#chambers and fogg

[thelaurenshippen]

*trips and another fiction podcast falls out of my pocket*

hello, it is I, Lauren Shippen, maker of many audio dramas, including the daily @breakerwhiskey. after having so much fun doing that podcast every weekday, I thought "what would be the opposite of doing a daily podcast?" and here we are, with a yearly one. New Year's Day is a yearly podcast about what to make of your life when you live forever and is a collaboration between me and my dear friends Andrew Nowak and Briggon Snow (who you may know from @thebrightsessions). here's the elevator pitch:

Every thirteen years, two old rivals meet on New Year’s Day to discuss their lives in the intervening decade. They lead separate lives but share one earth-shattering secret: they’re both immortal.

new episodes will come out every january 1st - for this first jan 1, we released 3 episodes, so that the main story could get underway, but moving forward it will be only one a year! which is a real change for me obviously! and will certainly be an interesting challenge from a storytelling and audience building standpoint.

on a personal note, this show is a continuation of what I've been trying to do with @breakerwhiskey and what I hope to do with @maxinemilespod later this year, which is to independently produce fiction podcasts. I could go on and on about how tough 2023 was on audio drama - and independent art in general - but suffice to say, having a career as an independent artist is hard. we're making this show - as with @breakerwhiskey - for the sheer love of it, and we hope you love it too.

happy new year!

[chambersandfogg]

HOTEL VANCOUVER MAR 05 1925

JACK SEND PROOF OF LIFE ASAP STOP NEWS OF FIRE AT THEATER CASUALTIES REPORTED NO OTHER INFO STOP MUST KNOW STATE OF SELF STOP BACK ON CONTINENT STOP CUTTING TRIP SHORT COMING BACK HOME STOP SEND TELEGRAPH TO CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY NO 36 EASTBOUND STOP

CXC

[a telegram received by J.S. Fogg]

[to read the pre-1917 entries, join Atypical Artists and get access to the archive of 24 entries (5,000+ words), as well as ad-free episodes of Atypical's whole catalogue. to receive future monthly missives straight to your inbox, sign up for free here]

[poorbloodymess]

Day 8 of Kinktober: Fucking Machine with Charles and John (do these two have a ship name? They should.) Please enjoy!

[animehouse-moe]

Undead Girl Murder Farce Episode 6: The Phantom Thief and The Detective

Forget aging like fine wine, Undead Girl Murder Farce is evolving right in front of our eyes. With each step, each frame it changes shape and form, molding itself into what it desires in that exact moment. Transitioning from comedy to cunning, creativity to combat at the drop of a hat and making it an effortless transformation at that. An endlessly impressive feat that only grows in ability and nature as time marches onward. I absolutely can't get enough of it.

I mean, they start the episode with Tsugaru and Shizuku misplacing Aya's head. The detective that's supposed to go toe-to-toe with the greats of France and England respectively is accidentally replaced by a parrot of all things. I feel like I have to scream from the rooftops how much I love this idea.

First and foremost, this is a farce.

It is a failure, a comically dumb mistake. And it's an expert idea. It embodies the nature of the characters, the fact that they're meant to be silly and weird and that they could never measure up to Holmes or Lupin in a battle (whether it be of brain, or brawn like we see later in the episode). I just love it. Aosaki completely sells out his characters in the mockery that he so desires. I'll say it one more time, I just love it. It's not cunning that brings the Cage User into contact with the Phantom Thief and Phantom of The Opera, it is pure chance due to the severity of their slipup. It's just so good.

Anyways, to Holmes and Lupin first. I loved this a lot as well, quite a lot, really. The idea of the two minds challenging one another so brazenly is such a fun idea, and I love how they do it.

Even better than that is that they don't hide anything from viewers. Right away (well on the first close up), you can see that "Sherlock's" eyes are a different color and feature a different style of pupil. Rather than the blue with rings that he usually sports, it's the plain yellow irises that denote Lupin's that are in his place.

Such a great and simple detail that I'm sure many could have easily missed. Another great piece was Watson's comment on the security of Fogg's mansion, which Lupin downplays. Sherlock made a disparate comment prior to that, which Lupin wouldn't have known about, so Watson is momentarily confused before Lupin steers the conversation away from it.

Also, super cool that Mycroft Holmes makes an appearance in the episode to immediately draw the curtain on Lupin's disguise. While he states it's the fingernails of Holmes (which are different than the prior episode, and are in line with Lupin's fingernails), I feel like another giveaway would be how Lupin refers to Mycroft. Though it's not like we have any way of confirming.

Moving on, this line in particular was an amazing tipoff to viewers as to what it was that Lupin was doing with his visit to Holmes.

Allow me to explain. There's two specific things that Lupin did during his visit that are fundamental to how both he and Sherlock Holmes approach this burglary.

One: The disguise. Lupin asserts the fact that he is a master of disguise, someone that can effortlessly mimic the presence and character of another person, that he can blend in with those around him.

Two: The lock. He shows to Holmes how easily he can open and intrude on the safety that a lock is meant to provide. That he can effortlessly access anything that is designed to keep him out.

So, what's the purpose of showing his hand? To provide misdirection. Lupin was never the one that was going to steal the Penultimate Night, it was Erik. Erik, who can blend into a crowd without a disguise. Erik, who is far more flexible and fluid than Lupin and can expose other ways to enter the Chamber of Additional Crimes. It's an incredible setup on a one-two punch that sees Lupin use the blistering intellect of Holmes against himself, and I think it's an incredibly good piece.

