#agrippa but they were mostly daughters....

[catominor]

trying to draw all c. martinus' sons realizing tht . i dont know how romans would name their kids if they had a ton of kids. i feel like ive heard of some of them just giving them repeat praenomina but also some of them giving a different one to each kid?

[amberthefantasy]

Nitimur in Vetitum

chapter eleven: amor (love)

“Fabia became the apple of her uncle Gaius’ eye the moment he met her after he returned to Rome from Philippi. Her mother’s close friend Marcus Agrippa also doted on the young baby.”- Fabia Maxima: Daughter of Rome by Yolanda White

6th Day Before the Kalends of December (26th November)

Lucretia tapped her foot. Agrippa had sent her a letter saying the way was over, that Cassius and Brutus were dead and that he and Gaius would be returning home. That was a month ago. There had been no letters since.

Unlike the last time her lovers had left though, this time she had little Fabia to look after, so her boredom was not so extreme. Lepidus had also been by the house a few times to discuss things with her. When he had first done this Lucretia had asked him why, he had replied that Gaius obviously trusted her and that made her an authority on what he would want, so while he was gone she was the one to ask. It felt good to have someone other than Agrippa and Gaius respect her opinion. She had also spent time with Octavia and Horatia, their young Marcella and Aulus had grown to quite like each other, as much as two one year olds could anyway. 

To Lucretia dismay, Octavia sometimes brought along Scribonia, as she had today. The four women were seated in Horatia's atrium, watching the children play and waiting for the men to return. "They should be here soon right?" Scribonia asked, her brows furrowed. The woman was just out of her mourning period for her husband Publius Scipio, who had died of illness a year ago. She was taking full advantage of her ability to wear colour again, draped in bright red and gold, so bright in fact it was almost gaudy. 

"They should," Horatia hummed in agreement. Scribonia looked as though she wanted to continue the conversation but there were footsteps and a slave appeared in the room.

"Domina, the dominus is back." Horatia was on her feet in moments, she took little Lucius by the hand and smiled appreciatively when Scribonia picked up Aulus.

Lucretia shifted Fabia from one of her hips to the other as she stood, holding out her free hand to help Octavia rise too. "I'll hold him while you get her," Lucretia said, holding out her free arm to take Marcella from her mother. Octavia muttered a thanks, handing over the two month old, while bending down with a huff to pick up her one year old. "Two children in two years, I'd kill my husband," Lucretia joked. Octavia let out a soft laugh, the two continuing to joke about pregnancy and their children until they reached the door.

Horatia and Lucius were already locked in each other's embrace. Gaius and Agrippa stood behind them, expressions softer than normal at the sight. "Gaius! Agrippa!" Lucretia called, ignoring all proper social protocol, handing her daughter to one of the slaves beside them, and launching herself at her lovers.

"Lucretia... Lucretia... Lucretia," they both said softly. "We're okay," Gaius whispered. "But..."

Lucretia pulled back, her eyes filled with worry. "What?"

"Silvius... he died of his wounds on the return."

Lucretia blinked. Silvius... her husband. Dead of his wounds from a battle he really shouldn't have been fighting personally in. She turned away from her brother and towards Lucius, who had pulled away from Horatia and was watching her with slightly red eyes. Lucretia finally noted that he was dressed in a black tunic with no adornment. A mourning tunic. She gulped. "Pompona?"

"Yes domina," her slave asked.

"Retrieve one of my black dresses for me."

"Yes domina."

--

Agrippa was entranced by Fabia the moment he fully laid eyes on her. "She is gorgeous," he whispered. "She has your eyes."

Lucretia hummed in agreement, fixing the sleeve of her black dress. She had managed to convince everyone else to leave her and her two lovers alone while she changed. Mostly to give the two men a moment to meet the little girl. Currently Fabia was gurgling in Gaius' arms while at the same time looking for Agrippa. The little one couldn't seem to decide on whose arms she wanted to be in. Every time one of the men would pass her to the other she'd turn from looking for them to looking for the other. Lucretia watched the three people she cared about the most in the world as they remained enwrapped in each other.

After a little while longer of Fabia being absorbed in her fathers, she seemed to decide she was now hungry and let out a whimper as she cried for her mother. Lucretia cooed at her daughter as she took her from Gaius' arms. "Hungry my love?" Fabia was only a month old, too young to truly understand the words Lucretia spoke but she gurgled in response as if she did. Lucretia carried her baby to one of the klinai near the edge of the room and sat to feed her. 

Her lovers followed her, standing in front of her seat and watching. "Does that... hurt?" Agrippa asked.

Lucretia looked away from her feeding baby and up at Agrippa, "hurt?" she repeated.

"I don't know," Agrippa said defensively. "It looks uncomfortable."

"No, not really. Not anymore than the birth was." They both smirked at that. "Well... don't just sit there. Tell me what happened."

Gaius cleared his throat. "The first battle went well for Antonius... not so much for us. Brutus was braver than we expected but, Antonius beat Cassius though and he killed himself." Lucretia let out a laugh at that. Gaius smirked back before continuing. "That left Brutus in charge of their forces, he was not a very good general. Antonius and I beat him in the next battle. It was most unfortunate that your beloved husband died in the fighting." Gaius filled his voice with mock sympathy as he finished his sentence. Lucretia let out a laugh.

"Tell her about the agreement change," Agrippa said, pushing his shoulder against Gaius'. Lucretia looked between them in question.

Gaius smiled. "Antonius and I had a discussion on the journey back. Seeing as I and him beat the traitors and Lepidus, though he was useful here in the city, did not, we decided that a restructuring of the territories might be necessary."

"A restructuring?" Lucretia asked, patting her daughter on the back. 

"Antonius will remain in control of the East, and Gaul. I will take control of Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and Hispania." He said the second sentence with a smile so wide it made his eyes crinkle. "Lepidus will get Africa."

"Oh..." that was an improvement so large it almost made Lucretia laugh in joy. From controlling the barely useful and unimportant territory of Africa, to the islands useful for trade and the useful territory of Hispania. "You, my love, are full of surprises and great news."

