#sir gregory & co

[lessapander]

The art market I went to this past weekend had a lot of really cool offerings. I wish I had the funds to buy everything I saw, alas. It was very difficult to choose from all the stalls that were there (80 different artists attended). In the end, I purchased a tote bag and three prints for my Chaos Wall from Sir Gregory & Co., three shop illustration prints from Zenti Designs, a linocut of Chaotic Good Designs' Cat, Jon Snow, an upcycled bag from Kimono Yamamoto, an illustrated book for my partner's goddaughter from La Source Australia, and a silver boundary bracelet from Mill Foundry.

There were just too many excellent artists, though. I was a bit overwhelmed on the day. I hope everyone did really well with their stalls, there seemed to be a lot of people just being drawn in via local foot traffic when we were leaving to venue.

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1932 – Death of Augusta Persse, better known as Lady Augusta Gregory, Irish dramatist, folklorist and theatre director; also a co-founder of the Abbey Theatre.

Lady Gregory was an Irish dramatist, folklorist and theatre director; also a co-founder of the Abbey Theatre. George Bernard Shaw once described Lady Augusta Gregory as “the greatest living Irishwoman”. Lady Gregory, also known as Isabella Augusta, was born on 15 March 1852, in Roxborough, Co Galway. She married Sir William Henry Gregory in 1880. Sir Gregory owned an estate at Coole Park near…

[onceandfuturenerd]

B2C9 Finale! - A Handful Of Bodyguards, Pt. 5

In the conclusion of Book 2, Chapter 9, Billy does what Billy does best – be a huge pain in the ass – and reshapes the power balance of Pacific Ridge. And just in time for the arrival of a very influential power broker. First Snow prepares to delivery discouraging news to her community.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:33 — 37.3MB)

(Here's a preview.)

And P.S. make sure to submit your #AskTOAFN questions by 11:59p ET on Friday June 2 so we can answer them on stream!

CREDITS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Directed by  CHRISTIAN T. KELLEY-MADERA

Written by  CHRISTIAN T. KELLEY-MADERA and GREGORY M. SCHULZ

PERFORMED BY:  RHIANNON ANGELL as…      Janey  GARRETT ARMYN as…      Sir Brennen Willemson, Baker, and Ranger 4  DAN DOBRANSKY as…      Vanderberg  ANYA GIBIAN as…      Aerona Regan  IAN HARKINS as…      The Narrator and Ranger 1  AARON LANHAM as…      First Snow  CHRISTIAN T. KELLEY-MADERA as…      Tyymos, Stablehand, and Bill  PAUL NOTICE as…      Nelson and Ranger 2  ANA O’DANIEL as…      Lulu  APRIL ORTIZ as…      Steady River  FRANK QUERIS as…      Billy  JULIE REED as…      Jen  REGINA RENEE RUSSELL as…      Nia and Blacksmith  GREGORY M. SCHULZ as…      Yllowyyn, Ranger 3, and Weston  DAVID SYLVESTER WOLF as…      O’an Hritsl

Editing by  JIM BANTING

Foley, Sound Design, and Post Production Mixing by  JIM BANTING

Additional Writing Help from  ANA O’DANIEL

Music Direction and Main Theme by  TOM LEE

Additional Scoring by  CHRIS MONTALBO

Created and Executive Produced by  ZACH GLASS & CHRISTIAN T. KELLEY-MADERA

Co-Executive Produced by  JESS KELLEY-MADERA

Associate Producers ALEC STORY

The script for this episode can be downloaded here, and the transcript of our announcements here.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

As always, The Once And Future Nerd is made possible by our Patrons on Patreon. We hope you consider joining!

Follow our socials for all scheduling announcements.

CONTENT NOTES:

Intimate partner violence is a recurring throughline of this chapter

End of Listed CONTENT NOTES

[kninedlog]

Since my own art is trash credit goes to this person for the best interpretation creatable:

tw and ig: https://www.instagram.com/_nyurei/ || https://twitter.com/_nyurei

The picrew itself: https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/1300090

OC #3 : Meet Jargon Justice The High-Tech Security Bot!

The beginning | Previous | Next

-Built to look human, he's the closest thing to an android that the wide spread public is aware about. (That's considering the Gregory or any other character being a robot theory/stuff like that)

-Jargon is built to be 7ft

-He's basically the secret guest at Disney and other theme parks but for the pizza plex. He walks around and makes sure that no one is breaking any rules and enforces them as well as protects the guest from any harm.

-He is the only animatronic without a safety mode as he has programmed to land harmful hands on people and guests over the age of 15.

-Before the Plex was made Jargon was thought of in mind for it. To be a special specific bot for this special specific location

-Hence all the paperwork people must sign before entering the pizza plex for the first time and to have your guest profile be on record.

-He is not an attraction/entertainment bot despite how many people mistake him for it (most of the time on purpose)

once they find out he is an animatronic. (He blends in very well despite his consistent wardrobe)

-He wears sunglasses indoors all throughout the day for personal reasons.

-He doesn't like how people stare into eyes and he's gotten a bit self-conscious about the color choice that was picked for him.

-His room can be visited by any guest if he is there taking a break, or recharging, or getting maintenance done. He hates going down to the maintenance room.

