#freetown collective

[smarteypants]

[curryvillain]

Tune In To @SarkAmbassador's "Channels" EP

For a number of years, Trinidad’s Sarkastik Ambassador has been utilizing his creativity for a variety of things. He has dabbled in music, he lent his style in design projects, and he scoped out something unique in his visual and audio productions. This time around, he wants to take his music to new levels, and he does so with the new “Channels” EP. Featuring 5 tracks, Sarkastik Ambassador…

[sexypinkon]

Sexypink - One of many exhibitions this carnival.

[galleryyuhself]

Galleryyuhself - Rep your inner Mas and WIN 2 tickets to our upcoming show

Welcome to Freetown! Sound Forge Sun 12 Feb 5:30pm https://islandetickets.com/event/welcometofreetown

WANT TO WIN? 

 Here's how to rep your inner mas!:

1. Create a reel or post highlighting your inner carnival character and showing us your modern styling of that character. Get creative!

 2. Use any 2023 Freetown Collective song as the audio for the reel or post

3. Tag @wearefreetown and use the hashtags #playyourinnermas and #welcometofreetown The most creative/best-dressed styling wins! The winner will be announced on Sunday 29th January 2023.Brought to you by:@wearefreetown x @wearemarkmakers Graphic Design: @ayridbydesign

[treeroutes]

what's up ! non-exhaustive list of stories featuring weird plants :

The Day of the Triffids, John Wyndham

The Night of the Triffids, Simon Clark

In the Tall Grass, Stephen King and Joe Hill

The Boats of the 'Glen Carrig', William Hope Hodgson

The Man Whom the Trees Loved, Algernon Blackwood

The Red Tree, Caitlín R. Kiernan

Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer

The Willows, Algernon Blackwood

The Nature of Balance, Tim Lebbon

'Bloom', John Langan

The Ruins, Scott Smith

The Wise Friend, Ramsey Campbell

'The Green Man of Freetown', The Envious Nothing : A Collection of Literary Ruins, Curtis M. Lawson

The Beauty, Aliya Whiteley

The Ash-Tree, M.R. James

Canavan's Backyard, J.P. Brennan

Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Jack Finney

The Hollow Places, T. Kingfisher

'Reaching for Ruins', Crow Shine, Alan Baxter

'Vortex of Horror', Gaylord Sabatini

Hothouse, Brian W. Aldiss

Vaster than Empires and More Slow, Ursula K. Le Guin

Odd Attachment, Ian M. Banks

Deathworld #1, Harry Harrison

The Bridge, John Skipp and Craig Spector

'The Garden of Paris', Eric Williams

Apartment Building E, Malachi King

The Seed from the Sepulchre, Clark Ashton Smith

Rappaccini's Daughter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Nursery, Lewis Mallory

The Other Side of the Mountain, Michel Bernanos

The Vegetarian, Han Kang

Sisyphean, Dempow Torishima

The Root Witch, Debra Castaneda

Semiosis, Sue Burke

The Wolf in Winter, Charlie Parker #12, John Connolly

Perennials, Bryce Gibson

Relic, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Gwen, in Green, Hugh Zachary

The Voice in the Night, William Hope Hodgson

Ordinary Horror, David Searcy

The Family Tree, Sheri S. Tepper

The Book of Koli, Rampart Trilogy #1, M.R. Carey

Seeders, A.J. Colucci

Concrete Jungle, Brett McBean

The Plant, Stephen King

Anthologies/collections :

The Roots of Evil: Weird Stories of Supernatural Plants, edited by Michel Parry

Chlorophobia: An Eco-Horror Anthology, edited by A.R. Ward

Roots of Evil: Beyond the Secret Life of Plants, edited by Carlos Cassaba

The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

Sylvan Dread: Tales of Pastoral Darkness, Richard Gavin

Evil Roots: Killer Tales of the Botanical Gothic, edited by Daisy Butcher

Weird Woods: Tales From the Haunted Forests of Britain, edited by John Miller

'But fungi aren't plants' :

The Fungus, Harry Adam Knight

Growing Things and Other Stories, Paul Tremblay

The Girl with All the Gifts, M.R. Carey

Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Fruiting Bodies, and Other Fungi, Brian Lumley

'The Black Mould', The Age of Decayed Futurity, Mark Samuels

What Moves the Dead, T. Kingfisher

The House Without a Summer, DeAnna Knippling

Mungwort, James Noll

Fungi, edited by Orrin Grey and Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Trouble with Lichen, John Wyndham

Notes :

all links lead to the goodreads page of the book, mostly because i like to look at book cover art ;

list features authors/books that i love (T. Kingfisher, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Ursula K. Le Guin, the collections from the British Library Tales of the Weird, etc.), but also a few that i don't like and some that i have not yet read ;

if upon seeing that list the first novel you check out is by Stephen King's you have not understood the assignment ;

not all of those are strictly horror stories, some are 100% science fiction (Brian W. Aldiss' Hothouse for instance).

[dindjarindiaries]

Security - Chapter 60: The Briefing

summary: Din, Astra, and Bo-Katan make plans to lead the covert into battle on Nevarro.

warnings: angst, emotional hurt/comfort, fluff

rating: T

word count: 4.367k

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chapter 60: the briefing

The light of the fire’s flames flicker around the cave as Astra sits and watches them with an anxious knot tied within her armored chest. Her desire to help the people of Nevarro only grows more and more with each moment that passes, and the longer she has to wait to reach them, the worse it becomes. The uncertainty of having the covert’s aid doesn’t help, leaving Astra to wring her gloved hands together as she watches the Armorer stand in front of the gathered group.

Din sets one of his hands over hers to ease her anxious actions. She looks over at him and her gaze meets his visor. He gives her a firm nod as his gloved fingers thread through hers and offer a reassuring squeeze. Din doesn’t have to say a word for Astra to understand. It’s gonna be okay.

“Din Djarin has requested this meeting,” the Armorer announces, calling the attention of the Mandalorians who have been murmuring amongst themselves. She lifts the tool in her hand and goes on. “He will speak to you about Greef Karga and the crisis on Nevarro.” The Armorer’s visor sets itself on Din. “Come forward.”

Astra gives Din’s hand a quick squeeze before he stands and makes his way over to the Armorer. She offers him the tool in her hand and takes her place amidst the collected group. Din glances at the tool and directs his attention towards the Armorer. “Thank you.” He gestures to the rest of the covert. “The rest of you have my gratitude for accepting an audience with me.”

Warmth starts to blaze within the depths of Astra’s chest already as she watches and listens to Din. He’s come a long way from being the man who was almost too shy to speak to the people of Freetown about the Tuskens. The confident strides he starts to take on the sand prove that even more.

“Now, many of you don’t know Greef Karga,” Din goes on, “and those that do fought against him when you rescued me from his ambush many cycles ago on the streets of Nevarro.”