--

On the Day Before the Nones of December (4th December)

Lucretia fussed with her daughters black dress. The small babe was fussing about having to be dressed, and awake. It was the day of her fathers funeral however, so the little one had to be there. "Ready?" Horatia asked. Lucretia nodded, fixing her own sleeve one final time before straightening up and leaving the house with her daughter on her hip. As she came to a stop before the pyre where her husband's body lay, she felt Horatia place a hand on her shoulder. It was an empty gesture really, everyone here knew that Lucretia had no real love for her late husband, but it was expected. 

Gaius and Agrippa came up on her other side, dressed in mourning black, unlike her dress however their tunics were adorned with silver and embroidered with white. She would be forced to wear black for another month before she was able to start wearing darker colours that were not black, and another six months before she could wear anything with adornments. 

"My sweet sister," Gaius said with fake sympathy. "My deepest condolences and sympathies."

"Thank you my darling brother." Lucretia said with a soft smile, kissing her brother's cheek. Agrippa offered her a sympathetic smile and kissed her cheek without a word, also taking their little girl into his arms. 

More people were arriving now, each coming up to offer sympathies, most fake. Some of the men, those who lacked decorum, were already looking her up and down as if measuring her up for marriage, looking at her daughter as proof she was fertile. Lucretia narrowed her eyes whenever she spotted one of these men, Gaius noticed too, if the way he drew her closer was any indication. "It's time," Lucius said mournfully.

Lucretia nodded, waving for him to step forward and give his speech. It was short and sweet, nothing to memorable or notable. He stepped back, allowing Lucretia to be in the centre in the final moments as the pyre was lit and went up in smoke. Lucretia watched as the grey ashes of her husband fell into the silver hair on her head.

--

"A day after your husband's funeral and here we are," Agrippa said with a smile. Lucretia laughed as she pushed herself closer to her lover. The two had slipped away from everyone and into one of the rooms on the second floor. Horatia had taken Fabia with her to go see the older children play in the yard and Gaius had a meeting with some of his generals to attend, so Lucretia and Agrippa were left alone. 

They'd filled the time in the bedroom. The two of them had already enjoyed each other's company twice while they waited for Gaius to finish his meeting, and if the way that Agrippa was holding her was any indication, a third time was near. "We have to be careful," Lucretia said. "I can't get pregnant until I can marry again."

"I know," Agrippa said softly. "I... spoke to someone about it," he confessed. Lucretia raised a brow. "Do not worry she is discreet," her lover reassured her. "But she said that some women who work in certain professions use lemon juice to halt any pregnancies."

"Lemon juice?" Lucretia repeated. Agrippa hummed, whispering the explanation to her. Lucretia felt her eyes go slightly wide but her smile was even wider. A way to enjoy her lovers without worry of scandal, she was thrilled. "Pompona!" Lucretia called. "Get me some lemon juice." And then she flipped on top of Agrippa with a smirk.

NiV masterlist / full masterlist

[thespamman24]

Whoever the roman emperor is must be a descendant of the first emperor, Augustus. You see, everything went wrong because the man who succeeded Augustus, Tiberius, was adopted or something.

Now, we just have to figure out who Augustuses children were. Well, he actually only had one biological child, Julia the Elder. Her oldest son was Gaius Caesar. He died without having any children.

Her second child was Julia the Younger. She had two children, but one was with an affair, so I don’t think he counts. Her other child was Aemilia Lapidae. She had five children. After that, records get a little bit fuzzy.

However, some may say that the lineage wouldn’t pass through Julia the Younger because she A. had an affair and B. was a woman, wich the romans weren’t big fans of. Of course, one could say that means that Julia the Elders lineage is also off limits. However, she had no male siblings, while Julia the Younger did.

Julia the Youngers younger sibling was the mother of Caligula. Of course, once again, woman.

There’s also Lucius, who I don’t think had any children.

Then, there’s Marcus Agrippa Posthumus. However, Augustus didn’t like him, and we don’t know if he had any children.

So, we have to choose someone descending from either Julia the Younger or her sister. Let’s suppose we go through Julia. The reign passes to Amelia. Her oldest child was a dude name Marcus. He had a son, but that son died with no children. Then there’s Junia. I’m not sure if she had any children or not.

The line gets really dicey here, mostly because Nero killed a bunch of these guys to preserve his reign. Junias brother had a daughter, but I don’t know if she had any children. There was one other guy, but he was killed by Nero.

Julia the youngests’ sisters oldest child was Caligula, and he was a really horny dude who had lots of children. Not only that, but he had five siblings.

All of this is to say that whoever is the rightful heir of rome must have ancestry from Italy.

That’s why I believe the one true Roman Emperor is Mario.

trying to figure out the funniest crackpot stance on who is the current Roman emperor, and accepting suggestions (tenuous historical justification required)

[albelen]

book talk: Augustus

I wasn’t planning on doing this Book Talk since I didn’t know if I could properly express my feelings about Augustus and this book. 

However I binge-watched the second season of Rome because I kept seeing clips of it on YT. Simon Woods nailed the role of Octavian perfectly - his icy blue eyes, his cold and calculating demeanor mixed with instances of vulnerability and insecurity - exactly how I imagined young Augustus to be. 

Anyway, this book was definitely one of my best reads this year. Augustus frustrated me throughout the whole book, but if anything it also made me more interested in him. I’m having strong feelings for a historical figure, oh dear.

The story is told through letters, diary entries and military orders and the writing style is easy to read - although I read it in Italian. I read some reviews about people complaining how some things weren’t accurate, but the author literally claimed at the start that as much as he tried to stay true, some of the things here were merely fiction. (LOL)

Before reading this, the most I read about Octavian was about his victories and achievements, but through this book we get to see a more human side of him, we see him from the point of view of his friends, of his daughter Julia and of his enemies. 

The story was mostly told by other people, which left me a little disappointed because I wanted to read it straight from his perspective, especially from the time when he was still rising to power. It’s clear he knew he wasn’t gifted as a soldier or general, but he was a politician and a master at manipulation. 

Octavian was often sick, he was always described as sickly and pale, but with vivid blue eyes. This man survived many sickness, people thought he’d die but ended up outliving his friends and his sister. 

