available.”  

Mantle: Winter, season of secrecy.  Has a servant’s circumspectness with a loyalist’s desire to keep his secrets, as well as a deep, very old melancholy that even he doesn’t really remember the reason for anymore.  

Contracts: Fleeting Winter I, Sorrow-Frozen Winter I-III, Dream I-V, and Smoke I-IV.  For Smoke, he has the old 4-dot Smoke-stepping clause rather than the more modern Murkblur, which is something of a tell regarding his true age.

 Ujiko

Type: Chirurgeon Darkling, which shouldn’t actually be possible by the categorizations as the fae understand them.  He’s been in AFO’s hands for a long time, though.  Current fear: what’s going to happen to the realm if the cycle continues to stall?  Gears can only grind against one another for so long before something explodes!

Mantle: Autumn.  A mad scientist with a deep appreciation for breaking things open to find out how they tick.

Contracts: Artifice I-III, Shade & Spirit I-IV, Spellbound Autumn I-III, and Goblin Delayed Harm III.

 Gigantomachia

Type: Stonebones Elemental, Gargantuan dual kith.  AFO’s most loyal monster.  Would have tried to find Shigaraki sooner, but he’s far too removed from the human he once was to be able to find his way through the Hedge without aid.  Probably spends the first few parts of the story giving All Might trouble in Faerie.  

Mantle: Courtless.  Has no emotional affinities that don’t track back to All for One.  

Contracts: Oath & Punishment I-V, Communion (Earth) I-III, and Stone I-V.  Like Geten, a close replica of his canonical powerset.

OTHER VILLAINS 

Muscular: Bloodbrute Ogre.  Ex-gladiator; current terror.

Moonfish: Gristlegrinder Ogre.  Current cannibal; also current terror.

Mustard: Blightbent Elemental.  Looks cuter because he doesn’t have to wear the gas-mask to protect against his own fumes.

Stain: Razorhand Darkling, give or take a Pischacha dual kith.  Broken very deeply by Arcadia from the strict and upright man he once was, but Lost society was pretty much created to provide a safe haven for that kind of damage.  A Summer Court enforcer of some notoriety.  

Gentle Criminal: Windwing Beast.  Refuses to be ground-bound, and is posting videos of himself doing impossible stunts that are drawing some attention, for better or for worse.   

La Brava: Drudge Wizened.  Falls in love with Gentle for showing her that you don’t have to shrink into what other people tried to make of you.  Has absolutely dyed her hair bright pink.  Somehow amazing at stealth anyway.

Gag Inclusion That Makes No Sense With the Lore But Is Perfect Anyway So I’m Not Changing It: 

Overhaul: “Don’t be ridiculous.  There’s no such thing as magic.”  

A banality-riddled Dauntain, from the previous incarnation of the game.  This is how Magne survives--he doesn’t kill her, but rather nukes her glamour reserves/Wyrd score access so badly she has to spend the next three months in the motley’s Hollow living in as much fae decadence as they can afford her, dining on hedgefruit, pampering herself, and keeping up with her various dream pledges while she recovers.

ALTERNATE UNIVERSES, ALTERNATE TAKES  

Hero Court, Villain Court: There is a version of the story where Heroes and Villains are old labels from a time when the freehold was built around a now-collapsed Sun Court/Moon Court dichotomy, headed up by All Might and All for One.  In the days following the catastrophic last battle, changelings of the Hero Court and the Villain Court alike have begun picking up the pieces and realigned to what everyone hopes will be a more stable Seasonal Court model.  Endeavor is the Summer King, a changeling who somehow had four three children when it’s all but unheard of to have even one.

Final Boss Shigaraki: There is a version of the story that centers on Deku, and in that version, what Shigaraki learns is this: everyone and everything has an end waiting for them somewhere.  As the game story progresses through power creep and mounting stakes, dramatic revelations and shifting priorities, Shigaraki moves away from Autumn and becomes more attuned to the fatalistic but liberating philosophy of Dusk.  As such, he gains the Entropy Contract clauses, I-V.  In this fashion, Shigaraki is paralleled by Final Battle Deku, rising champion of the Dawn, who is likewise gaining mastery of the Contract of Shonen Protag Powers Potential.  Will they be enemies in the end?  Allies?  Either way, their fates are connected.

Changeling All for One: There is a version of the story in which All Might and All for One are both changelings, in which the entirety of My Hero Academia is a story being played out in some far realm of Faerie.  All for One here is not Shigaraki’s Keeper, but merely a mentor who, when expy!Kamino happens, takes the opportunity to get Shigaraki out, knowing that he himself has been gone from the world for far too long to ever make the return trip through the Thorns intact.  In this version, All Might is an unknowing Loyalist who follows Shigaraki out, determined to capture him “for the good of society”--which would, of course, entail dragging him back to Faerie.

Destro the Revolutionary: There is a version of the story in which Desto is not one of the Gentry, but rather a changeling from years past, one who was spearheading a huge movement advocating that the Lost should reveal themselves to human society writ large--that Faerie predation could never be stopped as long as humanity didn’t know about it, and changelings had the power to, well, change that.   And weren't they tired of living in hiding; didn't they wish they could tell their loved ones the truth?  And that was a message that a lot of changelings liked, but it was also a message that terrified changelings in equal measure, and so in the end, an operative/operation from the Seasonal Court freehold put Destro down.  

In that take, Re-Destro is a successor to Destro as someone who came out of a similar durance and the MLA is a group planning a retributive war against the Seasonal Courts for their perfidy.  Shigaraki and the League could either stumble across the plot or be actively approached as a potentially sympathetic party after Shigaraki's relationship to AFO comes out and endangers his position in his own freehold.  

Re-Destro the Prince: There is a version of the story in which Re-Destro is not a changeling at all, but rather a vampiric prince, heir to a forbidden blood discipline.  He and his followers catch wind of the League motley: not vampires, but not normal humans, either.  They seek the motley out to find out what their deal is and whether it will be a complication to the MLA’s plans.  Vampires are far more immediately dangerous than changelings, but changelings have so many wonderful little tricks up their sleeve, especially against people who are careless with their battle banter.  (But I’ll be real, I hardly know a thing about Vampire: The Requiem--I’m much more familiar with Masquerade.  This version of the story mostly exists because I’m a Shigaraki/Re-Destro shipper and I am not immune to adventures in sexy blooddrinking.) 

THE WIDE WORLD OF DARKNESS

There are many other spins one could put on various MHA characters that would be fun to explore.  I kept all the relevant characters fae (or Fae) because if I started thinking about all the things the characters could be, I would actually never stop--and anyway, I’m more familiar with Old World of Darkness meta than I am New World of Darkness.  A lot of the ideas were still fun, though, so for your perusal, here are some of the ones I came up with:

The Shie Hassaikai is an extremist Hunter cell dedicated to weeding out supernatural creatures of all sorts.

Ujiko is a wildly amoral retired Hunter running a mad scientist lab funded by dubiously sourced money from his fae patron, as long as he’s spending a requisite amount of time per month working on AFO’s projects.

There exists a Sin-Eater and his resident Geist who have become so tangled in each other that they no longer retain separate identities, and are now merely “Kurogiri.”  

Kurogiri is a changeling.  Yamada Hizashi is a Sin Eater.  Aizawa Shouta is a Hunter, and he and Hizashi both are trying to dig up information on what happened to Shirakumo Oboro, but neither one of them is anywhere near getting at the truth of the matter.  (This one might actually be true for the purposes of the main Changeling!AU story.)

