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just2bubbly · 3 years

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The Brootp that accidentally became the OTP!

Masterlist

Rumors and Affairs: Chapter List

//This is the update of The Father She Never Had!

A/N: The title is ironical so don’t get confused!

Cinder’s POV-

Thanks to Torin she felt good again, she decided to act on his suggestion and hence she was here, trying to comm Thorne and Cress.

It was Cress who picked up the call and enabled the netlink connection. The Rampion was in the view behind her and from her stay in the satellite it seemed like she was in the galley.

“Hi Cinder!” she said excitedly. She would not seem so excited after she hears what Cinder had done.

“Hey!” she replied rather uninterestedly.

“How are you and Kai?”

“We are doing well. What about you and Thorne?”

“We are absolutely fine. How’s the baby?”

“The baby is healthy as well.”

Thorne poked his head inside the net-screen and with a smug face said,” Oh! What’s my favorite royalty doing?”

She looked numbly at him. She was far from fine even though she just told Cress that she’s fine.

Sensing that everyone has gone silent, Cress started talking trying to establish a conversation.

“Thorne and I have been coming up with baby names. Do you want to hear them?”

She had asked each of her friends to suggest baby names. Kai and she were already thinking about naming their child Peony or Rikan after their loved ones. However both of them were quite against the notion of naming their child after dead people even though they were dear to them. Winter was quite enthusiastic about this activity. She had already suggested the name-‘Aruna’ for a girl which means ‘moon love’ in Japanese. Kai liked it. Wolf had suggested ‘Astra’ for a girl who means ‘star’ and Cinder liked this one.

“If it’s a boy then Kale otherwise Nysa for a girl.” Cress suggested.

“Do you know the gender of the baby?” Thorne asked.

“No, Kai wants it to be a surprise.”

“Can you tell the gender of the baby because of your cybernetics like you had realized that you were pregnant before doing a test?”

“Dunno, are you curious?” She asked teasingly.

“NO! I am just saying that if the gender was known then finding the name would have been easy.”

Cress and Cinder snickered. Not knowing the gender was driving Thorne mad in a way.

“Why did you comm, Cinder? Tell me it’s because you just can’t resist my charms.”

“Captain” Cress scolded. Cinder smiled at the pair. She was waiting for Thorne to propose and see Cress’s elated face. Needless to say, Cress was in love with Thorne before she had even met him.

“Sorry to burst your bubble but Kai is more handsome than you so I would have commed him instead if I wanted to see a handsome face.”

“That hurts.” He said faking the hurt look.

“Serves you right.” Cress and Cinder muttered at the same time. He grinned at them, devilishly.

“Besides I had commed for another reason. I wanted to inform and have some advice over something that I messed up maybe.” She said tensing up.

“You are asking me for advice?” Thorne asked, his brows rising.

“I am asking not saying that I will follow your advice. Didn’t I just say the word ‘inform’ or did you not hear it?”

“What’s wrong with you Cinder?” Cress asked worriedly.

“Yeah, What’s got you in a black mood?” he added.

She should not take out her anger on Thorne. She should be calm and collected. Damn herself and her hormones.

“I am sorry. I should not take my anger on you.”

“It’s okay. That’s what friends are for.” Thorne assured her.

“What did you want to tell, Cinder?” Cress asked.

How could she tell them that she had with her nonsense zoning out confirmed rumors of an affair?

“I did something.”

Seeing that Cinder was going to take a long pause, he asked, “And what’s this something?”

Ah! Why can’t Thorne just keep quiet for a while?! Stars above, telling Kai was so easy as compared to Thorne and Cress.

“I zoned out in a meeting and accidentally confirmed the ongoing rumors about you and me.” She stuttered.

“Uh! Which rumors?” Thorne asked.

“Really Thorne for the person who travels around the world, don't you keep yourself updated with some news.” It appeared that Cress knew about what she was referring too. Cinder had already guessed this because IT WAS CRESS- she knew the internet rumors like the back of her hand.

She glanced at Cress. She was trying her best to maintain a neutral face and not make it more awkward for Cinder, as if it could change anything else.

“Captain I think Cinder means the rumors which mention that you and her are dating without Kai knowing about it.” Thorne’s expression changed from confusion to horror and revulsion.

“Are they the one Cinder?” he cried.

Ashamedly, she nodded my head.

“Shit! No wonder you are acting so bizarre.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be shouting at me?” she whispered.

“Well I am supposed to but what the hell did you actually do?”

She explained both of them her situation and saying that Thorne was a bit angry would have been the understatement of the century. Cress casted some pitying glances along her way but both of them were truly disappointed in her.

“Well you are really in trouble, have a good time convincing people that we are not dating.”

“I am really sorry.”

“It’s not just your problem Cinder; do not blame everything upon yourself.” Cress said reassuringly.

“Besides, didn't Kai already come with damage control plans?”

She could not really look in both of their eyes and speak with them. Hence, she kept her eyes low and murmured something unintelligible. She felt like a disappointing coward, was she really the same person who had killed Levana, a tyrant?!

A headline popped up in her newsfeed stating how “The Emperor will himself address the rumours about the Empress’s courting tomorrow.”

“-He looked miserable and heartbroken upon hearing the news and well it was supposed to happen but he appeared truly devastated on the comm and I am worried.. ” she mumbled.

“Cress can Cinder and I talk alone for a few minutes?” Thorne asked. Hearing this, her head shot up rapidly, Thorne had made some unspoken conversation with Cress already. Something that was clearly not meant for her to see.

Cress left the room only to make Thorne and Cinder avoid each other's eyes for an eternity.

“You screwed up really bad Cinder, huh?”

“If you are going to make me feel worse in any way then let me tell you that internally I am drowning in an ocean of misery so don’t do it.”

“This is not a big joke Cinder, Kai is obviously feeling sad and so am I. Didn’t I tell you that I was supposed to propose to Cress? I can’t do it, Now that you have made this mess.” He spoke glaring daggers at her.

“I am sorry Thorne.”

Thorne berated, “You better be.” She had dragged so many others along with her.

“I am supposed to take a pre-paternity test tomorrow to give an official statement regarding true parentage of the heir.”

“I really feel sorry for you Cinder.”

“You won’t believe how calm everyone is reacting then what I had expected?!” she said honestly.

“Did you want Kai to shout at you or what?” he jokingly asked.

“Not like that Thorne but why can’t you just be like Cress- all assuring and caring?”

“I hope you solve this problem soon- wait! I had this brilliant idea.”

“Hmm.. Not sure if I want to hear this one” preparing herself to hear whatever he had to suggest.

He glared at me and continued,” How about I declare my unconditional love to Cres so that the people would have something else to talk about and they would probably believe that we are not dating”

“The idea is not what I expected but don’t you think that would look like a forced political move? Furthermore won’t it sadden Cress?”

“Yeah” he said with a crestfallen face “what a foolish idea!”

She had wanted him to suggest glamour-ing the journalists into declaring their reposts as void. She personally had liked this idea for a few moments before realizing that ‘It’s such a Levana thing’ to do. Cinder did not want to be a dictator or a tyrant anytime soon.

“Did you tell Iko about this?” he questioned.

“Why would I do that? I have not lost my mind yet. Besides she would kill me upon knowing this. Don’t you know her?” she bawled at his absurdity to ask something like this.

“Okay, no need to shout it.”

“I am afraid,” she admitted.

“Why?”

“Kai is coming today and I don’t know what to expect.”

“He would understand and you know I should not say this.. But I would” he mumbled but then continued with some sort of renewed vigor “I think ‘you both can and will work it out!’” he exclaimed with some new found profoundness

“Really Thorne? Work it out, what kind of garbage advice is that?”

“You should become polite like royalty is supposed to be. Learn from Winter!”

“How about you start giving advice like Jacin then huh?” she retorted.

“Believe me Cinder you would not like me then.” He said making a face at the idea of him acting like Jacin.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” she yelped after seeing the numerous messages on her retina scanner.

“What happened?”

She saw Torin’s message on the portscreen. Kai’s plane had landed and how long had she been talking with Thorne that it was afternoon already?!

“Kai is here.”

“Logically you should be happy but you don’t look like that-” she glared daggers at him. If looks could kill, Cinder would be a serial killer.

“Look who’s talking about logistics” she whispered under her breath.

“Don’t you have to go and greet/welcome him probably?” he said making her remember about her Empress duties.

She should already be present to greet Kai but here she was talking with Thorne. She had convinced herself in believing yesterday that she was an irresponsible Empress and wife. Now that she made such daft mistakes she was questioning why she had not convinced herself before.

”Yeah, why am I forgetting stuff and being an idiot? I am really sorry for the mess I made but I have to go Thorne, Bye!”

“Tell Kai that I said-” Before he could complete, she had ended the comm.

There was no time to waste. She hurriedly left the chambers only to bump into the person she most wanted to see and avoid right now.

A/N: I did not give my best, so this is bad. Bear with me!

#tlc #lunar chronicles #just2bubbly fics #marissa meyer #rumors #what was she thinking #the brootp that became otp #carswell thorne #linh cinder #cresswell #kaider #kaito #cress #cinder #cress darnel #konn torin #telling thorne #brootp #thinder

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kumeko · 4 years

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Title: for the dances that never were

Prompt: Exploration, Secret, Ambition, Devotion, Bonus: Gossip

A/N: For the Fódlan Bakeoff challenge! I couldn’t post it on time due to internet issues (sadness). I had a hard time picking what characters to write before realizing, I haven’t posted anything with my OTP of the series!

…

There was, Claude had to reluctantly admit, a sort of grace to Fódlan dancing. Standing in the Great Hall, he watched as his peers swirled on the dance floor. Above them, enormous chandeliers gave enough light to chase the shadows out of every corner. Dresses swished as women twirled, the silken fabrics resembling a fully-bloomed rose. Pairs of dancers glided past one another, just narrowly avoiding collision.

This dance was nowhere near as loud or energetic as an Almyran dance. There was a vibrancy, a feeling of life in their movements that just couldn’t be matched with a simple twirl and side-step. Still, the dances here were nonetheless pleasing to watch. Standing in a corner, he swirled his wine and watched as the lion prince and eagle emperor dominated the dance floor, elegance and poise radiating off every step.