-His room soon got to have many visitors over the course of just four months and he soon developed fans as well. Having to renovate his small cramped space into a sort of the green room the Glam Rock's have but not quite the same to spot the difference, making his room sort of an attraction although it isn't.

-Instead of his room  just being called his room anymore it's slowly over time became "Justice's Office!"

-Jargen has a back hatch similar to Freddy chest cavity. He uses it to store important items for himself or ones he confiscated from guest. (He's taken many Faz cams and golf clubs)

-Anyone by the ages of 15 and lower breaking a rule of the pizza plex get three warning from him, after that the child is sent to either the daycare, lost and found, or Justice's Office where he places "naughty kids" who need a time out or lost items.

-He then phones the number of the parents or the owner of the belonging.

-If the parents do not pick up after three tries every two minutes or do not retrieve their kid during the limited time they set for the said parent, Jargen sends the kid to the main office and the entire family gets a strike penalty from the Pizza Plex usually between a week or 3 months ban from the facility.

-If the owner of the lost/confiscated item does not try his office to retrieve it by the time the facility closes (which workers are supposed to direct them to if the item is not in the lost and found) Jargon gets to either keep it, throw it away, or repurpose it. He usually chooses the first option or the ladder.

-Jargon is a very serious animatronic. He does not like to waste time and does not get attached to any of his fellow security co-workers, subordinates, or superiors.

"Get back to work, please."

"Yes sir/ma'am."

-Except for one. (More on that later)

-His personality is like paint dry. He is a stale-made bot just wanting to complete the many tasks set upon him day in and day out.

-Even when they are completed before his inevitable clock out/power down time he does not do anything rather interesting.

"You like Jargon?"

"But he's just an exaggerated Security bot! Plus he's a boring party pooper" —*Monty and Roxy to Chica and Freddy*

-He will either sit in his office and read/interact with whatever anyone has given to him as a gift (like how people do for the glam rocks) or walk around the plex double-checking everything, even on the main stars themselves to see if they are functioning properly not to make small talk much to Chica and Freddy's dismay.

"How was your day Jargon?"

"No."

"Don't cha wanna chat?"

"No."

-He has a very advanced AI programmed into him that is always adapting to the world around him. If his systems has come across a stump or an issue it won't be long before he's figured a way around it or solve the problem

-If something went wrong today best believe that same thing won't happen ever again.

-He sometimes, to pass the time of his break, talk to himself. One of the many guilty pleasures he like to partake in, that he has kept secret from even the cameras at the Plex.

-It helps him cool his processors and he likes to recount everything he's done so far.

-No one knows he does this.

-Well not anymore...

-He's been hacked into many times before. All attempts have been futile.

-Until one day. . .

[balladofavaritia]

co-writers: @vincentholdsapen, @vixx-ari

Ebenezer Scrooge captured the Phantasim of Sloth two years ago, and the title of Chainbreaker has only brought the weight of more burdens to be rested upon him.

Now more experienced and knowledgeable in the ways of the afterlife. Scrooge must learn to navigate his own heart and the hearts of others to bring forth the equality that has been sorely lacking... all while dealing with his own search for answers he yearned for so, so long ago.

But will he like what he sees? None can say...

[SNIPPET UNDER THE CUT]

If one were to ask, ‘twould be the summer of 1856. A remarkable time for one in the passing realm of mortality. The Black Sea had become detached, retained by none but the grasp of Mother Nature itself. Livingstone’s odyssey across the African continent was soon to come to an end, and with it a treasure trove of knowledge and insights. Ever loyal and ever victorious soldiers returned home from a gruesome war to receive valorous crosses of the highest honor ever bestowed.

The world continued upon its merry pace, changing and growing. Wanting of nothing and ignorant of everything. Ceaseless in humanity’s endeavours to push themselves further and further into their inevitable end.

Yet when the light of innovation illuminates the brightest corners of civilisation, so too can it cast the darkest shadows of consequence. And when that light fades, those selfsame shadows grow and change like cursed troglodytes that morphed into harbingers of doom. It is in these shadows that new horrors emerge, unforeseen and unbidden, born from the seeds of progress sown with the best intentions.

You need not know the names of these Avaritions, and I shall elect not to speak further upon them. It is not that they are unimportant, mind! Anyone can gain the capacity to be a protagonist in their own tale. Nay, I do not speak their name because if I shall, they would detract from their true purpose as mere fodder for the narrative I wish to tell. Is it most definitely unfair to them? Most likely. But does an audience care for Sampson and Gregory of the Capulets? Or Abraham and Balthasar of the Montagues? Of course not, for they only wish to gaze upon with eagle eyes the tragic fate of their star-crossed heroes. If they were to even be called heroes, in that regard.

Perhaps they were to steal from an unsuspecting and feeble old woman. Perhaps they were to vandalise the sacred walls of a holy temple. Or perhaps they were just two fettered spirits going about on their business without a care in the world, their untoward misdeeds nothing but mere happenstance, a fluke of a crime that was still a crime.

Regardless of the reasons, it mattered not what they had perpetrated, for they had disrupted the normal flow of the realms and risked the safety of mortals. And unwarranted actions required warranted consequences.

"Forgive me, good sirs..."