Arguably even better than that though is our trio coming into contact with them. As I said earlier, it was sheer chance, but they immediately use it to their benefit by encouraging a response from Lupin that gets him to expose his nature to Tsugaru in a fight. It's really, really, really great that they play Lupin exactly as Lupin played Holmes. Such an interesting relationship. Anyways, here's the fight with impressive choreography, color, conversation, and combat. Just entirely impeccable work that provides a style decidedly different (might I also add once more here) to all of our fight scenes to date.

And the icing on the cake? The sound of the Kabuki clappers, alongside the toll of Big Ben. The signal that tonight's farce has begun. I love the inclusion of this idea. Such a great auditory addition.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, Mycroft mentions Baritsu by name??? As in, the form of martial arts that was created by Sherlock Holmes in an Arthur Conan Doyle novel?? Incredibly cool to see how much detail Aosaki's put into the lives of infamous characters like these.

Of course, a story featuring Holmes and Watson and that whole entourage would feel imbalanced if Lupin didn't have his "buddy" appear as well. That is, the inspector Ganimard who is as close to Lupin's nemesis as you may reach. I should also add that the existence of Ganimard in this story makes the question of what it is that Lupin stole from the box even more interesting.

Anyways, the night begins, the detectives take their place in the Chamber of Additional Crimes. Aside from our trio of Aya, Shizuku, and Tsugaru. An interesting exclusion, but immediately we understand why.

An intruder appears from the North building, putting everyone on red alert. Holmes, of course, knows this is simply part of the play that Lupin's enacted, so he takes the necessary steps to ensure the curtains fall early on his performance. By shooting shut the doors.

From one chance meeting, and a single sentence relayed to the chamber, Lupin is able to trap his prey effortlessly. And from there, it's a race against time as water floods the chamber.

This episode seriously went by in the blink of an eye. The story and characters played their roles so perfectly that I was hardly paying attention to storyboarding or direction. It all meshed so effortlessly that it's near impossible to isolate one from the other. The storyboarding is influenced by the content of the episode, and is a reflection of that. They're two halves of a whole that are incomplete without one another, missing details and information that render our farce a failure instead.

I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens with the next episode as Lupin faces off against the "insurance" agency and our cage user. Insanely curious to see if he bares his fangs towards either, and if we get any confirmation of Erik's true nature (if there is one). Time and time again, Undead Girl Murder Farce delivers the episode of the week as if it was simply another Wednesday.

[incorrectclassicbookquotes]

The gang exploring a crystal cave

Phileas Fogg: The crystals are extremely sensitive to sound. Any audible frequency makes the reverberate like a tuning fork causing them to glow brighter. The cavern's dome shape acts as an echo chamber that amplifies noise. If some careless dope *looks directly at Passepartout* were to speak too loud, it could set off a chain reaction that would shake the entire crystal canopy to pieces. One of the wonders of the world and a sneeze could bring it down.

Jean Passepartout: Wait a second! Why did you stare at me when you said careless dope. *drops a crystal he is holding causing it to break.* Oops.

[whavradio]

Fogg Gives Annual Human Resources Update for Merrimack Valley Chamber Members

To submit Business Bulletin announcements, click on image. Attorney Jaqueline M. Fogg discusses updates to the Massachusetts paid Family and Medical Leave law, impacts of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on the workplace and developments in federal and state employment and labor laws during the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce’s upcoming Annual Human Resources Update. Fogg, counsel at…

[audiofictionuk]

New Fiction Podcasts - 5th January

Meet Me at Jimmy's Arcade - Full Audiobook & Podcast Audio Book Listen to the full audiobook of Meet Me at Jimmy’s Arcade, a funny, nostalgic murder mystery and coming of age story, written and performed by me, Grant Fieldgrove. Following that, in the weeks to come, I’ll discuss a wide variety of things from the 80s and 90s. Synopsis: Bakersfield, California, 1990. Local high school student Bebe-Lynn Sanders is missing. Each day that passes causes more and more worry for the entire town. She was seen cutting through Quailwood Park on her way to rent a movie the morning she vanished. Her last appearance was later that night outside the popular hangout, Jimmy's Arcade. No one knows where she went. No one knows what happened. Join mildly-idiotic kids Grant Fieldgrove and Roxy Roxburgh as they stumble, scheme, and steamroll their way through Bakersfield in the late 80s and early 90s, desperately on the hunt for a Nintendo, fake earrings from Miller's Outpost, tickets to see Vanilla Ice at the Civic Auditorium, and the ever-elusive holy grail - a porno mag! And, of course, Bebe-Lynn. Meet Me at Jimmy's Arcade is a hilarious and heartbreaking romp through a small California town way back when, filled with nostalgic stories, humor, mystery, arcades, and malls. You won't want to miss it! So sit back, grab a Jolt Cola and a three-foot-long licorice rope, and enjoy the ride. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231229-03 RSS: https://feeds.libsyn.com/497983/rss

