#Aragon mattingly

[dnpanimationstudioclone]

Decided to see what Dorathea and Aragon could’ve looked like alive or perhaps in mortal disguises, hosting a medieval fair festival for some master ruse(@a-sterling-rose suggested it), like when Dorathea posed as the Princess host for the beauty pageant in Beauty Marked. I didn’t alter the outfits because I based it on medival royalty wear so they’re already well dressed for the part.

What do u think? How do you think they could’ve looked alive? I’d love to know💖

[annabolinas]

Tudor Week 2023:

Day 5: Most Used Tudor Related Resource: A Non-Comprehensive List of My Favorite Tudor Books

I know I said this wasn't comprehensive, and it really isn't; I used 63 secondary sources and 9 primary source collections for my novel alone. These are just my favs, the ones I go back to regularly, plus one surprise. Warning: this is a long post. *crying emoji*

Tudor England: A History - Genuinely the best one-volume history of Tudor England out there. If you're a Tudor buff, GET THIS BOOK!!! There's not only refreshingly balanced interpretations of every Tudor monarch, but Wooding is careful to focus on ordinary people in Tudor England, with chapters dedicated to their religion, literature, relations with the wider world, authority and dissent, and more! Plus, the footnotes and Further Reading are an absolute delight, chock-full of fascinating research. This is academic history at its absolute best.

The Tudor Chronicles - Ever forgot what important stuff happened in Tudor England in 1505? 1563? 1589? This is the book for you. It's a year-by-year look at Tudor history. This was an invaluable book while writing the novel; it really provided a chronological framework on which I could structure the story. Absolutely essential.

Henry VIII by J.J. Scarisbrick - Despite being published in 1968, this remains a classic biography of Henry VIII, one of the very best out there. While Scarisbrick has aged poorer in some areas than others (i.e. his underestimation of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Parr), his treatment of Henrician foreign policy and the struggle for the annulment has IMO never been bettered. Plus, he has a whole chapter on matrimonial canon law if you want to better understand the background to Henry's quest for an annulment from Catherine of Aragon.

Henry VIII by Lucy Wooding - I actually think Wooding is a better biography of Henry than Scarisbrick, if only because this was published in 2015. Understanding yet never excusing Henry, and with balanced and well-argued interpretations of every historiographical controversy in his reign, this is a book I keep coming back to! Plus, she manages to be sympathetic to Catherine, Anne, and Henry in the Great Matter, no small feat.

Henry VIII: The Mask of Royalty - A bit of an odd book, this is a psychological profile of Henry in his last years, 1540-7. Nevertheless, Smith is careful to never armchair diagnose Henry with anything, but rather bring out facets of his personality which are often ignored, like his obsession with honor and deep-rooted conviction in his close relationship with God as an anointed monarch. This was really helpful in fleshing out Henry as the main character in my novel.

Henry VIII: The Decline and Fall of a Tyrant - If Lacey Baldwin Smith focuses mainly on Henry's psyche from 1540-7, Robert Hutchinson provides a more general picture of these last years. He's particularly insightful on Henry's declining health, his war with France, court factionalism, and the economic woes England faced as a result. I wasn't as familiar with the non-matrimonial aspects of Henry's reign when I was writing the novel, so this book proved a godsend to me.

Six Wives - I know, I know, David Starkey is a racist POS. But he somehow managed to make the (so-far; I hope Suzannah Lipscomb will change this) best overview of the six wives. Weir is downright unreliable and Fraser repeats a number of myths and is a strong CoA partisan. It's Starkey who debunks myths and offers intriguing interpretations of everything from the dating of Anne and Percy's relationship to proof of Foxe's story of Catherine Parr's near-arrest.

Catherine of Aragon by Giles Tremlett - Why it took seventy years to supersede Gareth Mattingly's biography on Catherine, I don't know, but Tremlett did it. This is a richly detailed, fair book on Catherine, and while he is sympathetic to Catherine, he doesn't present her as a plaster saint. Still, it's hard to feel anything but admiration for her after this biography. This is the closest book we'll get to knowing her as a person.

The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives - This book deserves to be called "the Anne Boleyn bible". An underrated feature of this biography is its fascinating and insightful analysis of Anne's faith, presenting convincing evidence of her evangelical beliefs, and her artistic patronage. Even if I don't agree with his theory of her fall, this is still the best Anne biography out there.

Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves by Elizabeth Norton - In a small field of books about these two queens, Norton manages to produce the best ones. Due to the paucity of evidence, there's naturally a lot of speculation and use of "might have", but she does the best of any book at producing a picture of these two queens as actual people (with thorough citations to boot).

Young and Damned and Fair by Gareth Russell - I feel I should clarify that I don't agree with Russell's analysis of Catherine Howard's relationship with Manox and Dereham; it was not consensual (although I think Dereham groomed her into thinking it was). That being said, Russell sweeps away many of the myths and misconceptions about Catherine to present a very empathetic, yet never biased book about this tragic queen. Plus, he includes a wealth of details about court life and anecdotes about Catherine not found in other bios.

Catherine Parr by Susan James - James is practically the expert on Catherine Parr; it was James who really proved that Catherine was far more passionate and lively than popular belief has it. Thus, it's no surprise this biography is superb. James is particularly good on Catherine's 1544 regency, household, and her Protestant beliefs, really giving you a detailed picture of her faith.

Letters and Papers (L&P) of Henry VIII and the Calendar of State Papers, Spain (CSP Spain) - These two Victorian primary source collections are invaluable resources for researching Henry's reign. They're collections of summaries (and sometimes transcripts) of primary sources for Henry's reign. This is the bedrock of nearly all books about his reign, so much so that excerpts of it are part of my set texts for next term. Plus, there's so much in it; it's a never-ending-buffet for Tudor buffs.

Dress at the Court of Henry VIII - What color shoes did Catherine Parr like to wear the most? How did clothes communicate royal status and political leanings, for both Henry and his wives? How did Henry's children, courtiers, and servants dress on different occasions? This book is the one-stop shop for Henrician fashion. My only complaint is that its illustrations are B&W, but if you combine this with the drawings of gowns in Herbert Norris' Tudor Costume and Fashion, you're pretty much set.

Elizabeth I - The later Tudors aren't really my wheelhouse, but I had to include this amazing biography of Elizabeth I. Forget Weir or Plowden, this is the best biography of Elizabeth out there, and it's a masterpiece of historical biography, period. This book manages to grapple with everything that happened in Elizabeth's nearly 70-year life without getting bogged down in details and preserving a sympathetic, nuanced picture of the woman behind the queenly mask. 10/10, highly recommend!!

