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hausofneptune · 5 months

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(repost) [the astrology of pedro pascal] - hard moon aspects (major) | moon square pluto

hey y’all! in this series we’ll be covering major hard/challenging aspects (squares and oppositions) to pedro’s moon. minor challenging aspects to his moon (semi-squares/sesquiquadrates and semi-sextiles/inconjunctions) will be covered in an upcoming series, as well as the rest of the major and minor aspects to the rest of his planets, and asteroids in his chart! i also want to note that when it comes to these aspects, they have to be examined through the lens of the entire chart, as they’re influenced by a myriad of factors within it.

disclaimers | masterlist | ask

moon square pluto (5°13’)

– discussions surrounding plutonian themes can be heavy so content warning for violence, (childhood) trauma, death, and abuse. nothing detailed or explicit, just an advisory for those who want to avoid these topics. we do discuss parental loss at length in this post, so if that’s a subject anyone would like to avoid feel free to skip this one. ♡

in this aspect, the planetary bodies are in conflict with one another. the moon represents our subconscious feelings, our feminine (light/yin) sides, how we show up emotionally, how we crave nurturement, as well as our home and familial dynamics. it’s also indicative of our mother/maternal figures, our relationship to them, and how we perceive them to love and nurture us. pluto is considered the co-ruler of scorpio in modern astrology, and is representative of sexuality, the taboo, fears, death, control/domination, destruction and rebirth. pluto is also a generational planet, and stays in the same sign for 12-32 years, therefore people born within that time frame will all share the same placement.

this aspect indicates a struggle within the emotional subconscious. these natives tend to be private people, and constantly operate on offense. they’ve experienced turmoil in their lives, and therefore tend to assume all good things must come with a “catch”. there’s an innate fear of being controlled or overpowered by others, and they may isolate themselves for long periods of time as a means to maintain a sense of control. they may also self-isolate to gain a better understanding of themselves. their inner world is tumultuous, but they don’t typically show this side of themselves.

pluto is in an everlasting battle with their moon. their emotions, desires for nurturement and security, are constantly being overpowered by pluto’s need for control and deconstruction. these natives may suffer from stress as a result of subconsciously feeling like they’re always under threat, they tend to see others’ motivations through the lens of their own negative past experiences. they may anticipate being emotionally ambushed or attacked, and when they find themselves in a situation where that’s the case, their repressed destructive emotions will come to the surface in full-force.

the mother/maternal figure plays a significant role in the native’s life with this aspect. similar to having the moon in the 8th house or the moon in scorpio, the mother’s lived experience may have been 8H related, scorpionic, or plutonian. she may have been a caretaker to someone who was sick or struggled with addiction, experienced abuse or trauma, been a practicing occultist, worked in the sex industry, or (in the case of pedro’s mother) been a psychologist, social worker, or counselor. in extreme cases, this can also manifest as having a mother who was a source of trauma for the native. the mother could’ve been abusive, manipulative, or neglectful. she may have also been sick, struggling with addiction, or may have passed away when the native was young, the latter unfortunately being something that pedro experienced in his early 20s.

he discusses what the loss of his mother entailed for him emotionally in the Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso podcast: “‘it was summer in Chile as well. so it was very beautiful out, and a very beautiful day, and none of that seemed to coincide very well with what was happening. and so i remember it being an unbelievable thing to get through, to be honest with you.’ what do you mean by unbelievable? ‘i just love her so much, and she’s just kind of the love of my life in a way. the world doesn’t stop, and the sun doesn’t stop shining. [emotionally] it was hard for me to register, just to comprehend that you could be in a car going to a cremation service and see family playing in the yard, experiencing something so drastically different, right in front of you.’ that other people could be experiencing joy. ‘not even mildly, you know, like a beautiful summer day, and I remember that more than anything - everything stopped, and I was very resentful that nothing stopped.’”

apart from the maternal side of this aspect, moon square pluto can also manifest as disruption within their immediate family or in the home, as well as extreme separation anxiety, alongside fears of losing the parent(s) or home. this is also another part of this aspect we can see the manifestation of with pedro, not only in his parents escaping Chile when he was a child, but as well as the fear he had in relation to his parents’ safety, specifically his mother’s. this is something he also mentions in the Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso podcast: “‘[there’s a] Costa-Gavras movie called Missing with Sissy Spacek and Jack Lemmon, which deals with the military dictatorship in Chile at the time. it’s a true story where an American journalist went missing and was found dead. i remember watching this at home on cable, and there was a moment where Sissy Spacek‘s character - she doesn’t make it home before curfew, and she just kind of gets trapped in the city. and, again, sort of a beautiful, small framed woman that reminded me so much of my mother, i sort of projected these kind of images of my mother into these characters’ circumstances.

“‘and i just remembered completely falling apart when she was in danger, when she was so afraid, and imagining that that could’ve happened to my mother. i remember having a little bit of a breakdown,’ it’s like in the house, no one in the family talked about it, ‘no,’ and it took a film from Hollywood to kind of give language to something no one was giving language to. ‘yeah, and you know, i could sit through anything at the time and i remember, like, just starting to cry and being like ‘i can’t - i can’t watch this.’ and i was like, gosh, i don’t know, i must’ve been like eight [years old].’”

in youth, these natives may have felt like their emotions were bigger than them. this, alongside the turmoil within their households or families, could’ve made them hypersensitive or anxious. their childhoods tend to be a source of wounding, resulting in their deep-rooted insecurities and fears. their need for control comes from a place of feeling as though they never had it, and therefore, they feel they need it as a means to feel safe and secure at all times. throughout their lives they will encounter dramatic changes and growth that will inevitably bring them closer to their families. over time, they may end up feeling like their family members are the only ones that truly understand them and accept them for who they are.

because those with this aspect tend to “protect” this intense side of themselves, pressure will inevitably build under the things that they attempt to keep a lid on, and burst when push comes to shove. while their innate desire for control may be understandable, they struggle to recognize that repressing this side of themselves is ultimately working against their best interest, their internalized anguish will end up controlling them in the long run.

in relationships, this may manifest as a fear of intimacy or a refusal to show up emotionally. they’re emotional hermits, and can be aloof when it comes to their own feelings. their preconceived notion that others innately want to hurt them typically manifests the most in this area of their lives. they may want their partners to “prove” themselves, and can be very expectant of others to adjust or change themselves to best suit their own desires and needs. they can come off as emotionally demanding, and tend to be non-reciprocal in return.

they hate feeling restricted/controlled by or subservient to their partners, and when this is the case, they can grow resentful and may resort to manipulative, subversive behaviors. these behaviors are triggered by their deep-rooted fears of heartbreak, loss, and rejection. it can be difficult for those around them to understand the way the natives’ emotions overwhelm and restrict them. unfortunately, they may even subconsciously sabotage their own relationships as a result of their insecurities and fears. they could encounter power struggles frequently in relationships, and must work to know when to mediate and compromise with their partners.

mastery of this aspect takes time and patience, there is a metamorphosis that these natives must go through. as mentioned, they tend to self-isolate to work and heal themselves, they may also favor being single or alone for the most part. it takes time, maturity, and healing through what they’ve experienced to reach a point of self-actualization, they could benefit from therapy or counseling as well. they grow to have a great understanding of the dark side of life, as they’ve lived through so much of it. they must productively channel their energy into self-growth or servicing others, rather than intense reactions to the people and situations around them. when they learn to trust life and unlearn the expectation of betrayal, they can become amazing mentors, teachers, counselors, etc. and have the capacity to nurture and help others, especially the most vulnerable among us.

i mentioned before how i’m a (virgo) moon in the 8H girly myself, and i find the similarities between the moon in the 8H, moon in scorpio, and moon square pluto to be so interesting. my mom was actually a scorpio moon and struggled with an illness since she was born, which in turn made my childhood pretty turbulent, and she actually ended up passing away when i was a teenager. i also have the “emotional hermit” trait as well. i tend to self-isolate a lot and getting me to be vulnerable is the equivalent of pulling teeth:). it should go without mentioning that these placements aren’t going to manifest the same for everyone, though. you could have these placements and have the perfect relationship with your mom or a great childhood. every part of your natal chart has varying degrees of influence, so the impact will be different for everyone!

but as always if anyone has any of the placements or aspects mentioned in this post i’d love to hear how it personally manifests in your own life and how it impacts your personality, or if anyone has anything to add in general feel free to reach out and let me know!

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gamerbearmira · 2 years

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Mario or protective. Those would be fun

I!!!! HAVE SOMETHING...mario related because it has me in a chokehold.

@a-bored-multifandomer how dare you do this to me.

take a picture, cause I don't write often ☠️☠️ SPEAKING OF I NEED TO GET THE NEXT CHAPTERS OF MY 2 STORIES OUT BEFORE THE END OF JULY 😦

In the meantime, take this <3

----

Alma walked through the snow as she watched her five grandchildren run around ahead of her, little Antonio settled in her arms. She was on her way to her good friends house; Captain Shy Guzmán; though most of the time when she was off the field, it was simply Señora Guzmán.

Originally, Alma was set to go alone. But her nietos had begged her to come, wanting to go see their friend, Mariano. The boy was about Isabela and Dolores age, maybe a year older.

"Abuela, mira mira!" Mirabel (and her hermanas, prima and primo) came running up to the woman was she came to a stop to look down at them, a warm smile gracing her face.

"Si? What is it nieta?" Abuela bent down slightly, Antonio giggling as he reached for his siblings.

"Look, I have ice on my hands!" She held up her hands, as did her sisters.

"And my hat turned blue and its really cold!" Dolores beamed, pointing to her hat (Was it even a hat? Alma didn't know, it was an enigma to her; the children slept with them on, and they never seemed to come off of their heads...)

Upon closer inspection, she realized that Mirabel wasn't holding ice; her hands had literally turned to ice; it was the same with her sisters. Dolores and her brothers (somehow Antonio had been affected as well, despite him being in her arms the entire time.), had ice coating their hats, like how Dolores described.

"¡Oh, dios mio!" Alma immediately grabbed them all, scooping them up and holding them tightly as she picked up the pace. "How come you didn't tell me before? I would have warmed you up a while ago!" Alma worriedly asked. She began to up her body temperature; something she usually didn't do unless she was about to use her fire, but this was an exception.

Her daughters and son had bundled the kids up, basically wrapping them entirely in extra clothing, so they wouldn't get cold. They had insisted they wear it, so they wouldn't get sick. Yet somehow, they had been affected anyway?!

"But we're not cold Abuela," Isabela said in a confused tone.

Alma slowed down slightly, look down at her grandchildren who were still smiling, not even seeming to notice how cold they were.

"Are you sure? You feel mighty cold," Alma asked.

"Yeah, we feel fine! It doesn't hurt anywhere or anything, and we're not super cold," Mirabel explained.

Alma's face contorted to one of confusion. They say they aren't cold, and yet they still feel cold? She thought hard for a moment, trying figure out if they maybe were so cold they went numb or had what humans called 'frostbite'---and then it hit her.

They weren't sick and they didn't have frostbite. This was just their ice form.

She had one too, as did her children---even Pepa (who was never quite fully human; she was part Koopa and Boo, so it only made sense). The only one who didn't have one was Pedro, but that's because, one, hes a ghost and therefore can't feel temperatures, and two, he's the one that makes things cold when he enters a room.

Alma didn't use her ice form often, its not like she needed it. She only ever used it if she was staying in a cold area for long periods of time. But seeing as she was only traveling through Cool Cool Mountain, it never occured to her to use it.

Sighing, she set them down again, letting Dolores hold Antonio.

"I had completely forgotten," Alma said relieved.

"Forgotten what?" Camilo asked.

"About the ice forms we have. You all haven't ever travelled through snow like this for a long amount of time, so they never manifested until now." She patted each of their heads, chuckling. "But I guess that's a good thing, huh? You won't be as cold."

"That's so cool!" Camilo's eyes lit up as he and his siblings ran foward to play in the snow again, Mirabel and her sisters close behind.

Alma laughed as she followed behind them, making sure they stayed nearby. She doesn't even know why she was ever worried; they're her grandchild after all, they take too much after their parents for her to be so worried for them.

-----

Moar???? Maybe later...

