#thoughts about roman empire

[ihaventcomeupwthanameforaheroyet]

Today in my dream I was Jedediah Smith (NatM character, not the real one, lol) who finally (after a big bottle of liquor!) picked up the courage to kiss Octavius. And it was good!

In case someone haven't seen Night at the Museum, these two guys:

(I guess everyone can figure out which of them is Octavius. Well. Not exactly the Roman man I was thinking about, but... this one is good, too. Good job, dreams department! 👍)

[h0estar]

every now and then i look back on this GIF i have of nalu during tartaros arc and cry about how this particular scene alone solidifies the beauty of their relationship (natsu holding lucy's hand gently in the face of chaos and panic did wonders to my heart)

[belleyousra]

There is something I love about Klaroline and it will always make me ship them more than any other pairing with these characters.

The fact that Caroline Forbes is just Caroline Forbes.

Sometimes I see the argument that « Klaus’ interest in Caroline is foolish and came out of nowhere ».

But? That’s precisely what I love about them. The fact that he didn’t have any reason to fall for her in the first place. After all, she’s just a high school girl in a small town and a regular vampire he found himself drawn to because of her essence and not because of anything about her that could benefit him in some way.

This proves how his love for her was genuine and how it just can’t be matched. Ever.

She wasn’t from any important lineage. She wasn’t a powerful witch, not a doppelgänger, not some girl with important relatives he could firstly use at his own benefit. Yet, he always thought of her as stronger than anyone else.

She was just Caroline Forbes. A girl who had no choice but to fight for herself and found her strength by her own means. He loved her entirely for that and for nothing else. 🤍

[thermodynamic-comedian]

the crazy thing is that malevolent really seems like it's gonna be one of those "there's nothing actually special about this guy, he just has very bad luck." stories but no. there IS something special about that guy. there's a REASON this is happening to him. this story could NOT have happened to anyone else the way it did to him. somehow, for some reason, arthur lester is special. and even more absurdly, this specific version of arthur lester is special. that's insane.

so much of the horror genre is all about how these things could happen to anyone, but malevolent wants you to explicitly know that arthur lester is important. arthur lester is the reason this story is happening. arthur lester is different, in some strange way that even he doesn't fully understand.

and that's what makes him the main character, not just the protagonist.

[astraeajackson]

the "trials and tribulations of apollo"?

nah more like "let's see how long apollo can go before his crazy ex burns america down to the ground all because of That One Time™ circa three thousand years ago when apollo may or may not have drowned said ex in his own bathtub"

[eloise175]

In the latest chapter Callisto looks so surprised after receiving Penelope’s gift. Despite teasing her, he was not expecting such a thing.

It’s always as if he’s glad to get anything from her. It doesn’t matter what the gift is, as long as he knows she thinks of him.

More specifically, Penelope’s gift is a cufflink with healing magic imbedded into the ruby.

She was embarrassed to give him the cufflink because she didn’t know what to give to someone who already had everything; that’s literally her thought process when he opens the box.

Callisto is a little confused by the healing abilities of the gem, but Penelope says it’s so he won’t complain about her lack of healing magic when he hurts himself next, basically hinting at their conversation in Solael after he rescued her from the lizard monsters (ch.116)

He ends up piercing his ear with the cufflink, using it as an earring instead, because he wants to wear it immediately.

So although he teased her for her gift, it means a lot to him. Callisto likes getting her attention, no matter whatever the circumstances may be.

It’s quite obvious that Callisto enjoys the way she ‘fusses’ over his well-being.

He likes seeing her worry for him, because despite being usually cold in their interactions, Penelope does care, and the way she acts whenever he’s injured is proof of it.

Callisto is this way because, as we will learn later on, he truly loves Penelope, she is everything he has. No one’s ever showed care for him like she did, nor did they make him feel like she does. He never gets angry at her for things that would usually spike his temper, but instead he finds her amusing.