[sporadiceagleheart]

Sophie Hélène Béatrix de France, Marie-Thérèse Charlotte de France,Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun,Marie Antoinette with a Rose,Marie Antoinette,Louis XVI,Marie-Thérèse Charlotte,Louis Antoine of France, Duke of AngoulêmeLouis Joseph Xavier François,Louis XVII,Louis XVIII,Charles X,Maria Theresa of Savoy,Sophie d'Artois,Louis, Dauphin of France, Aubreigh Paige Wyatt, Ava Jordan Wood, Leiliana Wright, Star Hobson, Saffie-Rose Brenda Roussos, Lily Peters, Olivia Pratt Korbel, Elizabeth Shelley, Sara Sharif, Charlotte Figi, Jersey Dianne Bridgeman, Macie Hill, Sloan Mattingly, Audrii Cunningham, Athena Strand, Athena Brownfield, Leocadia Zorrilla, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes, Josefa Bayeu, Francisco Javier Goya Bayeu,Charlotte Eckerman, Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller, La Belle Italienne, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Anne Isabella Noel Byron, Elizabeth Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, Lady Elizabeth Finch-Hatton, Queen Elizabeth II, Barbara Shelley, Percy Shelley, Lady Elizabeth Pilfold Shelley, Anne Neville, John Winthrop, Mary Forth Winthrop, Margaret Tyndall Winthrop, Thomasine Winthrop, Elisabeth of Denmark, Anna von Brandenburg, Elisabeth von Brandenburg, Sir John Talbot, Elizabeth Wrottesley Talbot, Richard III, Edward of Middleham, Margaret Plantagenet, Anne Plantagenet Saint Leger, Elizabeth of York Plantagenet de la Pole Duchess of Suffolk, Edmund Plantagenet, Richard of York 3rd Duke of York, Lady Cecily de Neville Plantagenet, Katharine of Aragon, Henry Tudor, Elizabeth I, Isabella de Aragon, Juan de Aragón, Miguel da Paz, Prince of Asturias, Jacklyn Jaylen “Jackie” Cazares, Chief Thunder Cloud, Chief Yellow Thunder, Ernest White Thunder, Wa-Kin-Yan-Waste “Andrew” Good Thunder, Maggie Snana Brass,

[lavendarlily]

ectoberhaunt day 9: dragon @ectoberhaunt

take flight

words: 1999

read it on ao3

sam yearns to fly. too bad she's human.

i really struggled with this prompt and i don't love this one but that's showbiz baby!!!

Sam loved flying.

It was something else to defy the natural laws of gravity, but Danny was very un-natural, and with it came the territory of not having to abide by known physics. 

Any time she joined him in the sky, her heart soared with them. She didn’t mind the chill of the air biting back at her face, or the way her stomach dropped when they took off or dove too fast. The rush was always worth it. 

Flying was so important for Danny. It brought him closer to the stars, it offered a quick escape (from boring life or overbearing sisters), it resonated with his very being. It was obvious to Sam that whenever she accompanied him on a flight, he was holding back for her sake. She’d seen what he was capable of, the way he couldn’t hide his joy of being truly free.

She wanted that. So bad. 

Having to rely on Danny wasn’t enough. Sam wanted to be in control. She wanted to be the one testing the limits, foot on the gas, pushing the confines of possibility.

Unfortunately, the Fenton’s had no interest in developing something that would cater to her needs. Even if she had a hoverboard like Valerie, it wouldn’t be the same. That was a machine. Sam wanted to create her own flight - have it come from her own energy, the way Danny did. 

These were all thoughts passing through her head as the trio made their way towards Mattingly in the speeder. Dora had requested Danny’s their presence for a kingdom celebration in honor of a newly proposed holiday. They were all dressed in traditional garb, though Dora was never one to force a dress code, but as the soon-to-be-king of the Infinite Realms, Danny felt it was the respectful thing to do. 

Sam pulled at her dress in discomfort. 

When they landed, kingdom officials announced the presence of Phantom and his companions (to all their embarrassment) and instructed them through the castle towards the main hall. The trio stepped through the front doors into the entryway. 

Much had changed since Dora’s rise to the throne over Aragon. Plenty of windows had been added in, allowing decorative glass to refract the newly welcomed light across the passageway, casting rainbows in every which way. Banners of promises to the kingdom donned the walls - messages about hope, forgiveness, unity. Dora’s words were poetry that spoke to the new era. Where overwhelming, heavy doors had sectioned off the castle were now open arches, allowing the people of the castle to mill about freely. Each passing member smiled warmly at their guests, whereas before they’d drifted by without so much as a glance. The whole atmosphere felt…brighter.

They followed the directions they’d been given towards a smaller hall. This one was decorated with pedestals alongside both walls, showcasing various kingdom artifacts. Very few did Sam recognize, but one stopped her. 

In the case was a familiar looking piece of jewelry - a blue glass sphere that was nestled in a gold pendant, threaded on a gold chain. It was as though it was…calling to her. 

Sam felt the presence of her two friends behind her, and a hand rested on her shoulder.

“I haven’t seen that thing in a while,” Danny said.

Sam moved her hand up to his, laying it on top. “It’s like it’s pulling me in,” she muttered. 

“Ghostly energy doesn’t really go away, even if you only wore that single time. I’m sure you feel some sort of connection to it.”

Sam nodded, and mindlessly touched her bare neck. She remembered when the amulet sat heavy there. How could she forget all that power, all that rage that flowed through her? 

How could she forget the sensation of spreading her wings, taking off into the heavens?

She reached towards the glass, then shook her head. Her friends had moved on towards the ballroom - she should follow.

As they neared the main hall, she couldn’t help but look back. 

They ended up seated at a table with a few of the kingdom’s commonfolk who were enamored to be in the presence of the Great Danny Phantom, Heir to the Throne. She and Tucker were promptly ignored. Tucker tried starting a conversation with Sam, but she only half paid attention, offering nods and “mmm-hmm’s” when appropriate. 

Dora finally called the room’s attention and delivered a well-written toast to the welfare of her kingdom. The room responded with cheers and the feast commenced. 

Throughout the evening, the amulet didn’t leave her mind.

While servants came around to collect the remains of the meal, a small group of more prolific ghosts arrived at the table, requesting to speak with Danny. He excused himself and allowed them to lead him over where a few others were waiting. Tucker conspicuously eyed the dessert table, though he didn’t want to leave Sam to herself. She rolled her eyes and sent him off with a wave of her hand. 

Now was her chance to quietly slip out of the rotunda and answer the amulet’s call. 

She found herself once again in front of the display, watching the gold twinkle under the light. Her hand moved towards the necklace, and she quickly pulled back when instead of resting on the glass, it moved through it. Duh - Ghost Zone. You’d think she’d know better by now. 

It was as though her body and her brain stopped communicating. She wasn’t sure why she reached towards the amulet again, why she grasped it and retracted it from its display, or why she was fastening the clasp and letting it rest on her neck. 

This didn’t have to take long. No one would even know the amulet had been temporarily removed. 

Sweeping the room to make sure no one was around to catch her, Sam rushed to a nearby balcony and stood on the ledge. The energy from the necklace was already affecting her - her skin felt colder, a green glow surrounded her body, and though she couldn’t see them, she knew her eyes were glowing a radiant green. 

Sam focused on her emotions and honed in on her frustration. She wanted to fly! The fact that she wasn’t one of those privileged few with that ability devastated her. She hated having to rely on Danny, never able to experience it herself, of her own power, of her own desire.   

Power surged through her, and in an instant, her skin became scales, her nails became talons, and a beautiful pair of wings sprouted from her back.

Oh yes . 

She stretched her wings to their fullest width, and leaned forward, letting herself fall from the balcony’s ledge. Her wings caught her dive, and she arched upwards. 

It was like breathing for the first time - the rush of air in her lungs filled her in a way she’d never known. Instead of blood in her veins, she swore it was magic (and it very well could’ve been) from the way it tingled through her system, the absolute euphoria that enraptured Sam in that moment. 

She felt limitless. The sky was no longer out of reach; now Sam made it hers . Her heart pumped as she ascended to the highest point before tiring out, then let herself plummet back towards the ground. At the very last second, she spread her wings and soared out of the dive, adrenaline coursing through her. She flipped, she rolled, she did every damn thing she’d never been able to when flying with Danny, and she rejoiced every moment of it. As her body began to tire, Sam took to a slow glide over Mattingly. 