#encanto #encanto au #au #my asks are open #my asks #encanto mirabel #encanto antonio #encanto dolores #encanto isabela #encanto camilo #encanto Luisa #encanto alma #encanto super mario au

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bedtimestoriesforbrokengirls · 1 year

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This... Is BGNN

Things you might want to know, for Mar 20, 2023:

How much sex will you have in Starfield? 'None,' says the Australian government — Bethesda isn’t BioWare or CD Projekt Red… I don’t think any of us really need the “arrow in my knee” people trying to wedge overt NPC sexuality into their already thin characterizations. For Bethesda to do sex “their way”, they’d need to systematize it, schedule it, and make it a bodily function like eating and sleeping, which is a can of worms that MicroDaddy would never allow anyone to open.

I Coaxed ChatGPT Into a Deeply Unsettling BDSM Relationship — No, you asked a probabilistic text generator to give you the most likely response to your thirst-prompts, and it did what it could to distill the scraped stupidity of the general internet into something you might like.

San Francisco’s Infamous ‘Kink Castle’ Could Become Home to a New Jazz Club — I’m sorry, but that building is forever visually tainted. Show us a photo of it, and we all just think “jizz and gang-bangs”.

Valheim (Game Preview) Journeys to Console for the First Time Today with Xbox Game Pass — Another game that I completely ignored when it was hot, but intend to play someday.

AI-imager Midjourney v5 stuns with photorealistic images—and 5-fingered hands — I haven’t found the image generating tools nearly as interesting as their chatbot cousins, but as they become more sophisticated, their siren song will be difficult to ignore.

Penn Badgley Doubles Down on Divisive Sex Scene Comments — Dear Guy Who Wasn’t Chuck Bass: 1. Maybe don’t take the lead in a show about sexy evil murder if you have a problem with sexy evil murder scenes, champ. 2. Stop using the language of #MeToo to cover the fact that you’re scared of your jealous wife. Sincerely, it’s 2023, and it’s okay to be a woman’s bitch… you don’t have to ramble on about toxic Hollywood when all you really mean to express is “Mommy doesn’t like it.”

pedro lobo dresses ceramics in 'kinky' BDSM gear, challenging taboos and traditions — I have an overwhelming urge to mock this nonsense, but honestly, I really like some of it.

YouTube TV jumps in price again—it’s now $72.99 per month — So that’s $70+ a month to watch ads. Aside from live sports junkies, who the fuck is paying for this?

TikTok’s “O Method” Manifestation Technique, Explained — Always fun when I learn something new that makes me feel dumber for wasting the time spent learning it.

‘Creem’ magazine gets ‘punished’ for sophomoric ’70s era in BDSM-themed cover — …Creem still exists? …and there are still people willing to purchase a periodical named “Creem”? Wow.

#news

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shadow-schemer · 1 year

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girl help! every day I get the urge to design Filipino Servants for FGO but the only design I have for them is very generic and plays hard on the "what survived of them from historical accounts", resulting to some of them manifesting in Classes contradicting their personality (e.g. Saber Rizal but has Caster skills, Assassin Goyo but has Rider attack power and skills), and some of them manifesting because of popular depiction (e.g. Caster Mabini, Ruler Bonifacio, Berserker Luna)

(mostly Servants from the Spanish Revolution. I can throw in some Servants during the American occupation and no further. Anyone beyond that point can get testy. Sorting through historians through their political bias is stressful work already when researching the Spanish Revolution period.)

There are mythological pre-colonial figures as well such as Lapu-Lapu (who killed Ferdinand Magellan), Princess Urduja, Queen Amaya (whose twin sister is a snake), Lam-Ang, and the Bakunawa story. Modern myths are very Komiks based such as Darna, Pedro Penduco, Panday, Varga, and Palos (i only the fantasy ones orz)

#ME PLAYING FGO

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amorsolohomies · 1 year

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21st Century Literature

what's so special about 21st Century?

FYI, this is the greater middle class and relentless innovation in products and services. 21st century have high technology compare to other first periods.

In School, teachers' thought to students the different periods happened before 21st century. Now, we will discuss the first three periods.

A. Pre-Spanish Literature

FOLKTALES

stories about life, adventure, love, horror, and humor where one can derive lessons about life.

THE EPIC AGE

epics are long narrative poems in which a series of heroic achievements or events, usually of a hero, are dealt with length.

FOLK SONGS

these are one of the oldest forms of Philippine literature that emerged in the pre-Spanish period.

B. SPANISH LITERATURE

Spanish Influences on Philippine Literature

the First Filipino alphabet, called ALIBATA, was replaced by the Roman Alphabet.

Folk Song

it manifests the artistic feelings of the Filipinos and shows their innate appreciation for and love of beauty.

Recreational Plays

there are many recreational plays performed by Filipinos during the Spanish times.

C. PERIOD OF ENLIGHTENMENT

The Propaganda Movement (1872-1896)

this movement was spearheaded mostly by the intellectual middle-class like Jose Rizal, Marcelo del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Antonio Luna, Mariano Ponce, Jose Ma. Panganiban, and Pedro Paterno.

Earth & Life Science

what's so special about knowing what our earth and bodies made of?

Earth science knowledge enables us to think globally and act locally— to make sound decisions about issues important in our lives as individuals and citizens.

In School, teachers' discussed the different body system of humans. Now, we will discuss three of the most important body systems.

A. RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

The lungs and respiratory system allow us to breathe. They bring oxygen into our bodies (called inspiration, or inhalation) and send carbon dioxide out (called expiration, or exhalation).

B. DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

The digestive system breaks down food into nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

C. NERVOUS SYSTEM

The nervous system includes the brain, spinal cord, and a complex network of nerves.

ORAL COMMUNICATION

what's oral communication?

Oral communication is the ability to transmit ideas from your brain to either one person or a group of people.

In School, the proper way of communication to others is what teachers' mostly teaches to the students. Now, we will discuss the barriers between communication of the sender and receiver.

A. PHYSICAL BARRIER

Physical barriers are structural obstacles in natural or manmade environments that prevent or block mobility (moving around in the environment) or access.

B. PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIER

The ability to communicate and interact with one another in a rational frame of mind is also impacted by psychological impediments.

C. LINGUISTIC BARRIER

Linguistic barriers are simply obstacles that arise during language use.

D. CULTURAL BARRIER

A cultural barrier is an issue arising from a misunderstanding of meaning, caused by cultural differences between sender and receiver.

#21st century #science #communication

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hydralisk98 · 15 days

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Φlaumen Cooperative (Lisp-y style guide ref, part 1...)

Reads as Pflaumen, loosely inspired onto the eponymous information technology firm within Machinegames' Wolfenstein franchise (reference page card below...) & plenty of historically-informed inspirations like DEC, Symbolics, Konrad Zuse KG, KDE E.V, etc.

Context

Essentially, I build my way towards a small creative business to call my very own (with major technological & culturally-driven aspects), which is also related to personal worldbuilding projects & manifestation goals of mine.

Some reference pictures

Keywords dump

Groovy soft natural retro grunge warm natural filmic comfort, tramway at dusk from mesas to the ocean far away, distant future LISP DIY copyleft cartoons, symbolic CAS LISP Gruvbox poetic devkit, soft-rounded bold geometric shape language, fontmap vector prefab modules, slice-of-life cozy rollerwave cartoons, communal retrofuturistic optimism, Bauhaus, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, "Gruvbox Light Medium + OldBook Light Academia" mashup, seventies toon cel, copyleft GLOSS data transparency movement, soviet-bloc indie shareware culture, Nintendo 64 console with 64DD expansion cartridge, SEGA Dreamcast, DEC Alpha, Sanyo 3DO TRY, Nuon, Ouya, Commodore PETSCII CBM-II, Commodore Amiga 3000+4000, bronze-age historical time period, Chronokinesis, True Polymorph, lunarpunk mysticism, Teslafunk, Solarpunk, Cyberfunk, syndicalism, georgism, ecology, harmonious innovation, progressives, seventies rollerwave futurism, filmic, OGG container format, OGV, OPUS, Vorbis, OpenEXR, Animated SVG, CSS3 animations, PK3/ZIP file archives, USD format, harsh raster XY plotters & printers, selectric typewriters, comforting Shoshone music / songs / hymns; "Soyuzmultfilm", "Helluva Boss", "The Powerpuff Girls Z", "The Powerpuff Girls", "Jet Set Radio", "Newgrounds", "Jin-Roh The Wolf Brigade", "Android Arts", "Nicky Case", "Jucika", Nintendo 64 with N64DD module, SEGA Dreamcast, Sanyo 3DO, Nuon, Ouya, DEC Alpha, Commodore 64, DECmate II, DECmate III, Intersil 6100 & 6120 lineups, PETSCII, OpenXanadu web, IBM Z/16 Linux One mainframe, OpenPOWER, Libre GLOSS data-transparent Apple Silicon M3 system, RTTY protocols, Minitel / Videotex services, hard-copy terminals, Typex, Telex Teleprinters (read-only & Read/Write), block data terminals, explorable explainers, federated ActivityPub RSS feeds, SPARC Voyager, Xerox Daybreak, R2E Micral Portal, libre bio-modding & cyberware, Pflaumen, Utalics, Lambda Star, Lambda Nova, Wyatt, Sass, MathML, XML+XSL, OpenREXX, PDP-8/e, PDP-12, PDP-15, ALGOL68, LISP 1.5, Steel Bank Common Lisp, Trial Engine, GNU Hurd, Linux, Macroware, SoundTracker, Multi-Agent Simulations, Mixtapes, Android Clades/Classes (Robots, Droids, Synthetics), Open Virtual Worlds, "Rogue Servitors"; "Liberty" caucus within "Union Party", Al-Gore (2000), Trump + Michelle Oprah (2004), Theodore Roosevelt (1912), Charles Hugues (1916), Progressives party since ~1910-1915, Pedro II of Brazil + Haile Selassie equivalent figure during the later 19th century, political split around 2024-2025, female programmers still in charge, gender inclusivity, major 3D, animation & game engine-y frameworks abundant in Common LISP (Trial Engine + AutoLISP as copyleft GLOSS / open source licensed software); Rust red dark grunge wood, translucid glass, matte plastics, fuzzy wool, forest flora, ocean water, arcade cabinets, hyper mall shops & stores, conversation pits, wax cylinder records, 45rpm autoplay mini-vinyl records, datasettes, cassettes, analog Laserdiscs, DECtape, MiniDiscs, programmable androids, retro unit record equipment, mainframes, LTO tape cartridges, amber earmuffs, black spirals-pattern balls, black matte libstick, cloven hoof shoes;

Links

Implicitly includes this blog's archives, especially what deemed relevant under the "maskoch", "maskutchew" & "16^12" hashtags;

Additional detailwork

GRUB 2 Bootloader custom theme, custom global theme with window decorations / Plasma styles / application styles combo, splash-screen / lock screens / login screens, vector-based wallpapers + icons & animated? cursors, 3x4 (soft, medium, hard; dark Gruvbox-alike, light Gruvbox-esque, warm olive green & warm rust orange-red variations), ;

DETAILS

OS: TuxedoOS (will diversify drastically soon, seriously)

DE: KDE/Plasma & KDE/Liquid

WM: KWin

Terminal: Konsole

Shell: Fish shell, with Bash as fallback

Fonts: Cascadia Code & Cascadia Mono

PlasmaStyle: Daisy (+ Old Plastics?), Breeze

Cursor: Simp1e-Gruvbox-Light

ColorScheme: WarmColorsLight

Icons: Gruvbox Plus Dark

Web Browsers: Librewolf, Firefox...

Dotfiles: Not yet anywhere near ready at this time.

More to come relatively soon...

#maskoch #16^12 #customization #brand style guide #Gruvbox-inspired Y2K theme

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newtie-patootie-bootie · 3 years

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Masquerade (Prologue)

Summary: This is your third season and your aspirations on finding love are dwindling but news on Lady Whistledown’s society pages say that there is to be a foreign royal in attendance to the season. Could this royal dignitary be the one you’ve been waiting for, or could there be a mysterious stranger lurking in the shadows, waiting to pluck your heart for his?

Disclaimer: I do not own Bridgerton nor The Mandalorian- all rights go to the owners and creators of their separate stories.