Midoriya Izuru is a mortal taking his first, faltering steps into the great wide world.  He’s had no durance, no first change, no sire, no awakening--he’s just a young man who stumbles across a secret and has to decide what to do with it.

[castellankurze]

More FF14: Shadowbringers short fiction.  Takes place after the events at Crown of the Immaculate, so spoilers.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Warrior of Darkness entered through the door.

Not by turning a knob.  He did so in the most direct way possible, one foot in front of the other, even as his steps took him impossibly through the wood and into the room beyond.  Oft had he wondered how his feet stayed on the floor when all else was intangible to his presence.  In time he had put it down to his own sheer stubbornness - he walked the world because that was how it was done.

She was awake.  Somehow he had known of her rising - he knew not exactly what had given him the feeling, but he had come straightaway to the Pendants to find her, no longer in bed but sheltering beside the window.  The panes had been thrown wide so that the sight of the skies over Lakeland and the light that suffused them flooded the room.

He opened his mouth as he crossed the room, but even as he brought forth the first syllable he'd planned to speak his voice died in his own lips.  She was still dressed in the nightgown Y'shtola and Alisaie had put on her, the comforter from her bed wrapped round her shoulders as she knelt beside the window.  Her long ebon hair was lank, lusterless from her long time asleep and the sheen of sweat that glistened on her face.

She was crying.

"Don't look at me," Katriana husked as he tried once more to speak.  She clutched the comforter more tightly around her, as if struck by sudden chill, and turned her head so that the veil of her hair hid her face.  Ardbert blinked slowly, and then did as she asked, turning his head to fix his gaze on the far corner of the room as he picked up his feet to finish his crossing, stepping forward all the way to the sill and leaning over it so that his field of vision was filled by the vista without.

"You know I wouldn't tell anyone," he said quietly, trying to be bluff.

She coughed, and it sounded like she was trying to bring forth a laugh, but the sound trailed off into a plaintive whine.  "Everywhere?" she managed after a few swallows.

Ardbert nodded.  "All over Norvrandt.  No one knows but your friends.  When they carried you down from the mountain, the told everyone that they didn't know why the light had returned.  Now they're out there trying to allay the people's fears while searching for a way to save you."

Katriana cried softly, and Ardbert was marginally aware of the way she slumped against the wall.  "Was it all just some grand jest?" she asked softly.  "Is this merely my long-awaited comeuppance?"

"I don't understand what you mean," he said.

She was quiet for a moment, swallowing, and he felt her shiver as she fought down the tremors of her light sickness.  "To be torn apart by Light.  To become a sin eater.  To bring ruin unto a new world.  To become everything he was.  Was I a fool to think it could ever have been otherwise?"

"I still don't know what you're referencing," Ardbert said patiently, watching a small figure walk across the distant grounds.

"Do you know the concept of 'red in the ledger' Ardbert?" she asked softly.

"Nabaath Araeng was fond of it, in the old days," he confirmed.

"Long before you met me, I accumulated a great deal of red in mine, and not in ink," she said grimly.  "Men called me monster, and not wrongly."

"Does this have to do with your being a d-"

"Yes," she growled, cutting him off.  "I thought to start over again in Eorzea.  I thought somehow I could...lead a better life."  She lifted her chin, and she didn't rebuke Ardbert when he turned to look at her, her golden eyes red-rimmed as she stared up into the ceiling.

"When you say that you're no savior, you really mean it, don't you?" Ardbert asked gently.  "It's not just some play at modesty the way people take it."  Her head rolled towards him and she nodded.

"People call me Warrior of Light, but I'm no such thing.  I don't have Hydaelyn's blessing.  I never heard the voice of the mothercrystal until the day she spoke to me through Minfilia."  She swallowed.  "When the Seventh Umbral Calamity rocked the world, I stepped in because I felt I had no choice.  I had to secure my own interests.  First the Scions agreed to accept my help, and then, somewhere along the way..."  She closed her mouth and swallowed, pressing a hand to her breast to quell another tremor.  "People needed hope.  So the Warrior of Light roamed the land, until such time as a real hero could be found.  But...none ever arose."

Ardbert stared down at her, until suddenly an impulsive laugh escaped his throat in a single cough of unfocused sound.  "Just an adventurer trying to make her way, was it?" he asked.

Her lips trembled briefly.  "A monster, learning not to be."  She let her head loll back the other way once more, pushing some of her sweat-dampened hair back from one shoulder.  "Does it really end this way?" she asked quietly.  "A monster after all?"

"It hasn't ended yet," he said, trying to sound quietly certain, fearing he'd merely managed quiet.

"Yet," she agreed, her voice also quiet.

They did not speak for some moments, and Ardbert slowly balled one hand into a fist and rapped his knuckles lightly against the windowsill.  "I watched my world die," he finally said.  "I know something about becoming the monster bringing ruination."  The corner of his lips turned upwards slightly.  "I'm no saint."

"No savior," Katriana agreed.

"Just another sinner," they said in near-unison.

"You may have red in your ledger, but you are what you choose to be.  And you can yet choose to fight," he said.

Katriana looked up at him for a long moment before she closed her eyes.  Then, a touch unsteady but nevertheless determined, she rose and shed the comforter in which she'd wrapped herself, the muscles of her bare arms tight as she clenched her fists.  "Then I choose to fight," she said, resolute.  She took a step and wobbled, and stopped to take a breath.  "Perhaps first I choose to walk and regain a bit of strength," she said with a weak laugh.

Ardbert smiled, looking at her back as she moved towards the armoire, pulling one of the straps of her nightdress from her shoulder before she halted and looked back at him, brow raised.  "You're back to not looking at me," she needled.

"Oh.  Ah.  Right," he coughed, and turned once more to look out the window.  

When she'd finished dressing, he was gone entirely.

[kitsutoshi]

When you know better...do better.

With the new year about to start, I’m thinking about resolutions.  Things to change.  To quote Maya Angelou “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”

But I’m having trouble with that.  A lot of the time I don’t do better.  

Of course I want to “be the change I want to see in the world.”  But I also don’t want to introduce myself with my pronouns, because it feels weird, and the phrase “I am too old for this” plays in my head.  I understand that there’s some kind of thing about plastic straws being awful, but I’ve not read the articles and haven’t turned down a straw yet.  I’m still struggling to understand cultural appropriation (at least grayer aspects of it) and while I’m not buying any “Hot Buddhist Monk” Halloween costumes, I find myself thinking “how much does this really matter?” when YES it matters.  I think most people would agree it’s worse to knowingly do bad things than to accidentally or unknowingly do them.  I like to think I’m a good person…but this is some bullshit.

And not just me, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who knows better but screws up anyway.  If that wasn’t true then there would be no Doritos.

Right now we’re watching the long-overdue tipping point with sexual harassment, thanks largely to the #MeToo movement.  We’re tossing flawed men out of positions of responsibility as if it’s going out of style. And we’re vilifying them.  In some cases, for mistakes made back when those actions were the norm.  In other cases it’s dick pics.  Men fighting the tide of history.  Men who knew better, or had no excuse not to, but who propositioned those teenaged girls, those women at work.  Men who knew better, but grabbed women’s butts anyway.