Claude wasn’t the only one watching. Across the dance floor, he spotted Byleth and Jeralt chatting amicably, their eyes firmly on the students. Well, he guessed they were having fun. It was hard to tell with his professor sometimes, her expression was often blanker than a slate.

“Whatcha looking at?” A familiar voice asked beside him and he didn’t have to turn his head to know it was Hilda. Slightly breathless, she leaned back and fanned herself. “Or should I say who?”

“You can say whatever you like,” he replied smoothly, smiling as he turned to his exhausted friend. Her neatly coifed hair was starting to unravel, stray hairs falling out of her bun. “Someone’s popular.”

“Please, I’m not that popular.” Despite her words, she looked utterly pleased. Winking at him, she gestured at the professor. “She’s everyone’s first choice.”

That didn’t surprise him in the least. It explained why Byleth’s expression looked slightly worn, the way it did when she’d entertained too many of his questions or cleaned up after his pranks. “I wonder who her’s is.”

“No idea.” Sighing, Hilda shrugged. “She accepted everyone who asked, which is really stupid. You have to be picky or you’ll wear yourself out.”

“Like you have?” he teased, smirking.

“I am just taking a short break. I can still dance.” Hilda glanced at Byleth, than at him. “You going to ask her too?”

“Maybe.” It wasn’t a bad idea. She was Jeralt’s daughter, a teacher at the academy, the wielder of the Creator’s Sword, and seemingly Rhea’s favourite. There were only bonuses to getting closer to her. One way or another, she’d be useful to his ambitions. He wasn’t sure why he was hesitating, standing on this side of the room and as far from her as possible.

“Ohh, too late.” Hilda giggled as Sylvain approached Byleth, looking as charming as ever. “You have to be fast to catch her.”

“There’s always the dance after.” Claude shrugged. Holding out a hand, he winked. “Care for one more?”

Hilda frowned. She still took his hand. “I thought I told you I didn’t like too much work.”

ii.

Claude stared at the ceiling. It was funny how, five years later, this sight remained the same. The dorms hadn’t been as badly damaged as the rest of the academy in the attack, but his room had remained utterly unscratched. The structural damage remained unseen.

Closing his eyes, he listened to the leaves as they gently rustled. An owl hooted nearby, crickets chirped. Five years ago, there would have been students chattering as they snuck off for a nightly escapade. Now there was just the clink of chain mail, the guards patrolling the area in case of attack.

After tomorrow, they wouldn’t need to. A final clash between Empire and Alliance, one that would hopefully go as the battle of Eagle and Lion had gone years ago. Claude sat up at the thought. Who was he kidding? That had been a friendly bout between houses. Now almost everyone he’d defeated from that time was dead. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. There would be no sleep tonight, which was a pity. A tactician needed his rest. Edelgard and Hubert wouldn’t make tomorrow’s battle easy.

Slipping out of his bed, he crept out of his room. The sensation as he stalked the school at night was both familiar and strange. Even now, he remembered the secret passages, which stairs creaked, the best shadows to slip in. Yet the stairs were different, the walls lined with scorch mark, and he felt like he was exploring an entirely new place, an explorer finding ruins where a city should have stood.

He was not sure what led him to the great hall, to the half-collapsed ballroom. He wasn’t sure, but when he spied Byleth inside, sitting on a jagged piece of rubble, he couldn’t stop his smile. Somehow, his path led to her, and he shouldn’t have expected this to be any different. They were connected, fates intertwined, and he was certain that if she died, their journey would end right there.

Despite his quiet entrance, Byleth noticed him right away and watched as he slowly approached him. Bathed in moonlight through the broken roof, there was something ethereal about his former teacher. She had always been a mystery, even before all of this. With her blank expression and gaps of knowledge, there had been something interesting about her. The secrets she held now only made her even more intriguing.

He always liked puzzles. Sauntering over, he asked, “Couldn’t sleep, Teach?”

Byleth shook her head. Her eyes looked even darker in the gloom. It was strange to think that he’d seen this place entirely lit up once. Now all it held were shadows.

“Me neither.” He leaned against the rubble, looking around him. “One way or another, it will end tomorrow.”

“Can we…” Byleth trailed off, her voice so low he could barely hear it. She wrapped an arm around herself, her fingers digging into her arm. “Do you think we can…”

“Win?” Claude guessed, giving her a confident smirk. “Of course.”

She shook her head. “Save them.”

“Oh.” That was a harder question. Almost impossible to answer. Edelgard and Hubert would fight to the death; he had never seen either of them back down. Dedue seemed to be on a suicide mission. How many others were left alive? Petra, Dorothea—but who else? Maybe some of the Blue Lions had survived that last skirmish and were just hiding. “I don’t know.”

Her shoulders slumped at the answer. It was strange to think that at one point he thought her emotionless. Her tells were more subtle than others, for sure, but he could read her now. It was hard to mistake the sorrow washing over her for anything else.

Maybe she wouldn’t smile, but he wanted her to be at least a little happy before it went down. One way or another, it would end tomorrow. Maybe he’d die. Maybe she would. Maybe neither of them would and he’d remember this night as the time he had been a little dramatic. Claude gestured around them. “Remember the last time we were here?”

Byleth glanced at him curiously before nodding. “The dance.”

“Yep. I remember someone being very popular that night.” He winked at her. “I think you danced with everyone that night.”

Still not following him, she nodded. “There were a lot of hands. I didn’t want to refuse anyone.”

“Even Marianne asked you to dance.” Claude sighed. “And yet, I think I’m the only one who didn’t get a dance.”

“You didn’t?” Byleth frowned, ticking off her fingers as she remembered that night. It might have been five years for him, but for her it must have felt like months.

“Every time you took a break, someone else approached. What’s a poor guy to do?” Claude tapped his chin for a long minute before pretending to come up with an idea. “Oh, but you’re free now.”

“There’s no music,” she pointed out, catching on.

“That’s fine.” Claude held out a hand. “I still want my turn.”

She looked at him for a long second, and he wondered what was going on behind her green eyes. There had always been a practical air about her, no doubt from her lifetime of mercenary work. He wasn’t even sure if she liked dancing, let alone wanted to do it. Before he could retract the offer though, she slipped her hand in his. “Alright.”

“Great.” He pulled her down from the rubble and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Winking, he started waltzing through the debris. “I hope you haven’t forgotten how to dance.”

“I never learned in the first place,” Byleth answered, her tone lighter. It was a start.

“Then I’ll just have to take lead.” Claude twirled her. He wasn’t sure when it happened, when he’d stopped thinking of Byleth as a friend and instead as something more. Maybe that was what had stilled his hand all those years ago, an emotion that had slowly taken root and refused to go.

He had always known he was a bit of a coward, but hadn’t realized that it even extended to his feelings.

iii.

It wasn’t a surprise to find Byleth alone, after all was said and done. They had defeated the Empire and yet somehow, it didn’t feel like a win at all. They had lost almost all their classmates, either at their hands or at the hands of the Empire. Even Dedue, who had reappeared out of nowhere, had fallen in his last-ditch attempt to avenge his king. And even then, after killing Edelgard, they had discovered that they had an older enemy to face.

It was no surprise that victory rang hollow. His peers were scattered about the monastery, trying to make sense of it all, and so it wasn’t a surprise that Byleth had isolated herself as well. What was surprising, though, was that he’d found her here in the ballroom once more. The repairs were almost done now, the rubble from before cleaned up. There were cracks along the walls, signs of the war that wouldn’t fade, but with a little paint this would be a ballroom once more.

The late evening light bathed the room a dark red. It wasn’t the same colour as Edelgard’s cloak, as her blood, but he couldn’t look at it all the same. Byleth stood in the center of the room, back toward him. He wondered what expression she had.

“You okay?” he asked, leaving off her nickname as he broke the silence. It was too quiet in here. It reminded him of the throne room and he didn’t want to think of that.

Byleth didn’t reply. She turned toward him, looking utterly heartbroken.

Stopping next to her, he lifted his hand before dropping it back to his side. He didn’t know where to touch her, what to say that wouldn’t hurt her. She had looked like this as she’d lifted her sword, as Edelgard had closed her eyes. He should have stepped up then, taken her sword so she didn’t have to carry that burden too.

He could still hear the sound as Edelgard’s head hit the ground. Maybe she was still listening to it too.

Finally, she uttered, “Did it have to be like this?” Byleth gestured around, her voice cracking slightly. “We danced here. Edelgard, Dimitri—I danced with all of them. Couldn’t we have done something?”

It was a question he had asked himself many times. There had to be a path, somewhere, somehow, that had all of their houses surviving, all of the people coexisting. But there had been too many secrets, too many untold ambitions and hopes. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly.

He hoped there had been but it was too late now.

“I should have been here,” she murmured, her shoulders sagging from the weight of it all. He had never thought of Byleth as a small woman, but she looked tiny now. A single touch could shatter her. Somehow, despite it all, she didn’t cry. Her expression looked like she wanted to, needed to, but her tears remained unshed.

“There’s nothing you could have done.” Gingerly, he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in for a hug. He hadn’t understood the word devotion before, what had made his mother leave her homeland and everything she’d ever known, but he could feel it now pulsating through his veins. Claude would give anything to make Byleth whole again but after this, he wasn’t sure anything could.

“There had to be something.” She rested her head against his shoulder.

“Even if there was, we can’t change the past.” Claude slowly walked her around the room, a slower version of the waltz they’d done just a month ago. He hadn’t imagined that the next time they’d be in this room, they’d feel even worse than they had then. “There’s only the future.”

“The future.” She followed his steps automatically. “Another fight.”

“Beyond that.” He shook his head, pulling back so she had to look at him. Smiling gently, he added, “After the war, after it all—that future.”

She still looked lost. “What happens then?”

“Many things. My dreams. Yours.” He rested a hand on the small of her back, guiding her through the dance. Half of him wanted to confess, to kiss. To show her there was some light in the darkness. But the future was still too uncertain and he didn’t want his love to be another stone she had to carry. “We’re bringing peace to everyone. We’re going to change Fódlan, for the better.”

“So no one has to go through this again.” Byleth nodded, her lips pulling up slightly.

“So no one has to feel like this again,” he echoed, resisting the urge to push back her hair. “We can do this.”