Warnings: None just yet, enjoy my writing as I lead up to the story!!

|| Please do not repost or plagiarise my work ||

| Chapter 1 |

“Dearest, have you read the newest Lady Whistledown?” Your mother burst into the drawing room with a flurry of her skirts, clutching the article in her fist as you, your brother and your father took in her frazzled form.

Her eyes were alight with excitement and she was nearly vibrating with delight, “no, Mama. I haven’t.” You answered her, eyebrows pulling together gently and she barrelled forward, slapping the scandal sheet in your hand.

You abandoned your needlepoint on your lap and opened the reports gingerly, perusing the freshly printed words with increasing distress:

‘In related news to this year’s promising season, my dearest reader- my sources say that a discreet candidate was called on by the Queen herself!

In a show of good faith and generosity to the newly signed trade agreements between the Crown and the elusive, yet breathtaking realm of Mandalore; it seems that this mysterious suitor has touched foot on our verdant lands in search of one of this season’s blossomed flowers to pluck for his own.

I have heard that this particular aspirant is eager to secure an acceptable match, perhaps with the season’s named Incomparable?

Or, perhaps there will be a sweet winter blossom that bloomed so richly as she was presented to Her Majesty, the Queen for her third season. Could the magnificent daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Wintere snatch such a lucrative title from Miss Daphne Bridgerton?

I so do adore a good rivalry between two influential families and as such, I would like to express my most exuberant notions of good fortunes to each family and may the best woman win.

This intrepid author would also like to disclose that there should be a number of severe competitors at the Danbury Ball this evening- and even worse, bloodthirsty mama’s charging forward with energetic hopes to secure the prospects of such an exceptional suitor.

After all, it is not everyday you are offered the chance to become a Queen.’

“She has named our dearest daughter a ‘winter blossom’, no doubt in reference to our family crest, darling!” Thomas’ eyebrows lifted at the high praise and yes, it was true. The family crest consisted of blooming hellebores and a snowy owl taking flight. “She also named our daughter to be a worthy adversary of the season’s Incomparable, Daphne Bridgerton!” Elaine gushed, taking a seat beside her husband and her skirts pooled with the air trapped but she seemed nonplussed as did Thomas who watched her with an adoring smile. “Isn’t that wonderful, darling?”

“I’d consider that a high honour indeed!” Thomas boasted proudly, raising his teacup to you and a sigh left your lips, ever world-weary.

“Looks more like a wilted weed to me.” Your brother teased and earned a reproachful stare from your parents, Ryder shrugged off the blistering glare from your mother before turning back to his book.

“Mama,” you implored, the paper crinkling in your tight grip, “do not put any stock into Whistledown’s scribblings- she has a tendency to exaggerate and her words incite challenge when there is no need for it.” You scoffed, tossing the offending scrap on the plush cushion beside you, “she has surely just made Daphne and I targets for the 200 other girls for the entire season!”

Ryder stood from his place across the room and moved closer, snatching the crinkled sheet from the pillow and plopped himself down, taking in its contents for himself, “Cressida Cowper is going to eat you alive, dearest sister.”

“Please do not remind me of Cressida Cowper, do I not appear distressed enough for you to cease your mistimed jibes, brother?” Your tone heightened, echoing somewhat in the drawing room.

Ryder’s smirk softened into a worried frown and took your hand in his in a soothing fashion, soft thumb massaging the space between your knuckles, “apologies, sweet sister. I only wished to make light of your situation for your own piece of mind.”

Sighing, you whispered your own apology at your sudden snap and you hummed softly in thought before a mischievous grin curled against your lips, “if anyone should feel concerned about Cressida Cowper’s intentions, I would think you to be more perturbed than I, older brother. The heir to the Duke of Wintere, a monumental promise of success to any willing debutante, I’m certain.” Ryder shuddered at the thought of the ill-mannered girl setting gladiatorial eyes on him and the notion of the high prospects he would bring to the mart. Immediately abandoning your hand, he burrowed himself deeper into the seat beside you and flicked the sheet out dramatically.

It was an indiscreet attempt to occupy his mind elsewhere as he kept his eyes firmly on the black print, yet he took not one word of the information in.

“Darling, this is good.” Your mother’s voice gently eased you from you and your brother’s banter as she reached forward and took your hand in hers, “this means that suitors will now take notice of you, and if this king hears word of your beauty in Whistledown’s musings, then I believe we should all be thankful to the woman, do you not agree?”

Your fingers curled around hers but your eyes remained downcast at your half-sewn needlepoint and you sighed softly, “I don’t see the need for such articles to be published. There will be enough dramatics to satisfy the weak-minded all season.”

“Your mother and I only want what is best for you, little owlet.” Your eyes raised to meet Thomas’, his gaze warm, tone loving as he levelled you with an adoring smile, “if it eases your mind, I have come across some news of this new ruler during my time at the club. I have heard he is just and fair. An honourable gentleman if somewhat mysterious as Lady Whistledown reports. You have nothing to lose by dazzling him with your grace and charm- but you have everything to gain if you succeed in wooing him. You have no need for tricks or deception to win the attention of any suitor, for you are perfect just the way you are.” Tears blurred your vision, threatening to slip down your cheeks. Your frown turned into a watery smile as your father placed his warm, large hand over you and your mothers, “and I shall be there to protect you and only agree to a match deserving of a jewel such as yourself.”

You sniffled back the forming tears before smiling warmly, “thank you, Papa.”

“There is no need for gratitude, dearest. This is a father’s duty; one I aim to fulfill to the highest regard-” Your father’s words were cut short as one of the servants walked into the drawing room.

“Your dresses have arrived, Your Grace, my Lady.”

“Ooh!” Elaine shot up from her seat, clapping in excitement before grabbing your hand and hauling you upstairs to your room, “we must find the perfect gown for tonight’s fete!”

Your sputtering and half formed protests carried down the hallway as Thomas opened the newspaper that had been sitting untouched in his lap, chuckling indulgently, “ever the child, your mother.”

Ryder shook his head in amusement, a smile curling his lips.

"Have you read the newest Whistledown? Foreign royalty searching for a suitable bride? I suspect this season will turn out to be exemplary.”

"I heard that this King's treasury is one to rival the Crown itself."

"I heard he has a son, yet there is no mother that has come forward to claim the child. A most scandalous affair, indeed!"

"I heard that their land is rich in minerals. Some type of iron that is nigh indestructible! I'd wager it'd fetch a high price."

"Daphne Bridgerton locked in a violent competition with the Duke and Duchess of Wintere’s daughter? How delicious."

"I have never heard of this Mandalore, is it near Scotland?"

You were barely able to contain your ire for the gossiping hounds polluting the air of the ballroom.

Your jaw ticked imperceptibly and you fought the urge to roll your eyes so hard you would be able to see the back of your head.

Their whispers were anything but that as you walked past each intrusive mama and daughter as they revelled in the rumors etched in the latest scandal sheet authored by Lady Whistledown, containing information of a supposed king attending the ball.

Your eyes scanned the ballroom and made contact with the youngest Featherington- carving a path for her, her rounded figure swathed in a bright, eye-catching yellow gown that suited her complexion and figure little, yellow beads and jewels glittering in the lights overhead.

You caught her eye and her shy demeanor slipped somewhat as she smiled, excited to see a familiar face and you curled your arm through hers and locked them together, “why have I not seen you on the dance floor, Miss Featherington?” You asked and Penelope sighed.

“I am just admiring the view, Lady Dalton,” you raise one brow at the title and her tiny frown curled into an indulgent smile as she corrected herself and called you by your given name, “you seem to have taken the room by storm when you joined the dance floor, every bachelor here has his eyes on you and Daphne tonight. I would think many of the suitors here are bursting at the seams for your hand- and it is your third season as well.”

“No doubt to Lady Whistledown’s meddling, I’d wager. I have already entertained enough male suitors tonight. I shall take my leave of them for the time being,” your tone changed to a slight whine which served to incite Penelope’s rich giggles, “have you taken your turn about the room?”

“I’m afraid I am not as carefully provided for as you, my Lady. Father has decided to forego these events and my mama is not quite so attuned to my aspirations to ensure a well-rounded tour.”

“Well, then, allow me, Miss Featherington.” You hummed politely, smiling brilliantly at the shy girl who returned the gesture just as brightly and you led the way about the hall. Nodding your head politely to every suitor that greeted you, you curled closer to Penelope, “I see your mother is surveying the hall with Lady Cowper and Lady Edgecomb.” Penelope’s world-weary exhale betrayed her true thoughts and you ran a soothing line along the back of her hand with your thumb, “the determination of rumormongers is indeed boundless, are they not? Perhaps, we shall next be blessed with the sight of them suspended from the rafters with ear trumpets to survey even the most meagre pieces of gossip.” Penelope giggled, covering her mouth with her hand daintily as she did so, bowing her head.

“Ah,” Anthony Bridgerton exclaimed, his arm encircled with Daphne’s as they stepped in front of you, “Miss Featherington, Lady Dalton.”

“Penelope,” Daphne spoke your names warmly, her bright smile widening as she curtseyed perfectly.

“Lord Bridgerton, Daphne.” You and Penelope greeted in unison, curtseying elegantly though you felt your arm tense as Penelope teetered on her feet in an attempt to keep her balance. You rose rather quickly to save her any embarrassment, “how fares the hunt, Daphne? Many of the most eligible suitors have presented themselves at this fete, don’t you agree?”

“Oh yes, my Lady.” Anthony spoke over his sister, answering for her. “Quite a well-rounded affair. Why, I can count every worthy bachelor on each finger of my left hand.” Daphne stared at her brother, aghast but your tinkling laughter could not be hidden with a well-placed hand over your mouth.

“I could only hope that you could spare a finger for my own brother, my Lord? Is he not worthy of your high praise? I would hate to inform my father of this scandalous news!” You teased slyly, a sparkle of mischief in your eyes as Anthony chuckled.

“Of course, my lady. Ryder Dalton, heir to the title Duke of Wintere is honest and true. A man worthy of the title he will one day inherit.” You bowed your head gracefully at the praise.

“Did you read the latest entry of Lady Whistledown’s scandal sheet?” Daphne asked, head inclined slightly in question and your lip curled in irritation, earlier humor forgotten.

“Unfortunately, dearest Daphne. What does this author hope to accomplish by sowing dissension among peers? It is only going to be harder for us if we are to be locked in this invented rivalry until the season ends. Not to mention that all other 200 fine young women will see us as common adversaries to quarrel for a desirable bachelor.” You shook your head and sighed wistfully.

“Perhaps, Lady Whistledown’s sources were incorrect in their counsel. I have yet to see a comely King from a foreign land in our midst.” Daphne teased and you chuckled, nodding as you looked about the room but gazed over no fanfare nor buzzing enthusiasm.

“Nor a royal guard. What do you think, Penelope?” You hummed and the young woman beside you almost wiggled with excitement to be counted.

“I believe that Lady Whistledown is breeding a development early in the season to incite challenge.” You voiced a wordless agreement and Penelope continued, her fingers still clinging to yours, “Her Majesty is one to be enthralled and I would think that the public invitation to this monarch of Mandalore is an attempt to bring about said excitement.” Penelope’s curls bounced around her rounded face as she spoke and you took her words in with great thought.

“A compelling view, if I ever heard!” Anthony complimented and Penelope bowed at Anthony’s flattery, “if you ladies will excuse us, we still must take our view of the room.”

“Ah, we shall keep you no longer! Happy hunting, my Lord. Good luck, Daphne.” You sympathised genuinely and Daphne huffed in agreement as her brother pulled her away. “That was excellent, Penelope. Sharp wit, indeed!”

Your words were met with sweet giggles from your friend as you continued your turn about the room, dance cards dangling delicately from your gloved wrists in and quizzed Penelope on the memory of her miniatures, impressed with her skill to point out each suitor with ease.

Once Penelope tired of walking, she took her rest by the edge of the dance floor and you bid her luck before striding to the refreshments table in search of a beverage to quench your thirst.

Your eyes remained locked on the small glasses of lemonade, unbothered with taking care in your surroundings- you were shocked to feel someone knock into you rather forcefully. You stumbled, unable to right yourself and you could feel your traitorous feet tangle around each other.

Time seemed to slow to a complete stop, though your mind ran freely and aware. A frisson of fear crackled down your spine at the premature embarrassment of the predicament you were just about to drop yourself in just as you felt strong hands slip against your back, righting you almost as quickly as your legs betrayed you.

