Difference between revisions of "Ghyll:Folktown Records"

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Dibbed.  --[[User:Jcowan|Jcowan]] 00:01, 14 Oct 2004 (EDT)
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The '''''Folktown Records''''' is a newspaper published in [[Folktown]] every Ulfsday.  It has published over 650 issues in the 13 years (as of {{EC}} 0) since its founding.  The term "newspaper" is only somewhat applicable; although some of the editorial content of each issue is actual news, a great deal of it consists of questions sent in by readers (especially children, some of them as young as 11) and answers concocted by the staff.
  
'''DESPITE APPEARANCES, THIS IS NOT YET AN ARTICLE, JUST GOOP FROM OTHER ARTICLES TO BE WORKED IN LATER, SO DON'T BOTHER READING/EDITING!'''
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Like most newspapers, the ''Folktown Records'' is supported entirely by advertising, and actually loses more money the more papers it sells, since papers are sold well below cost.  Though it might seem reasonable on the basis of these facts not to sell any copies at all, this would obviously lead to the immediate loss of advertising revenue, so it cannot be done.
  
But we need not doubt it; Tim Timperton was a high ranking member of the council before taking up post as an [[agony uncle]] in the [[Folktown Records]]. Why he would change career from a Quezlarian researcher to an [[agony uncle]], one can only guess...
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The term ''[[agony uncle]]'' is often applied to the employees of the ''Folktown Records''.  All scholars who have discussed the point agree that the term is sometimes derogatory, but they disagree sharply on whether the term is becoming more or less derogatory and in whose usage. The most appropriate policy is probably to avoid the term altogether, unless one actually works there.
  
An "agony uncle" is a derogatory term applied to employees of the [[Folktown Records]] weekly newspaper, a long running and esteemed publication with over six hundred issues released. Since the core focus of the [[Folktown Records]] is to be a conduit between answers and the innocent questions children ask, a large number of employees are patient and wise men and women, trained to answer tough questions simply, but correctly.
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The ''Folktown Records'' occupies a suite of rooms on the sixth floor of the so-called "Waffle-Iron Building" (named for its shape) in downtown [[Folktown]].  The staff works in a large open space, usually called the "[[Aelfants|aelfant]]-pen"; the editors, however, have private offices.  There is a small break room for the use of the staff when not reading letters, writing answers, or filing stories; this room contains a table on which various members of the staff often leave home-baked sweets for the enjoyment of their colleagues.  The newspaper is printed in the LaBrecque Printing Plant on the second floor of the same building.
  
I really must protest the use of the term [[Agony uncle]] to describe a fine upstanding lad like Tim TimpertonAs my ''esteemed'' fellow researcher is obviously aware, an "[[Agony uncle]]" is a '''derogatory''' term applied to employees of the [[Folktown Records]] weekly newspaperWhile I admit that Tim works at that fine establishment, he is a fine, upstanding lad.   --Qwentyth Pyre comment
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The ''Folktown Records'' is wholly owned by the Huacs, a well-known and wealthy [[Wakanpantricism|Wakanpantricist]] family of the Southern sectThere is frequently talk among the employees that the Huacs are selling out either to their ''soi-disant'' hated rivals the [[Grommies]], owners of the ''[[Iganefta Recorder]]'', or else to a consortium of the senior editorsNothing ever seems to come of these rumors, however.
  
Not living close enough to the Folktown Records offices to have ever heard the term "[[Agony uncle|agony uncle]]" used in a derogatory manner, I stand by my use of the phrase as it stands in the entry. The author of the "[[Agony uncle]]" entry should've noted that in more rural areas the phrase has lost its pejorative connotations, though he was probably as unaware of that as I was the inverse. --[[User:Sbp|Sean B. Palmer]] 13:03, 3 Sep 2004 (EDT)
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In addition to the weekly issues, the ''Folktown Records'' runs a special issue (which is not numbered) on the day following each of the [[Calends Gala|Calends Galas]], unless indeed that coincides with the publication date of a regular issue, in which case the regular issue takes its place.
  