He spoke with a calm cadence towards them, undisturbed like that of a gentle pond even as he tilted his top hat up with a gloved hand to reveal his oceanic gaze aged by time. He did not waver even when they fought back with the rage of flames unforgiving, or the sting of ice unfeeling. His spear gleamed with a golden glow even amidst the dark of the alley, and the chains that shot from behind him — emitting a resplendent brilliance all of its own — splayed out like the wings of a mighty dragon, or the tentacles of some unholy beast.

Whatever the image the Avaritions must have thought of when they looked upon him with their feeble and fearful imaginations, it did not matter; their fate would remain the same when one gains the attention of the Chainbreaker.

"...but I fear I must take you in for the sake of my clientele. I do hope you'll understand."

Tagged: @undeadchestnut @m0nsterwife @pinkytoothlesso11

[itsrattysworld]

Without Prejudice Mervelee Myers Put Names In Public As Journey Of Empowerment Ending 2024 Dr. Phil Gregory Southwark MHOAD Gayle Lewis PALS Nexus Health Group Dr. Joanna Pennack NHS England DJs Beecham Sterlini Bell Richard Hayes Naidoo Pigram Greenidge Swan FOS Devonshires Solicitors LLP Nationwide Barclays Santander HOS Robert Lewsley UEL LEYF Mimi Owusu Druces LLP Charles Hills CO Met Police H4W Tony Cealy Border Crossings Jessie Lloyd Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin Neville Lawrence Nanny Of The Maroon Marcus Garvey Bob Marley Nye Bevan Kamala Harris Claudia Jones 1981 Brixton Riot 1976 Peace Concert Notting Hill Carnival Edward Allen Neil Coyle June O'Sullivan Richard Harty Book In Honour Of Strong Women Everywhere Sign At A New Met For London Launch By Sir Mark Rowley A Month After I Was Label A Violent Nuisance Add Criminal Need Emotional Regulation Treatment UURICA-LE World Get Ready For Mental Health SEND Advocacy For Grandson Zaydan Murray's Academy I Don't Need Risperidone To Suppress Facts I Endured 23 Years Discrimination 16 Alma Grove SE1 5PY 7/11/24

Refer to Listen to  @metpolice_uk  the #racist #terrorists #females that will make  @HMCTSgovuk  and  @housingforwomen8227  and  @devonshires9002  #unlawful #injunction as the PCs talking to PC Edward Allen who sent #merveleemyers an #email I called him BB reference  @Channel4News  Seventh Day Adventist Church as Dr. Phil Gregory will be #charged for #medicalgaslighting So @YouTube aka #youtube…

[burnbeforepod]

Charitable Giving

Theodore and Christy Relic smile at each other while sipping their espressos. Theodore thinks this is easily too good to be true.

Christy thinks her Venti Decaf Half-Soy, Half-Skim Americano With Room is much too hot. Still, she is as pleased as Theo that tonight’s number is five.

Theo is still glowing. “I can already tell that this is going to prove so much better than last Wednesday.” Christy nods in agreement as she blows to cool her drink.

It’s true. Last week the die landed on two and that meant Steven Murphy. Steven is an idiot and ended up being far too easy a target. While they still considered it a success, and rightfully so, this week, what they were really interested in was a challenge.

In fact, they needed a challenge. Something to take their minds off of the stresses of their, thus far, extremely stress-filled week.

Theo makes his living as a high-priced attorney for a corporate law firm in the heart of downtown. Today was closing arguments for a case that has taken seven months of his life. While no stranger to working long days, weekends and at least three nights a week, he makes certain to take every Wednesday night off.

While Theo works on pending legislation, Christy serves Slippery Nipples and Sex on a Beach at the neighborhood bar. As co-owner/operator of the dive, Christy not only tends bar, but she also takes care of the accounting, inventory, purchasing, and management of employees. It’s nothing fancy, but it was always her dream to own a bar. Theo slaves away at the firm to make this happen. And, with a staff of three, Christy also rarely takes a night off.

Wednesdays are the obvious exception.

Wednesdays, they cross the street from Christy’s Place and head into the local coffee shop around eight o’clock. Christy always orders that same complicated Americano-thing while Theo takes his espresso straight.

“Five means Gregory Whittson, doesn’t it?” Christy asks this already knowing the answer is yes.

Gregory Whittson should be the anti-Steven Murphy. Not only should he present a great challenge, as they discuss, they contemplate the possibility of him refusing, ruining their plans. Although this is admittedly an alluring notion to them, Theo temporarily grimaces at the thought of Whittson destroying their reputations, but quickly and confidently laughs it off as Christy reminds him of their success rate.

In fact, three years going, every Wednesday evening and over half a million dollars later no one has ever refused.

Separate they are successful attorney and funny, down to earth bartender. Together, they are the richest, most charitable givers in town.

Whittson’s house is within walking distance. Theo and Christy finish their beverages much earlier than usual. To say they are eager is probably an understatement.

“You do have the contract, honey?” Christy inquires as she deposits her cup in the container marked MUGS atop the garbage can.

“Naturally my dear. And you have the checkbook?” Theo gathers his coat as he unwittingly places his mug in the bin marked PLATES. To say he’s preoccupied would be another understatement.

He holds the door for his bride while placing his hat back on his head. With this bucket-style hat, he either looks like he’s on a safari or he’s trying to play some sort of bad detective. Either way, it’s childish and doesn’t quite work, but Christy never has the heart to tell him.