New Year's Day Audio Drama New Year's Day is a yearly fiction podcast from the team behind The Bright Sessions that comes out every January 1st. Out of the billions of human beings in the world, there are just two that share an earth-shattering secret. Charles Chambers and John Fogg are immortal; since making this discovery, they meet up every 13 years to discuss the world, their lives, and the unique challenges of living forever. It is written and directed by Lauren Shippen, starring Andrew Nowak and Briggon Snow. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240101-01 RSS: https://feeds.libsyn.com/498623/rss

Ned Hillsdale, Private Detective Audio Book Ned Hillsdale a hard drinking foul mouthed ex-cop turned private detective in the city of Chicago. He lives dangerously, loves intensely, and drinks harder than anyone. The very things that got him kicked off the force, now make him the citys best detective. Set against the low rumble of sad jazz and the hum of underground crime, Ned Hillsdale, is an adventure you'll want to take. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231231-01 RSS: https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ROMN5170484155

El sonido de los colores Audio Book Creo que los colores hablan, por eso en este podcast los vas a poder escuchar. “El sonido de los colores” es una serie de microcuentos perfectos para cerrar el día. Para frenar y decir, listo por hoy. Acompañame en este viaje exploratorio donde le doy un significado a cada color. Cada episodio te llevará a sentir y conectarte con las características de cada tonalidad a través de historias ficticias con un alto grado de realidad. ¿Puede el verde latir? ¿El naranja ser libre? ¿El violeta explorar la valentía? Para mi, si. Soy Dani Cuppi y mi misión es sacarle gris al mundo en el que vivimos. Con estos 10 microcuentos te invito a reconciliarte, explorar y aprovechar al máximo el potencial de los colores. Cada 15 días, una nueva historia estará disponible en tu aplicación de podcast favorita. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240101-02 RSS: https://feeds.transistor.fm/el-sonido-de-los-colores

Cosmic Creatures Audio Book Amidst personal turmoil, science-loving teen Cale faces a life-altering challenge when an accident sets alien creatures loose in a research facility, forcing him and a group of survivors to confront both outer and inner threats. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231229-04 RSS: https://feeds.transistor.fm/cosmic-creatures

The Death of Ms. Whitmore Audio Book The Death of Ms. Whitmore is a locked room murder mystery.<br />Kitty is a wealthy business ower with a passion for her charity work . Her brothers dislike her and her money, due to their fathers will, the brothers have been dis-inherited from the family business. being angry that kitty is sole owner of the big house and the whole estste, even the land where their houses are on. <br />Detective Shepard rogers and his side kick Henry Adams try to solve this bizzare mystery. The study is locked, Kitty is dead, shot in the head, no gun in the room, and no way in or out. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231231-02 RSS: https://www.spreaker.com/show/6040588/episodes/feed

The Side Piece: A Serial Drama by JM Vella Audio Book Chase has the perfect life. A gorgeous wife, two beautiful kids, a fine house in the best neighborhood, a great job, and a sexy mistress. What could possibly go wrong? https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231231-03 RSS: https://media.rss.com/the-side-piece/feed.xml

Mr Punch's Podcast Audio Drama Mr Punch has been around for a long time, but he's never before had his own podcast! Join Mr Punch on a series of whirlwind adventures. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240101-03 RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2295606.rss

Afterlight Fictions Audio Book Welcome to your podcast for enjoying fables, myths and melodies from a variety of styles and genres. Stories are a mix of familiar and original works featuring music and sound effects to help immerse you in the world you're visiting. Whether you are looking for a spark in imagination, a relaxing voice to end the day, or a guide to help enter your dreamland - Afterlight Fictions is here when you need it. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240101-04 RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1937594.rss

Hamlet Audio Drama A radio soap about life in a small village, on a small island, somewhere off the English coast. But what are those bells in the sky? https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240101-05 RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2295575.rss

1232 Audio Drama When the experimental research of a physicist goes awry, his estranged twin children follow him through time to medieval Wales, where a shattered kingdom forces them to confront their broken relationship. Sometimes, it takes getting out of your comfort zone for God to speak to you. In the case of twins Rhona & Flint Thatcher it takes going back in time for God to get a word in edgewise. A time-travel medieval fantasy adventure for all ages. Step into a high fidelity audio epic with a full cast, narration, and an original score. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240101-06 RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/audioepic1232/feed.xml

The Heresies Of Radulf Burntwine Audio Book Contained herein are The Heresies of Radulf Burntwine. Follow the Titular monk-turned-medical-investigator as he uncovers the blasphemous truth of a plague ridden world: ours is not a loving God and we are not its favored children. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231227-02 RSS: https://feeds.megaphone.fm/thorb

Night Owl FM Audio Drama A radio drama following Nick and Madelyn as they uncover and discuss the scary truths of Misty Valley and it’s citizens https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231231-04 RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/nightowlfm/feed.xml

Horizon Red Audio Drama Life in the New Horizons colony on the surface of Mars is quiet. A small team of researchers along with ancillary security, IT, and engineers working for the private space corporation O.S.I.R.I.S. have learned to appreciate simplicity. That is, until they start to realize they might not know the whole story. Why were they really sent there? And just what isn't O.S.I.R.I.S. telling them? https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231210-03 RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/eedf59b4/podcast/rss

The Time Traveler's Guide to NOT Getting Caught Audio Book This is the story of how I found a time traveling watch behind a dumpster and my subsequent adventures through time as I make the world a better place...for me...and sometimes for other people as well...I mean, I have no doubt other people also benefited from the changes I made, so in some ways, it's kind of the story of how I became the greatest hero of all time. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240101-07 RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/efb3d7c0/podcast/rss

