#Ancient History RPF

[ao3-anonymous]

Fastest Growing Fandoms on AO3 This Week (03/25/2024)

Every week I pull data on how many fics are in each fandom and compare to the previous week, then calculate the percentage increase to determine fastest growing fandoms.  Since this naturally skews towards smaller fandoms, I have included the same data filtered to Over 1k, 5k, & 10k fics.

Overall:

Over 1,000 Fics:

Over 5,000 Fics:

Over 10,000 Fics:

Source: AO3 Fandom Dashboard

[caepio]

one whole multi chapter fic that I actually completed for once

[enlitment]

People who don't read historical RPF will never know the joys and delights of reading through 3+ Wiki pages, 5 JSTOR articles and looking at at least 2 separate family tree diagrams to determine just how problematic their ship is

[old-knightsvow]

HUH

[kebriones]

I had to come home from uni early because of really bad period pain and i wrote this curled up in bed to distract myself asgfhdn.

It takes place in the modern university au

[vroombeams]

🦴 and 🥤!

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love i was supposed to go thru and reblog a bunch of my faves recently so we'll just make this into a little list why don't we. f1 fic up first

liminal space by miamis (loscar) - so slick so sexy so smoky stoned sloppy hookup rose of salt by pipitass (oscarmark) - if one were to pinpoint the moment i became an oscarmark enthusiast it would be the moment i read this side by side in orbit by glasscushion (pianortrell) - imagine having to select an m glasscushion fic for this list. imagine having to choose. this was the most difficult moment of my life but it's the one i've reread the most so an ancient dispensation by akirakurosawa (galex) - one of the first fics i read in f1 fandom and i still think about it. wildly cool and well crafted mental breakdown call me beep me by limabima (landoscar) - i am so ambivalent about phone sex fic and this somehow throttled me with like. a phone cord. where did you get that push the clutch in and i pull the choke by yekoc (yukierre) - goofy-adjacent breeding kink and the pinnacle of dialogue to me. all time a few of my favorite things by antimonyandthyme (multi) - post-apoc so fuckin cool stylistically due for a reread pronto the light between the lines by bright-and-burning (landoscar) - plot and sci fi and this especially reads like a novel and i want a copy tasty by higgsbosonblues (landoscar) - a fic that made me fucking cry about vore. the audacity

putting the second chunk of non-f1 recs under a cut for tidyness

battle of eagles by wordswithout (assassin's creed, altmal) - this is the apex. this is the one, to me. i reread it once or twice a year and there's now a podfic, which made me even more insane than i already was the alt-right pipeline into my heart by anon (youtube rpf, hasan piker/dream) - a meme. it's a meme of a fic but it's written so well i don't even remember how i found it but jesus christ i think about it all the time a memoir of the flesh by fluorescentgrey (old kingdom series, nick/sam | nick/lirael) - my ult niche rarepair. nick/sam. they should have kissed in canon six feet apart, and then some by honeyedrop (haikyuu!, osaaka) - my other fave rarepair. resisting airing my anime fandom dirty laundry out on this list so this will be the only one

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing?  the og media inspo for me is probably danny boyle's sunshine wow what a film! the movie that made me want to make movies! this and aronofsky's the fountain were some early ones for me for sure. bookwise the old kingdom series took a bat to my brain like 20 years ago (writing style doesn't hold up anymore but boy that world building is tasty). more recently, as if i don't talk about it enough: annihilation, the secret history, and lunar park are all in a rotation of rereads that get my brain Going. also station eleven! is written in that brain-tickling way that makes me want to write even as i'm reading? and then of course the list of video games that shaped the way i want to tell stories... longer now of course but the original inspo games for me were chrono cross and shadow of the colossus and they are still permanent fixtures in me skull

writers truth or dare 💌

[jpdoingwords]

Hunger, Desire, Anger, Roads

A collection of short pieces of writing and some art associated with characters (including OCs) and events around The Good Spartan, as it's currently published and alternative versions.

These include threads taken from the original version of the fic and reworked; alternative points of view which develop characters who necessarily have no voice in the published fic; and a variety of other exploratory pieces set within this AU. They're all part of the framework around which The Good Spartan grew - and continues to grow.

This collection will be added to over time as I work through what I have and start writing new pieces.

This was intended for the Brasideia and I accidentally published it instead of saving as a draft LOL oh well! May as well mention it today anyway :D

The title is taken from the poem Ars Magnetica by Pablo Neruda , translated by Alastair Reid.