I think you'll find that it is more a matter of the phrase having not yet '''gained''' the pejorative connotations it gained in less backward areas. Prior to around -3 {{EC}} the [[Folktown Records]] actually used the term itself, but this was becoming more and more of a sore point with its staff since it had gained its derogatory nuance at least 5 years previously. --[[User:Talliesin|Talliesin]] 18:47, 15 Sep 2004 (EDT)
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No article about the ''Folktown Records'' would be complete without mention of the famous issue #316, which recounted the death -- on the very [[Day of Champions]] -- of [[Iain Underholm Smallwood]], the uncle-in-law of [[Baron Claude Lloyd Albert Smallwood|Baron Smallwood]].  The then Baron actually melted under the combined effects of externally applied [[Adlorst Vinifera|Adlorst wine]] and [[Ball Lightning Liqueur]].  This issue sold so well that no less than four printings were required, three on the day of issue and a fourth five days later, in order to meet the pent-up demand.  The paper's finances took several years to recover completely.
  
Windsor Creame, a 57-year old man in his twelfth year of service at the paper. One cool and calm day, the polar opposite of the heated fury to follow, Windsor was touring his nephew, [[Daniel Mboya]], around the [[Folktown Records]] office. What follows next was hastily transcribed by a fellow employee:
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The ''Folktown Records'' also runs poetry and fiction, some of it written by the staff, but a good deal of it by unpaid contributors who either live in [[Folktown]] and its environs or else are considered by the staff to be especially talented. The ''Folktown Records'' is considered a newspaper of record by the Folktown courts, and consequently the lume on which it is printed is made  from acid-free high-quality [[darseed]]-pulp rather than the usual wood pulp. The ''Folktown Records'' prefers to refer to itself as ''The Folktown Records'', a practice not followed by other publications, including this encyclopedia.
  
'''Windsor''': Oh look, this is the break room. We've got brownies!
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'''Citations''': [[Agony uncle]], [[Grommies]], [[Iain Underholm Smallwood]].
  
The transcriber recalls Windsor pushing [[Daniel Mboya|Daniel]] roughly into the break room, and slamming him into one of the empty wooden chairs.
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--[[User:Jcowan|John Cowan]] 01:21, 16 Oct 2004 (EDT)
  
On the other hand, the gardener, outside in the bright sun, reports Windsor waving cordially, and "enjoying a brownie with his favorite nephew." The transcriber disagrees, saying that Windsor "forcefully [shoved] food into the boy's mouth." The editor, returning from a meeting down the hall, saw only Windsor, with his hand cupped over [[Daniel Mboya|Daniel]]'s mouth, leaving "in a huff."
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[[Category: Organizations]]
  
ven without irrefutable proof, Windsor Creame, newly dubbed the "agony uncle" and pushed "over the edge by the ceaseless accusations of answer ineptitude", was the obvious choice.
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The [[Amphitheatre Aristocracy]] meet once a week at the Folktown Amphitheatre to discuss matters of import, to eat and drink, and sometimes to perform. At one time, the Amphitheatre aristocracy contained one of the greatest theatre companies in the world. Nowadays, with the general decline of theatre the group is dominated by scholars who frequently stage large debates on a wide variety of issues. These debates frequently attract a wide cross-section of the public; from the elite (such as the owners of the [[Folktown Records]] weekly newspaper) to the lowly.
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''Concocted''? Dear sir, the answers are entirely factual! --[[User:Morbus Iff|Morbus Iff]] 20:53, 18 Oct 2004 (EDT)
  
