#Gregory Pillar

[gl1tchy-4rt]

does john and gerome (separately, don’t take this the wrong way) have their own children in the spaghetti family au? they’re always forgotten about and i’d love to know if they do have any kids!

They do have kids!

But before I show them to you I need to tell you about some Pillar Lore ;)

Not only did PizzaMan curse John when he took over The Tower, but he also pretty much killed all the pillars, minus Gerome.

After John was revived, he and Gerome moved into the town, finding works and scavenging the remaining of The Tower, becoming friends with Peppino and the rest of the cast, eventually to the point that the kids (like Giovanni and Valentina) call them Uncle John and Uncle Gerome.

Years later, after The 2nd Crumbling and PizzaMan's death, Gerome and John recover The Pizzamanzer's Pocket watch, an extremely powerful artifact that holds the Pizzamanzer's Power.

Slowly but surely...

John and Gerome rebuild the Pillars folk civilization, Reviving the dead Pillars in John gutter and making a new (and smaller) Tower (3rd Tower)

Pillars are have extremely long life spans (Gerome and John are 430-ish) so they don't have kids very often but due to the circumstances (and the Fact that Pillars naturally rise their kids in community) the idea was there....

Besides Both John and Gerome have lots of experience on taking care of kids so one day, John decides that he is ready and he wants a kid of his own.

A bit of magic, Rock, Rubble and a bit of blood from the parent and Ta-da!!

The first Pillar baby is born, and soon later Gerome decided that his niece shouldn't be alone...

Here are the babies!!

Jennifer and Gregory Pillar, the Pillar cousins.

Jennifer is the oldest (1 year old) Gregory is the youngest (7 Months)

Despite of being cousins, they are very close, like siblings, and due to how Pillar culture works, they would consider the rest of the community as their Aunt's and Uncles.

So yeah those are the Pillar Babies and what happened to John and Gerome after Pizza Tower.

Hope you enjoyed and see y'all later!!

also disclaimer I don't think I'm making the Pizza-tober I'm sorry but I can never finish those things :/

[themandolinscrimblo]

💥STORY IDEA💥

Alright guys hear me out....

A revenge story.

You'll never guess what it's about👅

One of Howdy's hundreds of nephews steals something from his shop....

Howdy notices and gets really MAD and he seeks revenge...

Yadda yadda yadda, the plot thickens

Bro slam dunks his nephew's into a basketball hoop

The handsum catapillar is pleased with his accomplishments

And in the end....ohohohh....😈

The nephews get into BIG trouble. The get grounded omg

Lmao anyways....

K bye.

(Authors note: I am the ruler of tumblr. I will send you to next week you if you do NOT like this post... this is the ruler of tumblr and I approve this story. This isn't themandolinscrimblo btw. I will travel back into the cave now. One day I might return. We'll see. Byee👽👾✨️)

[coycowboykoi]

Basically a conversation howdy would have with gregory if he hired him

[springdaydreams]

Gregory House x fem!reader (platonic?)

Warnings : none

Summary : Greg finds out something interesting about you.

Authors note : Not the biggest fan of this, could've been better, but the idea wont leave my head so I wrote it.

𓈒⟡₊⋆∘ 𓈒⟡₊⋆∘ 𓈒⟡₊⋆∘𓈒⟡₊⋆∘𓈒⟡₊⋆∘𓈒⟡₊⋆∘𓈒⟡₊⋆∘𓈒⟡₊⋆∘𓈒⟡₊⋆∘𓈒⟡₊⋆∘

Today was particularly rough, your coffee machine broke down so you had to settle for the crappy coffee in the breakroom, the cafeteria had ran out of your favourite chips, a patient puked on you so you had to change your clothes and by god's grace, all the anti-vaxxers in Jersey decided to come visit you today. Sitting down you let out a sigh, your feet hurt and your head felt like it was being pounded by an anvil closing your eyes in hopes for a fifteen minute shuteye, slowly drowning out the noises of the busy hospital. Suddenly your pager rings, the shrill noise cutting through the room, letting out a sharp exhale you take the pager in your hands and look at it, it’s a page from the NICU, nothing uncommon.

Standing up you rush out of the room, reaching the NICU, the nurse fills you on the patient, a seven month premature baby suffering a sudden attack of patent ductus arteriosus, as the baby flailed around trying to take breaths that he couldn’t catch, you’re held a scalpel your gloved hand tightening around the handle of it, bringing the sharp edge scalpel to the baby’s chest, just as you were about to make a cut the baby stopped breathing. Taking a deep breath you set the scalpel down “time of death?” “Twelve twenty am.” “I’ll go tell the parents.” Removing your gloves you walk out of the NICU towards the maternity ward, walking into the patient’s mother’s room “are you Miss Hennock?” “Yeah, what happened, is he okay?” Biting your lip, fighting back tears, “your son has passed on twelve twenty am.”

“What? How?”

“He suffered from patent ductus arteriosus”

“no no no, that can't be possible.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

The mother broke down in tears. Her screams could be heard by the whole floor, walking out of the maternity ward, the screams still playing in your mind, stopping by a pillar. You rest your back on the pillar, closing your eyes as tears threaten to spill, hugging your body for comfort. After a few seconds of solitude you hear the familiar tapping of a cane, opening your eyes you see Greg House walking, as he reaches you he stops and stares, staring back at him “what?”

With no response he goes back to walking to wherever he was going.

After fifteen minutes of peace the screams of someone interrupt, sighing you decide to go up to the roof. Just as you were climbing the stairs, you reach the breakroom, opening your locker you take you alcohol flask, walking to the roof you sit down on the edge, taking in a deep breath, you open your flask and take a big sip after 15 minutes and a half empty flask you hear the door open, looking back you see House limping towards you.

“Why're you here?”

“You looked like you wanted to die down there, was hoping you didn’t.”

“Awwww, you care about me.”

“Considering you’re slurring, I would like to consider you’ve finished that flask.”

“No, there’s still some.” You shake the flask.

“ So what happened down there?”

“Oh, nothing important.”

“You were on the verge of tears, someone definitely died.”

“Why do you sound so sure?”

“The last time I saw you cry was when one of your patients had died.” he says affirmatively

“Maybe my mom died?”

“Your mom’s been dead for seven years”

“How'd you know?”

“I like snooping, so what's so special today?”

“Nothing just a NICU accident.”

“That's why you're crying?”

“You know what House, lemme tell you a story, sit down” you pat the spot next to you “your crippled leg must hurt.”

As he sat down, “So what's this story about?”

“About ten years ago, in my third year of medical school, I met a man with the prettiest grey eyes, like the clouds on a rainy day.”

“Where is this going?”

“Sush, so we get to talking and a few months into dating he proposes to me and I say yes” “Want some?” you push the flask towards him.

“Yes” he takes the flask from you.

“So anyways, we get married and a few months later I get pregnant, we were so happy”

“You were married?”

“A few months into the pregnancy I start noticing he had started to become distant with me, coming home later than usual, leaving early, talking about that one new nurse that started working at the hospital, so one day i decide to visit him in the hospital, going around the hospital I couldn’t find him so I start to go back when I hear voices in a broom closet and when i open it, I see him and the new nurse he kept talking about, eating eachothers faces.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

He notices tears welling in your eyes.

With a shaky voice and a tight chest you continue, “so we had an argument and then he apologised and I thought everything would go back to normal, but it did not, we started to fight more he started to act weird and one day we have a huge argument like plate smashing and yelling, the argument gets so big he threatens to kill himself. We’re standing in the kitchen, he's holding a knife to his neck, i'm standing a few feet away from and we’re yelling and suddenly he cuts his neck, blood spraying everywhere the stress from the event puts me into early labour, I somehow manage to call 911 and then everything was a blur.”

“You are going to regret this in the morning.”

“The next thing I remember is holding my dead baby in my arms.”

He was rendered speechless.

“That's why I was crying, do you miss Stacy?”

Taken aback by the sudden question, he looks at you “yeah, why?”

“I miss him a lot, I loved him and he had to love me, somewhere sometime between the cheating and lying.”

“Stop” he gets up “you’re drunk.”

You smile at him, “I'm sad.”

“Aren’t we all sad?”

𓈒⟡₊⋆∘ 𓈒⟡₊⋆∘ 𓈒⟡₊⋆∘𓈒⟡₊⋆∘𓈒⟡₊⋆∘𓈒⟡₊⋆∘𓈒⟡₊⋆∘𓈒⟡₊⋆∘𓈒⟡₊⋆∘𓈒⟡₊⋆∘

fin

[folkdances]

i've been thinking about manfred von karma.

gregory edgeworth was a very firm believer in innocence and mediation. everyone deserves someone in their corner, always. and because gregory and von karma are opposites, i think that we can pretty adequately reason that von karma believed in guilt instead. this is evident if you play any of the three cases he is in — no wrongdoing can be glossed over, and guilt must be chased, hounded, must be pinned onto a person. this is the only natural conclusion that can be drawn from wrongdoing. this might seem odd because he himself was a murderer the entire time we knew him (barring the aai2 case), but i don't think it really is if you look at the situation a bit closer. i don't think it's hypocrisy, and i don't think he saw it as hypocrisy, either.

in his eyes, gregory got in the way of justice and very nearly prevented it from coming about. i do not think von karma saw himself as a tool of the law, but rather, an extension of law and justice themselves, and therefore, edgeworth came in the way of those two things. an obstruction of justice. this is what criminals do.

by this logic, murdering gregory is not a crime because this is what von karma does in the courtroom — he executes criminals, perhaps not with his own hands, but he does it nonetheless. the dl-6 incident was courtroom justice with a few steps taken out the middle, a swift and stately execution. the fact that he habitually forged evidence without remorse shows that he didn't view these actions as immoral, that he saw no issue with sidestepping procedure if it allowed for the realization of justice, the far more important thing. after all, he knows the guilt of the defendant and it would be a miscarriage of justice to allow them to pass back into society. gregory edgeworth committed a crime, and von karma, as a man of justice, punished him for it. in his eyes, von karma never committed an unlawful act.

some people say the bullet in his shoulder was a plot (bullet?!) hole or otherwise unreasonable because he could have hired a private doctor to remove it or something similar. he clearly has the means to ensure silence and secrecy. but i disagree. of course he could have, but i think he left it in there on purpose. i think it was like a symbol to him that guilt is enduring and can never be wiped off the board; gregory edgeworth committed a crime by standing in the way of justice and he paid for it, of course, but he passed the debt onto his son, and so he is right to pursue justice by framing the junior edgeworth. you cannot escape punishment by virtue of death, and nor can you remediate your transgressions. miles edgeworth, while a skilled prosecutor and while a shining example of the good of the von karma name, remained a criminal by simple virtue of the blood in his veins, and von karma sought to punish him for it. that is the pillar von karma's character is built on: the inescapability of guilt, and the necessity of punishment that follows.

a lot of people call him a contradictory character, but i think he makes sense a lot of sense. he's very straightforward if you look at him from a certain angle. and of course he is extraordinarily interesting as well!