Further specifics under the cut :-)

Rating: Mature Archive Warning: Major Character Death Category: M/M Fandoms: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types; Assassin's Creed RPF; Ancient History RPF Relationship: Alexios (Assassin's Creed)/Brasidas (d. 422 BCE) Characters: Alexios (Assassin's Creed); Brasidas (d. 422 BCE); Original Characters. Additional Tags: Other Additional Tags to Be Added; Shorts; Cut Scenes; Poetry; Additional scenes; Love; Grief/Mourning; Loss; Alternative Perspectives; Alternative Endings; Some pieces address Brasidas' death hence the MCD warning; Art; OCs. Language: English

[brasideios]

The Fire and the Flood

The Alexithenes re-write is finally finished!!! I'm so happy I could do a silly little dance! (Maybe I am doing one, haha!) 🥳🕺🏼

In the year 427 BCE, Alexios allows Socrates to lure him to Athens for the summer. During his stay in the city, his relationship with Demosthenes, not yet a general of Athens, will change significantly… But as the war rages on, will the pressures of the messy world beyond Athens' walls bring the pair together or drive them apart?

Further details under the cut!

The Fire and the Flood (67533 words) by brasideios Chapters: 22/22 Fandom: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types, Ancient History RPF Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Alexios (Assassin's Creed)/Demosthenes General of Athens (d. 413 BCE), Herodianos/Thaletas (Assassin's Creed) Characters: Alexios (Assassin's Creed), Barnabas (Assassin's Creed), Original Characters, Lykinos (Assassin's Creed), Timotheos (Assassin's Creed), Rhexenor (Assassin’s Creed), Hermippos (Assassin's Creed), Alkibiades | Alcibiades (c. 450-404 BCE), Sokrates | Socrates (c. 469-399 BC), Demosthenes General of Athens (d. 413 BCE), Deimos (Assassin's Creed), Thaletas (Assassin's Creed), Herodianos (Assassin's Creed), Kyra (Assassin's Creed), Kleon | Cleon (d. 422 BCE), Nikias (c. 470-413 BCE) Additional Tags: Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Falling In Love, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, One Night Stands, Lust, Smut, Fluff and Smut, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Edging, Developing Relationship, Historical References, Angst with a Happy Ending, Romance, Injury Recovery, Found Family, Meet the Family, Family Issues, survival guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Loss, Grief/Mourning, Lost Love, The power of puppies to provide comfort, Rare Pairings, Domestic Fluff, Healthy Relationships, Not Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Canon Universe, Kassandra is Deimos (Assassin's Creed) Series: Part 1 of The Fire & The Flood Summary: In the year 427 BCE, Alexios allows Socrates to lure him to Athens for the summer. During his stay in the city, his relationship with Demosthenes, not yet a general of Athens, will change significantly… But as the war rages on, will the pressures of the messy world beyond Athens' walls bring the pair together or drive them apart? This story is not canon compliant. Alexios isn't immortal and his father is Nikolaos.

[lemurious]

Chapters: 7/7 Fandom: Ancient History RPF, Classical Greece and Rome History & Literature RPF, Sallust Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Lucius Sergius Catilina, Julius Caesar, Marcus Caelius Rufus, Sempronia (Sallust), Marcus Licinius Crassus, Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis | Cato the Younger, Marcus Tullius Cicero Additional Tags: Orations: In Catilinam - Marcus Tullius Cicero, Catilinarian Conspiracy, War, Civil War, Revolution, OR IS IT, Sallust - Freeform, Bellum Catilinae, Implied Caesar / Catilina Summary:

Double drabbles for Catilina. 1: Caesar 2: Caelius 3: Sempronia 4: Crassus 5. Cato 6. Cicero 7. Catilina

[notbecauseofvictories]

Yuletide Recs

It’s that time of year! The time of year when we celebrate the small, the niche, the weird and wonderful in fanworks---the Big Gay Episode of Horrible Histories and the metaphysical implications of Calvinball and some Devil Wears Prada fics that (if we’re being honest with ourselves) have since had their serial numbers filed off for publication as wlw romance novels.