[rckflg]

CHARCTER MASTERPOST

enjoy :) hope you like this free food

i will link each character’s masterlist in this post

MOVIE MASTERLIST

STAR WARS UNIVERSE

han solo

princess leia

luke skywalker

padme amidala

anakin skywalker

obi wan kenobi

kylo ren

general hux

poe dameron

rose tico

finn

boba fett 

fennec shand

din djarin

paz vizsla

cobb vanth

HARRY POTTER & FANTASTIC BEASTS

harry potter

hermione granger

ron weasley

ginny weasley

george weasley

fred weasley

charlie weasley

bill weasley

neville longbottom

oliver wood

seamus finnegan

dean thomas

cedric diggory

luna lovegood

cho chang

fleur delacour

pansy parkinson

viktor krum

voldemort/tom riddle

bellatrix lestrange

fenrir greyback

lucius malfoy

narcissa malfoy

igor karkaroff

barty crouch sr

barty crouch jr

professor severus snape

alastor moody

sirius black

remus lupin

nymphador tonks

newt scamander

theseus scamander

MARVEL & X-MEN

black widow / natasha romanov

yelena belova

hulk / bruce banner

antman / scott lang

tasm!spiderman / peter parker

hawkeye / clint barton

hawkeye / kate bishop

echo / maya lopez

kazi

nebula

daredevil / matt murdock

mobius m. mobius

deadpool / wade wilson

negasonic teenage warhead / ellie phimister

cable / nathan summers

domino / neena thurman

storm / ororo munroe

mystique / raven darkholm

wolverine / james howlett / logan

rogue / anna marie

phoenix / jean grey

cyclops / scott summers

havok / alex summers

jubilee / jubilation lee

banshee / sean cassidy

quicksilver / pietro maximoff

angel / warren worthington

x-23 / laura kinney

magik / illyana rasputina

wolfsbane / rahne sinclair

mirage / dani moonstar

nightcrawler / kurt wagner

magneto / erik lensher

please let me know which version of the x-men characters you would like me to write for when requesting

BIRDS OF PREY

harley quinn

huntress

black canary

renee montoya

victor zsasz

THE SUICIDE SQUAD (1&2)

harley quinn

rick flag

captain boomerang

polka-dot man

ratcatcher 2

bloodsport

peacemaker

LORD OF THE RINGS

merry brandybuck

pippin took

aragorn

legolas

gimli

arwen

boromir

faramir

elrond

eomer

eowyn

haldir

THE HOBBIT

bilbo baggins

thorin oakenshield

kili

fili

dwalin

THE LOST BOYS

david

marko

paul

dwayne

star

michael emerson

STAND BY ME

ace merill

denny lachance

eyeball chambers

billy tessio

TWILIGHT

carlisle cullen

esme cullen

alice cullen

jasper hale

rosalie hale

emmett cullen

edward cullen

bella swan

charlie swan

billy black

jacob black

seth clearwater

leah clearwater

paul lahote

sam uley

TELEVISION SHOW MASTERLIST

THE MAGICIANS

eliot waugh

quentin coldwater

julia wicker

alice quinn

margo hansen

penny adiyodi

kady orloff-diaz

mariana andrieski

henry fogg

fen

PENNY DREADFUL

vanessa ives

ethan chandler

dorian gray

brona croft

victor frankenstein

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY

vanya hargreeves

klaus hargreeves

luther hargreeves

allison hargreeves

diego hargreeves

ben hargreeves

lila pitts

CHARMED (1998)

piper halliwell

pheobe halliwell

prue halliwell

paige halliwell

leo wyatt

cole turner

CHARMED (2018)

macy vaughn

mel vera

maggie vera

harry greenwood

abigael cain

niko hamada

PEAKY BLINDERS

tommy shelby

john shelby

arthur shelby

ada shelby

finn shelby

polly gray

alfie solomons

luca changretta

aberama gold

bonnie gold

johnny dogs

STRANGER THINGS

jim hopper

joyce byers

dr alexei

robin buckley

steve harrington

billy hargrove

max mayfield

NETFLIX’S DRACULA

dracula

SHAMELESS (US)

fiona gallagher

ian gallagher 

carl gallagher

debbie gallagher

lip gallagher

mickey milkovich 

kevin ball

veronica fisher

male!reader platonic &/or smut & fem!platonic!reader only for ian & mickey

CRIMINAL MINDS

spencer reid

penelope garcia

luke alvez

aaron hotchner

elle greenway

kate callahan

CARNIVAL ROW

rhycroft philostrate

vignette stonemass

tourmaline

GRIMM

nick burkhardt

hank griffin

captain sean renard

seargent wu

monroe

rosalee calvert

adalind schade

trubel

N0S4A2

vic mcqueen

maggie leigh

tabitha hutter

DOCTOR WHO & TORCHWOOD

9th doctor

10th doctor

11th doctor

12th doctor

13th doctor

simm!master

missy / gomez!master

dhawan!master

rose tyler

yazmin khan

river song

bill potts

nardole

captain jack harkness

toshiko sato

owen harper

MISCELLANIOUS

PEDRO PASCAL

the mandalorian / din djarin

javier pena

maxwell lord

whiskey / jack daniels

dave york

fransisco ‘catfish’ morales

marcus moreno

OSCAR ISAAC

poe dameron

nathan (ex machina)

apocalypse / en sabah nur

kane (annihilation)

gomez addams ; platonic!reader or familial!reader only

JOEL KINNAMAN

rick flag

takeshi kovacs

pete koslow

erik heller

stephen holder

ed baldwin

ANDREW GARFIELD

tasm!spiderman / peter parker

[artist-blake]