Astra glances at her hands in her lap for a moment and lets a small smile tug at the corners of her lips. It was the night she and Din first met, the beginning of their forever—but for others, it was a night of devastation and loss. Her smile starts to fade as she looks up at Din again.

Din stops walking and faces the group with severity. “Since then, he’s had a change of heart and has risked his life to save mine as well as the foundling in my charge.”

Astra glances at Grogu, who sits alongside Zora in their pod that floats at the Armorer’s side. He coos as if he’s agreeing with Din’s words.

“I stand before you to petition an intervention.” Din’s visor scans the group, but when it finds Astra’s gaze, he stops for a moment to seek her comfort. “To help rescue Nevarro before it’s too late.”

Astra resists the urge to stand and run to his side. As hard as it is for her to wait to rescue Nevarro, it’s even more difficult for Din. He’s known Greef for a long time and the planet itself was once a home to him. He’s been strong ever since he received the news from Captain Teva and watched Greef’s message for help, but Astra isn’t ignorant of the deep desperation that festers underneath his beskar.

“I am in no position to ask any more of you,” Din continues, peeling his visor away from Astra to focus on the group again. “However…”

Din’s forced to pause as the Mandalorians start to murmur amongst themselves. Astra looks at them with a furrow in her brow, her armored shoulders rising as she prepares to demand silence for her husband. It’s only Bo-Katan’s gloved hand on her pauldron that stops her, the Mandalorian at her side offering a reassuring tilt of her helmet. “He’ll handle it,” Bo whispers to her. Astra nods at her and forces herself to take a deep breath.

“However.” Din’s voice becomes more firm as he lifts the tool in his hand. The group falls silent. Astra’s lips curl up in sly satisfaction as he lets the tool fall back to his side. “The enemy that decimated this very covert were Imperials, not Greef Karga’s bounty hunters.” He pauses to let the realization fall upon the Mandalorians. “Greef Karga is now a High Magistrate and has offered me a tract of land on his independent world.”

Din gives Astra another glance. She smiles at him in encouragement and offers a nod. He tilts his helmet and she watches his free hand tighten into a fist at his side. Din remains focused on Astra as he speaks.

“Perhaps it is time for us to live in the light once again on a planet where we are welcome, so our culture may flourish,” his visor scans the group and lands on the pod at the Armorer’s side, “and our children can feel what it is to play in the sunlight.”

Astra beams as she gazes at him. It’s a conversation they haven’t been able to have ever since they found out the covert would have to relocate, but for Din to remember his unspoken promise to her of creating a home for them on Nevarro brings her a warmth that rivals the flames that light up the cave around them. He wants to make a safe place for them in this galaxy and at long last, their path has led them—and their people—back to Nevarro.

Din focuses on the Armorer as he approaches her and offers up the tool in his hand. She rises and takes it from him, letting him step away and return to Astra’s side. “Does anyone else wish to speak?” she questions the group.

The Mandalorians start to look at each other, but Astra can only focus on hers. As soon as he sits down, Astra reaches for his hand, holding it tight in her own as her head rests against his arm. Din sets their entwined hands on his armored thigh and whispers to her. “It’s up to them now.”

Astra smiles and looks up at him. “Well, either way, I’m proud of you. You were very eloquent.”

Din rests his helmet upon her forehead. His voice is strained when he responds. “Thank you.”

Astra stays in the sweet moment as long as she can, but the voice of someone else tears her from it much too soon. “I do,” Paz finally answers the Armorer’s question.

Astra resists the urge to jump up and speak before he can. Instead, she remains at Din’s side, holding his hand even tighter as she watches Paz take the metal tool from the Armorer’s hand. He nods at her before he starts to make his way to the place where Din was just standing.

“I was there on Nevarro that night,” Paz begins, his voice low. “I fought against Greef Karga and his hunters. I saw my brothers and sisters fall at the hands of the Imperial butchers that hunted us in the sewers.”

Astra’s gaze falls to her and Din’s entwined hands for a moment. While it was ultimately the decision of the covert to reveal themselves, she was the one who had approached them with the plea for help. She’s hit with a quick pang of guilt that resolves itself when Din secures his free hand over theirs and offers a comforting tilt of his helmet.

“I saw many die to save the life of this one, tiny foundling.” Paz gestures to Grogu, who coos in the pod alongside his sister. Astra tightens her jaw in fury while Din’s grasp already starts to tighten on their hands. They both summon their strength to let Paz go on. “And now we are asked to sacrifice yet again.”

The group starts to murmur amongst themselves. Astra and Din glance at each other and she lets herself be comforted by the familiarity of his visor. The way the flames reflect off his beskar reminds her of their nights spent on Sorgan, a memory that dissipates her worries if even for just a single moment.

“The question we should be asking ourselves is, ‘Why? Why should we lay our lives down yet again?’”

Astra looks over at Bo-Katan, who continues to sit on her other side. It’s relieving to know that their ally will help them even if the covert chooses not to. She awaits Paz’s call for rejection with a breath she holds within her armored chest.

“Because we are Mandalorians.” Paz’s voice has risen with the strength of a thousand warriors. Astra exhales in disbelief as she and Din share a quick glance. “I have had my disagreements with this man,” Paz gestures to Din, “but he risked his life to save my son.”

Astra looks up at him with a proud smile as she rests her head against his arm again. Din’s helmet lowers in shyness, his gloved fingers playing with hers.

“Bo-Katan Kryze did not give up on my child’s life even when the rest of us did.”

Bo-Katan nods with respect out of the corner of Astra’s eye. She’s prepared for Paz to move on, but his visor looks straight at her.

“And Astra Djarin was the one who urged us to save one of our own long before she even joined our ranks.”

Astra’s lips part in shock as she glances at Paz with incredulity. When she looks at Din again, his helmet is tilted with an affection that words could never bring to justice.

“They are asking us to take up arms in the name of a brighter future, and I for one will take up arms to fight by their side.” The crowd begins to stir with agreement in a way that makes the weight fall off of Astra’s armored shoulders. “This is the Way.”

Astra joins in with the crowd’s unified response. “This is the Way.”

Everyone looks to the Armorer as she offers a decisive nod. “This is the Way.” She rises from her seat and takes the metal tool from Paz’s gloved hand. “We will group together at first light to hear the plan from Clan Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze. Tonight, you all must seek rest for the battle ahead.”

With that, the Mandalorians begin to rise from their places around the fire. Astra and Din follow their lead, their hands remaining entwined even as they approach Paz and the Armorer. The pod’s brought back to their side, with Zora already fast asleep and Grogu lifting his ears in joy. Din only drops Astra’s hand to reach his arm out towards Paz, who accepts it in a warm and respectful handshake.