And when I look at history, it’s filled with people who seriously had to know better (slavery? really?) but who just kept doing wrong.  Even people “on the wrong side of history” who definitely knew better.

I think we can all relate to knowing better but doing worse.  So how do we weigh that?  How do we handle all of this?  

I’ve engaged in discussions this year about how to honor historical heroes who were also deeply flawed people “by modern standards.”  If we judge historical people by what we now generally agree is wrong (slave owners are a great example) then we lose the good with the bad.  Thomas Jefferson, American hero…and terrible person who surely knew it was wrong to own people.

We’re also losing the good they’ve done (anyone feel like binging the Cosby Show?).  We have to figure out what to do with the artistic works, awards, philanthropy, invention…everything.  

So should we toss the baby with the bathwater?  And how do we think about those folks, past and present?  How do we think about ourselves? What wrongs are enough to write a person off completely?

So here we are, headed inexorably into the next New Year.  I’m considering resolutions, I want to “do better.”  I have a list of things I now know (or maybe haver for a long while) and I want to behave better.  But what if I don’t?  This issue is personal.  I can’t think “yeah, that Thomas Jefferson guy…” or “Dammit Al Franken!” without also thinking “and you.”  I’m no different than any people who didn’t “do better.”

We know that some social ills will only be fixed by waiting for a generation or two to die.  Young people who are “woke” waiting for older racist/sexist/homophobe/etc bigots to just die off and take their crufty views and behaviors with them.  Because change is hard.  People know better all day long, and don’t do better.

So it’s hard.  But is that an excuse?  (spoiler: no, no it isn’t).

So what are some of the things people debate “overlooking?” because of “the times they lived in?”   Owning slaves.  Harassing behavior that might have been the norm but was never ok. There’s this idea that if something was common that we should just understand and give people a bye.    I’m not so sure.

When I use a microscope, what I can see is a whole lot of people who knew clearly, long before the Civil War, that slavery was wrong.  Otherwise the Underground Railroad would have been to nowhere.  I see a lot of HR seminars on harassment and hostile work environment, laughed off by guys who didn’t want to change.

When recycling became a thing, young people were all over it.  There are plenty of Baby Boomers who throw away water bottles every day.  There are young people who would carry an empty plastic bottle across the earth to recycle it.  And there are people in between, who recycle if it’s convenient.  Do we give a pass to the individual boomers who can’t find a blue bin with both hands and a map, because it’s a “function of the times?”

Where am I going with this?

My dearest hope is that humanity will continue to advance. That the future will bring more social evolution.  More cooperation, less competition.  More selfless behavior, less profiteering.  More live-and-let-live and less authoritarianism.  I’d like to think that humanity will eventually produce the Federation of Planets.  

The best example I can think of where a sea-change is coming but we’re not yet at a tipping point is eating meat.  It seems likely that in the future, people won’t eat meat from real animals anymore.  Lab-grown real meat may be a thing, or good sense will have prevailed and folks will eat vegan, or just flat-out overpopulation will make meat a thing of the past.  I eat meat.  I know better.  I have the means to eat well without meat, and I don’t.  I try to source my meat from local farms with high ethical standards.  But not always.  But someday there will be whole generations of people who wouldn’t even contemplate killing an animal to make a meal.  How will they look at us?

If you speak to any not-deranged human being and say “is torturing an animal ok?”  The answer is unequivocally no.  Absolutely no.  But we rationalize.  We do it for medical science.  We definitely do it for food.  We wear leather but not fur.  We eat pigs but not dogs.  Ugly animals don’t count.  

But those people will look back at us in bafflement and disgust.  If we did awesome things, maybe won a Nobel Prize, or twelve Olympic medals…they will still look at us as “meat eaters.”  

What I’m looking for is a litmus test.  I’m no pinnacle of human perfection, there’s a lot going on that needs fixing here.  And our ancestors were the same.  People who knew damned well and good that women should be able to vote, but who went along with the social order of abuse and oppression.  Nazis.  Slave owners.  War profiteers.  Pussy grabbers.  Casting-couch sleaze.

But many of those people (not the Nazis) did great things.  Art, literature, war heroism, writing Constitutions.  We want to know those things right?

What would I want for future folk to think of me?  Not that I’m likely to be remembered in a hundred years, but if some future schoolchild does look back at my life, what do I want for them to think?  What would Thomas Jefferson want for me (and us) to think of him?

These are some answers I would give (TJ will have to speak for himself):

1. If I’m making mistakes (and history suggests that we all do that) then I’d like to be forgiven those.  If I really think I’m doing a good thing, but later hindsight says “nope,” future people please give me a pass.  I offer the same to people in my rear-view mirror.

2. When I already know better…How would I like to be viewed for that? When I refuse a major change with measurable benefit to the world, in favor of personal convenience or preference.  I’m the modern equivalent of the “nice” slave owner who knows it’s wrong so he makes sure that his slaves have good housing and food.  I’m a “product of my time” where most people who can afford to will eat meat every day. So even though vegans exist and ethics matter, I eat meat. When I look forward and think of those future great-great-great-great grandchildren looking back at me, I can’t meet their eyes.  If they need to dismiss whatever good I’ve done out of disgust for the things I do knowingly wrongly, I can’t blame them for that.  I know better, but I don’t do better.  My hope is that the problem (be it meat or something else) solved itself when a few generations died off, maybe including me and mine.

3. But what if I didn’t know, but I reallllly should have?  What if I’d never watched any PETA videos, never read Temple Grandin’s book.  What if I grew up without knowing how food comes to fork?  Some forms of Christianity differentiate between a sin committed knowingly, and one committed without knowledge.  Purgatory was invented because it wasn’t fair to think of all of those non-Christian souls burning in hell just because they never even had the opportunity to be forgiven.  Modern criminal law differentiates some types of offenses based on intent.  But I don’t know how I feel about those historical people who thought they were “protecting” women by treating them as voteless property.  I know that I’ve been confronted with ideas that I just haven’t had time or inclination or energy to deal with.  For example, the concept of “implicit bias” didn’t really land in my consciousness until this year, even though I had heard of it years ago.  It didn’t hit me with enough impact to motivate any effort on my part until recently.  But I could have learned it at any time.  The information was available to me.   I guess I’m not that forgiving.  Willful ignorance isn’t an excuse to me.  Your mileage may differ.  I hold myself accountable for things I chose not to know, at least things it would have been easy to know.  There’s a scale.  I’m ok with future people thinking “she used STRAWS?!  But didn’t she see those headlines on Facebook?” I hope they’ll cut a little slack for a primitive progenitor if the information wasn’t readily available, but if it was looking me in the face, that’s on me.

I don’t know how Thomas Jefferson would feel about this.  Or Winston Churchill.  My best guess is that they would feel as I do.  A Golden Rule situation.  If I would want for my progeny to forgive me for something, maybe I should forgive the same things.

Applying those rules of thumb:  Sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace.  It’s never been ok. Women have taken men to HR or court over this crap since women have worked.  No one younger than 90 should be able to plead ignorance that work isn’t the place to get handsy or to talk about sex or to try to get a date with your subordinate. But men who knew better sure haven’t done better.  Many have, but many have not.  No one is getting a pass.

We fought a war in this country in which slavery was the primary or a collateral issue (depends on who you ask).  Plenty of people knew perfectly well that it was wrong…but many people who knew better did worse.  I vote no passes.