The Death Chamber, possible sketch for "Jerusalem", William Blake, c. 1800-1807, Harvard Art Museums: Drawings

Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Meta and Paul J. Sachs Size: 16.5 x 23 cm (6 1/2 x 9 1/16 in.) Medium: Red chalk on cream antique laid paper

https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/296969

[rantreader]

I went through my house and collected most of the books that I have not read. There are more, but I wrote a list of the 100 books that I want to read relatively soon. If I start the challenge today, it can progress throughout this year and go into next year. By the end of 2023, I want to have read all these books.

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

A History of the English Language by Albert C. Baugh & Thomas Cable

The Power of One by Byrce Courtenay

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche

Criminology – A complete Introduction by Peter Joyce and Wendy Laverick

The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Tarzan of the Apes and the Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twainn

When Fashion Really Works by Marnie Fogg

Go the Distance – A Twisted Tale by Jen Calonita

The Museum of Things Left Behind by Seni Glaister

Trinity by Leon Uris

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Makers of Rome by Plutarch

A Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin

Difficult Women by Helen Lewis

The Wreckage by Michael Robotham

The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius

Traitors by Frank Walker

A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey

Traitor to the Blood by Barb & J.C. Hendee

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Great Expectation by Charles Dickens

Heddy & Me by Susan Varga

No Silver Spoon by Katie Flynn

The Dance of Death and Other Stories by Algernon Blackwood

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Carrie by Stephen King

My Royal Story – Marie Antoinette by Kathryn Lasky

Theories of Race and Ethnic Relations by John Rex and David Mason

The Little Book of Psychology by DK

The World’s Greatest Idea by John Farndon

Don Quixote by Cevantes

The Survival Handbook by DK

Yes Yes Yes – Australia’s Journey to Marriage Equality by Alex Greenwich and Shirleene Robinson

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Wonder Woman Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

The Fire of Joy by Clive James

Monsoon by Di Morrissey

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Conquerers’ Road by Osmar White

The Art Book by DK

How to Garden by DK

How Science Works by DK

German for Everyone by DK

The History of the World by Alex Woolf

Cathy by Cathy Freeman

Song of Survival by Helen Colijn

Pet Semetary by Stephen King

The Crime Book by DK

The Bone Collection by Kathy Reichs

Basic Mandarin Chinese by Kubler & Wang

A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Woolstonecraft

Joyland by Stephen King

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Gulliver’s Travels by Johanthan Swift

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Japanese Myths and Tales by Epic Tales

Eleni by Nicholas Cage

Psychology of Human Behaviour for Nurses by Dennis

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

More Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan

Watership Down by Richard Adams

The Little Book of Politics by DK

Jews Don’t Count by David Baddiel

The Road by Cormack McCarthy

A Royal Duty by Paul Burrell

Jurassic Park by Michael Chrichton

Dracula by Bram Stoker

English Grammar Usage by McGraw Hill Education

Night at the Circus by Angela Carter

The Confidence Booster Workbook by Martin Perry

Ancient Egyptian Myths by Catherine Chambers

The Girl in the Picture by Denise Chong

Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life by Miles Kelly

The Prince in the Heather by Eric Linklater

Simple Astronomy by DK

How to Kiss a Crocodile by Max Walker

The Fitness Instructor’s Handbook by Mark Coulson

Mool-nya-moonya Dreaming by Julie Tuckey

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Pennies for Hitler by Jackie French

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The Shortest History of England by James Hawe

Mental by Dr Steve Ellen and Catherine Deveny

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Work by Louisa May Alcott

Deranged Marriage by Sushi Das

Stranger the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Emma by Jane Austen

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

The Book of Dust by Phillip Pullman

321 Seriously Smart Things You Need to Know by Mathilda Masters

Wish me luck.

[ss9slb]

A sliver of courage and a second chance

Part 5

—-/----

“I’m worried about him.”

Jean didn’t need to be a genius to work out just who his wife meant. Another man might have felt slighted that lying in bed together, his wife’s mind was on another man; luckily for Abigail, Jean knew better. Besides, he was worried about Fogg too.

It didn’t take a genius to see that their friend was sinking into, if not melancholy, then something that looked like a hybrid between it and obsession. Where once Phileas Fogg might have spent his leisure time relaxing with his paper, some engineering periodical or planning their next adventure; this Fogg seemed to be consuming dull, heavy legal tombs with the single-minded determination of the possessed. Still, as bad as those manic episodes were, they were a million times better than the times he sat around staring into space, barely responsive.

“Me too.” Jean sighed, turning on to his side so he could at least appreciate the view of Abigail’s flushed, freckled skin, his fingertips skimming lightly down her arm, stroking the delicate skin at her wrist, before interlocking with her skilled fingers and bringing them up to his lips for a kiss.

“I think we made a mistake not telling him about Father.” Abigail pondered aloud. It had been done for the best of reasons, not to overburden their friend, but she wondered now if an alternative cause to fight might have been just the tonic Phileas needed.