“Oh, goodness, please do excuse my-” your apology trailed off into stunned silence as you took in the unfamiliar man you could call your savior. This stranger that had his arms around you in a most improper fashion and you know you should untangle yourself from his touch immediately but the heat of his large, ungloved hands bled into the exquisite material of your gown, through your corset and seared directly into the flesh of your arched back.

His clothing was much the same of every suitor attending, nothing unique or flamboyant to stand out amongst the countless other candidates. The slight crinkles in his suit brought an air of indifference- as if he cared little for the state of his dress. What persuaded you to fully take in his form, was his sun kissed, bronze skin that shone deep in the synthetic light of the chandelier accompanied by the ornate lights mounted on the wall; so striking and different from the many men that boasted pale complexions and youth.

You could see the ruggedness in the etchings in his skin, the lines that betrayed his advanced age compared to the others in attendance. The hair atop his head was rich and dark with slight streaks of gray, airy soft curls that adorned his head like a crown, wild and untamed. The same dark hair that graced his head, also carved around his jawline and upper lip, small patches of hair scarce in some places- so unlike the pronounced fashions in high society and you found yourself preferring the unkemptness. His eyes were a harsh change from the softness of his hair, striking and bold. They glittered like dark gems in the gentle lights as he perused your features, intelligent yet curious as he took you in with a cool countenance and thick brows pulled together in an expression of concern.

A prominent nose curved down with a hooked slope, rather large but it suited him and you fought the urge to caress the curved bridge with your fingertip. Pink lips parted, thin but pillowy as the tip of a red tongue slipped between to hydrate the slightly chapped flesh.

It set him apart from the rest, a beauty you so desperately wished to explore.

Just as you studied this unfamiliar man, he also took your form in.

His gaze was not leering like many of the bachelors loitering about the room- nor a lecherous grin curved those sinfully soft lips as he drank in your appearance with ease, noting every detail and micro expression with rapid ease and forced himself to cease the ever growing notion to tighten his arms around you, drag you closer to his chest when he felt the way your body curled into his touch, seeking the warmth he provided on a subconscious level.

Clearing his throat softly, he righted you on your feet and took a step back, bowing at the waist and a soft curl slipped in front of his handsome features, concealing his left eye, “forgive my impropriety, my Lady,” his voice was deep, rasped and foreign and those same lips curled around each word with an elegance none of the men here could hope to match, “my intentions were pure, I assure you. I did not mean-”

“-t-the apologies are mine, my Lord. I did not see you.” You cut off his apology, your usual confidence abandoning you and curtseyed softly before you both straightened in tandem, “please accept my most sincere apologies.”

“Only if you accept mine, my Lady, as I was the one to knock you.” This man raised his eyes to meet yours, a small smile playing on his lips at your stunned expression.

Realising how unladylike you seemed, you quickly smoothed your expression into a serene smile and bowed your head gently, “well then, I accept your apology, my Lord.”

“And now, I shall receive yours.” He bowed once again, though his eyes never once strayed from yours, his hand coming to brush back the curl that slipped in front of his face, freeing his eye from the obstacle. “Quite an affair, is it not?”

You turned to look upon the room and the dozens of bodies packed in the lavish ball and the bodies moving in rhythmic synchronisation as they flounced around the dancefloor, skirts billowing and waistcoats whipping. “Yes, my Lord. It is certainly a promising fete.” You ripped your gaze from the dancers and you looked back to the mysterious suitor that you know for a fact his profile has never graced your miniatures. “I do not believe I have had the pleasure, my Lord.” You introduced yourself and he bowed his head in a nod to your status.

“Din Djarin, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my Lady.”

You did not miss the way he left out his title, not many men did. It was refreshing to meet someone unbothered by status and titles. You smiled brilliantly and for a moment, he had trouble remembering how to breathe.

How did people do this?

“What brings you to London, Lord Djarin? I do not believe I have seen you here.” You certainly couldn’t recall seeing those mesmerizing, yet prominent features etched in your miniatures.

“I’m in town for business, mostly- but I thought I would attempt to join the fray of finding a beautiful woman to make my bride.” Din’s eyes found yours when his lips curved out the word ‘beautiful’. You could feel your cheeks heat and quickly brought the tiny glass to your lips and took a long draught- almost emptying the glass entirely. It was unseemly on your part but you couldn’t find it within yourself to care, you needed to soothe your drying throat and tame the butterflies fluttering in your stomach.

“And what better place to be than a cotillion for ambitious debutants who are searching for the perfect match?” Betraying your inner emotions, you struck up kind conversation, performing an air of confidence and strengthened your resolve. A wide smile stretched his lips, revealing perfect, straight teeth and the act of a simple smile brightened his features. Your heart slammed against your ribcage in response, your steely courage cracking in half with little to no effort.

He took a sip of his own lemonade just as a pair of gossiping mama’s walked past you both, talking loud enough for you to overhear their conversation with minimal exertion- if any, “and where, pray tell, is this so-called king?"

"Perhaps, Whistledown's sources were wrong. You can never trust a scandal sheet these days, I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be a charlatan."

You swallowed the sigh you desperately craved to release and inwardly shook yourself free from the coils of irritation that started to constrict around you before turning your attention back to the mysterious lord, only to notice his eyes were following the rumormongers and you helped yourself to a portioned sip of lemonade in an endeavor to quell the heat burning within you. A certain dark fire heated his gaze, stoking a reaction in you. Something deep and primal you had never experienced before and you suppressed a shudder at the ferocity clearly displayed in those deep, dark eyes.

“What are your thoughts on this foreign monarch, my Lord?” You barely managed to choke out, Din’s eyes snapped back to you as your question hung in the air and you swallowed subtly as his piercing gaze burned through yours.

“My thoughts?” He rasped, shifting on his feet in a show of subtle anxiousness. His earlier fire dissipating and awkward trepidation took the forefront.

“What do you make of the rumors surrounding the arrival of a ruler of a distant land coming to London to participate in the season?” You tilted your head in innocent curiosity, “surely, you have heard of this mysterious King hailing from his distant realm?”

“Rumor articles and gossip do not interest me, but yes, I am familiar with the topic you wish to discuss.” His smile twisted his lips into a forced stretch- barely passing for genuine and you weren’t sure as to why he seemed so uncomfortable when just moments earlier he was quite at ease conversing with you.

“And what do you make of his scarcity when his arrival was rumored to be a most certain guarantee? I should think the King would be thankful for not attending. Overbearing mothers and their equally simpering daughters have proven to be nuisances at the best of times.”

“Is that so?” Din looked at you, surprise colouring his pleasing features at your unfiltered response, “are you not disappointed that you may not meet this ruler and further your prospects on the mart?” His hand gestured subtly at his side, the barely touched lemonade sloshing dangerously close to the rim, “it would be a high honour to catch the eye of a king, now would it not?”

You chuckled, ducking your head for a moment, reflecting on your answer before opening your lips, “as silly as it may sound, I wish to marry for love.” You raised your hand, noncommittal waving it about, “I realise it will never happen, you do not endure two seasons with silly notions of love intact. I must maintain a status beholden of my title and secure a proper, advantageous match. But I can operate under the illusion of hope, can I not?” Din’s eyes cast down in thought, your words were soft, spoken quietly as if you were afraid another may overhear- whether by accident or on purpose, he could not say.

But the sincerity in your eyes could not be overlooked, the innocent yearning for a future that could very well be out of your reach sparkled against the hues of your irises.

“Perhaps your aspirations will be met, my Lady.” Din smiled kindly and you hummed in thought, but your brilliant smile was dim. Working up his courage, he set the small glass of his barely touched lemonade on the refreshment table and vaguely gestured to the dancefloor, anxiousness twisting his features almost comically, “w-would you care to dance?”

His hand was large, rough with thick fingers. They were working hands, familiar with hard labour and you shivered imperceptibly at the thought of those hands running down the expanse of your naked flesh.

You took a few steps forward, maintaining a respectable distance for propriety’s sake. With a smooth movement, you gently leant around him- his eyes never left yours as you placed your glass on the refreshment table beside his.

A gentle scent curled into your nose, blessing your senses with the subtle hints of sweet spices, oak and . . . a touch of gunpowder.

A heady, peculiar scent and it suited its wearer perfectly.

You slid your gloved hand into his, fingers slipping against his palm. The gossamer material caught on the rough skin of his palm and his lips upturned into a grin. “It would be my pleasure, Lord Djarin.” He grinned and you helped him by pointing to the card around your wrist and he made a soft ‘oh’ sound before taking hold of it and let go of your hand to grip the tiny pencil- thick fingers swallowing the dainty stationary and you smiled as he filled the Canon Galop Quadrille with his name in sharp, messy strokes.

“Shall we?” He let the card and pencil drop as his fingers snaked up your wrist slowly, feeling every dip and hollow before clasping your hand gently and leading you to the dance floor. “I must confess, I’m not accustomed to dancing all that much. I pray you forgive me if I fumble.”

You chuckled softly as you joined the other couples on the dancefloor and took your places. You smiled at Din who shuffled in place subtly, waves of anxiety pouring out of him, “I will not judge you, Lord Djarin. You have my most sincere promise and if you have any issues with the steps, I shall guide you. Do not worry.” He looked at you, your soothing tone calming the raging storm of distress inside him and he reciprocated with a smile of his own.

The music began to play as you curtseyed to the other couples and took your place in front of Din, your hand slipping into his and a strong muscular arm wrapped around your back, large hand splayed across the expanse of your skin and you suppressed another shudder at the addicting heat he emitted. With a gentle nod, the tempo in the set increased and you began to skip about the room with practiced ease.

You gently tilted in a different direction, silently alluding to the next movement and he carried you effortlessly through the throngs of couples, winding around the dancefloor perfectly.

Giggles erupted from your throat, this particular dance always brought out the child within you and Din smiled at the sound, finding that he wished to hear it more often. “I dare say, my Lord, that you move quite well for not being accustomed to this particular dance.”

“I’m rather accustomed to a life outdoors, perhaps it has aided me well.” Din murmured, tightening his hold against your back.

You twisted and twirled around the dancefloor, weaving around bodies and as you separated to complete the next act of the dance, your eyes never left his and the mysterious man seemed more than content to hold your gaze and then you were back in each other’s arms.

“Perhaps, we could discuss the matter of dancing etiquette further, at a more. . private venue?” You asked quietly, alluding for him to call on your home.

Before he could open his mouth to reply, a loud thump hit the ground and the music paused abruptly and you both stopped, all the guests' gazes swivelled to the ballroom doors as they were thrust open violently.

Gasps and shrieks rippled across the room as two armoured warriors marched forward, spears in hand and their features concealed by unusual helmets, stark colours streaked across the material in a wash of deep reds, browns, yellows and teals along with similarly handprints. A dark- completely opaque visor stretched across their helmets before spanning down, splintering the armour in half.

The curve of their coloured breastplates indicated their feminine physiques, pieces of vibrant painted plates clung to the thick, almost tribal clothing they wore beneath- sharp hues of red and brown adorned their bodies, hems tied tight with pieces of dark leather around their wrists and calves. Fur lined the capes around their shoulders as the thick material flowed to their booted feet, the leather scuffed and worn- creased from years of dedication and physical labor.

Yet your eyes remained trained on the pure silver spears they held at the sides, pointed ends lifted straight in the air as they slammed the butts of the weapons down against the polished floors in tandem.

A loud metallic ringing filled the ballroom and harsh bootfalls began to echo.

Din stiffened in your arms before gently extricating you from his hold, the both of you turning to face the open entrance.

You swallowed harshly as a hulking figure took the space of the doorway, silver armour gleamed in the lights above, clearly displaying the pure gold accents weaved through the chest plate and accompanying pieces- dark clothes thick and concealing any form of skin to be shown, brown gloves worn, flaxen tips stark against the deep colours.

Just like his guards, he was not unarmed. But unlike carrying a spear of his own- you did not miss the pure obsidian claymore sheathed around his back. The hilt was brilliant against the darkness of the blade- made up of what seemed to be the same material that adorned his body.

His helmet was simple- unlike the tribal colourings of his people, his was silver- notes of gold bled through the seams of the visor, framing it with its simplistic beauty and fur lined his shoulders, gold chain clinking against the silver metal and the crimson cape billowed behind him as he continued with his heavy gait.

