DEAD, dead, dead, someday you'll be dead...

[tencrush]

Just a brief interlude from my big FANON project, as I've been asked by several people to explain my reasoning as to why I believe Ianto's family are DEAD. Now, I've been told if I hadn't included "Welsh" as such a hilarious option in my fanon poll, or at least made it slightly less lolworthy, a lot more people would have probably voted for "Ianto's family are DEAD", so I take it a lot of you are with me on this one. I'll put forth my reasons, if I've forgotten any or anyone has any more hints and clues that Ianto's family are dead, let me know in the comments.

My reasonings:

• Ianto's dad is obviously dead. Evidence the first: His extreme sentimentality about his experiences at the Electro, Ianto's a local boy, you'd figure his family was more or less local as well and if this cinema holds such great memories, you'd think he'd have TAKEN HIS DAD and NOT OWEN AND GWEN. Because Ianto is 25, what would his dad be, 50? It's not like his father would be some decrepid 85-year-old man, surely? His dad's dead.


• Reason the second his Dad's dead: The master tailor thing. His dad WAS a master tailor, past tense. Again, figuring how old his dad would be now, it's highly unlikely his dad would have retired already, and besides, "master tailor", it's one of those professions that has the same ring to it as "actor" or "nuclear physicist", it's one of those things you just ARE, whether you're IN WORK or not. His dad's obviously dead.


• Now let's figure his dad's dead, and his mum's alive. Oh... sads, yes? Not the kind of situation that would lead someone to become a drifter at age 19 and eventually MOVE TO LONDON. Especially not someone who obviously clings to those he loves to the extent that he does. His moving to London tells me that he obviously has few ties in Cardiff, you'd figure if he had a poor lonely mother there he would have stayed.


• The bio Jack hurls at thim, again, doesn't mention a family. It mentions he has a girlfriend, but nothing else. The girlfriend really would seem to be the ONLY THING Ianto has or had in the way of loved ones (that kind of explains as well his EXTREME RELUCTANCE to let her go, he's always struck me, and everyone, as quite an intelligent guy, yet he refuses to let Lisa go, in spite of everything he's seen at Canary Wharf. That fact alone tells me that Lisa really is ALL HE HAS IN THE WORLD.)


• In all of 26 episodes, generally, no mention is ever made of Ianto going to see his family, or even of living a life outside the Hub. That in itself is pretty weird, but if you take into consideration the fact that Ianto is a LOCAL BOY and if he had family, that family would be PRETTY NEARBY, it gets extra special weird.


• And then there's the boy in From Out of the Rain. People always make these jokes about Ianto crying a lot, but that's NOT ACTUALLY TRUE. Ianto's emotionally very reserved and he's obviously someone who bottles things up until they become too much, that's how he deals with things. And things only become too much and come pouring out when circumstances or situations REALLY BREAK HIM DOWN. We saw him cry in Cyberwoman, because he was BROKEN about his DEAD GIRLFRIEND. We saw him cry in Adam, because he was BROKEN about being a murderer, and we saw him cry in Fragments, because he was BROKEN about prostituting himself for the job and all the other things that broke him in that scene that have been discussed to death already. Apart from those highly emotional instances, we've only ever seen him cry at one other thing: The boy in the hospital in FootR, who LOSES HIS ENTIRE FAMILY AND ENDS UP ALONE. Now why did THAT particular thing affect him so badly, eh? Eh? Oh, that's right, yeah: IANTO IS THE BOY.

Just my two cents, folks. I will return you to your regularly scheduled fanon project shortly. talk amongst yourselves.

Comments

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

I'm convinced that his family is dead. For all the reasons you mentioned. Torchwood really is all he has.

'The boy in the hospital in FootR, who LOSES HIS ENTIRE FAMILY AND ENDS UP ALONE. Now why did THAT particular thing affect him so badly, eh? Eh? Oh, that's right, yeah: IANTO IS THE BOY.'
That what I thought.

[off_coloratura]

Scenario that could fit with the facts you mention:

Dad died and mom remarried someone he didn't like and moved elsewhere. Possibly stepdad even abused him. Ianto turned to drifting and an episode of shoplifting. Till he met Lisa and joined Torchwood. So, yes, Lisa's all he has in the world.

The bio doesn't mention his family because it's about him. It mentions Lisa because it's Dramatically Important.

He cries at the little boy because it's his fault somehow that all those people died, because he didn't catch the bottle quick enough. Like with Lisa, only this time one of them managed to be saved, and so he cries.

Then there's the fact he knows the mental hospital. His dad could have ended up there before he died. Or Ianto himself, for a while. Perhaps that was a part of the estrangement. Though Jack would probably have mentioned it.