[nalyra-dreaming]

Is there any sort of supporting vampire index? I read the first five books back in high school and have been slowly making my way through the entire series (currently mid merrick) this year. But recently it feels like every other day someone brings up an important character from the later books that already appeared, or was implied in the show.

Nonny, you're in luck :)

Anne herself provides us with one in "Prince Lestat" and in "Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis" :) Obviously the short descriptions refer to the book versions. I would take note of Sevraine (who is Gabrielle's implied girlfriend later on!), Seth and especially Fareed, and definitely Rhoshamandes and Amel here. Gregory, too. And Viktor (whose summary does not contain the reveal btw) and Rose. These at the very least :) - let me know if you want to know more details!

I'll paste the character list from PLatRoA here! SPOILERS though - so under the cut!

Characters and Places in the Vampire Chronicles

Akasha—Queen of ancient Egypt six thousand years ago, and the first vampire ever created, through a merger with the spirit Amel. The story is told in The Vampire Lestat and in The Queen of the Damned.

Allesandra—A Merovingian princess, daughter of King Dagobert I, brought into the Blood in the seventh century by Rhoshamandes. First introduced in The Vampire Lestat as a mad nameless vampire living with the Children of Satan under Les Innocents Cemetery in Paris. She also appears in The Vampire Armand in the Renaissance where she is named, and later in Prince Lestat and Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis.

Amel—A spirit who created the first vampire six thousand years ago by merging with the body of the Egyptian Queen Akasha. The story is told in The Vampire Lestat and in The Queen of the Damned. Prince Lestat and Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis continue the story of Amel.

Antoine—A French musician exiled from Paris to Louisiana and brought into the Blood by Lestat around the middle of the nineteenth century. Referred to as “the musician” in Interview with the Vampire. Later appears in Prince Lestat and Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis. A talented violinist and pianist and composer.

Arion—A black vampire of ancient times introduced in Blackwood Farm. At least two thousand years old, perhaps older. Possibly from India.

Arjun—A prince of the Chola dynasty in India, brought into the Blood by Pandora around 1300. Appears in Blood and Gold and also in Pandora.

Armand—One of the pillars of the Vampire Chronicles. Armand is a Russian from Kiev, sold into slavery as a boy, and made a vampire in Renaissance Venice by the Vampire Marius. He is introduced in Interview with the Vampire, and appears in numerous novels in the Vampire Chronicles, telling his own story in The Vampire Armand. The founder of the coven at Trinity Gate in New York. Armand maintains a house in Paris in Saint-Germain-des- Prés, which functions as the Paris Court for Prince Lestat.

Avicus—An Egyptian vampire who first appears in Marius’s memoir, Blood and Gold. Appears again in Prince Lestat.

Benedict—A Christian monk of the seventh century in France, brought into the Blood by Rhoshamandes. Benedict is the vampire from whom the alchemist Magnus stole the Blood, a theft described in The Vampire Lestat. Appears in Prince Lestat and Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis as Rhoshamandes’s companion and lover.

Benji Mahmoud—A twelve-year-old Palestinian Bedouin boy, brought into the Blood by Marius in 1997. Benji originates the vampire radio station heard round the world in Prince Lestat. Resides at Trinity Gate in New York and sometimes at the Court of Prince Lestat in France. First appears in The Vampire Armand when he is living in New York with his companion, Sybelle.

Bianca Solderini—Venetian courtesan brought into the Blood by Marius in Blood and Gold around 1498.

Château de Lioncourt—Lestat’s ancestral castle in the Massif Central in France, splendidly restored and the home of the new dazzling and glamorous Court of the Vampires with its orchestra, theater, and frequent formal balls. The adjacent village, including an inn and a church and several shops, has also been restored to house mortal workers and visitors to the Château.

Children of Satan—A network of medieval vampire covens, populated by vampires who sincerely believed they were children of the Devil, doomed to roam the world in rags, accursed, feeding on the blood of innocent humans to do the Devil’s will. Their most famous covens were in Rome and in Paris. The coven kidnapped many of the fledglings of Rhoshamandes until he finally left France to get away from them. And the Children of Satan in Rome spelled catastrophe for Marius and his great Venetian household in the Renaissance. Armand told of his experiences with the Children of Satan in The Vampire Armand.

Chrysanthe—A merchant’s widow from the Christian city of Hira, brought into the Blood by Nebamun, newly risen and named Gregory in the fourth century. Wife of Gregory. Introduced, along with Gregory, in Prince Lestat.

Cimetière des Innocents—An ancient cemetery in the city of Paris until it was destroyed near the end of the eighteenth century. Underneath this cemetery lived the Coven of the Children of Satan, presided over by Armand, which is described by Lestat in The Vampire Lestat. Referred to in the novels as “Les Innocents.”

Claudia—An orphan of five or six years old, brought into the Blood around 1794 by Lestat and Louis in New Orleans. Long dead. Her story is told in Interview with the Vampire. Later appears as a spirit in Merrick, though the appearance is suspect.

Cyril—An ancient Egyptian vampire, maker of Eudoxia in Blood and Gold, and named for the first time in Prince Lestat. Age unknown.

Daniel Molloy—The nameless “boy” interviewer in Interview with the Vampire. Brought into the Blood by Armand in The Queen of the Damned. Also appears in Blood and Gold living with Marius. Also in Prince Lestat.

David Talbot—Introduced as an elderly member of the Talamasca, an order of psychic detectives, in The Queen of the Damned. Becomes an important character in The Tale of the Body Thief, and also solicits Pandora’s story from her in Pandora. A pillar of the Vampire Chronicles.

Davis—A black dancer from Harlem, a member of the Fang Gang, brought into the Blood by Killer sometime in 1985. Introduced in The Queen of the Damned. Further described in Prince Lestat.

Eleni—A survivor of the Children of Satan who helps found the Théâtre des Vampires in Paris in the eighteenth century; corresponds with the Vampire Lestat after he leaves Paris to travel the world. A fledgling of Rhoshamandes made a vampire in the early Middle Ages.

Enkil—Ancient King of Egypt, husband of the great Queen Akasha, the second vampire to be brought into existence. His story is told in The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned.

Everard de Landen—A fledgling of Rhoshamandes from the early Middle Ages who first appears in Blood and Gold and is named in Prince Lestat.

Fareed—Anglo Indian by birth, a physician and researcher, brought into the Blood by Seth to be a healer and researcher of the vampires. A major character introduced in Prince Lestat.

Flannery Gilman—An American female medical doctor, biological mother of Viktor, and brought into the blood by Fareed and Seth. Part of their medical and research team working with the Undead.

Flavius—A Greek vampire, a slave purchased by Pandora in the city of Antioch and brought into the Blood by Pandora in the early centuries of the Common Era.

Gabrielle—Lestat’s mother, a noblewoman of breeding and education, brought into the Blood by her own son in 1780 in Paris. A wanderer who dresses in male attire. A familiar figure in the background throughout the Vampire Chronicles.

Gregory Duff Collingsworth—Known as Nebamun in ancient times, a lover of Queen Akasha and made a blood drinker by her to lead her Queens Blood troops against the First Brood. Known today as Gregory, owner of a powerful pharmaceutical empire in the modern world. Husband of Chrysanthe.

Gremt Stryker Knollys—A powerful and mysterious spirit who has created for himself over time a physical body that is a replica of a human body. Connected with the founding of the secret Order of the Talamasca. Introduced in Prince Lestat.

Hesketh—A Germanic cunning woman, brought into the Blood by Teskhamen in the first century. Now a ghost who has managed to produce a physical body for herself. Also connected with the origins of the secret Order of the Talamasca. Introduced in Prince Lestat.

Jesse Reeves—An American woman of the twentieth century, a blood descendant of the ancient Maharet and brought into the Blood by Maharet

herself in 1985 in The Queen of the Damned. Jesse was also a mortal member of the Talamasca and worked with David Talbot in the Order.

Khayman—An ancient Egyptian vampire, made by Queen Akasha, and rebelling against her with the First Brood. His story is told in The Queen of the Damned.

Killer—An American male vampire, founder of the Fang Gang in The Queen of the Damned. Of unknown history or origin.

Lestat de Lioncourt—The hero of the Vampire Chronicles, made a vampire by Magnus near the end of the eighteenth century, the maker of a number of vampires, including Gabrielle, his mother; Nicolas de Lenfent, his friend and lover; Louis, the narrator of Interview with the Vampire; and Claudia, the child vampire. Presently known as Prince Lestat by one and all.

Louis de Pointe du Lac—The vampire who started the Vampire Chronicles by telling his story to Daniel Molloy in Interview with the Vampire, an account of his own origins, which differs in some ways from Lestat’s own account in The Vampire Lestat. A French colonial plantation owner made a vampire by Lestat in 1791. Appears most prominently in the first Chronicle, and in Merrick, and in Prince Lestat and Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis.

Magnus—An elderly medieval alchemist who stole the Blood from a young vampire, Benedict, in France. The vampire who kidnapped and brought Lestat into the Blood in 1780. Now a ghost, sometimes appearing solid, and at other times as an illusion.

Maharet—One of the oldest vampires in the world, twin to Mekare. The twins are known for their red hair and their power as mortal witches. Made at the dawn of Vampire History, they are rebels leading the First Brood against Queen Akasha and her Queens Blood vampires. Maharet is beloved for her wisdom and for following all of her mortal descendants through the ages all over the world, whom she called the Great Family. Maharet tells her story—the story of the twins—in Queen of the Damned. She also figures in Blood and Gold and in Prince Lestat.

Marius—A pillar of the Vampire Chronicles. A Roman patrician who is kidnapped by the Druids and brought into the Blood by Teskhamen in the first century. Marius appears in The Vampire Lestat and numerous other books, including his own memoir, Blood and Gold. A vampire known for reason and gravitas. Much loved and admired by Lestat and others.

Mekare—Maharet’s twin sister, the powerful red-haired witch who communed with the invisible and potentially destructive spirit Amel, who later went into the body of Queen Akasha, creating the first vampire. The story of Mekare and Maharet is first told by Maharet in The Queen of the Damned. Mekare figures in Blood and Gold and in Prince Lestat.