Wednesdays are the only days she lets him out of the house with it because she figures it’s almost always dark where they’re going.

Whittson answers the door right away. It’s almost as if he’s expecting someone.  

“Hello, can I help you?”

“Hi. Mr. Whittson? We’re the Relics.”

“Yes, of course. What can I do for you fine folks this evening?”

“Well, sir. We hate to sound like salesmen. I can assure you that we are anything but. Still, if we could have a moment of your time, we would like to discuss something we think you might find of interest.”

“Uh, well. Okay. Care to come in?”

“We would love to. Thanks.”

Theo takes care of most of the talking. Christy writes the checks. She knows she’s mostly here to look the part. She is okay with this. In fact, she prefers it this way.

To say Whittson’s house was a trailer would be as much of an understatement as to say it was in poor condition. The place was trashed. As a single father of two, the Relics knew he would be a perfect candidate. Judging by how quickly he let them in the door, it was a safe assumption that he knew of their charitable efforts within the community.

“Where are your children tonight, Mr. Whittson?”

“They spend Wednesdays with their mother.”

Naturally, the Relics already knew this. This is what made Gregory such a great prospect for their visit. In fact, they were as pleased with the way everything was turning out thus far as the very die itself landing on the number five.

“You must work very hard to provide a good life for them, sir.” They sit at the kitchen table. It’s covered with cut up advertisements and coupons for various groceries including but not limited to Buy One Get One Free half-gallons of 2% milk and 59¢ off a pound of bacon.

“I do what I can, but, as you can see, we live on very little.”

As they look around the combined kitchen and dining room, which cannot be any larger than the smallest dorm room, this could be a front runner for understatement of the year.

“What exactly do you do for a living, if I may ask?” Theo has always considered this line the perfect set up. Christy rolls her eyes at this point knowing full well what comes next regardless of the answer.

“Well, I…”

“Let me tell you what we do.” Theo jumps the gun a bit, removing an undistinguished packet of typewritten pages from his jacket pocket. He takes off his safari-detective hat and sets it proudly beside him on the table, all the while assuring himself that it won’t be there for too much longer. He rolls and unrolls the papers in his hands as he speaks.

All of this is rehearsed.

“Greg, may I call you Greg? Exceptional. You know, Greg, we, like you work very hard. You no doubt know this already, as you should, so I won’t bother you with the details. Needless to say, we consider ourselves to be incredibly fortunate.”

Christy could mouth the words, but she knows that’s probably just a bit too showoffy for her.

“We’re rich, Greg. And we like to make ourselves feel better by supporting various charities within the community. Yourself, for example. We assume you could use some money. How does, oh, I don’t know, twenty-thousand sound?”

“Now, I couldn’t do…”

“We know. We have found that many, many people can’t,” he opens and closes air quotes around the word as he unrolls and pushes the contract toward him.

The contract is simple, but complete. Theo doesn’t leave anything out because he’s intelligent, wealthy, and doesn’t want to get caught. Ever.

To say that’s understandable would be reasonable of you.

“We’ve been around this block before Greg. If you’ll read the contract, you’ll find that we don’t just give it away anymore. We take something in return. But don’t worry, it’s nothing we really need. Nothing you really need.”

Greg looks up. “I am NOT giving you my children.”

“Neither? Pity.”

That was just a joke. An icebreaker if you will.

“Okay, okay. We were just kidding. We know, some parents don’t think it too funny. But you, I just thought…” Both of them beaming by now, Christy removes the first page of the contract and puts it in her purse in exchange for the checkbook.

This too is rehearsed.

“What do you think you would be able to part with Greg?”

“Well, I don’t know. This is all happening so fast. I mean, I guess I’d have to think about it. A lot.”

“Well, gee, Greg, isn’t twenty-thousand dollars enough for you? Should we donate more to your worthy cause?” More air quotes. “Judging from the empty bottle of Jack in your garbage can, the prolonged separation and recent divorce, as well as the many, many visits to my wife’s place and I’d say you’re a womanizing alcoholic Greg. We feel we’re being quite generous.”

Christy is finished writing the check out by now. The reality is it’s not always twenty thousand. The check has been for as little as five thousand if it’s a slam dunk. The largest transaction was for sixty thousand. However, there is no negotiation. Greg and Christy do their research and know exactly what it will take before they enter a household.

“You recently applied for a home equity line of credit Greg. We know this. We also know you were approved contingent upon the appraised value of your home. We know that you would have been accepted with a drive-by appraisal. We know that is the preferred method of appraising by the bank because it’s the cheapest and quickest way to close your loan. That’s why I went to the effort of recommending the full, walk-through appraisal.”

To say Theo was having fun by now would be another one of those pesky understatements.

“Mike, your loan officer, he’s our nephew, Greg. This is why we know you need money. This is why we’re here.”

Theo stands and pulls a container out of his pocket. He takes off the top and sets it to the side. He lays the bottom on the center of the table. The way the light bounces off of the plastic compliments the scene quite nicely.

He also removes a pair of pliers. On which, there appears to be just a bit of dried blood. He was so busy preparing closing arguments between last Wednesday and now that he forgot to clean it.

Shucks.