“Yes.” While her expression still looked bittersweet, he thought it was more sweet than bitter this time. “Thanks, Claude.”

“Anytime. We’re in this together.” Claude winked. “We’re partners, right?”

“What about you?” Byleth asked, looking at her hand. She turned her attention to him, her green eyes bright. “How are you feeling?”

“Better now.” It was a truth, in a sense. He felt much better now that she did. After all this was over, maybe he’d tell her what was really in his heart. When she still looked doubtful, he playfully added, “Teach, I didn’t know you cared so much.”

She didn’t refute him, like he’d expected. Instead she gave him a flat look. “Of course I do.”

Claude wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He wasn’t even sure what she meant, or if he wanted her to clarify. There was no way to tell without asking. Faking a laugh, he replied, “Aww, Lorenz will be jealous.”

“How are the others?” she asked, looking past him at the ballroom entrance. “I should check on them.”

“They’re coping, but I think they’d like a little comforting from you.” Claude sighed. “I guess I can’t hog you all to myself.”

“No, you can’t,” she agreed, letting go. Byleth had always been all work and no play, and he had expected this reaction.

That didn’t make his hand feel any less empty. “I’ll head to the war room, then. Maybe Judith has some information on those slithering guys.”

Byleth nodded before heading to the doors. At the threshold, she paused and looked at him over her shoulder. “After this is over, let’s have another dance here.”

“A dance?” Claude smiled as he looked around the room. More than a paint of coat, what this room needed was laughter, was the smell of sweets and the bright lights of a thousand candles. It was what they’d all need, after it was all over. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. A party would lift everyone’s spirits.”

“And this time, you’ll ask me to dance.”

He whipped his head to the entrance, but she was already gone.

Maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t the only one who had some feelings left unsaid.

#claude von riegan #byleth #claudeth #fe3h #claudeleth #claude x byleth #fire emblem three houses #fanfic #it's been ages since I've written a non-zine piece #huzzah

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margridarnauds · 3 years

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margrid arnaud das music-i mean marie antoinette das musical for that ask meme

LET’S GO

Top 5 favourite characters: Margrid, Orléans, Louis, Marie, Fersen

Other characters you like: Lamballe, the kids, Robespierre, Danton, Immortal Marat

Least favourite characters: Hébert, Bertin, Hébert, Leonard, Jacques Réne Hébert, Drouet, Hébert...

Otps: Margrid/Orléans, Marie/Louis....I COULD ship Margrid/Lamballe and Margrid/La Motte but let’s be real I’m not going to, Marie/Orléans in a very specific way (namely Bitter Ex Friends)

Notps: Hébert/Margrid, Fersen/Margrid, Hébert/Orléans

Favourite friendships: Fersen & Margrid, Lamballe & Antoinette, Orléans & Lamballe (not canon to the musical, but was a historical Thing), Orléans & Margrid when I’m not actively shipping them.

Favourite family: Marie’s family, especially her dynamic with Margrid (LET ! MARGRID ! BE ! THE WEIRD! AUNT!) and Louis’ odd dynamic with Orléans. Really, MA is just the story of one very, very dysfunctional family.

Favourite season/book/movie: 2018 Toho Production.

Favourite quotes: .....showing myself for the Orléans Stan I am: “Oh, cowards, tremble and sleep!” Mitsuo Yoshihara’s delivery SELLS it. Honorable mention: “Just the smallest of sparks is sufficient to set dry grass into an inferno - I just need to promise them a new world where they can live in.”

That and the from the final song, the entire cast: “Can we change the world for ourselves? What can we do to break the chains of violence? What is equality? When will people finally learn from the past? Will revenge ever end? That answer can only be yielded by ourselves!”

Best musical moment: There are some REALLY good moments in this musical - Margrid calling the wrath of God down on the aristocrats during “Blinded by the Light of a Thousand Candles”, the reprise of “Blinded” when the poor join in with Margrid, the entirety of “I Am The Best”, the key change in the Korean version of “Kill the Snakes”, the part during the March to Versailles when the other women join in for the first time to tell Margrid they aren’t going, Fersen’s low note during his first love song with Antoinette, the bit during “The Only Thing I ever Did Right” when Fersen comes in for the first time and he and Antoinette duet, the bit during The Jacobin Club when the entire Jacobin Club steps out together and swears to bring down Antoinette, the bit during “Eyes of Hatred” when Margrid and Antoinette’s voices blend PERFECTLY, the bit during the trial when the crowd begins to apply pressure to Antoinette while Margrid realizes how fucked up things have gotten.

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: I was trying to not be predictable.....but look. I lose my shit every time we get to “I Am The Best”. Because they really DID give Orléans the single best song in the musical and expected us NOT to stan. That and when he takes his final bow, because he gets a reprise of the song WITH electric guitars because, yes, he’s an extra bitch.

When it really disappointed you: The 2021 Toho. I could devote an entire post to how that production disappointed me, even outside of my personal ships, but like. It was a disappointment from beginning to end and I’m actually happy that it’s out of Tokyo now.

Saddest moment: Margrid sobbing after Antoinette’s death and then having to wipe the tears off her face to meet the tribunal. And then the look on her face at the end....

Most well done character death: Marie’s - Literally the entire musical has been leading up to this and the scene itself makes a wonderful use of callbacks and musical cues to give it this sense of TENSION throughout the entire thing, which builds off of that earlier scene where Hébert confronts Margrid. We know that Antoinette is going to die - There’s no way of avoiding it, but we still are wondering what’s going to happen. What’s Margrid going to do? Is she going to risk a life of security for the sake of the woman she’s started to feel sympathy for? Are these two women ever going to come to terms with one another, with the answer being yes as Antoinette by calls Margrid by her name instead of “the girl” and Margrid gives that last, dangerous bow.

Favourite cast member: I’m not generally big on following individual cast members, but PROBABLY Sonim?

Character you wish was still alive: I. Might have toyed with a few ways of keeping Marie alive in the past.

One thing you hope really happens: Really, really hoping the upcoming Korean production is good. Like, that’s the extent of my ambition after the last Toho.

Most shocking twist: Lamballe’s Death. I have NEVER seen anyone come in prepared for it in over 2 years of streaming. *I* was shocked when I saw it because I literally never expected a Japanese depiction of Marie Antoinette to get into the September Massacres, especially do THAT extent. And it really is the point where, suddenly, you realize that NO ONE is safe. Up until this point, no one’s died. The Royal Family’s imprisoned, but there’s a certain romanticism you can find in the situation, the idea that, hey, now they’re a happy, nuclear family. Then, the show distracts you with that discussion between Marie and Margrid so that they it can SLAM the knife into your back. And, from that point, no one’s safe. Literally anyone in the cast can die, to the point where people do, genuinely fear for Margrid’s safety by the end. It’s probably one of the single best twists I’ve seen in musical theatre, because it sets the stage for the last twenty minutes brilliantly.

When did you start watching/reading?: You know? It had to have been back in 2013. A subber that I liked had JUST finished Rebecca das Musical and had moved on to Marie Antoinette, and I thought “Well! Kunze and Levay came out with a Mar’ie Antoinette musical? I’ve got to see this, it’s going to be good!”

Spoiler alert: It was not good. I made it twenty minutes in, got to the brothel scene, and never looked back. Which means that, actually, I only BARELY missed Orléans’ song.

Favourite location: Antoinette’s bedroom - Those crazy sons of bitches REALLY replicated Antoinette’s ACTUAL BED to use.

Trope you wish they would stop using: Stop trying to make Fersen/Margrid happen, it’s not going to happen. In general, there’s this idea that Margrid MUST be totally, absolutely loveless, and I don’t really see it. I’ll be the last to say she hasn’t had a hard life, but there’s this need to ISOLATE her that I just don’t really vibe with. I’m not even saying in an inherently romantic sense (in canon...I wouldn’t actually WANT to see, say, her and Orléans making out on-stage), but just in terms of having genuine connections.

One thing this show/book/film does better than others: It really does a wonderful job as far as developing two separate female characters - Which shouldn’t be THAT HARD, given you have plenty of musicals about multiple guys all the time, and yet SOMEHOW....

Also, Margrid in particular is phenomenal, as a character. It’s definitely not uncommon for people to go in for Marie and end up really, really attached to Margrid and her development.

Funniest moments: Hébert nearly getting hit with a door, Margrid peaking under her ball gown while it’s on the rack and Orléans dragging her away, the Stars and Stripes Gown....

Couple you would like to see: .....Orléans/Margrid. I know that I say I don’t want them to actually be CANON canon but also I would NOT complain if they did. Especially after the 2021 Toho production, it’s what I deserve.

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: Park Hye Na as Korean!Margrid would kill me, I know it.

Favourite outfit: Besides Orléans’ 2018 coat (4ever in our hearts), special props to Antoinette’s golden gown in the opening. WHAT a character introduction.

Favourite item: Margrid’s little knapsack she keeps on her.

Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: I own a ballpoint pen and a program from the 2021 Toho run - One of these days, I keep meaning to buy the German libretto so that I can translate it.

Most boring plotline: BERTIN AND LEONARD. (But, in all fairness........look, they’re annoying, but also, when they’re gone, you do miss them, because that’s when shit gets fucked.)

Most laughably bad moment: The entire 2006 Toho Cast exists just to be one very long laughably bad moment. That and, tbh, the German. Special props to the Brothel Scene.

Most layered character: Margrid. Marie is ALSO a very layered, complex character, but Margrid gets special props because, off the top of my head, I can’t REALLY think of another female protagonist, in a musical, like her. Not saying they don’t EXIST, but I’m saying I haven’t personally seen them.

Most one dimensional character: ...2006 Orléans. He Who We Don’t Discuss.

Scariest moment: See above for Lamballe.

Grossest moment: Hébert's final confrontation scene with Margrid.

Best looking male: Kim Jun Hyun’s Orléans. *Wow*.

Best looking female: Jang Eun Ah’s Margrid. Once again. *Wow.*

Who you’re crushing on (if any): ...both Orléans and Margrid. Predictably.

Favourite cast moment: Furukawa Yuta pranking Mitsuo Yoshihara by giving him “poisonous” things for his birthday, because “You are Duke d’Orleans and I am Fersen. You are poisonous and I am passive aggressive.”

