#salablanca

[fawrishfish]

Lala salablanca

LALO BONITO

[lymondchronicles]

Salablanca?

Eduard Charlemont, The Moorish Chief (1878)

[ns-23]

Instantánea de un proceso: mujer en tercer aire o la centáurides III, fotografía vgart, the window of the white room, ago. 2019. #vgart #vgartphotography #vgartphoto #fotografiavgart #ns23 #shotoniphone #iphone6s #centaurides #mujer #fotografia #salablanca https://www.instagram.com/p/B0q8nWXn8dd/?igshid=16fypba337dor

[notasapleasure]

Lymond for the ask meme?

Thanks! Sorry it took me a few days to answer :D

Fandom asks:

   the first character i ever fell in love with: I think probably Christian Stewart. Or maybe Turkey Mat, I can't recall who I latched onto first in GoK, but...it didn't end well for me either way. Though I think I always suspected Turkey Mat was a gonner, he gives off such a heavy vibe of Retirony.    a character that i used to love/like, but now do not: hmmm my feelings about Sibylla grew a lot more complicated through Checkmate - not, I stress, for her backstory, but for her actions in Checkmate.    a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not: I don't know that I can think of one.    my ultimate favorite character™: I latched onto Jerott, for reasons I can't entirely fathom (ok, there may be something about being the less naturally talented second, hanging around with people who quote things effortlessly and feeling like you're incapable of the kind of verbal wit they display so naturally, feeling like you're missing the point half the time). But he sticks around for Francis, even when he can't really figure out why, and Francis lets him help (or can't stop him from helping) at times when no one else is brave/stupid enough to try it. Jerott's struggle to understand Francis and his self-destructive side is actually something that can be so personal idek. I can't stand the man when he's around Marthe, but around Francis he's willing to learn and strive in a way that doesn't seem to come to him otherwise.    prettiest character: are Francis's hands a character?    my most hated character: Bailey. No question. Grotesque, horrible man.    my OTP: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's Francis/Jerott. But I am an easy-going, ship and let ship multishipper and Francis/Philippa brings me much delight too, especially. Um. Post-canon, let's say. I'm also being slowly won round by the idea of Jerott/Danny. Slowly.    my NOTP: Jerott/Marthe keep! them! away! from! each! other!!! This is the opposite of mlm/wlw solidarity it's two people who bring out the absolute worst in each other, one of whom actively goes out of her way to encourage the most destructive and self-destructive habits in the other. Ughhghfdgdhf I hate it why did she ever agree to marry him.    favorite episode: hmm favourite scene? It's hard to choose over the whole course of books. I famously love the horse show in PiF, but that's because I always forget about Jerott shouting homophobic slurs :/ The hall of revels is of course delightful - though I maybe slightly prefer the wet and muddy ride where Philippa follows Francis out to Bailey's house. Any and all rooftop shenanigans, with Robin, Jerott and Philippa. And any scene with Kate Somerville. I also really love the scene with Marthe and Danny towards the end of Checkmate.    saddest death: wow. well how do you choose? I'm going to stick with Christian - for the sheer pointlessness of it and for the way Margaret Douglas crows about it.    favorite season: my favourite book is Disorderly Knights. I love how vivid the sense of place is in all the books, but it's highlighted so well by the switch from Scotland to Malta and back again. In terms of Lymond getting caught up in Actual Historical Disasters it's my favourite too, because he's brought along as a witness, but isn't actually close enough to the powers leading things in DK to have any influence on averting the disaster - the cruelty of the way things go wrong for him in TRC I find particularly painful because he's there to be a voice that understands what we already know about history and he's in a position to be listened to, but he can't be listened to because that's not how things happened. In DK he can be apppalled by the Knights but the stakes are different, he can succeed in small actions to save people - rallying the farmers and helping Salablanca and stopping the explosion - but he's not made it his fight in the same way. Ok, there's a bit of the actual painful history in terms of Will and Wat's deaths, and Wat's death in particular hit hard for me - but again it doesn't feel like something where Lymond's trying to negotiate with someone who *can't* listen for historical reasons (Ivan), but like someone desperately trying to hold things together even as entropy takes hold, which I think is just more relatable/timeless than the advisor not being listened to role. Also I love Philippa's arc in DK, and we have Margaret Erskine around still, who's an absolute lamb, and Gabriel's a fantastically awful, quietly unhinged villain, and Jerott's redemption in parallel to Philippa's and the tragedy of Joleta. It's a story where Francis realises the importance of control - of the self, but also of information and all the vying parties around him - and though he maybe does not come to healthy conclusions about it, with PiF as a digression, it leads directly into the kind of person he is in TRC.    least favorite season: it took me longest to read QP, I think because I had no patience with the eleventy million French courtiers who were referred to in various ways, by various titles, and many of whom were actual historical figures and I wasn't sure to what extent I needed to be aware of this. But I think TRC left me...cold *puts on sunglasses* more than the others. There's a lot that I like about it, but reading it wasn't *fun* like reading most of the others was (ok so I'm sorry, the torture of two toddlers and crippling opium addiction is fun to me in a way that seeing a character regress into emotional frigidity and make a series of inevitably pointless attempts to change history isn't). The last quarter has some fun bits, to be sure - Philippa at court is a delight, and the hall of revels - and of course there's everything in TRC that is touched by Daniel Hislop the bishop's bastard and perfectly pansexual agent of chaos this book needed. But the Russian bits, my god, too bleak for me, too hopeless, especially when you know about Chancellor.    character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate: I'm not sure there is one? I don't *love* Gabriel as a villain to quite the extent some of fandom does, and I definitely don't stan Marthe as hard as lots of you (and I constantly feel like a bad person because of it, don't worry).    my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave: Jerott, obviously.    my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave: Christian, she is a cinnamon roll in a way that many others who nevertheless deserve better are not.    my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship: ngl I will read Gabriel/Francis/Jerott because it's so fucked up and the idea of them fighting over Jerott spiritually, intellectually and physically all at once is great.    my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship: I guess Kate/Adam? It's a bit sudden, but I really just want nice things for both of them by that point.