“Thank you,” Din says to his Mandalorian brother.

Paz nods and lowers his arm. “This is the Way.”

Those become their parting words as the Mandalorians go their separate ways. Astra and Din remain silent on their short walk back to their quarters, the last evening they’ll get to spend there. Astra tries not to dwell too much on the thought of it as Din holds the curtain open for her and their children and secures it closed behind them.

“I wasn’t expecting that from Paz,” Astra starts telling Din. She watches as he joins her by the table and sets his helmet on top of it. “I thought he would—.”

Astra doesn’t get a chance to finish as Din’s hands reach for her face and pull her towards him. Their lips meet and Astra forgets everything she was going to say, instead indulging in this unexpected moment of strong affection that threatens to drown her in the very best way. She brings herself even closer to him, each beat of her heart flickering with a flame more ardent than the fire that had once lit up the cave. Her hands press against his armored chest and remain there even when he’s forced to pull away from her, mostly for the sake of their young audience.

Astra raises an eyebrow at him, awaiting an explanation. Din’s gaze searches her with amazement. “You never told me you were the one who convinced them to save me.”

Astra’s gaze falls to her hands on his cuirass as she shrugs. “It was their decision to make. I just told them what was happening.”

“Paz said you urged them to.” Din runs his thumbs over his cheek, a soft smile painted across his lips. “He’s a man of his word, cyar’ika.”

Astra sets her hand over one of his. “Well, that was many years ago. Let’s focus on what you did tonight.” She lifts his glove just enough to set a kiss on the skin of his wrist. “You should be very proud of the way you called them to action.”

Din’s face already starts to redden as he looks to the side. “Greef’s done a lot for us.” His gaze finds Astra’s again. “And this gives us the chance to make a home there for us and the covert, one that isn’t temporary.”

He lowers his hands from her face and sets one on her armored shoulder. Din turns her around and wraps his arms around her, easing her back against his cuirass and resting his chin upon her head as they look around the space of their quarters together.

“It’ll be furnished with more than just stone. There’ll be a place where we can make a fire to keep it warm, just like the ones we made on Sorgan.” Astra’s eyes start to water with joy just at the thought of it. She rests her head against one of Din’s arms as he goes on. “I’ll make a place to hang up our armor and our weapons so that we can enjoy the sunlight and comfort with our children.” He presses a kiss to her head. “How does that sound?”

Astra closes her eyes and imagines it. There’s only one word that’s fitting enough for it. “Perfect.”

Din’s smile is audible in his tone. “Good.” He releases a soft breath and pulls Astra closer. “Just one more battle.”

“I’ll fight a thousand more battles if that’s what it takes to have a home with you.”

A breath hitches in Din’s throat, rendering him speechless for a moment. He exhales to let it out in a sigh that’s both soft and sweet. “That was spoken like a true Mandalorian.” Din kisses her temple and lets her go. “For now, we should rest. I’ll put the kids to bed if you want to get a head start.”

Astra nods to agree with him, her gaze remaining on him as he takes the pod with their sleeping children and brings it to their room. She crosses her arms over her chest while she watches him. It’s the last time they’ll spend the night here, a bittersweet thought that rocks Astra’s clouded mind. It was a temporary home that served them well, and now, they’re just one crucial step away from their long-term home.

And even with all the comfort of Din’s words, that familiar feeling of worry still makes its way back to her.

Like Sorgan, Freetown, and Mos Espa, Astra and Din will serve the people of Nevarro in this battle, but it always goes back to Astra’s fight for the people of Arilia. She never heard how many of her people got off planet before the first fiery piece of Alderaan broke through Arilia’s atmosphere. All she knew was that those who were on her ship were the only ones who made it to Tatooine. The others had either scattered or been destroyed.

That’s why Astra’s not surprised when Din holds her tighter tonight as they lay together. She doesn’t say a word, but she doesn’t have to, and neither does he. The memories of her past have become much like his own. Their pleas for each other’s safety are silent, but understood. Astra’s hand is clutched around Din’s Mythosaur necklace and his arms act as a delicate vice around her. They refuse to make promises, but each unspoken word hangs in the air like dense fog, haunting their rest that’s supposed to be peaceful.

When Astra wakes, it’s to the sound of Zora’s distant crying. She manages to pry herself from Din’s arms without waking him as she makes her way from their room to their children’s. As soon as Astra pulls the curtain aside, she sees Zora’s brown eyes glittering with tears.

“Mama,” Zora cries for her, reaching her arms out with desperation. The single word slams a wave of worry against Astra’s chest as she looks upon the source of it.

“Oh, Zo,” Astra sighs in sympathy. She makes her way to Zora’s bed and holds her, letting her crying daughter bury her face in her mother’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I’m worrying you. Everything’s going to be just fine, my angel.”

Zora’s cries soften, but they don’t stop. Astra rests her head against Zora’s curls and continues.

“You’re gonna be with Papa the whole time, okay? You and Grogu will stay together.” Astra kisses Zora’s head. “I won’t be far away, I just won’t be in the ship with you. I’ve got to help our people on the ground.”

Zora lifts her head and blinks. “Papa?”

Astra nods. “Yes, Zo. You’ll be with Papa.”

Zora’s gaze leaves Astra and points over her shoulder. “Papa.”

Astra turns her head and sees Din leaning against the threshold. He offers a small and guilty smile before Astra’s gaze returns to Zora with a guilt of her own. She hasn’t had a chance to brief Din on her ideas just yet. Astra prepares for him to convince her otherwise.

“I figured that would be the plan.” Din’s words earn a look of surprise from Astra as she raises her brow at him. He steps towards her and she sees nothing but pride in his gaze. “You’ve always been the bravest one of us.”

Astra shrugs as shyness threatens to overtake her. “I just know I’ll serve them better on the ground.” She smiles at him. “The N-1 is your specialty, not mine.”

Din closes the distance between them, his hand cupping her cheek before his finger starts to trace her scar. “Remember to use your armor,” he says, his voice low. “You’ve trained long and hard for this moment. Don’t doubt yourself.” Din’s hand returns to her cheek. “You’re just as strong and capable as the others.”

Astra nods at him. “I know.” She leans into his touch. “You’ve helped me realize that.”

Din’s gaze softens. “You always have been, even before you got your armor.”

“Well… the armor helps.”

Din laughs and nods. “It definitely makes me feel better about your safety.” He releases a gentle breath and bends down to rest his forehead against hers. His eyes remain closed even as he sets his free hand on Zora’s head. “I’ll be glad when this battle is over, though.”

Astra sets her hand over his. “So will I.” She brushes her thumb over his skin. “But at least I’ll get to put this armor and your training to use.”

Din huffs and reopens his eyes. “Very true. Sorry I have to miss seeing it for myself.”