Memnoch—A powerful spirit claiming to be the Judeo-Christian Satan. He tells his story to Lestat in Memnoch the Devil.

New Orleans—Figures prominently in the Vampire Chronicles as the home of Louis, Lestat, and Claudia for many years during the nineteenth century, at

which time they resided in a townhouse in the Rue Royale in the French Quarter. This house still exists and is in the possession of Lestat today, as it has always been. It was in New Orleans that Lestat encountered Louis and Claudia and made them vampires.

Notker the Wise—A monk and a musician and a composer brought into the Blood by Benedict around A.D. 880, maker of many boy-soprano vampires and other vampire musicians yet unnamed. Living in the Alps. Introduced in Prince Lestat.

Raymond Gallant—A faithful mortal scholar of the Talamasca, a friend to the Vampire Marius, presumed dead in the sixteenth century. Appears again in Prince Lestat.

Rhoshamandes—A male from ancient Crete, brought into the Blood at the same time as the female Sevraine, about five thousand years ago. A powerful and reclusive vampire obsessed with operatic music and performances, and the lover of Benedict. Lives in his castle on the island of Saint Rayne in the Outer Hebrides, traveling the world from time to time to see different operas in the great opera houses.

Rose—An American girl, rescued as a small child by Lestat from an earthquake in the Mediterranean around 1995. His ward. Lover and later spouse of Viktor. Introduced in Prince Lestat.

Saint Alcarius, Monastery of—The secret residence of Gremt, Teskhamen, and other supernatural elders of the Talamasca in France, near the Belgian border.

Saint Rayne— The island on which Rhoshamandes lives. Santino—An Italian vampire made during the time of the Black Death.

Longtime Roman coven master of the Children of Satan. Presumed dead.

Seth—The biological son of Queen Akasha, brought into the Blood by her after a youth of roaming the ancient world in search of knowledge in the healing arts. He is introduced in Prince Lestat and is the maker of Fareed and Flannery Gilman.

Sevraine—A remarkably beautiful Nordic female vampire, made by Nebamun (Gregory) against Akasha’s rules. Sevraine maintains her own underground court in the Cappadocian Mountains. A friend to female vampires. Introduced in Prince Lestat.

Sybelle—A young American pianist, beloved friend of Benji Mahmoud, and Armand, brought into the Blood by Marius in 1997. Introduced in The Vampire Armand.

The Talamasca—An ancient order of psychic detectives or researchers, dating back to the Dark Ages—an organization of mortal scholars who observe and record paranormal phenomena. Their origins are shrouded in mystery until they are revealed in Prince Lestat. They have Motherhouses in Amsterdam and outside of London, and retreat houses in many places, including Oak Haven in Louisiana. First introduced in The Queen of the Damned and

figuring in many Chronicles since. Vampires Jesse Reeves and David Talbot were mortal members of the Talamasca.

Teskhamen—Ancient Egyptian vampire, the maker of Marius as told by Marius in The Vampire Lestat. Presumed dead until modern times. Connected with the origins of the Talamasca. First named in Prince Lestat.

Théâtre des Vampires—A boulevard theater of the macabre, created by the refugees from the Children of Satan, funded by Lestat, and managed for decades by Armand, who had once been the coven master of the Children of Satan.

Thorne—A red-haired Viking vampire, made centuries ago in Europe by Maharet. Introduced in Blood and Gold.

Trinity Gate—A coven dwelling made up of three identical townhouses just off Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side of New York. Armand is the founder of Trinity Gate. And it functions now as the American Court of Prince Lestat.

Viktor—An American boy, biological son of Dr. Flannery Gilman. His story is revealed in Prince Lestat. Lover and later spouse of Rose, Lestat’s ward.

[orlaite]

Jeremy Wilson, Lawrence of Arabia: The Authorized Biography, p. 534 - Photograph of Dahoum by Lawrence, 1911, Wilson p.312 - T.E Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, p. 22/23 - John Mack, A Prince of Our Disorder, p. 88 - Scetch of Dahoum by Francis Dodd, July 1913 - Wilson, p.673 - Mack, p. 98 - Photograph of crew assisting Lawrence at Carchemish: Dahoum, Abd es Salaam, Gregori and Sheik Hamoudi - T.E Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1922 Oxford Text), Epilogue - Letter by Lawrence, Wilson, p. 545 - Dahoum photographed by Lawrence ca. 1912 - Lawrence, wearing some of Dahoum's clothes, photographed by Dahoum ca. 1912 - Letter by Lawrence to a British Foreign Office staff member, Mack, p. 189 - Mack, p. 190 - Mack, p. 97 - Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom - Letter by Lawrence to a young companion in the R.A.F, Mack, p. 97/98

[zoetheneko]

HELP I realised i never posted my fnaf OC's redesign here. I made this back in summer of 2023.

Oh! And here's a few facts about her:

Peachy Bee's theme zone i named the Nectar Cafe, where adults and children can both hang out in. The cafe has a signature dish called "the Royal Roll" with is a chocolate swiss roll with yellow honey-flavored icing and a drizzle of honey on top. The Nectar Cafe becomes a safe zone for Gregory (the player) and it has a save station in the Back Cafe's Kitchen.

She has little bee drones that serve as security cameras. When everything went heywire at the pizzaplace, she uses them to often help player to get places without getting caught. But eventually they all get destroyed one way or another and Peachy has no other choice then to use herself as a distraction.

Her wings can flap and create a buzzing noice, which is initially used for blind children to help them reach her, now it's used as a tool to distract the other animatronics and free the players way to sneak up somewhere.

Sadly, at one point further, Monty would grab Peachy and throw her violently against a pillar, breaking the wings and a portion of the back in the process. Peachy can then no longer free the player's way when needed and she can only stay at her Cafe for the rest of the game, sitting at the edge of her stage.

When she was at the Cafe, before all went down, she would make sure everyone is having a good time, and she's sometimes give a dancing performance on that little stage she had and the bee drones even come along to dance around her. Everyone loved that.

I ship her with Glamrock Freddy (it just makes sense to me because bears like honey).

[beautyofaphrodite]

Post Guide

Here is a post with links to certain posts you may find helpful or interesting! This list will be added to as more are added.

It won’t let me add more links right now- I may fix it later 🫶

General Information

Tips for Closeted Worshippers

Amazing Tumblr Temples (Not updated in a few months so if there are newer ones they may not be added)

My Personal Pillars of Hellenic Polytheism

Art Deep - Dives

(May make a post with just links to all of these and link that here)

Birth of Venus (Botticelli)

Relationships

Aphrodite and Hermes

Aphrodite and Adonis

Misc

Orphic Hymn

Ode to Aphrodite

[feith-rikya]

All these characters are from an RPG campaign called; Gehenna's Gates, set in the world of Vampire The Masquerade. Feel free to ask any questions!

So here the characters from left to right!

Arthur: A former vampire hunter who saw the final nights approaching, realized that hunting was not the right tool to prevent Gehenna. He's unusually friendly with vampires, so much so that he's come to be like a father to some of them. Man seems to radiate a light of great comfort for these creatures of darkness.

Rudolf the Vile: Ex soldier whose life and non-life are shrouded in mystery. The few people who have a close relationship with him know that his Embrace was neither the most conventional nor the most pleasant. He committed horrific war crimes when he was alive, but no one knows exactly what or why. His atypical Embrace and the atrocities committed in his life contributed to making him a monster condemned to forever be damned for his crimes and tormented by the innocent souls whose lives he had taken. He already suffered from a severe form of OCD when he was alive, a condition that only got worse after the transformation. On the outside he appears as a serious and gloomy individual and his cold character and retrograde ideas do not make him the most pleasant person to be around.

Danya Vetranov: A charming Ravnos with a difficult past. Her sire took her to the circus for her extraordinary divination skills, and for many years that place was her home. The events she experienced in London had a radical impact on her life, pushing her to become the human soul of her coterie. She has a natural talent for bringing people together and considers those close to her as her family. She's willing to do anything to protect them, without any hesitation.

Anselm Godwyn: A True-Brujah who earned his position as Archon due to his ability to control time. He was given the task of keeping tabs on London when the signs of Gehenna were already evident, hampered by a rather peculiar group of vampires and the reappearance of a beloved face lost centuries ago.

Jonah/Sargon The Omniscient: The most mysterious and inexplicable man you could ever meet. A Malkavian who appears to be a ditzy kid with a thing for whales, but is actually far more erudite and older than he lets on. You'd better be careful if you don't want to see what lies beneath the blindfold. He has known Rudolf for a long time and Arthur even more, yet neither the soldier nor the hunter are sure of the true nature behind that mask of naivety.

Elizabeth De Lacy: Coming from a rich and noble family, she lost everything at 17, only to regain it with her own strength and the help of a charming Ventrue who took her as her initiate. As beautiful as she is ambitious and the last of her clan in London, she juggles the government and her various thorny relationships. Haughty and snobbish, she also hides a kind side in her own way.

Luc Gossens: A politician who worked in the shadows to put his party in charge. But just when this happened, after an unfortunate accident he got back up like a Brujah. Without sire and hunted down, he was forced to hide in the circus, where he bonded closely with Philippe, Danya and Simone, becoming the guard who protected them. Even now as head of government he is ready to face anything in order to defend the family he has painstakingly built for himself. Arrogant, tough, stubborn, arrogant and sometimes overbearing, but a solid pillar to lean on in times of need.

Dandelion/Dantalion: A charming yet creepy demon, known to be talkative and a big talker. He claims to have once ruled the movements of the stars in the sky, but now takes care of teleporting Luc around a deal they made. The demon dreams of seeing a human race as powerful and determined as its bearer. Although he seems to trust Luc, he remains a mysterious and ambiguous character, whose true purpose remains to be revealed.

Gregory Kenneth Anderson: A Tremere, apparently a chatterbox and a joker; he wants to restore luster to his clan, an elder incredibly respected by all, and ardent supporter of the Camarilla. Put in London to control the group of reckless that governs it, he will become a great friend and a precious ally of Luc. His outgoing nature can easily deceive, however he too has many skeletons in the closet.

Nathan Black: Initially a Baali in the service of a powerful demon with the aim of bringing the apocalypse to the world, Nathan finds himself forced to infiltrate as a spy posing as a Brujah. During his time of infiltration, however, he can't help but develop an unstoppable affection for several members of the group, which leads him to betray his sire and the demon he was supposed to help. This act of betrayal makes him an outcast, exposing him to enormous risk within his clan, but at the same time opens him to an entirely new path that no other member of his clan has ever taken.