There are a lot of vegetarians and vegans around.  And people still make fun of them.  I think most of us know that’s really right-action and that our meat-eating isn’t.  I’ve also seen a lot of humor to the effect that vegans and vegetarians are on a high horse (riding, not eating) and shouldn’t look down at the rest of us. But I see two things there:

When you’ve seen better and done better, maybe it’s ok to express that there’s something others should wake up to.  Why would we NOT want that?  Lots of people go to church specifically to be reminded to do better.

Maybe when you’ve walked a lot of miles being made fun of for ethical uprightness, reminders come out less like “hey, there’s something to consider” and more like “wtf is wrong with you?”    

We should want that reminder.  We should want to wake up to what we’re doing wrong.  But when you’re around someone who you know is doing better, it feels like being judged. Which all of us hate.  We think of ourselves as good people, but we know we’re doing bad things, and people doing better just remind us of that.  We judge ourselves.  Then we thrash, to avoid those feelings.

It’s galling, isn’t it.  When you know you’re choosing worse, and someone else has chosen better?  We want to keep doing the thing we do, but we don’t like to think of ourselves as bad.  So we weasel and manage our cognitive dissonance.  From inventing religions that give us “absolution” so we can keep on sinning, to making fun of vegans to avoid the idea that they’re right.  We compound our wrongs with more wrongs.

Right now we have a society where people who do better are actively mocked by people who do worse.  “Social justice warrior” is somehow an insult (!!?).  It sounds like something that should be the highest possible praise.  Its as if the bullies all won, and decent people are getting shoved into lockers.  Only we’re all the bullies too, on one subject or another.

So “know better…do better” right?   There’s no pass for failure.  Of course it’s easier to do things when everyone else is doing them too.  But sometimes we’re the first generation to know better.  We still have to do it.  We may someday figure out how to handle the artistic, scientific, philosophical, and other goods created by slave-owners, harassers, abusers, profiteers, and others.  I hope we do.  I’m going to use the “what would future progeny think?” litmus test.  And if “they’d think I was scum of the earth,” that seems fair.  If I knowingly do something wrong, just because everyone else is doing it too, I shouldn’t get a pass. 

Here’s the main step I plan to take this year.  I’d like to confront my irritation.  My blind spots.  Find my cognitive dissonance.  I may not manage to do better in some respects (burgers) but I’m going to face that head one.  No pats on the back. Conscience turned up to 11.  No passes given to myself if that future society wouldn’t give me one.  When I know better, I will own it when I don’t do better.  The world needs that.

[ironeyedkiller]

Drinks, Demigods, and Other Bad Decisions

Xhex: You're all fucking hopeless! You had all better pray that you never come across a full blooded sin eater, because they will make your their bitch in a heartbeat! [Spinning on my heel, I aim both palms at the push bar to get out of the training gym. I shouldn't have bothered for this first exercise. Not one single trainee could keep me out of their mind at all, let alone in a combat situation. Great plan. Pit the trainees against the symphath assassin for sparring to simulate a little real world stress. The collective jump as I slam the door open sends a jolt of satisfaction through me, and not strictly because because my bad side doesn't want to vacate their fragile psyches. At least one of them is still whimpering as the door swings shut behind me. Even their precious Primus was an open book, and that with my cilices on. If the gloves were off? Well, that's the entire reason what little restraint I have left has me pounding down the hall towards the garage. The rhythmic echo of my boot heels bouncing around a background as I sift through all the petty dramas and dirty secrets in case anything is actionable. I know everyone in that room was thoroughly vetted from the second their paperwork crossed the Brotherhood desk, but not every secret has a paper trail.] I need a fucking drink.

Vishous: *My back was pressed tight to the concrete walls of the garage, blunt pressed tightly to my lips when I heard the pounding of boots. Softer than a males but still on a mission. I turned my head in the direction and had to smirk. Xhex was stomping down the tunnel, a scowl of frustration on her face. Her short dark hair looked like she had ran a hand through it a couple of times. As she came closer I nodded and pushed off the wall. We had brought her in to see how the trainees would do against a symphath. I already knew it wasn't going well. "That bad?" I said through an exhale.

Xhex: [For a change, Vishous' voice doesn't set my teeth on edge. Then again, I'm grinding them so badly that I doubt anything could. My pace doesn't falter as I snap out my reply.] Worse. Do you want details on fraternizing? Substance use? What they call you behind your back? I've even got early childhood trauma on every one of them. [Pulling up short, I narrow my eyes at the Brother.] Do you have any idea what, or who, a snape is? One of them thought I was exactly like snape, and it did /not/ seem complimentary. I need to get out of here, stat, before I show them exactly why sin eaters are bad for the vampire population.

Vishous: *chuckling at the females response I put the blunt out on the bottom of my shitkicker and put the butt in my pocket.* "I'm pretty sure I know what they call me behind my back. That Snape character is a teacher from Harry Potter, popular with the kids nowadays. I wouldn't take it as a compliment." I muse. "We do appreciate you coming in and letting them have a taste. I am your ride. Want me to take you home?" 

Xhex: Harry Potter. Huh. [If any of them had tried a little more focus on pop culture, they might not be crying right now. Maybe the concept of holding one image was beyond the limited attention span of this generation. Next time, I'll have them try song lyrics, tv shows - wait - next time? Like I'm a regular teacher or something. A regular teacher who is about to go out and turn a few dozen humans loose on themselves and each other, just to take the edge off.] You're my ride? Great. [Not my first choice, but probably for the best, as I doubt any of the doggen could keep me out.] I'm not going home though, just drop me on Trade Street. I promise to keep the damages minimal, and human. 

Vishous: *Raises a dark brow, my diamond eyes slightly glowing.* "You know, normally I wouldn't ask but I'm fuck all bored and you look like you can use a drink." *Walks towards the Escalade and unlocks it using the key fob. I open the big ass door and get inside, turning to you before I start the engine.* 

Xhex: [Given the usual tension between us, the Escalade is a surprise. I half expected to be shown to a trunk. With a shrug, I slide into the passenger side] I definitely need a drink, but I doubt you want to watch a sin eater play with the drunken masses in the clubs. No matter how bored you claim to be. [My vision is already flickering red, my need to feed from my vampire side messing with my control. Without any conscious effort, I catch myself analyzing your grid, my bad side threading tendrils out for any weakness.] Sorry.

Vishous: *I simultaneously cut the engine on and the radio off, so that I can hear you. I start pulling the SUV out of the garage. It was slightly difficult to think clearly, how long had it been since I fed last? Not a damn clue. I had been so busy lately that shit was farthest from my though. * "I don't think it's the smartest move to cause a media uproar by mind fucking the humans, also more work for me to clean up your mess. So that is a no go. Why don't you get your shit together somewhere quiet. I'm headed to the Commodore. It has alcohol and your boss lives next door if you don't want to come inside. Those are your options till you get this *taps my temple* under control, feel me?"

Xhex: What are you, Vishous Poppins? Playing nanny to the symphath and defending drunks. [Letting my head fall back, I pinch the bridge of my nose, rubbing the underside of my brow with my thumb.] I really fucking hate when you're right. I'm too well known around Trade Street to get caught in the middle of anything. [Opening my eyes, my vision is still far from normal. If it were anyone else, I'd suspect ulterior motives behind this offer.] Pretty sure I won't need Rehvenge to save me from one drink. [Closing my eyes again, I focus on the sound and feel of the vehicle, trying to ground myself so I don't end up, well, grounded.]