Astra shrugs, her gaze flickering between his gaze and lips. “It’s probably for the best.”

Din chuckles, closing the gap between them to kiss her. When he pulls away, he also gives Zora’s head a kiss. “We should start getting ready. Bo wanted us to brief the plan with her one more time before we present it to the covert.”

Astra nods, her focus returning as she helps to get her relaxed daughter as well as their son ready for the eventful day ahead. Grogu listens with intent to Astra’s instructions on how he ought to help keep his sister safe during the fight. She helps Din with his armor shortly after and he returns the favor. They leave behind their temporary home just in time to meet with Bo-Katan, who eagerly awaits them just outside the mouth of the covert’s cave.

“Good morning,” Bo greets them, a smile evident in her tone as she watches Din steady Zora on his hip. “Are all of you ready for the battle ahead?”

“We are,” Astra asserts, sharing a look with Din as they both nod.

“Good.” Bo sets her visor on Din, her arms crossing over her cuirass. “Are you still good to join me in the air?”

“I am,” Din responds, his visor finding Astra’s gaze. “But… Astra won’t be with me.” He pauses and Astra watches him take Zora’s tiny hand between two of his gloved fingers. “She’ll be joining the forces on the ground.”

Bo looks at Astra with her helmet raised. “Are you prepared to drop in?”

Astra straightens her armored shoulders and nods. “I’m prepared to do whatever it takes.”

Bo tilts her helmet. “Perfect.” Her visor looks beyond their clan, and when Astra’s gaze follows it, she can see the rest of the covert starting to emerge. “I can brief them, unless you’d like to.”

Din exchanges a look with Astra before he answers for them. “Go ahead.” He turns to face Astra and sets his free hand on her armored shoulder. “I’m gonna take the kids to the N-1 if you’d like to stay here for the full briefing. Just…” he runs his gloved thumb over her mudhorn, “see me before we all go.”

Astra sets her hand over his. “I will.” She wraps her hand around the back of his helmet to make it meet her forehead. The gesture speaks for both of them as Din forces himself to step away and take their children back towards the N-1. Astra watches them for a long moment before she falls alongside the other members of the covert who have started to gather in front of Bo and the Gauntlet. Once everyone’s gathered, Bo-Katan begins, her presence as powerful as her voice.

“This is a Kom’rk Class fighter transport,” Bo introduces the ship behind her. She strides across the shore, her visor scanning the group of united Mandalorians. “I’ll use this to drop you in and you will operate as a tight military unit.”

She points behind them, and a quick turn of Astra’s head rewards her with the sight of Din leaning against the starfighter with Zora still set on his hip. Zora offers an adorable wave at the attention they start to earn. Astra smiles and forces herself to look away before she abandons her plan in favor of staying with her family.

“Din Djarin and myself will reinforce from above.” Bo-Katan nods in Din’s direction. “If everyone acts as they should, we can use the element of surprise and defeat an enemy that outnumbers us.” She scans the crowd once more and adds a final decisive nod. “This is the Way.”

Astra joins the chorus that responds. “This is the Way.”

Bo-Katan leads the way onto the Gauntlet, but Astra hangs back. She weaves through the advancing group to get to Din, who’s since set Zora in the pod alongside Grogu. He anticipates her approach with a shift of weight between his feet. Astra’s heart sinks as she wastes no time wrapping her arms around him, letting him hold her just as tight in return.

“Next time I see you,” Astra starts, her voice as soft as she can make it, “we’ll be one step closer to our true home.”

Din takes a deep breath and lifts Astra to hold her face between his gloved hands. “You’re my true home, cyar’ika.” He rests his helmet against her forehead. “Never forget that.” His gloved fingers run over her skin. “Protect yourself as fiercely as you would our home.”

“I will.” Astra smiles and grasps his wrists to give them a gentle squeeze. She pulls away from him only to set a kiss on each of her children’s heads. “Be good for Papa, okay?” They coo in response, with Grogu even setting a protective hand over Zora’s. Astra looks at Din and cups his beskar cheek. “I love you.”

Din covers her hand with his. “I love you, too.” He gestures to her vambrace. “Comm me if something goes sideways. Okay?”

Astra nods. “Okay.” She lowers her hand to his cuirass and lets it linger before she forces herself to step away. Astra takes a deep breath to shift her focus from her family to the battle ahead, knowing that the people of Nevarro deserve every ounce of ferocity and precision she keeps within herself. Just ahead of her on the boarding ramp is Paz, who turns and waits for her to approach.

“Are you joining us in the drop?” Paz asks her. Astra nods to respond, her jaw set as she anticipates defending herself. Instead, Paz offers a nod in return. “That’s very bold of you.” He leads the way for them into the ship and to their spots, a row of collapsable seats that’ll give way once they’ve arrived on Nevarro. Once they sit, Paz’s visor turns towards Astra again. “I figured you’d be staying with Djarin.”

Astra shakes her head. “I wouldn’t be doing much there. Din’s the pilot, not me.” Astra tightens her gloved hands around her armored thighs. “The covert needs me on the ground. That’s where I can help the most.”

The engines of the Gauntlet start to rumble as Paz nods in respect at Astra, a slow gesture that brings a small smile to Astra’s lips. “This is the Way.”

Astra resists the urge to let the familiar sense of worry return as she delights in Paz’s praise. “This is the Way.”

With that, the Gauntlet takes off, bringing Astra, her family, and the covert closer to a battle that could determine the future of them all.

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din djarin: @swol-bear​​​ @notagamersdey​​​ @les-ingenue​​​ @booksaremyyoga​​​ @hp-hogwartsexpress​​​ @dheet​​​​ @mccn-bcys​​​​ @alwaysdjarin​​​​ @reader-without-a-story​​​​ @cyaredindjarin​​​​ @toobsessedsstuff​​​​ @unofficialavenger90​​​​ @tizylish​​​​ @your-slutty-gf​​​​ @untitledarea​​​​ @mildlyhopeless​ @lexloon​ @jellybeanstacey0519​ @uwiuwi​ @lake-145​ @burningcoffeetimetravel​ @hello-th3r3​ @jackiereadsfics​​ @dindadjarin​ @srim01997​ @avidreader73​ @trek-and-wars-are-equal-stars​ @evangeliamerryll​​​

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[socaprince]

SOCA THERAPY - JULY 7, 2024

Soca Therapy Playlist Sunday July 7th 2024 Making You Wine From 6-9pm on Flow 98.7fm Toronto

