hold your ground

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You just gotta remind yourself that just like this deer, you are in the situation (social) where everyone is expecting this situation to occur (social situationing), and many other people may even be expressly looking forward to it (seeing you/the deer). Seeing the deer (you) may be the best part of the situation for them.

Exactly!!!!

and even if it wasn't the sole or only reason they are there, they came KNOWING there are 1,300-1,400 deer (you) free roaming in Nara Park (in social situations) and you're going to be a delightful part of the experience. (As long as you don't bite anyone for crackers. Or headbutt them.)

This is the map of Nara Park area, btw. The bus terminal is literally right on the entrance to the park. Also the city mascot is a sika deer named Shikamaro-kun. The little blue path from the terminal is where I bought deer crackers to feed the deer in the photo on the approach to Todaiji temple. (The deer enclosure I think is Rokuen which is where the sick or pregnant deer are cared for in safety.)

Anyways! The deer are expected and beloved and also protected as messengers of the gods within Nara.

(look at this guy!! Imagine he is the same deer as in the first photo, it's just months later with his antlers grown in more and he's napping in the sun in front of a sign that says deer! he was never out of place, he just needed a sunshine nap!)

Deer (you) isn't actually out place at all! deer is important and appreciated. Also if people make deer (you) feel like you don't belong in their (your) own house, you can tell them to leave.

Interestingly, the phrase didn't stop being used with Petrescu's death, and instead people of both younger and older generations just replaced him with our former president Ion Iliescu, born in 1930, saying "And Iliescu still hasn't died??"

I will love you always, I will love you as my queen and as the wife of my best friend and while you live I will love no other

"...a[s] a girl of twelve or thirteen [...] was proud and disdainful..." jane dormer, duchess of feria*

"...her intellect and understanding are wonderful, as she showed very plainly by her conduct when in danger and under suspicion. As a linguist she excels the Queen, for besides Latin she has no slight knowledge of Greek, and speaks Italian more than the Queen does, taking so much pleasure in it that from vanity she will never speak any other language with Italians. She is proud and haughty, as although she knows that she was born of such a mother, she nevertheless does not consider herself of inferior degree to the Queen, whom she equals in self-esteem; nor does she believe herself less legitimate than her Majesty, alleging in her own favor that her mother would never cohabit with the King unless by way of marriage, with the authority of the Church, and the intervention of the Primate of England; so that even if deceived, having as a subject acted with good faith, the fact cannot have invalidated her mother’s marriage, nor her own birth, she having been born under that same faith [...] she prides herself on her father and glories in him; everybody saying that she also resembles him more than the Queen does; and he therefore always liked her and had her brought up in the same way as the Queen, and bequeathed to each of them 10,000 scudi per annum, and, what matters more, substituted her in the stead of the Queen as successor to the Crown, should he die without male heirs. She now lives upon this settlement from her father, but is always in debt, and would be much more so did she not steadily restrain herself to avoid any increase of the Queen’s hatred and anger, either by increasing the number of gentlemen and servants of her household, or by adding to her expenditure in any other way; and here I may add that there is not a lord or gentleman in the kingdom who has failed, and continues endeavoring, to enter her service himself or to place one of his sons or brothers in it, such being the love and affection borne her. When requested to take servants she always excuses herself on account of the straits and poverty in which she is kept, and by this astute and judicious apology she adroitly incites a tacit compassion for herself and consequently yet greater affection, as it seems strange and vexatious to everybody that being the daughter of a King she should be treated and acknowledged so sparingly." (1557)

"she is a very vain and clever woman. she must have been thoroughly schooled in the manner in which her father conducted his affairs [...] for i see her inclined to govern through men who are believed to be heretics and i am told all the women around her definitely are. apart from this, it is evident that she is highly indignant about what has been done to her during the queen's lifetime. she puts great store by the people and is very confident that they are all on her side—which is certainly true.** [...] there is not a heretic or a traitor in all the kingdom who has not joyfully raised himself from the grave in order to come to her side. she is determined to be governed by no one [...] [with the cardinal, her relations are] worst of all. i fear she will cause his downfall, for she told me that the cardinal had never sent an envoy to visit her or talk to her until now, and she proceeded to enumerate the many injuries he had done her [...] i stressed [...] that she should not display a desire for revenge or ranger against anyone [...] and added that if she abandoned God, then both God and men would abandon her. to this she replied that all she wanted to do was to make these councillors acknowledge they had wronged her and then to pardon them."

count feria, november 1558

I’m so excited to share one of two pieces I made for the Blood and Brocade IWTV zine organized by @thevelvetcompote! I had an absolute blast drawing Tudor Claudeleine, and it was amazing working alongside so many wonderful artists!

The digital version of the zine can be purchased here!

Miss Congeniality (2000) dir. Donald Petrie