Vishous: *smirking at the odd nickname, I pull out into the highway. About twenty minutes later I pull up to the Commodores garage and kill the engine. I step out of the SUV and make my way to the elevator with you in tow. I hit the top floor bottom and while it goes up I scan you, out of habit. Your color is off. At the top floor I step out and walk over to my door, punching in the passcode on the keypad and slipping the card key into the slot until a green light comes on and then a click. I turn the door knob and before pushing the door all the way open I stop.* "No questions about what you see." 

Xhex: [Rolling my eyes, I nearly pivot to pound on Rehvenge's door instead.] You mean this isn't your sex dungeon? If this is where you keep your vintage Barbie collection, you better believe I'll ask you how much they're worth. [Angling past you, I brace my shoulder against the door, pushing it open as I back in.] If only a tenth of your reputation is true, nothing is going to shock me in here. Unless you've gone furry. No judgment though, only surprise. [Cocking my head to the side with a smirk I maintain eye contact as I stop three feet into the room, letting all my senses other than sight thread out. An incredibly stupid move on my part, as I start picking up on human emotions in lower floors. Nothing for it now, except to bleed off a little of each. Lucky me, Rehvenge doesn't seem to be in the building, or this would be all kinds or awkward. I can't entirely stifle my laugh at the mental image of him rushing out to play overprotective brother.]

Vishous: *chuckling and shaking my head as you push past me, I close the door behind me. I leave you to your devices as I walk over to the kitchen and pull two glasses out, along with a bottle of grey goose.* "Cop keeps Lag here, if you prefer that over vodka?"

Xhex: [My nose wrinkles at the mention of O'Neal's choice of Scotch.] I'll take the vodka over an Islay any day, thanks. My taste runs to Highlands and Speyside. [Following you into the kitchen, the minimal decor barely registers as the nearby human grids have caught my attention.] I don't know how Rehvenge can come here unmedicated. The tiniest little push, and I could set off two murder/suicides. But I won't. Your downstairs neighbours, though? They both want a threesome with his friend, and the friend wants it too, but none of them has had the nerve to do anything. Until tonight.

Vishous: *I unscrew the lid and fill up both glasses, handing one to you before I down half my glass. The familiar burn a nice welcome down my throat. Locking my diamond eyes on your grey ones, I press my ass against the counter.* "Now I don't know you personally all that well. But I know enough to realize that your control is slipping. When was the last time you fed? Perhaps you should get your blood lust under control before you mind fuck the humans, and lose control, feel me?" 

Xhex: [The vodka provides a welcome distraction, my mind running through every cocktail that requires this liquid as I process your words. Sipping the drink, I maintain eye contact as I consider my response. No backing down from your stare for /this/ female.] You're right, you don't know me well. I kept myself hidden for three centuries, I know how to keep myself in check. This has more to do with loosening my control to play with your trainees than any blood lust. Though, I'll admit, it's been a while. Not like the Brotherhood with Chosen popping in at a moment's notice. I'll make some arrangement. 

Vishous: "Just because the Chosen are available doesn't mean shit. I wouldn't normally do this, but It could play out to both of our advantages. I'll let you feed from me, in return for your blood." *I finish my drink and move to pour another.*

Xhex: [Holy shit! Vodka really fucking burns when it goes up your nose! Choking on my drink, I look around for cameras, or maybe Lassiter.] Is this a joke? Some old school Candid Camera stunt? [Even as I speak, I feel my fangs drop. Damn the observant genius for being right.]

Vishous: *Holding back a true laugh as the female chokes on her drink, I simply shrug and take a few more swallows of my freshly poured drink. My diamond eyes glowing at her elongated fangs.* 

Xhex: [Glaring, I toss back the rest of my drink and slam my glass on the counter. The burn is killing the choking sensation as I pour another. Not like it's easy to drink from a glass with my fangs like this.] Feeding from Rehvenge is like feeding from family, but at least I know he won't try anything. Unlike when I used to pay in gold coin to take a vein. [Downing several swallows, I consider the option you've offered. This moment right here is probably the most civil we've ever been towards one another, and I'm not picking up on anything resembling lust, but still…] You first. [I tilt my head towards your gloved hand.] I'd rather not have that close to me. No offense. 

Vishous: *I set my glass down and flex the fingers on my gloved hand. I take the few steps over to you and hold out my ungloved hand for your wrist, my fangs punching out from behind my lips.* "No offense taken. Most don't even give me a second glance. I prefer it that way." *I tap the left side of my temple where my tattoos are.* "If nothing else, I am a male of my word. No harm will come to you here." *I could see her pulse throbbing on the side of her neck, could smell her hunger. Suddenly my throat became dry. That's when I realized how much I had let myself lack in the blood department.* 

Xhex: [Talk about your truth is stranger than fiction moments. If anyone had ever suggested I would let Vishous, son of the Bloodletter take my vein, and that I would take his in return, I would have probably cut their tongue out. But here we are.] Do you have anywhere to sit, or is it all stocks, racks and whipping benches? [Dimly I register a set of tall stools tucked along under the island, and pull one out, setting my heel on the crossbar to hike my ass up on the seat.] Nevermind, I found one. [Swallowing hard, I put my elbow on the counter like I'm getting ready to arm wrestle. The combat mentality doubtless stemming from the eyes locked on my neck. Shifting my weight, I stretch my arm up, ready to bolt if things get strange. Stranger.]

Vishous: *I pulled out the stool beside you and sat down. My eyes watching your movements, I sensed an uneasiness. But if you didn't want to do this you wouldn't have extended your arm to me. I propped my elbow on the counter as well and took your extended arm with my ungloved hand. I moved my mouth close to your wrist, my diamond eyes watching your grey ones for signs I should stop. When there was no command for me to stop, no jerking back your wrist, I pressed my mouth to the soft flesh of your wrist and bit down hard with my fangs. My eyes still watching you and I swallowed mouthfuls of your blood. It wasn't Chosen blood, but blood of a warrior. I could feel it strengthen me, my senses becoming more focused.*

Xhex: [I honestly can't pinpoint why I asked you to feed first. Maybe to prove this isn't some joke, because who would really take half symphath blood over that of a Chosen? Or it could be that I'm still not sure about feeding from you. Easing back slightly on the stool, i have to wonder if this isn't the extent of your normal furniture. It's not quite a business arrangement like I used to make, and not a matter of mutual safety like Rehvenge, but it feels similar enough. My mind wanders, still too easily distracted and too eager to bleed off emotions, back to the three humans below. Pushing, nudging, loosening inhibitions on their mutual attraction. The worst thing to come out of this tiny piece of a mindfuck will be a very awkward breakfast in the morning. Unlike our surreal exchange, which is awkward right now with you watching me like I'm a scared rabbit.] I'm not going to bolt. 