Dutty Dancing (Dr. Jay Plate) - Hypa 4000 Ting Go Nice Again (TW Edit) - Wetty Beatz Crocodile - Problem Child Jab Story - Slatta Hurricane - Red Scorpion Hurricane - Skinny Fabulous x Lyrikal Tornado (Riddim Master Road Intro) - Ricardo Drue Chopping The Line - Jab King I Am Grenadian (Clean) - Muddy x Squeeze Head x Brain Not From Here - Lavaman x Travis World Addicted - Jab King x Travis World Hotspot - Lyrikal x Travis World The Feeling - Runi J x Travis World Jab Man - Slatta x Travis World Explore (Radio) - V'ghn x Travis World Jab Jab Festival - Pumpa x Travis World Stagga Dance - Lil Natty & Thunda x Muddy Energy Killers - Kerwin DuBois Smooth Ride - Farmer Nappy Best Ride - Coopa Dan x Dj Spider When Last (BD Certified Anthem Edit) - GBM Nutron x Jus Jay Junction - Coutain x Tano Tack Back - Kes x Tano A Little Jam - Problem Child Cyah Hear Yuh - Patrice Roberts Cyah Hear Yuh (Dr. Jay Plate) - Patrice Roberts BYE x2 - Saddis x Jus Jay Bare Good Vibes - Shal Marshall Happy Place - Lyrikal Happy Song - College Boy Jesse Birthday Bashment Freestyle - Lil Rick Ba Ba Ben (Wine & Bend Pt 2) - DJ Cheem Gimme Ah Bligh - Iwer George Water - Iwer George In The Water - Suhrawh x Chow Minister All Posse - Roses Crew feat. Fireman Hooper

TOP 7 COUNTDOWN - Powered By The Soca Source Top Songs in SVG on Apple Music

7. Start - Dat-C DQ x Skinny Fabulous 6. Slip In - Geo 5. Like Never Before - Problem Child 4. Next # In Line - Added Rankin 3. Blessed - Kennie Montana 2. BOTS (Battle Of The Sexes) - Problem Child 1. Carnival Jumbie - Problem Child

Starta Pack - Tionne Hernandez Pampalam - Faith Callender Safe Space - Rae x Fryktion Anxiety - Patrice Roberts Best Self - Nailah Blackman x Lyrikal Shake The Place - Machel Montano x Destra Heaven - Nadia Batson x Kees My Land - Kes The Band x Nadia Batson In the Meantime - Alison Hinds Mash It Up - Burning Flames feat. Onika Bostic Expose (Precision Road Mix) - El-A-Kru feat. Tizzy DJ Needle - Horizon feat Candy Hoyte Jammers - TC De River - Blue Ventures feat Sanell Dempster Let IT Rain (Riddim Master Edit) - Empress x Soca Villain x Psycho Pulourie Doubles - Rikki Jai Disk La Reye - Ban Biyo Zouk La Se Sel Medikaman - Kassav Sexy Chocolate Girls (Remix) - Farm P x Kerwin Du Bois

PAN MOMENTS DNA - BP Renegades

TANTY TUNES Calypso Music - Charlie's Roots feat. David Rudder

Soul Of Calypso - Machel Montano Bruk Time - Grabba Bend - Nessa Preppy The A List - Pumpa Stick On - Lyrikal How Ah Livin - Farmer Nappy Where I Am - Freetown Collective Like Ah Boss (Ryan Sayeed's Typical Intro) - Machel Montano Anything - Buffy Put Your Hand On You Head (And Wine) - Sound Revolution feat. Derrick Seales Dis Is How - Crazy Blow Way - Kindred Rollin' - Homefront Famalay (Scratch Master Road Mix) - Machel Montano x Skinny Fabulous x Bunji Garlin Jumbo Jet - Bunji Garlin Party Bad - Mr. Legz x Mr. Killa Rum Sweet - Problem Child Weh Yuh Want (Soca Baby) (Clean) - Prezzi Don Welcome Back - Imani Ray

NORTHERN PRESCRIPTION Delilah (Clean) - Ka$h

Night & Day - Th3rd x JMTB Cut Me Loose - Kes x Travis World

Follow Dr. Jay @socaprince​ and @socatherapy

“Like” Dr. Jay on http://facebook.com/DrJayOnline

[fatehbaz]

The ways in which ideas about ‘Zomia’ have provoked, inspired, jostled and indeed riled are certainly intriguing. [...] A G[oo]gle search for the term ‘Zomia’ yields 90,700 results (as of [2019]) [...]. Among these, [...] in an opinion piece [...] titled “The Undiscovered Country” (14 Feb 2012), Frank Jacobs [...] offered up a short history of ‘refuges, sanctuaries, freetowns, zones of no control’, adding [...] ‘Zomia’ to this mix. [...] Jacobs suggested that,

there exists another type of border, one that doesn’t reflect back our image. In vampiric asymmetry [...]. The world as we know it -- reciprocal even across national borders -- ends here. [...] The borderline does not merely separate two territories, but two paradigms: law and order from anarchy, progress from primitivism. Or perhaps, seen from the other side: freedom from oppression [...].

In Germany, a caravan park calling itself “Wagenplatz Zomia” has also drawn inspiration [...] as the community protests against high rents in Hamburg [...]. [C]ommunity members face eviction from [...] hostile and inept municipalities that spend millions of Euros building commercial centres that end up derelict and empty [...]. The authorities are also seen as utterly resistant to providing affordable housing for low income residents. Here, Zomia encapsulates protest against the state, represented by the neo-liberal economic vision of progress.

Generally speaking, the debate generated, particularly by Scott’s emphasis on Zomia as an intentional ‘non-state’ space, has been significant [...], and it continues to unfold in surprising ways. [...]

---

On the other hand, scholars not necessarily working in highland Asia but inspired by the emphasis on indigenous agency, namely that communities ‘chose to place themselves out of the reach of the state’ [...], have found ways to incorporate these ideas in their own research. [...] Benjamin Powell and Malvika Nair (2012), for example, have incorporated many of these ideas while engaging in comparative studies between a 19th century South Indian banking caste and modern day Somalia. Thus, as a ‘heuristic of resistance’, Zomia has stimulated considerations of applicability [...]. Perhaps the best example is Caroline Humphrey’s exploration of Zomia as an idea in Inner Asian studies. She wrote (2015: 105):

Thinking in terms of Zomia allows a looking outwards from peripheral areas as at the impositions of states and empires. It becomes clear that the ‘friction of terrain’, the very difficulty or remoteness of these zones, has given an advantage to the [...] inhabitants, who know the local passageways, the hideouts, the hidden desert wells, as so forth [...], while at the same time rendering tax collection, military conscription, etc. [...] difficult enough [...] for a pre-modern state apparatus. [...] Zomia-like areas could maintain a certain independence [...]. [T]heir relative inaccessibility was the very reason why these zones became refuges for repeated waves of runaways, migrants, deserters and bandits, and also, in some cases, sites of millenarian resistance to colonialism. [...]