Ranya: A Ravnos, in league with the demon Ekron. She tricks Danya into finding and recovering the dices so she can allow the King of Hell to appear on earth and unleash the apocalypse. Apparently an ancient vampire with infernal powers who tries in every way to torment and destroy the coterie. She's going to kill Becker,leading them all into the fray.

Meinwald Willem Becker: Former Sheriff of London. A Brujah as strong as a titan but with a good heart. He rose from the darkest and most gloomy place in the vampiric world, devoted only to hatred and wickedness, returned with his own strength to find the light for himself and others. So strong and kind that he tamed Spain's most dangerous Lasombra, establishing a deep relationship with him. He was a beacon for the group and his death left incurable scars.

Devon Eskarra: A Lasombra who in his recent past was a serial killer, currently fatally linked to Elizabeth, also known as the butcher of Madrid. Has been embraced by an ancient and mysterious vampire with the sole purpose of bringing evil into the world. But even in the blackest evil can be found something good or useful, after the death of the man he loved seems willing to leave his past behind and live a quiet life. As if his personality wasn't creepy enough, he claims his sister is far worse than him.

O'Connel: A tech-savvy Noferatu, found himself in a difficult situation after his clan decided to abandon London. However, he was invited by Danya to join their coterie to help with the handling of the leak and, through an arrangement, became a valued collaborator. Although he was known for his quick temper, and always sulky, everyone had developed a special affection for him. His death has left a deep and irreplaceable void in the heart of the brotherhood.

Alastor Van Helsing: An apparent human of incredible strength and speed, achieved only by his ignorance and boorishness. The origin of his strength is not understood but a human-vampire fusion is suspected. Even the nature of his sword is shrouded in mystery, like its link with the East.

Samuel Sharabi: Sabbatical Archbishop based in Tel Aviv belonging to the Ravnos anti-tribe clan, a crazy, sardonic and lazy person, always ready to deceive others and take advantage of others. It was he who was robbed by Ranya of the dices and to a closer eye even a limb or two. It is not known how this individual rose through the Sabbatical hierarchy, and in fact some Cainites suspect that his role has simply been given to him and that someone is pulling the strings behind the curtain.

Naya the Fifth Finger: Former member of the Black Hand and belonging to the mysterious clan of the snakes of light, apathetic, emotionless and with a very violent past, he binds to Nate, with whom he establishes a very close relationship.

[gl1tchy-4rt]

I have two questions;

what Whitney, Alex n the twins, Noise siblings and Pillar Cousins dressed up as?

where's Snick in Spaghetti Family if he's canon?

OH BOI THESE TOOK A WHILE BUT IM FINALY DONE!!!!!

So as for what the kids dressed up for Halloween we have:

Buck Bumble from the N64 Classic: Buck Bumble

A Crow! (+ a crow buddy from the farms!)

Horse n' Pony!! (or maybe it's Pony n' Horse??)

The Best TV Character ever duh (And his Dad!)

She saw her Mom's Bunny costume and loved it, you know the one:

Yeah :3

"The circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant" - MewTwo

These one came from Gravity Falls, AKA: The Pb&J combo.

So Those are the kiddos!

And about Snick, well... His past company sold him and his IP.

But not everything is bad! this new company, despite being a "rookie company" it was FAR more competent and they made an amazing game:

"Snick N' The 3 Dimentions!!"

This new game did amazing! Probably the first Snick game that ever did this good! Fans were pleased and Snick became more than a "Sonic Rip-off"

But Snick never forgot his origins in the Gaming industry, henceforth, he never forgot about his first fans: like Peppino! This allows Peppino to know about the New games on the making and events!

This allows Peppino to have special access to the new SAGEs and The Meet-And-Greets, while Peppino himself is not that interested in events like this...

Is quite convenient to have this info. when your kid is Obsessed with The Snick the Porcupine saga.

Yeah Gio is the kiddo "Who's dad knows Masahiro Sakurai" except it's Snick and it's True.

So yeah that's today's post! As for my heath im much better, save for the fact im still coughing like my body want's to cough out a lung :/ it's just anoying, thankfully not painful.

See y'all next post and take care!

Buh-Bye!!!

Edit: Forgot about Cassie and Max, sorry babies :(

[attemptsonherlifepdf]

bondage and binaries: autonomy recontextualised as a narrative device in science fiction

increasingly popular in mainstream media, science fiction has deep roots in both ancient storytelling and the gothic. the genre covers an expanse of themes that remain socially relevant throughout the entirety of its career; autonomy, transgression, transformation, and corruption. these themes originate from the gothic, the heart of many modern genres. science fiction repurposes gothic themes in fantastical, dystopian and extra-terrestrial contexts and serves as both a well-received source of entertainment and a mode of social commentary. consistent through various eras of sci-fi is the theme of autonomy. much like the gothic, sci-fi stories reflect the social fears prevalent at the time of writing: the fear of a loss of autonomy has always remained an anxiety of western audiences. this fear presents itself in various contexts throughout time. for instance, western societies have dreaded losing autonomy to religious figures abusing their authority (1790s), eastern european immigrants (1890s), and the corruption of the state and technology (1990s). matthew gregory lewis’ ‘the monk’, bram stoker’s ‘dracula’ and the wachowski sisters’ ‘the matrix’ address all these, respective to their time period. bondage has it’s place as a narrative device when it comes to depictions of autonomy as many authors use restraints as a tool to create a sense of helplessness against threat, or to symbolise social or interpersonal constraints. the core difference, of course, between restrains and bondage is that bondage exists in a sexual context and provides gratification for one or both of the parties involved. another key trope of the gothic, and by extension science fiction, is the involvement of taboo, perverse or otherwise transgressive behaviours. the atypical, ‘transgressive’ nature of bdsm gives it’s use in media that relevance, fulfilling two notions of the genre at once. additionally, both styles, at least in their earlier stages, utilise what is referred to as ‘dark romanticism’. this involves taking the stylised language of romantic literature, characterised by purple prose, decadent architecture, etc, and recontextualising it in darker, more morbid settings. the contrast between this lyrical writing and the macabre, violent, alien or taboo content that it is used to describe creates an uneasy, disjointed feeling for audiences. the dynamic between language and content weaves uncanniness into the structure of both genres, which defines them and distinguishes them from other forms of storytelling. for this reason the nature of bondage is integral to the discomfort that sci-fi relies on.

to understand the significance of this writing style and how it characterises science fiction, we need to first understand the chronology of the genre and what impacted its development over time. while sci-fi as we know it today is largely influenced by the gothic, we see fantastical elements in some of the earliest works of fiction, such as the epic of gilgamesh (around 2000 bce) and the indian poem ramayana (5th-4th century bce). ramayana tells of vimana, which are mythological flying palaces or machines that have the ability to travel underwater, into outer space, and to use advanced weaponry to decimate cities. these early references to technology, often used as narrative devices, are a common theme among ancient works of literature. similar examples include the rigveda collection of sanskrit hymns from approximately 1700-1100 bce; the first book contains a depiction of ‘mechanical birds’ that are ‘jumping into space speedily with a craft using fire and water…containing twelve pillars, one wheel, three machines, three hundred pivots and sixty instruments.’ descriptions of technological inventions like this can be found both in early literature, and in later works such as mediaeval stories. it was just prior to the era known as the ‘enlightenment’, which is credited to have begun in 1685, that science fiction started to morph into the form that we see today. 16th century european works such as thomas moore’s ‘utopia’ (1516) and ‘the faust legend’ served as early prototypes of science fiction tropes. moore’s work was the basis for the utopia motif used in sci-fi, similar to how the ‘faust legend’ exemplified the emerging ‘mad scientist’ trope. when the enlightenment era began in europe, it signalled a dramatic shift in thinking, from blind religious faith to knowledge obtained by ‘means of reason and evidence of the senses.’ this was largely influenced by the separation of the church and state, and sparked a wave of speculative fiction concerning the sciences, including: jonathan swift’s ‘gulliver’s travels’ (1726), exploring alien cultures and unusual applications of science, and margaret cavendish’s ‘the description of a new world, called the blazing-world’ (1666), describing a noblewoman’s discovery of an alternate world in the arctic. however, mary shelly’s 1818 ‘frankenstein’ is widely regarded as a major turning point for modern science fiction. shelly’s gothic horror text is the moment where sci-fi and the gothic converge and began to share core elements before developing in their own separate directions again.

shelly’s use of science, and of technology beyond the scope of scientists in her time period as a conceit to drive the narrative is a hallmark of science fiction as we engage with it in the twenty-first century. she develops upon the notion of a ‘crazed scientist’, using the contrast between technology and religion as an extended rhetorical device to alienate frankenstein’s monster. brian aldiss, in ‘billion year spree’ makes the case that ‘frankenstein’ represents ‘the first seminal work to which the label [science fiction] can be logically attached.’ he goes on to argue that science fiction in general derives from the gothic horror novel. the usage of science as a narrative device is one among multiple tropes and elements that shelly imparted to sci-fi with her work. in having an ‘alien’ character fulfil the role of antagonist, shelly comments on the human condition from a new perspective. as put by kelley hurley, ‘through depicting the abhuman, the gothic reaffirms and reconstructs human identity.’ frankenstein’s monster, referred to often as ‘the creature’ is born into bondage; a popularised image from the novel, and several film adaptations, is that of the creature strapped to a board surrounded by rudimentary scientific equipment. from his first introduction to the world, he has no autonomy. these restraints strip him of humanity and reduce him to an experiment. they are not only physical and have practical use, but are symbolic over his general lack of control over the creation of his body, this perverse ‘otherness’ and the public’s decision to outcast him. frankenstein’s monster is an alien in every sense of the word, and it is the subjugation he is born under that characterises him as such. shelly’s work emerged just prior to the fin de siecle (turn of the century), where western science experienced rapid development, which in turn increased the volume of speculative fiction being produced. after ‘frankenstein’, the gothic and science fiction generally parted ways again, but sci-fi now had a host of characterising traits lended to it by shelly’s novel. the general recipe for modern science fiction is a combination of fantasy literature, gothic horror, and advances in western science, allowing us to pinpoint the fin de siecle as a catalyst for the development of the genre. as the era continued, more proto-science fiction was published; most notably was ‘journey to the centre of the earth’ (1864), by jules verne. the tale combines adventure, romance, current technology and predictions of future technology. lyon sprague de camp, an author active in the ‘golden age’ (1940/50s) of science fiction, refers to verne as ‘the world's first full-time science fiction novelist.’