“Is it him? Surely not!”

“I expected a fanfare- yet this is not what I had imagined.”

“Do they dress like this in Mandalore? Will I have to?!”

“Look at them, so primal!”

“Why do they carry weapons? So uncivilised.”

Whispers filled the hall as the foreign stranger stopped, his helmet scanning the room.

“The twenty-fourth monarch of our sovereign land,” The guards called, demanding silence from all in attendance, “The First of Clan Mudhorn and sole ruler of Manda’yaim. We present our king, the Manda’lor.” Their fists beat against their breastplates as they turned and faced their leader and bent their knee to the floor, heads bowed in respect. “This is the Way.”

The dark visor continued to survey the hall until it stopped-

-directly onto you.

Your breath caught in your throat as your eyes caught your reflection staring back at you from across the room, you could no longer feel Din’s presence beside you. A quiet, rasping voice rang true from beneath the ornate silver helm, so familiar and yet completely unplaceable.

“This is the Way.”

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thesadvampire · 3 years

Text

PEDRO PASCAL AS MR DARCY

I AM PUTTING IT OUT INTO THE WORLD

He's handsome enough to tempt us all damn it!!!

#pedro pascal #GIVE IT TO ME NOW #mr darcy #pride and prejudice #jane austen #im manifesting #the mandalorian #fitzwilliam darcy #period drama

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januarystarstorm · 2 years

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I think you’re missing the point on the labeling thing. Bi or pan isn’t behavior in and of itself. It’s a LABEL used to describe behavior or actions observed. Observing and documenting behavior looks like this, “he danced in front of J.” Period. But you assign the label of bi or pan to that action because it fits your narrative of what bi or pan behavior looks like. Get what I’m saying? So if you want to be true to the whole notion he’s an “unlabeled man” then just state the behavior without putting that behavior in a category (aka labeling it).

I am being true to the whole notion. I am stating the behavior not the identity/label. Bisexual behavior is a real thing and it is not the same as identity/label. Pedro can be an unlabeled man with bi/pan behaviors. Bisexuality can be a label and behavior and attraction.

Bisexuality is a broad and inclusive term that describes physical attraction, romantic attraction, or sexual behavior that is not limited to one sex […] Attraction, identity, and behavior are the three main components of sexual orientation, and they each mean different things. - https://bi.org/en/101/bisexuality

Identity refers to the way a person thinks about themselves as well as the way they want to be seen by others. When someone chooses to make it clear to others what their sexual orientation is, we sometimes call it “coming out”. When a person’s identity does not match their attraction patterns (aka sexual orientation), we sometimes say they are “in the closet”.

Behavior refers to how a person interacts with others romantically or sexually. It’s important to note that behavior does not necessarily always reflect attraction and identity. People who are in the closet might engage in behavior in order to fit in. Bi people may only date one sex because of a preference for monogamy, etc. - https://bi.org/en/101/AIB-model

#ask #pedro pascal

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hausofneptune · 3 months

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What astrological placement of Pedro’s would explain how private he is about his love life? It’s so interesting how no one really knows who he has dated.

disclaimers | masterlist | ask

hey! i mentioned this before in a previous post, but pedro is a very plutonian (and saturnian) person, meaning pluto has a very strong impact in his chart.

he has sun opposite pluto and moon square pluto, as well as jupiter opposite pluto, saturn square pluto, and neptune sextile pluto. since jupiter, saturn, and neptune are outer planets, the impact they have in his chart aren't going to be as strong as the aspects to his sun and moon, but they're still impactful nonetheless. i bring up pluto because pluto's influence provides pedro with a very private nature, not just in relation to his love life but generally just how he behaves and portrays himself as a public figure.

pluto is representative of transformation, upheaval, rebirth, power/control, death, etc., and a lot of these things take place beneath the surface. these themes tend to manifest internally and affect the native most on a subconscious, psychological level. pedro having a good amount of pluto influence in his chart basically means that these are themes that play a major role in his personality and in his day to day life. plutonian people tend to know how to play their cards right in terms of how much of themselves they want to expose to others, and i feel like pedro is definitely one of those people who can be calculating in the way that they portray themselves. obviously not in a conniving, manipulative way, but more so in a strategic, self-preserving kind of way.

he gives his fans and the public just enough but he definitely knows when to pull back and maintain boundaries when he needs to. people with these types of aspects/placements usually go through a lot of trauma or strife in their lives and can be very "to themselves" as a result, which is why it's nice that pedro has a select group of friends and family that he keeps around that don't air his business out and seem to be protective of him. i would also say that the pluto influence in his chart is also in part why he tends to "ghost" us and disappears for months at a time too lmao, a lot of plutonian's have introverted tendencies or need to self-isolate for long periods of time to sit with whatever it is that's in their subconscious and to process whatever emotions are weighing on them at that time.

so in terms of his love life i'm sure he has his own personal reasons for keeping his business to himself (especially since he's a public figure and some of his fans are very much so psychotic and unhinged), but in terms of astrology and his chart, i could definitely see his pluto aspects playing a role there as well.

#asks #pedro pascal #astro notes #pluto astrology #astrology notes #astrology observations #astrology #pedro pascal astrology #astrology aspects #pluto aspects

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dweemeister · 3 years

Photo

Melody Time (1948)

Disengaged and disinterested, Walt Disney was adrift at his own studio in the late 1940s. The studio’s modestly-budgeted package animated features were designed to save it from financial ruin. Yet, they required artistic and storytelling compromises that Disney was loathe to make. In this period, Disney shuffled personnel around the various departments – whether due to personal conflicts or dissatisfaction with their artistic approach on a certain film. Melody Time’s segments are of varying quality and limited experimentation, reflecting the organizational tumult within the studio. No standout moment exists in Melody Time, even though it is more energetic and looser than the preceding Fun and Fancy Free (1947).

The modern Walt Disney Company has advertised Melody Time as a film, “in the grand tradition of Disney’s greatest musical classics, such as Fantasia.” Audacious comparison to make, but functionally inaccurate. Fantasia, as imagined by Walt Disney, Deems Taylor, Leopold Stokowski, and the studio’s animators, was crafted so that its animation would empower the music (in cinema, the reverse – where music serves the action on-screen – is almost always a filmmaker’s approach). The reverse of that relationships holds here. Melody Time contains these seven segments, or “mini-musicals”: “Once Upon a Wintertime”, “Bumble Boogie”, “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed”, “Little Toot”, “Trees”, “Blame It on the Samba”, and “Pecos Bill”. Some of these mini-musicals are more watchable and more artistically interesting than others – although that standard is relatively low in Melody Time.

“Once Upon a Wintertime” is based on an overused Disney narrative template that never ceases to be a bore. A young couple are out and about, flirting and flitting, all while the woodland animals scurrying back and forth mirror human courtship. The segment, however, is partially redeemed by Frances Langford singing the segment’s title song (composed by Bobby Worth and Ray Gilbert) and the unmistakable influence of Mary Blair (1950’s Cinderella, the “It’s a Small World” attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim) in its aesthetic. With any piece of animation involving Mary Blair, one can expect an eye-catching use of color and her modernist art style. “Once Upon a Wintertime” is like a holiday card brought to animated life. Unlike a picturesque and meaningful holiday card, though, it overstays its welcome. But the stereotypical treatment of the young women appearing in “Once Upon a Wintertime” is, to put it mildly, clichéd writing at best. Hackneyed, too, is the fact that the woodland animals come to the human’s rescue.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee is one of the most recognizable (and overplayed) pieces of Western classical music, even to those folks who go out of their way to announce their distaste for classical music. Given a jazz rendition by the Freddy Martin Orchestra, “Bumble Boogie” is a thankfully brief three-minute foray. Here, an insect (that does not seem anything like a bee) flies through a series of surreal images – mostly parts of musical instruments (piano keys in particular) – that it must avoid. The segment is visually entertaining to watch, even if it must have been the easiest to prepare, design, and animated for in all of Melody Time. If placed in either Fantasia or Fantasia 2000, it would easily be the weakest Fantasia segment ever produced.

Third in the film is a segment that feels most like a classic Disney production. “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed” is Disney’s glorified and sanitized take on the eponymous American pioneer, nurseryman, conservationist, and missionary. Walt’s personal ideology and perspective on American history included the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny and the taming of the nation’s wilds as among humanity’s greatest achievements. These are notions that Walt – through his films, theme parks, television shows, and public and private remarks – never questioned. Narrated and with Johnny Appleseed voiced by Dennis Day, there is a sincerity to Johnny’s characterization not present anywhere else in the movie. Again, Mary Blair’s artwork – this time, her forested backgrounds – appears as if heaven-sent. The umbrella-like canopy of the apple trees and “untamed” forests are inviting, and attract one’s eyes upward – towards the apples, paradise.

The title song (sometimes referred to as “The Lord is Good to Me”) featured in the opening moments of “The Legend of Appleseed” is one of the earliest – and one of the few – mentions or depictions of religious faith in a Disney animated work. It reinforces the mythos that surrounds Johnny Appleseed (and, by extension, the belief that white men are divine heroes for civilizing the lands west of the original Thirteen Colonies) to the present day. I was not raised in any of the Abrahamic religions, but it difficult to deny the simple charm of the title song and this segment – even if it endorses a troublesome perspective on American history. “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed” is the best segment of Melody Time – from its unassuming storytelling and wondrous animation. It is the only Melody Time segment that I could possibly envision as a decent feature-length animated film.

Based on a 1939 children’s picture book of the same name Hardie Gramatky, “Little Toot” is a chore to sit through. The segment shares similar narrative and aesthetic tissue with Saludos Amigos’ (1942) “Pedro”, which concerned an anthropomorphic mail airplane that thinks it could. Along the Hudson River in New York City, Little Toot is a tiny tugboat who aspires to be like his father Big Toot. Just as in “Pedro”, this is a case of an anthropomorphized vehicle child who attempts to assume adult responsibility in order to prove that they can perform tasks as well as the adults can. Given that Little Toot is a meddling prankster playing tugboat games, it is difficult to feel much sympathy when he finally faces the consequences of his actions – which probably includes calamitous infrastructural damage and human casualties. Of course, Little Toot is eventually redeemed through some heroic deeds. All of the tugboats will love him, as they belt out with glee that Little Toot will go down in history. The segment is grating, including the novelty title song sung by The Andrews Sisters. Aside from some fascinating water effects, there is not much that “Little Toot” offers in the way of animated interest. Otherwise, it is least interesting segment of the film.

The palate-cleanser is “Trees”, a four-minute segment based on Joyce Kilmer’s poem of the same name (music composed by Oscar Rasbach and performed by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians). Its aesthetic harkens back to a few seconds near the end of the “Ave Maria” in Fantasia, but otherwise “Trees” is distinct from anything else that has appeared in the Disney animated canon. When setting to work on “Trees”, layout artist Ken O’Connor (1941’s Dumbo, 1987’s The Brave Little Toaster) found himself enamored by the concept art, and endeavored to be a faithful to the style set by the concept art as possible. To do this, O’Connor frosted cels before drawing pastel images onto the cel. Before being photographed by the studio’s multiplane camera, each cel was laminated in clear lacquer to prevent the pastel from smudging. Thanks to O’Connor’s experimentation, “Trees”, however fleeting, lays claim to some of the most beautiful animation among all of the package Disney animated features.

“Blame it on the Samba” sees a reunion of Donald Duck and Brazilian parrot José Carioca (Saludos Amigos, 1944’s The Three Caballeros) are walking about, depressed, directionless. Suddenly, they encounter the Aracuan Bird (who debuted in The Three Caballeros), who whisks them inside a cocktail that introduces them to the rhythmic pleasures of the samba. The segment’s title song is based on Ernesto Nazareth’s polka Apanhei-te, Cavaquinho, sung by The Dinning Sisters with adapted English lyrics, and accompanied by organist Ethel Smith (who appears as herself).