---

Tom Brass, in his piece “Scott’s “Zomia”, or a Populist Postmodern History of Nowhere,” (2012: 125) suggested that Scott’s Zomia project [...] follows a trend of ‘resurgent populist historiography’ that orientalises the agency of people living at the margins, a trend that has ‘colonised academic journals’ [...].

Hjorleifur Jonsson (2014, 2010) similarly sees Scott and many of his followers as failing to recognise how the notion of everyday resistance as a kind of cultural trait essentialises a great multitude of complex peoples that are anything but the nostalgic anthropologist’s ‘pure’ and ‘unpolluted’ small-scale societies. [...] Sanford Schram, on the other hand, has suggested that the myriad forms that resistance and evasion from state interference engendered in Scott’s account point to a very important, context-specific insight, thus, on those grounds alone, meriting further exploration [...]. Unsurprisingly, in an age of increasingly authoritarian regimes, unfettered global capitalism, and [...] state and private surveillance, the idea of a large swath of Asia existing beyond state control [...] is very attractive.

Critics have been clear about the fact that we mustn’t essentialise this space. [...]

---

Text by: Arkotong Longkumer and Michael Heneise. “The Highlander.” The Highlander: Journal of Highland Asia. Volume 1, no. 1. December 2019. [Bold emphasis, italics, and some paragraph breaks added by me.]

[beansonbread2]

BEANSONBREAD AWARDS 2023 - BEST ALBUM

AWARD NO.2 - BEST ALBUM OF 2023

PAST WINNERS

2022 > Jockstrap - ' I Love You Jennifer B' (see full list HERE)

2021 > Self Esteem - ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ (see full list HERE)

2020 > The Flaming Lips - ‘American Head’ (see full list HERE)

2019 > Self Esteem - ‘Compliments Please’ (see full list HERE)

2018 > Kero Kero Bonito - ‘Time ‘n’ Place’ (see full list HERE)

2017 > Richard Dawson - ‘Peasant’ (see full list HERE)

2016 > Blood Orange - ‘Freetown Sound’ (see full list HERE)

2015 > Holly Herndon - ‘Platform’ (see full list HERE)

2014 > FKA Twigs - ‘LP1′ (see full list HERE)

2013 > These New Puritans - ‘Field Of Reeds’ (see full list HERE)

2012 > Django Django - ‘Django Django’ (see full list HERE)

2011 > Shabazz Palaces - ‘Black Up’ (see full list HERE)

2010 > These New Puritans - ‘Hidden’ (see full list HERE)

2009 > Animal Collective - ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ (see full list HERE)

2008 > Wild Beasts - ‘Limbo, Panto’ (see full list HERE)

2007 > Animal Collective - ‘Strawberry Jam’ (see full list HERE)

2006 > Safetyword - ‘Man’s Name Is Legion’ (see full list HERE)

2005 > Animal Collective - ‘Feels’ (see full list HERE)

2004 > Devendra Banhart - ‘Rejoicing In The Hands’ / ‘Nino Rojo’

2003 > Dizzee Rascal - ‘Boy In Da Corner’

2002 > The Streets - ‘Original Pirate Material’

2001 > The Beta Band - ‘Hot Shots II’

2000 > Outkast - ‘Stankonia’

1999 > The Beta Band - ‘The Beta Band’

1998 > The Beta Band - ‘The Three EPs’

1997 > Radiohead - ‘OK Computer’

1996 > Beck - ‘Odelay’

—

THE RULES - No Re-issues, Live Albums, Compilations, or EPs.

—

SPECIAL MENTIONS for these things that don’t really live on the main lists.

Bulbils no.72 > 79

Bulbils ‘Map’

EP/64 'EP-64'

-

WORTH A MENTION (in no order) - A bunch of albums i enjoyed but didn’t quite make the final lists and others i just didn’t hear enough to be considered properly. 

Matmos / Eartheater / Tkay Maidza / Xiu Xiu / Ashnikko / Arthur Russell / Spellling / Cornelius / Liv.e / John Bence / Daniel Blumberg / Thy Slaughter / Two White Cranes / Billy Woods & Kenny Segal / L’Rain / Callum Easter / Cleo Sol / Holly Waxwing / Doon Kanda / DELUXE100 / ‘Barbie’ OST / Khan & Neek / Mui Zyn / Steady Holiday / Jamie Branch / Mitski / Mac DeMarco / Slowdive / Underscores / Armand Hammer / James Blake / Dutch Uncles / DJ Brittle / Slug / The Go! Team / Sofia Kourtesis / Kali Uchis / Sampha / Yussef Dayes / Unknown Mortal Orchestra / King Creosote / Niecy Blues / Lankum / The HIRS Collective / Alexia Avina / Altin Gun / Sulka / Spektral Quartet, Julia Holter & Alex Temple / L.T. Leif / Maria BC / Tom Rasmussen / Wednesday / Tim Hecker / HMLTD / Andrew Hung / Blonde Redhead / Frost Children / Heavy Lungs / Fire-Toolz / Jim Legxacy / Durand Jones / Clark / Teenage Fanclub / Galen Tipton / Feeble Little Horse / Grouptheraphy / Grian Chatten / Asake / Speakers Corner Quartet / George Clanton / PJ Harvey / Jonatan Leandoer96 / Fenne Lily / Terry / The Coral / Modern Nature / Snooper / Gabriels / Little Dragon / Being Dead / Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist / Noname / Overmono / Olivia Rodrigo / Nation Of Language / Caro / Irreversible Entanglements / Devendra Banhart / Say She She / The Streets / Vanishing Twin / BC Camplight / Ethan P. Flynn / Withered Hand / ThisisDA / Sarahsson / Blanck Mass / Jadu Heart / Hotel Lux / Emily Breeze / Chloe / Feather Beds / Margaret Glaspy / Nature Of Language / WaqWaq Kingdom / Bo en / Patten’ / David Holmes / Belle & Sebastian / Cloth / Phoenix / The Golden Dregs  / Julie Byrne

-

2023 RUNNERS UP (in no order)

Laurel Halo ‘Atlas’ 

Ryuichi Sakamoto ‘12’

John Cale ‘Mercy’

Felicita ‘Spalarkle’

Hyperdawn ‘Steady’

Moin ‘Paste’

Spencer Cullum ‘Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection 2’

MC Yallah ‘Yallah Beibe’

Alabaster DePlume ‘Come With Fierce Grace’ 

Kwes ‘Rye Lane’ OST

Bianca Scout ‘Heart Of The Anchoress’

James Yorkston, Nina Persson & The Second Hand Orchestra ‘The Great White Sea Eagle’ 

Sweet Baboo ‘The Wreckage’

ML Buch ‘Suntub’

RS Tangent ‘When A Worm Wears A Wig’

Blockhead ‘The Aux’

Martha Ffion ‘The Wringer’

Mark Jenkin ‘Enys Men’ OST

Yo La Tengo ‘This Stupid World’

Tennis ‘Pollen’

Bar Italia ‘The Twits’

Klein ‘Touched By An Angel’

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs ‘Land Of Sleeper’

David Brewis ‘The Soft Struggles’

Lorraine James ‘Gentle Confrontation’

Black Country, New Road ‘Live at Bush Hall’

Mandy, Indiana ‘I’ve Seen A Way’

Firestations ‘Thick Terrain’

Memotone ‘How Was Your Life?’ / ‘Illuminations Part I-III w/ Chris Yates’

Janelle Monae ‘The Age Of Pleasure’

Girl Ray ‘Prestige’ 

Vagabon ‘Sorry I Haven’t Called’

Gruff Rhys ‘The Almond And The Seahorse’

Yves Tumor ‘Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume..’