“We’re collectors Greg. Oh, not of pliers. We just find that they tend to speed up the process. Our time is valuable.”

Christy hands the pen she used to write the check to Greg.

“We collect teeth.”

Theo likes to take a breath here. Let’s call this a dramatic pause.

“We don’t intend for it to make any sense, Greg. The truth is we don’t really care. We just know that you won’t take the money without giving us something. We thought about it, and we thought about it, and we just sort of enjoy the process more than anything. Rich people Greg, you will find that we lead terribly boring lives but ultimately, well, we do tend to get what we want. After all, you’re getting what you want, and so desperately need as well.”

Theo knows Christy knows Greg knows there is no way out. This transaction is nearly finished.

“We like to let you choose. However, we find from experience that you should steer clear of the molars, at least at first. Unless you like pain, of course, that’s fine, we are a bit short on those for obvious reasons.”

To say that last bit was going too far…

“We hate to be hasty Greg. But the truth is we know you need this money to support your nasty little drug habits and we also know that you don’t want to go to jail so you will sign this contract.”

Theo is typically done by right about now, but this is just the challenge they were seeking so he continues.

“We actually have repeat customers Greg. This isn’t as painful as you imagine and besides who really needs all of those teeth? Personally, I don’t even know what some of them are good for. We have found that you can get by with as few as six if you choose wisely Greg. Correct me if I’m wrong, love, but that’s a total of right around, what is it, as much as $600,000? We welcome you to call us anytime you’re down on funds. We would love for our relationship to really blossom here. We like you.”

Greg is still staring at the pen in his hand. He swallows hard. He looks at Christy. He looks at Greg. He looks at the contract.

“Now would be a good time for that signature.”

And:

“Gregory James Whittson will be just fine.”

And:

“Don’t forget today’s date right there.”

Christy points. Theo reaches to the center of the table and gives the pliers a spin just as if this were the Big Wheel on The Price is Right.

All of it rehearsed.

The pliers point to Greg, point to Christy, point to Theo.

Point to Greg.

Then Christy.

Theo.

It is then that the pliers stop spinning and perfectly point to Greg, slightly opened, begging to be used.

And Greg lowers the pen.

[squadron-of-damned]

Franzi and um Edgeworth and Greg

Franziska von Karma

First impression: Ma'am, what's your probl- Is that a WHIP?

Impression now: Oh hey fellow former gifted kid, I am going to project onto you.

Favorite moment: "Oh, I am not submitting this photo as evidence, I am just showing you :)"

Idea for a story: TBH, anything where she gets to make-up for not really having a childhood. Preferably while she gets to be nice to Dick Gumshoe

Unpopular opinion: I am not really on this Franmaya boat. Even less I am on the "she gets shorter hair in the future"

Favorite relationship: Franziska & Miles, siblings of the century

Favorite headcanon: she doesn't know how to cook, and has lived out of a suitcase ever since she's been, like, 15.

Miles Edgeworth:

First impression: You are going to be a very tragic character and I won't feel sory for you

Impression now: Sir, have you seen your character growth consistency anywhere? Well, yes, I've figured you haven't.

Favorite moment: Any moment where someone supposes Miles is the bad guy and gives him and earful, and he stands there a bit flabberstaged like "Uh. Sure? Right." Which reminds me I need to finish AAI1

Idea for a story: Miles gets transported back into winter 2000 and is trapped in a timeloop which restes any time Manfred von Karma dies. It takes him forever to figure out thet timeloop is not about him.

Unpopular opinion: He is not pretty. And even years later he is... a shitty person.

Favorite relationship: Miles & Franziska siblings of the century

Favorite headcanon: Being brought up snobbish, he has tons of guilty pleasures that are just "normal" things. Boring wines. Telenovelas and sitcoms. Popular music. FPS videogames, dating sims. Junk food. (Part of the great thing about being around Phoenix Wright & co. is to get to experience everyday normal things "against" his will and enjoy it so much.)

Gregory Edgeworth:

First impression: Oh no, he is going to be my favourite. (Which is a loaded sentence for a picture of a guy being dead in an elevator.)

Impression now: You are a little shit, an absolute gremlin, a disaster politely wearing a suit and cosplaying a functional human being. Most excellent.

Favorite moment: I can't comment because I have not met him in canon alive yet. So all his moments were just being dead.

Idea for a story: The aforementioned timeloop above. But also some Embodied Attorney stuff, for example "how Miles made his dad and Raymond Shields to see each other again".

Unpopular opinion: He is not cool. He is the very antithesis of cool. He is, in fact, a horrible dork. With a mean streak.

Favorite relationship: Whatever fuckery he and Manfred von Karma have going on. (which is more driven by Manfred and Gregory suspiciously eyeing the disaster that grows out of it.)

Favorite headcanon: He wasn't properly unconscious when he died. He saw who shot him. When he was channeled, he lied. (also the first thing he said when he got channeled and it was explained to him he is dead was: "Is Miles alright?")

[yesthatssadirichardslove]

Exhibits and collectors editions mark 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's First Folio

NEW YORK

On the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's First Folio, rare originals are being displayed and publishers are offering collectors editions of Shakespeare's plays, including one that sells for $1,500.