Vishous: *I retract my fangs and lick the marks I made on your wrist. Carefully releasing your hand.* "That's good to know. Your turn." *I shrug off my leather Jacket, letting it fall to the floor. Now exposing my weapons harness, complete with daggers and Glocks. I extend my arm on the counter in front of you, wrist up.*

Xhex: [I pull my arm back slowly, careful not to snatch it away. Rubbing my wrist as you ditch the jacket, it's the daggers that catch my attention. Murhder never let his get out of reach. A true warrior is never unprepared, and that's what this is about; being prepared by being at full strength. Taking your extended arm, I flick my eyes up, narrowing them as I focus on yours. I know better than to try to get a read on your grid, but I'd pay a lot to know where this is coming from. Swallowing hard, I bite down before I can second guess all of this. It's been a long time since I've had blood this strong, if ever. The first mouthful hits, and my vision goes red, my bad side reenergized. My eyes shift, focussing on the pulse in the neck, as the flow from the wrist suddenly seems too slow.]

Vishous: *Watching you with diamond eyes as your fangs pierce my flesh. The pain vanishes within seconds and all I feel is the pressure from the seal of your lips. I notice your grey eyes shifting, your grip on my forearm tightening, and your body language shifting as if predator ready to take down her prey. I was ready for an attack, fully capable of restraining the female if need be. But her next movements caught me off guard.* 

Xhex: [Thrilled to have slipped the reins, my symphath side bleeds off bits of human emotion, so close to the surface. All the lust and desire I was stoking in them continuing to amplify even as I take a share. And on the topic of taking what I desire, I retract my fangs from the anemic supply at the wrist, striking quickly for the jugular instead. With a groan, I climb up to get closer. Even as I straddle the male, a part of my mind screams that something is wrong, but the bloodlust will not be denied.]

Vishous: *Her movements were quick but I braced myself as I felt her let go of my arm. The scent in the air changed, I had only a fraction of a second to see the lust in her eyes as she struck my throat. I threw out my hand to catch the lip of the bar as the momentum pushed us backwards. My gloved hand was around her back, holding her to me so she didn't rip a chunk out of my throat. My hand slipped from the bar and we went backwards, the stool rolled out from under me and Xhex was still feeding, her smaller frame straddling me. I had never allowed anyone to take my vein in such intimate manner, I was shocked, and at the same time, none of this situation felt like sex.* 

Xhex: [The blood down the back of my throat is a lifeline I've been without for too long. Swallowing greedily, a crash registers dimly, even as another wave of lust washes through me from the humans below. Damn. The blood for my vampire side, the desire for the symphath, and a male body under me? Too. Fucking. Long. The combination is overwhelming, and I roll my hips, half lost to the sensations. Once sated, I retract my fangs, lick the wound, and push myself upright. Staring back up at me are diamond eyes, one surrounded by tattoos in the Old Language. How the hell did I forget who I was feeding from?] Shit.

Vishous: *I was very wrong as the female on top of me started rolling her hips. I locked my hands on her thighs and groaned, narrowing my eyes as she pushed herself upright.* "What are you doing Xhex? You lost control." 

Xhex: [Good fucking question. In a gesture born of habit, I move my hands to rub them over the cilices under my leathers, only to find the space occupied. Snatching them back, I notice the wrist of Vishous' ungloved hand is still bleeding.] Sorry. You should seal that. [Nodding sharply towards the open wound, I rely on my memory of Rehvenge's penthouse to dematerialize to the wall of windows. Although, Rehv's side does not have a sex dungeon with a view. Sliding a section of glass open, I step out onto the balcony and take a deep breath. Scattering my molecules again, I head for my basement crash pad to try to make sense of everything that just happened.]

Vishous: *As her hands brushed the tops of mine and then retracted, I let go of her thighs and sat up as she dematerialized to the opposite side of my penthouse. I watched her open the window and a second later she was gone into the night.* "What. The. Fuck." *Shaking my head I stood up and brought my wrist to my mouth, licking it closed. I needed some more to drink.*

~~#AU #DrinksDemigodsAndOtherBadDecisions ~~

[kathrynmjaneway]

Hi! First of all, I love your blog

Heyyy :)

Thank you very much!

I’ll try my best to give you some recommendations!

First of all - here is a complete list of all novels, audio books, radio plays and Big Finish audio dramas. I don’t know how familar you are with the whole concept and the differences of all the different audio plays and where/how to buy them, so here’s a link to another post, where I explain that, just in case :)

And by all means, I’ve only been in this fandom since December 2016, and am still catching up as well.

Audio books:

(I have listened to a majority, but not all, but here are my favourites)

In The Shadows - you’ll definitely want to listen to that. Joseph Lidster wrote it and it has a BRILLIANT storyline and the Janto in it is so pure and sweet. (it takes place in season 2, pre Meat, I think)

Ghost Train - Ianto and Rhys in action! (unlikely pair, but brilliant together), lots of casual Janto mentions and Rhys overhearing them when they go at it.

Sin Eaters - Ianto is really, really cute in this one and there are quite a few Janto moments in it as well (and read by Gareth David-Llloyd!!!)

[there is a collection with 10 audio books called “The Torchwood Tales” available on amazon and itunes, it contains all the audio books from above, I can totally recommend it, 26€ on itunes, around 40€ for the physical edition on amazon]

Radio Plays:

I can definitely recommend them all (there are only 7), but again, here’s my Janto selection:

The Lost Files: those are 3 seperate radio plays,post s2, pre CoE, the first one (The Devil and Miss Carew) isn’t really strong on the Janto front (don’t remember anything tbh), Part 2 (Submission) is a MUST HAVE. Ianto and Jack are very much a couple, and an old ex from Ianto notices and there are some confessions! Part 3 (House of the Dead) is also a must have, but it will tear you apart, make you hate everything, the world, Torchwood and me for recommending it to you. It’s the only one that takes place 6 months after CoE and Jack meets Ianto again - kinda. get lots of tissues ready and a fluffy Janto fix-it fanfic for afterwards.

The Dead Line - JUST BUY IT. YOU WILL THANK ME FOR IT. (ever wondered where the quote “You’re not just a blip in time, Ianto Jones, not for me.” came from? From this radio play.) (and it’s only 2-3€ on itunes)

Asylum - nice storyline, and Jack and Ianto on a motorbike, not really a must have like the lost files, but it’s still really good (it’s round 6€ on itunes I think, so depening on how much money you can spend, maybe dont get it now)

(The Lost Souls is also really good, Martha is in it, but if you’re out for Janto and don’t have much money, it’s also not a priority, but DEFINITELY get it at some point. The Golden Age is good as well, and has one strong hint to Janto, get it eventually, but not a priority)

Novels:

Now, I only own 5 of them, and I’ve only read Slow Decay and am in the middle of The Twilight Streets. The later is a BUY IT. NOW. you’ll thank me. Other than that, I’ve heard that ‘Consequences’ (and specifically ‘Virus’) is really good. I have a list of recommendations from other people somewhere, but for now, I’ll pass that question along to my followers.

Big Finish audio dramas:

(this is where shit gets real)(again, haven’t listened to them all [I own 7 from the main range and all special releases] but except for ‘The Office Of Never Was’ I have listened to all the ones with Ianto in them)

Broken - again by Joseph Lidster (he’s brilliant). It’s the back story how Jack and Ianto first got together and deals with the aftermath and the storylines of Cyberwoman, Small Worlds and Countrycide (and I think Greeks Bearing Gifts? I don’t remember if that was mentioned as well) Get some tissues ready for this one, too. IT’S REALLY GOOD. and if you only ever want to buy one single audio book, then this is the one you want.

Outbreak - it’s one of the special releases, it’s a three part story, so a bit more expensive (around 30€ I think?), but if you can spare the money - GET IT. it’s post s2 and a virus is spreading through Cardiff that makes you want to kill the person you love the most. Yeah. Part 2 will kill you, it’s soooo good! (love confessions!!!!!!!)