“Perhaps.” Jean wasn’t sure what to do for the best.

Fogg and his problems, Abigail and her father, not to mention their own worsening situation. There was only so long their remaining coin could stretch to paying for hotel rooms and sneaking about so that they weren’t caught. Even married and with the certificate to prove it, no hotel would condescend to rent them a shared chamber, so a room each and much subterfuge was needed to snatch any time alone together.

He needed to find employment soon. Yet Jean couldn’t bear the thought of taking a servant’s position again. The necessity to live in-house would destroy any chance his marriage had. Abigail thought they should appeal to Mr Fogg, but Passepartout hadn’t yet lost his pride. He was the head of their household, he was her husband, he should be the one to support her, and not his former employer. Things hadn’t gotten that desperate, at least not yet.

“Jean, are you even listening to me?” Abigail poked at his exposed stomach, relishing the way he squirmed, her husband’s ticklishness a constant source of delightful discovery.

“Apologies, Cheri. I was distracted by your beauty.”

“Hmmm, then why were you frowning?” Abigail teased, snuggling in closer as Jean drew her back into his arms. His hands on her skin were both soothing and blissful. “Perhaps Fogg isn’t where we should start.” Abigail mused aloud. “You know how stubborn he can be.”

“Is there not a delightful English phrase about pots and kettles?” Passepartout began, only to have his wife cover his mouth with her palm.

“I am not stubborn, I am determined.” Abigail insisted, punctuating her remark by sitting up and straddling her husband, who was far from objecting by this point.

Yet as the happy couple allowed themselves to become distracted from their problems for a while, the idea persisted at the back of Abigail’s mind. There was another cat to skin.

----/----

This was the right thing to do. It was, but that didn’t make it anything less nerve wracking. The weather wasn’t helping, as Abigail shuddered under her umbrella, already out long enough in the dirge of London weather for the rain to soak into her hemline. It had taken her long enough just to find the right address, and now she was here prevaricating.

Taking a deep breath, Abigail walked up to the respectable front door, in the poorer but still respectable neighbourhood, and knocked. A few moments later the door was opened by a silver haired, apron wearing matron, whose rolled-up sleeves indicated some strenuous housework had just been interrupted.

“Yes?”

“Apologies for calling so early, but I was hoping Mrs Rossi was still at home?”

Eyes narrowed as she took in Abigail’s well-cut clothing and earnest face. It took a moment before the matron answered. “Aye, she’s at home.”

“May I see her?” Abigail prodded when it looked like she was about to be turned away.

“Well, that depends if you are with that other fellow or not?” At Estella’s confused expression, she added. “Pompous blowhard of a man, coming here making threats. The poor woman doesn’t need any more of that, what with everything else she is going through.”

For a moment, Abigail panicked. She was here on behalf of a man, but making threats didn’t sound like Mr Fogg at all.

“No, actually I am here to apologise for something I did.” It was the truth, after all. That was the main reason for her visit, persuading Estella to call on Phileas and repair the rift she started, well that was something she could only hope for.

“Well in that case.” Satisfied that Abigail was little threat, the door was opened, and Abigail gratefully stepped into the warm and dry hallway.

“Oh, I am so sorry.” She muttered as her folded up umbrella left a puddle of water on the pristine tiled floor.

“Never mind that. You’re not responsible for the weather. A cup of tea wouldn’t hurt, though. I imagine you are cold to your bones.”

“Oh yes, that would be wonderful.” Abigail smiled genuinely at that offer. It had been an age since her tea at breakfast, and she happily followed along down the stairs into the basement kitchen, where to her surprise, an apron clad Estella was busily pounding her fists into some dough.

“Visitor for you Estella.”

Freezing in the doorway, Abigail tried her best to not quail under the look Estella shot her.

“Miss Fix…apologies I don’t recall your married name. I am somewhat astonished to see you here. I cannot imagine that we have any left to say to one another.”

“Passepartout…That’s my married name.” Abigail felt her throat go suddenly dry. Despite the warmth from the stove, she suddenly felt quite cold. “And I came because I owe you a proper apology.”

For a moment, it looked like Estella would refuse her, yet the strictures of an upper-class education had not completely lost their grip on the former debutante.

“If you give me a moment to right myself, we can have tea in the front parlour.”

Back up the stairs and into the formal sitting room, there was no fire in the grate, as callers had not been expected on such a damp, desolate morning.

Apron removed, and cuffs buttoned, Estella joined her not five minutes later, setting a tray with what was clearly the good china teapot and teacups down on the table. The familiar rituals of tea making were observed, questions of milk and sugar, politely asked and answered. Until it was just the two of them face to face, armchair to armchair, the battleground of a polite morning call before them; a battlefield Abigail had never once felt comfortable in.

“Do you think whilst I am here, we can drop the polite niceties?” Abigail all but blurted out. The prospect of polite enquiries about her husband’s health and discussion of the weather only contributed to her nervousness.

“Straight to the point, I can respect that.” Estella lost a little of her rigidness, relaxing from the perfect posture that had been drilled into her since girlhood, into the more adapted lowering of her shoulders and leaning back into the comfort of the chair cushion that had typified her New York lifestyle.

“So, Madam Passepartout, since we are being blunt, I very much doubt there is anything you can say that I particularly want to hear.”