Peering below at the kingdom, Sam noticed people trickling out from the castle. Crap . The event must have ended, which meant Danny and Tucker were probably searching for her. Had it really been that long? 

She landed behind the castle, so as not to draw a crowd towards the balcony if anyone saw her. Now to just take off the amulet. Sam reached towards the clasp, but found her arms didn’t quite reach that far. She realized that she hadn’t completely thought this through.

“Need a hand?” a voice came behind her. 

Sam glanced over her shoulder to see Dora floating in the castle’s rear entrance, a playful and knowing smile on her face. Embarrassed, Sam nodded her head and lowered herself so the queen could remove the artifact. Once the weight of it fell from her neck, a rush of energy withdrew from her body. Luckily, Dora caught her before she could hit the ground. 

“Appears as though I should inquire about human-proof security.”

Heat filled Sam’s cheeks in shame. The queen had invited them into her home, and Sam had taken advantage of her hospitality. Not only that, but she was also Danny’s companion - whatever she did reflected on him as well. 

“I’m so sorry Dora. Please don’t hold this against Danny, it was my own irresponsibility,” Sam nearly begged. 

Taking her hand, Dora guided Sam towards the castle’s garden, and sat her down on a bench. 

“I have to say, I am always enamored by the curiosity of you humans,” Dora said fondly. “But why this?”

Sam smiled sheepishly. “I wore it once before. As soon as I saw it, I felt this magnetic pull.”

Dora nodded along, knowingly. 

“But I also have this insane desire to fly,” Sam continued. “Like, it’s so incredibly frustrating. I just wanted to experience it for myself.”

“And how was it?” Dora’s eyes twinkled with mischief. This was certainly not the response Sam expected.

“...I felt like my soul was being electrified. In a good way,” she admitted. That got a laugh from her companion.

“I must say, I understand your resentment.” Dora gently took Sam’s hand in hers. “Being told no is a hard thing for those like us, and desire is a tenacious beast to fight. I do not blame you for this.”

Relief flowed through Sam, and she grinned. 

“But I would advise against any further inclination to play with these types of artifacts on your own,” the queen warned. Sam nodded quickly in agreement. 

“Sam! There you are!” Danny and Tucker came into sight, causing Sam to jump. 

“Where’ve you been?” Tucker asked as they approached. 

Before Sam could reply, Dora jumped in. “We have been simply chatting. I find it refreshing to be able to speak with such a wonderful, like-minded friend. You two are very lucky to have her.” The queen winked as Sam’s mouth hung open, but she adjusted to smile gratefully for the cover.

“Well, we should probably get going. Thank you, your highness, for the hospitality this evening.” Sam nearly giggled watching Danny bow to the queen. She found it so endearing how serious he took his role. 

Dora rose. “Of course, my child. You are always welcome to Mattingly.” Then, looking at Sam, she added, “And your friends as well.”

Sam stood, flashing Dora one last smile of gratitude, and followed her friends to the speeder.

Sam was reading in her bedroom, lying in bed. A week had passed since their visit to Mattingly, but she hadn’t told Tucker or Danny about her side adventure, nor did she plan to. A knock on her window snapped her from her book.

Expecting Danny, she was surprised when she found a small parcel on her desk that certainly hadn't been there earlier. A note was attached to the outer packaging. Sam gently opened the envelope and read,

          Samantha -

          I hope this finds you well. It may not hold power, but let it be a reminder to never be shameful of your desires. 

          Your friend,

          Dora

Sam opened the package, and found what seemed to be a replica of the enchanted amulet. Not one for flashy jewelry, she placed it on her nightstand, planning to buy a shadow box to display it in. 

She picked her book back up, and continued reading, a warm smile across her face.

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 6.29

Beer Birthdays

Peter Weyand (1821)

Jacob Paul Rettenmayer (1881)

Pablo Diez Fernández (1884)

Pat Conway (1948)

Jeremy Sowers (1971)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Leroy Anderson; composer (1908)

Fred "Gopher" Grandy; actor, politician (1948)

Ray Harryhausen; filmmaker, special effects (1920)

Colin Hay; pop singer (1953)

Slim Pickens; actor (1919)

Famous Birthdays

Willibald Alexis; German author (1798)

Ian Bannen; Scottish actor (1928)

Charlotte Bingham; English author (1942)

John Bradshaw; philosopher (1933)

Pat Crawford Brown; actress (1929)

Ralph Burns; musican, bandleader, composer (1922)

Gary Busey; actor (1944)

Stokely Carmichael; civil rights activist (1941)

Katherine DeMille; Canadian-American actress (1911)

Antoine de Saint-Exupery; French writer (1900)

Thomas Dunn English; poet (1819)

Nelson Eddy; singer, actor (1901)

Tripp Eisen; guitarist (1965)

Little Eva; pop singer (1943)

Leo Frobenius; German ethnologist and archaeologist (1873)

George Goethals; engineer (1858)

George Ellery Hale; astronomer (1868)

Bernard Herrmann; composer (1911)

Witold Hurewicz; Polish mathematician (1904)

Jean Kent; English actress (1921)

Harmon Killebrew; Minnesota Twins 1B/3B/LF (1936)

Rafael Kubelik; orchestra conductor (1914)

Julia Lathrop; activist (1858)

Robert Laurent; sculptor (1890)

Yvonne Lefébure; French pianist (1898)

Giacomo Leopardi; Italian poet (1798)

Richard Lewis; comedian (1947)

Frank Loesser; composer (1910)

David Burroughs Mattingly; illustrator (1956)

William James Mayo; doctor, clinic founder (1861)

José Pablo Moncayo; Mexican pianist, composer (1912)

Anne-Sophie Mutter; German violinist (1963)

Pierre Perrault; Canadian film director (1927)

Jean-Louis Pesch; French author and illustrator (1928)

Peter I; king of Serbia, founder of Yugoslavia (1844)

Petronilla; queen of Aragon (1136)

Vasko Popa; Serbian poet (1922)

Josef Ressel; Czech-American propeller inventor (1793)

Zuleikha Robinson; English actress (1977)

Curt Sachs; German-American composer (1881)

Kaci Starr; adult actress (1985)

Jackie Lynn Taylor; American actress (1925)

Jay Taylor; adult actress (1991)

Celia Thaxter; poet (1835)

Egon von Fürstenberg; Swiss fashion designer (1946)

Cara Williams; American actress (1925)

[talzane]