Callisto has always had a plan: after ascending the throne, he was going to burn the empire to the ground and start wars upon wars until nothing remained. And yet for Penelope, he didn’t.

He loves her greatly, and even while on the brink of death, Callisto is willing to let Penelope go back to her world because that’s what she wanted. In the side stories he can be defined only as clingy, and it’s such a different look on him than what we’ve seen so far.

Callisto also mentioned how he thought that his lust and desire were killed on the battlefield by trampling around blood, but this changes when he’s with Penelope.

She is the only thing on his mind, yet Callisto doesn’t seem to mind, it’s the opposite actually.

[brother-emperors]

Agrippa, Antony, Actium

I cleaned up an old sketch I did of Antony and Agrippa when I was doing some reading about Actium: it was one of those ideas that I thought would make a cool painting until I realized I’d have to render the ocean and blood diffusing through the water 🫠

something something rival dogs of war. Antony and Agrippa actually ended up being the least interesting thing about Actium imo, when you realize the ocean became a tomb of the unburied. imperialist violence and and dynastic rivalries infecting the water. etc and so forth.

⭐ I have a tip jar (ko-fi)!

⭐ and other places I’m at! bsky / pixiv / pillowfort /cohost / cara.app

[lettuceish]

this edit has indefinitely changed my life for some reason, i think about it every day, im not even joking

[wild-flowerhoney]

u know that orpheus and eurydice trend on tiktok about looking back? its kinda making me think of percico constantly trying to keep sight of the other and never managing it. percy turning back just a moment too late, after nico's already stepped into the shadows and disappeared. nico turning back just a moment too early and looking away from percy's happiness, completely missing the way percy looks back at him.

the love is in the looking back. and they keep doing it, in spite of the fact that they're both convinced that they're the only one looking.

"i don't care if you don't love me enough to do the same, i'll keep looking for you."

they make me insane

[bisexualfemalemess]

From Colin “I would never dream of courting Penelope Featherington, not in you wildest fantasies, Fife.”Bridgerton to Colin “For God’s sake, Penelope Featherington, Are you gonna Marry me or not?”Bridgerton. That is what we call Growth. No because Mans had like one kiss before begging on his knees that she give him a chance and a finger-fuck later he decides he’s gonna wife her up so hard, It is official that Colin Bridgerton fell sooo much harder for Penelope Featherington

[steggymus]

steve harrington is my roman empire

[2nd2ndalto]

here is a smol ides of march au

Leo taps Nico’s leg with the flat of his gladius. “Look sharp, di Angelo, the big boss is coming through,” he mutters. 

Nico shifts from where he’d been slumped against the wall of the Forum, pulling himself to his full (yes, really) height and tipping up his chin. It’s his least favorite time of day to be on guard; the midday sun is beating down on the stone walls and the gravel at his feet, and the damn helmet isn’t helping matters. He couldn’t find his own this morning, so he’s wearing Reyna’s, and it keeps sliding down his sweaty forehead.

Nico half-listens to the conversation as Caesar and his companions draw nearer.

“Forget not, in your speed, Antonius, to touch Calpurnia; for our elders say the barren, touched in this holy chase, shake off this sterile curse,” Caesar says, characteristically self-important. 

Leo quirks an eyebrow at Nico, and Nico tries not to laugh. 

Then, “Caesar!” someone calls. The voice is creaky, ethereal. Nico shivers. 

The general stops short, his entire entourage grinding to a halt around him. One of them knocks into Leo, then grabs Nico’s shoulder to steady himself. Nico grits his teeth. 

“Who is it in the press that calls on me?” Caesar asks, imperious. “I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music cry, ‘Caesar!’ Speak; Caesar is turned to hear.”

Nico lets out a long breath. Why use two words when two dozen will suffice? The longer this exchange takes, the longer he has to stand here, pin-straight in this stupid fucking sweaty tunic. 

“Beware the Ides of March,” croons that same spooky-sounding voice, and a tall figure draws forward. It must be a man, Nico supposes, if only from the height. The figure is robed in sky blue, head covered, his back to Leo and Nico. 