“No, I doubt there is. How could anything I have to say make right the wrong I have caused you and a very dear friend?” Abigail answered honestly. “I knew it was a mistake, writing that article the moment I realised I dreaded Mr Fogg reading it. I was so caught up at first in the romance of it all, of finally having an answer that made more sense than some silly bet. He was such a puzzle, you see. All bluster and English nonsense one moment, then just shy of genius the next.”

“Yes, Phileas has never performed well to strangers.” Estella added with a sip of her tea. “Even as a much younger man, he would hide his real thoughts and feelings behind the mask of an English gentleman.”

“Yes exactly. I couldn’t make sense of it, neither could Jean. Then he fell ill in India, delirious even, he thought you were there, that’s how I found out you existed…it wasn’t that Mr Fogg spilt all his secrets to us, it was an accident, one I should never have taken advantage of the way I did. It was so selfish of me to take inspiration from his pain…your pain.” Abigail paused, for a moment reliving the look of betrayal in Fogg’s eyes when he first read that article.

“I don’t think he would ever have forgiven me after Hong Kong, if it hadn’t been for all that business with the prison and his flogging; not to mention getting forced off an ocean liner at gun point…I suppose that tends to put things into perspective…” Abigail trailed off, finally lifting her gaze and catching the look of complete horror on Estella’s face.

“He was flogged?” The very idea of Phileas being hurt in such a barbaric manner it sent her mind reeling.

“Oh, it wasn’t his fault.” Abigail insisted, grasping for the wrong explanation. “It was all a terrible case of mistaken identity, really.”

“Of course it would be. Phileas would never, could never, do something worthy of such a punishment. And who on earth forces anyone off an ocean liner?”

“I think perhaps you had better ask Mr Fogg about that. I suspect he knows far more about Mr Kneedling than he has told either Jean or I.”

For a moment, Estella almost retorted that she would get to the bottom of it, but then she remembered her resolution to let Phileas move on with his new life.

“I think it would help to have someone else to talk to about it. He struggles with us I think because he feels so guilty for putting us in harm's way. He blames himself for everything, even things out of his control.”

“Yes,” Estella whispered into her teacup, in that Phileas had not changed.

“He’s doing it now as well. Blaming himself. He won’t tell us what is wrong, but he’s barely left his library in days. I confess I had a secondary motive for coming here today. I was hoping you would help me with him. I am worried he is going to make himself ill.”

“I don’t know how I would be any help?” Estella insisted, setting down her teacup and fussing with refreshing both their cups.

“I thought we were talking bluntly today?” Abigail knew she was pushing her luck, she knew it by the sharp glare that Estella shot her, by the way she got to her feet as if longing to show her the door.

“If we are being blunt, Madam Passepartout, then let me be equally candid. I don’t like you, and I don’t forgive you for exposing a painful part of my past to ridicule, just so you and your father could sell some more copies of that dratted paper of his. I may have been a mysterious lost love to you, but my former peers and your own father knew exactly who I was. To have my heartache be laughed at in drawing rooms all over London. I was a ghost that should have stayed buried. I imagine both Phileas and I would have been much happier that way!”

“I don’t believe that for a second, at least not on his part. I have never seen a man so devoted as Phileas Fogg, and you punishing him because of me…"

“This isn’t all about you!” Estella snapped, her control on her emotions lost. They were barely tethered on the best of days, and this was not the best of days. “They took my son, my only child away from me, and I am doing everything in my power to get him back, short of selling myself into marriage with that snake Bellamy to do so…”

“Bellamy? Fogg’s Bellamy?” Abigail was confused.

“How many other monsters called Bellamy do you suppose haunt the streets of Mayfair?” Estella retorted, collapsing back into her chair and into herself. “Phileas promised to help, but what can he do? He doesn’t have any powerful friends, not like my father does. They want me to just sit and wait, but how can any mother just sit and wait while anything could be happening to their child?”

“Of course you couldn’t.”

It was all starting to make sense now, Fogg’s obsessive behaviour, Estella’s emotional reactions, and she and Jean had blundered right into the middle of it all.

“I am going to help. In whatever way, I can help you. I will find a way.” Abigail insisted, earning a wry chuckle from the woman next to her.

“How can you possibly help me?”

“I am good at finding things out, and Jean is good at getting into places he shouldn’t, and Mr Fogg is practically a genius. Between us, we can solve anything.”

Estella was almost amused by her certainty. To be that young and to have that faith that everything would work out alright in the end. Estella had lost that faith about a month into her stay in Paris, when she had finally given up hope Phileas would ever follow her.

“You would be better off keeping out of the whole business. I told Phileas much the same…”

“And he hasn’t taken any notice either.” Abigail insisted. “Why else would he be trying to become an expert in the law all of a sudden?”

“He..he is?” Estella couldn’t believe it. Even after all the cruel things she had said to deter him, Phileas was still trying to help her. Help in the only way he knew how. That knowledge thawed something inside her, something that had been growing hard and bitter.

Whatever else Estella might have said, it was cut off by the sudden thunderous knocking on the front door, and the muttered complaints of the matron of the house as she rushed to answer it. A moment later, the front parlour door was flung open, and an opened note pressed into Estella’s hand.

“It’s happened. He’s dead.”

“You’re certain?” The look of relief and joy transformed Estella’s face as she stared down at the scribbled note.