Scholars believe that between 200-300 copies still survive from the late 1623 release of “Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories & Tragedies." Presided over by two friends and former colleagues of Shakespeare, who had died in 1616, the Folio ensured that lasting texts existed for “Macbeth,” “Twelfth Night” and other cornerstones of Western literature. In Shakespeare's lifetime, many of his works were unpublished or available only in cheap paperback editions.

“Without the First Folio we would have lost a world of words,” Gregory Doran, artistic director emeritus of the Royal Shakespeare Company, writes in the introduction to “The Complete Plays” of Shakespeare, a new publication.

First folios have been on exhibit everywhere from the British Museum to the New York Public Library and at least two major book projects will mark the anniversary.

The British Library is collaborating with Rizzoli Books in New York on “Shakespeare’s First Folio: 400th Anniversary Facsimile Edition,” contained within a slipcase cover. With a list price of $135, the book is 928 pages and includes an introductory booklet co-written by Adrian Edwards, head curator of the British Library’s Printed Heritage Collections.

The most ambitious, and exclusive project, is “The Complete Plays,” a limited edition from the Folio Society, an employee-owned company in London that puts out customized volumes ranging from "Beowulf" to George R.R. Martin's “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. The Society has printed just 1,000 copies of the 3-volume box set, with a list price of $1,500. Besides Doran's introduction, the Folio Society release includes a foreword by Dame Judi Dench. Each set is hand-numbered by illustrator Neil Packer.

More than three-quarters of “The Complete Plays” have already sold, according to the publisher.

“In an era when everything seems disposable, I feel like there's a good market for fine editions of classic books,” says Folio Society publishing director Tom Walker.

The First Folio was daring, even audacious for its time, when such publications were “reserved for learned treatises, hefty genealogical texts, books of religious or historiographical importance, or even works by monarchs,” according to Shakespeare scholar Chris Laoutaris. Before Shakespeare the only playwright known to have been so honored was his contemporary Ben Jonson, who honored himself by overseeing “The Workes of Benjamin Jonson” in 1616. While the British Museum edition is relatively affordable, the Folio Society's production is closer to the intended market for the original release.

"Only those with deep pockets, and the space to read them, could afford such luxurious products," says Laoutaris, an associate professor at the Shakespeare Institute in the playwright's native Stratford-On-Avon and author of “Shakespeare’s Book: The Intertwined Lives Behind the Fist Folio,” which came out this year. “When it was released, the First Folio cost more to produce than any other collection of plays in history up until that point.”

The Folio proved successful enough that an updated edition, the Second Folio, was published in 1632, a Third Folio in 1663 and a fourth in 1685. By the 19th century, the original Folio was becoming a valued piece of history, in part through the efforts of collectors Henry and Emily Folger, and a symbol of might for the British Empire. Sir George Grey, who had served as a colonial governor, established libraries worldwide that included copies of the First Folio.

“For Grey, the First Folio represented the pinnacle of culture, but specifically English culture,” Laoutaris says. “He sought nothing less than the obliteration of the language and culture of the native populations in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, nurturing a desire to replace these with the English language and its literary products."

The United States is home to more than half of all existing copies of the First Folio, followed by the United Kingdom and Japan, with handfuls of editions also existing in Germany, France, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand among other countries. For antiquarians, the First Folio is the greatest of prizes: One sold for $9.9 million in 2020. For scholars and countless admirers, the Folio is secondary to the plays themselves.

"Shakespeare’s stature, for the past 400 years, is a reflection of his plays’ staying power on the stage far more than their survival in a collected works," says James Shapiro, a professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University and author of several books on Shakespeare.

“You can buy a Ben Jonson folio for a few thousand dollars; a Shakespeare folio will cost you millions. The reason for this simple: the remarkable afterlife of his comedies, histories, and tragedies in theaters throughout the world.”

[camillasgirl]

A speech by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall at the Chalke Valley History Festival

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a huge pleasure to be with you today, to open the 10th Chalke Valley History Festival, and I should like to thank Claudia Rothermere very much for inviting me to join you.  Since 2012, you have more than surpassed your aim to “excite, enthral and entertain about the past” and, in so doing, you have become the largest festival in the world dedicated solely to history.  Not bad for an event whose original intention was rather more modest - to raise funds for the local cricket club!

One of the Festival’s co-founders has rightly said that “an understanding of the past is essential:  without that, it is impossible to make sense of the present or prepare for the future”.  I am biased, I know, but I think that in Wiltshire, we are especially blessed with our history – or, perhaps I should say, we are fortunate to be surrounded by an abundance of ghosts…  As Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir could tell us, Jane Seymour was born not too far from here, as were Sir Christopher Wren and Malmesbury barmaid Hannah Twynnoy, who has the dubious distinction of being the first person in Britain to be killed by a tiger, in 1703. To quote Alison - “it is people who make history”.  

It is also people who write history and we are very lucky to have two of our finest historical novelists with us here today.  Through their books, they have captivated literally millions of readers across the globe, including me, and they have given a voice to women who, for centuries, have been overlooked, forgotten or misunderstood, such as Elizabeth of York, Mary Boleyn and Margaret Beaufort.  Thank you for being at the Festival – I much look forward to our discussion later today!