understanding the outlined framework that modern science fiction operates under, we have space to explore the relationship between bondage and sci-fi in detail. in ‘aesthetic violence and women in film’, joseph h kupfer describes violence as having three framings: ‘symbolic, structural and as a narrative essential.’ as previously discussed, violence is an integral factor in the structure of science fiction, starkly contrasting the writing style to create unease. as a narrative device, restraints are often used in conjunction with rising conflict, to create adversity for characters that drives the plot onwards; this is how it functions as a ‘narrative essential.’ the final facet of the relevance of violence is symbolic. typically, women, queer men and ethnic minorities in fiction experience violence on a symbolic level; their identities are seen as purely political, and thus they face adversity against an themselves as an idea rather than as individual people. both the gothic and science fiction rely on the use of the ‘Other’, usually referring to uncanny or supernatural creatures, and often minority characters are ‘Othered’ to code them as a threat to audiences. in this instance, physical restraints are often representative of social, interpersonal or systemic barriers against a character, and by extension, against the minority that they belong to. to exemplify this, we can turn once again to shelly’s ‘frankenstein.’ while frankenstein’s monster is not immediately recognisable as a minority, lennard j davis has insisted the ‘creature’ is disabled or at least treated as such: ‘hideous appearance...inarticulate, some- what mentally slow, and walks with a kind of physical impairment.’ this interpretation of the character leans more towards the social model of disability, rather than defining disability as an impairment of the body or mind, making his argument somewhat controversial. frankenstein’s monster is not functionally hindered, but he is characterised by his disfigurement and unconventional appearance, which davis refers to as ‘a disruption in the visual, auditory, or perceptual field as it relates to the power of the gaze.’ his estrangement from society reinforces his animosity towards people; bound by the physical limitations of his disability, he develops into a ‘monstrosity’ as a result of his ableist environment. this reading sees ableism through the lens of bondage, as a social restraint or barrier that alienates the creature. he is born into physical restraints, strapped to an operating table, and is followed by metaphysical constraints that bar him from social function and acceptance. in his initial creation, what defines our understanding of the use of bondage is the power dynamic; victor is the dominant authority, controlling the movements of the creature, while the creature himself is subordinate to him, with no birthright to autonomy. his inability to control what victor inflicts upon him is illustrated by his restraints, and becomes an extended metaphor for his alienation and lack of autonomy throughout the novel. shelly’s work serves as a commentary, intentional or not, on the estrangement and ‘othering’ of disabled peoples and the impacts this has on their wellbeing and understanding of themselves. additionally, the novel functions almost as a warning tale surrounding the concept of abusing the development of science, and ‘playing god’ as victor does.

adjacent to science fiction is the genre of magical realism. it utilises the fantasy aspects of sci-fi and combines them with a realistic worldview to blur the lines between magic and reality. angela carter’s ‘the erl king’ (1979) is a prime example of using fantasy to illustrate social and systemic bondage in similar ways to sci-fi. carter uses imagery of caged birds to create a visceral picture of female entrapment. interestingly, the metaphor of caged birds can be likened to that of emerging feminism. in mary wollenstonecraft’s ‘a vindication of the rights of women’(1792), she argues that women of the eighteenth century were ‘confined in their cages like the feathered race.’ similarly, carter refers to ‘larks stacked in their pretty cages you’ve lured.’ rather than reinforce the idea that femininity is inherently trapping, carter uses this concept to create an almost tangible illustration of the narrator breaking the cycle of this ingrained imagery. in freeing the erl king’s victims and usupring his position of sexual power, the narrator subverts traditional tropes of female submission and prevents violence against women rather than indulging in it. this is evidence of carter’s signature feminist twist: she writes from the perspective of second-wave feminism. the use of ‘caged bird’ imagery as an allegory for violent and sexist systems is reminiscent of the usage of restraints in science fiction and indicates its relevance across similar genres. sexism and female entrapment are forms of social bondage in ‘the erl king’ the same way ableism is in frankenstein. genre differences aside, carter’s work is an example of how bondage as a narrative device has developed throughout literature. while in more traditional texts, it is used to trap and villainise ‘Othered’ characters, or to demonstrate an antagonist is a threat to audiences autonomy, more modern texts take the approach of reclamation. not only does carter subvert the roles of bondage to allow minorities to shift the power dynamic, she holds up a mirror to society and allows them to witness the abuse of power that she is dismantling. this subverted approach to bondage as a narrative device began to emerge in western literature in the 1970s. second wave feminism and the beginning of what is known as the ‘post civil rights movement’ era in the united states shifted the dynamics of western society in a way that we see reflected in media. as more legislation was put into place in both the united states and united kingdom to protect the rights of more marginalised groups, media produced at the time began to reflect these sentiments. while this does not apply to all movies and literature, many authors began depicting the state as the topic of fear, rather than villainising minorities.

a core example of dystopian fiction that comes to mind is margaret atwood’s ‘the handmaid’s tale’ (1985). themes of subjugation, autonomy and reproductive rights run through the novel. atwood stated that the novel is speculative fiction, rather than science fiction, as she ‘didn't put in anything that we haven't already done, we're not already doing, we're seriously trying to do, coupled with trends that are already in progress... so all of those things are real, and therefore the amount of pure invention is close to nil.’ while this distinction has massive significance in terms of the social commentary atwood is offering, her work still operates, in part, under the writing structure of science fiction. the year of the book’s release, reviewers commented on ‘the distinctively modern sense of [a] nightmare come true, the initial paralyzed powerlessness of the victim unable to act.’ atwood depicts the social bondage enforced upon women by the theonomic, totalitarian state by building an environment full of physical limitations; women are treated as commodities and are stripped of the right to chose clothing, sexual partners, pregnancy, and so on. these are all forced upon them in very particular ways, to the sexual benefit of both men domestically and men in authority. ‘the handmaid’s tale’ combines two core aspects when it comes to control. the fear of religious figures abusing their authority, which has deep roots in both traditional gothic literature and true historical events, and the fear of a surveillance state, often utilised in modern science fiction.

the 2017 television adaptation of ‘the handmaid’s tale’ uses forms of physical bondage as a clear symbol of control: red or leather ‘masks’ are worn by handmaidens as ritualistic punishment for ‘disobedience’ or ‘independent thought’, covering their mouths, and handmaidens are often forced to wear veils. this use of bondage is multi-dimensional; it prevents women from seeing and being seen, from speaking and being heard. it removes the humanity of the individual and solidifies their objectification.

similarly, a well-loved trilogy in modern sci-fi, the wachowski sisters’ ‘the matrix’ (1999) truly leans into socially relevant anxieties surrounding the corruption of the state. the movie itself was  ‘born out of anger at capitalism and the corporate structure and forms of oppression’, according to lilly wachowski. the film’s core message is one of reclamation and rebellion against a controlling state; aside from the anti-capitalist rhetoric driving the plot, many of the constraints shown represent social barriers preventing the population from experiencing reality or affirming their own identities. twenty three years from it’s release, ‘the matrix’ is more widely understood now as an allegory for the sisters’ experiences as transgender women in an unaccepting society. there are various uses of bondage and unbalanced power dynamics built into the plot, largely where the ‘agents’ of the state hold authority and dominance whereas the ‘rebels’ and general population are the subordinates being controlled. an example of this is a scene where the protagonist, neo, refuses to cooperate with these agents. in retaliation, they fuse his lips together, removing his ability to speak for himself and creating a terrifying, mangled version of his original face. neo is then pinned down as a ‘tracking bug’, shown to be a robotic centipede, is implanted in his torso. the agents, the dominant force, take his display of autonomy as a threat, and immediately respond with physical restraints in an effort to control it, or at the very least discourage it with scare tactics. this sentiment is echoed in other media, such as the aforementioned masks in ‘the handmaid’s tale.’ forms of gags are often utilised as the ability to speak opinions, call for help, express oneself holds an incredible volume of inherent social value, and having that ability supressed or blocked creates a far more tangible image of the loss of autonomy that resonates strongly with audiences.

a popular image from ‘the matrix’ comes from the infamous ‘red or blue pill’ scene, where neo is exposed to the physical system used to keep the population in a simulated reality while their ‘bioelectric power’ is harvested by machines. gasping for air in a pod filled with liquid not dissimilar to that of the womb, neo is shown to be one of millions of humans being held in pods and kept alive via medical tubes. this is a particularly visceral method of depicting the world’s population as enslaved; humans are stripped of the ability to experience the ‘real world’ and are not even able or permitted to breathe on their own. the way humans are tied into their ‘pods’ that feed their consciousness into the matrix is an example of sci-fi utilising forms of restraint to represent vulnerability and abuse of power. while this is not, by definition, bondage as it does not include sexual arousal it does exemplify why restraints are a vital narrative device. in the context of the wachowski sister’s film, the constrains represent systemic barriers preventing the population from experiencing reality and affirming their own identities. even in instances like this where restraints are used against a protagonist who does not find pleasure in the experience, the perpetrator, such as the agents in the matrix, tend to react with pleasure and almost delight at having someone captive, and the arousal is on their end of the experience as the dominant figure in this interaction. modern sci-fi often has plots rooted in a protagonist or group of protagonists’ journey to dismantle corrupt systems, systems which are reflected as binding or restricting population’s bodies, choices and autonomy. the agents of these systems take pleasure in enacting this restriction as it is a method of maintaining their power and control. consequently, protagonists reclaiming control serves as a natural way for the tables to turn on oppressors and for the narrative to reach its’ hope-filled conclusion.

the aesthetics of bdsm have their place in modern science fiction, but specifically in the matrix. western gothic and alternative fashion appear to be culturally associated with bdsm accessories, namely chokers, harnesses, garters, and so on. kym barrett, the costume designer for the matrix, has stated ‘[the costumes are] reflecting back more obviously to what’s really going on in the world, so maybe subconsciously people are connecting to it.’ the cast sports ensembles comprised of latex, leather, harnesses and accessories; while their clothes must serve a practical purpose and be appropriate attire for action, this also comes across as a co-opting of bondage gear as an act of reclaimation. barrett goes on to explain, ‘when they go into the matrix, they create their persona, which is how they see themselves.’ the depth of these characters centres around their reactions to their oppression, and co-opting symbols of this oppression helps to reinforce their fight against it.