These Alezanians supposedly are remarkably 'evil' in appearance, and are allegedly prone to such activities as kidnapping and devouring badly behaved children, building and then abandoning civilizations, and possibly even tearing up the throats of--rather than eating--said misbehaved children, though the only person to have thought this last possible worked at [[Folktown Records]].
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I was of course, using the term in its original or etymological sense of ''cooked together''. You will not claim, I suppose, that just because roast [[Sphoxolis Trees|Sphoxolis fruit]] is produced by cookery, that it is therefore not a real vegetable?  --[[User:Jcowan|John Cowan]] 17:02, 3 Nov 2004 (EST)
 
 
Even in our contemporary times, the pursuit of AuroAnthropology has been at best considered fairly controversial. Consider this recent clipping from our own [[Folktown Records]], edition 312:
 
 
 
<blockquote><p>"Why does the Sun Shine?" - Gibbous Saunders, age 11.</p>
 
 
 
<p>Garth Haversham (Managing Editor) replies: "Dear readers, while it is the policy and mission of this publication to provide clear answers to questions, in this case myself and my staff have had to make a tough call--Master Saunders, ask your mother."</p>
 
</blockquote>
 
 
 
It is hard to find record of an unkind word being spoken of her, though clearly the mother mentioned in this extract from the [[Folktown Records]] was an exception:
 
 
 
<blockquote>''The question:'' My mother says that Bethany Mboya is "no better than she ought to be". What does this strangely formed sentence mean, and is it true? ''And the reply:'' I can assure you from personal experience that Bethany is considerably better than any one woman has any right to be.</blockquote>
 
 
 
[[Folktown Records]] #519 reported that [[Bobby Shwarmph]] may--or may not--have been the victim of a freak ball lightning accident, suffering searing burns across his throat which left him scarred and speechless. The article also hints he may have been the victim of foul play. However, our interviews with former associates indicate Shwarmph was mostly driven into plain old alcohol addiction after a vaguely documented incident during his factfinding trip to the [[Alezan]] ruins near his home.
 
 
 
At the end of the [[Day of Champions]], there is a traditional feast where the members of the Folktown Council are bound to serve all comers from a large array of bay marees. Huge quantities of [[Adlorst Vinifera|Adlorst wine]] are consumed, making the following day somewhat of an ordeal for most. This time of servitude presents some special risks to the members of the Council: at last count, there have been eleven assassinations at these end-of-day events. The most notable was when [[Baron Claude Lloyd Albert Smallwood|Baron Smallwood’s]] uncle, [[Iain Underholm Smallwood]], was attacked by an unidentified assailant who sprayed his victim with [[Adlorst Vinifera|Adlorst wine]] and then threw [[Ball Lightning Liqueur]] over him. The resulting conflagration caused [[Iain Underholm Smallwood|Iain Smallwood]] to melt in front of bystanders, and the assassin avoided capture (it may only be coincidence that the next issue of the [[Folktown Records]] was its best selling ever - so much so that a second and third printing were required.)
 
 
 
And, indeed, there is a promising upsurge of interest in the old stories of late, with last year's Author Laureat being awarded to Mork Wasterson, a 87-year-old man, for the telling of his experiences on the day of the [[Earthquake of Fluyr]].
 
 
 
<blockquote>''As he told the tale, it was as though we were there with him, and he was again just 13, running home from the [[Baleman]] as the trembling earth tried to toss him to the ground. ([[Folktown Records]], special Gala report)''</blockquote>
 
 
 
The pulp remaining after the darseeds and plants have been processed for oil is used to make the fine paper on which the [[Folktown Records]] weekly newspaper is printed and the lesser pulp is ground into a mash to be used as a livestock feed.
 
 
 
Phineas - a script does exist, tied into the [http://inamidst.com/misc/folkrec/250 Folktown Records release dates] (just change the number in the URL to the FR issue you'd like to know the date of). If every FR is released on an Ulfsday (as per the discussion on [[Talk:Encyclopedant Calendar]], you can infer any other dates from that (just find the FR release nearest toward your intended date, and then count forward or backwards). --[[User:Morbus Iff|Morbus Iff]] 08:34, 14 Sep 2004 (EDT)
 
 
 
From an advertisement in the [[Folktown Records]] (33rd edition, -13/11/22 [[EC]]):
 
 
 
<blockquote>
 
Do YOU like to gossip and gander?
 