Sleaford Mods ‘UK GRIM’

Podcasts ‘Podcasts’

Noah Radley ‘Devoid Of A Contact Or Contextual Clues’

Deerhoof ‘Miracle-Level’

H Hawkline ‘Milk For Flowers’

Mary Lattimore ‘Goodbye, Hotel Arkada’

Jessie Ware ‘That! Feels Good!’

Feist ‘Multitudes’

Weird Wave ‘Lost Map Presents Weird Wave’

Blur ‘The Ballad Of Darren’

Avalon Emerson ‘& The Charm’

Roisin Murphy ‘Hit Parade’

Actress ‘LXXXVIII’

Amy May Ellis ‘Over Ling And Bell’

Jam City ‘Jam City Presents EFM’

King Krule ‘Space Heavy’

Peter Brewis ‘Blowdry Colossus’

Amaarae ‘Fountain Baby’

Death’s Dynamic Shroud ‘After Angel’ / ‘Keys To The Gate’ / ‘Midnight Tangerine’ / ‘Transcendence Bot’

This Is The Kit ‘Careful Of Your Keepers’

Decisive Pink ‘Ticket To Fame’

Travis Scott ‘UTOPIA’

James Holden ‘Imagine This Is A High Dimensional Space Of All Possibilities’

Willie J Healey ‘Bunny’

CHAI ‘CHAI’

James Ferraro ‘Concerto For Strings’

Sufjan Stevens ‘Javelin’

Shabazz Palaces ‘Robed In Rareness’

Bas Jan ‘Back To The Swamp’

Free Love ‘Inside’

John Medeski ‘The Curse’ OST

Brother May ‘Pattern With Force’

Langkamer ‘The Noon And Midnight Manual’

Uh ‘Humanus’

Patten ‘Mirage FM’

-

MY TOP 50 ALBUMS OF 2023

50. Robbie & Mona ‘Tusky’

49. Lonnie Holley ‘Oh Me Oh My’

48. MF Tomlinson ‘We Are Still Wild Horses’

47. Oliver Coates ‘Aftersun’ OST

46. Joanne Robertson ‘Blue Car’

45. Yeule ‘Softscars’

44. Lil Yachty ‘Let’s Start Here’

43. Robin Allender ‘Underground River’

42. PinkPantheress ‘Heaven Knows’

41. ANOHNI & The Johnsons ‘My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross’

40. Joanna Sternberg ‘I’ve Got Me’

39. Bonnie Prince Billy ‘Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You’

38. Andre 3000 ‘New Blue Sun’

37. Kinlaw ‘WELD’

36. Memotone ‘Tollard’

35. Cleo Sol ‘Gold’

34. Mun Sing ‘Inflatable Gravestone’

33. Dorian Electra ‘Fanfare’

32. Bar Italia ‘Tracey Denim’

31. Panda Bear & Sonic Boom ‘Reset In Dub’

30. Kara Jackson ‘Why Does The Earth Give Us People To Love?’

29. Avey Tare ‘7s’

28. Kate NV ‘WOW’

27. Kelela ‘Raven’

26. Danny Brown ‘Quaranta’

25. Jessy Lanza ‘Love Hallucination’

24. 100 gecs ‘10,000 gecs’

23. Christopher Bear & Daniel Rossen ‘Past Lives’ OST

22. Quade ‘Nacre’

21. Django Django ‘Off Planet’

20. Tirzah ‘trip9love…???’

19. Nourished By Time ‘Erotic Probiotic 2’

18. Das Koolies ‘DK.01’

17. Jockstrap ‘I <3UQTINVU’

16. Lana Del Rey ‘Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd’

15. Fever Ray ‘Radical Romantics’

14. Hannah Diamond ‘Perfect Picture’

13. Water From Your Eyes ‘Everyone’s Crushed’

12. Rozi Plain ‘Prize’

11. Young Fathers ‘Heavy Heavy’

10. Yaeji ‘With A Hammer’

9. Pozi ‘Smiling Pools’

8. Animal Collective ‘Isn’t It Now?’

7. Slauson Malone 1 ‘Excelsior’

6. Steve Mason ‘Brothers & Sisters’

5. The Lemon Twigs ‘Everything Harmony’

4. Oneohtrix Point Never ‘Again’

3. Caroline Polachek ‘Desire, I Want To Turn Into You’

2. JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown ‘Scaring The Hoes’

1. Squid ‘O Monolith’

[izatrini]

Freetown Collective to throw hat in Soca Monarch ring - TT Newsday http://dlvr.it/ShHymD

[rasmasandra]

Traveling in Africa Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone on the Atlantic Ocean A country in West Africa. Sierra Leone is located on the Atlantic Ocean coast. Freetown is the capital and largest city in Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean. The Sierra Leone National Museum has two galleries. One is home to a collection of cultural and historical artifacts and the other has temporary exhibitions that include a…

[demondmayhew016]

DJ Private Ryan & Freetown Collective - Feel The Love (Official Music Vi...

[burnwater13]

Fennec Shand listening to Boba Fett speak with 8D8, a repurposed smelter droid/protocol droid, in the palace on Tatooine. Image from The Book of Boba Fett, Season 1, Episode 3, The Streets of Mos Espa. Calendar by DataWorks.

Grogu thought about that question. What kind of leader would he be? Would he be fair and kind and thoughtful? Would he be humble, a good listener, willing to take action when it was required? Would he share with everyone? Would he help people, even his enemies, to be better and happier? He didn’t know. It wasn’t a mystery or even a puzzle. He had never considered himself a leader and if he was being brutally honest, he’d never noticed anyone but ex-Imps following him anywhere. 

Because that was really the thing about being a leader. You can’t be one if no one follows you. You could certainly be a scout or an adventurer. You could be a lot of things, good or bad. But leaders require followers and that was always the problem. What kind of followers would Grogu attract?

Would they be kind? Smart? Funny? Or would they just want to use him for whatever they could get from him? That certainly seemed to be why bounty hunters and a particular flavor of ex-Imperial War Lord followed him around. 