It’s sad to see the relationship of Octavian and Julia getting strained as the year went by. Look, I’m a huge Augustus stan here, but I find myself siding with Julia here - she did everything her father told her and after being widowed twice she had to marry someone like Tiberius. Poor Julia, she just wanted to be herself, she wanted to be in touch with her feminine and sexual side, but being the emperor’s daughter comes with a price. 

I didn’t like Tiberius here, but I never liked him anyway - what was Livia thinking, surely she must have known her son didn’t have any potential SMH

Gaius Octavian wouldn’t have become the most powerful man if it wasn’t for his friends Agrippa and Maecenas. I feel like they are often overlooked when they had done so much for their friend and Rome. You could feel the sadness Octavian felt when he lost both his friends. 

My favorite part of this book is definitely when adults like Cicero and Antony underestimated them; there were moments when I felt like reading an adventure book of these three best bros (and Salvidienus) and I’m here for it honestly.

The thing that kept me from actually binge-reading this is because every letter, every journal entry felt so intense and a little daunting - these events did actually happen two thousand years ago, these “characters” existed and they contributed so much to shaping the world as we know it.

The last part of the book was finally Octavian’s letter to an old friend, when he was near death. This was even harder to read for me, it shows you how power not only comes with responsibility and pressure, but it also comes with the awareness that you truly can’t trust anyone. I can’t stretch enough how lucky he was that Agrippa and Maecenas remained loyal to him and they didn’t have ulterior motive or goal to have the power for themselves. 

Still, he was surrounded by people who wanted him dead and it really is inevitable, just like how history have taught us. 

Even as the most powerful man, it ultimately comes to an end - death comes for everyone as Marcus Aurelius often repeated a hundred or so years later. It was heartbreaking to read Augustus telling his friend that looking back at his life, some moments he doesn’t even remember happening, some he regretted. 

I gave Augustus a five out of five stars rating. How can I not? It made me mad, frustrated and love Augustus even more. 

Please, please, please read this. Even if you’re not into history or Ancient Rome is not your favorite period, I promise it’s worth your time. 

[cringeyvanillamilk]

Yoo~! Your modern au series is pretty entertaining. Please do one for Gordon (and Grey and Gauche too if you don't mind; I love this trio) in the future! 😊❣❣

I finally finished your request!! I’m happy to finally draw these three, especially Gordon! I hope you enjoy~! <3 

Gordon Agrippa

Loves reading various types of books, specifically ones about the power of friendship

Has a lot of knowledge on pharmaceutical drugs and medicine due to family background

Current Career: Freelance Writer, but currently works at Black Bull’s cafe

Was part of the book club and knitting club at Clover academy

Performs poetry every night at the Black Bull’s cafe

Fashion: Gordon has a love for gothic victorian inspired fashion. He finds this type of fashion to be aesthetically pleasing, which is greatly inspired by his family who also loves this particular clothing style. Any clothes with chains, belts, and studs will most likely catch his eyes. He also loves wearing his signature cap with his outfit. The colors that he usually wears are mostly black, grey, and red. He likes to wear gothic jewelry where he sees fits and completes the look with dark eyeshadow, black lipstick, and black nail polish. Despite this dark image, Gordon loves to decorate himself with cute and bright buttons to make himself more approachable. The buttons include a happy face, a pansexual flag, and a strawberry. Overall, Gordon’s fashion is goth with a sprinkle of cute accessories.

The Agrippa family had an infamous reputation of owning a pharmacy store that was rumored to secretly provide immoral people with drugs that could potentially poison those they want dead. While this rumor was true generations ago, Gordon’s father, Nathan, wanted to turn their family’s reputation around and become a pharmacist that helps people with their health. But due to the lack of proper communication between Nathan and Gordon, Gordon assumes that his father wants to continue their family’s sick tradition and left to live on his own near the capital. While Gordon successfully attended Clover academy through achievements and awards in writing, he spent the majority of his life in isolation. Even though he joined  a lot of clubs in the academy, people still didn’t want to befriend him. And despite getting his English degree, Gordon has trouble getting jobs due to his intimidating appearance. After being rejected by a lot of jobs, Gordon decided to stop by the Black Bull’s cafe to rest and find more jobs to apply. This is where he met Yami who noticed that Gordon was looking for a job and offered him a spot at the Black Bull’s cafe since they are short of staff. Yami also commented that his creepy appearance would be perfect to bring in more customers. This was the first time Gordon experienced someone wanting him to be a part of something and was overwhelmed with happiness. He now works happily at the Black Bull’s cafe while also looking for a job that fits his passion.

Random Fact: Gordon is an amazing cook. He is part of the cooking team at Black Bull’s cafe along with Charmy and Gauche. He specializes in desserts and can make any types of sweets (e.g., cake, cookies, etc.). Gordon usually makes cookies for the staff to eat with each cookie representing each one of them. Gordon isn’t good at designing people in his baking and so they look very creepy. He’s really good at making Halloween themed desserts, even when he isn’t trying. Since strawberry shortcake is his favorite food, you’ll always see him make it every day. His love for strawberry shortcake is the reason behind his strawberry button.

Gauche Adlai

Owns a mirror that was previously owned by his deceased parents

Had a bad reputation from stealing from stores and getting into street fights when he lived in the streets

Possible major: Photography

Has a room full of photos of just Marie, but he has a secret stash where the photos are of the Black Bull’s cafe employees being happy (don’t tell anyone)

Has won many photography competitions with each photo being related to Marie in some way

Fashion: Gauche doesn’t pay too much attention to his daily clothes, but he does know how to dress himself for any occasion. He prefers tasteful and simple clothes, nothing too fancy. You’ll usually see him with a collar shirt, jacket, and slacks. He also likes wearing vintage shoes because he finds it aesthetically pleasing to his eyes. He generally shops at any thrift store nearby, unless it’s Marie then he’ll shop at an expensive clothing store. Gauche’s fashion may lean more towards hipster if he spends a lot of money on himself. Overall, simple but somewhat stylish.