I know that also there are many fascinating talks and interviews to whet our cerebral appetites over the coming week.  I am very envious of those who will be present on Saturday to listen to Nicholas Soames interview his sister Emma on her new biography of their late, lamented mother, Mary, which, I know will not be short of laughs!  Then, of course, there is the nation’s “History Guy”, Dan Snow, who will speak about Shackleton in Antarctica; and in the wake of a triumphant Jubilee, Robert Hardman will give a talk about his recent book on Her Majesty.    

Finally, I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the success of the Chalke Valley Festival over the past decade. To you, we can apply the famous words that the celebrated Wiltshire man Christopher Wren selected for his own epitaph in St Paul’s Cathedral.

I shall not attempt it in Latin, but it translates as:  “If you seek his monument, look around”.  As we look around today at our crowd of lovers of history and lovers of literature, we see the fruits of your vision and your labour, and we are deeply grateful to you all.  

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am now delighted to declare the Chalke Valley History Festival open!

[lessapander]

It occurred to me that maybe I should source the images on the wall, should people want to find them at some point. My partner advised a "gallery style" diagram instead of trying to put numbers over the images themselves.

Pieces 1, 15, & 17: h.Naoto Hangry & Angry postcards (purchased probably 2009-2010ish at conventions) Pieces 2, 25 & 30: Australiana bird illustrations from Sir Gregory & Co. Pieces 3 & 24: Postcards from Enchantlic Enchantilly (from around 2012 or 2013?) Pieces 4, 6, 8, & 22: Limited Edition Postcards/Prints from the 2006 box sets of He-Man and She-Ra Piece 5: Hakuoki LE print that was in a secondhand artbook I found. I'm not sure if this was some kind of special preorder perk, or what. There are three. I only found one frame that fits their weird dimensions. Pieces 7, 19, 23 & 29: Prints from Sakizo. Two are actual higher quality printed cards intended to be framed and displayed. Two are from stationery releases that I thought were too pretty not to display. Pieces 9 & 10: Ichiban Kuji Mimikyuu's Camping Night dishes (I don't remember the actual series name). They were too cute for me to risk beating up with use, so I got plate hangers and put them on the wall instead. Pieces 11 & 20: Postcard prints of Requiescat by Briton Rivière and Winding the Skein by Lord Frederic Leighton Pieces 12 & 26: Personal artwork that I'll probably replace with something else. Nothing to see here. Pieces 13 & 28: Postcards from Atelier Pierrot (gifts from orders in past years, I don't recall when) Piece 14: A personal gouache piece painted in 2019 Piece 16: A postcard of Betty Draper from Madmen as Barbie from one of the box set releases Piece 18: I actually cannot remember for the life of me and will need to pop this open to check, but I'm pretty sure it's a postcard from Omnia, from the first time I received something from them. Piece 21: Technically a bunch of pieces in a glass-fronted box, showcasing my sculptural, more artistic jewellery pieces. Piece 27: A linocut by Chaotic Good Design, depicting the artist's cat, Jon Snow.

I really need to buy a level to make this work better, but the chaos of the chaos wall is increasing.

I picked up five more frames today (the black horizontal frame in the lower left, with the white mat and red Hangry & Angry print, the largeish gold frame to the bottom left with the Sakizo print, the two "rose gold" horizontal small frames in the middle sections, and the large silver frame with the cat linocut in the bottom centre).

As for the two mosaic'd pieces, I still haven't decided if theyr'e staying or not. Every time I get new pieces framed, I rearrange a bit and decide if I really like things where they are. I've been tempted to take everything down, spackle all the holes, paint, and start over with more methodical measuring, more than once. Part of me wants to make it more mathematic, but part of me is screaming EMBRACE IT! So we'll go with the embracing for now (for now).

The gap in the frames towards the left of the accessories case is one I've left on purpose. I have a particular, square piece I want to go there, but haven't found the right frame for it yet. I have found literally one frame that it would fit in, and it was a bizarre watermelon themed summer photo frame.

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1852 – Lady Isabella Augusta Gregory (née Persse), playwright, folklorist and co-founder of the Abbey Theatre, is born in Roxborough, Co Galway.

Lady Gregory was a dramatist, folklorist and theatre director; also a co-founder of the Abbey Theatre. George Bernard Shaw once described Lady Augusta Gregory as ‘the greatest living Irishwoman’. Lady Gregory, also known as Isabella Augusta, was born in Roxborough, Co Galway. She married Sir William Henry Gregory in 1880. Sir Gregory owned an estate at Coole Park near Gort in Co Galway. The house…

[onceandfuturenerd]

Our latest episode is available now!

A HANDFUL OF BODYGUARDS, PT. 2

Old rivalries flare in Pacific Ridge. Nelson finds a kindred spirit. Regan folds some new allies into the Party’s plan.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:47 — 28.4MB)

CREDITS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Directed by CHRISTIAN T. KELLEY-MADERA

Written by CHRISTIAN T. KELLEY-MADERA and GREGORY M. SCHULZ

PERFORMED BY: RHIANNON ANGELL as…      Janey GARRETT ARMYN as…      Sir Brennen Willemson DAN DOBRANSKY as…      Vanderberg ANYA GIBIAN as…      Aerona Regan IAN HARKINS as…      The Narrator and Ranger 1 CHRISTIAN T. KELLEY-MADERA as…      Bill PAUL NOTICE as…      Nelson ANA O’DANIEL as…      Lulu FRANK QUERIS as…      Billy JULIE REED as…      Jen REGINA RENEE RUSSELL as…      Nia GREGORY M. SCHULZ as…      Yllowyyn, Ranger 3, and Weston DAVID SYLVESTER WOLF as…      O’an Hritsl