[drinkthehalo]

Macro perspective on each Lymond book

I've been listening to the Lymond Chronicles audiobooks, which has given me a different perspective than reading them. With audiobooks, you’re less inclined to stop and dive into the details, to look up an interesting word or obscure historical fact; instead you get swept along with the larger arc of the book.

So, I thought it would be interesting to look at what each book is about from a macro perspective.

Spoilers for the entire series follow.

The Game of Kings

In genre, it's a mystery told in a historical adventure style; it asks the question "Who is Lymond?" and gives us a ton of contradictory clues, then finally reveals the truth - in a psychological sense by stripping away Lymond's defense mechanisms and revealing the human being underneath, as he breaks down in the dell, "the guard was down... every fluent line and practised shade of Lymond's face betrayed him explicitly"; and in a narrative sense via the trial, which examines each "clue" we received throughout the story and tells us what it really meant.

Thematically, it's mainly about "serving honesty in a crooked way" - that morality isn’t simple and that sometimes you need to break the rules to do the right thing.  Nearly all Lymond’s acts are apparently bad things done for a goal that is actually good. We see the theme also in Will Scott (who learns that the world is more complicated than the "moral philosophy" he learned in school) and the various characters who help Lymond, breaking the rules of society by aiding a wanted outlaw (Christian, Sybilla, the Somerviles). 

It is also about the balance of looking out for self vs the obligation to the greater society - Lymond is not completely selfless (after all, he is back in Scotland to clear his own name), but when forced to choose, he always chooses the greater good above his own goals. He is contrasted with Richard, whose great mistake is to put his obligations to Scotland at risk in pursuit of his personal vengeance, and Margaret Lennox, who is purely and grotesquely out only for herself.