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): The ball at Versailles. One of the most STUNNING scenes I’ve ever seen. Whoever did the lighting deserves all the accolades in the world for creating a scene that’s surreal, seductive, and gorgeous

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: Not an ERROR, but I’m really, really interested in the story of Jeanette Arnaud, because this woman really haunts Margrid’s entire life but there’s so LITTLE we know about her and Margrid’s feelings about her. How long did her affair with the Emperor last? Did she always know he was the emperor during their affair, or did they meet under different circumstances? Fersen was clearly able to figure out that she was a mistress of his, so how public was the affair? And, if it was that public, does it mean that she was a servant, or was she, at the very least, middle class? How did he find out her mother’s identity? Why didn’t Orléans double-check himself? Does Margrid have any living grandparents or uncles/aunts? How old was Margrid when she died? Did she die before or after Margrid was kicked out by the nuns? (In the German, it’s very clearly the former, but who knows?)

I feel like there’s a really, really dark, tragic tale underneath all this about a young woman who ended up paying the ultimate price for falling in love with someone above her station, but it’s one that’s kept to literally only a few sentences.

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: Probably about.....five or ten minutes into the Toho, with the Palais Royal scene. I knew, from the time I saw Furukawa Yuta on stage as Fersen, that they’d changed things around, and then seeing the changes that were made, I was able to go “Oh! It’s good now!” I feel like the moment where I REALLY fell in love was “I Am The Best” because that had been a scene I’d been REALLY concerned about from the German and then Mitsuo Yoshihara casually came in there and owned it.

#lochley

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ben-the-hyena · 4 years

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skektek for the ask thing?

Why I like them

Thanks to Age of Resistance ! I used to find him uninteresting, cliché mad scientist type. But boy did AoR had us sympathize with him. We still see him as the villain he is, but we see he USED to have potential to maybe become like SkekGra if he had had the occasion. He was friend with Aughra, he understood the nature and balance of Thra better, he has a little pet he loves sincerely... and we progressively see his descent to madness from humiliation to humiliation, him being treated like shit by the others leaving him always more bitter and angry and determined to prove himself more all to be shit on again, going from his traumatic peeper beetle torture, progrrssively accepting to drain Gelflings sadistically more and more, until snapping and cold bloodedly killing the Gruenaks with a moment of evil laughter and definitive snap of his sanity. Went from a meh cliché character to a very complex and tragical one with an arc of descending to insanity justifying his he became a cliché

Why I don’t

I hate how he constantly had to submit himself to people who treated him like trash and kept wanting to impress them and be one of them, even after they have his fucking eye eaten. He wants to be so much part of the squad he accepted SkekSil's gift despite how he framed him and accepted to keep draining Gelflings because SkekSo threatened to kill his bird. He should have RAN AWAY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND JOIN THE GELFLINGS OR AT LEAST HAVE THEM RELY ON THEMSELVES FOR ETERNAL LIFE DAMMIT

Favorite episode (scene if movie)

I would have to choose episode 10. He snapped. As sad as it was for the Gruenaks the scene was probably my favorite scene of his, showing not only how evil all Skeksis but SkekGra are, and how he freaking SNAPPED. He lost all his sanity. Humiliations, bullying, torture, denial of battle telling him he is weak and inferior, and SkekMal reproaching him to be the one not wanting to fight and be a coward. He was already growing more bitter, and drunk, bullying the podlings and being very mean with them and bitterly showing how he resented the others and the Emperor, hiding essence and sitting on the throne. But at least the essence and feeling superior was quite helping... but then SkekMal's remark. And the slave mutiny. And the cage on his head reminding him of his trauma. He completely lost his sanity, symbolized by the blood of the Gruenaks splatting on his cute pet who watches with horror the scene. He hasd a true Joker (hehe Mark) moment from The Killing Joke. He laughs insanely, his insanity and and hate overtaking him. Just the fuel and newly found inspiration he needes to create the Garthim. Chilling, tragical, brilliant end of an arc

Favorite season/movie

Season 1 of Age of Resistance since it was what made him so complex and tragical

Favorite line

"I ! AM ! SKEKSIS !" the way he cracks almost tearfully yet ragefully at the last word. He was walked on by so many people of his kind despite how as much important as them he is in theory. But a slave mutiny ? That was too much. He snapped, and that cry sweated all his frustration unwinding starting my favorite scene of his

Favorite outfit

He only wears one anyway lol

OTP

None actually, since I HC him as aro ace

Brotp

Sidetic aside, I both love him being friends with Aughra (canon) and SkekSa (one of my favorite headcanons). Mother Aughra and him seem so nice as a relationship, they had similar interest and were immortal ! And he even made her her observatory as a gift originally ! If only had had been brave enough and not gotten too bitter to remain friends with her instead of turning on her for the bullies... as for SkekSa I LOVE to imagine the big buff lady and the nerdy guy hanging out, trying to understand each other, building ships together, and she defending him when she is around. However if she loves Sifas so much and he drained many Gelflings mane Sifas too, their relationship would deteriorate. Tragical, like how his life is

Head Canon

Like I once said, I love to see he is phisically a very hot catch for Skeksis standards. However, both for the canon reason of them wanting to lower his self esteem because they fear his intelligence, they also are jealous of his looks, since they are vain narcissists, as well as some are unwinding their frustration on him because since he is ace he never wanted to have sex with any, so they alsp get their incel revenge on him

Unpopular opinion

He is a not a sweet baby either, even when bullied we see he still enjoys torturing for science considering animals and people like experiments. He IS evil, tragical but not a good person

A wish

To learn more about his relationship with Aughra and see if he truely was as evil as now in his first trines on Thra and how he became what we knew in episode 1

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen

DON'T HAVE SIDETIC DIE ESPECIALLY NOT BY HIS HAND OUT OF INSANITY PLEASE NOOOO

5 words to best describe them

Approval-hungry, bitter, insane, intelligent, sadistic

My nickname for them

Skeksis Menghele

#moi #ask #anon #gif #the dark crystal #skektek #the scientist

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chaifootsteps · 4 years

Note

Character questions - SkekOk!

send me a character and I’ll list…

favorite thing about them

He’s probably the most sincerely congenial castle Skeksis, and his fondness for Gelfling and for skekLach is completely sincere. He’s opposed to draining all the Gelfling and still, in spite of it all, can’t believe that Gra would betray them as badly as he does. He’s also the straightest ratio of “teenage girl” to “dusty old man” of all the Skeksis; he’s fucking ridiculous as hell and if he’s in a scene and Ekt or Sil isn’t present, he’s probably gonna wind up stealing it.

And the bath scene. Oh god, the bath scene.

And pulling his head into his collar which I wish he’d have done at least once.

least favorite thing about them

Give us the lost SkekOk + Brea friendship arc, you cowards.

favorite line

Oh man, it’s so hard to pick. Either “SAD. So sad!” and “I’m not decent!”

But then again, I also love, love, love his little “No! :D” after Ekt’s “The Emperor won’t like that!” It’s so damn adorable – instant serotonin machine.

brOTP

Library buddies forever with Brea.

OTP

With skekLach. I love to imagine they were best friends and just kind of fell seamlessly into being an item, but they’re still friends first and will be no matter what

nOTP

Ok/Ekt, Ok/Ac if it involves them fusing forever.

Anything that involves Gelfing, although I can appreciate the fact that other people like it.

random headcanon

I’m incapable of seeing his secret library naps (or his snorts when he jerks awake) as anything but canon.

unpopular opinion

No, he’s not the most deceitful Skeksis, where the hell are people even getting that? And no, he wasn’t being kind to Brea to put on a show; he expresses a liking for the Gelfling and their culture even when no Gelfling are around.

song i associate with them

For him and Brea, for him and Lach. Don’t make that face at me – it’s a cute song.

favorite picture of them

These.

#socks-drawer #skekOk #actual blog post

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bogprincess-kira · 4 years

Note

Skekso!

Most of these are gonna be old news for you, but I haven’t shared p much anything on this blog yet, so I’m just gonna go over the basics if that’s cool. Anyway,

SkekSo the Emperor

Why I like them

Honestly, a lot of my opinion of him is based on headcanon and rewrites, as with most TDC characters. Canonically, he's supposed to be an old coward who thinks of nobody but himself and doesn't care about his Court, much less the Gelfling... And that feels kinda bland to me. A good baseline, yes, but that can't be all there is to it - which is why I liked him a lot more after we learned about how strong his fear of mortality is, even compared to the other Skeksis.

I like seeing the personal side of villains, probably for the same reason I like redemption arcs. I know the Emperor and the rest of his Court are doomed, and with their track record, there's nothing personal stopping them from scorching every last inch of the continent - but knowing that there's something else fueling their actions gives that little bit of hope. People learn to face fear every day... Which only makes seeing how badly they've fucked up even worse.

He's the Emperor, the leader, the head honcho, all that stuff. It makes sense that he'd play a narrative role as the perfect example of why the Skeksis are dangerous as their echo chamber stands. I'm definitely in the camp of "they could try to be better", but they're not going to, and skekSo shows us exactly why... Not to mention, all the conquest they've already wrought.

Why I don’t

Same reason as all the evil Skeksis: we already know how this ends, and there's no chance for them to turn back now. Even if they did, it wouldn't save the Gruenaks, or protect the Makrak, or free the Podlings.

In some ways, that's a positive, because it gives us a clear villain and an obvious theme of tragedy and inevitably, but... I dunno, I just wish there was more variation in the Lord-Mystic dynamic. Even if things continue along their path to the movie, it would still make things a lot more interesting in the meantime, and give the Twice-Nine more of a chance to clean up the mess they've made.

Favorite episode (scene if movie)

The moment during the Battle for Stone-In-The-Wood, when he tries to use the Darkening to strike down the Resistance, only for Deet to lightning-bend it back and unleash hell on the Lords. (RIP Lach though ;-; )

Favorite season/movie

... Season 1 of AoR, I guess? There's not much else he's appeared in for big chunks of time that I've already seen... Or read, I suppose.

Favorite line

"We know the torments that lie behind us, but what torment awaits beyond this existence? All the more reason to hold onto life, with all claws... No matter the cost."