<br />Love to peep and spy on [[Forbidden Tom]]s?
 
<br />Want a life more interesting than your own?
 
<br />Come to ELMINSTER MIRE! Open year round!
 
</blockquote>
 

Latest revision as of 12:50, 14 August 2005

The Folktown Records is a newspaper published in Folktown every Ulfsday. It has published over 650 issues in the 13 years (as of EC 0) since its founding. The term "newspaper" is only somewhat applicable; although some of the editorial content of each issue is actual news, a great deal of it consists of questions sent in by readers (especially children, some of them as young as 11) and answers concocted by the staff.

Like most newspapers, the Folktown Records is supported entirely by advertising, and actually loses more money the more papers it sells, since papers are sold well below cost. Though it might seem reasonable on the basis of these facts not to sell any copies at all, this would obviously lead to the immediate loss of advertising revenue, so it cannot be done.

The term agony uncle is often applied to the employees of the Folktown Records. All scholars who have discussed the point agree that the term is sometimes derogatory, but they disagree sharply on whether the term is becoming more or less derogatory and in whose usage. The most appropriate policy is probably to avoid the term altogether, unless one actually works there.

The Folktown Records occupies a suite of rooms on the sixth floor of the so-called "Waffle-Iron Building" (named for its shape) in downtown Folktown. The staff works in a large open space, usually called the "aelfant-pen"; the editors, however, have private offices. There is a small break room for the use of the staff when not reading letters, writing answers, or filing stories; this room contains a table on which various members of the staff often leave home-baked sweets for the enjoyment of their colleagues. The newspaper is printed in the LaBrecque Printing Plant on the second floor of the same building.

The Folktown Records is wholly owned by the Huacs, a well-known and wealthy Wakanpantricist family of the Southern sect. There is frequently talk among the employees that the Huacs are selling out either to their soi-disant hated rivals the Grommies, owners of the Iganefta Recorder, or else to a consortium of the senior editors. Nothing ever seems to come of these rumors, however.

In addition to the weekly issues, the Folktown Records runs a special issue (which is not numbered) on the day following each of the Calends Galas, unless indeed that coincides with the publication date of a regular issue, in which case the regular issue takes its place.

No article about the Folktown Records would be complete without mention of the famous issue #316, which recounted the death -- on the very Day of Champions -- of Iain Underholm Smallwood, the uncle-in-law of Baron Smallwood. The then Baron actually melted under the combined effects of externally applied Adlorst wine and Ball Lightning Liqueur. This issue sold so well that no less than four printings were required, three on the day of issue and a fourth five days later, in order to meet the pent-up demand. The paper's finances took several years to recover completely.

The Folktown Records also runs poetry and fiction, some of it written by the staff, but a good deal of it by unpaid contributors who either live in Folktown and its environs or else are considered by the staff to be especially talented. The Folktown Records is considered a newspaper of record by the Folktown courts, and consequently the lume on which it is printed is made from acid-free high-quality darseed-pulp rather than the usual wood pulp. The Folktown Records prefers to refer to itself as The Folktown Records, a practice not followed by other publications, including this encyclopedia.

Citations: Agony uncle, Grommies, Iain Underholm Smallwood.

--John Cowan 01:21, 16 Oct 2004 (EDT)


Concocted? Dear sir, the answers are entirely factual! --Morbus Iff 20:53, 18 Oct 2004 (EDT)

I was of course, using the term in its original or etymological sense of cooked together. You will not claim, I suppose, that just because roast Sphoxolis fruit is produced by cookery, that it is therefore not a real vegetable? --John Cowan 17:02, 3 Nov 2004 (EST)