When Gauche and Marie were young, they had a healthy relationship with their parents who loved and cared for them with all their heart. Their father was a respected and rich businessman and their mother was a famous war photographer. Each time their mother would come back home from her trips, she would usually share the happy photos she took to Gauche and Marie. Seeing these happy pictures inspired Gauche to follow in her footsteps in becoming a photographer. Gauche specifically wanted to take pictures of people who are happy because seeing people smile makes him feel good. But one goal he hopes to complete is creating a photo album of his family being happy together. After receiving his first camera from his father, Gauche was ready to start his photo album once his mother came back home from her trip. When Gauche’s father went to pick up their mother from the airport, Gauche and Marie received terrible news that they both died in a ‘car accident’ on their way back home. This accident was actually orchestrated by his uncle who wanted to inherit their wealth and kicked Gauche and Marie out of their mansion. After being left on the streets, Gauche decided to take it upon himself and take care of Marie like how his parents would’ve wanted him to. Acting as a reliable older brother and the only family Marie has, they frequently moved to different locations to look for food and shelter. They were later taken in by an orphanage led by sister Theresa. Gauche had a talent in photography and was pushed by sister Theresa to compete in various contests where he won 1st place in each one. These great achievements led him to be chosen by Clover academy, but quickly rejected the offer since that would mean he’ll have to dorm at the academy away from Marie. During their walks, Marie found out about Gauche’s rejection to the academy and was upset that Gauche would decline such a great offer. Gauche argues that he doesn’t want to leave her alone which made Marie feel even more frustrated and ran inside a nearby cafe. This is where he met Yami, who happened to eavesdrop on their conversation. Yami reasoned that if Gauche really cared for Marie, he’d bring in more money to support her if he managed to graduate from the academy and go to college. Then when he’s financially secured, he and Marie can live on their own with no need for outside assistance. Yami’s words were able to convince Gauche to proceed in attending Clover academy which made Marie happy. As a way to show thanks, Marie said if the cafe needed any help, Gauche would be happy to work for him. Gauche was about to disagree but Yami was quick to accept Gauche into the cafe and promise Marie that he’ll keep Gauche busy. Gauche had no say in the matter since Marie already sealed the deal with Yami.

Random Fact: Gauche has a talent in art. Whether it’s sculpting, drawing, painting, or knitting, Gauche can replicate anything he sees. Even in baking, he can replicate any object or person as a cake. In fact, Gauche’s extraordinary skills would’ve been perfect for the recent cake cutting trend. However, Gauche mainly uses his younger sister, Marie, as a model for all of his artistic creations. If you go inside his room, you’ll see a shrine of sculptures, drawings, paintings, and dolls of Marie.

Grey

Likes to cosplay and attend conventions

Finds comfort in watching Cinderella

Possible major: Acting

Was an exceptional actress back in high school and would get chosen for lead roles but always decline these roles because of her sisters bullying

Has a great singing voice and likes to hum whenever she cleans

Fashion: Grey is incredibly shy and so her fashion reflects this. Grey’s casual attire is very modest and rarely shows a lot of skin. She likes to wear sweaters, long pants or skirts, and blue flats that her father got her as a birthday present. However, whenever she imitates a character for a cosplay or theater play, she becomes a completely different person and could wear very revealing clothes if it fits the character she’s impersonating. Grey likes showing off a lot of skin when she’s in character because this gives her an excuse to be confident in herself. Outside of her cosplays, Grey rarely wears jewelry since she thinks she doesn’t deserve to decorate herself with pretty things. Grey does value her belt since it was another gift from her father. Overall, Grey’s fashion is modest and warm.

Grey came from a middle class family where she used to live with her father, stepmother, and two elder stepsisters. Her father owns a small boutique store and her stepmother co-owns the store with her father. While her father showered Grey with love, her stepmother and stepsisters mistreated her and forced her to do all the chores in the house. They frequently lied to her father saying that she always wanted to do all the chores and didn't like going out with them since she prefers to stay at home. Because Grey’s father was oblivious of his daughter’s struggles, he never questioned it whenever they would go out without her. Grey was too meek to speak out and so she would go along with what they said in silence. During her time alone, she would always watch anime or DVDs of musical plays whenever she was done cleaning the place and making food. Grey always dreamed of being an actress in a play or show, but would get ridiculed for wanting to pursue such a career. Grey still tries to participate in various plays or get into cosplay where she gets to act like a completely different person. Grey finds herself comfortable as another character and still yearns to be an actress and so she auditioned for her school’s plays. She would get chosen for major roles in the plays, but when her stepsisters found out, they bullied her into going for a minor role instead. After graduating high school, Grey was ordered to stay home and not go to college to continuously be a servant for the family. Despite wanting to go to college to be an actress, Grey obeyed and continued to take care of the house for many years. It wasn’t until one day when Grey wanted to find a way to get closer to her stepsisters where she decided to dress up and perfectly transformed herself into looking like one of her stepsisters. Her stepsisters were outraged by her impersonation and threatened her which made Grey run away in fear. While on the streets, Grey was jumped by three muggers, but was saved by Gauche by Marie’s request. Gauche said if she’s running away, she should try and live for herself which inspired Grey to follow Gauche into the Black Bull’s cafe. With no courage to go back home, she was told by Vanessa that she could live at her place in the meantime while she gets back on her feet. Gauche commented that she should also start working at the cafe if she wanted to make enough money to support herself now that she’s starting fresh. Grey gratefully took Vanessa and Gauche’s offer and so now lives with Vanessa at her apartment, attends the same college as Gauche, and works at the Black Bull’s cafe.

Random Fact: Grey is great at doing makeup when she wants to replicate another character or person for her cosplay or costume. Whenever she attends anime conventions, she is complimented a lot for perfectly imitating the characters she cosplayed as. Even during cosplay contests, she would always place 1st place for her high quality clothes, wigs, and makeup. Grey thanks her father for teaching her these skills when she was young.

[karkkidoeswriting]

Gluttony for any character you’d like!

Gladly, thank you for asking! :)

What food would your OCs absolutely kill for? What’s their favorite, and who would they fight for stealing their food?

Alexis is absolutely gluttonous and Agrippa has absolutely inherited this trade (she is not biological daughter so not literally inherited in genes). Alexis would kill for fresh Horegtosian clams and a nice white wine to go with it (and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had done just that). Agrippa on the other hand would kill for a fresh bowl of fish cooked with citrus acid and fruits (so basically cheviche, this is just be projecting hard because I would kill for cheviche). It depends on food if they would fight someone who stole it from them. Better question might be who wouldn’t they fight?