Favorite outfit

... I would just say his usual outfit, but the deathbed scene in the movie had some beautiful set design, so I'm gonna count that whole situation as skekSo.

OTP

SoVarZok, with Var as his and Zok's partner, and Zok as the Emperor's closest friend. It's not terribly popular, sure, but I talk a lot about it on Discord. (You already knew that though so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

I imagine that he and Var's relationship was a lot healthier before Essence, but that's mostly AU territory.

Brotp

Again, Zok's definitely the Skeksis I would interpret as skekSo's greatest ally.

Head Canon

SkekSo was, by far, one of the weakest Skeksis, long before the Darkening came into play. He has almost no physical strength or above-average intelligence to speak of, nor does he have much beyond his status as Emperor to leverage against others; SoSu became a de facto leader because of his looks, emotional "control", and ability to act like he knows what he's doing.

All three of those, uh... "Positive" traits were caused by his lack of strength, in some way, shape, or form. Urskek society places a ridiculous amount of weight on beauty and conformity, often to the detriment of health, both physical and psychological; SoSu was born "blessed" with good looks, and was trained for most of his life to embody that belief system. It certainly didn't help that he, like most Urskeks, was desperate for attention and validation.

He learned leadership on Thra, but before he figured it out, he relied entirely on keeping up an attentive, calm persona. Even after the Split, both the Emperor and Master have held onto this, for the most part.

Unpopular opinion

This isn’t quite an “opinion”, but... Still.

He didn't know how disturbing it would be for Seladon, to be "exiled" the same way a Skeksis would be.

Doesn't make it okay, and definitely doesn't mean he wouldn't be fine with her suffering if he did know, at least in this stage of Essence addiction, but he legitimately has no concept of... What that looks like. She wanted them to think of her like a peer to the Skeksis, so he punished her like one. That’s all there was to it in his mind. Honestly, I feel like that makes it a lot more unnerving, but that’s just me.

A wish

I want him to get sober at some point and acknowledge what he’s done. I want to see him mourn his Empire, especially in regards to the Gelfling.

An oh-god-please-don’t-ever-happen

Don't. Hit. Shod. Again. Or I will hurt YOU, Bird Palpatine.

And also, don't be quite as much of an ableist piece of shit when he comes back to the castle, you genocidal jackass. Just do one acceptable thing. Please.

5 words to best describe them

Regal / Frightened / Destructive / Pitiful / Draconian

My nickname for them

... So? Yeah, I pretty much just use So. Does Emperor on its own count?

#ask meme #bog answers

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aeroknot · 5 years

Text

the thing i’m realizing about my absorption with lingfan as an otp is that i literally can think them in any direction. i can herd and corral so freaking many interpretations of them, and find there’s yet more skittering in my periphery to be chased down. i’ve always thought that’s what i’ve done with all my otp’s but like... these two hungry bastards put the others to shame with that. my ideas about others are usually way more solid and constrained within the same timeline of events, admittedly with a little give here and there, a bit jello-y, but lingfan’s just.... they’re like a fucking still-dripping finger painting triptych refracted in 59 mirrors.

perhaps they were paired together since childhood and have been inseparable ever since, to the point where they’re already in a secret courtship that’s going on under all our noses throughout canon. or, wait, no, maybe she’s only pretty recently been assigned to him? perhaps a year before their journey? but they became close really fast and it deepens in their journey, and by the promised day they know and admit they want to see how they can shape their future in a way neither would have possibly dreamt of before.

or no, they get back to xing, and they still just pine like crazy and it takes forever for them to confess. or it gets all super angsty, even: ling will revolutionize many things but with a tenuous start to this upstart’s reign, there are just some things that you sacrifice in order to negotiate change you’d like to see in more impactful areas, and she’s forever his shadow but never the woman by his side. maybe all they get is a secret romance, an affair even if truthfully she’s not the other woman, she’s his one who devours his heart but the one he can’t fully have. or wait no Fuck That they’ve suffered Enough for this country’s sake and he will Rip the court apart with his bare hands if he has to because he’s been forever branded by the memory of someone important who taught him you never turn your back on who you really want, those who you love so deeply they become part of your very soul. so they find a way. but it’s a compromise, not only with the courts but between she and him, in that she’s his wife but she doesn’t want to be an Empress, that’s too terrifying for her, and yet even as she’s merely trying to interact in the world in the way she’s come to most understand, with integrity and heart and humility-- just by being her, by her strengths complementing his and his confidence bolstered by his reliance on their teamwork, her deferral as a ruling power inspires him to come up with new governmental developments, like perhaps parliaments or prime ministers or elected governors or what-have-you side-by-side with the emperor, people mimicking their relationship in a professional capacity, who he can trust in ways similar to and as powerful as her influence while never usurping either of them. but even having said that and truthfully enjoying it, i can still sometimes feel incensed all like... Let Her Be Empress You Cowards she fucking Saved All Y’All’s Asses and Is The Reason He Got A Stone At The End Of It All and the One Who Asked On Everyone’s Behalf For Him To Accept Y’all.

but then like.. i don’t wanna be totally impertinent (at best) or completely white-washing/being eurocentric in my appraisal of the court politics (at worst), and just, well... so what if they can only be together if they flee Xing? which would be a very strange turn for them (but one i cannot relinquish and keep playing with in Xerxes AU even if them being together is actually not the catalyst for why i came up with that story; more a ling character study), but something that they ultimately get to revel in; they get to be in resembool so, so much with ed and winry. they become a part of the elrics’ lives as the “free-loading” auntie and uncle to the elrics’ kiddos (the elrics, mei and alphonse, as well as the elric-rockbells), bc ling is infertile as a result of becoming a human-based homunculus plus lan fan doesn’t find pregnancy appealing in the slightest. and YET....what if he just didn’t host greed long enough? what if alkahestry could reverse it? so as easily as i can enjoy and honestly get behind lan fan not being pregnant and like to go down that thought road, too — esp if they stay in Xing and she always wants to be his bodyguard — i can still see her as a great mom in some contexts, and i think of them as pretty sexually active, and well, real reliable contraception is kinda a novelty too in this time period so uh... Surprise Honey It’s Not Just A Food Baby??

also is he freaking immortal or not?? how much do i have to prepare for their next eventual and this time permanent separation oh GOOOODDD are they the next trisha and hohenheim??? i always wondered why hohenheim and ling have the same exact hair tie

i.... don’t really have a good ending to this. bc their love dynamics ARE neverending. whoopow!

#lingfan #lingfan discussion #otp #i've been sitting on this for a while #and i don't even know if my content shows up in tags anymore #¯\_(ツ)_/¯#long post #behind cut but sorry mobile users #i don't have an otp tag for them but tbh i don't think i ever remember the ones i makeup lmao

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codename-bewareofthefangirl · 7 years

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Can I request AoKawa? Where Ahomine uhm shows his bf to the rest of the gom for the first time? Fluff and comedy please, especially their reactions and faces? Also, totally off topic but I think Kasamatsu and Iwaizumi would get along well, whadaya think? Thank you!!!

YES DEAR! YESYOU CAN ASK IT! THANK YOU FOR IT! *composed herself again* I’ve had a lot offun writing this! Just a few things in case you haven’t read my hc: Kagami goesto the same university as Oikawa and Aomine, but he’s in a different room; he’sthe main reason they didn’t starved to death the first months. Kise is the onewho introduced Aomine and Oikawa to each other; the rest doesn’t know him.

About theKasamatsu thing: YES! I have this absolute love for the idea of a double dateIwaOi + KiKasa (IwaOi is my Canon OTP, AoKawa my Crossover OTP) where Iwaizumiand Kasamatsu bond over how childish and annoying their boyfriends can be,exchanging tips and suggestion to how tame them. (Kasamatsu is still shockedIwaizumi has survived Oikawa from childhood)

Oikawa and The Rainbow Guys

Oikawa and Aomine were strolling in a park not too far from their apartment, bashing in the afternoon sun and comforted by the laughter of children around them. Oikawa was fully covered with different layers of clothes even if it was only October, while the second only wore a light blue jacket over his black hoodie with short sleeves.

“Aren’t you happy we are on a date?” Aomine rolled his eyes, huffing and giving a side-glance to his boyfriend.

Oikawa blinked, wrapped in his warm scarf, and tilted his head confused since he hadn’t complained yet. He was truly happy about the date. Usually, it was always him the one who dragged Aomine outside, after hours of pouting and whining; so, when that early afternoon, the boy had asked him to go out together, Oikawa had risked exploding from the excitement. Yet, that day there was something strange about Aomine’s behavior, but he couldn’t exactly spot what.

“We’re going to play basketball,” Oikawa decided to tease him a bit, with a grin.

“The best kind of date,” Aomine argued, smirking and flicking his forehead.

“I play volleyball,” Oikawa pointed out and the other rolled his eyes again. As if he didn’t know: he humbly thought that there was nothing hotter than his boyfriend setting or serving, but he wasn’t going to say it out loud.

“Still a good date.”

“Well…” Oikawa purred, brushing casually with the head against his shoulder, “It doesn’t feel really date-y like right now…” he alluded childishly, showing him the best puppy eyes he had.

“Yeah, yeah I know,” Aomine growled trying to be annoyed, but his grin betrayed him. Without Oikawa adding anything else, he just grabbed the brunette’s hand and interlaced their fingers.

“Better?” he hummed quietly, looking ahead with the tan skin of his cheeks slightly reddish.

Oikawa giggled, hiding till the nose in the muffler.

“Better,” he agreed satisfied, giving him a fond glance.

Ah, that was it. Aomine was strangely more kind and compliant than usual. Not that he had ever treated Oikawa poorly, but he had rough manners and a blunt personality. And he was like a cat: lazy, unpredictable and spoiled in his own way.

Without Oikawa realizing it, they had arrived at the street basketball court. And, thinking back about it, maybe he should have paid more attention. Because what he was expecting was an afternoon spent goofing around with Aomine, trying to learn how to play, and then end up kissing his boyfriend laying on the court. Well, he was mistaking.

The court was already occupied and, with his great horror, he recognized a giant with flaming red hair and another well-known sparkling blond head. He tried to stop on the spot, his brain quickly realizing what was going to happen, but Aomine mercilessly dragged him inside.

