#If you haven't played through the audio commentary I would Absolutely recommend it it is So fun

[sysig]

Ellen McLain’s commentary from my trivia playthrough

#She's so cute <3 #WPP #Portal #Ellen McLain #If you haven't played through the audio commentary I would Absolutely recommend it it is So fun #I clicked out of curiosity - kind of just expecting like a movie's audio commentary y'know? Like a video that highlighted specific scenes #No it's just the whole game again but with trivia pop-ups! I love that!! #It reminded me so much of like trivia track or the pop up fun facts from special editions of movies I would watch as a kid #But you can play through them!! You have to click on them and they spin! I love that!!! #I always love hearing the design and development process - fascinating how the playtesters reacted to this new game! #We take it for granted now but yeah I imagine it would've been very confusing at the time #And I was like ''Well it was such a small team and Ms. McLain was such a large part of it - surely she'll have a few bubbles?'' #She does lol - as soon as I got to her first one (it was a slow burn! They buried the lead with her lol I'm already invested!) I had to go #I saved-quit the game out of sheer excitement and giddiness lol I had to sleep on it before I was ready to come back #It is so cool to hear her natural voice ah <3 And the kinds of direction she was given! Other bubbles also talk about her vocal direction :) #Very cool! I wonder what TTS they used for reference :0 #But to hear her real laugh without the audio processing over and and she still sounds like GLaDOS! I mean of course she does but just jfdksl #That's /her/ laugh! They share a laugh! It's a very similar laugh!! #Not to mention her talking about wanting to play and just fdskalfd they clearly did such a good job with her performance and ahhh #It's too cute it's all too cute sharing a room with GLaDOS while her voice actor talks about making a cake to share with her friends stopppp #I am so enamoured <3 #I also took a bunch of screenshots of GLaDOS still shit-talking while she was being destroyed lol #Actually beat the ending in one try this time :P I ran out of time the last time pfft #But now I've beaten it twice in as many days :D Although I did start it the first time several days ago - but I beat it again quickly! #Has me all the more itching to replay 2 ♪ #WPVG

[avaantares]

Hi, AVA! I haven't listened to Torchwood audios but after reading you talking about Norton Folgate, now I'm really curious. Can you tell me about him? I don't mind spoilers, but if you don't want to spoiler other followers, you can do something general. Love you blog, specially the Torchwood posts!! :D

Hello, anon! Why yes, I would LOVE to tell you about the amazing Norton Folgate! :D

Norton Folgate (whose name is a play on a historic area of London) is a Torchwood operative who was active during the 1950s… and a few other centuries, thanks to a soft light projector that allows him to pop in and out of other periods of time as a hologram. He appears in the Big Finish audio dramas Ghost Mission, The Torchwood Archive, Outbreak, and the upcoming The Death of Captain Jack. He is played by Samuel Barnett.

If Ianto Jones is the king of sass, Norton is the queen. He may be a midcentury gay stereotype in a natty suit, using camp Polari slang and calling everyone “poppet,” but don’t be fooled – he will cut you. And smile while doing it.

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~~~ SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT ~~~~___________________________________

Norton works for Torchwood, but he’s also an agent of The Committee (the primary enemy from the first two Big Finish Torchwood series). He’s totally willing to throw other Torchwood operatives under the bus to accomplish his own goals, and is nearly responsible for the deaths of Andy Davidson, Ianto Jones, and Jack Harkness (okay, he actually succeeds in killing Jack). He was also involved in the development of the Good Thinking Virus (which plagued Cardiff in Outbreak), and burned dozens of test subjects alive – Jack among them. (Jack has rather strong feelings about this.)

It’s also worth mentioning that Norton and Jack have a past outside of the whole setting-on-fire thing. We don’t know how long they were involved, but Norton ended it when he realized that Jack’s lovers tend to wind up either broken or dead. In a rare moment of honesty, Norton warns Ianto against the same fate, despite already knowing how and when Ianto is going to die.

We know little of Norton’s personal life, other than a few snippets about his family: He has an older brother, Gerald, who was the favored child; his father was a vicar whose church was bombed during the war; and Norton’s relationship with his parents is strained, likely because of his sexual orientation. He once had to kill someone he loved, and that’s one of the only memories that jars him out of the flamboyant, stone-hearted persona he projects. He occasionally shows flickers of conscience, but mostly smothers his compassion under attitude and indifference. He’s also incurably vain and, predictably, motivated by money and power. (He and his partner steal something really important and valuable in The Torchwood Archive.)

So if Norton is such a shady character (and oh, he is!), why do we love him? Well, he’s fun. I mean, really fun. He has discovered how to weaponize attitude, and uses his taunts and sarcastic remarks to simultaneously infuriate and manipulate his foes. The fact that he usually appears as an untouchable hologram gives him the ability to stand (literally) in the middle of a fight and keep up a running commentary, often mocking both sides equally.

But he’s not a one-dimensional antagonist, either. He may be a cold-blooded killer, but he also has sympathetic moments, and there are times you really feel for him and what he’s been through. Samuel Barnett’s performance is delightfully nuanced.

To sum up: Norton is absolutely my favorite EU character, and Big Finish has put him to excellent use in multiple episodes. If you have the chance, I would recommend you listen to either Ghost Mission (Norton’s introduction) or Outbreak (Norton Folgate vs. Ianto Jones in a legendary sass battle). They’re well worth the price, just to hear the snark firsthand. :)

#norton folgate #torchwood #big finish #the death of captain jack #torchwood outbreak #torchwood spoilers #ghost mission #Anonymous