Nico’s mind wanders to the gnawing hunger in his stomach, the blisters on his sandaled feet. The heat on his armor is starting to make him feel as if he’s being slowly baked. A Nico panini, perhaps. 

“He is a dreamer!” Caesar announces suddenly, jolting Nico from his discomfort. “Let us leave him.”

Nico lets out a breath as the group in front of him begins to move once more. 

The man in blue - the soothsayer, Nico supposes, lingers. Once Caesar and the others are out of sight, he turns with a shrug. 

“They never listen.”

And his voice isn’t spooky, or ethereal. It’s light, easy. Nico blinks, surprised, taking in sparkling blue eyes, crinkled at the corners, a rueful half-smile. A spill of freckles, several blond curls peeking out around the edges of his hood. The young man appears to be right around Nico’s age. 

And he’s hot.   

Next to Nico, Leo seems to be undergoing a similar journey of revelation. He steps forward, holding out a hand and offering a toothy grin. 

“Leo Valdez. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Soothsayer, sir.” 

Nico rolls his eyes. 

The man in blue quirks a smile and takes the proffered hand. “Will Solace.” He steps back. 

“Fucking hot out here, isn’t it?” Will Solace says. He shoves down his hood, revealing a head of tousled blond curls, shining like gold in the sunlight, the blue in his robes reflected in his eyes. Nico feels a bit like he’s been punched in the face. In a really good way. 

“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” Will says, fixing his grin on Nico. 

“Nico. di Angelo,” Nico manages, extending a sweaty hand. Blue eyes catch on his and linger, curious.

“You sounded… different. Before,” Nico says.

Will’s grin goes wider, a bit sly. “I’ve been trying something new.”

“So it’s all an act, then?” Nico asks, curious, because… 

“Oh no,” Will shrugs. “He really does need to beware the Ides of March. I just find folks are more receptive to prophecy if I get a bit spooky with it. You know. Really lean into the drama of it all.” Will wiggles his fingers. 

Nico nods. “Caesar does have an… aura of death. A thick possibility of it.”

“Nico,” Leo complains. But Will quirks an eyebrow, regarding Nico with more interest, a quick once-over and a half-step closer. 

“You know, I might have a prophecy for you,” he tells Nico. 

“Yeah?”

Will touches two fingers to his temple, closes his eyes, a flutter of dark blond eyelashes against freckled cheeks. “Yes. I see you, having dinner with me. Tonight.” Will’s voice has gone spooky again, but it’s edged with something warmer now.  

“Good grief,” Leo mutters. 

Nico nods. “Interesting. Do you see yourself picking me up at eight, maybe?”

“You know, I do,” Will grins “You’re good at this.”

“Maybe after dinner I can show you what else I’m good at,” Nico counters. 

Will waggles his eyebrows. “I foresee that I would enjoy that.”

They exchange details, and Will replaces his hood as he leaves, winking at Nico before turning to stroll away. 

“That was disgusting,” Leo says flatly.  