It's not as dramatically interesting as them all being dead, of course. And I wouldn't assume the writers of Torchwood have a complicated backstory like this in their heads when "they're all dead" is easier and more full of dramatic angst.

But given your track record in things like this, you are probably absolutely right. It's not that I don't agree that they're dead, I think they probably are. It's just that what we've seen hasn't proven it to me.

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

I hope the delve more into Ianto's back-story in Series 3. Maybe his entire family was killed by aliens, which is how he came to Torchwood 1's attention.

[tencrush]

The abuse thing could be correct, yes. (Of course, in my fanon he was a rentboy now when he was a drifter, yes? You know how I am. Silly me.)

I used to think the mental hospital was where his mother ended up for some reason, but I'm leaning towards it being Ianto himself now. (I'm still not 100% sure Ianto's backstory as read out by Jack wasn't edited for Jack's pleasure by Ianto himself, which would explain the mental hospital not being on there, Ianto's a PRIME CANDIDATE for mentalness, because he does suck it up until he breaks down, it's not very healthy.)

[scifigirl.livejournal.com]

I didn't think about Ianto identifying with that boy in the hospital. But it makes sense. I voted Welsh for the lulz, and a part of me wanted to vote time lord for the crack but I do think his family is dead.

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

...part of me wanted tovote time lord for the crack
Since this show has canon!Mpreg it might not be as cracky as you think. The theater Ianto's father took him to closed down in 1977...hmmm.

[erinnthered.livejournal.com]

A whole lot of WORD to that post.

Can I just add the shoplifting conviction in is teens? I really think there are two explanations for this. The first is that he was on his own because his parents were already dead or institutionalized (ala Neville Longbottom). In that scenario they would both be dead by now or he never would have left Cardiff. Or, he became estranged from his parents because they locked him up in the institution and he ran away. Because of the way GDL delivered the line about the institution I hesitate to believe the latter. He didn't seem afraid of it. He was too matter of fact.

I am totally with you on the dead part, but I voted Time Lords. Hey, a girl's gotta dream.

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

'I am totally with you on the dead part, but I voted Time Lords. Hey, a girl's gotta dream.' And what I wonderful dream it would be.

I tend to think that at least one of his parents is institutionalized.

[erinnthered.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean, but the show kinda killed the "normal" part when they gave us his backstory in Fragments. Plus, he's just not socialized normally. Not from the scripts or the way GDL plays him. I think that's why a lot of people try to fit him into the AS/OCD box. Neither fit, but a difficult childhood would.

[athousanderrors.livejournal.com]

Random aside: Ianto's dad could well be retired. Perhaps his parents were a little older when they had him? My mum and dad were 30 when I was born, so - assuming Ianto is about 26-ish, he could have parents in their late 50s, easily.

Having said that, I totally agree that they're dead. Haha. Just playing devil's advocate. ;)

[tencrush]

Yeah, it's possible, though the grammarian in me would kind of lean towards him saying my dad "used to be" a master tailor if his dad were still alive and retired, or, like I said, even though he's retired my dad "is" a master tailor, as it's more of a skillset than a job title. That's far-fetched, I know.

[stopwatch-plz.livejournal.com]

*nods*

I agree with what you've said, some interesting correlations with FooTR that I enver thought about before...

I think I remember something in one of the books about Ianto going out with friends and getting a call from his Mother at some point when he was in London (can't for the life of me remember which now!) but, well, as far as the books go, no-one's really sure about canon, and for me if I haven't seen it on the screen it's not!

[addyke.livejournal.com]

Dad is definitely dead. I has a bit of an idea that Mam's new boyfriend kicked him out at sixteen when he found him in bed with his *male* best friend, but that's just the fangirl in me (I try to kill her but she just keeps fighting!). He was definitely lot closer to his dad than his mam (maybe is physically very like him too). Mam may be dead but I think it was certainly his dad's death that affected him. Which also leads me to think it was Ianto who was admitted to Providence Park (perhaps for treatment for depression or OCD? He does strike me as a recovering OCDer). Someone said he was very matter of fact over Providence Park but Ianto would be very matter-of-fact over mental illness (which is covered by Disability Discrimination laws in the UK so would not have effected him getting a job at Torchwood).

[erinnthered.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about not quite being able to kill his mother. Only in my personal fanon his mother is Leela, so that's a bit different. (The resemblance is pretty close, and so are some of their physical reactions/ quirks.) In reality, I am firmly on the DEAD side of things. He'd visit if one were alive.