Editing by JIM BANTING

Foley, Sound Design, and Post Production Mixing by EDWARD BUSH

Additional Writing Help from ANA O’DANIEL

Music Direction and Main Theme by TOM LEE

Additional Scoring by CHRIS MONTALBO

Created and Executive Produced by ZACH GLASS & CHRISTIAN T. KELLEY-MADERA

Co-Executive Produced by JESS KELLEY-MADERA

Associate Producers SUSAN DEGAN and ALEC STORY

The script for this episode can be found here, and the transcript for our announcements here.

We’ll be back with our next episode on March 26. We’ll see you then!

CONTENT NOTES:

Intimate partner violence is a recurring throughline of this chapter

Words of racial and gendered abuse are used

END OF LISTED CONTENT NOTES.

[vanessakirbyfans]

Vanessa Kirby has joined the cast of “The Son,” Florian Zeller’s follow up to his Oscar-winning feature debut “The Father,” Variety has learned.

Kirby, who was Oscar-nominated for “Pieces of a Woman,” will star in the film opposite Laura Dern and Hugh Jackman. As with “The Father,” “The Son” was adapted by Zeller and Christopher Hampton (“Dangerous Liaisons”), from Zeller’s critically acclaimed stage play. Zeller and Hampton just won the best adapted screenplay Oscar.

“The Son” focuses on Peter (Jackman) as his busy life with new partner Emma (Kirby) and their baby is thrown into disarray when his ex-wife Kate (Dern) turns up with their teenage son, Nicholas. The young man is troubled, distant and angry, playing truant from school for months. Peter strives to be a better father, searching to help his son with those intimate and instinctive moments of family happiness. But the weight of Nicholas’ condition sets the family on a dangerous course.

The film is being produced by Oscar winners Iain Canning and Emile Sherman (“The King’s Speech”), as well as Joanna Laurie of See-Saw Films and Christophe Spadone (“The Father”) alongside Zeller. Film4 are co-financing. Shooting is expected to start in the coming weeks.

“Vanessa Kirby is for me a very great actress: intense, inventive and powerful. I am especially happy to take her on this cinematic adventure,” said Zeller.

Laurie added that the project “holds a mirror up to our families and our emotions and we’re very excited to add Vanessa to the already exceedingly talented cast of Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern in bringing this story to life.”

In addition to her Oscar nod for “Pieces of a Woman,” Kirby won the Volpi Cup for best actress as the 2020 Venice Film Festival. She gained international acclaim for her portrayal of Princess Margaret in “The Crown,” winning a BAFTA Award for best supporting actress. Her film credits include “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” and the Fast universe spinoff “Hobbs & Shaw.” She is also an Ian Charleston Award winner for her roles in “Three Sisters” and “Uncle Vanya.”  Kirby’s upcoming projects include “Suddenly” from writer-director Thomas Bidegain, in which she will star with Jake Gyllenhaal.

International sales on “The Son” are being handled by Cross City Films and Embankment, with Cross City Films and CAA Media Finance co-repping U.S. rights.

Kirby is represented by CAA and Hamilton Hodell and Gregory Slewett at Ziffren Brittenham, and managed by Linden Entertainment. Florian Zeller is represented by CAA.

Zeller is rolling off “The Father” which won two BAFTAs and a pair of Oscars for adapted screenplay and leading actor for Sir Anthony Hopkins. “The Father” also earned Oscar nominations for best picture, editing, production design and supporting actress.

[oots-digitalmedia]

Queer Rep in The Once and Future Nerd

Title: The Once and Future Nerd

    Status: Hiatus

    Co-Creators and Executive Producers: Zach Glass, Christian Madera

Cast: Rhiannon Angell, Garrett Armyn, Dan Dobransky, Anya Gibian, Ian Harkins, Shannon Harris, Riley Jones, April Ortiz, Paul Notice, Juliet Prather, Frank Queris, Julie Reed, Gregory M. Schulz,

    Queer Creators: Unknown

    Accessibility: Content warnings in episode description, scripts available on their website here.

Summary: When three high school students from modern-day Pennsylvania find themselves trapped in a world of wizards, elves, and feudal intrigue, they must learn to survive in their new surroundings, and undertake an epic quest to save the world from the encroaching forces of chaos.

WARNING: This Audio Drama contains adult language, graphic descriptions of violence, and explicit discussions of sexuality. This is, of course, in the interest of historical realism. We hope you enjoy our story about wizards and elves.

Tags: gay character, multiple bisexual characters, multiple lesbian characters,

More details and/or spoilers under the break.

Check out our other queer podcast recommendations here.

ID tags: Sir Brennen Wilemson: Gay, Aerona Regan: Bisexual, Angie Fallon: Bisexual, Bowen Briarhelm: Mlm, Janice: lesbian, Elsa: lesbian, Arlene Redmoor: lesbian, Gwen: lesbian

Details and/or Spoilers: Janice and Elsa are a married lesbian couple, Arlene Redmoor and Gwen are a lesbian couple