other iconic fashion uses of bondage such as vivienne westwood’s alternative lines of clothing follow a similar vein, described as ‘clothing and imagery that appear dirty, ripped, scarred, shocking, spectacular, cruel, traumatised, sick, or alienating.’ this description matches western societal perspectives on bdsm, specifically the practice of bondage. uses of bondage in the mainstream are often a tool in shock fashion, largely influenced by both the gothic and by punk. punk subculture in particular is built upon shock culture, and utilises bondage alongside the themes of anarchy and anti-capitalism to promote a deeply political message. again, bondage gear and physical restraints are co-opted to form an anti-establishment narrative that jeers in the face of social restraints. despite music and fashion not being the same as literature, we can still see bondage being used as a narrative device. westwood’s sado-masochistic inspired clothing saw the addition of a punk line, named seditionaries, in 1976 after the designer met with the sex pistols. as previously discussed, what defines the gothic genre is the uncanny relationship dynamic between two binaries: romantic language and horror content. this translates to the worlds of both fashion and music, where gothic or alternative content relies on the uneasy contrast between the glamour of fashion or the melodic sound of a song and the shocking, counter-culturalist ‘traumatised’ method of presentation, be it the bdsm influence in the design of a garment or the macabre lyrics. this places bondage at the forefront of alternative media and reinforces its’ relevance as a narrative device.

the history of science fiction narratives is peppered with taboos, bent social conventions and abuses of power. the genre’s framework is inherently a development of gothic framework, recontextualised in a fantasy setting. we rely upon science fiction as a means of coping with capitalism; it is therapeutic to see an unlikely hero burst into the office of a space warlord, a corrupt government, a rogue machine, and blow the fucking place up. in order to experience this catharsis, we have to be able to visualise the constraints that they are dismantling, and to see the perverse nature of them in the first place. bondage traps the core sentiment of a narrative in manacles and allows it to violently break free and confront audiences head-on. it asks the audience, do you feel restrained? do the systems restraining you take pleasure in holding you in place? do you see how unjust it is to be controlled? and as our protagonist triggers an exodus of people ripping off the duct tape, loosening the rope, and unlocking the manacles, our narrative device turns to the audience again and asks, do you see how just it is to be free?

i.k.b

[reedchristine]

Colin sat next to Penelope as they listened to Anthony’s story about boggarts and Benedict’s about not finding his lady in silver. Colin knew he probably had the best scary story to tell with his travels around the continent. He ran through what stories he was told by locals and which ones were scary but not scary enough because of Gregory and Hyacinth being present. He decided on a story he heard once during his travels through Paris about The Opéra Comique and the mysterious Phantom of the Opera.

Looking at his siblings, Colin sat up straighter and launched into his story.

“It’s been said by the locals of Paris that when they walk past The Opéra Comique, they can hear the sounds of an organ playing only when the opera house is closed. They say a phantom resides in The Opéra Comique and is quite a genius. Writing masterpiece after masterpiece. The only rules are to keep box ten empty and to always leave its monthly payment behind the second pillar on the fourth-floor balcony.”

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2024

october 5_october 18

VENERABLE FATHERS AND MOTHERS OF THE KLARJETI WILDERNESS ( 9th.c.)

For centuries the region of Tao-Klarjeti in southwestern Georgia was known for its holiness, unity and spiritual strength. The cultural life and faith of Kartli were nearly extinguished by the Arab-Muslim domination from the 8th to 10th centuries. Tao-Klarjeti, however, which had been emptied by a cholera epidemic and the aftermath of the Islamic invasions, filled with new churches and monasteries, becoming a destination for many Christian ascetics. St. Ekvtime Taqaishvili wrote that “Every monastery included a school and a seminary where the Christian Faith, philosophy, Greek and other foreign languages, chant, calligraphy, fine arts, jewelry making, and other disciplines were taught. Countless priests, translators, miniaturists, and jewelry makers developed their craft in these schools.” The prayers of the Tao-Klarjeti monastics multiplied and were lifted up to the heavens like holy incense. Hagiographical works were written, original hymns composed, and theological texts translated.

he literature of this period was thoroughly infused with the spirit of the Georgian people. Tao-Klarjeti reinvigorated the soul of the Georgian people and redirected the lost back to the true path.       St. Gregory of Khandzta, a priest of great virtue and wisdom, spearheaded this spiritual revival. He was a good shepherd to his flock and the builder of many churches. The Lives of St. Gregory of Khandzta and the other holy fathers and mothers of Tao-Klarjeti are recounted in St. George Merchule’s work The Life of St. Gregory of Khandzta. George Merchule labored in the Khandzta wilderness in the 10th century. His epithet, “Merchule,” means “the theologian” or literally “the knower of the law.”

George Merchule also gave the Church the Life of Holy Catholicos Nerse III, an Armenian of descent. Nerse confessed to the Orthodox Faith and labored in Tao-Klarjeti with the Georgian fathers. (At that time, many Orthodox Armenians fled to Tao-Klarjeti after being exiled from their homeland.) In the first half of the 7th century, St. Nerse laid the foundations of Ishkhani Church and labored there in holiness.

Holy Catholicos Hilarion was the founder and abbot of Tsqarostavi Church and a disciple of Gregory of Khandzta. He arrived at Khandzta Monastery with his spiritual father, St. David, Abbot of Midznadzori Monastery, and St. Zachariah, the builder of Beretelta Church. Those who witnessed the fathers’ unity and piety abandoned the world to join them in offering their lives to God. In the middle of the 9th century St. Hilarion was enthroned as Catholicos of Kartli in recognition of his wisdom and holiness. He followed Gabriel II (ca. 830–850) and was succeeded by Arsenius I “the Great” (ca. 860–887) in this most honorable role.

 St. Stephen of Tbeti was the first bishop of Tbeti. He was a major writer and hagiographer in the Church of his time and a brilliant figure of the Tao-Klarjeti literary school. St. Stephen is credited with authoring the narrative The Martyrdom of St. Gobron.       From his childhood, St. Zachariah of Anchi was filled with love and fear of God. Strict in his discipline but free from every constraint of this world, he led the life of a shepherd like St.David the Psalmist. As a child, St. Zachariah would gather his friends and precisely relate the words and scenes he had witnessed in churches and monasteries. Once, the bishop of Anchi observed this unusual pastime and reported seeing a pillar of light descend from the heavens and alight atop St.Zachariah’s head.

 When he reached a mature age, St. Zachariah became the spiritual leader of his brothers. Through his prayers many miracles were performed: he stopped the stone wall of a collapsing building from crashing to the ground, eliminated the troublesome birds and grasshoppers from the monastery’s vineyard, and killed two venomous snakes that were keeping his frightened brothers from the vineyard. Filled with good faith and virtue, St. Zachariah was later consecrated bishop of Anchi.

 St. Macarius of Anchi served as bishop of Anchi following the repose of St. Gregory of Khandzta in 861.

St. Ezra of Anchi, of the noble Dapanchuli family, labored in holiness during the 10th century.

St. Sava of Ishkhani was a cousin and one of the closest companions of St.Gregory of Khandzta. Along with two other friends, Christopher and Theodore, the young Sava accompanied Gregory of Khandzta to Klarjeti on a quest for the ascetic life. At first, the young monks settled at Opiza Monastery and labored there with great zeal, and afterward, they moved to Khandzta.       Once, St. Sava made a pilgrimage with St. Gregory to Byzantium, where he learned the typica of the local monasteries. On the way back to Tao-Klarjeti, God revealed to them His will for Sava to restore Ishkhani Church, which had been destroyed by Arab-Muslim invaders. St. Sava desired to begin this holy task immediately, but he continued on the way with St. Gregory at the latter’s insistence. Later, Gregory assigned two monks to help Sava restore the church and sent the three of them to Ishkhani. By God’s grace, the brothers restored the church and monastery and the number of monks who labored there multiplied. Before long their abbot, St. Sava, was consecrated bishop of Ishkhani.

 St. John the New Martyr for Christ labored at Khandzta Monastery. While he was journeying to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, the Saracens captured him in Baghdad and attempted to torture him into a denial of the Christian Faith. But by shedding his blood St. John demonstrated his immutable fidelity to the Faith of our Savior.

 St. Theodore, Founder of Nedzvi Monastery, and St. Christopher, Founder of the Dviri Monastery of St. Cyricus, were spiritual sons of St. Gregory of Khandzta and the first men to join him in his holy labors. With St. Gregory they labored first at Opiza and later at Khandzta Monastery. These holy fathers journeyed to Abkhazeti to increase the fullness of the Faith in that region, and on their way, in Samtskhe, an aristocrat named Mirian entrusted them with the care and upbringing of his son, the six-year-old Arsenius (later Holy Catholicos Arsenius the Great).

Eventually St. Gregory of Khandzta desired the return of Theodore and Christopher, and he traveled to Abkhazeti to find them. St. Gregory took with him his young disciple Ephraim (later the bishop and wonderworker of Atsquri). When he met the brothers in Abkhazeti, St. Gregory entrusted them with Ephraim’s upbringing and made them vow not to leave Khandzta Monastery until Ephraim and Arsenius had matured.

 When Ephraim and Arsenius reached manhood, they were “perfected in wisdom,” and Theodore and Christopher left Khandzta to establish the Nedzvi and Dviri Monasteries. There, each father labored until the day of his repose.

Holy Fathers George, Amona, Peter, and Macarius labored in the wilderness of Opiza. Abba George was abbot of Opiza’s St. John the Baptist Monastery during the two years St. Gregory of Khandzta and his companions labored there. Fr. George was the third abbot of the monastery (he was succeeded by St. Andria and St. Samuel).  Through God’s grace Abba George recognized the pilgrims’ faith and received them, not as pupils, but as honorable and wise elders. Witnessing the ascetic feats of the venerable fathers of Opiza, St. Gregory increased in virtue and humility, and acquired inner peace. (History has preserved a Holy Gospel from the Opiza Wilderness that has been dated to the year 913, around the time that Abba George was laboring there.)

In the second part of the 9th century, St. Serapion of Zarzma founded Zarzma Monastery in Samtskhe. St. Serapion’s nephew, St. Basil, later performed great ascetic feats and worked miracles at that monastery. St. Basil authored The Life of Serapion of Zarzma and recounted the lives of the other venerable fathers of Zarzma as well.

 St. George, “a brilliant and kindhearted man of great virtue,” succeeded St. Serapion as abbot of Zarzma Monastery. After St. George, the Venerable Abbot Michael began building a second church in Zarzma in fulfillment of St. Serapion’s prophecy. St. Paul, who followed Michael as abbot of the monastery, completed the construction of this second church.