Anyway, here are 10 of my favorites---mostly from weird fandoms (Thomas Kinkade paintings, Over the Garden Wall, Severance, fairytales, historical RPF) but I did sincerely enjoy them. I hope you will too.

union prayer by ohtempora Casey Jones the Union Scab - Joe Hill (Song)

Sins against organized labor have become a rising Heavenly issue due to an increased popularity in the labor movement on Earth. Pursuant to the last Heaven-Hell All Souls Conference, the Devil has agreed to accept mortals who commit sins against organized labor for eternal punishment in his domain.

It might not be objectively the best fic to come out of this particular exchange, but I’m listing this one first because it’s perfectly tailored to appeal to me. The “fandom” (so to speak) is a song I’ve listened to a lot in the last few years---one of the tracks on the Smithsonian’s Labor Songs discography! But the fic expands the premise the way only Yuletide can. A legal memorandum about the possibility of prosecuting strike breakers in heaven; delightful, delicious, exemplar.

The Only Place That's Real by Snickfic Christmas Cottage - Thomas Kinkade (Painting) 

Every so often someone would come through the village, looking for the cottage. This time it was a man in a fine silk suit and a faraway look in his eyes.

any greenness is deeper than anyone knows by DesdemonaKaylose Over The Garden Wall

There is a strange, mournful singing that comes from just beyond the woods...

roses and sentiments, drowning in the sea of clouds by lightningwaltz The Six Swans (Fairytale)

At first he never leaves his sister’s side. (Or; the youngest brother and the years of his curse.)

r/severed by curtaincall Severance (TV)

Welcome to r/severed! This is a subreddit to discuss the experience of severance and provide advice and support to fellow severed people (and friends and family).

Special Modes by rivkat Severance (TV)

What are the special functions other than Overtime? Maybe they’re proposals in the files of Lumon.

The Chastisement of Margery Kempe by UpTooLate (NaomiK) 14th Century CE RPF

She thought that these horrible sights and accursed thoughts were delicious to her against her will. --The Book of Margery Kempe, chapter 59

RatTrApp by Mithrigil Pied Piper of Hamlin (Fairytale)

The plague is digital.

The Mire Tide by thearrogantemu The Silt Verses (Podcast)

They’ve locked the mud saint in the church kitchen. They’ve left the big industrial oven on, with its door open, in the hopes that the heat will dry him out enough that they can wrestle him onto the kiln car tomorrow in one piece.

What if it’s not that he’s lost his nerve, lost his faith, lost his reason? What if he’s closer to the god now than he's ever been?

in the absence of excavation (there is only speculation) by meroure Ancient British Stones/Dolmens/Archeology

They kept coming back. They loved me. Feared me. Revered me. Gave themselves to me willingly, a cyclical sacrifice with every death, a choosing of their own doing.

[ao3-anonymous]

Fastest Growing Fandoms on AO3 This Week (03/27/2024)

Every week I pull data on how many fics are in each fandom and compare to the previous week, then calculate the percentage increase to determine fastest growing fandoms.  Since this naturally skews towards smaller fandoms, I have included the same data filtered to Over 1k, 5k, & 10k fics.

Overall:

Over 1,000 Fics:

Over 5,000 Fics:

Over 10,000 Fics:

Source: AO3 Fandom Dashboard

[caepio]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Julius Caesar - Shakespeare, Ancient History RPF, Classical Greece and Rome History & Literature RPF, Βίοι Παράλληλοι - Πλούταρχος | Parallel Lives - Plutarch Relationships: Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger/Lucilius (fl. 42 BCE), Mark Antony/Lucilius (fl. 42 BCE), Mark Antony/Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger/Lucilius (fl. 42 BCE), Mark Antony/Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger Characters: Lucilius (fl. 42 BCE), Mark Antony, Junia Tertia Summary:

After Philippi, Lucilius goes back to Rome.

Happy Saturnalia to you and yours, in the spirit of the season (except not at all really because it’s not a cheerful story) I wrote a thing.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (20-26 Oct 2024)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 Historically Black Phrases: From "I Ain't One of Your Lil' Friends" to "Who All Gon' Be There?" (jarrett hill & Tre'vell Anderson, authors & narrators) - this has been on the go for a bit, as it's more of a 'dip in & out of between podcasts and stuff' type of book - hilarious and interesting af tho

😍 In A Mirrored Room, Talking To Myself (entanglednow) - 65K, steddie ghost hunter!eddie AU - great characterization, solid plot and legit fucking terrifying!