The Torchwood Archive - 2 hour special release, written by James Goss (along with Joseph Lidster, he’s my favourite TW author, you can safely buy anything he wrote and not regret it). There are one or two very sweet Janto scenes in it, Ianto isn’t in at a lot though. Jack and Ianto have a dog named Untitled. If you’re ONLY out for Janto scenes, then this probably shouldn’t take the highest priority for you. BUT - The storyline is awesome! It gives a lot of background to many things that were left unexplained (for example why and how Alex killed his Torchwood team Silvester 1999) and most of the cast is in it - including Andy, Suzie and Yvonne Hartman (I think only Owen isn’t in it)

if you buy it, just so you know: it will reference a few of the other storylines from the TW Big Finish audio dramas, because of the overall storyline of ‘The Committee’. If you want that background, definitely listen to “The Conspiracy” (with Jack), “Fall to Earth” (Ianto solo, I can only recommend that either way!, even has one tiny Janto mention) and “Uncanny Valley” (also Jack solo). Those are the ones you should know to fully understand the plot of The Torchwood Archive (and they are all soooo good! especially Fall To Earth, just not strong on the Janto side, and Uncanny Valley is not Janto-positive, I guess, depending on how you put it in the over all timeline (s1 or s2, it isn’t clear, as far as I know)

Not Janto related at all - Torchwood One: Before The Fall. It takes place pre Battle of Canary Wharff and has Ianto and Yvonne Hartman as main characters. It’s definitely good, when you want to know more about Ianto, but as I said, obviously no Janto. It’s another 3 part special release.

And: Aliens Among Us deserves a special mention. It’s season 5 of Torchwood and takes place a few years after Miracle Day. Part 1 is already out, part 2 will follow in October, part 3 in February 2018. Obv no Ianto, but he and what happened in CoE is mentioned multiple times and there is on scene with Jack and another character in ep3 that’s kinda about Ianto and will make you cry. But if you’re really new to it all, maybe wait a bit to buy it, since it’s also a bit pricey. (if you wanna know more about it, all you do is have to ask - I really, really LOVE IT)

Those are the recommendations that I can give you from the top of my head. Again, I’m passing the question about the novels along to my followers.

Hope I could help you and have fun listening and reading them all!! :)

[the-desolated-quill]

So What The Fuck Is Going On With This Venom Movie? - Quill’s Scribbles

After many false starts and changing productions, it appears that the long awaited Venom movie is finally getting off the ground with Tom Hardy in the leading role as Eddie Brock and Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer attached to direct the film. And you’d think people would be excited for this, but surfing the Internet, the reaction to Sony’s Venom movie seems to be lukewarm at best. There are many reasons for this and I thought I’d take the opportunity to explore those reasons whilst trying to understand just what the hell Sony is planning (because I have a sneaking suspicion that not even they know).

There was once a time when Venom ruled the fucking world. Every comic book geek was obsessed with the character, including myself when I was younger. And I’m sure you can see why. I mean look at him:

Come on! You’ve got to admit he looks cool!

Not only did the character have an incredibly distinct look, but also the idea behind him was both creative and unique. An alternate Spider-Man costume later revealed to be an alien life form was a totally unexpected twist.

Venom is a black alien goo called a Symbiote. The symbiotes were a race of parasites that bonded to host bodies and forced them to do death defying acts in order to feed off of their adrenaline. However Venom was an outcast because it was the only one of its kind who wanted to form a symbiotic bond with the host rather than drain and discard them (so technically only Venom is a true symbiote because it’s the only one that desires symbiosis with its host… Yeah. Shut up. It’s still cool). Banished to Battleworld, Spider-Man accidentally releases it from its prison and ends up taking it back to Earth, becoming the Black Suit Spider-Man.

Black Suit Spidey was significantly more powerful than regular Spidey. He was faster, stronger and could produce his own organic webbing. However he was also more aggressive in costume (not to the extent that it changed his entire personality like in the film Spider-Man 3, but still he was noticeably more violent than we were used to seeing) and was often extremely tired when not wearing the costume. Later Spidey realised that not only was his new costume a living, thinking being, it would also take control of his body while he was sleeping, hence why he was so tired all of the time.

With the help of the Fantastic Four, Spidey manages to remove and contain the symbiote only for it to escape and attack him, wanting to bond with him permanently. This leads to the famous bell tower scene where Spidey uses the sound waves of the church bell to remove the symbiote. Left weakened by the struggle, Spidey was close to death only to be unexpectedly rescued by the symbiote before it slithered away. Left heartbroken and rejected, it would later bond with Eddie Brock, whose irrational hatred for Spider-Man corrupted the symbiote into the feral predator we know today.

The Black Suit Spidey arc was and still is one of the great Spider-Man stories, serving as an excellent origin story for Venom. Comic book readers loved the character and as his popularity grew, Marvel were quick to milk it for all its worth. Eventually Venom got his own spin-off series called Venom: Lethal Predator, where Venom becomes an anti-hero protecting a community of homeless people in San Francisco. We were also introduced to other prominent symbiotes over the years, the most notable being Carnage and Toxin.

Venom-Mania officially reached its peak in the late 90s/early 00s, with plans for a Venom movie produced by New Line Cinema and written by David S Goyer featuring Venom as an anti-hero and Carnage as an antagonist. Ultimately this didn’t pan out and the rights reverted to Sony along with Spider-Man himself. Eager to cash in on Venom’s popularity, Sony execs forced director Sam Raimi to include the character in his third Spider-Man movie. This generated a lot of excitement as many, including myself, were eager to see Venom finally appear on the big screen. The results were… 

…less than satisfactory.

Yeah. You’d think Venom and the director of the Evil Dead movies would go hand in hand, but no. Turns out Sam Raimi doesn’t like Venom at all and kind of resented Sony forcing the issue. You can tell watching the movie that Raimi was only doing this under protest and clearly was not taking the character seriously, which angered a lot of people. But despite this, Sony were still planning to do a Venom spinoff movie, however this was scrapped when they decided to reboot the Spider-Man franchise. The project was briefly reignited when there were plans to create a Spider-Man shared universe featuring the Sinister Six and Black Cat, but this ultimately fell through when The Amazing Spider-Man movies failed to deliver at the box office (a billion dollars Sony? Fucking really?!)

So this upcoming Venom movie marks the fourth attempt at giving the character his own solo film, and you’d think there’d be a lot more anticipation over this. But as I say the reaction has been lukewarm. The thing is, while Spider-Man 3′s Venom was a disaster, I think people would still have been excited about a Venom movie regardless if it were being made ten years ago. The fact is that while Venom still has a dedicated fanbase, he’s not quite as popular as he once was. This is just my personal opinion of course, but I think the reason why his popularity dwindled is because, outside of his origin story… well… there isn’t really a lot of things you can do with Venom. I mean sure, they tried to mix it up a little. The Venom symbiote would eventually leave Eddie Brock and move on to other hosts, including Mac Gargan (aka Scorpion) and Flash Thompson, and while they provide interesting spins on the character, it did become very repetitive. Plus without Eddie Brock, Venom kind of loses his motivation a little bit.