“Dai-chan wai-“ he whispered terrified. He wasn’t ready at all. That coward of a…

“Oi guys!” Aomine shouted to have the attention of the group of rainbow guys there reunited, “Here's my boyfriend. We’re going to play with you,” he announced, raising their linked hands.

… idiot boyfriend.

Oikawa observed horrified the reactions of that group.

Kagami slammed a hand against his forehead, sighing deeply and shaking his head. He really couldn’t believe Aomine had just done something like that.

A green-haired boy froze in the middle of a shoot, goggling at them dumbfounded, and the ball comically bounced on his head.

The violet-haired one with the arms full of food stopped eating, with a candy popping out from his mouth, and blinked at them, caught by surprise.

A redhead stumbled to his feet and looked up at Oikawa with creepy, inquiring eyes.

A cute girl with pink hair started crying, covering her mouth with both hands.

Fuck.

And in the middle of everything, Kise burst into a loud laughter.

“Ki-chan!” Oikawa yelled at him, on the verge of a hysterical crisis, and the blonde ran towards him with his arms wide open.

“Oikawacchi!” he greeted the brunette cheerfully, jumping on him for a wild hug. Oikawa left Aomine’s hand and caught him, staggering a bit. “How are you?” he asked, bubbling.

“My idiot boyfriend has just introduced me to his former teammates, practically his second family, in the worst way possible. How do you think I am?” he replied in a hiss with a stifled, nervous smile; he was doing his best to not cause a scene or panic publicly.

Kise laughed again, letting him go but still keeping an arm around his shoulder.

“Sorry Oikawacchi!” he chirped grinning, “I didn’t manage to stop him!” he explained giggling, but Oikawa’s glare froze his blood.

“You knew it?” he asked with a dangerously sweet tone, and Kise gulped realizing his mistake, “You’re going to pay for this, Ki-chan, you're going to pay” Oikawa added with a sugarcoated smile that promised hell.

Before that the terrified blonde, he had recently discovered how dangerous Oikawa could be, could answer, Aomine, annoyed, shoved Kise away with a small kick in the back.

“Hands off,” he muttered narrowing his eyes and, on any other occasion Oikawa would have beamed, loving to see his boyfriend getting protective of him, but not now. Now he only wanted to punch Aomine square in the face.

“Hands off, my ass!” he hissed, staring angrily at him, “You didn’t even say my name, you stupid basketball head! Brute! That’s not how you introduce your boyfriend!” he protested with red cheeks, crossing his arms.

Aomine scratched his nape, averting his eyes embarrassed. Damn, he knew Oikawa was going to complain, but it hadn’t been easy for him either. However, he had wanted them to see the real Oikawa, the one he fell for. He knew that if he had told Oikawa about the meeting, he would have prepared himself and built again his charming, polite, composed and perfect façade for the occasion; he would have probably studied them beforehand to be sure to give what he thought it was his best impression. And Aomine couldn’t stand his fake smiles anymore, especially after they had started officially dating. His childish or excited ones were far better.

“Ah yes…” the tanned boy mumbled, noticing how all his friends had started to gather around them, “He’s-”

“Oikawa Tooru, volleyball player. Setter and captain. He had played with Kitagawa Daichi and then Aoba Jousai. Considered the best setter of the Miyagi Prefecture. Currently playing in his university team and training for the Japan Youth Team. Nicknamed The Grand King,” Akashi interrupted him, giving an extremely detailed explanation of who he was.

Oikawa paralyzed, looking at the redhead stunned. Was he a stalker or what?

“Is it normal?” he whispered worriedly at Aomine.

The boy sighed, rubbing his temples. That was exactly why he didn’t want to bring Oikawa with him. Obviously, his former captain didn’t give a damn about that.

“I’m Akashi Seijuurou, former captain of the Generation of Miracles. The Emperor. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Akashi introduced himself, stretching his hand to Oikawa with a polite smile, “I usually keep track of my friends’ life, however, I had unfortunately missed the most recent…even,” he added, far too interested in the boy.

Something in his tone or his choice of words, ticked off Oikawa’s pride. Straightening a bit and showing his intimidating, captain’ smile, he shook it confidently.

“The pleasure is mine,” he replied smoothly with matching politeness, their eyes both shined dangerously in a way Aomine definitely didn’t like. Emperor and King? Not the best match. Well, at least Oikawa beamed realizing he was taller than Akashi: he was up to the (undefined) challenge.

“Tooru-kun!” the girl who he had seen crying, suddenly throw himself onto Oikawa, who let himself be hugged, without knowing how to react, “I’m so happy to finally know you! Dai-chan always talked on and on about you, but refused to let me meet you! He didn’t send me a photo either! To think he had conquered a good-looking and talented guy like you! Thank you for putting up with him, I know he’s a bother but he’s kind. Deep down,” she complained with an adorable pout, dividing himself from him and showing a bright smile.

“I’m Momoi Satsuki, Dai-chan’s childhood friend.” At her words, finally Oikawa relaxed a bit. Alright, she knew her name and Aomine had talked about her too, so some pieces of the puzzle started getting in their place. A childhood friend, currently living in another city and frequenting an elite university, former manager with freaking skills about analyzing and predicting players’ development, the strategist of the team. Everything was under control. For a moment, Oikawa had feared she was some ex-girlfriend or something similar.

“It’s a pleasure, Momoi-chan!” he chirped happily, glad to finally know a person who held such a special place in his boyfriend’s heart. To be honest, he had wanted to meet all of them from the start, but not like that, okay? Not unprepared, not without having organized what to say and how to introduce himself in the best way, not while wearing his alien t-shirt. What if they didn’t like him and persuaded Aomine he wasn’t worthy? He loved being a drama queen, but he would have liked to avoid Romeo and Juliet’s kind of love story.

“Talked on and on?” Oikawa then mused at Aomine, raising an eyebrow, and the boy coughed embarrassed, “So sappy!” the brunet mocked him playfully, but feeling a sparkly bubble in his chest. Well, Aomine wasn’t the gossiping or talkative guy: knowing he had talked about him with Momoi was important for Oikawa.

“I didn’t know you were this sappy too, Aomine-kun.” A quiet, sudden voice rose from beside Oikawa, scaring the hell out him.

He screeched, practically jumping into his boyfriend’s arms and Aomine chuckled amusedly at his exaggerated reaction. He was waiting for that from the start.

“Ah, sorry. I’m Kuroko Tetsuya,” The faint, calm guy who had appeared literally from nowhere introduced himself politely, “I’m happy to meet you in person.”

When did he arrive? Was he already there? What the hell?

Oikawa, embarrassed, elbowed Aomine, who was still laughing, and composed himself, shaking Kuroko’s hand with a polite smile. While he was doing that, a sudden thought crossed his mind and he turned to look at Kagami, dumbfounded.

“Tiger-chan! Is he your boyfriend? The ghost player?” he asked excitedly, with starry eyes. Finally!

Aomine scoffed, Kise laughed at hearing “Tiger-chan” and even Kuroko arched his eyebrow with a glint of amusement.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kagami huffed scratching his head, “Happy to see you Oikawa. Again,” he greeted him without enthusiasm. He had seen him only five hours ago when the brunette had busted into his room asking again how to cook curry rice because Aomine was outside and he was hungry. No need to add that, in the end, Kagami had cooked for him.

The guy ignored his exasperation and looked curiously at Kuroko, who returned the stare with the same interest. They only knew each other thanks to the respective boyfriend and friend and wanted to confirm with their own eyes if the other was as amazing as they described it.

“I’m happy that you seem normal, at least,” Oikawa exhaled gladly after some seconds, “Except for the ghost thing.”

“Sorry, they can be overwhelming,” Kuroko nodded, understanding where he came from. As if he wasn’t as crazy as them.

“Ehm, ehm,” the green-haired guy coughed to have Oikawa’s attention and offered his hand, “Midorima Shintarou,” he introduced himself briefly.

“Ah, Oikawa Tooru,” The brunette repeated, tilting slightly his head to the right; if he wasn’t mistaken, Midorima was something like a perfect shooter or…

“I’ve happened to see you playing on TV,” Midorima added, fixing his glass, “You’ve really an amazing aim to serve like that,” he complimented him, stiff and awkward.

Yes, he was definitely the shooter.

“Thank you, Midorima-kun,” Oikawa replied smiling, more relaxed when talking or even just mentioning volleyball.

“So this is Mine-chin’s boyfriend?” the violet giant towered over Oikawa, who shifted uncomfortably. Why they had to be that tall? He really felt like hiding behind Aomine in that moment. He was surrounded by giants.

“Yes. Oikawa Tooru,” he replied stretching out his hand.

The boy ignored it and patted his head.

“So tiny,” he commented before placing in the brunette’s hand a packet of gummy bears, “Eat them. I’m Murasakibara Atsushi,” he said expressionlessly.

Oikawa gritted his teeth, clenching his fist around the gift and with a vein popping on his forehead, and smirked surrounded by a menacing aura.

“Dai-chan, is your friend picking a fight? Is he?” he hissed with a dangerous glint in his eyes and Aomine hurried to wrap an arm around his waist to keep him calm.

“H-he isn’t. Calm down,” he huffed, trying to conceal his amusement, but Oikawa knew him too well.

“I’m not short, it is you guys who are monsters!” he pouted at him, puffing out his cheeks.

“Yeah, yeah,” Aomine smirked, proud of being taller than him, “Sure.”

Murasakibara just gave him a pitying glance.

Midorima, Kagami and Kise exchanged a guilty look. Well, he was shorter than them…

“I agree with Oikawa-kun,” Kuroko commented coldly, shooting what Oikawa thought it was a glare at Kagami, who shivered.

“Same,” Akashi sighed, crossing his arms, and Oikawa beamed up.

“See?” The brunet taunted his boyfriend, lifting the chin, “Listen to your Captain, Dai-chan,” he singsonged mischievously.

Aomine grinned, tightening the hold around his waist and pulling him closer.

“Now you team up with him?” he purred in his low, deep voice; his hungry eyes lingered on Oikawa’s lips a second too much.

“Please, guys! Take a room!” Kise howled at them, smirking, and Kagami snorted.