 The holy and righteous St. Khvedios labored as a hermit in the caves of the Khandzta Wilderness. God revealed to him the news of St. Gregory’s arrival, and he received Gregory and his brothers with great joy. He blessed them, while receiving a blessing himself from St. Gregory of Khandzta. Then, rather than journeying on with St. Gregory and the other brothers, St. Khvedios retired to his secluded cave, since he had taken a vow before God to live his whole life in solitude. After the holy father reposed, his dwelling place filled with a sweet fragrance.

 St. Epiphanius was a wonderworker and a spiritual son of St. Gregory of Khandzta. This venerable father was truly clad in the armor of righteousness, and he was an inspiration to many. According to St. Gregory’s instructions, he became an example of obedience for the other brothers of the monastery. St. Epiphanius’s prayers healed many who were afflicted by terminal illnesses.       St. Matthew labored in the Khandzta Wilderness. After the abbess of Mere Monastery reposed, he took upon himself leadership of the women’s monastery and for forty years set an example of life lived in the fullness of the Faith. He was so strict in his asceticism that, for those forty years, he never once shared a meal with the mothers, nor did he receive a single object from any of their hands. When St. Matthew reached an advanced age, he became diseased in the flesh, but he declined the nuns’ offers to care for him. Instead he asked his relative, also a monk, to attend to him in his time of need.

      St. Zenon was born in Samtskhe to a family of aristocrats. He was raised in fear of God, and he desired to enter monastic life from his youth. Before this desire was fulfilled, however, his sister was kidnapped by a certain godless man. Zenon set off to pursue the abductor on horseback, but while he was riding, the devil began to assault him with anxieties. “I am a respectable man,” he thought, “but the one whom I am following is dishonorable. If I catch and kill him, I will destroy my soul, but if I turn back, shame will come upon me.”  And so, at that very moment, St. Zenon turned back to fulfill his lifelong desire. He was tonsured a monk and later became a disciple of St. Gregory of Khandzta  St. Zenon, the “Treasure of Virtue, Holy Model of Asceticism and Gate of the Klarjeti Wilderness,” reposed at an advanced age.

St. John, Abbot of Khandzta, is celebrated for having completed the construction of the new church at Khandzta, which his predecessor, St. Arsenius, had begun. Both holy fathers reposed in the Khandzta Wilderness.

 St. Theodore the Abbot and his brother St. John both labored at Khandzta Monastery. St. George Merchule recognizes the brothers as co-authors of The Life of St. Gregory of Khandzta; however, historians believe they were contributors rather than coauthors.

 The monk St. Gabriel ministered to the infirm and elderly monks of Khandzta Monastery. St. Gabriel verbally recounted the Lives of the great Church Fathers and admonished his brothers to follow the same strict disciplines as the fathers who had gone before them.

St. Demetrius was raised by the blessed St. Febronia and later became one of St. Gregory of Khandzta’s first disciples. He is commemorated among the holy fathers for having attained the heights of the monastic struggle and for working wonders, both in this life and after he had been received into Abraham's bosom.

SS. Arsenius and Macarius, “good monks full of wisdom and the gift of wonder-working,” were relatives of St. Ephraim of Atsquri. They labored together at St. Sabbas Monastery in Jerusalem and regularly corresponded with the Khandzta monks. Sts. Arsenius and Macarius deeply loved Christ and longed to serve their motherland and mother Church.

 St. Shio the Wonderworker “shone upon the land of Kartli like the North Star in the morning sky.” According to Basil of Zarzma, St. Shio was the spiritual father of St. Michael of Parekhi.       SS. Basil and Markelus, “abounding and brilliant in virtue,” were disciples of St. Michael of Parekhi. St. Basil was buried in Parekhi next to his spiritual father. Both fathers worked miracles from their graves and healed the infirmities of the faithful who came to seek their blessings.

Venerable Father David, “an image of the angels” and builder of many monasteries, labored as abbot of Midznadzori Monastery. He was the spiritual father of the holy catholicos Hilarion.

Endowed with many gifts of grace, St. Jacob was a prominent figure in the tenth-century Georgian Church. He labored first in Shatberdi, and later near Midznadzori Gorge, where he shone forth as the brightest of stars.

Venerable Sophronius the Great was the restorer of the Shatberdi Church and a famous writer, but his literary works have not been preserved.

St. George Merchule counts him among the wise and holy fathers whose stories are worthy of telling. St. Gregory of Shatberdi labored at the same monastery. Several tenth-century manuscripts he copied at Shatberdi Monastery have been preserved, including the Notebooks of the Shatberdi Wilderness and the Gospels of Hadishi, Jruchi, and Parekhi.

 St. Zachariah built the famous Beretelta Monastery, setting an example of wisdom and holiness for the fathers who labored there after him.

 St. Febronia labored at Mere Monastery in Samtskhe. She was a close friend of St. Gregory of Khandzta. He sent to her a certain woman whom King Ashot Kuropalates (later the holy martyr) had taken as his mistress to instruct her in the Christian Faith. St. Febronia denied the king’s pleas to return the woman to the royal palace.  Angels often visited St. Febronia to inform her of God’s holy will. St. Temestia labored with St. Febronia at Mere Monastery. She ministered to St. Matthew, the monastery's spiritual father for forty years. St. Temestia remarked that her relationship with Father Matthew was so chaste and innocent that the holy father would not even permit himself to receive the holy incense directly from her hands.

St. Anatole (also called Antonios) labored in seclusion at Mere Monastery. Angels often appeared to the holy mother, who herself led a life equal to that of the bodiless powers. Angels informed both venerable Temestia and Anatole of the repose of their abbot, St.Matthew.

St. Anastasia labored among the holy mothers in remarkable sanctity and humility. She descended from an Abkhaz family and was known in the world as Bevreli. As a queen (the wife of King Adarnerse), she was often called upon to protect the interests of Mere Monastery. King Adarnerse later grew cold towards Bevreli, so she left the world and was tonsured a nun named Anastasia. St. Anastasia bore the most difficult labor at the monastery: she gathered firewood and carried it from the forest. She wore only rags and prayed constantly.  Once, King Adarnerse fell ill and sent messengers to Persati Monastery, where Anastasia was laboring, asking forgiveness on his behalf. St. Anastasia prayed for the sick king: “May Christ forgive all his sins and heal him in soul and body.” King Adarnerse was soon healed of his infirmity.  Abounding in holiness and humility, St. Anastasia labored at Persati Monastery to the end of her earthly life. God granted her the gift of wonder-working both during her life on earth and after her repose.

 St. Anastasia’s own sons, Gurgen and Sumbat, were cured of their diseases at her grave, and afterwards many more who came with faith received healing from the holy mother.

 The historical region of Tao-Klarjeti has been inhabited by ethnic Georgians throughout history and even up to the present day. However, since 1921, when the Communists annulled the independence of the Georgian Republic, Tao-Klarjeti has been a Turkish possession. God endowed this region with abundant sunshine and clear air, free from cruel heat and bitter frost. The local climate heightens the beauty of this wondrous region.But Tao-Klarjeti has been transformed into a battlefield countless times throughout history: it has witnessed victory and defeat, destruction and restoration, treason and selfless loyalty. It has remained an inseparable part of the unified Georgian nation through all these trials. Even though, today, Tao-Klarjeti is located within the borders of a foreign government and its Georgian dioceses are often referred to as belonging to the Armenian Church, the historical truth must be upheld.

On October 17, 2002, the Georgian Apostolic Church nominally restored the dioceses of Klarjeti and Lazeti to its own jurisdiction and declared the incumbent bishop of Akhaltsikhe to be their spiritual leader. On the same day, the Georgian Church canonized the holy and venerable fathers and mothers who labored in those regions under the leadership of St. Gregory of Khandzta. Only a few of the God-fearing laborers, among them Holy Catholicos Nerse II, were Armenian by descent. Still, they had converted to Orthodoxy and preached the true Faith in the wilderness with the Georgian fathers.

© 2006 St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood.

Ephesians 4:17-25

17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.

Matthew 5:14-19

14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.,15, Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.,16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 17 Do not think I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or title will not pass from the law until all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

[jazzreloaded]

Play On! By Talawa Theatre @Belgrade Theatre 26 / 09/ 24

Review by Vidal Montgomery

The press night performance of Play On! - A Broadway Blues with a twist on "Twelfth Night" - was not undersold in terms of bums on seats ( because it was a full house, and based on this showing it deserves a full house everywhere it goes!), but in terms of spectacle; because for the near-three hours running time, it was thoroughly engaging, spectacularly entertaining and, despite dealing with some serious subject matters ( such as how a misogynistic Harlem resists change, made all the more relevant with the recent revelations around Music Moghul Sean Comb's recent indictment), it was joyful for the audience from start to end, evidenced by the raucous laughter, gasps and applause throughout.

The title "Play On!" may also refer to the four year development process to get a work of this magnitude and depth and craft and intimacy and nuance in front of a live audience; it is no mean feat that this splendid work of Ellingtonian excellence by Liam Godwin and Benjamin Burell is finally in front of an audience, and with a truly magnificent cast from top to bottom:

Although the dramaturgy obviously has its focal characters, the dancers / understudies / supporting cast acquit themselves equally well, and the audience is gifted with over a dozen amazing voices ( of which Lifford Shillingford was my personal favourite ), who perform comparably, shouldering the responsibility of energetic dance, tense drama and soulful song, and carrying the narrative along. This for me is the most captivating thing about this show. Tanya Edwards as Miss Mary and Llewellyn Jamal as Jester deliver stylish and soulful performances late on into the second act just I thought the show had probably reached its peak - boy was I wrong!

The core story of Play On! revolves around the day Duke Ellington loses his muse, and the lengths- and distance! - one lucky lady will go to to help him get it back; Earl Gregory, Koko Alexandra, Tsemaye Bob Egbe, and Cameron Bernard Jones play the four pillars of the love quadrangle that is "The Duke", his old flame ( lady Liv ) , his new muse ( Viola "Vyman" ) and Rev, the manager of the Cotton Club clutching at straws and clasping his hands in his hopes of keeping the four together as exemplars of Ellingtonian Excellence - and also keeping the show on the road...

Sadly the live band - directed by the unassuming Ashton Moore and delightfully driven by the delicate drumming of Empirical's own Shane Forbes - are not featured as characters in their own right - I am sure that later productions in the three month run will attend to this oversight.

