remove the candidate argument to bless

warn when it is still passed along.

src/core/Backtrace.pm

@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ my class Backtrace is List {
 
     # note that parrot backtraces are RPAs, marshalled to us as Parcel
     multi method new(Parcel $bt, Int $offset = 0) {
-        my $new = self.bless(*);
+        my $new = self.bless();
         for $offset .. $bt.elems - 1 {
             my Mu $sub := nqp::getattr(nqp::decont($bt[$_]<sub>), ForeignCode, '$!do');
             next if nqp::isnull($sub);

src/core/Bag.pm

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ my class Bag is Iterable does Associative does Baggy {
         for @args {
             register-arg($_);
         }
-        self.bless(*, :elems(%e));
+        self.bless(:elems(%e));
     }
 
     submethod BUILD (:%!elems) { }

src/core/Duration.pm

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ my class Duration is Cool does Real {
     has Rat $.x = 0;
       # A linear count of seconds.
 
-    method new($x) { self.bless: *, x => $x.Rat }
+    method new($x) { self.bless: x => $x.Rat }
 
     method Bridge(Duration:D:) { $!x.Num }
     method Rat(Duration:D:)    { $!x     }

src/core/IO/Socket/INET.pm

@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ my class IO::Socket::INET does IO::Socket {
         %args<listen>.=Bool if %args.exists('listen');
 
         #TODO: Learn what protocols map to which socket types and then determine which is needed.
-        self.bless(*, |%args)!initialize()
+        self.bless(|%args)!initialize()
     }
 
     method !initialize() {
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ my class IO::Socket::INET does IO::Socket {
     method accept() {
         #my $new_sock := nqp::create($?CLASS);
         ## A solution as proposed by moritz
-        my $new_sock := $?CLASS.bless(*, :$!family, :$!proto, :$!type, :$!input-line-separator);
+        my $new_sock := $?CLASS.bless(:$!family, :$!proto, :$!type, :$!input-line-separator);
         nqp::getattr($new_sock, $?CLASS, '$!buffer') = '';
         nqp::bindattr($new_sock, $?CLASS, '$!PIO', nqp::getattr(self, $?CLASS, '$!PIO').accept());
         return $new_sock;

src/core/Instant.pm

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ my class Instant is Cool does Real {
       # tai-utc::initial-offset. Thus, $.x matches TAI from 1970
       # to the present.
 
-    method new($x) { self.bless: *, x => $x.Rat }
+    method new($x) { self.bless: x => $x.Rat }
 
     method from-posix($posix, Bool $prefer-leap-second = False) {
     # $posix is in general not expected to be an integer.

src/core/Junction.pm

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ my class Junction { # declared in BOOTSTRAP
     #     has $!type;                # type of Junction
 
     method new(*@values, :$type) {
-        self.bless(*, :storage(@values.eager), :$type);
+        self.bless(:storage(@values.eager), :$type);
     }
 
     multi method Bool(Junction:D:) {

src/core/KeyBag.pm

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ my class KeyBag does Associative does Baggy {
 
     # Constructor
     method new(*@args --> KeyBag) {
-        self.bless(*, :elems( REGISTER(@args) ));
+        self.bless(:elems( REGISTER(@args) ));
     }
 
     submethod BUILD (:%!elems) { }

src/core/KeySet.pm

@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ my class KeySet is Iterable does Associative {
         for @args {
             register-arg($_);
         }
-        self.bless(*, :elems(%e));
+        self.bless(:elems(%e));
     }
 
     submethod BUILD (:%!elems) { }

src/core/Mu.pm

@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ my class Mu { # declared in BOOTSTRAP
 
     proto method new(|) { * }
     multi method new(*%attrinit) {
-        self.bless(*, |%attrinit);
+        self.bless(|%attrinit);
     }
     multi method new($, *@) {
         X::Constructor::Positional.new(:type( self )).throw();
@@ -58,12 +58,12 @@ my class Mu { # declared in BOOTSTRAP
         nqp::create(self)
     }
 