“Hey,” Nico shrugs, grinning, wondering if he can convince Jason to take his shift tomorrow morning. “There's no use fighting the power of prophecy.”

~~~~

Many thanks to @anything-thats-rock-and-roll for the quick beta & for enabling this ridiculousness

[beanghostprincess]

*holds you by shoulders*

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT 1082 I WAS SURE IT WAS SHIPPY THING AND NOW I NEED TO KNOW

*starts sobbing while slowly falling to my knees*

…….please

I SAW THIS YESTERDAY NIGHT WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO FALL ASLEEP AND I JUST WOKE UP EARLY TO REPLY BECAUSE I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR AGES FOR THIS QUESTION I AM GOING TO KISS YOU ANON-

I do love and adore the shippy part of 1082 because I am a very intense Shuggy shipper and I had been waiting to read their break-up for sooo long. But it's not exactly what made the chapter life-changing for me, tbh.

Buggy's speech is... Is incredibly beautiful and encouraging. It explains so much about his character, the dynamic he has with Cross Guild, and why he's so resentful toward Shanks. Throughout the manga, we've seen him in serious moments, yes, but usually, Buggy is pretty much used for comedy relief more than anything. This is one of the first times we've seen Buggy realize the position he has now and say "Fuck it. Already on the verge of dead for these two, might as well do something with this shitty situation because for once, I have the opportunity to be brave and be more than what people think of me". There's literally nothing stopping him right now, and he prefers to risk his life enraging Crocodile and Mihawk than letting this opportunity of showing who he truly is slide.

And tbh, we haven't seen them ever since (I am starving please-) but I am really hopeful his speech somehow makes Crocodile and Mihawk have a little tiny itty bitty of respect for him at least. Because out of the three? Buggy is the one who deserves the title of pirate more.

Mihawk and Crocodile don't have dreams or ambitions and see pirating as a business. Even when Crocodile did have ambitions (remember when the silly rubber guy destroyed all of his dreams that was a funny arc haha) his whole personality has always been more of a mafioso than anything. Mihawk is a simple man and is bored with life being at the top of the top, he clearly wants something interesting to happen but doesn't see any use in looking for it himself. They care about their commodities and wealth. But out of the three, Buggy is the one who had to give up on his dream and now he has the opportunity to fulfill it.

"How can you call yourselves pirates with schemes like that?! You're doing it all backwards!! [...] Way back when... What did you guys want to be?! [...] I wanna be king of the pirates!! Wealth? Power? Why stop there when we can have it all?!"

This is something a real pirate would say. He talks like Roger here, I am going to curl up and cry don't look at me-

What I like about One Piece is the constant use of themes like dreams and freedom etc, etc... That's something we all know. But you wouldn't expect it coming from Buggy, of all people. And I think I'm pretty fond of him being brave and finally acting upon what he truly wants to do. What makes it great is that you have this comedy relief character standing up for his dream in front of clearly two other antagonists that have control over him in, well, strength and everything. But Buggy has something they don't and it's so, so much ambition and a dream that could be considered childish but it's the representation of freedom and doing things because you want to follow your heart. This is kind of why I always say Luffy would be more fond of Buggy if he knew the whole story and would probably support him a lot--

What I like the most about this chapter is both Buggy's character development through a speech + flashback and Mihawk and Crocodile being completely stunned by it because they weren't expecting this to happen from Buggy of all people. I know I sound like a broken record but I really, really, want them to respect Buggy a little bit more after this. Also, Buggy doesn't do this only to announce he's going to follow his dream now that he's on equal footing with Shanks. He does it because the other two mention needing overwhelming power over the rest. Buggy isn't stupid and knows how manipulating people works. The thing that makes pirates work harder isn't money, it's a dream. And there's nothing a pirate desires more than the One Piece, so that's kind of why he announces it publicly. First, to establish power, and second, so that way Mihawk and Crocodile don't get rid of him because seriously, Buggy is a better boss than these two because their followers appreciate him and don't feel forced to follow him.

Not to mention that the whole thing also shows more of Buggy's relationship with Roger and how left out he felt because people thought highly of Shanks instead of him. But Buggy, even if he was jealous, was willing to follow Shanks despite his feelings because he accepted being less worthy of respect than him. Shanks shone brightly and Buggy decided that, even if he wanted to be seen like that too, he'd give up on his dream and support Shanks instead because at least they'd do this together, just the way they did everything back at the time.