Despite this, the mix of moods and blues and beats and grooves from the bandstand become the main character, and for me ( as a musician! ) this is the star of the show: Ellingtonian Classics like Mood Indigo, I got it Bad, It Don't mean a thing, Black Butterfly Rocks In My Bed and In a Mellow Tone are turned inside out and taken back from the trash heap of Abersold Appropriation,and are played in a way that suits the strengths of individual artists, and balances temperaments of their characters as a whole as they play moves towards reaches its climactic reveal; at this moment the only other disappointment was that the band was not as big as, say, the English Touring Opera's for the recent run of "The Rakes Progress" : With this amount of dramatic tension in the stage, and with the audience in the palm of the band's hands the Ellington Big band, really needs to be a BIG band.

As it was, on the night Kaz Hamilton and Alexander Polack acquited themselves very well, making a myriad of moods that were both historically authentic and stylistically de jour. And the commitment to shared seat of Chris Hyde / Josh Vadivello on Double bass ( NO electric big band era please! ) brings gravitas authenticity and sensuality to the greatest american songbook in a way that only a Double Bass can. This show is all about that bass!

Having recently sat through the often turgid and salacious KAOS, a reworking of the mythology of Orpheus and Euridice, ( which was not a patch on Marcel Camus Seminal 1950's classic ) and also attended the afforementioned reworking of Igor Stravinsky's "Rake's Progress" ( often not my sense of humour, albeit markedly less turgid and salacious than Charlie Covell's Netflix Production ) I was far from convinced that , per se, " A reworking of Twelfth Night " was going to as vivacious, contemporary , and nourishing to the soul as it turned out to be. But on this occasion I was rewarded for my bravery ( And by "bravery" I mean only braving the inclement British weather ) , and I will forever regard Play On! as somewhat of a late birthday present - ( or maybe early Christmas gift? )

Ironically, whilst sipping free Prosecco and listening to a(nother) jazz function band in the reception area after the show , I had the good fortune to speak with one the trustees of the Talawa Theatre and we discussed how important it may be to not label Play On! as ( simply ) a "jazz show", because of how many people may miss out on an amazing contemporary socially and culturally relevant human experience, simply because they do not know or have not yet been sold the depth and breadth of the jazz canon.

But Play On! is "Jazz Hands" in safe hands. And I can say with confidence that Talawa Theatre have a winner on their hands; it is Black Joy. And "Black Joy" may turn out to be a better euphemism for the vibrancy we expect "Jazz" to bring to us. Congratulations on the fully immersive experience that Director Michael Buffong brought to the Belgrade Theatre tonight.

PS: As with many theatre shows, the stupidly difficult train schedule doesn't really support the 2+ hour format, but I can only say that on this occasion it was worth missing our last train to catch the "A Train" one more time...

Talawa’s Black Joy season presents:

Play On!

A new Jazz musical

Based on Shakespeare’s

“Twelfth Night”

Conceived by Sheldon Epps

Book by Cheryl L.West

Music by Duke Ellington

Produced by Talawa Theatre Company and The Belgrade Theatre

Co-produced with Birmingham Hippodrome, Bristol Old Vic, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Wiltshire Creative

Artwork by Feast Creative

For the full programme, click or scan the image below:

[alinalioness]

Security Breach Chapter 20: An underground battle.

Meanwhile, with Freddy.

In the first person, he opens one eye and feels that the other is missing. But he worries that he is somewhere else in a dark place.

Freddy: W... where am I? (He felt that he couldn't move) Why can't I move?

Bonnie: Freddy... that's you?

Freddy:(Noticed him) Bonnie? (Bonnie turned to him, but without a face) Bonnie! What happened to you?

Bonnie: I was about to tell our friends when I entered the kitchen I was attacked by bots and I can't see anything.

In Bonnie's memories.

Bonnie walked into the kitchen until a bot grabbed his arm and tore him off, forcing him to fall. Later, others appeared and began attacking him.

In the present tense.

Freddy heard someone's creaky female voice and as soon as he turned around, he saw Chica with her head stretched out and her hand missing.

Freddy:(Worried) Chica, were you attacked too?

Chica: Yes...

In Chica's memories.

Chica was on the golf course until she was removed with a stick and the bots attacked her.

In the present tense.

Chica: I was trying to defend myself...

Freddy: Where's Foxy?

Foxy: Here... (Everyone looked at him) the same story... If it wasn't for you fighting over our past and lies...

In Foxy's memories.

Foxy was standing on the road to Roxy Racing until he was hit by a racing car.

In the present tense.

Freddy looked at his friends with shame and guilt. Because he couldn't immediately admit to his friends about their past.

Freddy: I'm sorry if you want to... It's all my fault that I couldn't tell our friends right away. He even shouted at Alina like William, who turns out to be alive...

Bonnie: We all make mistakes, Freddy. We should have said it ourselves right away when he forbade it.

Freddy: Fredbear didn't even forgive me for that, if he was alive.

Suddenly, an explosion was heard on top and people fell.

Chica: What is this?

Meanwhile, with others.

Everyone was lying in the underground security room and sat down after discovering it.

SpongeBob: Where are we?

Alina: To the place where William is there.

In another room, BurnTrap himself was coming out of the capsule. Looking at the TV, she viciously laid her hand and tries to control the animatronics.

Glam-rock Freddy: William is going to control us!

Gregory immediately saw the button with the TV, pressed it and a fire appeared in the room where William was, which has now gone out.

Meanwhile, with FNAF 1.

Four animatronic angels, who are now tied to a pillar, noticed the fire in a short distance.

Bonnie: A fire? We are dead Even though we are animatronics!

Freddy: We should have untied it immediately.

Meanwhile, with others.

Alina: Guys, keep an eye on William upstairs. And I, along with the Puppet who is now in a toy bear, will take his soul.

Toy Bonnie: And who is he?

Lula: This is the one who revived you after William killed you.

Glam-rock Freddy: William... father...

In Glam-rock Freddy's memories.

Before his death, he was Michael himself, who was now standing and looking at his younger brother in the mouth of Fredbear's. Suddenly, the paste crushed the younger's head, which made Michael feel ashamed. At the hospital, when the doctor told William that it was useless to save him, his father angrily approached him.

William:(Angry) You killed your brother (Punched Michael in the face).

Later, when he was at the Baby Circus to free his sister Elizabeth, he entered the room where there was a bucket, which he killed in the stomach. And it was the work of Funtime of his future friends, who turned out to have killed him. And when he ended up in Glam-rock Freddy because of a Puppet, he decided to end his meeting with William.

In the present tense.

Glam-rock Freddy looked at his hands and then at his friends. Alina and the Teddy bear Puppet entered William's room.

Luigi: The bots are here (Glam-rock Freddy looked up)!

Meanwhile, with DJ's group.

They stood and noticed that the pizzeria was almost destroyed and the lights were on.

Balan: We need to find friends immediately and help them. You can't drag it out for long.

DJ: There is.

The DJ carefully checks if there are any heroes here. Until Emma heard a familiar scream.

Emma: There's someone shouting.

Meanwhile, with Griffona.

Griffona became very strong until she heard Freddy's alarm cry.

Freddy: Help us!

Griffona: Freddy.

She went through the avalanches and noticed animatronics who were trying to get out, and the lights are getting bigger because their friends do not know what they are pressing the buttons.

Freddy: Help!

Bonnie: Help us!

Chica: Can anyone hear!

Griffona immediately became Negabosses and put out the lights with tears. She used her tail to free the broken animatronics and put them on top of her.

Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy: Griffona.

Griffona: Calmly. And now we are going to our friends via wires from where and the fire.

Meanwhile, with Alina and Puppet.

They immediately found William, who was about to go to another room. The puppet immediately got out of the toy and starts sucking his soul. He immediately noticed the two of them.

Alina:It's over, William! Now you're going to hell!

BurnTrap: Really?..

He was about to attack the Puppet, but he dodged. Alina decided to attack with a knife, but William was able to catch her.

Puppet: No!

He kicked him in the head and William pushed him. Then he saw Alina coughing from the smoke of the fire and slowly approaching her.

Glam-rock Freddy:(Angry) No (Runs to William)!

Gregory: Freddy!

When he saw the boy, he went to help Alina and the Puppet anyway. He pounced on William, grabbing him by the neck against the wall.

Glam-rock Freddy: Leave my friends, Father!

All except Alina and Puppet: Father?!

The puppet continues to take William's soul while William tried to take control of Glam-rock Freddy with his hand.

BurnTrap:(Angry) You're a stupid eldest son who killed his younger brother and then wanted to do the same to me!

Glam-rock Freddy: Because I realized that you are a murderer! You specially created our Funtime friends who were capable of killing children! (The others looked at Funtime in confusion) Because of this, your daughter and wife are now in them! You would have been killed for your crimes too!

Gregory saw this and immediately ran out to help.

Gregory: Guys!

Cassi: Gregory!

Suddenly, Griffona with animatronics appears from the wall and collapses.

Alina: Griffona! Guys!

Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy: Alina!

BurnTrap approaches Glam-rock Freddy again, but Gregory wouldn't let it.

Gregory: Don't go near him!

Glam-rock Freddy: Gregory, what are you doing here?

The killer rabbit looks at him and remembers his youngest son.

BurnTrap: My son... I've killed someone, of course, but I don't want to kill you.

Gregory: Really... But I know you're still a liar! You deserve to be in hell!

BurnTrap was unhappy and decided to kill that Freddy decided to pounce on him.

Freddy: No!

He pushed him, which caused William to lose one arm. Freddy tried to get up while William was preparing to kill. But I felt that the soul was starting to leave completely because of the magic of the Puppet.

BurnTrap: No, no, no, no... NOOOOOO!

The soul left William and the animatronics fell. The puppet of magic sent William's soul straight to hell, locked up forever to suffer. The bots that attacked the others have shut down.

Patrick: Have we won?

Carlin: All right.

All: Hurray!

But suddenly everything started to fall apart. They tried to find a way out, but unsuccessfully, until fortunately a DJ took them.

Puppet: Everything is falling apart. Everyone on Griffona immediately!

All Alina and Gregory helped Freddy and Glam-rock Freddy climb Griffona and they are all climbing together. As soon as they got to the end, they noticed the DJ's hand and himself.

DJ: Hurry up here!

They immediately climbed onto his arm and he put them on his body where the others were.

Others: Guys!

Balan: You've been found!

Alina: Yes, but it's time for us to leave while we're all alive.

DJ: I understand you!

He immediately left the wrecking pizzeria and headed towards Highland Island with his friends while Freddy was looking at it, which reminded him of the move.

To be continued...