The historical context is part of this theme, as we see the various border families playing both sides between England and Scotland, with the heroes being those who ultimately stand up for Scotland, even as we understand that some have no choice but to profess one thing while doing another.

Queens Play

In genre, it's a spy novel; thematically, it's about what Lymond will do with the rest of his life. The question is asked explicitly several times (most obviously, "You have all your life still before you." / "The popular question is, for what?") It's important that Lymond loses his title at the start of this book; he has to figure out who he will be without it.

The main characters all represent possible paths Lymond could take -

O'Liam Roe, who sits back and laughs at the world with detachment, while abdicating all responsibility to use his mind and position to change the world for the better.

Robin Stewart, who loses himself in bitterness about the ways the world has been unfair to him, and in fixating on how he deserved better, fails to take any action to improve himself.

Oonagh, who works passionately to change the world for the better, but whose ideals have become corrupted because she has attached herself to a leader who is more out for himself than for their cause.

And of course Thady Boy and Vervassal, two extremes of himself that Lymond tries on, and (by the end of the series) must learn to reconcile.

The recurring imagery of the first half is the carnival, the masks, the music, the parties, and our hero in danger of losing himself amidst the debauchery. In the second half the imagery every time Lymond appears is of ice, the ultra-controlled, hyper-competent version of Lymond at risk of losing himself by denying his artistic soul. (There’s a wonderful essay here that explores these motifs.)

In the end, Lymond comes to the conclusion that he must not withdraw into detachment or bitterness, that he must find a way to make a positive difference in the world, but that he also must not attach himself to a powerful figure who may be more out for themselves than for Scotland (ie, his refusal to attach himself to Marie de Guise). This sets up the creation of his mercenary army in the next books, as a way he can exercise independent influence in the world.

The Disorderly Knights

This book couldn't be more relevant to the world today. It's a portrait of cynical hypocrisy in pursuit of power; it lays out step by step the tactics of propaganda and manipulation used by despots to build up themselves and tear down their rivals: pretend to be pious, accuse of others of your own crimes, tear down straw men instead of engaging in real debate. It tells us to "look at his hands"; what matters is what a leader actually does, not what he professes to believe.

It shows us how leaders use charisma to manipulate, and, in showing the battle between Gabriel and Lymond for Jerott's loyalty, shows how Lymond takes the harder and more ethical path, by refusing to use his charisma to seduce (a lesson learned from his experience with Robin Stewart) and instead guiding Jerott to come to his own conclusions by means of rational thought instead of hero worship.

At every level the novel advocates for tolerance and internationalism, and against petty sectarianism, as Lymond questions whether the Knights of St John are really any better than the Turks, and as he tries to get the Scottish border families to abandon their feuds in favor of the greater good of the country.

In terms of genre, it’s a pure adventure novel. I never get bored of the masterful action sequences with the battles in Malta and Tripoli, and the extraordinary duel at St Giles in the end. (Also in terms of thematic imagery, there is some crazy S&M shit going on in this book, with Gabriel and Joleta's sadism and Lymond's self-sacrificial masochism.)

I love Disorderly Knights so much. It is nearly perfect - well structured, thematically coherent, witty, fun, breathtaking, and heartbreaking.

Pawn in Frankincense

In genre, this is a quest novel. In several places it explicitly parallels The Odyssey.

In theme, it explores -

Do the ends justify the means? How much sacrifice is too much? Lymond gives up his fortune, his body, and his health; Philippa gives up her freedom and her future; we are asked often consider, which goal is more important, stopping Gabriel or saving the child? We even see this theme in Marthe's subplot, as she gives up the treasure, her dream to "be a person," to save her companions. Perhaps the most telling moment is right after Lymond kills Gabriel; despite all his claims that Gabriel’s death mattered more than the fate of the child, he’s already forgotten it, instead playing over and over in his mind the death of Khaireddin. If you do what is intellectually right but it destroys your soul, was it really right?