That made him wonder if he was Din Djarin’s leader or if it was the other way around? Certainly the Mandalorian had found him on Arvala-7. Then he’d brought Grogu back to Nevarro and handed him off to someone else. The people who had been following him almost everywhere, although they obviously hadn’t worked out that he was on Arvala-7, which didn’t make a lot of sense. But are all followers the same? Probably not. 

Certainly the Mandalorian wasn’t. He came back and collected Grogu and they left the other bounty hunters behind. Then they left more bounty hunters behind. Then they left people from the Mandalorian’s past behind. Then, they left both other Mandalorians and whole lot more ex-Imps behind. 

So traveling together isn’t really the same as being a leader or a follower with some minor exceptions. Grogu was never given an option of which planet they should head for, which tended to favor the notion that the Mandalorian was the leader. On the other hand, the selections had all been about protecting Grogu as much as possible, which tended to favor that notion that he was the leader, because followers tended to protect their leaders from all manner of harm.

That was certainly the case with Fennec Shand and Boba Fett. Fennec protected the Daimyo from all sorts of bad actors. The assassin sent by the Hutts. The assassin sent by the former mayor of Mos Espa. The Pyke syndicate because they wanted to continue to run spice through Tatooine. Their followers who happened to be all over Mos Espa. But then the Daimyo had to protect himself from that other bounty hunter, Cad Bane. Fennec was busy with other things, as was his dad, who was kind of following the Daimyo, but not really following him. It was strange.

The Mandalorian had found the Daimyo’s armor on Tatooine. Marshal Vanth had it. In trade for dealing with that Krayt dragon that was terrorizing the town, Vanth gave it to Din Djarin. Apparently Boba Fett found out about it from the Tuskens or somehow, who knew, but then they made a deal over it on Tython when the ex-Imps sent the Dark Troopers after Grogu and then fought with the two Mandalorians and Fennec. Because Boba Fett hadn’t been successful at protecting Grogu he felt like he owed something to Grogu’s protector. Of course Grogu didn’t know that because he was playing Toss ’n Imp on Moff Gideon’s ship. 

When they cam back and rescued him with help from Cara Dune and Bo-Katan, Grogu figured the debts were all paid, but they weren’t. The Mandalorian convinced him to go to Luke’s Jedi Sleep Away Camp and then, somehow, ended up back on Tatooine, helping the Daimyo and getting Marshal Vanth and the fine people of Freetown to help as well. 

Now they were all together and it was clear that Daimyo Fett, Fennec, CobbVanth, Grogu’s dad, and even Bo-Katan, were each leaders in their own ways. Grogu knew he’d rather follow Fett than Kryze, but in the meantime he was just going to stick with his dad who seemed to be a master in his own right at both following and leading. If Grogu was going to be a leader he wanted to be that kind. The kind where people didn’t even realize they were following you while you walked along beside them. That was the Way. 

Image of Boba Fett and 8D8 standing next to a holo-display of Mos Espa, while Fennec Shand looks on, in the throne room of Boba's palace on Tatooine. Image from The Book of Boba Fett, Season 1, Episode 3, The Streets of Mos Espa.

[tjeromebaker]

Mallence Bart-Williams | I Come From The Richest Country In The World... Sierra Leone, Africa

Mallence Bart-Williams was born in Cologne, Germany. She is a Sierra Leonean writer and filmmaker and a German fashion designer. She pursued her studies in economics and finance in Paris, Singapore, and Great Britain. Today she lives across the globe, produces an all-natural cosmetics line in Hong Kong, and is the founder and creative director of the Freetown-based creative collective FOLORUNSHO,…

[djrj]

Playlist: January 23, 2024

Reggae Evolution with @DJRJ - Jan 23, 2024 Playlist & Podcast. #newmusic #newreggae

Anthony B/ Watch Over I IntroBeres Hammond/ I’m Alive (Dancehall Mix)Half Pint/ VictoryCocoa Tea/ WhoChardel Rhoden/ Come CloserDa’Ville/ Be MineSean Paul/ GreatestMortimer/ SlowlyNessa Preppy & Freetown Collective/ Sha La LaKes & Tano/ MiracleJayson/ We Did ItPallaso & Konshens/ Want MoneyDing Dong, Yung Bredda & Dan Evens/ Bend DownReniGAD, Dan Evens, ZJ Sparks/ Head ChipChronixx/ Skankin’…

[edwin--artifex]

"We Are The Future" (project) (2004) Rome, Circus Maximus - broadcaster NBC opted out 'last minute'. MTV Italy stepped up and did then broadcast (low budget) Even so, there were half a million spectators!

<<Nearly two decades after producing the historic "We Are The World" recording, Quincy Jones will gather many of the world's best-recognized artists and personalities for a global concert marking the launch of a worldwide humanitarian effort aimed at helping children in war-ravaged cities. "We Are The Future" will take over Rome's Circus Maximus on May 16 for a globally telecast and webcast concert to draw the eyes of the world to the alarming increase in mortality rates among children in these areas.

The event is free, but 100 percent of the proceeds from the concert's broadcast and related merchandise sales will benefit "We Are The Future" programs, including child centers in six cities worldwide. The first center opened April 8 in Kigali, Rwanda. Other centers will open later this year in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Asmara, Eritrea; Freetown, Sierra Leone; Kabul, Afghanistan; and Nablus on the West Bank.

In the last decade alone, 2 million children were killed, 6 million injured and 12 million left homeless as the result of regional conflicts. In developing countries that are in conflict or post-conflict situations, 30,000 children under the age of five die every day, many from easily preventable causes. Concert producer Quincy Jones said, "This event is a clarion call to the world to take notice of the plight of children everywhere. Mortality rates among children are soaring and the international community must respond. We believe that 'We Are The Future' is an important first step."

"We Are The Future" is the collective dream of Quincy Jones' Listen Up Foundation, The Glocal Forum, founded by chief Oslo Peace Accords negotiator Uri Savir, and visionary leader for peace Hani Masri. Together in a strategic partnership with the World Bank and its president James Wolfensohn, and with the City of Rome and its Mayor Walter Veltroni, the "We Are The Future" co-founders are working to improve the lives of children victimized by conflict.

Global broadcast and webcast partners will be announced shortly...>> EXTRACT FROM PRESS RELEASE

WATF SET ON THE CIRCUS MAXIMUS, ROME W. THE PALATINE HILL BACKDROP (2004)

PRODUCTION DESIGN: DEAN TSCHETTER (FOR NBC)

ART DIRECTOR & ART DEPT. MANAGER (ROME, ITALY, @ "STUDIOS", VIA TIBURTINA) EDWIN A. FRANCIS

HERE'S THE (FINAL) POSTER ->