That’s not to say a Venom movie can’t still be good. As I said, his origin story is really good and the concept is still very unique and creative. It’s going to be R rated and is apparently going to be more akin to a science fiction horror movie rather than a superhero film, which could be interesting. And I think we can all agree Tom Hardy is an excellent choice to play Eddie Brock. It’s just a question of whether or not Sony have learned from their previous mistakes.

While I didn’t mind in Spider-Man 3 that they kept the symbiote’s origins secret, one of the biggest problems was that the symbiote didn’t have a character. It was treated as little more than a plot device with no depth or explanation given to it, which I found really irritating because the symbiote is an interesting character in its own right. It’s lonely. It wants to permanently bond with a host and share abilities and experiences. While overzealous and often overstepping the mark, it does actually care for its host, as demonstrated when it saved Spidey’s life in the bell tower. And when it realised that Spidey didn’t want to be a part of this symbiotic relationship, it reluctantly left him. Its relationship with Spidey can easily be construed as a tragic and twisted love affair. It only truly turned evil when it came into contact with Eddie Brock, whose irrationality warped and corrupted the symbiote into a rage fuelled monster.

Something else Spider-Man 3 got wrong was its depiction of Eddie Brock, portraying him as this selfish, self centred jerk (plus Topher Grace was the wrong choice entirely for the part). In the comics he’s a bit more complex than that.

Working as a journalist for the Daily Globe, Eddie Brock is able to get a confession from a man claiming to be a serial killer called the Sin Eater. This backfires when the man is revealed to be a compulsive liar and that Spider-Man had caught the real killer. With his reputation in tatters, Eddie Brock sinks into a deep depression. Forced to work for tacky tabloid magazines, his wife divorces him in disgust and his father, who he’s been desperately trying to win the approval of, stops talking to him. He starts bodybuilding in an effort to take his mind off of his predicament, but his anger and depression still remains, blaming Spider-Man for what happened to him. And just to add insult to injury, he finds out he has cancer.

That’s the key difference between the two. In Spider-Man 3, Eddie is an entitled little shit who deserves everything he gets. In the comics, Eddie is a broken man that the reader can actually identify with. In the movie Eddie faked photos of Spidey stealing from a bank and then blames Peter Parker for ratting him out. In the comics Eddie makes an honest mistake and his life spirals downwards as a result, projecting his anger onto Spidey, And then there’s the church scene. In the movie, Eddie asks God to kill Peter Parker, which just comes across as laughable and reveals what a rubbish one dimensional villain he is. In the comics, Eddie goes to the church because he’s contemplating suicide and asks God for forgiveness, which makes him more sympathetic and his ultimate fate that much more tragic. While both versions share an irrational hatred of Spider-Man, only one of them comes from an understandable place.

This is why I’m happy Tom Hardy is playing the character. As well as having the right build, he’s also played this kind of character before and done an extremely good job. If the filmmakers focus on making Eddie Brock a relatable and sympathetic character, give the symbiote its own identity and personality, and go to great lengths to explore the relationship between the two, this could make for a pretty decent movie.

However there are a few other concerns I have about this movie, and this largely stems from the business side of things.

Sony have mentioned that Venom is going to be the first instalment of a Sony Marvel Universe. Now their track record when it comes to franchise building is shaky at best. While I liked The Amazing Spider-Man 2 better than most, I will admit that the movie does feel extremely cluttered. It suffers from the same problem as movies like Iron Man 2 in that it had a lot of good ideas, but there were just too many. Sony were clearly putting more emphasis on franchise building rather than telling a good story, and while The Amazing Spider-Man 2 wasn’t a bad movie by any means, it did suffer as a result.

They also have a tendency to have unrealistic expectations for their movies. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 for instance was expected to make a billion dollars at the box office. A billion?! Look, the Avengers can make a billion dollars, Justice League could make a billion dollars and Batman V Superman should have made a billion dollars, but Spider-Man? I know he’s popular, but… that popular?! Another example is the Ghostbusters reboot, which Sony were hoping to turn into its own shared universe. It ultimately failed to deliver at the box office, and the main reason for this (apart from the sexist butthurt fanboys) is because Ghostbusters just isn’t a tentpole franchise. The most a Ghostbusters movie has ever made at the box office was 295 million dollars. It’s profitable, but not that profitable. As much as I LOVE the Ghostbusters reboot and wanted it to succeed, the fact is Sony were incredibly foolish with how they handled it. Throwing massive wads of money at a movie that simply would never have been the mega success they wanted, regardless of whether the sexist butthurt fanboys boycotted the movie or not.

So what the fuck IS going on with this Venom movie? Well as best as I can understand it, Venom is going to be a part of his own shared universe called the Sony Marvel Universe, which will have no connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now to some extent, I can see why Sony have made that decision. Spider-Man may be part of the MCU now and they do still have creative control over the character, but it’s not theirs. As it stands, Sony make money off of any Spider-Man movies they produce, but any MCU movies where Spider-Man makes a guest appearance, Marvel Studios get the money. Naturally they want something to call their own, and there are rumours that after the Spider-Man Homecoming sequel, Sony plan to ditch the MCU entirely and continue the Spider-Man franchise themselves, presumably keeping the same actor but having none of the future movies connecting with the MCU at all (might as well. I mean its not as if the MCU movies connect with each other anymore). But then it gets even stranger when you learn that Spider-Man might not actually be in this Venom movie. That’s very odd considering how pivotal a role Spider-Man plays in Venom’s backstory and how famous the Black Suit Spider-Man arc is. Why wouldn’t you want to adapt that? 

The problem is if Spider-Man appears or is even mentioned in the Venom movie, then people are going to assume that its part of the MCU, which it isn’t. I suppose you could do something similar to Supergirl and cast another actor to play a different version of Spider-Man, but that might be tricky to pull off. For one thing, Superman doesn’t wear a mask so we can look at Tyler Hoechlin and say ‘oh he doesn’t look like Henry Cavill. Clearly this is not the same Superman from Man Of Steel.’ The different mediums also help the audience make that distinction, that the movie and TV universes are separate. With this, I think it’ll be harder for casual movie going audiences to make that distinction and would actually confuse them.

One possible option Sony could take is to make a few discreet references to Spider-Man and the larger MCU to imply a larger connection, but I don’t think Marvel Studios would really appreciate that. No, the telling detail here is that this is called the Sony Marvel Universe as opposed to something like the Spideyverse or something. In other words, Sony could be making a Spider-Man shared universe… without Spider-Man. Now yes, this could work, but just look at the movies slated to come out. Venom, Black Cat and Silver Sable. Aside from the fact that they all appear in Spider-Man comics, what do they have in common?

… 

Nothing. 

They have pretty much nothing to do with each other outside of Spider-Man. So how are you supposed to create a shared universe around them? And why would anybody want to see this? Black Cat and Silver Sable are hardly household names and while Venom does still have a dedicated following, he’s just not as popular as he was ten years ago. The ship has pretty much sailed on that front. Either there’s something Sony aren’t telling us or, more likely, they haven’t thought this through. Using whatever assets they’ve got lying around to create their own shared universe that they can control, not because of its artistic merit or creative possibilities, but because it’s a trend they want to cash in on while they still can.

On the whole, I’m adopting a kind of wait and see attitude to all of this. Like I said, the film does have potential and I’m confident Tom Hardy will do a great job in the role. I just can’t shake the feeling that Sony might have, once again, shot themselves in the foot before they’ve even started.