Has your OCs ever been in a situation where anyone has purposely withheld food from them? How did they deal with this?

When Valeri was a war prisonner for several months, his captors would withheld food when he wouldn’t cooperate. There wasn’t many ways to deal with it. After a month of imprisonment, he started to realize that it he might not get out of there, that there was a real change no one would come for him. So it seemed his options were to die slowly or cooperate. He was young officer so he didn’t even know all the information they wanted from him. In the end he never revealed anything useful and was saved after Dir’ahin and Empire made an armistice and exchanged dozens of prisoners.

Which OCs don’t like food and only eat because it’s a necessary function?

Cassia is definitely this sort of person, food is only nutrients in her eyes. Faerathos does like food, but usually when he is shoulders deep into his research, he is annoyed to his body that it needs food and he has to stop (usually after he hasn’t eaten the whole day). Valeri has a bit of these tendencies. He is mostly indifferent towards food, but he does enjoy the act of eating together and the social aspect of it.

What’s the worst thing any OC has done for food?

This is going to get real dark real quick so tw for mentions of animal and child abuse. I’m not going to go into details.

When Valeri and Fiolew were living in the streets of Amari (Fiolew 5-9 year old and Valeri 11-15 years old), Valeri was working long days in factories so they could have at least something to eat. Fiolew, impressionable young child, was then most of the time left on his own. He was quickly recruited into a child gang led by Vauquelin, a bit older kid with dangerous reputation. He would make give cruel punishments to the other kids if they didn’t obey him enough. Fiolew was never very good at following orders. So one time his punishment was that the other kids stole his food. He didn’t dare to tell Valeri, because he knew they would retaliate. But Vauquelin very mercifully gave him a choice. If he would kill a homeless dog, they would give his food back. He loves animals so it was something he definitely didn’t want to do, but he was already malnourished so in the end, he did it.

I realized this would have been answered the second question too. Oh well.

[its-thompson-kerman]

The Mystics Part 2

The Mystics Part 1: The Myth

The Mystics Part 2: The Destruction

         How do great civilizations fall? This is a question historians have been debating for some time now, especially since the fall of the Madician civilization about ten years ago. Until now, historians have never tried to explain how such a supposedly stable society fell in such a relatively short period.

First, here are the facts. The Madician civilization arose around 5072 A.V (1800 B.C.E) though even calling it a civilization is debatable. They did not have any sort of a military, police force, or borders. It was also a strict brutal theocracy ruled by the Vita, a life mystic which they believed was the creator of all life on Earth. They were formed purely on the principles of a form of spiritual worship known as Mysticism. Mysticism was a primitive religious practice that separated people based on nonsense, such as their connection to the spirit realm. The civilization was mostly based around ceremonies. These ceremonies took place during the important phases of the sun and moon, where certain mystics would show off their power.

There is a myth out there that mystics were all just charlatans. That they never actually had any powers to begin with, but this is verifiably false. All accounts: Madician, Coassian, and even Agrippain claim mystics indeed had some sort of abilities tied to fire, water, and life. Anything stated otherwise is pseudohistory.

Miraculously, the Madician civilization was able to maintain city affiliations that spread across the globe. A curious thing about the Madician civilization is that there seemed to be no significant revolts during its two-thousand-year reign. That was until the end, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

To understand the fall of the Madician civilization, we must first talk about the origin of Coassia. The power, as we all know, that seceded the Madician civilization. The Coassian Empire rose around the year 6872 A.V or 0 C.E. It was initially a small city-state lying on the northern coast of the Padadome Ocean. The city-state was quite forward-thinking of its time, creating universities and funding scientific and political experiments. As we all know, it was a Coassian scientist who invented the first steam engine, a technology that would change the world forever.

Coassian’s embraced science and reason, and Madicians stuck to their traditions. Madicia refused to industrialize. Even when the Coassian Empire started expanding around the year 100 C.E or 6980 A.V.. Madicia did try and reinvent the steam engine in the last couple of decades before the Agrippa uprising, but by then, it was too late.

         The Coassian’s first attacked the Madician’s in 133 C.E or 7015 A.V. They quickly and efficiently conquered a small commune (the Madician equivalent of a providence) near the recently expanded Coassian border. The battle was reasonably bloodless. Only two Coassian soldiers died and six of the local population. Then after a week of relatively peaceful occupation, Vita Azalea arrived with two of her daughters, Angi Ember (a fire mystic) and Misty (a water mystic), and her husband, Dejen. Together they created utter chaos sending the Coassian army back into the heartland of Coassia. A year later, the great Emperor Lewis sent six Coassian slaves to the Vita as a peace offering. Vita Azalea excepted, and the two powers lived in peace for another thirty-three years. Little did Vita Azalea know those six slaves would be her civilization's downfall.

One of the six slaves was none other than the bastard child of Sir Helier Edison. Edison was the right-hand man of the Emperor and the forefather of modern gender and racial science. His bastard, Benjamin Edison, was well versed in his father’s teachings and enlightened the people of Madicia. Though he was shunned by the Madician religious establishment, he was able to recruit a following of young Madician men. This would be the start of the insular group known today as the Agrippas.

 In the year 7033 A.V (148 C.E), Vita Allium, the last Vita, rose to power and met another one of the Coassian slaves, Agrippa. She fell in love with him and decided to make him her husband. But on the night before they were to get married, Agrippa stabbed Allium through the chest.

No one knows for sure why he did it. Some say that he went mad. Others say it was a political move against the matriarchy and the mystic establishment. Still, some sources suggest that he was tricked into doing so by a Coassian spy. Whatever the reason was, he was publicly executed for this act. The first and only time someone was publicly executed in Madicia. It is this act that killed the Madician civilization if any single action did.

A couple years after Angi Ember came to power, she banned the teachings of Helier Edison and other similar gender and race scientists. The band was based purely on the idea that they were sacrileges. In rebellion, a handful of Madician men (and some women) created a secret college that taught the ideals of Coassia and enlightened their students on the nonsensical aspects of Mysticism. They called themselves the Agrippas after the man they believed exposed the fragility of the Vita.