Ianto just isn't obsessive enough (or at all really) to be OCD. Just look at the tourist office. No way an OCDer could keep it that untidy. Or his diary. It was a mess too. He also has shown no physical quirks. I really want to understand where you guys are seeing these symptoms because I've known people with OCD and AS and his character doesn't resemble anything I've seen in people like that. He does, on the other hand, match people I've known with uneven and difficult childhoods. And given that that is a pretty common background given to characters in television, I tend to lean in that direction.

I doubt Torchwood London would care about discrimination laws. They seem to do whatever they want. There's no way Yvonne would have allowed it. But Ianto is a manwhorespy, so I'm sure he could have hidden it easily. There's still a part of me that wonders if they are setting this up so that Ianto Jones isn't his real name. I think I just want them to use Idris Hopper at some point.

[phibetafunkay.livejournal.com]

That makes sense to me, at least his dad being dead.

[cirrocumulus.livejournal.com]

The boy in the hospital in FootR, who LOSES HIS ENTIRE FAMILY AND ENDS UP ALONE. Now why did THAT particular thing affect him so badly, eh? Eh? Oh, that's right, yeah: IANTO IS THE BOY.

You just EXPLODEDED MY BRAIN and this is now MY FAVORITEST FANON THEORY EVAAAR. It makes loads of sense now that I think about it. The only time we have seen Ianto cry is when something is really affecting him, personally; he isn't one to cry vicariously over the hurt of others, as evidenced by his stoicism in 'Exit Wounds' over Tosh and Owen. He mostly just cries over himself. You are truly awesomecakes for picking up on this connection.

[gypsylady.livejournal.com]

Brilliant analysis. Would you help me with my dissertation when I have to write it? LOL!

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

AGREED
yes, very much so
been thinking all those same things for ages now, was just too lazy to lay it out there, so i thank you

[echoingvista.livejournal.com]

You know, I realize that I myself have said recently that "Ianto cries at the drop of a hat", yet in the past I've always agreed with you, that he knows how to keep check of his emotions and only really cries when he's completely broken or lost something.

That said, you forgot to mention one of the most important times (to a Jack/Ianto shipper, anyway) we've seen Ianto cry: In 'End of Days' over Jack.

[virginhuntress.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. I think Ianto lost his family very early in his adulthood (probably between 16-19, if not earlier). It would also explain his so-so grades in school. We've obviously seen how intelligent he is in the show and how much he can do. My thoughts are that he's v. intelligent, but had trauma that caused him to either rebel or be v. apathetic towards life, goals, etc.

However, we also notice that they were very shady about the details on just HOW he was recruited to TW1 in the first place. I mean, how does one go from "drifter" to Torchwood One? How did they find him? What made him stand out?

Your evidence is strong, and I'm glad that I'm not the only one who thinks so.

[mygirlfine.livejournal.com]

I tend think the way the writers show Ianto dealing with death as another indication that he's been on his own for a long time (Lisa, his dad, his mother possibly). Ianto couldn't even touch Owen's hand when Owen was going to be killed. Ianto tells Gwen without hesitation the TW employees in the photo died in TTLM, and then says "nothing changes." He doesn't cry over Tosh's body with Jack and Gwen. He doesn't cry when they are cleaning but logs Tosh & Owen out of the system with this angry resignation.

Then of course, there's Lisa. If we were suppose to believe Ianto's extreme grief when he couldn't save her was only because he loved her so much, then why is he with Jack? What was the initial attraction in "Fragments"? It has to be because Lisa was just one more person in a long list of people to die in Ianto's life.

[nikki4noo.livejournal.com]

Like you I have always thought his father was dead, partly from the terminology he uses about him i.e. "that was a master tailor"

But why are we believing the backstory that Jack quoted in Fragments? We all saw in the first episode that Ianto can easily hack into a computer system from his own flat. We know he scavanged stuff from T1. So, who is to say that he didn't change his own details/background info to make himself appear fairly harmless to Jack so he would be hired?

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

It's always been my opinion that Ianto doctored his records to make himself seem as harmless to Jack as possible.

[elisi]

Yes to everything. *puts in memories*

[kribban.livejournal.com]

Again, figuring how old his dad would be now, it's highly unlikely his dad would have retired already,

Okay, this is complete and utter personal fanon, but I've always imagined Ianto's parents as being quite old. I'm 28 and my father is 71.

In my personal fanon Ianto's mom and dad had Ianto when they were well into their forties. I see them as a nice, rather conservative old couple who raised their only, unexpected child the best way they knew how; in an fairly old fashioned way, possibly in a cottage. (I am channeling my own childhood here.)

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

That could make sense; Ianto does seem to have a love of all things old-fashioned.