“Blame it on the Samba” feels like it should have been featured in either Saludos Amigos or The Three Caballeros – and that was the intention exactly. Intended to appear in Saludos Amigos, “Blame it on the Samba” was animated and completed in time for it to be incorporated in The Three Caballeros. Given Donald Duck’s lust for human women in the second half of the latter movie, “Blame it on the Samba” might have otherwise been a serviceable penultimate number in that film. The segment is an explosion of color, a kick in the rear for a movie that feels much longer than its seven-five-minute runtime might suggest. And yet in a segment for a music genre innovated in Brazil and popularized by Brazilians, the performers and the performance lack any discernible Brazilian influence or roots. This is not samba music. Instead, it is the culmination of what a white American might think samba music sounds like. This unfortunate development probably would have been avoided entirely if “Blame it on the Samba” appeared in those two aforementioned films instead.

“Pecos Bill”, based on the Texan folk hero of the same name, makes reference to American Indians in ghastly ways. Simultaneously, its absurd humor and lack of fidelity to sensible human behavior and physics make it a delight to watch. The segment also boasts the presence of Roy Rogers and the Pioneers (and Rogers’ horse, Trigger). Child actors Luana Patten and Bobby Driscoll, both of whom had just starred in Song of the South (1946), make brief appearances in the segment’s hybrid animation/live-action introduction. Rogers, then contracted to Republic Pictures, was one of the quintessential stars of the singing cowboy subgenre – singing cowboy movies were almost exclusively made by the “Poverty Row” studios including Republic, and they were extremely profitable against their barebones budgets). “Pecos Bill” all begins with the atmospheric, moody “Blue Shadows on the Trail”. “Blue Shadows on the Trail” describes and, through its spare instrumentation, reflects the emptiness and desolation of the American West. It is a beautiful ballad, and could easily be placed in any Western (singing cowboy movies or otherwise).

Once the hybrid animation/live-action introduction concludes, “Pecos Bill” steams forward with comic hyperbole followed by another comic hyperbole. The title song (music by Eliot Daniel, lyrics by Johnny Lange) doubles down on the exaggerations. Those exaggerations include the segment’s constant gunplay – escaping censorship from the Hays Code: a risqué gag that includes Pecos Bill’s guns going off because of love interest Slue Foot Sue. At least Melody Time ends brashly and riotously, but any impressionable children watching will require a discussion from a trusted adult. Its depictions of American Indians and men-women relations are deplorable, but after just over an hour of inconsistent quality, I found myself enjoying “Pecos Bill” more than I imagined.

Shortly after the release of Melody Time, Walt Disney embarked on a three-week cruise to Hawai’i. Walt rarely went vacationing, and he spent these weeks fully concentrating on his family and escaping from the minutiae of managing his studio. Even after returning from Hawai’i, Walt did not spend much time in Burbank. Walt invited animator and fellow train enthusiast Ward Kimball on a trip to the Midwest. Together, they attended the 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair, visited the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, and stopped at other locations close to Walt’s childhood in the Midwest. Through the end of 1948, Walt spent more time constructing the train set in his backyard than paying attention to the animation and live-action movies his studio was producing. What seemed like idleness to many (including New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther, who believed that Disney was a cinematic genius wasting his time on quixotic projects) was a major inspiration for a draft sketch entitled “Mickey Mouse Park”, dated August 31, 1948.

The package era at Walt Disney Productions (now Walt Disney Animation Studios) was nearing its end. Every film during this run – Saludos Amigos (1942), The Three Caballeros (1944), Make Mine Music (1946), Fun and Fancy Free (1947), Melody Time, and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) – faced the same narrative of Walt Disney’s personal indifference to the projects, a lack of direction and motivation among the animators, and audience and critic dissatisfaction when compared to Disney’s Golden Age movies. A return to non-package animated features would be imminent, in spite of Melody Time’s mediocre performance at the box office. The Disney studios would attempt to begin a period of renewal with a tradition that inaugurated their animated canon – with a fairy tale.

My rating: 6/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

#Melody Time #Walt Disney #Mary Blair #Jack Kinney #Clyde Geronimi #Hamilton Luske #Wilfred Jackson #Roy Rogers #Dennis Day #The Andrews Sisters #Donald Duck #Jose Carioca #My Movie Odyssey

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dinsbeskar · 3 years

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you know when you're hit by an idea so overwhelming it must be manifested into being??

pedro in a period piece, I beg you universe, give me this one thing

#i know he's in game of thrones but i mean a pride and prejudice or even a bridgerton #something that means he has to wear the tight jodhpurs and big billowy shirt #as he rides a horse or exits a fountain #this one thing

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felipeandletizia · 4 years

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Felipe & Letizia’s decade: Trips Abroad

F&L Decade 61/??

King Felipe and Queen Letizia paid an Official Visit to Washington, DC and Florida, USA, between September 15 and 18, 2015. They were accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, José Manuel García-Margallo. During the visit, among other activities, they met with President Obama and his wife and They joined the 450th anniversary of Saint Augustine, the oldest American city of European origin.

On the 15th, Their Majesties the Kings began activities in Mount Vernon. Don Felipe and Doña Letizia visited the pantheon and the residence of President George Washington. The Kings made a wreath in the pantheon and had the opportunity to greet the volunteers, dressed in period costume, from the Louisiana Fixed Infantry Regiment.

Next, they headed to the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. The Kings accessed the rooms that house George Washington's personal library, made up of 900 volumes, and viewed various manuscripts and outstanding books owned by the first American president, such as two old editions of "Don Quixote." Don Felipe and Doña Letizia presented, as a donation to this institution, a reproduction of the Credential Letters of the first Ambassador of the United States of America in Spain, addressed to Carlos IV and signed by George Washington.

Later, Don Felipe and Doña Letizia visited the White House, where they were received by the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, and his wife, the First Lady, Michelle Obama.

His Majesty the King and President Obama held a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House. At their conclusion, they offered the media a few brief statements.

Meanwhile, Doña Letizia and Mrs. Obama met in the private residence and visited the garden-orchard of the White House, within the initiative of the First Lady "Let's move", which aims to promote good eating habits.

In the afternoon, the Kings attended the Congress of the United States of America to hold a meeting with the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, in which they discussed various international policy issues. The day ended with a reception for a representation of the Spanish community in Washington, which was attended by nearly two hundred attendees.

On September 16, His Majesty the King held a working breakfast with American businessmen at the Residence of the Spanish Ambassador, organized by the ICEX-Invest in Spain and the Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in the United States, in collaboration with the US Chamber of Comerce, in which representatives of companies such as DuPont, Dow Chemicals, Costco, Lilly, Microsoft, HP, 3M, Honeywell, Marriott, UPS, IP were present Containers or General Motors.

Don Felipe pointed out that there is still a lot of potential to be discovered in the economic relations between both countries and that now is a good time to consider investing in Spain.

In parallel, Her Majesty the Queen visited the National Cancer Institute at the Clinical Hospital of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). After learning about the research laboratories of the pediatric cancer-fighting unit, Doña Letizia held a working meeting.

Later, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, the King attended the seminar "A transatlantic conversation", organized by the Wilson Center and the Royal Elcano Institute. In his speech, the King referred to the need to address global challenges, such as climate change, nuclear proliferation and global terrorism, through global solutions.

At noon, Don Felipe held a working lunch with scientists and experts participating in the seminar, and then met with a group of young Hispanic leaders in the United States.

In the evening, Their Majesties the Kings attended the presentation ceremony of the First Meeting of Spanish Scientists in the United States at Georgetown University. This initiative, promoted by the Prince of Asturias Chair of this academic institution, aims to forge and strengthen links between scientists, explore new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, create a forum for discussion and reflection on the current state of scientific disciplines and their advances and build bridges that facilitate communication between the Spanish scientific community in the USA. and public and private organizations in both countries.

"The professionals of the Spanish Science are essential actors in this scientific and social gear, and protagonists of innovation and technical knowledge. You are social references for the vocation of our young people and true architects to build solid bridges between generations of scientists. You are example of talent and perseverance, shows the strengths of our educational system, ambassadors of our culture, as well as a very valuable connector between our internal scientific and technological capacities and the networks of knowledge and innovation on a global scale," Don Felipe told the scientists .

The day ended with a dinner offered in honor of Their Majesties the Kings by Georgetown University. In his toast, Don Felipe took stock of the enrichment that the relations between Spain and the United States have experienced in the twenty years that have passed since his graduation: "I am proud to see that Spanish companies invest more in the United States than American companies in Spain and they employ more than 80,000 Americans. It is also great to see Spain as the second preferred destination outside the continent for American students. We receive almost 25,000 each year. Let me also tell you that Spanish is the second most spoken language in the The United States, as well as the second language for international communication throughout the world. Finally, I must emphasize that our friendship as nations and peoples has grown strongly. Today, Spain and the United States are more united than ever, not only in the NATO, and facing new challenges together."

On the 17th, Their Majesties the Kings traveled to Florida. In the afternoon, in the Freedom Tower-headquarters of the main auditorium of Miami Dade College-, the president of Miami Dade College imposed the Presidential Medal of the academic center on Don Felipe.

Subsequently, His Majesty the King gave the inaugural conference for the 2015-2016 academic year, entitled "The Spanish of the United States", where in Spanish and English, Don Felipe valued the importance of this language as a "substantial part" of the present of the United States and "cardinal component" of its future, reason why it defended the existence of "a Spanish of the United States", with its own social and linguistic profile, in front of "the Hispanic you speak of other latitudes". He also stressed that "the Spanish of the USA cannot be understood as an autonomous variety, at the exclusive service of an interior community and isolated from other peoples with a common history, but as a manifestation of an international language enriched by endless modalities and accents from North and South America, the Caribbean and Africa, Europe and the Pacific. Homogeneity and, at the same time, the multiplicity of voices are the basis of the wealth of Spanish and its international projection " .

At the end of the conference, Their Majesties the Kings went to the Miami Dade College exhibition area. Don Felipe and Doña Letizia delivered a series of engravings on the life and work of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés - Asturian admiral who landed in 1565 on these coasts and named the place with the name of the patron saint of his native town (San Agustín) - , belonging to the Tegesta collection and made by the painter Amado González Hevia "Favila", and various books on the common history and relations between Spain and the United States.

A reception given by the president of Miami Dade College in honor of Their Majesties the Kings, ended the act.

The day concluded with the attendance at the presentation of the Spanish Film Festival "Recent Cinema from Spain", at the Olimpia Theater in Miami, where the film "Cándida" was shown. This festival, created in 2011 and promoted by the Audiovisual Producers Rights Management Entity (EGEDA), opens a new space for the promotion of Spanish cinema in the US, both among the general public and before the international audiovisual industry , with a genre-rich cinematography that easily connects with the American audience, especially the Latin one.

On the 18th, Don Felipe and Doña Letizia visited the city of San Agustín on the occasion of the 450th anniversary of its foundation. They began their tour of the Castillo de San Marcos, which continued through the Lightner Museum. The Kings signed there in the book of honor of San Agustín and delivered to the city a painting by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés made by the painter Amado González Hevia "Favila".

Then they went to the Government House. From the balcony, Don Felipe addressed a few words to the citizens gathered in the square, in which he referred to the deed of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and joined the celebration of the 450th anniversary of the city. He also recalled the brotherhood of San Agustín with Avilés and the island of Menorca. "It is something that we can be proud of, both Spanish and American, united as we are by an inspiring past and a promising future as friends and allies," said the King.

Later, the Kings went to the Cathedral Basilica of San Agustín, where a short prayer of blessing and dedication of the bells of the Basilica to the Spanish Crown was held. After this visit, the mayor of San Agustín offered a lunch in honor of Their Majesties the Kings at Flagler College. In his speech, Don Felipe asked to take advantage of the 450th anniversary commemorations of the city of San Agustín "to shed light, more than on the characters and on the facts, on what they mean: the transmission of a culture that today permeates the entire American reality and that grows green day by day thanks to the more than fifty million Hispanics who today reside, work, integrate and commit to the future of the United States. "

In the afternoon, the King presented the Bernardo de Gálvez Prize to Ford's President and CEO, Mark Fields, at the Casa Mónica hotel. With this annual award, the Spain-United States Council Foundation intends to honor and publicize the work of those persons or institutions, of American nationality who, with their work, example or dedication, have promoted cooperation between Spain and the United States. Together, they have improved reciprocal knowledge and the respective images or have developed any initiative that has resulted in progress and increased relations between the two societies.

Don Felipe then met with the Governor of Florida, Rick Scott, to whom he presented, as a donation, the sculpture "The passage to a new world: the foundation of Saint Augustine by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés".