But then Shanks hesitates, and I think that's Buggy's last straw because he sees giving up going for the One Piece as something disrespectful to their captain (dad) and thinks it's unfair that Shanks is so respected by everyone even though the one wanting to follow their captain's steps right away is him. It's honestly frustrating. And then you understand better why Buggy is angry at Shanks-- Yeah, he made him eat the devil fruit and lost the map because of him (not really but whatever), but the way I see it that's just a metaphor for the real reason why Buggy is so resentful. Shanks' existence, even if it was not on purpose, made Buggy feel so powerless he gave up on his dream. And eating a devil fruit means the sea hates you and you can't have any independence in the pirate world, and losing the map is kind of like losing the only thing that guides you. He left Buggy with nothing and let him carry the burden of a lost dream.

This is funny because Shanks did absolutely nothing wrong and everything is a product of jealousy and miscommunication, but I understand why Buggy blames Shanks and this chapter makes it clearer and explains it perfectly.

Basically, it's such an amazing chapter for Buggy's character and it's definitely my favorite for him specifically. Although the flashback does wonders for my Shuggy heart.

Also, adding more points for the revolutionary plot in the end and Sabo showing up because I adore him <3

[dekusleftsock]

-

I’m obsessed with the new mitski album… and this song specifically. I mean cmon, it’s the one with the most hype around it for a reason.

I think what makes this album and specifically this song so “them” isn’t even necessarily the romantic subplot they have, but rather the realization that the love they have is truly beautiful, and that it’s something of value. It’s the only thing they truly have for the rest of their lives; the ability to love someone so deeply.

And that’s kind of what this entire album is about right? Love and loss, mitski herself literally saying that this album is about her realization that her greatest accomplishment was no material item or physical action, but rather the ability and the action to love someone.

And to be honest, Ochako’s unrequited love of Izuku and then required love of Himiko shows this. All of her heroics matter, and she will always be more than just another man’s wife (a title she would honestly be stuck with were her and Izuku to get together), but the fact that her feelings were able to change the entire world is astounding.

The title of the album “The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We” is actually a joke, referencing those welcome signs between states on highways and such. Things like “Welcome to Delaware the first state” or “Welcome to Pennsylvania the keystone state”. And through this reference this album also becomes a commentary on the political hellscape that the US has become.

I just love it. I can’t stop thinking about it.

Oh and also here’s a version with a SH warning bc her wrist is cut

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[skoulsons]

in the mood drink a cyanide smoothie and bury myself alive actually

[suckishima]

have i talked about the bit where tsukki wordlessly passes yamaguchi the towel before? bc i included it in this set (garbage dump spoilers in the link) very purposely as i think it marks an interesting sort of middle ground during the height of change of their relationship.

in the beginning tsukki is annoyed when yamaguchi messes up a serve, and that’s only during a practice 3v3 that has no consequences for their group. but the towel passing moment comes after yamaguchi has yelled at tsukki during tokyo training camp, after tsukki acknowledged that yamaguchi had a good point about trying for the sake of pride, after tsukki called yamaguchi cool. and, immediately after yamaguchi stood at the serving line and didn’t try to do a jump float at all. which is arguably way less cool than anything he’s ever done before in volleyball—he basically thinks as much too, he remembers back to that night when he yelled at tsukki about pride, and he feels embarrassed of his actions on the service line—how could he say all of that and not even live up to it?

but this time—even though yamaguchi half-assing his serve is easily more lame than botching one he actually tried at like in the beginning of the series—tsukki isn’t mad or even annoyed. he just silently passes yamaguchi a towel (which btw i think is usually yamaguchi’s job to do for the other players since he’s lowest in seniority as the only first year non starter), and it’s sort of like a peace offering. it’s an unspoken “i get it, i know you’re thinking about what you said before and you think i'll make fun of you, but i get. it isn’t as easy as it seems to just try.”

and ooooo i just think it’s so good! we expect him to be mad, yamaguchi expects him to be mad, because we’ve seen him be mad in similar situations, but in fact he understands because it’s exactly the way he himself thinks. and who is he to shit on yamaguchi for momentarily getting stuck in the same circle of thoughts that he's let hold himself back for years?? like what a great subtle insight into both of their characters and where they currently stand with each other—they’re both in this weird nebulous gray area of change with how they see the sport, how they see each other, and how they see themselves and it’s. so. goooooood.