Aomine rolled his eyes letting Oikawa distance himself a bit, with flushed cheeks. The brunette still managed to glare at the blonde. Oh, Kise was gonna pay for everything. However, seeing Midorima’s embarrassed expression and Momoi, Kuroko and Akashi’s definitely too curious and interested ones, he decided to postpone the kiss. It would have been like doing it in front of your cousins or brothers, no? And to be honest, those three seemed ready to take photos of the two of them like some sort of scary aunts.

“Okay, okay,” Aomine grumbled annoyed, deciding he had enough for that day, “The show is finished. You’ve met him and embarrassed us, happy? We can move on,” he growled, letting the boy go and taking off his jacket. Oikawa instinctively stared at the defined muscles of his tanned arm, blessing that black hoodie, but quickly averted his eyes when he heard Kise chuckling.

“Eh?” Momoi whined disappointed, “But I wanted to ask him a lot of things! The first encounter! How did you met, the first kiss…” she listed with heart-shaped eyes, but Aomine snorted pushing, gently, her way.

“Not now Satsuki,” he interrupted her, “We’re here to play," he reminded all of them, a sort of hunger in his tone. At his words, all the guys brightened up and returned on the court, joking with each other and discussing the teams with flames in their eyes.

“Ready?” then Aomine asked Oikawa, ignoring the pouting Momoi who went to sit on the border.

The brunette blinked and pointed a finger at himself.

“Me?”

“Yes,” Aomine stated firmly, before unzipping his boyfriend’s jacket and taking it off for him since he didn’t seem inclined to do it by himself; he also took off the scarf and the gummy bears from his hands, throwing everything on the ground beside Momoi. That got Oikawa glaring at him, but briefly, since he had a more compelling problem.

“Basketball. With the Generation of Miracles,” Oikawa articulated slowly, his brown eyes wide with surprise, “A group of monstrously talented players, half of them a whole head taller than me.”

“Yes,” His boyfriend repeated in a grunt, pinching his nose.

“I play volleyball. Setter, remember?” He shook his head, incredulous, gesturing at his body, “I can’t keep up with you guys,” he sighed dismissing his offer with a hand.

“We’ve already played together. You’re not bad for an amateur.” Aomine shrugged, without any intention to surrender. Even if he wasn’t going to admit it aloud, he liked playing with Oikawa. A different type of “like” from when he played matches or against Kagami or Kise, but still “like”. A bubbling, warm “like”.

“I know,” Oikawa scoffed proudly, aware that being complimented by Aomine regarding basketball was more worthy than any other praise, “I’m better than you playing volleyball, at least," he grinned, making him roll his eyes. He couldn’t argue with that.

“Come on! Oikawa!” Kagami yelled from the court, already a ball in his hands, but the brunette stuck out his tongue at him.

“Next time, we’re going to play volleyball,” Aomine conceded to bribe him, knowing how much Oikawa wanted it, “Or are you too scared of losing?” he challenged, lifting Oikawa’s chin with a finger. He grimaced averting his eyes.

“I don’t like don’t being good,” he admitted proudly and Aomine chuckled. Yeah, he knew Oikawa hated not being perfect at everything he did, but they we working on it. He needed to relax and enjoy himself more: dorky, clumsy Oikawa was the best. Except for volleyball player Oikawa.

“Don’t worry, idiot!” Aomine reassured him, flashing him a rare, bright and excited smile, “You’re playing with me. The only one who can beat me is me,” he reminded him playfully, before grabbing his wrist and dragging him towards the other rainbow guys.

“We’re going to win for sure!”

And damn, Oikawa could only follow him love-struck. He really couldn’t resist that smile at all.

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clodiuspulcher · 7 years

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WOW! You guys really don’t want me to do my work. Time to answer ALL of these questions 1. ancient Greece or ancient Rome? Ya’ll.... yall should know.... this ... my URL is a Roman politician and I exclusively post about late Roman Republic political drama I’m just so much more FOND of Ancient Rome. I’m not really sure why but I got Into it earlier since I took Latin in high school and I was always fascinated by the Roman history and culture I learned in Latin which I was able to indulge once I got to college... (also Greek scares me and i’m a coward) 2. who is your favourite Roman emperor? Absolutely Augustus and this might be where I get... dissent but he truly did a lot of necessary good for Rome not the least of which was establishing an era of political peace after almost 100 years of near-constant civil war, and I don’t think the importance of the stability of his rule can be overstated. He aimed to stabilize and rebuild Rome on every level and mostly succeeded; I doubt it would’ve recovered after the especially violent last few decades otherwise. Augustus himself actually emphasized stability and continuity in his own propaganda because he knew how important that was to the people of Rome, of all classes. Speaking of, Augustus adopted measures to curry popular favor that were straight out of Clodius’s book in ways that legitimately helped + also rebuilt and revamped Rome’s infrastructure and physically improved the city along with creating a stable political environment and functional governmental system (let’s be honest the Republic was fucking dead). I’m just gonna like. Answer this question by copying and pasting the Res Gestae here lol I also think pre-Augustus Octavian is an interesting political figure which biases me somewhat and I love Augustan art and iconography, not just that of the regime but what was created during his rule in general as art and literature flourished (no but really he was... honestly the best possible outcome after Caesar’s assassination in my opinion and he actively improved / revitalized Rome in some Important ways) 3. which is your favourite Greek city-state? I uh REALLY dont know enough to choose but seeing as I’ve been reading and enjoying works by Athenian playwrights all semester... how bout athens 4. tell me about the classical ladies you love the most OH BOY. Rome has a History of important politically active women and I love all of them so let me go in chronological order with my ABSOLUTE favorites. - Tanaquil: Etruscan wife of the semi-mythical king of Rome Tarquinius Priscus, she was intelligent and skilled in interpreting omens / divining (which were considered Etruscan disciplines) and she was ambitious too. She encouraged her husband to make his fortune in Rome and helped him attain political power, recognized the destiny of their adopted son Servius Tullius through ANOTHER omen, etc. She advised and helped him throughout his rule and aided the peaceful transfer of power to Servius Tullius following his death I love her i LOVE HER. - Cornelia Africana: Daughter of Scipio Africanus and mother of two of my favorite Roman politicians, the brothers Gracchi, she remained a widow after her first husband’s death despite having people like king Ptolemy ask for her hand. She educated her children rigorously and was active in their political careers especially that of Gaius Gracchus and her reputation as chaste, noble, and austere established her as a role model for Roman women for centuries to come. - Clodia Metelli: She’s the Lesbia of Catullus’s poetry but she was also really politically involved, endorsing her brother’s wild populism and aiding and abetting him whenever she could, notably changing her name when he changed his to reflect his populist desires. She was married to Metellus Celer and tried to strongarm this conservative consul into supporting the radical Clodius whenever she could- and sometimes it worked. Clodius brags about the benefits of being brother in law to a consul and Cicero was irritated by the fact that she was so involved in her brother’s career but it makes me love her even more. - Fulvia: Yall KNOW how I feel about Fulvia but I just have to talk about her whenever I can. As Clodius’s wife she was never far from his side, to the point that it was something Cicero commented on after his death. Following his murder, Fulvia established herself as the heir to Clodius’s political role and through her marriages to Clodius’s allies, Curio and later Antony, she was able to promulgate populist legislation and continue Clodius’s work / establish his legacy so that his death wasn’t in vain (both of their laws have a more populist streak after their marriages to Fulvia). As Antony’s wife she was especially powerful after Caesar’s assassination and she fought Octavian personally when Antony’s interests were being threatened (while he fucked around in Egypt). - Porcia Catonis: I may not like Brutus but I love Porcia who proved she was strong enough for Brutus to confide in by stabbing herself in the thigh and not revealing her pain for a significant amount of time. She was steadfastly loyal and was supposedly the only woman who knew about the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar, and her suicide, in line with that of her father Cato, - Livia Drusilla: LIVIA did NOTHING WRONG and I legitimately love her so much. First the story of how she ended up married to Octavian is so... much lol but despite their scandalous whirlwind marriage they were married for 51 years, and she was one of Augustus’s closest advisors (the senate criticized him for being too under her control but you know what). Roman wives didn’t normally go on military campaigns w/ their husbands but Livia did, and she also had very public religious and political roles, she was devoted to Augustus and he “loved and esteemed her to the end without a rival”. There’s so much more I can say about her but she was as ambitious and driven and intelligent as her husband and after Augustus’s death she worked to maintain his legacy and was eventually deified alongside him - Octavia: Octavian/ Augustus’s sister, Octavia was like. truly and genuinely good she was loyal to both Octavian and Antony after she married him and she was essentially the glue that held the second triumvirate together for a time. She was directly involved in Octavian’s politics through this marriage and there’s a record of her begging the two of them not to go to war, at least for her sake; she’s the reason this tenuous alliance lasted as long as it did. She was also incredibly generous and kind, upon marrying Antony she took in and raised his kids by Fulvia and after Antony’s death she raised also his children by Cleopatra, working to provide them with good lives and advantageous marriages ... how wholesome... - Agrippina (both of them): If you really want to write about conniving devious plotting murderous women of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.... the Agrippinas EXIST. Agrippina the elder also went on her husband Germanicus’s military campaigns and campaigned herself tirelessly for the political advancement of her sons, and Agrippina the younger... oh boy ... she schemed her way into the position of empress and then absolutely annihilated any potential rival for her son even though one he became emperor their relationship was ... fraught to say the least. Anyway the point is I love women who are openly ruthless ambitious and power-hungry and they’re great. 5. what is your favourite story from Herodotus's Histories? The one where he talks about how the Etruscan nation was founded / how the Etruscans came to live in Italy- even though he was wrong about Etruscan origins and they probably /were/ native to Italy I’m really fond of and interested in Etruscan culture so I like hearing any historical accounts about them. 6. who is your favourite character from the Iliad or Odyssey? Aeneas was TECHNICALLY there during the Trojan war DO NOT QUESTION OR COMMENT ABOUT THIS I WOULD DIE FOR HIM 7. who is your favourite ancient historian? Has to be Plutarch- I know he writes history for a moralizing purpose but all the subjects of his biographies are written with a certain level of complexity and nuance and something about his writing style really resonates with me like I’ve read both his and Appian’s accounts of the Gracchi brothers’ lives and both were good but Plutarch’s brought me to tears. The first ~classics thing~ I ever read that truly engaged me and captured me was his Life of Antony which is probably my favorite in that even though he condemns Antony’s actions he gives him redeeming qualities, he portrays him and even Cleopatra really sympathetically and his description of Antony’s death... is so pathetic and upsetting it wounds me I love Plutarch s o much. 8. what are your five favourite myths? Anything that Propertius or Catullus references in their poetry is my favorite :) 9. what are your top five otps? 1. Augustus and Livia married for 51 years loved each other with All their hearts 2. Antony and Cleopatra: I love this melodramatic garbage fire of a relationship 3. Clodius Pulcher and Fulvia: PERFECTLY matched politically-minded partners who had similar goals and balanced out each other and loved each other DEEPLY HE WAS ALWAYS BY HER SIDE?! 4. Cicero and Atticus - romantically OR platonically however you want to interpret this they loved each other so much and every letter from Cicero where he talks about how badly he wants to see Atticus again, that implores Atticus to write more.... it’s really sweet and wholesome 5. I can’t believe Antony gets to be on this list twice but his relationship with Gaius Curio is so... much and like he climbed into Curio’s house through the CEILING because he was banned from the house by Antony’s dad (because he was in debt lol), and the fact that someone hasn’t made a movie or a sitcom about this yet is so... disappointing. 10. recommend a piece of fiction about the classical world I haven’t read any ancient Rome historical fiction!!! Yet!!!! But both the Roma Sub Rosa and the Robert Harris Cicero Novels come very highly recommended to me and I have to buy both of them so 11. recommend a piece of non-fiction about the classical world I really really need everyone here to read TWO biographies: 1. The patrician tribune, it’s The Clodius Biography I keep talking about it provides a really balanced and detail picture of Clodius Pulcher’s political career AND his life plus this author writes a lot fo academic papers about Clodius 2. The tribune’s sister, it’s a Clodia biography and MY PROFESSOR WROTE IT and she loves Clodia so much and she wrote so much incredible content about Clodia and this is like a Collection and Combination of all of this... yall should all read it ANd 3. if you haven’t read plutarch’s Life of Antony I think you should really read it bc you can’t UNderstand Me or My Blog without this essential piece of literature and also it has THE FULVIA LINE 12. who is your favourite poet? why? I’m going to be honest...... I did not consider myself a poetry person for the longest time. I was always way more into the politicians than the writers of ancient Rome because I’ve always felt like I didn’t quite GET poetry? But then I actually read more Latin poetry and also .... I fell in love... for real... and at that point all at once the poetry of like, Catullus, really struck me for the first time and I REALIZED. I hope that doesn’t sound too ridiculous lmao but.. I’m a romantic at heart. SO in general I really love Roman love poetry and I do like Catullus - I especially like that he was involved with Clodius and co through Clodia and was part of that circle. He references Caesar and Caelius and Clodius in his poetry, which is fun but.... my favorite poet, that I have read so far is.... Propertius for a few reasons I REALLY like Roman love elegy as a genre and Propertius is my favorite of the elegists. I like how gentle his poetry is and even though it might seem overwrought I think it’s passionate and genuine and sweet - he has big feelings?! he wants to Express them? Propertius also really likes to do the reversal of gender roles thing which is like common in Roman elegy but Propertius Especially does it wrt romantic / sexual contexts and although he does write tender and romantic love poetry it’s definitely not wholly apolitical like Propertius not only emphasizes that he’s devoting his life to love and presents this in contrast to the expectations of how Young Roman Noblemen should live / act / what they should pursue, which is an especially brave statement at the time he’s writing since he’s going against Augustus’s moral reforms, the strict societal roles promulgated by Augustus to rebuild and restore the roman senatorial class. He even goes so far as to say he refuses to have sons because they’ll just be sent out to die in Rome’s wars which is.... a pretty powerful and cynical statement and I love how bold he is about it. So Propertius combines 3 things I Really like, gentle love poetry, femdom, and political commentary on Augustan Rome 13. if you could time-travel to the classical world for a day, where would you go and why? The responsible answer is I would bring antibiotics to the Augustan court in 23 BC and save Marcellus from typhoid fever but. I just want to be able to experience in real time ONE argument between Cicero and Clodius in the senate in real time that would be so much fun and so I think that’s where’d I go and also I could potentially make out with Clodius or one of his friends after I mean I’m there for the whole day right 14. which Greek tragedy is your favourite? I’m actually in a Greek drama class right now, so I can give a legitimate answer to this question.

I would have to say, of the ones I’ve read, Ajax resonated the most with me and is probably my favorite. Aristotle said tragedy should be able to evoke pity and fear and if that’s the mark of a good tragedy Ajax is the best one of all to me. One of its central themes at least when I read it is that Ajax, having defined himself by the respect he commanded based on his military ability, by his role as an honored soldier, has nothing left when he loses this, and he absolutely falls apart. His entire identity is tied up with this single skill he cultivated and the honor he possesses because of said skill, seeing his reaction to this loss, his realization that the only thing that mattered, the one thing he had, has been destroyed and it’s /his/ fault- this hit me far too close to home. once he’s no longer known as a great warrior, to himself he’s nothing, and no one, in Ajax’s mind that’s all he has and all he was. If tragedy is meant to inspire pity and fear, holy shit is Ajax effective because I felt both instantly since his fate - not so much the death but realizing what he defined himself by is lost forever because of his failures and that there’s nothing left of him now- is what I fear most in the world. 15. Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar? CAESAR. I mean, I appreciate Alexander the Great (without whom the Ptolemies and Cleopatra wouldn’t have come into power) but I’ve read a lot more about Caesar, I know more about him as a person. I’m making this decision mostly on like their politics / what I know about them because I REALLY don’t give a s hit about individual battles / wars in general, this isn’t me comparing military scoreboards or anything lol. I just know more about Caesar, approve of his Vaguely populist policies, and he /was/ trying to fix some very broken systems in rome / was constantly frustrated by senatorial factionalists etc... and IM relatively sympathetic towards him although I like the minor more radical less famous populares more ... obviously. So I like Caesar but he’s not that important to me I’m not like passionately devoted to Caesar

16. Cicero - love him or loathe him? LOVE CICERO. I honestly love him so much and even though politically I disagree with the view he had or choices he made... I understand why he made them and it must have been incredibly hard to be a moderate politician, or any kind of politician at all coming from a non senatorial background, and as much as I joke about it he DID save Rome from the Very real threat of Catiline (and honestly at this point his self-aggrandizing behavior is just as endearing as it is aggravating to me.... god). I believe he genuinely tried to do what was right and to be moral and upstanding in a time when that was definitely not the norm- see his governorships of Sicily and Cilicia especially compared to his corrupt contemporaries. He stood by his principles even when that wasn’t politically expedient - whenever he does have to go against them, he agonizes to Atticus and feels guilty about it- and I’m... impressed by that. He was obviously a great statesman/orator/lawyer - all of his speeches are incredibly wild and fun to read and I can only imagine what hearing them live would’ve been like. His name and background means he didn’t have the luxury of being radically populist like Clodius, he didn’t have his family to fall back on in general, he had to work twice as hard and was scorned by the optimates anyway and i FEEL FOR HIM. He was nervous, though, and timid sometimes, and I ... relate to that.

I think if you hate Cicero... you should read his letters to Atticus because they’re so humanizing and genuine and his emotional turmoil over the political circumstances he finds himself in can be heartbreaking. He cares so much about Atticus and about his family and his despair and elation and anxiety really hit me hard when I read them. Plus they can be genuinely funny when he’s, like, talking about Clodius or making fun of someone he hates which is often, Cicero’s sense of humor is one of the many things I love and appreciate about him... some of his letters are legitimately hilarious? please. he’s so petty sometimes, I love that too, okay im done. 17. if you could recover one lost work, which one would it be? This is a tough one... I feel like it would be greedy to ask for more Cicero since we already have so much of his work but his Consolation he wrote to himself after the death of Tullia would be incredible. I also wish we had the entirety of Cicero’s Against Clodius and Curio speech because what we do have is... absolutely amazing and the rest would be a treasure to read. Conversely, because we have so much of Cicero, and only of Cicero, our view of late Roman Republic politics is inevitably warped. I wish we had just one of the speeches Clodius gave in response to Cicero, so we could have his side of the story, so to speak. We have to piece together this picture of his politics based on what his greatest enemy said about him so there’s inevitably going to be a bias- and Cicero DOES say in his letters that Clodius spoke against him too, they had witty exchanges, etc, but we don’t have Clodius’s speeches at all! If we had just one of his speeches he gave to the people as tribune, or the one he gave to defend himself at the Bona Dea trial, or the one that prompted Cicero’s De Haruspicum in response- just one. I just want to hear what Clodius said in his own words.... 18. what is your favourite movie or TV show set in ancient Greece or Rome? The Better Call Saul Roman Law AU I have in my head next question :) 19. tell me about an obscure classical figure who needs more love My URL is Clodius Pulcher and I wish more people legitimately studied and thought about Clodius with some nuance so that the exaggerated picture we see of him from Cicero isn’t taken as Absolute fact. I love him so much with my life... I also wish there was more love for Caelius and Curio since they’re really interesting historical figures who navigated a world of ever-changing alliances pretty cannily -until they died. Caelius just from his letters to Cicero seems like such a witty and sardonic person I wish more people cared about this entire circle. Finally i’ve gotta say Fulvia needs so much more love than she gets like people HERE know about her but like. She was so vitally important and uniquely powerful as a woman during the late Roman Republic and to be honest I don’t think you can talk about the aftermath of Clodius’s death or Antony’s role after Caesar’s assassination without mentioning Fulvia, she’s so essential to the political careers of ALL her husbands. And yet, she’s really underrepresented in historical fiction and nonfiction about this time. 20. what do you love most about studying classics? I’m an incredibly anxious person I don’t take any risks or have many friends. When I read / learn about history I can... vicariously experience what taking a risk must feel like when I read about like Clodius Pulcher’s wild lifestyle, and sometimes learning a lot about a historical figure makes me feel like they’re my friend. so. probably the most pathetic possible answer to this question but thats me.

#ask meme #my stuff #IM SO... THIS IS A LOT SORRY

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