The other big theme is “nature vs nurture.” What is the impact of upbringing on how people turn out? In its comparisons of Kuzum vs Khaireddin, and Lymond vs Marthe, it seems to fall firmly on the side of nurture.

It’s also a kaleidoscope of views on love, with its Pilgrims of Love and their poetry, and the contrasting images of selfless, sacrificial love (Philippa and Evangelista for Kuzum, Salablanca for Lymond, Lymond for Khaireddin, perhaps Marthe for Lymond as she helps him in the end) with possessive, needy “love” (Marthe for Guzel, Jerott for Marthe or Lymond, arguably even the Aga for Lymond).

This novel is also a tragedy. Its imagery and the historical background complement the themes by creating an atmosphere lush, beautiful, labyrinthine, overwhelming, and suffocating.

The Ringed Castle

I have to confess this is my least favorite, in large part because I find the historical sequences (in Russia and in Mary Tudor's court in England) go on way too long and have only tangential relationships to the themes and characters.

It seems to be primarily about self-delusion as a response to trauma.  Lymond spends the entire novel trying to be someone he isn't, in a place he doesn't belong, because he is too damaged to face reality. (His physical blindness as a manifestation of his psychological blindness; the sequences at John Dee's, surrounded by mirrors, forcing him to see himself.) 

Lymond convinces himself he can build a wall around his heart to block out all human connection, that he can be a “machine,” but despite his best efforts, he cares for Adam Blacklock and develops a true friendship with Diccon Chancellor. And of course, by far the most important moment is after the Hall of Revels, when Lymond's heart unfreezes and he suddenly sees one thing VERY clearly. (And then tries, desperately, to escape it.)

The only reason I can think of that the book lingers so long on Mary Tudor (so boring omg) is the parallel with Lymond, her false pregnancies as a manifestation of her desire to see the world as she wants it to be, and her failure to see reality as it is. Ivan of Russia also is a parallel: delusional, unable to trust, and dangerous. Their failures, and the failure of Lymond's Russia adventure and relationship with Guzel, tell us that you cannot hide from reality forever.

The book spends so long painting the backdrop of 16th century Russia that it makes me think that Dunnett got too caught up in her research and needed a stronger editor, although there is also a parallel with Lymond in the idea of Russia as a traumatized nation struggling to establish itself, and of course, Lymond subsuming his need to deal with his own issues into a goal of building a nation.

It's also about exploration, about the intellectual wonder of discovering that there is more to the world, as we learn about Diccon Chancellor and the Muscovy Company. It’s wonderful imagery, but I struggle to how this fits coherently into the overall theme of the novel, and am curious how others reconcile it.

I like the idea of this book more than the reality. If you’re going to do to your hero what Dunnett did to Lymond in “Pawn,” there has to be consequences. But hundreds of pages of our hero in such a frozen state is difficult to read.

That said, the Hall of Revels is one of the best things in the series, and I’ll always love this book for that.

Checkmate

Checkmate is about reconciliation of self and recovery from trauma, as Lymond is forced (kicking and screaming) to accept who is and what he's done, and to allow himself to love and be loved. Philippa is his guide, as she discovers the secrets of his birth, understands his childhood, hears his tales of all the terrible things he's done, and loves him anyway. As far as genre, this is definitely a romance.

There are villains in this book (Leonard Bailey, Margaret Lennox, Austin Grey) but they're all fairly weak; the true antagonist is Lymond himself. From the beginning, he could have everything he needs to be happy (he's married to the woman he loves, and she loves him back!); his true struggle is to stop running from it (by escaping to Russia or committing suicide) and to break through his own psychological barriers enough to allow himself to accept it.

The primary parallel is with Jerott and Marthe, who also have happiness almost in their grasp, but never manage to achieve it.