Subsequently, Their Majesties the Kings returned to Flagler College to attend the opening dinner of the XX Spain-United States Forum, organized by the Spain-United States Council Foundation and its United States counterpart, the United States – Spain Council. These meetings bring together their respective members each year and have the participation of leaders from the public and private sectors of both countries to address different issues of common interest. Among the topics addressed in its sessions, those related to business and financial promotion stand out, as well as analyzes of certain economic sectors (infrastructure, transport, technology, finance or energy, among others). Other issues are also debated such as the situation of triangulation relations between Spain, the United States and Latin America, the economic and cultural dimension of the Spanish language or the situation of the thriving Hispanic communities.

After this act, Their Majesties the Kings undertook their return to Spain.

#King Felipe #Queen Letizia #King Felipe of Spain #Queen Letizia of Spain #King Felipe VI #King Felipe VI of Spain #F&L Decade #Mine

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vaguely-concerned · 4 years

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the mandalorian episode 7 reactions

spoilers under the cut!

- during my rewatches I have been thinking ‘damn baby yoda has witnessed A Lot of murders/seen his dad get hurt even more’ and found it strange it hasn’t affected him more and little did I know they were saving it all to fucking stab me in the heart with one barbed wire-wrapped zweihander. the scared way he shakes his little green head while mando tries to reassure him fjskdfhaksd T___________T

cara tho of all people. okay this is kind of a crazy idea but bear with me: what if baby yoda picks up a lot on mando’s feelings (in a wordless baby-with-a-Force-connection sort of way -- almost a metaphoric heightening of how babies actually attune to their caretakers in real life), and normally mando is a bit detached/dissociated around others but he’s starting to warm up to and trust cara and it’s bringing him a bit more online and the baby reads that engagement/excitement as danger because that’s the only thing he has to compare it to? like they’re clearly actually having fun but the baby wouldn’t know that because uh mando has never just had fun around him before and to the baby adrenaline seems like adrenaline no matter the source. that might be completely off base but it was what dropped into my brain right away so *shrug*

I’m so grateful mando doesn’t get mad at bb even when he gets scared like that though. it’s good for my soul.

- cara and mando being bros is Life, is Love

- but most of all CARA!!! I love her!!! and the effortless way mando put down his trump card.... “sorry got stuff to do people to beat up no can do my helmeted friend” “’kay. by the way we’re going Imp hunting” “:D:D:D when do we leave”

- KUIIL Y_____________Y actually I refuse (REFUSE) to accept it until someone finds his body and confirms he’s actually dead, I believe denial is my prerogative it’s almost christmas for goodness’ sake

- when cara, greef karga and mando are about to leave for the town I actually SCREAMED at the screen “MANDO REASSURE YOUR CHILD AND TELL HIM EVERYTHING’S GOING TO BE OKAY BEFORE YOU LEAVE HE NEEDS SOME SAFETY” and then he didn’t and then I cried

- pedro pascal did some Things with his voice in this one and it was mean and unfair and uncalled for and awful. the honest hurt and fear in his voice when he says “It tried to kill him”? END ME

- mando straight up doesn’t seem to know anything about the Force at all, or at least not in a way that lets him connect it to the baby. maybe he vaguely knows jedi were a thing but not quite what they actually were. I like that, an interesting showcase of the different perspectives through the galaxy. (maybe finding someone to help out with this is going to be the story arc for next season?

- I actually think this is the first episode where they’ve tried to cover too much in too little time and had to drop the emotional consistency as a consequence. it’s understandable since they need to get all the pieces set up right for the finale, but it didn’t quite work for me (by which I mean for the love of god I needed just one scene, however short, of mando and baby yoda connecting properly with nothing else going on to help me through the stress/reaffirm the bond so it’s unbearably fresh in your mind what this is all for. yes that’s right I wanted them to hurt me more that’s how I roll)

the stuff Kuiil was doing there with his droid story also felt slightly disjointed? out of tune with the rest of the episode? I like him very much and I think I see what they were going for but it felt a little off? mando gently being faced with the fact that droids are naturally neutral and that it’s people who decide what to make them/teach them (yessss go off kuiil!) deserves more space to breathe, this is definitely my least favourite episode so far

- lol @ the empire dude. ‘yeah okay but apart from all the genocide what did we even do to anyone tho???’ in the end he seemed to earnestly admire mandalorian culture in an almost fanboyish way, which doesn’t really surprise me; there must be some decent overlap between people who believed in the empire and people who think the mandalorian tendency towards militarism and (periodic) expansionism is Cool. (which is why I traditionally haven’t cared much for them, incidentally, they’ve always sort of bored me as a warrior culture before this series added some mystical/more overtly religious overtones to the whole thing)

also loved how mando gave him n o t h i n g at all to work with and cara’s ‘who the hell is this guy??’ to the new bad guy lol

- mando averting the fight between kuiil and cara just by being soft and asking for help/reminding them of the kid ;___; I love him he knows how to deescalate a situation when he wants to

also the parallell between baby yoda protecting mando and the droid hovering ready to protect kuiil... right in the feels man. also kuiils air of dignity and experience is so effective. pls be my gruff no-nonsense grandpa who helps me with my computer kuiil

if kuiil is actually dead (which I continue to REFUSE but if) I get the feeling that mando is going to have to Reevaluate some things basically out of respect to his memory, since the way he describes putting this droid back together is framed so heavily as parenthood and surely there must be some empathy for that at least behind that beskar chest plate at this point

I have been thinking that adding a droid to mando’s little uh ‘crew’ would be thematically appropriate so maybe that’s what going on? kuiil said he could reprogram it for childcare, perhaps we’ve found the babysitter we’ve been begging for

- the one-sided vendetta between mando and the very soft spoken, very conscientious, very polite droid is hilarious. mostly because it thus far has manifested mainly in mando presumably glaring behind the helmet and being slightly snippy in saying he won’t come down for dinner like a fucking teenage boy in a sulk fjskdafhsd (I am slightly forgiving of him because droids pointing guns at the kid must be trigger central for him and I can sympathize, it’d take some time to change)

- some other high points of hilarity: three blurrgs and four people in mando’s tiny rustbucket of a ship. “It’s trying to eat me!”. the fact that greef karga was ABSOLUTELY planning to double cross them from the beginning and admitting it openly, he ain’t ashamed (the ‘mando get better friends’ campaign continues). mando describing the spectacular firefight at the end of ep 3 as ‘a bit of a run-in’. baby cackling as he finally gets a turn behind the steering stick of the razor crest. the mysterious multiplying four storm troopers (‘you said four fucking storm troopers karga!!!!’) phenomena. “well there are more. what can I tell you”. mando, with perfect disdain: “on your wall”. the panicked force choke was upsetting but the fact that ‘we do not strangle our friends’ was the Mando Parenting Lesson of the day is undeniably kind of funny.

- anyway I am here and ready to pass out from stress waiting for mando to lose his entire shit and go on a roaring rampage of rescue to save his kid in the next episode (I swear to GOD disney there better not be any between-season cliffhangers about this or I will fucking riot/possibly just die)

ETA: I FORGOT TO MENTION: credit where it’s due the flamethrower did pull it’s weight in this one, I still think he should invest in something more reliable but it did the trick this time and fair is fair

#star wars #the mandalorian #the mandalorian spoilers #man here just have all my feelings this is a debrief before I vibrate out of my skin lol #slightly delirious now I'm going to go drink some water #ETA: now with the part you were all actually waiting for: the flame thrower report!

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dustedmagazine · 4 years

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Dust Volume 6, Number 6

Whatever happens, Bobby Conn will always be fabulous

Greetings from the never-ending sameness! It must be Friday since we’re doing a Dust, but we are not exactly sure which Friday and, indeed, which day of the week comes after that. We have not had a haircut in a while, and we’re wearing the most comfortable, least fashionable things we own, but we have not quite given up, because, you see, we’re still listening to music. Here are short missives from our respective quarantines, covering experimental psych, fey orchestral pop, slow rolling sine waves, disco-glittering satire, solitary black metal and assorted other musical manifestations. Contributors included Bill Meyer, Andrew Forell, Jennifer Kelly, Jonathan Shaw and Michael Rosenstein.

Eric Arn & Jasmine Pender — Hydromancy (Feeding Tube)

hydromancy by eric arn & jasmine pender

Hydromancy is the ancient practice of divining the gods’ intentions by staring for long periods into a pool of water. Eric Arn, an American guitarist who has been based in Austria for the last decade and a half, seems to have picked up at least one message from the cosmos, and he is acting upon it. Feeding Tube Records is his home. Hydromancy is his third release on the label, and like its two predecessors, it carves out a unique zone within a large and ever-spreading field of inquiry. Arn’s spent time playing psychedelic rock, free improvisation and solo acoustic explorations, and worked with players from Texas, New England and Vienna. This time he’s partnered with an English cellist, Jasmine Pender, on two side-long ponderances of resonance. The title is apt; the musicians seem to be regarding the surface of their sound, first letting ripples and reflections guide them, but ultimately peering beneath the surface into darker, persistent currents.

Bill Meyer

ARTHUR — Hair of the Dog (Honeymoon)

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On his sophomore album, Philadelphia songwriter ARTHUR disguises ruminations on addiction, anxiety, pain and paranoia in summery cloaks of experimental pop. The combination of whimsy and woe is nothing new, but it’s a fine balance. In Hair of the Dog, complex arrangements surround naïve-sounding melodies, hinting at inner turmoil.

The album incorporates whispers of disco in “No Tengo,” a low key Caleb Giles rap interlude on “Something Sweet,” swinging 1960s horns on “William Penn Island” and a choir of children on “You Are Mine.” The magpie eclecticism holds together beneath a voice that can err on the side of mannered. It is most effective when direct and unadorned as on “Simple Song” where a woozy waltz and detuned guitar bridge underline the poignancy of the lyrics: “In a couple of years/You lose a couple of friends/You lose yourself and you start over again/I don’t have patience/All that I know is addiction.” There is a lot to like here even if at times ARTHUR treads too hard on the path of whimsy.

Andrew Forell

Gaudenz Badrutt — Ganglions (Aussenraum)

Ganglions by Gaudenz Badrutt

“Connect” is the not the first words that 2020 is going to wear out, but it’s in the running. Veteran Swiss electronic musician Gudenz Badrutt could not have foreseen the present situation when he was making this LP, but it speaks to at least one aspect of it. Perhaps the barrages of commercials dropping the word “connect” by corporations interested in currying your subconscious good will has you pondering the networks by which that state is accomplished and sustained. Badrutt’s music is assembled from sine waves and feedback systems, which he layers and interrupts to make sound that flickers and surges like an audio rendering of your nervous system in various states of load-carrying and overload. Listen closely, and you can ponder your place within the system. But if you’re sick of thinking, feeling, and awareness, turn this shit up and it will blot out whatever offends you.

Bill Meyer

Nat Baldwin — Autonomia I: Body Without Organs (Shinkoyo)

AUTONOMIA I: Body Without Organs by Nat Baldwin

Nat Baldwin is a published novelist as well as a singer and double bassist with several solo records and a long-time stint is a member of the Dirty Projectors on his cv. His versatility does not come at the expense of focus; indeed, Autonomia I (so named because there’s a second, cassette-only volume) show that he knows how to get a lot out of a particular idea. This LP was inspired by a broken bow, which he employs (sometimes in concert with an intact one) on five of the LP’s seven tracks. When one of your tools is unreliable, you have to be ready to scramble, and there are moments when it sounds like he’s trying to recover from or get ahead of his implement’s waywardness. But those also sound like moments of opportunity; whether he’s exploring rattle of a loose part against his bass’s body or using that bow to obtain non-prescribed tensions from his strings, he organizes his instrument’s unusual sounds into quick-moving, provocatively shaped constellations of sound.

Bill Meyer

Bonifrate—Mundo Encoberto (Self-released)

Mundo Encoberto by Bonifrate

Pedro Bonifrate is one-half of the Brazilian psych outfit Guaxe, this solo album (according to Google translate “overcast world”) springs from the same trippy, laid-back but multi-instrumented roots. Lush like the rainforest that surrounds him, playful and full of bright colors, this eight-part composition unfolds in the manner of a particularly vivid dream. “Parte 1” mutates freely over its 11 minute duration, stirring to life in a rush of strings, slipping into beach-y mildly hallucinogenic balladry, trying on a bit of Syd Barret-ish whimsy, crescendoing in clangorous guitar overload. Hard to say if Bonifrate played all the instruments, but the album has an idiosyncratic euphoria, as if it were lifted in one piece from the vivid contours of one person’s mushroom trip.