 The Agrippas were also militant groups based on the ideals of Coassia, science, and reason. However, despite this, the Coassian government never endorsed their organization, at least publicly. Though we do have some evidence that even before their banishment in 7,042 A.V (157 C.E), they were secretly funding their organization.

In 7,042 A.V, the Agrippas made their first public attack when they assassinated Angi Ember’s husband, Tri. (Though in their writings, they claim it’s the second. The first being Agrippa murdering Vita Allium). After that, all Agrippain members (even the peaceful ones) were banished from Madicia and any of her allies.

 As stated earlier, Coassia took in a lot of these Agrippain refugees. Even this act infuriated the Angi, so she single handedly burned the city of Britassa, the capital of Coassia at the time, to the ground killing hundreds and thousands of people. A few years later, in retaliation, Emperor Lewis II attacked Coassia and, like his father before him, was defeated.

 But the war was not totally in vain, for it gave more experience to the Agrippain refugees to return to their country of origin in 7,054 A.V (170 C.E.). Eventually, successfully killing Angi Ember, her daughter Moana, and all the remaining lineage of Vita Azalea. Successfully taking over the country in 175 C.E. and dismantling the theocracy and the mystic religion as a whole.

However, the Agrippain were not perfect rulers, as one might expect. They murdered the mystics to the point of extinction, as well as many gender-nonconforming individuals. This lasted until 193 C.E when Madicia was finally incorporated into the Coassian Empire.

So why did Madicia fall? How come the mystics were utterly wiped out. Well, first of all, it starts with technology. The Mysticism religion banned the steam engine's use, therefore making it easy for the Agrippas (armed with Coassian weaponry) to sweep in and defeat them. The second reason is that the mystics were simply passivists creatures who refused to attack anyone. Men are naturally aggressive. So indeed, it’s incredible these people weren’t slaughtered earlier, and maybe they should have been…

         Azar threw the paper across the room in a fit of fury. Her curly red hair sparked in irritation. Azar took a deep breath; she had remained hidden this long. There’s no need to expose herself now. Not when she is so close to fulfilling her promise, she made sixteen years ago to her people. She was sixteen at the time. Shortly after that, her powers exposed themselves.

If only the ceremonies were allowed to continue, maybe her powers would have manifested earlier. Or maybe Sol kept them from her for so long to keep her safe from the Agrippas. Perhaps it was a blessing. Or maybe it was a curse to watch everyone and everything you love die and not have the power to do anything about it. To force yourself to keep on living to create life in such a destructive world. But she made a promise. To her mother as she suffocated on coal filled smoke. To her Aunt Nina, as she was tossed in chains into the ocean. To her father as they hung from a tree with a nurse around their neck. Azar promised them she would live, she would fight, and she would continue Vita’s legacy whatever it takes.

Azar turned to the author of the paper, the man she had just slept with. He was still sleeping naked under the sheets. She should just leave. Azar got what she needed from him, and even if she didn’t, she’s sure she could find some other man to sleep with her. Maybe one who didn’t think of her people with such contempt. But she hoped it was done. She honestly didn’t want to sleep with anyone else. She barely wanted to sleep with him, and that was before she read his paper.

Azar grabbed her stockings, laid it down on the side of the bed. She walked to the other side of the room to grab her dress that was conveniently lying next to the disgustingly inaccurate paper. Azar looked over at him. The moonlight coming from the window made his creamy skin sparkle. He looked so peaceful. Azar envied that.

Maybe she was wrong about him. Perhaps he was just ignorant. After all, he was about her age, maybe even younger, and he had mentioned to her that he spent his whole life in Coassia. He probably has no memory of Madicia like she does. He probably has never seen one of the “savage” ceremonies he talks about in his paper. He couldn’t feel the spirit dancing around him or touch the heat of the eternal flame. He’s probably never seen the miracle of life being created before his very eyes. Or maybe he never wanted to, perhaps he wishes for the simple answer that the world is only the physical and nothing more. It’s easy for a man to think that not being able to see the spirit world and all. Still, she had to find out. She had to find out if he was even worth being kept alive.

         She climbed back onto the bed and sat on his hips the way she had when they were making love, holding the paper behind her back. He woke up and smiled, rubbing his hand up her leg. His hands were soft like her mothers and smooth like her fathers were. Azar leaned down and kissed him on the neck, still with her arms behind her back. He smelled like rose water. Azar hadn’t smelled rose water since she was a little girl.

         It was the Da’vita’olivo or the day of Vita and Oliver. The most important holiday in Mysticism. The day they celebrate Vita’s arrival on land and the creation of the olive tree, the lifeblood of the world. It was the first and last ceremony Azar went to. The Agrippas had already been in power for five years and had banned all ceremonies. But this was Da’vita’olivo, so in rebellion, her small mountain town held the ceremony in a secret cave a few miles away from the village.

“Do you want to go again?” he asked, almost a little nervous.

         “No,” Azar sat up and revealed the paper she hid behind her back, “I want to talk.”

The ceremony was supposed to take place outside. So, Azar’s mother and her older cousin, Asatica, decorated the cave with ivy, grapevines, tulips, lilies, roses, azalea bushes, and in the center of the cave, an olive tree. Her aunt Nina created torches to bring light into the den. Her aunt Maayan erupted the natural spring, creating a fountain and a temporary irrigation system for the plants. The normal humans also decorated the cave for the occasion, painting pictures of past Vita’s and their creations on the walls. They painted the cave’s ceiling with the sun, moon, and stars, hoping that their spirits would still look down upon them. Hoping the spirits were still with them through those hard times.

Though Azar, who was only six at the time, didn’t realize it. This was essentially a suicide mission outing the town as mystics, all so she and the other young children could experience one ceremony in their lifetime. Apparently, it was the head of the town, Azar’s grandmother’s dying wish to have one more Da’vita’olivo ceremony in her honor, and they did. The whole village, men, women, dule sights, and mystics came together in this cave to celebrate Da’vita’olivo. 