The heritage plot looms large and is (IMO) tedious; it's so melodramatic that it takes some mental gymnastics to get it to make thematic sense to me. It ultimately comes down to Lymond's identity crisis and childhood trauma. His “father” rejected and abused him, so he based his identity on his relationship to his mother, but his suspicion that he is a bastard means he lives in terror that he doesn’t really belong in his family and that, if his mother isn’t perfect, he is rotten. (I love him but, my god, it is juvenile. The only way I can reconcile it is that his fear about the circumstances of his birth is really just a stand-in for his self-hatred caused by his traumas.) He also continues to struggle with his envy that Richard was born into a position with power and influence that Lymond has spent the past six books struggling to obtain, and that Lymond’s terrible traumas (starting with the galleys) would not have happened if he had been the heir. The discovery that he actually IS the legitimate heir is what finally snaps him out of it, since his reaction is to want to protect Richard, and this also reconciles him to Sybilla since protecting Richard was her goal too.

There are some other parts of this book that I struggle to reconcile (Lymond's inability to live if he can't have sex with Philippa; the way the focus on heritage seems to undercut the nature vs nurture themes; that no one but Jerott is bothered by Marthe's death, which undercuts some of the most moving moments in "Pawn”; and I mostly just pretend the predestination and telepathy stuff didn’t happen). On the other hand, I do sort of love the way this book wholeheartedly embraces the idea that there is no human being on earth who will ever be as melodramatic as Francis Crawford.

In terms of the historical elements, in addition to providing the narrative grounding for the character stuff to play out, it sets up the idea that Scotland has troubles coming up (the religious wars, the betrayal of the de Guises) and that Lymond needs to go home, let go of France and Russia, and focus on Scotland where he belongs. I’m sure there is also some political nuance in the fact that our Scottish hero, after spending so much time and energy in France, ends up with an English wife.

The conclusion in the music room is perfect - it brings us back to the amnesiac Lymond who innocently played music with Christian Stewart, to Thady Boy whose songs made the cynical French court weep, and fills the “void” Lymond described to Jerott where there was no prospect of music. The aspects of himself are finally reconciled and he has a partner to share his life with.

I am curious what others see as the macro / thematic big picture meanings of these books. :)  And if anyone can find the key to make “Ringed Castle” and “Checkmate” make more sense to me...

[princeofpictou]

this is my francis/salablanca post. thanks guys. this is it. im not even going to tag it. anyway salablanca deserved better. 

[deep-sea-horror]

I feel so bad for Salablanca

[obrasdeartecomentadas]

Christian Salablanca (Costa Rica, 1990), "Statement", intervención con roto martillo sobre la pared de concreto, 2018.

Epigrafía, taquigrafía y escritura asémica. La frase grabada dice “el barrio lo marca a uno”.

[topcostarica]

Hombre detenido en Tamarindo por cultivar marihuana hidropónica

By Jacqueline Otey Esta noche la Fuerza Pública detuvo a un sujeto de apellidos Salablanca Villalta, en la puerta de una vivienda cuando se disponía a ingresar. El hecho sucedió en Tamarindo, Guanacaste. Según el Ministerio de Seguridad Pública oficiales observaron desde afuera de la casa plantas de marihuana. Según las autoridades en la residencia se da el cultivo de marihuana […] …read more      

Noticias de Costa Rica en Top Costa Rica - - Todas las noticias de Costa Rica en un Solo Lugar.

[ns-23]

Instantánea de un proceso: la taurina o la mujer toro I, fotografía vgart, la ventana del cuarto blanco, jul. 2019. #vgart #vgartphotography #vgartphoto #fotografiavgart #ns23 #shotoniphone #iphone6s #toro #taurus #photography #fotografia #salablanca https://www.instagram.com/p/B0kRvvun1iX/?igshid=1uv8u71iq3nbo

[notasapleasure]

Oops, that should have been 16 for the ask meme. DK has stolen by ability to think coherently or count.