Jennifer Kelly

Bobby Conn — Recovery (Tapete)

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“It’s a disaster, the one we’ve been waiting for for years, and now we get to see how this thing ends,” croons the one-and-only Bobby Conn in his glam-shuddering, disco-sleek tenor, and sure, 2020 in a nutshell, got it in one, congrats! Who’d have thought that Conn’s arch, satiric performance art could be a form of comfort here at the end of the world? Who’s have supposed his stylized excesses would seem not an iota too much? Conn, as ever, is sharp and topical, pondering all the oppressed sub-groups left out of the “Good Old Days,” (against a swaggering Phil Spector beat), mourning the xxx-rated theaters put out of business by Pornhub in “Bijou,” skewering big data’s intrusions in the synth-operatic glories of “Disposable Future.” But what’s always separated Conn from mere satirists is the elaborate, over-the-top quality of the music he makes. “Recovery” with its scatted bassline, its frenetic syncopation, its funk precision—it all works as music way before you start to chuckle at the lyrics. Conn is as much a character in the long-running graphic novel that plays in his head as a bandleader, but don’t underestimate the bandleader. There’s art underneath all that eyeliner.

Jennifer Kelly

Curanderos — Raven’s Head (Null Zøne)

Raven's Head by Curanderos

If you’re looking for something to cure what ails you in these uncertain times, Raven’s Head might be your balm. You won’t need a prescription, since the tradition of shamanistic healing precedes the AMA, and the particular configuration of healers here — John and Michael Gibbons of Bardo Pond + Scott Verrastro of Kohoutek — models a cooperative approach that more conventional leadership would do well to emulate. The combination of personalities also tips you off to what to expect. Verrastro is a colorist, using the metal parts of his drum kit to keep the listener aware of the dimensions surrounding the listening space, but he also provides just enough forward momentum to keep the music moving at a fogbank-rolling pace. The Gibbons match liquid lead and coarse riff with practiced ease; they’ve spent a lot of time in such cloudy spaces, and they breathe deeply of the inspirational atmosphere.

Bill Meyer

Discovery Zone — Remote Control (Mansions and Millions)

Remote Control by Discovery Zone

“Sophia Again” is a sci-fi mini-story, presenting the conversation between an AI creature and her creator, talking about the self, the meaning of life and the joy of connection, as bubbling arcs of synthesizer sounds jet off into the ether. It is, perhaps, the most literally futuristic of the cuts on this gleaming, synth-centric album, though the whole thing is polished to an other worldly, not quite natural glow. JJ Weihl, the artist behind Discovery Zone, also works in Fenster, a Berlin-based psychedelic pop band of a similarly polished, dance-referring (but not dance) aesthetic. Here, she works solo in luminous abstractions of crystal clear sound. The pleasure comes in the purity and beauty of voices, synths, drum beats, which sound like Sophia might have made them while learning to be human; they are a little too perfect to be wholly man-made.

Jennifer Kelly

Esoctrilihum — Eternity of Shaog (I, Voidhanger)

Eternity Of Shaog by ESOCTRILIHUM

An epic of esoteric demonology from Ashtâghul’s one-man black metal project Esoctrilihum, Eternity of Shaog presents as ten songs, most of which bear titles like “Exh-Enî Söph (First Passage: Exiled from Sanity)” and “Amenthlys (5th Passage: Through the Yth-Whtu Seal).” One gets the sense that there is a cosmology being built—but even Google has a tough time tracking the references to the many, many Eastern mythic systems in the repertoire. The provisionally good news is that Eternity of Shaog is a bit less musically spastic than its predecessor, The Telluric Ashes of the Ö Vrth Immemorial Gods, an even longer record released just last year. Say what you will, Ashtâghul is prolific. On this new record, you get his signature combination of black metal speed and snarl and an ambitiously (that’s the kind word) proggy compositional sense. The transitions this time around are less violent, the riffs are pretty good and plentiful synths build out to lush soundscapes. The musical textures are rich, but the bad vibes dominate. It’s hard to say what malign presences you’ll be summoning into your home if you play this stuff as loud as seems intended. Maybe keep some holy water handy.

Jonathan Shaw

Fire-Toolz — Rainbow Bridge (Hausu Mountain)

Rainbow Bridge by Fire-Toolz

As Fire-Toolz composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Angel Marcloid conjures mosaics from such disparate elements that one wonders how the music hangs together. Yet what at first seems like a chaotic, fractured farrago coalesces into a cohesive picture of her world that simultaneously bewilders and awes. Catholic in source and meticulous in construction Rainbow Bridge is an uncompromising and often stunning dash through Marcloid’s mind. Treated vocals that evoke death metal or JG Thirwell at his most outré, passages of twinkling synth and arena guitar, elements of 1980s Japanese ambient music, fusion jazz and Chiptune slot together like Jenga blocks that wobble but never quite collapse.

Marcloid’s project of musical excavation, reclamation and transformation perhaps mirrors her experience as a non-binary transgender person and the atomization of many tracks on Rainbow Bridge read as a meditation on the contingency of identity and the struggle for place within/outside social constructs that define acceptability and “taste”. On the other hand, sit back, push play and prepare to drift along with the ambient flow then be jolted from reverie by glitch and noise. Much like the world really.

Andrew Forell

Jacaszek — Music for Film (Ghostly)

Music for Film by Jacaszek

Music for Film collects the Polish composer Jacaszek’s scores for three movies — the 2019 documentary He Dreams of Giants, the 2008 project Golgota wrocławska and the 2017 film November. Haunted, evocative, disquieting and gorgeous, these ten soundscapes infuse the sounds of electronics, strings and samples with dread. “The Iron Bridge” turns sampled voices and slow throbs of cello into dance with death and memory, while “Liina” picks up eerie vibrations just out of focus, like a camera accidentally recording a ghost. “Dance” hurls electric bolts of tremulous sound—they sizzle with aftertones—then picks out a morose melody in plucked strings. All is dark, subdued, ominous but velvety, sensually smooth. Not having seen the films, I can’t guess the subject matter, but let’s assume there’s no laugh track.

Jennifer Kelly

Kontrabassduo Studer-Frey — Zeit (Leo)

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Double bassists Peter K Frey and Daniel Studer has spent the better part of the 21st century performing as a duo, but they don’t seem to have felt pressured to rush out a recording documenting their music. This CD includes selections from 2004, 2007, and 2018 that were made at home, in concert, and in the studio. But despite the variety of sources and occasions, this album feels quite cohesive, which is a testament to integrity of their partnership. They rarely play similarly at any given moment, but their contrasting techniques and frequency ranges evince a balance makes even the tracks with contributions by clarinetist Jürg Frey and cellist Alfred Zimmerlin feel like the work of one massive, multi-bodied bass.

Bill Meyer

Marlin’s Dreaming — Quotidian (Self-Released)

Quotidian by Marlin's Dreaming

The trick of putting soft, flickery voices in front of raging guitars is not a new one, but it’s still worth trying, especially as well as Marlin’s Dreaming does on “Outward Crying.” This sweeping, soaring, but fundamentally introspective tune blasts and blares in a sensitive way, the guitar noise parting like drapes for the singer’s disconsolate confession that he’s leaving this town. The town in question is Auckland, New Zealand, and you can certainly make connections to antipodal fuzz icons, especially the Verlaines. Yet there’s a bit of romantic swoon here in cuts like “Sink or Swim,” which links Marlin’s Dreaming’s diffident lo-fi pop with the baroque gestures of Roxy Music. This is the band’s second album and rather poised given their short history. Marlin’s Dreaming out loud in soft colors and blistering fuzz, and it’s a good one.

Jennifer Kelly

Christian Rønn & Aram Shelton—Multiring (Astral Spirits)

Multiring by Christian Rønn & Aram Shelton

Some musicians stake their claim within a particular locale, and others tour the world. Alto saxophonist Aram Shelton’s done a bit of both. You could say he’s a serial resident; over the past couple decades he’s been based in Chicago, Oakland, Copenhagen, and now, Budapest. But his recording history lags behind him. His latest release is a cassette recorded in April 2018, and it stands apart from anything he’s done to date. Credit for that lies partly with his choice of partner, Danish keyboardist Christian Rønn. Rønn’s instrument here is a Wurlitzer electric piano, augmented with effects that play up its reverberant qualities, but played without much reference to the way people used to play the thing when it was omnipresent in the 1960s and 1970s. Instead of nailing down a groove, Rønn posts reverberant signposts that Shelton can snake through or lays out undulating surfaces that the saxophonist can sail over. Either way, Shelton plays with a darker and softer tone than has been his wont in the past, casting a pall of eerie foreboding over this gradually evolving music.

Bill Meyer

Snekkestad / Guy / Fernandez — The Swiftest Traveller (Trost)

The Swiftest Traveler by Snekkestad / Guy / Fernandez

Englishman double bassist Barry Guy (b. 1947) has been shuttling between free and composed musical zones for over half a century, longer than the similarly versatile Scandinavian reeds and brass multi-threat Torben Snekkestad (b. 1973) has been alive. Catalan pianist Agusti Fernández (b. 1954) traverses similar terrain. And all three shift fluidly between conventional virtuosity and astutely applied extended techniques. The trio’s rapport is so strong that one supposes that however the album got its title, it wasn’t the result of some musical contest. They’re builders, not destroyers. Still, the rapidity with which these three musicians move from event to event is undeniable. Sparse stasis morphs into quick runs up and down the keyboard; a dense, high-velocity onslaught transforms into intricate, three-part counterpoint. The quickness with which the music changes and the completeness that it expresses from moment to moment make this a very satisfying performance.

Bill Meyer

Various Artists — Quilted Flowers: 1940s Albanian & Epirot Recordings from the Balkan Label (Canary Recordings)

Quilted Flowers: 1940s Albanian & Epirot Recordings from the Balkan Label by Canary Records

The word “Balkanized” has the dubious distinction of having acquired extra-regional meaning, to the point where it now signifies a whole divided into smaller, mutually hostile regions. But some of the Balkan musicians who moved to New York City pulled together to play on each other’s gigs and recordings. The Albanian multi-instrumentalist, Ajdan Asllan, who ran the Balkan record label, partnered with musicians from Greece and Bulgaria on both a musical and business level, and kept the company running into the LP age. This collection pulls 11 sides of instrumental and vocal music that originated on his home turf, but if your ears have previously pricked up in response to rural music from Greece or Anatolia, you will want to hear this stuff. A pair of clarinets or a violin usually carry the melodies, sometimes chased by sharp-pitched vocals that spread out in ragged but lusty unison, and always carried by unevenly accented rhythms articulated by vigorously strummed stringed instruments.

Bill Meyer

Otomo Yoshihide & Chris Pitsiokos — Live in Florence (Astral Spirits)

Live in Florence by Otomo Yoshihide & Chris Pitsiokos

Live in Florence documents a meeting between Otomo Yoshihide on guitar and turntables and Chris Pitsiokos on alto sax and electronics at the Tempo Reale Festival in Florence, Italy. This was the final date of a six-day European tour by the duo, and they’re primed from the first crackled sputters and blasts. The two thrive on these sorts of boundary-crushing forays and their seven short improvisations careen along with frenetic, brawny energy. The two deploy jump-cut pacing and shredded attacks from piercing overtones and feedback to frayed overblown sax and turntable crackle to manically angular reed lines and searing electronic bursts to chafed sax amplifications and thundering rumbles. Even on pieces where they start things out a bit more subdued, the two quickly ratchet up the intensity with torrid, barely-controlled vigor. There’s a slight respite on the sixth piece, with Otomo’s chiming guitar harmonics laying a resonant field for Pitsiokos’s breathy chirps and bent tones but even here, they arc to waves of feedback and skirling reed fusillades by the end. The final piece starts with shattered electronics and spitting reeds and mounts into bellowing din, exploding to the finish of the exhilarating 37-minute set.

Michael Rosenstein

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