Highly disappointed that the “Infinite” Realms is always just full of ghosts. Monster AUs have so much potential, especially with all the DC crossovers. Vampires that can subsist off the pure energy of ectoplasm present in the air, so they’re never hungry. They can grow/hide/exist all by themselves. Alternately, the realms could act as a base of indefinite preparation for them if they decide to do anything to an infinite number of worlds. Werewolves that are free to play like wolves, to hunt the game they seeded their own dimension/realm with, to be perfectly free. The Yetis who used their magic to make their own home in the Realms as the Ice Age began to fail them. Duulaman’s Egypt, home of an entire sorcerous people, capable of casting the souls of their people into an eternal realm where they could thrive forever in, essentially, the field of reeds. The Mummies found there reanimated so that their revered ancestors could walk amongst them again, or their bodies rejuvenated (good plot there if Hotep-Ra, a traitor, was left as a mummy by his people when everybody else was brought back to life). Pandora, Guardian of Hope, and her Realm of Elysium, a home for all the monsters of Ancient Greece who were cast out/shunned/destroyed by society. A place of healing for the traumatized Minotaur (he was raised to kill people in a dark maze, that’s gotta be traumatic), cursed Medusa, etc (seriously, a rehab center where you can literally hold Hope in your hands when you have none...hek). Not to mention, since she guards Hope, it could be a literal object, and Vlad stealing Hope but not knowing how to use its power is a *highly* interesting plot to me. Somewhere that Desiree, a djinni, can avoid the people who’d only attempt to abuse her power to grant wishes. (There are so many more things to add...Liches, Witch Covens, Dora and Aragon’s Kingdom of Mattingly [dragons], other creatures) Sure, some beings there--like Skulker--want to fight, but by the very nature of Lairs/Realms, he can’t follow others into their homes and expect to survive, so they are safer than anywhere else. The ghosts and creatures that love to battle are free to do so in the regenerative chaos of the realms. The ghosts who want to be left alone can find their own slice of infinity. It truly is, or at least could be, a paradise for everybody... Which makes Pariah Dark so much eviler. The moment he awoke, he destroyed people’s homes so they couldn’t hide from him, he enslaved entire peoples to make thralls for his army, he devoured ghosts--absorbing their essence--to rebuild his lost strength, he used those armies to attack the realms capable of resisting him for a time, he pulled a resisting city into the Realms as an act of aggression. Everything he did was in stark contrast to the path of existence the nations of the realms had chosen, and his will was absolute; all the beings capable of being compelled were compelled to serve him, every lich lost their phylactery to him and were forced to submit to him, every free group was under threat of slavery or extinction. Even Vortex and Undergrowth, two incredibly dark beings, resisted as well as they could, but had Danny not attacked Pariah Dark’s center of power, even they would have fallen. Essentially, Danny stopping Pariah Dark would have far more of an impact, yet also none at all as it would be mostly behind the scenes. Danny, all of fourteen years old, battled the evilest being to have existed at that time in a fight to the death without any guarantee of survival. Frostbite and the other beings, feeling the weakness of Pariah’s forces, since he was occupied with Danny and the attacking ghost forces, launched their own counterattack and arrived before Danny’s duel was over to see Danny, still so small even in the battle suit, fighting the titanic mass of Pariah Dark, King of all Ghosts. Frostbite, left arm shredded by a summoned beast, watched in fascinated horror as Danny’s strength waned, but he still forced Dark back. Pandora, Guardian of Hope, watched a tiny child stare down a stone-face goliath. Vortex, for all his wrath, couldn’t have stood against Pariah, but that diminutive whelp was a storm unto himself and nothing, not even Pariah Dark, it seemed, could stand against a force of nature. Nocturne, Lord of Sleep, King of Dreams, and once a slave to Pariah Dark, had suffered from nightmares since Pariah’s return; his dream realm had fallen, his sleepwalkers obliterated, his precious, harvested dreams destroyed, and Pariah had once again enslaved Nocturne, yet the power of Pariah’s ritual was waning, and Nocturne felt himself awakening from his nightmare. He watched a tiny child, someone who should be dreaming instead of facing down a nightmare, deliver the dream of the king of dreams; Pariah was being forced into his sarcophagus. For Frostbite, Danny became the Great One; to Pandora, he was a child of Hope, a miracle (it didn’t hurt that he locked a great evil in a box either); to Vortex, he was a little storm, a squall; to Nocturne, Danny was a savior and a dream come true, surely, Nocturne could repay him with good dreams...maybe even for the little one’s entire Lair... All I’m saying is that context is everything, and having Vortex be a literal embodiment of storms and nature rather than just a ghost with storm powers is a lot more enticing to me. Pandora being Danny’s ghost mom is great, but her seeing him as a child of what she embodies rather than just “he is smol, I must help,” seems richer. Then there’s the DC crossover potential once Danny inevitably begins letting the peaceful individuals stay in Amity Park under his protection, or sending those who’d fit in to the Infinite Realms (Mr. Freeze and Nora relocating to the Far Frozen where he can get all the help he needs, not live in his suit, and either turn Nora into a ghost or cure her, Poison Ivy to live with Undergrowth [kinda like that island she had in the Bahamas], Killer Croc most likely to Egypt, Harley would fit in with Kitty and Johnny’s level of crazy, etc.). Imagine Batman investigating all his missing rogues, but when he eventually tracks them down, he finds them living peacefully in an infinite realm of places where they can’t hurt anybody permanently, and the people there are similarly obsessive/crazy. But also, Ghost King Danny, Protector of the Infinite Realms, etc., etc., leading an army of “monsters” to defend Earth from Darkseid, or, since Darkseid is always after the Anti-life Equation (considering all their different abilities, it would make sense for ghosts/ectoplasm to be the essence of the equation), defending the Infinite Realms against Darkseid/the Anti-Monitor. That’s all neglecting the chaos potential of Jack and Maddie believing all things not expressly human are ghosts. I also firmly think that since the Infinite Realms connect all universes, there can only ever be one ghost/ectoplasmic entity of any given individual regardless of the universe(s) of origin, and I have written pseudoscience for it (using some computer science and physics ideas, so it makes sense with less hand-waving). That’s neither here nor there, so I will end this before it gets any longer. Anyways, that’s the thought I just had, figured I’d share it with y’all and see if y’all were interested.

[torscrawls]

There’s a new chapter of my fic Inertia up on AO3! Danny is lost in the GZ with Lancer and the A-listers. What could possibly go wrong?

“We’re getting close.”

The words were barely out of Danny’s mouth before they came upon the sprawling city that spread around Dora’s castle.

Dora's kingdom had changed since the last time Danny had visited. He had heard Dora talk about unfreezing time now that she no longer had to live in her brother’s shadow—shackled by his fixation on the past and his fear of change—but he hadn’t had the opportunity to actually visit in a while.

The town beneath their feet was a miss-match of medieval architecture and modern constructs, all blending together in a surprisingly harmonious image. It reminded him of old city centers where centuries old buildings made from wood and stone crowded together with ones made from steel and glass; ruins brought back from the brink of destruction and obscurity and into the present with the help of modern amenities and comfort; an homage to the past without sacrificing the future.

 But the biggest change wasn’t the architecture or the buildings, it was the inhabitants themselves.

 Danny remembered the dull, cowed, lifeless ghosts that had filled the city under Aragon’s rule; now it was vibrating with colors and voices and energy.

 The stagnation swept away with a flood of life.

 He looked at the cobbled streets, the bright lights, the cold steel and the carved stone, he looked at the ghosts crowding at corners and in markets, talking and laughing and living, and he found himself smiling.

 It was beautiful.

 “Well, here we are,” he said in a proud voice, arms sweeping out to encompass the entirety of Dora’s accomplishments.

 The A-listers and Lancer gawked around them.

 Dash was the first to speak with an accusing, “You never said it was a whole kingdom of ghosts!”

 “What is this place?” Paulina blinked down at the streets with wide eyes.

 Lancer shook his head with an incredulous expression. “I didn’t know ghosts had cities!”

 “Well, they do,” Danny said as he led them towards the castle, a bit unsure how to go about requesting to speak to their leader while in this form. Would they even recognize him?

 To his relief, it wasn’t long before a thin ghost in official-looking clothes approached them with an expression of practiced indifference. “Her Royal Highness Dorathea Mattingly will see you at your earliest convenience.” It was said in a tone of voice that indicated that their convenience would better be right now, or else. “She is up at the top of the royal tower.”

 Danny bowed his head in gratitude. “Thank you, we will come at once.”

 After a deep bow of his own the ghost turned and left. Leaving Danny at the mercy of the combined stares of four humans.

 It wasn’t until that moment that he realized that they had been conversing in ghost-speak. Oh no.