“I worked with Fanny Wilcox for fifteen years until your mother passed Estella. She’s been housekeeper there for the last ten. Nothing happens in that house without her knowing about it. If she says he’s dead, then the old goat is dead!”

Flinging their arms about one another, there were happy laughter and tears, until a suddenly energised Estella suddenly started casting about for her hat and coat.

“I will have to go retrieve Davide at once. I won’t have him staying in that house a second longer. Hang the money.”

“Just be careful, my girl.”

“Oh Helen, it is all going to be alright now. He can’t punish me anymore.” Estella insisted before turning back to a confused Abigail. “It seems I won’t be needing to take you up on your offer, Madam Passepartout.”

“I am very happy for you, and I know Mr Fogg will be relieved, but you really shouldn’t go alone. Let me accompany you at least, if I can do nothing else?”

“If you like.” Estella hardly cared. She was going to get her son back. Everything was going to be alright now.

Gathering her things Abigail, hurried to match Estella’s frantic pace. Perhaps it was simply the grim weather making her pessimistic, but as they stepped out into the drizzle and hurried through the streets, Abigail couldn’t help the curdling feeling in her stomach; it really couldn’t be that simple? With Bellamy involved? Things were never that simple.

—-/—-

[thelaurenshippen]

obsessed with this shout-out in Bobby's Snacks newsletter that compares New Year’s Day to The Portrait of Dorian Gray and The Prestige, those are the vibes exactly

[chambersandfogg]

October 2nd, 1923

I’m not entirely certain I like this decade. Granted, we are only three years into it, but if it continues on in the manner it’s been progressing so far, I think it will become one of my least favorite decades. Nothing can truly win out over the terror that was the teens, but I think I far preferred the nineties to now.

I suppose that’s a privilege that comes with my…nature? Predicament? Blessing? Curse? I’m still unsure how to feel about my everlasting life. But having a defined ranking of favorite decades seems a good a use of my unique perspective as any.

All to say, the twenties so far are much too boisterous and loud for my taste. It feels I’m invited to some party or new club every weekend. It’s jarring how much frivolity has overtaken the city and every social circle I’ve become acquainted with in the past few years. This is never quite as obvious as John Fogg’s summer solstice party, which I’ve attended the last two years. It is always nice to see him, I suppose, but I don’t much care for the crowd he runs with.

To be honest, I don’t know how he stands it either. Just last year, the man had some kind of fit when his guests broke an entire tray of champagne coupes. I’ve seen it before in men who have experienced combat: shell shock. John seemed disinclined to discuss it in the following days and then this summer, the party was similarly loud and destructive and he seemed perfectly fine. But it makes my stomach turn—the excess, the thoughtless joy. It isn’t that I resent seeing people amuse themselves, but it seems to be at the expense of remembering what brought us all here. Then again, perhaps it is only me who refuses to forget. Perhaps they’re right to grab happiness however and whenever they can, knowing how fragile it is. But every time I have just a tad too much to drink, I see the faces of the men who died by my poisonous innovations, I see John’s pale, wide-eyed face in his quiet library, a raucous gathering happening just outside the room. I far prefer the quieter days spent at his estate in the days following the solstice, when the two of us can converse openly about our strange lives and enjoy the comfortable companionship that is inherent in sharing a space with someone you know so well.

John has invited me to another fête—a Halloween party of all things. I don’t have plans to go, but I still need to send him my regrets. In fact, I’ll likely be sending him more than that—I know I should share the news that I’m leaving New York. Perhaps I can give him my address in London, but I don’t think I’m going to stay there very long either. For the first time in my life, I’m feeling a real traveler’s bug. I feel cooped up here in the States and if we’re all throwing responsibility and common sense out the window, I may as well do some of that myself and travel the world. It won’t be the quiet company of a friend, but it won’t be the loud and tinny noise of America either. I think it’s time for me to experience something entirely new.

[from the personal diary of C. X. Chambers]

[to read the pre-1917 entries, join Atypical Artists and get access to the archive of 24 entries (5,000+ words), as well as ad-free episodes of Atypical's whole catalogue. to receive future monthly missives straight to your inbox, sign up for free here]

[harvard-art-museums-photography]

Religious Agencies, Salvation Army: Germany. Salvation Army Work with Women: Salvation Army: Germany: Work with Women.: Chamber in the Metropole, girls' lodging house, Berlin., Unidentified Artist, c. 1903, Harvard Art Museums: Photographs

Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Transfer from the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Social Museum Collection Size: image: 14.7 x 11 cm (5 13/16 x 4 5/16 in.)

https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/6620

[harvard-art-museums-drawings]

Study for the Figure of Fortune in "The Discoverer" Fresco, Assembly Chamber, State Capitol, Albany, New York, William Morris Hunt, 1878, Harvard Art Museums: Drawings

Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Meta and Paul J. Sachs Size: sight: 94 x 62.5 cm (37 x 24 5/8 in.) Medium: Charcoal on buff wove paper

https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/308226

[harvard-art-museums-prints]

Saint Jerome in a Dark Chamber, Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, 1642, Harvard Art Museums: Prints

Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of William Gray from the collection of Francis Calley Gray Size: sheet: 14.8 x 17.5 cm (5 13/16 x 6 7/8 in.) Medium: Etching and engraving on white antique laid paper

https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/279627