Hehehe, so more light relief needed! Thanks for this one…I assumed The Band AU for the setting :D

16: What would your characters be for Halloween?Ok, the year is 1989, it’s the last Halloween of the 1980s, and St Mary’s is hosting the party.

Francis: Apollo

Philippa: Euterpe (the muse of lyric poetry)

Kate: Jane Goodall (complete with cuddly monkey toy)

Adam: Andy Warhol

Sibylla: Ginger Rogers (what, this old thing? The ostrich feather dress? She just had it in the back of the wardrobe)

Richard and Mariotta: Han Solo and Princess Leia

Jerott: he’s the guy who turns up without a costume saying it’s stupid and unnecessary. He’s forced to wear a domino mask and people keep asking if he’s the Dread Pirate Roberts, which just confuses him (shout out to @notfromcold who inspired this idea)

Marthe: not there bitches, she’s in New Zealand

Oonagh: …why do you think Marthe’s in New Zealand?

Joleta: is not yet on close enough terms for an invitation to Francis’s house parties

Kuzúm/Hamal and Kevin and assorted Crawford children: too young for this party. Staying with a babysitter who is Not Joleta.

Danny: wears their usual clothes, but with a silicone Richard Nixon mask on. Drinks through a straw stuck up the nostril. Keeps walking into things.

Salablanca: The Terminator. It really suits him, but he smiles so much he can’t really make it convincing.

Christian: Philippa and Grizel helped her with the costume. She’s also Han Solo, but from the bit after the carbon freeze when he can’t see (think hair gel and a more unbuttoned shirt. Sym the guide dog is Chewie. Richard is trying not to be hurt that everyone thinks Christian’s Han Solo is better than his (even Mariotta). [I headcanon Christan having short hair by this point]

Will and Grizel: Roger Rabbit and Jessica Rabbit.

Archie and Turkey Mat: Brian’s Mum and Brian (“he’s a very naughty boy”)

I know that isn’t EVERYONE. Pester me if you really want to know who Guthrie etc are and I’ll despair over various 1980s pop culture lists a bit longer :’)

[grupopavin]

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Pasando máquinas para sanear una #salablanca en #Tarragona os iremos contando ... 👉🏻 Para más información ☎️ 931 004 188 👈🏻 #Pavin #Pavitecnik #pavimentosindustriales #suelosindustriales #pavimentsindustrials #paviments #terres #terresindustrials #pavimentosepoxi #pavimentospoliuretano #pavimentosmetacrilato #resinaepoxi #resinapoliuretano #microcemento #microciment #Barcelona #Arquitectura #Ingeniería (en C.V. Medica)

[myshelftoblame]

I had a feeling that Salablanca was too good for this world. :’(

[roizcriteriodigital]

Encarcelar, amenazar y soltar: la nueva estrategia de represión

Detenciones reiteradas, como “puerta giratoria” de reos de conciencia, buscan rebajar “costo político” de la dictadura, que incrementa estado policial

Franklin Villavicencio

Detenciones reiteradas, como “puerta giratoria” de reos de conciencia, buscan rebajar “costo político” de la dictadura, que incrementa estado policialFranklin Villavicencio @confidencial_ni 9 febrero, 2021A Lenín Salablanca lo han detenido cuatro veces desde que salió de prisión en 2019, por manifestarse contra el Gobierno de Daniel Ortega y Rosario Murillo. La última vez fue en Juigalpa, Chontales, a inicios de diciembre de 2020, cuando lo detuvieron por cuatro horas. Los oficiales le hicieron una sola petición. “Me dijeron que dejara de joder. Con esas palabras”, cuenta el hombre de 38 años. Luego, fue liberado, pero el asedio no desapareció.“Hay fechas y horas claves donde se arrecia el hostigamiento”, asegura y pone de ejempl leer mas