They brought their Tri steam-powered lamps. (Despite what Coassian propaganda states, noncoal stream powered lamps were commonplace by the time the Agrippas came to rule). They placed them along the cave's edge, creating an illuminated mist that swept through the cave floor. They brought lamb, unleavened bread, wine, grapes, and of course, olives for their feast. There was music and dancing; there were stories and games, and yes, there were rituals.

Mystics and dual sites might have led the rituals, but everyone participated. Just because these groups had different roles to play doesn’t make them any less important than one another. They're merely different. Why did Agrippina’s and Coassian’s see that as a bad thing? The rituals, to Azar, were reminders that everyone at the end of the day were the children of Sol and Luna and inhabitants of the world.

The man before her was comforting in a way. He reminded her of that day. Of that time, once in her life when everything seemed to be ok, and almost right. He was almost right. But he’s just a man, a Coassian man, an Agrippa apologist. It breaks her heart, almost.

“What do you want to talk about?” the man asked.

Azar sat back up and showed him his paper, “This.”

“You’ve read it?” he sat up, grabbing the paper from her.

“Yes, it’s awful,” Azar said.

“Look, I know it’s a little rough around the edges…”

“It’s misleading and incomplete and grossly out of context,” Azar said.

The man rolled his eyes, “Oh, really like what?”

“Well, take your explanation of ceremonies. The ceremonies were more like what Coassian’s would call festivals. They were large celebrations or parties where the whole community gets together to celebrate. The rituals had more meaning than ‘showing off the mystics power.’ Take, for instance, the ritual used to start the ceremony of Da’vita’olivo.”

“What?” the man interrupts.

Azar rolled her eyes. Spirit, this man is stupid, “the day of Vita and Oliver.”

“Oh, that one. I forgot.”

Sure, he did.

“Anyways, as I was saying, everyone gathers around the olive tree and the fountain. They are all dressed in their traditional attire, not because they're forced to or anything but because it’s fun and yes, it’s tradition. Three mystics: one life, one water, and one fire stand in the center of the circle. The life mystic creates a bunch of roses. Then the water mystic swirls around a couple gallons of water from the fountain picking up the roses and swirling them above overhead, creating a small whirlpool in the sky. Finally, the fire mystic creates a massive fire underneath, heating up the water and letting the rose petals dissolve into the water. Then the water mystic releases the water, showering the rose water over all the attendees. The stems of the roses fall from the sky, and if you catch one, it’s a sign that you will find love within the year, but if you prick your finger on the rose stem, it will mean you will lose a great love. There was this girl you see, a young mystic, though she had not yet come into her own, who pricked herself on the rose stem. She was upset at first, but her parents said it was just an old wise tale and that it didn’t necessarily mean that she would lose someone she loved. But the next day, the Agrippas came with their coal guns spraying her and her mother in a cloud of coal dust then setting her house on fire. Do you even know why coal-powered steam engines were banned in Madicia?”

“Because of some stupid religious…”

“No! It’s because fossil fuel emissions literally kill life mystics. It takes the life out of Earth, but you stupid Coassians didn’t care! You were happy that it kills life mystics because then that was one less ‘enemy’; you had to worry about you selfish assholes!” Azar’s body lit on fire. Soon her legs dissolved into a cloud of flames that hovered just above the man.

The man was shaking. His green eyes were wide with horror, “You…you’re the… the Angi?”

Azar marveled at her inflamed body, then looked out the window as the sun began to rise over the horizon. She smiled; Sol had not abandoned her people. She would be the beginning of a new legacy. She glared down at the petrified man. She had gotten what she needed from him. He was useless to her now. She now knows what he is, a coward, and a simple man. Her legacy was sealed, and in nine months, she will have the next Agua, and the cycle will continue whether he liked it or not.

She fell back on the bed, reverting back to her human form. She gasped and looked over at the father of her future child. He didn’t even realize what he released in her.

“They’ll kill you,” he murmured as Azar collected her things.

“They can’t,” Azar snapped, putting on her stockings.

“We killed one Angi. We can kill another,” he spat.

Angie stopped, “What did you say?”

“I said we killed one. We can kill another.”

“You, I just thought you were some Coassian asshole, but no you…you Agrippain… Murderer!”

A ball of flame shot out from Azar’s hands, catching the Agrippain on fire. He screamed in agony, trying to put out the fire, but the flames only grew.

“You can’t kill me this time!” The new Angi screamed, “Because I’ll kill you all first!” She slipped on her dress and stomped out the door.

“After all, what more do I have to lose,” she whispered to herself.

[karkkidoeswriting]

Writing Questions Tag

@shewhowalksbehindthewheels​ tagged me, thank you! :)

1. Describe the plot in one sentence.

The Empress tries to wipe out a noble family, but four of their children manage to survive and when 13 years later they are adults they fight back.

2. Pick one sight, smell, sound, feel, and taste to describe the aesthetic of your novel.

Weary castle behind a misty field, smell of gunpowder, accelerating pound of a steam locomotive, softness of a fine silk, taste of your own blood

3. Which 3+ songs would make up a playlist for the novel?

Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata Erik Satie - Gnossienne, nro. 4 Hans Zimmer - “Mountains” from Interstellar Auri - Night 13 CMX - Kuoleman Risteyksestä Kolme Virstaa Pohjoiseen (English: “From the crossing of death three miles towards north”) Mokoma - Sydänjuuret (English: “The roots of hearth”)

Sorry, I couldn’t keep it shorter but I could have add a lot more songs :D

4. What’s the time period and location in which the novel takes place.

It takes place in a fantasy world that is inspired from several different times and places, but the world is going through industrialization. The main setting, Angusian Empire, is inspired mostly from Roman Empire and 19th century Europe, but it’s a very heterogeneous Empire, so different areas are inspired from different places. For example Cabalusia is inspired kinda from Scotland and Celts. Then there is the secondary setting, Dir’ahin, which is inspired from the Sami people, Japan and Ainu people who were from Japan too. And then there is Manoa, which is also a big kindom and has many influences. It’s mostly inspired by Imperial Russia, Mongolia and China. It’s a whole continent so a lot of different cultures fit there.

6. Are there any former titles you’ve considered but discarded?

Actually no. The whole thing didn’t have a title for the longest time. It could still change though if I come up with something better.

7. What’s the first line of your novel?

“In year 495 on the first autumn morning of frost begun the Fall of cor Mantgamias, who had ruled Cabalusia for a millennia.”

8. What’s a dialogue you’re particularly proud of?

I’ve posted this earlier and it might not be the best dialogue I’ve written, but I think it’s funny :D For context Valeri and cor Faélin just had a drunken fight.

Valeri reeled of his feet, but cor Faélin took hold of his armpit before he fell on the ground.

“And you’re supposedly an heir to an ancient royal family?” Cor Faélin rolled his eyes.

“I still trashed you. I would mind you that”, Valeri said.

“Yes, yes. It was quite shameful.”

They headed towards the inn. Valeri’s stomach was unsettled. He hoped he could keep it’s insides where it belonged, inside. “You weren’t wrong though. My reasons for being here are pretty selfish. I joined the army was to escape jail. My little brother was a child back then, and I would have left him in the streets completely alone. He deserved better.” He leaned on a streetlight for a while. Dizziness come over him in waves and forced him to swallow down vomit. Damn, he hated vomiting. Please not now. Some pain too creeped down his hip, but he continued forward.

“My eldest brother died there too. At Bear Castle, that is. He had just graduated from the academy. The cor Faélin was there.”

“I know.” Before he could say anything else, penetrating pain paralyzed his side. He leaned on the railing of the bridge crossing the cove. Of course the knife had hit him in the burned side.

“As I said earlier, you shouldn’t reveal so easily your secrets to your enemies.” A crooked smile curled on cor Faélin’s lips. Or at least there was an attempt for that. His face didn’t seem to work properly.

“Oh, shut up”, Valeri hissed in pain. He brushed his side. It felt wet. He lifted the hand on the level of his eyes, but even in the glow of streetlights, it took him a while to focus his eyes on the hand. It was bloodied. “How deep did you stab me?”

“Clearly not deep enough.”

9. Which line from the novel most represents it as a whole?

I don’t really know, too many lines. Maybe this one: “Let’s just say it’s my sacrifice for the better future.”

10. Who are your character faceclaims?

I have only one faceclaim and it’s for Cassia. Faceclaims are hard to find especially as I’ve drawn them all. But Cassia’s faceclaim is Eva Green because even before I drew her, I thought about her as Eva Green.

11. Sort your characters into Harry Potter houses!

Valeri: Huffelpuff (The hat would give him opportunity to choose between Huffelpuff and Gryffindor and he would choose Huffelpuff) Faerathos: Ravenclaw Fiolew: Slytherin Cassia: Slytherin (The hat would give her opportunity to choose between Ravenclaw and Slytherin and she would choose Slytherin) Agrippa: Gryffindor

Some side characters (because this is fun) Marcus: Gryffindor Augustus: Huffelpuff cor Faélin: Ravenclaw Gid’alon: Ravenclaw Alexis: Slytherin Julie: Gryffindor

12. Which character’s name do you like the most?

I like most Agrippa’s given name, Gal’eivil. In Ahinian (for which I have come up with some dictionary) ‘gal’ is daughter or princess and ‘eivil’ is red. In the royal family of Dir’ahin the heir is named always named “Gal’(something)”. Colors are pretty common parts of names and Agrippa had bright red hair even when she was born so there comes the ‘eivil’.

13. Describe each character’s daily outfit.

Faerathos: Tail coat, vest, leather boots and scholar’s blue cloak. His clothes are usually dark and cold toned or light gray. They are provided him by the court so they are usually pretty good quality. In public he uses his silver beech laurel wreath, that is the sign of his doctorate. Cassia: Silk dresses with flowing cloths tied with ornate brooches, long gloves, jewelry, diadem and white fur coat. Her clothes are usually green or dark red. Fiolew: Tail coat, vest, leather boots and top hat. His clothes are usually blue or black and they are tailored but pretty modest and simple. Valeri: He has usually his uniform; black tail coat, breastplate, riding boots, leg plates and captain’s red cape. Other than that he uses quite standard male clothes usually in brow and red earthly colors. Agrippa: flowing silk dresses with puffy hem, not much jewelry, golden diadem, cloths tied and is barefooted when it’s possible. Her dresses are ornate and made from expensive materials, they sometimes have gems or glass stitched in them. She prefers red, orange, yellow, gold and light blue.

14. Do any characters have distinctive birthmarks/scars?

Agrippa has a lot, I mean A LOT, of freckles. Her face is packed with them and they are all over her body. Half of Valeri’s back is covered in burns. He also has a scar that reaches from the corner of his eye across his face to his upper lip and some minor scars too. Fiolew has long scars in his left arm.

15. Which character most fits a character trope?

I don’t think none of them fit perfectly any trope, but maybe Gid’alon fits best to the “eccentric scientist” trope.

16. Which character is the best writer? Worst?

Julie and Faerathos are probably best writers, though they have very different writing styles. Faerathos writes poetry and has that beautiful kind of style. Julie on the other hand writer prose and has very forward and very engaging writing style. Her novels are exiting and thrilling.

17. Which character is the best liar? Worst?

Fiolew and Alexis (Agrippa’s adoptive father) fight for the first place. Fiolew is compulsive liar and believes into his own lies. Alexis is more subtle. He doesn’t really lie, he just slightly manipulates truth very effectively.

18. Which character swears the most? Least?

Fiolew probably swears the most at least from the main cast. Julie doesn’t swear at all.

19. Which character has the best handwriting? Worst?

I think Cassia has very beautiful and elegant hand and even though Agrippa is the artist her handwriting is very sloppy in noble standards. But Fiolew has the worst handwriting. He learned to write as late as age 10, so he haven’t had a lot of practice.

20. Which character is most like you? Least like you?

Faerathos is probably most like me and I’d say that Valeri is the least like me.

21. Which character would you most like to be?

None of them :D Like pretty bad shit is happening to all of them and none of them are exactly the perfect role models. I do admire some aspects of them, but I wouldn’t want to be them really.

Tagging @madmoonink, @kainablue, @midnightstreetwanderings, @violet-clouds-and-skies and @hell-yeah-fantasy!