 Danny made sure to keep his eyes to the ground and his tone light as he said, “Oh. He told us the princess is expecting us. She’s the one I was talking about earlier, the person who can help us.”

 “We’re going straight to the princess??” Paulina asked with wide and sparkling eyes.

 “How did you understand him?” Lancer asked with a thoughtful look on his face.

 Danny shrugged as he tried to play it off as nothing. He was usually more careful than this, but he was very very tired. “I speak ghost.”

 “How?”

 “I learned it.”

  “That’s possible? You can just… learn it?”

“Yes.” Technically not a lie, you only had to die first. “Now come on, we don’t want to keep her waiting.”

You can read the rest on my AO3!

[catalinadearagonsblog]

Catherine lands at Plymouth

Catherine saw the first signs of the popular rejoicing when her battered fleet finally made the Sound and dropped anchor off Plymouth Hoe on a bright Saturday afternoon, the second of October, 1501. For weeks the West Country had expected her coming; the topmasts of the foreign ships, the gay flutter of Spanish standards, the familiar cut of Stephen Brett’s rigging had packed the quay with gaily dressed citizens among whom were already a sprinkling of squires and their wives, the town barge with the Lord Mayor and a delegation of aldermen floated ready, and, as the first anchors dropped, a welcoming clamour of bells broke out over town and harbour. What makes it the more impressive is that Plymouth’s welcome was entirely spontaneous.The English of course had made elaborate preparations for Catherine’s reception. But everything had been based on the assumption that she would land at Southampton. So when she came ashore instead at Plymouth, the townsmen and local gentry were left to their own devices to offer their own, impromptu welcome. There was no royal officer at Plymouth to bid the Princess welcome.

Catherine may have been a girl not yet sixteen, hardly recovered from seasickness and fright and the wetting which even a princess could not escape in such squalls as her fleet had weathered, but she had been thoroughly trained in what was expected of royalty; when her ship was warped in to the quay she stood in the waist with the Archbishop and the Bishop and the Count of Cabra and her suite of honour ranged ceremoniously behind her. The welcoming crowds may have been a little dissapointed that as well as a coif (head covering) and hat, wich allowed her hair to hang down about her shoulders, Catherine reportedly also wore a veil. But no doubt they marvelled at the multicultural entourage she brought with her.

As Catherine walked down the gangway, followed by her retinue, the first thing she saw through her veil was the Mayor of Plymouth and his aldermen, come to welcome her to England. The townsfolk were there too, cheering and waving, and there were banners in the streets. ‘The Princess could not have been received with greater joy’, wrote the elated Licentiate Alcaraz to Queen Isabella, ‘had she been the Saviour of the world.'  Not long after stepping on English soil for the first time, Catherine went in procession to the church to give thanks for her safe arrival. Meanwhile, a royal messenger was speeding away to the King, to tell him that the Princess whose arrival he had awaited for thirteen years was actually in his kingdom. Catherine stayed at the house of a rich merchant named John Painter, who provided lodgings and entertainment for the newly-arrived Spanish princess before her long journey overland to London and marriage. She remained there over a week, as the arrangements for her official welcome were hastily revised. 

Margaret Beaufort, the king’s mother, noted the event in her Book of Hours, where only the most important occasions were recorded. While King Henry was not there to welcome his daughter-in-law in person, he did pen her a letter telling her of how happy and relieved he was that she’d finally arrived. Catherine’s arrival was such an important event that it warranted a specially commissioned account. The task of describing her journey into England appears to have fallen to the poet Stephen Hawes, with the commission almost certainly coming from Henry VII himself. He wrote his chronicle in the style of a medieval romance and gave it the title The Receyt of the Ladie Kateryne.  

Sources:

Garrett Mattingly, Catherine of Aragon

Antonia Fraser, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII

Alison Weir, The Six Wives of Henry VIII

David Starkey, Six Wives : The Queens of Henry VIII

Theresa Earenfight, Catherine of Aragon

https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/catherine-of-aragon-s-arrival-in-england/

https://rosemarygriggs.co.uk/blog/27/

[dnpanimationstudioclone]

Meet the DP Zone’s Royal Siblings, the meek and kind Princess Dorathea and the not so meek and kind, Prince Aragon🐉👸🤴

Also got a jester!!!

What do u think? I’d love to know💖

[latristereina]

Once it became clear that she would, in fact, rule alongside Fernando, Isabel sought to remedy the deficiencies of her own early education. Her approach was initially sporadic because of the demands made upon her by motherhood, war, and constant travel. In the course of fulfilling this myriad of responsibilities, she received practical training in diplomacy and statecraft. At the same time, she undertook the study of Latin so that she could “scan the texts of treaties and charters, and to read with pleasure the Vulgate and Caesar’s Commentaries—enough to be determined that her children should have what she (and Ferdinand) had missed” (Mattingly, Catherine of Aragon 17).

As part of her own interest in Latin and as a means of encouraging imitation of her educational endeavors among the members of the court, the queen sponsored publication of a number of practical texts. Among these were Alonso de Palencia’s Universal Vocabulario en Latín y en romance [Universal Vocabulary in Latin and in Romance] and an interlinear edition of Antonio de Nebrija’s Introducciones latines [Introduction to Latin]. These works along with Nebrija’s Gramática castellana [Castilian Grammar] were especially aimed at instructing ladies of her court. Nebrija’s Grámatica established rules that facilitated the study of Castilian, while his Introducciones made possible private tutoring in Latin.

From the education of herself and the ladies surrounding her, Isabel next directed her attention to that of the young within her court, including her own children. Her interest in education had consequences beyond self-advancement or preparation for the future of her offspring. In fact, she undertook the creation within Spain of a climate of intellectual inquiry through public acts. Private and public interests coalesced when she contributed a large portion of her library to San Juan de los Reyes in Toledo. Her action reflected both her desire to regularize the education of young noblemen as well as other royal prerogatives. In pursuit of these ends, she also established a school of classics within the palace, and then invited Italian and Spanish humanist scholars to staff it. Fray Diego Deza came from Salamanca to serve as tutor and guide to the Crown Prince. Later, at her request, Pedro Mártir de Anghiera and Lucio Marineo Sículo taught the young courtiers (Paul, Catherine 62–3).

Although praise of the queen by members of her court may be suspect since they owed their positions to her patronage, a number of the scholars whom she employed lauded her contribution to the furtherance of humanistic studies. As noted earlier, Juan de Lucena contrasted the activities of the monarchs, pointing out that since the Queen studied “we are now all students.” Pedro Mártir de Anghiera noted the queen’s personal contribution by complimenting her as such a great lover of letters. Lucio Marineo Sículo went further when he compared her to Fernando and concluded that “a juicio de muchos, la Reina era de ingenio más vivo, de corazón más grande y de mayor gravedad” [in the judgment of many, the Queen has a livelier talent, a larger heart and greater seriousness] (My translation).

By establishing a palace school for young noblemen, Isabel gave practical form to her interest in education. She also continued the well-established custom of rearing the daughters of the aristocracy within the court, a practice court historian, Fernando de Pulgar, succinctly summarized: “a doncellas huérfanas doctaba, y a otras con grandes doctes las casaba” [she educated orphaned maids and married them to learned men] (My translation). Although a common occurrence in royal courts, Mariejol asserts that “never had there been such a numerous and select retinue of ladies under previous sovereigns” (237–8).

Beyond the court proper, the queen’s example influenced other women to undertake study besides the traditional domestic arts that heretofore constituted a woman’s education. Isabel de Vergara, sister of the humanists Juan and Francisco de Vergara, was herself an Erasmist and learned in Latin and Greek; Cecilia Marello knew philosophy and languages; and Álvara de Alba authored a treatise on mathematics. While Italy might boast of its learned women, they “did not lecture regularly on the poets at the great universities as did Doña Lucía de Medrano at Salamanca and Doña Francisca de Lebrija [daughter of Antonio de Nebrija] at Alcalá.” In fact, “the fuller participation of women was one of the chief differences of the Spanish Renaissance” (Mattingly 18).

- Elizabeth Teresa Howe, Education and Women in the Early Modern Hispanic World

[sporadiceagleheart]

Here's a tribute to June 10th 2012 birthday and rest in peace Angels Sophie Hélène Béatrix de France, Marie-Thérèse Charlotte de France,Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun,Marie Antoinette with a Rose,Marie Antoinette,Louis XVI,Marie-Thérèse Charlotte,Louis Antoine of France, Duke of AngoulêmeLouis Joseph Xavier François,Louis XVII,Louis XVIII,Charles X,Maria Theresa of Savoy,Sophie d'Artois,Louis, Dauphin of France, Aubreigh Paige Wyatt, Ava Jordan Wood, Leiliana Wright, Star Hobson, Saffie-Rose Brenda Roussos, Lily Peters, Olivia Pratt Korbel, Elizabeth Shelley, Sara Sharif, Charlotte Figi, Jersey Dianne Bridgeman, Macie Hill, Sloan Mattingly, Audrii Cunningham, Athena Strand, Athena Brownfield, Leocadia Zorrilla, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes, Josefa Bayeu, Francisco Javier Goya Bayeu,Charlotte Eckerman, Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller, La Belle Italienne, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Anne Isabella Noel Byron, Elizabeth Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, Lady Elizabeth Finch-Hatton, Queen Elizabeth II, Barbara Shelley, Percy Shelley, Lady Elizabeth Pilfold Shelley, Anne Neville, John Winthrop, Mary Forth Winthrop, Margaret Tyndall Winthrop, Thomasine Winthrop, Elisabeth of Denmark, Anna von Brandenburg, Elisabeth von Brandenburg, Sir John Talbot, Elizabeth Wrottesley Talbot, Richard III, Edward of Middleham, Margaret Plantagenet, Anne Plantagenet Saint Leger, Elizabeth of York Plantagenet de la Pole Duchess of Suffolk, Edmund Plantagenet, Richard of York 3rd Duke of York, Lady Cecily de Neville Plantagenet, Katharine of Aragon, Henry Tudor, Elizabeth I, Isabella de Aragon, Juan de Aragón, Miguel da Paz, Prince of Asturias, Jacklyn Jaylen “Jackie” Cazares, Chief Thunder Cloud, Chief Yellow Thunder, Ernest White Thunder, Wa-Kin-Yan-Waste “Andrew” Good Thunder, Maggie Snana Brass, Catherine Violet Hubbard,

[reanimatedgh0ul]

considering this replacing lucky in love by having it take place after public enemies and danny's town rep is still in the pits meanwhile paulina's quince is coming up and said to be the social event of the year so she convinces phantom to come on the prospect that this will boost his rep somehow and also bc she has a crush on him wants him there

also taking what happened in beauty marked by having dorathea still don her disguise as dora mattingly but instead of being charge of a beauty pageant she's posing as part of the country club staff where paulina's quince is taking place where she plans to swap paulina's crown w the one aragon gave her

the idea of paulina's quincenera being its own ep and dorathea/aragon being the antagonists bc they mistake her for royalty bc of the tradition of the girl receiving a crown and/or specter is kinda funny to me

[five-rivers]

the Chains of Kings

Okay, I'm going to admit, this one is a little weird. I was sort of experimenting with a distant third-person perspective.  (There’s just a smidge of body horror.)

Phic Phight, prompt by @fabnamessuggestedbytumbler.

.

.

If the Ghost Zone had a secret, it was this: Pariah Dark had been asleep when he was crowned.

He'd had a good reason to rage.

.

It was coronation day.

Phantom laid in his bed in the human world, asleep. Dead to the world, but not quite. It was Nocturne's duty, in this whole affair, to keep him that way until everything was over, and even Phantom's great power and stubbornness cannot reverse what has been done.

The old ghost leaned over the younger one, painting a sleep into his mind so deep that he slumbered even in his dreams.

The third ghost in the room, Clockwork, Master of Time, stepped forward. Gently, with a paternal air, he picked Phantom up, cradling his limp form against his chest.

Phantom deserved what little kindness they could give him.

Clockwork opened a swirling blue portal with a flick of his hand and stepped through, Nocturne following soon after. The room they entered was much larger and more crowded. The windows were high, the ceilings vaulted, the walls hung with tapestries embroidered with tales that had never been told by human tongues. Green light filled the room, cast by floating balls of fire.

The people in the room all had two things in common. They were ghosts and they were leaders. From Clockwork, who ruled time itself and lead the council of Ancients, to Fright Knight, the first and most loyal knight of the Ghost King and King of Fear in his own right, to Princess Dorathea and Prince Aragon of Mattingly, who each had their own supporters when it came to who should rule, to Frostbite, Chief of the Far Frozen, to Pandora, to Mab, to Surtr, to the Yellow King, to the Lady of Ys, to the very least of those ghosts who could claim a crown or throne, no matter how humble, they all were there.

In the center of the room there was a throne. It stood high on a dais and was surrounded by chains.

Clockwork carried Phantom to the throne and set him down, careful not to let him fall to one side or the other. Almost at once, a dozen petty dwarf kings leaped forward, and seized upon the chains. They crossed back and forth in front of Phantom, binding him firmly to the throne, shackling his ankles and wrists.

Undergrowth, Mab, and all the other ghosts who claimed any sort of mastery over plants stepped forward, sowing seeds on the steps of the dais. The seeds grew, roots curling over the stone, woody sprouts snaking upwards, towards Phantom. The vines wrapped around the chains and limbs, binding him again.

The dragon prince and princess came to the edge of the dais with all the others who could command fire. The princess's eyes sparkled faintly, but no one commented as they bound the sleeping child with fire.

And so it was with ice and water and lightning and even the air itself.

Pandora came forward with a box she had once buried deep beneath the maze surrounding her home. She eased back the lid, and the burdens of kingship she had stolen from Pariah dark so long ago scurried out of the box and settled heavily on Phantom's shoulders, though they could hardly be seen beneath all the other fetters looped around him. She stepped back.

Fright Knight stepped forward, sword bare. Even the hardest of ghosts cringed at what they knew was coming, bracing themselves. Fright Knight knelt, briefly, before the dais, then, standing, climbed it to stand before the throne. No one could see his expression as he raised his sword. No one wanted to.

He drove the sword forward, piercing Phantom's heart and core all at once.

Phantom flinched and shed his human skin. His hair went white and his skin darkened as a suggestion of electric scaring brushed over it. His aura flickered softly, enticingly. His clothing, a set of space patterned pajamas, did not change.

Were they human, the assembled leaders would have held their breath. They were not, so they didn't. Even so, the stillness that fell over the room was more than supernatural and did not fade until all present were satisfied that Phantom would stay asleep.

All eyes turned to Clockwork. He had not participated in Pariah Dark's coronation, symbolically giving him a way out. Time will not bind you, he had said. In time you shall be free.

But, now, the Master of Time drifted forward, tail streaming into mist behind him. He bent to cup the side of Phantom's face with one hand.

"I am sorry, Daniel," he whispered, giving voice to the only words that had been spoken since he entered. "This is the way things are meant to be." He pressed a kiss to Phantom's forehead and, at the same time, sketched a strange symbol in the air with his staff. Phantom and the symbol both glowed blue for half of one of Phantom's ever-slowing heartbeats.

Clockwork floated back, off the dais, and turned to face the doors. The crowd parted, and the doors opened.

The ghosts that entered were not leaders, they claimed no crown, but they fancied themselves judges. They fancied themselves righteous and fair and brave and a whole host of other things as well, most of which did not apply. But they were judges, and they did have the duty of crowning kings.

Each gazed at their future King with one baleful eye. The Observants were not pleased with the current state of affairs, but even they could not resist the old laws, and so they carried the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage.

Both artifacts burned with so much power that the nearest rulers subtly backed away.

The Observants flew forward and circled Phantom three times before one darted forward and roughly pushed the Ring of Rage onto his finger. The crown-bearer took that as his cue, and shoved the crown into the space above Phantom's head. Then all the Observants fled the room, the great doors slamming shut behind them.

The auras of the crown and ring began to flare brighter and brighter. Their light reflected beautifully off of the tears running down Phantom's face.

The ancient artifacts began to melt. To drip. Where the molten metal touched Phantom's skin it burned and scarred. In his sleep, the young ghost twisted against his bonds.

No one moved to help him, though a few, Frostbite of the Far Frozen included, clenched their hands until their claws drew ectoplasm and the thick liquid left puddles on the floor.

They waited.

At long last, the metal that had once been crown and ring began to cool and reform, crystallizing into new shapes for the new High King of All Ghosts. The ring became a simple silver band. The crown tangled itself in Phantom's hair, growing thorns and icy flowers, one silvery branch looping down to curl in the eye that had been burned away by a particularly large droplet of molten metal.

Only then did the assembled ghosts move. Each ruler took back their binding, whispering oaths of fealty and obedience that they hoped desperately would never be called on, and left.

Soon, the only ghosts in the room were Clockwork, Nocturne, Fright Knight, and High King Phantom. Fright Knight pulled free his sword, cleaned, and sheathed it before moving to stand behind the throne. Nocturne glanced at Clockwork, shook his horned head, and took back his sleep, leaving Phantom to a more natural unconsciousness, before sweeping away.

Clockwork waited.

Free of his bindings, Phantom curled in on himself protectively, drawing his legs up onto the throne and trembling.

Slowly, a change seemed to spread out from Phantom. The throne, all harsh edges, dark green stone, and severe lines, paled, rounded, curved, until its aspect was more like that of carved crystal or ice, and it almost seemed to cradle Phantom.

The change did not stop at the throne. It inched out, a little wave of alterations with each of Phantom's heartbeats, with each thrum of his icy core. It crept across the floor, and the walls, and the tapestries, cleaning them, repairing them where they had been damaged. The colors became brighter, more varied, the ever-present murk and dust of Pariah's reign swept away. The tall windows were filled with stained glass, and the light in the room took on a rainbow hue. The very air seemed to clear.

Above the palace, the sky become marbled with shades of blue. In all corners of the Ghost Zone, the lands shattered by Pariah Dark felt a faint but irresistible tug, a tug that would only grow stronger with time, a call to return to what they once were, to heal, and to become even more, even greater than they had been. Barren places stirred with the first beginnings of new unlife. Old ruins restored themselves. Ghosts everywhere looked up, aggression, rage, fading, for what was for some the first time in their existences, replaced with something softer but no less insistent.

In the chaotic and lawless wastes not far from the palace, a scar known as the Fenton Portal healed over. A similar wound, poorly hidden by a large football, also disappeared. The fabric of the Infinite Realms knit back together around its new and precious king and smoothed itself, all the thin spots repaired.

With the thing that had split him gone and the power of the Zone itself inside him, Phantom changed as well, though not as much. His two halves slowly, inexorably, began to mix together. Black streaks bloomed in his hair until it was as much black as white. His scars darkened, and his skin paled. When he finally stirred and his one remaining eye fluttered open, it was a shifting, shimmering swirl of Earthly blue and ghostly green, not unlike the new sky.

"Clockwork?" said the king, and even muddied with pain and confusion, his voice was clearer and more compelling than it had been when he had last spoken. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"We are in your palace," answered Clockwork.

"I don't have a palace," said Phantom. He reached up toward his missing eye, and flinched when he encountered the cold metal of the crown. "I- I don't understand." But he did understand. How could he not? He was bound to Infinite Realms, and they to him. He could feel them, under his skin. "Why- Why did you do this?" he asked. "Why me?"

"Because," said Clockwork, "you are a good person."

"There are other good people," said Phantom, pressing himself into the back of his throne. Behind him, Fright Knight stood at the ready, prepared to cut down any ghost who caused his king undue distress. "Good people who would be better kings. Or queens."

"You are a good person," repeated Clockwork, "and you might one day forgive us for this." He bowed deeply to the child king. "You might give us a second chance."

Phantom noticed the ring. He swallowed. "I can't go home, can I?"

"You will never be able to leave the Ghost Zone. Such is the curse of kings."

"I hate you," said Phantom. He pulled at the silver ring on his finger. It did not come off.

Clockwork straightened, and looked at Phantom with something like pity. "No, you don't."

"I hate you," repeated Phantom. He choked back a sob, but could no longer hold back his tears. "Don't leave me," he ordered.

"Never."

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 6.29

Beer Birthdays

Peter Weyand (1821)

Jacob Paul Rettenmayer (1881)

Pablo Diez Fernández (1884)

Pat Conway (1948)

Jeremy Sowers (1971)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Leroy Anderson; composer (1908)

Fred "Gopher" Grandy; actor, politician (1948)

Ray Harryhausen; filmmaker, special effects (1920)

Colin Hay; pop singer (1953)

Slim Pickens; actor (1919)

Famous Birthdays

Willibald Alexis; German author (1798)

Ian Bannen; Scottish actor (1928)

Charlotte Bingham; English author (1942)

John Bradshaw; philosopher (1933)

Pat Crawford Brown; actress (1929)

Ralph Burns; musican, bandleader, composer (1922)

Gary Busey; actor (1944)

Stokely Carmichael; civil rights activist (1941)

Katherine DeMille; Canadian-American actress (1911)

Antoine de Saint-Exupery; French writer (1900)

Thomas Dunn English; poet (1819)

Nelson Eddy; singer, actor (1901)

Tripp Eisen; guitarist (1965)

Little Eva; pop singer (1943)

Leo Frobenius; German ethnologist and archaeologist (1873)

George Goethals; engineer (1858)

George Ellery Hale; astronomer (1868)

Bernard Herrmann; composer (1911)

Witold Hurewicz; Polish mathematician (1904)

Jean Kent; English actress (1921)

Harmon Killebrew; Minnesota Twins 1B/3B/LF (1936)

Rafael Kubelik; orchestra conductor (1914)

Julia Lathrop; activist (1858)

Robert Laurent; sculptor (1890)

Yvonne Lefébure; French pianist (1898)

Giacomo Leopardi; Italian poet (1798)

Richard Lewis; comedian (1947)

Frank Loesser; composer (1910)

David Burroughs Mattingly; illustrator (1956)

William James Mayo; doctor, clinic founder (1861)

José Pablo Moncayo; Mexican pianist, composer (1912)

Anne-Sophie Mutter; German violinist (1963)

Pierre Perrault; Canadian film director (1927)

Jean-Louis Pesch; French author and illustrator (1928)