😍 Pro Deo et Patria (One-EyedBossman (desert000rose), SecretFandomStories) - Differently Okay Local Idiots #14 - 66K, stucky no powers D/s AU - Another great slice of life for these two, Steve gets mad at god and they both are trying so hard and being so resolute to not let the ways they are damaged break what they have together. As always, the writing is so precise and careful and expressive and wonderful. I love this series so, so much.

😊 The Limits of Duty (LeeHan) - stucky bookclub pick - 71K, entertaining stucky fantasy au

💖💖 +126K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

The Magic of His Touch (VelvetPaw) - hockey rpf: sid/geno, 32K - - loved the magic worldbuilding

halloween spirit (wearing_tearing) - stranger things: steddie, 2K - - short & cute with a fun cameo from a real horror movie

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Decoding the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Tombstones With Dr. Nicky Nielsen - Session 1: Ancient Egyptian Afterlife & Hieroglyphics

Spirits, Saints, and Souls: The Secret History of Halloween With Lisa Morton - Session 2: Halloween Comes to America

Seas The Day: Life Lessons From Cephalopods With Dr. Sarah McAnulty - Session 2: Flamboyant, Fun, and Freaky: Learning from a cuttlefish’s approach to life

Handsome - Bob the Drag Queen asks about movie musicals

Handsome - Pretty Little Episode #10

Only Murders In The Building - s4, e5-9

What We Do In The Shadows - s6, e1-3

Gastronauts - s1, e2

Dr. Odyssey - s1, e5

D20: Misfits & Magic 2 - "K's Anatomy" (s23, e5)

D20: Adventuring Party - "How to Save a Life" (s18, e5)

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

The A24 Podcast - A Little Danger with Sebastian Stan & Colman Domingo

The Sporkful - “Super Size Me,” Twenty Years Later

Weekend Edition - Little is known about the striped skunk's smellier, spotted cousin. That's changing

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Bessie Stringfield, Motorcycle Queen of Miami

Weekend Edition - A hidden tomb was found in the ancient Jordanian city of Petra

Big Gay Fiction Podcast - Swordplay, Subterfuge, and Romance with Freya Marske

Death, Sex & Money - Bonus: The New Era of Pop Womanhood

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Aftel Archive of Curious Scents

Pop Culture Happy Hour - We Watch Classic Movies For The First Time

Switched on Pop - The virtuosity of Stevie Wonder

99% Invisible - Spirit Halloween

Vibe Check - That’s the 1, 2 Step

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Woman Of The Hour

NPR's Book of the Day - 'How Women Made Music' reexamines the history of music with women at its center

Short Wave - 'Ghost Genes' Could Help Save The American Red Wolf

Code Switch - Spitting on Andrew Jackson's Grave with Rebecca Nagle

It's Been a Minute - Kylie Minogue's tips for staying on top

⭐ Decoder Ring - The Wrongest Bird in Movie History

Re: Dracula - October 24: Not Yet Reported

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Living on Mars

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The South's Hidden Confessional

Consider This - Emo music gets its flowers at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Morning Edition - Why female pop artists have been screaming in their songs a lot lately

Ologies - Confectionology (CANDY) with Susan Benjamin

Wild Card - Seth Meyers likes being the punchline

Re: Dracula - October 25: To His Doom

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Venom: The Last Dance And What's Making Us Happy

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books - 638. Smart Bitches After Dark - Tara interviews Sarah & Amanda

⭐ Today, Explained - Is there a Dr Pepper in the house?

It's Been a Minute - The Billboard Hot 100's doom loop; Plus, a new kind of true crime story

Hit Parade - The Bridge: All That Bono Can’t Leave Behind

Re: Dracula - October 26: Continue Our Watching

The Sam Sanders Show - Roy Wood Jr: Finding Comedy in Political Chaos

Decoder Ring - The Surprising History of Halloween

Twenty Thousand Hertz+ - The Voices of… BLUEY!!!

⭐ Imaginary Worlds - Who Gets to Survive: The Final Girls of Horror

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Chill Supermix

Presenting Sabrina Carpenter

Rancid

Kylie Minogue

The Hit List

The Original Albums…Plus [Jim Croce] {2011}

[llitchilitchi]

hello internet traveller, you've now reached the ancient history rpf zone. tread lightly

[kebriones]

I kept this in my notes for months now debating whether to post it or not, but here it is.

[marsdeathdefiances]

Was struck with sudden inspiration so have this: