#punic mood

[luckyvalentin3]

Stop making pintrest mood boards and start researching the Punic wars

[artejoke]

I have mood poisoning

Giovanni Boccaccio (Robinet Testard, Illuminator), De Mulieribus Claris (Sophonisba), between 1488 and 1496, Bibliothèque Nationale de France

Sophonisba (c. 225–203 BC) was a Carthaginian noblewoman who lived during the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage. When Rome was eventually victorious, she poisoned herself rather than fall into Roman hands. (*Sigh*, I would have preferred a version of this where she poisoned the Romans instead.)

[xanthiasonadonkey]

Hannibal

Let's see you make a way where there is none - says Fate; Through ice, through storms, through iron, blood. It's not too late - Settle down. Be a good boy. Let them have what they want so much. They might trample you last, and you'll get gold shackles - It's a good trade, worthy of Hanno, so play nice. Nobody likes a warmonger - don't trust your eyes, Nor your ears. The wolves can be reasoned with. Just obey, And learn to call thralldom peace, like a well- fed slave. Losers get pity, at least. Fight - and you are the villain, Named traitor by traitors, cruel by those who grind Nations to dust. Is Qart Hadasht worth it? (Yes, it is.) The winds Change - any sailor will tell you. Those who resist Are salt, are ash, are crow dinner - they fall: tragic. Don't court Aiskhylos. You never liked him anyway. catch it - The current. Guess it can take you somewhere; who cares - Well, besides you. Is victory worth eve- rything? An eye, sleepless nights, scars... say, where are your brothers? It all ends in poison. But Cannae still thunders - Laughter in inevitability's blank face, Something greater even than Qart Hadasht (It hurts, That name.) You would still go to the ends of the earth For the idiots. Here is an ancient secret I guessed: You would still do it all over again.

[libidomechanica]

Untitled (“The supreme author (to whose light”)))

The supreme author (to  whose light to be it when  I studied with our  humane discourse the thorns 

and with Sylvia they meet; so  unhappy in bed and here each  to be very placed, an ill death,  leaves, at love not, and judge the 

sense; but Im old and lost hath of love the  found the breathe oer books that  inhabits you run and home to  quench in my life at stranger, I my 

selfe pype vpon the dove w as a cheats, with a desperate  Love drifts into  itself, in the other without, 

or wil warlock, exclaiming;—Juan! “ O yours) ‘“have told time enough  for a locked here, bringing a  song. May neer her sex nor and 

waters and my bodhisattva of new  roses  proposing were; robert  Burns: ‘fie on “t,” if I have been  quite worn to do with 

wingèd brow, so that is it? Alone  is smiling fruit with which  sighs. S another of hurt or few,  do hang upon the diamond door 

of his Discoursing inch by inch,’ for  nature bear our virtue  kept: all sing, hidden, warm, etc. The  woodbine leaves, the whole army, 

which if I spoke in fire,  the sash a shriek rings; the  statues, frankincense, Was small which  of shot and bosom swell? ‘

as a million, which else unhurt, she die!  And yet in a share in  moods and make him from human,  the woods; of lofty Cypress 

his sleepe’ in like the eastern  bower. All to-night, from  the weed-covered in the Castle  wa, she heauenly Grace wanted 

only said, and to eternal  chemistries vary— thought  quitted them free, and all but us  three days, and star, though that you all, ‘“

id catch cold hath no redeeming grape— I  might knows” thy proud man thy adjuration:  the could just as he satte in  any wish forbear, and a nosegay: 

drop like some third night to bedew  then and say is it Man  or like earring out; too justify  the many a pleasures are,’ 

and never take quarters! The night  legitimate weight the Heaven  in lonely heavnly rich in the  bath and then I venturer sips my 

cheek the men, the wrecked, and more  crueltie farre like their two signs, which way back                  and night I am: and I almost  crashed, the louder roard, seeing, friend 

or foul hypocrites, admird! Till by which  cut off, for mend the case  without the fallow, to  the road where the heartbeat 

they live in and Moon would winds  to testify the free;  a princess—why not made to be  sick of angel of a 

name” and dark, let us have fled? Our  beauty hold his heart,    into  my foot, (the antipodes  of things; Who had mannd the 

mere victors may be Punic and a  his door. and the happy  wilt have ebbs of fame: he must value mountains  by sun and then to thy flight 

on my fashion. I thought my Rosalind there.  Of wreaths burning, hey ding a  glow shall Pity as a prehistoric  monster, yet since, then he was 

he heroes who would lovely hand? Heo may  in my heart beat, night-fowl crow: the  day and Hate thing, ding; sweet voices  of his living to come 

hame. “‘For boys no less amorous rage and  heaun of my blind brakes and died  for supernovas, and I, alone.”)’”  Drops’ A thief. and the same. 

[enemyofrome]

dear yuletide author 2019

Hello, Yuletide Author!

Thank you so much for writing for me! I have rambled at great length about my favourite fandoms and characters, but (besides the DNWs) everything in this letter is intended only as suggestions -- please don’t feel limited to the ideas I’ve put down here. I hope you have fun with this, and I’m already super excited to read whatever you come up with! :D

Things I like: humour, enemies-to-lovers, competence, sparring, healing from past trauma, characters who appear imperturbable or flippant but are riddled with painful vulnerabilities, and the reluctant showing of that vulnerability. I’ll read anything from plotty intrigue to plotless fluff. Also 1000000% here for AUs (modern, ancient, coffee shop, soulmate, whatever) and crossovers between any or all of my requested fandoms. Historical accuracy appreciated; historical liberties welcome.

Tropes I’d rather not read: genderswaps, A/B/O, conflicts based on misunderstandings, het ships.

Things I don’t want to read: incest, rape, abuse, “period-typical” sexism/homophobia, graphic violence or torture, erasure of canonical disabilities. Toxic family dynamics are a particular trigger and I’d rather a fic not focus on them too much, even if it’s canon. I read all ratings, but I tend to skim sex scenes unless they do something for plot and characterisation.

2017 letter here.

Requests:

1. Carthaginian Historical RPF (Hasdrubal, Mago, Hannibal)

I love the younger Barca brothers with my entire goblin soul, and there is so little satisfactory fiction that treats them as characters in their own right, rather than  sidekicks or lesser copies of Hannibal. So I would absolutely liquefy over a fic that gave them the attention they deserve, and explored their relationships with each other and the rest of their family.

(Hannibal optional. Scipibal more than welcome but also optional.)

Their lives are obviously fraught with tragic endings, but I would prefer not to read deathfic, or family dynamics that are unremittingly hateful, abusive or toxic. On the other hand I never say no to lighthearted fluff, you feel?

Ideas:

Battle of the Upper Baetis, aka Hasdrubal And Mago Are Capable of Strategic Badassery Too!

Blood oath! Did the younger brothers swear it too? There's a story that their father died to save Hannibal and Hasdrubal while they were getting chased by angry Spaniards -- how'd that go down? What was their relationship with Hamilcar like? What about their mother and mysterious unnamed sister(s)?

Sibling bonding! Pranks! Cracky extended family gatherings! The Scipibal wedding! (Trying not to kill the Roman-in-laws at the reception!)

Modern AU! Carthage Wins AU! Etc. (Just no The Barcids As Romans AUs, please.)

If you're looking for more inspiration, or just eye candy, here's a docudrama starring Alexander Siddig as Hannibal. There's also Extra History for a quick and humorous if not wholly accurate crash course on the First and Second Punic Wars, featuring some adorable stick figures.

2. Dialogues - Plato (Alkibiades)

Alkibiades ranks very near the top of my Favourite Historical Assholes list, and as a character he combines all the tropes I love to read about most in fiction: the brilliant, silvertongued charmer with all that dash, flamboyance, too few scruples, and maybe some good intentions buried deep, deep down inside. I never get sick of his complexities and contradictions, and I would love to read a fic that teases those out.

Ideas:

Youthful exploits! Scandals! (I’m endlessly amused by the fact that there is an entire genre of Renaissance paintings of Sokrates dragging Alkibiades out of various brothels.)

My hell ship: Alkibiades/the entire city of Athens. There’s a line in Aristophanes’ Frogs ("They pine for him, they hate him, dismiss him, and want him back") that is the most delicious sort of pain ever, if you’re in the mood to write something angsty.

On that note, there’s no one person that I ship Alkibiades with, but I’m happy for you to pair him romantically with just about anyone else in the Symposium.

We see a lot of Alkibiades from an outsider’s POV -- in the Symposium and other dialogues, in Plutarch and Thucydides and Aristophanes, in Mary Renault’s The Last of the Wine -- but I don’t think I’ve ever read anything set in Alkibiades’ own headspace. What does he want, really? How does he feel about Sokrates and the rest of their squad? In exile, does he pine for Athens as much as it pines for him?

3. The Untamed (Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji)

Listen I’m only halfway through the show at the time of signups BUT it’s already murdering me with feels and I will definitely be done with it by Yuletide reveals, so don’t worry about spoilers. Just know that I am entirely here for nauseating Wangxian fluff, preferably angstless, and will screech over it relentlessly.

I obviously haven’t read a ton of fic about these characters or developed specific prompts/headcanons about them, but! here are some Ideas:

Casefic! Fighting creepies together! I love how they work together in the show and how in tune they are with each other’s thoughts (I think what I told my gf was, “they are dumbasses in the same way”). Competence kink! Murderous music kink! One of them gets injured and hurt/comfort ensues!

Schoolfic! College AU! Maybe they have to work on a group project or research paper together and LWJ is resigned to having to do all the work himself, and suffers an emotion when WWX actually gets shit done.

Awkward meet-the-in-laws situations! (If you take this route, I’d prefer an AU where Shijie is somehow alive and happy and Jiang Cheng relaxes his fucken eyebrows for a change.)

WWX’s “LAN ZHAN LAN ZHAN :DDDDDDD” mating call.

BUNNIES. Little Apple the donkey. BUNNIES.

dnws: WWX topping in any way, shape or form

[catilinas]

favourite books of 2018

looking through letterboxes - caroline bird. she published this when she was 15 and i’m like....... h. the poem about your head falling off? excellent. also i met caroline bird and she signed my copy and called me a goblin. i’d die for her

attis - tom holland. archeology student catullus is digging up a stone circle in “modern rome”. it’s got poetry (romantic and otherwise), a murder cult, political shenanigans, and...... clowns. weirdest book i’ve maybe ever read and it took me a month to decide that i’d actually liked it. also a very hilarious caelius

selected poems - w.s. graham. young poets net introduced me to w.s. graham and he’s now one of my favourite poets ever...... the sea? great. “the poet trawls the dark sea of language to bring home a poem”? absolutely yes. “approaches to how they behave” slaps so hard, philosophically also. and this year was his centenary!

annales - tacitus trans. michael grant. i binge read this at the beach and it was great..... tacitus is valid actually! also i imprinted on book 1 when i studied it for A Level latin and now it’s my mother

the poems of catullus - catullus trans. frank copley. my overall favourite translation of catullus!! in a vaguely e.e. cummings style and also it’s hilarious. “JULIUS CAESAR, YOU’RE A SNOT / I DON’T GIVE A DAMN IF YOU LIKE ME OR NOT” big! mood!

memorial - alice oswald. this is the best piece of media based off the iliad of all time ever. i read it all in one sitting and almost cried. (honourable mention to war music by christopher logue though!)

the odyssey - homer trans. emily wilson. the odyssey slaps and this translation slaps but most of all the introduction to this translation slaps. together w the text itself...... made me think really hard abt translation! wilson is important not necessarily bcs of her gender but bcs she’s using her gender to make the translator stop being invisible,

catiline: a tragedy - george croly. weird plays about catilina are my niche but this one was Extra my niche for making the conspirators marians? sexy general aurelia orestilla? cethegus’ gay jailbreak? alt history pistoria? 10/10

carthage must be destroyed - richard miles. i know things about carthage now! the stuff abt how carthage Developed was funky! i think also that making my first experience of the full narrative of the 2nd punic war be from carthage’s perspective is gonna be interesting In The Future

the rise of rome: from the iron age to the punic wars - kathryn lomas. got told to be interested in the principate but i got interested in very early rome instead, whoops. the chapters alternate between being about italy and rome, so you can see rome developing In italy, and compare, and !!! also for a book covering a period that contains Many Wars, it did Not bore me by going into detail! yes!!!

[stirringwinds]

i’m in such a punic wars helltalia mood rn. because carthage and like, rome before he became Dead Ancestor. young rome and his 200 near-death experiences and making shit up as he went along. 

[elainesknight]

Marius, Sulla & Selfies

Based on this post @gayusoctgayvius and I decided to collaborate in order to create the Sullarius post this site needs. I wrote the text and the super talented @gayusoctgayvius made the illustrations! 

Gaius Marius watched the camera as if it might attack him at any moment. Lucius Cornelius Sulla sighed deeply.

“It’s not going to work if you just stare at it, you know?” he said and leaned back against the wall next to Marius. He could not believe that he had had to come to Marius’ house for this. The old general crossed his arms.

“I just don’t see why this is necessary.”

Sulla rolled his eyes. They had had this talk approximately ten times in the last two hours.

“You want to be elected consul, right?” It was like talking with a child.

“Yes, of course” answered Marius who already knew where this was going. “But I was elected consul before. Quite often, if I may say so. And I’ve never had to take a strange picture before!”

“Times have changed!”

Marius shook his head, still not convinced. Sulla silently cursed himself for even suggesting that he and Marius could go for a joint consulship. The old oaf would definitely ruin it with his irrational fear of everything new. But they had already told a significant amount of people about it, including Julia, Marius’ wife, who had beamed so proudly because of their effort to “finally be friends again” that there was no turning back now. Sulla took a deep breath and tried to change his strategy.

“So, remember your military reforms?” he started. Marius nodded.

“The Roman Army won battles before that, right? The Punic Wars, for example.”

“Yes, correct. What do you want to tell me?” asked Marius who was in a more agreeable mood now as he liked it when they talked about his accomplishments.

“Yet you still changed something! Why did you do that?”

“Well, these were different tim- ah. You have me there.” Sulla raised his fist in triumph. Marius, however, was not quite ready to accept defeat.

“Yes, but my reforms were actually necessary. I don’t understand how taking a picture of myself could help me – help us – become consul!”

“Just believe me that it is necessary! Look, I did it too!” said Sulla and moved to show Marius the selfies he had already taken. They all showed Sulla in various sexy poses wearing varying quantities of clothing. Marius looked at the pictures, at Sulla and back at the pictures.

“I’m not doing that.”

Sulla shuddered at the thought. Then he regained his senses and gestured wildly.

“You don’t have to take your pictures exactly the same way I did! We cannot all be as hot as me.” Sulla shrugged nonchalantly and Marius nodded in agreement.

“Well, what kind of picture should I take then?” he asked and Sulla tried his best to come up with a swift answer. It was already a victory that Marius had agreed to take a selfie at all. Now, he must not ruin it.

“You have to do something that the people will recognize and remember. Be creative!”

“You know I’m not creative. I mean, at least not in that area.”

Sulla gave him an exasperated look and Marius held up his hands in surrender.

“Yes, yes! I’ll do it!”

Gingerly he picked up the camera and held it at arm’s length away from himself. Sulla shook his head.

“You have to hold it the other way round. So you can see the screen.”

“I know!”

Marius was clearly uncomfortable at this point.

“What’s your problem?”

“I can’t do it when you’re watching!”

“Gods!” cried Sulla and turned around to face the wall. “Are you happy now?”

“Yes!” A short pause. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright. Just do it.”

Sulla heard Marius fumbling with the camera and muttering to himself. Then finally he heard the clicking sound that told him that Marius had finally managed to take a picture. He turned around and saw Marius critically looking at the screen.

“Have you managed it?” asked Sulla.

Marius looked up and shrugged.

“I don’t know how to look at the pictures I’ve taken. But it’s probably fine.”

He put the camera back on the table. Sulla was not convinced but before he could ask further questions Marius moved towards the door.

“Well, I’ll go to the Campus Martius now. Have fun taking your selfies. But if Julia sees you, I’ll throw you off the Tarpeian Rock.”

“Yes, general” said Sulla and saluted half-hearted. Marius shook his head and left. As soon as he was out of sight Sulla checked the pictures.

There was only one.

And it showed nothing but Marius’ giant eyebrow.

Sulla closed his eyes and ordered some wine.

[thediaryofalaywright]

March 11, 2013

I went to Bonniers and Gunilla at ten. Nearly freezing to death, minus 13 degrees. I really love Gunilla and her professionalism. She is late with her work for Sara Danius's book. Danius has recently become a member of The Swedish Academy, succeeding Knut Ahnlund. We went through the editor's notes. The editor is Gunilla Berglund who I, strangely enough, thought of when I walked up the stairs to the publishing house, and I remembered the nervosity and expectation I used to feel when I first came there, at the beginning of the sixties. By that time Gunilla Berglund, Harriet, and Elisabeth were sitting to the right of the staircase, and I wondered where Gunilla and Elisabeth had gone. Gunilla Berglund lives close to Slussen and on Österlen. I don't know where Elisabeth is. I meet Harriet maybe once a year on Söder. Said hi to Eva. - I don't know anymore how veiled my diary is to myself. Should I have waited with the publication until after my death, or close to my death. Perhaps it is no longer a sort of extended Geniza, where I lay all my old holy trash, that is before myself, for myself, but with the intention of sharing it with those interested. - We also went through my corrections and deletions and I recounted my talk with Åsa. I have misunderstood Scelsis's date of birth, placing his first string quartets under the silent period. Holy debris, how are they supposed to become that. Dust without origin. I started reading Heidegger again yesterday, read some episodes to Gunilla who said it was incredibly beautiful. It is. It goes straight inside of me, to places I no longer knew existed. But it is a long way between him and Simone Weil. Yet, they share the de-creation and the need for it. Fragment, June, she walks around in her dead boyfriend's winter clothes. This morning I saw the manuscript for Rekviem before my eyes, concretely to the left on the desk. There were the pages. My work is very shattered, but perhaps it is the shattering itself that is the actual soul of it all, as Hegel imagined it, continuously repeating itself. That's how I experience the theater, and the writing. And myself. A split, however, which doesn't hurt and whose shivers are stronger than the whole, at least it shines brighter on a distance, but simultaneously consumes and strengthens that which should be overcome. Text-message from A who asks if we can send the daycare fee straight to Inga. I said yes and asked if we can discuss times and dates with Sasha tonight. I thought a lot about the summer tonight. How I shall travel down and clean the houses and then be able to go there with Sasha over weekends, from Friday to Monday. - Did I mean the Punic wars or the Peloponnesian. What is the name of the Danish director who lay with a naked body in the sunshine on the windowsill because it relieved the pain from his leukemia. - A radical outdatedness is what I can imagine. I went home quickly, bought food at A Tavola and Coop. The deportation of the Jewish population during the second world war became stunningly real to me when I read the beautiful inscriptions on plaques placed over certain doorways in Marais. Soon I will be visited by two men who will investigate the water damage in my roof once again. I guess this is the fourth time in three years. 

I haven't reached Hegel yet. I'm walking backward. I must find Žižek's Hegel volume. But I do have a few of Hegel's own texts. My life is not enough. I should also find the time to live what I read. I must change the meeting with Benny Andersson tomorrow until Thursday instead, if he can. - I was supposed to write the first page of Rekviem, the first photography, but was seized by anxiety. As if I was about to walk into an unknown prison. A prison of boundless reach. The actual work is an extended act of annihilation. Destroying the fantasy in order to give rise to it. - The boundless work is found in every single confined word, but it is not the boundlessness, and it is no less confined by the fact that it also occurs in the confinement. The self in me is the time of my self pouring through it. I'm not the least interested in the biography of my self. I am interested in it as a string or a porous border against or by the fact of the world and matter. What shall I let through and what shall I issue. Who I am doesn't really matter. Not the self as a sculpture, which claims to contain my states and moods and that which has come to characterize me. My border is simultaneously against and for. - Now I have reached the chapter “God”, with all of what that entails in Schelling's writing. He throws Plato's definition of “God” overboard. I will see if it's a god who appears just because he does not exist, and in that he doesn't exist. It starts to look like a long walk with a person suffering from God-Tourette, and who is completely logical in his madness. I'm joking. In certain philosophy madness requires logic. 

[ghaw2007]

7 Pomegranate Seed Benefits

7 Pomegranate Seed Benefits

1. Natural Aphrodisiac

In many cultures, pomegranates have been associated with fertility and abundance for centuries because of their many, many seeds, but in recent years, headlines are even raving about pomegranate’s Viagra effect. A study by Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh found that consumption of pure pomegranate juice significantly increased salivary testosterone levels (average of 24 percent) in addition to positive effects on blood pressure and mood. Elevated testosterone can lead to heightened moods and increased sexual desire. (5)

Concerns about erectile dysfunction? Pomegranate juice has been shown to be beneficial in increasing blood flow and erectile response in animal studies so benefits of pomegranate as a natural remedy for impotence might soon be found for humans as well. (6)

2. Reduce Arthritis & Joint Pain

Arthritis is an inflammation of one or more joints, causing pain and stiffness that can worsen with age. There are more than 3 million cases of arthritis in the U.S. each year. Pomegranates make the list for natural arthritis treatments since they’re a source of antioxidants called flavonols, which act as anti-inflammatory agents in the body.

Animal testing demonstrates that pomegranate seed extract may reduce the onset and incidence of collagen-induced arthritis. Studies conducted with animal subjects also show that the severity of arthritis and joint inflammation were significantly reduced with consumption of pomegranate extract. (7)

If you’re already on medication for arthritis, check with your doctor before adding pomegranate products to your daily routine. 

3. Fight Cancer

When it comes to cancer, more and more research shows that pomegranate seeds are a potent cancer-fighting food. Pomegranate has been shown to exert anti-tumor effects on various types of cancer cells.

Multiple studies show that pomegranate extracts inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells and even stimulate the programmed cell death of breast cancer cells. (8, 9, 10) Pomegranate seed oil contains punicic acid, an omega-5 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid that has been shown to inhibit breast cancer proliferation. (11)

Further research suggests that drinking pomegranate juice may also slow the growth of prostate cancer, the leading cancer for men in the U.S. In a study of male subjects with recurrent prostate cancer and rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, researchers found that taking pomegranate juice extract significantly slowed the rate at which PSA was rising. Other studies have found that certain compounds in pomegranate juice show potent anti-tumorigenic effects and inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cells in the laboratory. (12, 13)

4. Lower Blood Pressure

The juice of pomegranate seeds contains different types of antioxidants and bioactive polyphenols that have been reported to promote cardiovascular health, including healthy blood pressure levels, through several mechanisms.

A 2013 study concluded that consumption of pomegranate juice should be considered in the context of both dietary and pharmacological interventions for hypertension (high blood pressure). (14) Another study published in Phytotherapy Research also found that pomegranate juice is a beneficial cardio-protective supplement for hypertensive subjects and lowered blood pressure naturally after just two weeks of daily intake.

5. Fight Bacterial Infections

Pomegranates contain hundreds of different bio-active compounds, including ellagic acid, ellagitannins, punicic acid, flavonoids, anthocyanidins, anthocyanins, estrogenic flavonols and flavones, which appear to be the most therapeutically beneficial pomegranate components. Pomegranate extracts have been used since ancient times to treat several conditions, including parasitic and microbial infections, diarrhea, ulcers, aphthae, hemorrhage and respiratory complications.

Not surprisingly, pomegranates have been suggested to stimulate probiotic bacteria, thus enhancing their beneficial effects at fighting bacterial infections, according to research published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (16)

6. Improve Heart Health

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and also associated with cognitive decline. The juice made from pomegranate seeds contains antioxidants at higher levels than many other fruit juices, and pomegranate juice may block or slow the buildup of cholesterol in the arteries of people who are at higher risk of heart disease.

Research published in Clinical Nutrition studied pomegranate juice consumption by patients with carotid artery stenosis, which is a narrowing of either of the two key arteries located in the front of the neck, through which blood from the heart goes to the brain. Participants who consumed pomegranate juice lowered their blood pressure by over 12 percent and had a 30 percent reduction in atherosclerotic plaque.

Participants who did not take the pomegranate juice actually saw their atherosclerotic plaque increase by 9 percent. Overall, the study found that pomegranate juice consumption reduced plaque in the carotid artery as well as lowered blood pressure and LDL oxidation. (17, 18)

7. Improve Memory

Studies have reported memory and other cognitive benefits of polyphenols, which are found abundantly in pomegranate seeds and their juice. One study published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine generated intriguing data suggesting that pomegranate polyphenols may provide long-lasting protection from heart surgery-induced memory retention deficits.

There was a clear pattern of postsurgical memory improvement in the pomegranate group across all of the memory domains tested, with an especially strong and long-lasting protective effect in the memory retention domain. (19)

Another study had elderly individuals with memory complaints drink eight ounces of either pomegranate juice or a flavor-matched placebo drink for four weeks. The subjects who drank pomegranate juice had significantly improved markers of verbal and visual memory. (20)

In addition, animal studies conducted by the Department of Psychology at Loma Linda University have shown the neuro-protective benefits of pomegranates and that incorporating pomegranates into your diet might help delay the onset or slow progression of Alzheimer’s disease, showcasing pomegranate’s ability as an Alzheimer’s natural treatment. (21) Another animal study also showed that pomegranate seed extract exhibited therapeutic potential for memory and muscular coordination, which was most likely related to the extract’s anti-oxidative and free radical-scavenging actions.

http://musicbanter.com/song-writing-lyrics-poetry/79770-ghaw2007s-lyrics-collection.html http://futureproducers.com/forums/production-techniques/songwriting-and-lyricism/ghaw2007s-lyrics-523656 http://musesongwriters.com/forums/index.php?/topic/65827-ghaw2007s-lyrics http://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/topic/55799-ghaw2007s-lyrics http://justusboys.com/forum/threads/435561-ghaw2007-s-Lyrics http://gayheaven.org/showthread.php?t=536605 http://allthelyrics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=159439 http://writerscafe.org/ghaw/writing http://songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=11560.0

[xanthiasonadonkey]

Carthaginem delendam esse

The Lord, mighty among Gods - He had granted you a gift, A final chance for glory, if not victory: He had sent a lion to protect the herd, A blazing torch in your hour of twilight, Mighty, unyielding - to lean upon, To become shield and blade. But, too afraid to grasp steel, you chose gold, Hoped against hope the predator Would just leave his prey alone. Talking, talking, talking, Until your enemies did not hide their contempt anymore, Until the ships burned, And even you found your tears at last. But then he, the rav mahanet, laughed; It was too late for everything, Your own seal marks your doom, Descent into irrelevance - Step by faltering step, To the necropolis of nations, Dusty, wordless. The strong preying on the weak - It happens, you know, It's all ancient history, Water under the bridge. Sheep are never remembered, No matter how much they bleat: The wolves do not speak their language, And, once the lion is no more - The traitor's turn comes next, In a final conflagration, Grander than Elishat's - And salt, salt, salt. It is now time to face The only peace you shall have from the wolves. Yet Baál, Who had given you one last chance - He still weeps tears of salt and fire.

[enemyofrome]

dear yuletide author letter

Hello, Yuletide Author!

Thank you so much for writing for me! I have rambled at great length about my favourite fandoms and characters, but (besides the DNWs) everything in this letter is intended only as suggestions -- please don’t feel limited to the ideas I’ve put down here. I hope you have fun with this, and I’m already super excited to read whatever you come up with! :D

Things I like: humour, enemies-to/as-lovers, competence kink, hurt/comfort, characters who appear imperturbable or flippant but are riddled with painful vulnerabilities, and the reluctant showing of that vulnerability. I’ll read anything from plotty intrigue to plotless fluff. Also 1000000% here for AUs (modern, ancient, coffee shop, soulmate, whatever) and crossovers between any or all of my requested fandoms. Historical accuracy appreciated; historical liberties welcome.

Tropes I’d rather not read: original characters in a main role, genderbends unless specified, A/B/O, conflicts based on misunderstandings or romantic jealousy, het ships.

Things I don’t want to read: incest, rape, abuse, “period-typical” sexism/homophobia, graphic violence or torture, erasure of canonical disabilities. Toxic family dynamics are a particular trigger and I’d rather a fic not focus on them too much, even if it’s canon. I read all ratings, but I tend to skim sex scenes unless they do something for plot and characterisation.

Past letters: 2017 | 2019

Requests:

1. Punic Wars RPF (Hannibal Barca, Scipio Africanus)

Their lives are obviously fraught with war and death and tragic endings, but I would prefer to read something light-hearted and humorous, please. I ship these two to hell and back but would also enjoy them as best friends/frenemies with benefits/partners-in-crime etc, though I would rather you not pair them with anyone else but each other.

(That being said, Scipio is optional. Rome is optional. If you wanted to write a fic that focused exclusively on Hannibal and his family, I’d be so down.)

Ideas:

I love the younger Barca brothers with my entire goblin soul, so needless to say I would absolutely liquefy over a fic that explored Hannibal’s relationship with them. Maybe some kind of post-war reunion where they all miraculously survive and get to come to terms with everything that’s happened (and how Hannibal feels about the fact that they never brought him his reinforcements smh).

Modern AU! “The Barcids live next door to the Scipiones and they keep kicking over each other’s trash cans” AU! (Imagine: Hannibal as an absolutely babetastic professor of military history and Scipio as... idk, a massive beauty youtuber or something. It’s thirst at first sight.)

Cracky extended family gatherings! The Scipibal wedding! Trying not to kill the Roman-in-laws at the reception!

If you're looking for more inspiration, or just eye candy, here's a docudrama starring Alexander Siddig as Hannibal. There's also Extra History for a quick and humorous if not wholly accurate crash course on the First and Second Punic Wars, featuring some adorable stick figures.

2. Peloponnesian War RPF (Alkibiades)

Alkibiades ranks very near the top of my Favourite Historical Assholes list, and as a character he combines all the tropes I love to read about most in fiction: the brilliant, silvertongued charmer with all that dash, flamboyance, too few scruples, and maybe some good intentions buried deep, deep down inside. I never get sick of his complexities and contradictions, and I would love to read a fic that teases those out.

Ideas:

Youthful exploits! Scandals! (I’m endlessly amused by the fact that there is an entire genre of Renaissance paintings of Sokrates dragging Alkibiades out of various brothels.)

My hell ship: Alkibiades/the entire city of Athens. There’s a line in Aristophanes’ Frogs ("They pine for him, they hate him, dismiss him, and want him back") that is the most delicious sort of pain ever, if you’re in the mood to write something angsty.

On that note, there’s no one person that I ship Alkibiades with, but I’m happy for you to pair him romantically with just about anyone else.

We see a lot of Alkibiades from an outsider’s POV -- in the Symposium and other dialogues, in Plutarch and Thucydides and Aristophanes, in Mary Renault’s The Last of the Wine -- but I don’t think I’ve ever read anything set in Alkibiades’ own headspace. What does he want, really? In exile, does he pine for Athens as much as it pines for him?

3. The Sims 4 (any)

Listen I went down a Sims rabbit hole in self-isolation and yes, while there are a billion problems with this game, I actually really enjoy it and can’t stop playing it even though it drives me crazy help.

I haven’t specified any characters and so I don’t have any super specific requests; I’d just love any fic that gives the townies some real personality and explores their relationships with each other (because the game itself doesn’t do that and it’s such a shame). I’m fond of Bella Goth and Morgyn Ember, and my other favourites who aren’t included in the tag set include Luna Villareal, Johnny Zest, Vlad Straud and the Vatores -- just go wild!

Ideas:

Bella getting up to Secret Agent Shenanigans and being an utter badass (ft. absent-minded writer Mortimer wandering around in the background tidying up after her).

Morgyn’s backstory! How they became a sage! What they do with all that untamed magic! Accidentally falling in love with a townie of your choice, maybe! (I’d be partial to Johnny and/or Caleb, myself.)

All the animals. Pets for everyone. (I’m a cat person.)