Peter I; king of Serbia, founder of Yugoslavia (1844)

Petronilla; queen of Aragon (1136)

Vasko Popa; Serbian poet (1922)

Josef Ressel; Czech-American propeller inventor (1793)

Zuleikha Robinson; English actress (1977)

Curt Sachs; German-American composer (1881)

Jackie Lynn Taylor; American actress (1925)

Celia Thaxter; poet (1835)

Egon von Fürstenberg; Swiss fashion designer (1946)

Cara Williams; American actress (1925)

[minervacasterly]

Beyond the Spanish Princess - The Underappreciated Consort: Catherine of Aragon, Queen of Hearts

Costume dramas like The White Princess, The White Queen, The Spanish Princess, The Last Kingdom, Vikings, among many others, have generated a spark among many of its fans who want to find out more about the real figures portrayed in these TV shows. Once they find out the truth behind the myth, a clearer picture emerges of these figures which in itself is also a gateway that leads them to discover other fascinating people from these eras. Unsurprisingly, one of these recent people of interest is Catherine of Aragon, the Spanish Infanta who set sail from her native Spain to marry (first) the crown Prince of England, Arthur Tudor of Wales and then (after she was widowed) his younger brother, King Henry VIII.In a recent interview Charlotte Hope gave to an entertainment news outlet, Charlotte Hope acknowledged the liberties taken by the series, and the admiration she gained while preparing to play the role of Henry VIII's first wife and the infamous Catholic Kings' youngest offspring. Like many newcomers to this era, she was surprised to find that Catherine was the opposite of how she's traditionally come to be seen as: a dowdy, tired, doormate who was overly pious and was cast aside by a younger woman. 

From the interview to Charlotte Hope: While Hope would love to continue playing Catherine "for the next seven years", Part Two of The Spanish Princess concludes the character's story. However, the experience has been a transformative one, and Hope will never forget the resilience Catherine's story inspired in her. "I've had a pretty rough time in 2020, and I felt knocked down over and over, and I sometimes remind myself that even in my muscle memory, there is a woman that got knocked down over and over again, and carried on fighting and carried on getting up. So sometimes when I've been really wobbling this year, and I've felt very small, sometimes quite worthless, I remind myself that there is a really, really powerful woman somewhere inside me and I can get her out again. Proving once more how timeless and relatable Catherine of Aragon's journey really is."

Historians Worsley, Starkey, Licence, Fox, and most notably Tremlett & Mattingly have also noted Catherine's inner strength which sometimes came out in full force when challenged. Earlier in the interview, Charlotte Hope mentioned that in Spain she's seen much differently than in England. This is also true and reflected in the RTVE series Isabel and its direct sequel Carlos, Rey Emperador. Both of these series gave the audience a memorable portrayal of Catherine where, far from being the boring one from acclaimed Hollywood films like Anne of a Thousand Days, she never bent the knee to her enemies.Most of the flaws Hope notes of her Catherine are flaws that the real Catherine had in real life but that's where the real beauty of her character lies. As opposed to the fully armored warrior of Charlotte Hope's portrayal this second season, the real Catherine was far subtler in her military approach. Like her mother, she wasn't afraid of the battlefield, organizing a battle and inspecting the troops. It can be argued that she set up these important foundations and precedents for future Queens like her daughter Mary I (who became the first Queen Regnant of England) and Mary's half sister and Anne Boleyn's daughter, Elizabeth I, and Regents like Kathryn Parr (Henry VIII's sixth and final wife).Besides sewing banners, listening to her husband's military officers and more experienced men, Catherine oversaw other aspects of the government. She wasn't afraid of the oncoming battle since she was certain she had God on her side, and her parents' wisdom. Regent, Consort, religious matron, and a skilled orator, among other things are what made Catherine one of the most admired figures of the renaissance.

The people she was the most theological opposed summarized her reign best, citing that she was more than just an auxiliary to her husband, and could stand well on her own two feet. Thomas Cromwell did not give her the funeral she deserved, as the Queen she always maintained she was, but noted that had it not been for “her sex she could have surpassed all the heroes of history.” Lastly, there is Martin Luther. Although he remained a harsh critic of Henry VIII until the day he died, he was saddened by the news of Catherine of Aragon’s passing. In his view, there was no finer role model for women than her.

To read the full interview, click on this link: https://nine.com.au/.../5dfbd76d-e497-4ca3-8f33-52901413b8bf

[catalinadearagonsblog]

There is no mention of a project for divorce but the letter is taken to prove that Henry’s rage at Ferdinand extended to Catherine. The miscarriage referred to would be the stillborn (?) child of late November. Peter Martyr is writing from Spain, of course. In Spain it was only beginning to be clear how deep Henry’s resentment against Ferdinand was. But Henry had known of Ferdinand’s desertion by April and was deep in negotiations with France by June. He would not have waited until the following November to assail Catherine for her father’s treachery. Peter Martyr is obviously misinformed, as he often was about such affairs in England. Caroz’s letters not only contain no reference to such a quarrel but distinctly imply that none occurred, and that Catherine fully shared Henry’s feelings about Ferdinand’s conduct.

- Garret Mattingly, Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon and her father’s betrayal

                                               1514

On two occasions she had been able to blind herself to her father’s treachery, and to persuade herself to accept his excuses so that she could persuade Henry to accept them. This time she could not. She had married in England to serve Spain, but not to be a partner in swindling her husband. Catherine loved her father and she believed in the Ferdinand’s good faith. A betrayal from her dear father was unthinkable for Catherine, but the harsh reality and the advices of her confessor and María de Salinas made her open her eyes. She had to choose between her father and her angry husband. So Catherine chose to support Henry. She did not attempt to dissuade him from his pro-French policy. She let her humiliation at the part she had played, her disappointment and indignation be clearly apparent. Catherine told the Spanish ambassador, coldly, that she had nothing to discuss with him, did not wish to see him, and refused to intervene in any way in Spain’s behalf. If she wrote any line to her father, it was not a message Ferdinand cared to keep.

She would never forget Spain, but she had now lived thirteen years in England, five as England’s Queen. In the seclusion ofher widowhood she had preserved much ofher Spanishness, but her life since had opened new windows. There were only a few Spaniards left in her suite; except for her confessor and her favourite lady in waiting, Maria de Salinas, most of her daily contacts were with the English. Though she never lost a faint trace of foreign accent, she was beginning to talk, write, think like an Englishwoman. For five years she had devoted herself wholeheartedly to the activities and interests of her husband’s land; she had made a widening circle of English friends, and during the last year she had felt the thrill of national leadership in a crisis. It still pleased her, on occasion, to talk Spanish and to hear news of her native land. She had believed, she was to believe again, that the true interests of England and Spain were one, and that in fostering the alliance between them she was serving both. But she was Queen of England; she had no doubt, she was never again to show any doubt, where her final allegiance lay. 

Some time in December Catherine gave birth to a boy. Tragically, however, her misfortune at childbirth continued. The baby arrived a month early and, ‘to the very great grief of the court’, was either stillborn or died soon after birth. When the news reached Peter Martyr in Spain, he thought he knew why this had happened. ‘The queen of England has miscarried, as a result of her upset at the quarrel between her father and her husband, the pain of which provoked her to give birth prematurely,’ he said. ‘Her husband was upbraiding the innocent queen with the desertion of her father, and held against her his anger and complaints.’ Grief, he believed, had driven her to miscarry.  

Sources:

Garrett Mattingly, Catherine Of Aragon

Giles Tremlett,  CATHERINE OF ARAGON Henry’s Spanish Queen