-    method bless(Mu \candidate, *@autovivs, *%attrinit) {
-        # If we were passed *, then need to create a candidate.
-        my $cand := nqp::istype(candidate, Whatever) ??
-            nqp::create(self) !!
-            candidate;
-        $cand.BUILDALL(@autovivs, %attrinit);
+    method bless(*@autovivs, *%attrinit) {
+        if @autovivs && nqp::istype(@autovivs[0], Whatever) {
+            warn "Passing an object candidate to Mu.bless is deprecated";
+            @autovivs.shift;
+        }
+        nqp::create(self).BUILDALL(@autovivs, %attrinit);
     }
 
     method BUILDALL(@autovivs, %attrinit) {

src/core/Set.pm

@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ my class Set is Iterable does Associative {
         for @args {
             register-arg($_);
         }
-        self.bless(*, :elems(%e));
+        self.bless(:elems(%e));
     }
 
     submethod BUILD (:%!elems) { }

src/core/Temporal.pm

@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ my class DateTime does Dateish {
     }
 
     multi method new(Int :$year!, :&formatter=&default-formatter, *%_) {
-        my $dt = self.bless(*, :$year, :&formatter, |%_);
+        my $dt = self.bless(:$year, :&formatter, |%_);
         $dt.check-date;
         $dt.check-time;
         $dt;
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ my class DateTime does Dateish {
         my $day   = $e - (153 * $m + 2) div 5 + 1;
         my $month = $m + 3 - 12 * ($m div 10);
         my $year  = $b * 100 + $d - 4800 + $m div 10;
-        self.bless(*, :$year, :$month, :$day,
+        self.bless(:$year, :$month, :$day,
             :$hour, :$minute, :$second,
             :&formatter).in-timezone($timezone);
     }
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ my class DateTime does Dateish {
     method clone-without-validating(*%_) { # A premature optimization.
         my %args = { :$!year, :$!month, :$!day, :$!hour, :$!minute,
                      :$!second, :$!timezone, :&!formatter, %_ };
-        self.bless(*, |%args);
+        self.bless(|%args);
     }
 
     method Instant() {
@@ -472,7 +472,7 @@ my class Date does Dateish {
     method get-daycount { $!daycount }
 
     multi method new(:$year!, :$month = 1, :$day = 1) {
-        my $d = self.bless(*, :$year, :$month, :$day);
+        my $d = self.bless(:$year, :$month, :$day);
         $d.check-date;
         $d!set-daycount(self.daycount-from-ymd($year,$month,$day));
         $d;
@@ -501,7 +501,7 @@ my class Date does Dateish {
     }
 
     multi method new(DateTime $dt) {
-        self.bless(*, 
+        self.bless(
             :year($dt.year), :month($dt.month), :day($dt.day),
             :daycount(self.daycount-from-ymd($dt.year,$dt.month,$dt.day))
         );
@@ -519,7 +519,7 @@ my class Date does Dateish {
 
     method new-from-daycount($daycount) {
         my ($year, $month, $day) = self.ymd-from-daycount($daycount);
-        self.bless(*, :$daycount, :$year, :$month, :$day);
+        self.bless(:$daycount, :$year, :$month, :$day);
     }
 
     method today() {

src/core/Version.pm

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ class Version {
             $_ .= Numeric if .Numeric.defined ;
             $_ = * if $_ eq '*';
         }
-        self.bless(*, :parts(@parts), :plus($s.substr(*-1) eq '+'));
+        self.bless(:parts(@parts), :plus($s.substr(*-1) eq '+'));
     };
 
     multi method Str(Version:D:) {

src/vm/jvm/core/Threading.pm

@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ my class KeyReducer {
     has $!obtained;
 
     method new($initializer, $reducer) {
-        self.bless(*, :$initializer, :$reducer)
+        self.bless(:$initializer, :$reducer)
     }
 
     my Mu $interop;