#Augustus’s Aspirations

[forgottnseccnd]

The generators hummed back to life, the burden on the primarch lifted. Motion detectors showed a new shuttle in the bay, filled with children of age to be selected for Astartes. A familiar person comes back to the primarch, this time with a new face behind him.

- @askthewanderer40k

Aurelius had been so used to powering the ship on his own that it took him by surprise when he awoke yet again with his limbs of auramite, carefully crafted for his giant form and mighty Terminator-esque Penance Armor ready for him to enter. His tired eyes drifted around, silently averting his gaze from the lights that had gotten far brighter than before-- he was too used to the emergency lights.

" My-- My Lord! Today is a wondrous day! Praise to the Omnissiah! " Nirisch piped up almost frantically-- yet his voice was filled with excitement. The techpriest practically flailed his arms-- which included his servo arm-- as he rushed to Aurelius's side in his old chambers. Without hesitation, Nirisch gripped at his hand and started to pull at him, leading him to his armor to help the Primarch be interred within. Of course-- this was something they both expected. Aurelius craved the return of his beloved Penance Armor no matter how much pain that would be caused, and Nirisch?... well, this had been his job before!

Nirisch had been practically scrambling around, rambling to Aurelius all as he carefully put him into his armor, the studs and connecting points digging into the Primarch's flesh, yet a sigh of relief was what had been heard instead of groans of pain. " I-- t-there are others that were chosen-- aspirants! And-- and the generators have finally been restored! "

... Aurelius hadn't processed it at first. " Ah. Good. Then we will be able to have power for the ship-- we will need to have a way to generate this power and have a constant source. Perhaps we could figure this out through the water supply...? That would be... "

" L-Lord Aurelius?... There are Astartes aspirants. "

THAT got his attention now. The Primarch SWIRLED on his heel, stumbling and having to frantically grasp at a part of the wall to keep himself upright, nearly booming in his shock as Nirisch rushed to carry to him his standard. " WHAT? "

" Yes! Yes, I know! " Nirisch beamed to him, letting his eye close as Aurelius took his standard and forced the doors to his chambers open, now practically rushing down the steps to reach the docking sector, having to quickly suck in a few deep breaths to hide his genuine excitement.

... And of course, he saw that familiar face when they approached one another at the docking sector-- but his eyes flicked to the newer person behind him.

" Rogue Trader. " With Aurelius's tone, it sounded like the Primarch held the utmost respect for Sentura. He bowed his head slightly.

" ... Your arrival is most appreciated. Who is this, if I may ask? "

[sigmastolen]

ok norman bridwell, nero is a witty name for a fire rescue dog

[bunnithechubs]

Residents of Canal Corner Townhomes

The Lanka Residence

When Ishaan married Sier years ago he had no idea he would be outnumbered by women in his life. Though no one laughs at his comedy routine he couldn't imagine a life without his girls. He just hopes their new quiet neighbors don't mind all the noise!

The Johnson Residence

The Johnsons might be new to Evergreen Harbor but that doesn't make them any less known in town. Dayna is the new critic of the Evergreen Esquire while Augustus is a new civil engineer in charge of bettering conifer station. Even their children are aspiring to make a name for themselves!

[avelera]

Barefoot Divinity - an intriguing art historical detail in The Sandman

I was rewatching The Sandman episode "Calliope" and I noticed an interesting detail: when Calliope is led away from Erasmus Fry's house, she is barefoot.

There's plenty of thematic reasons to do this within the story, as she's an otherworldly being who would not be harmed by going barefoot, and because she is, at this point, a prisoner. One could argue that the reason for this choice is simply because she has not been allowed the dignity of shoes and it is an effective way of controlling peoples' movements to deny them shoes.

But to put on my ancient art history TA hat for a moment here, there's another possible reason for the choice to show Calliope barefoot.

What makes it such an interesting detail in particular is that showing Calliope barefoot is accurate to ancient Greek and Roman art: only the gods are depicted barefoot.

In fact, it's such a consistent rule that it's often a quick way when looking at ancient Greco-Roman sculptures (of certain eras) to know whether or not the figure the statue depicts is meant to be a god or a mortal. If the figure depicted is otherwise fully dressed (ie, it's not a bathing scene or some other deliberately nude subject matter) but they still have no shoes, that means they are a god.

This rule was so strict when it came to portraiture in particular that it took on political significance in the Julio-Claudian era of Ancient Rome. Romans were constantly suspicious of their early emperors like Augustus aspiring to become god-kings in the style of their (barbaric, to Roman minds) eastern counterparts, as Romans considered the allure of being declared divine to be understandable but anathema to their own comfortable fiction that the Emperor was a Princeps, first citizen, and not a king. So when this statue was commissioned by Emperor Augustus's widow, Livia:

It was incredibly politically controversial because she was saying, in essence, that Emperor Augustus was a god.

Now, this particular statue barely squeaked by the censors, so to speak, because the Romans believed everyone had a "genius" or divine spark within them. The claim was that this wasn't a statue of Augustus declaring him a deity but rather a statue depicting his divine spark which could be portrayed as a barefoot god, now that he was dead.

Still, it was a statue viewed with a great deal of suspicion at the time as a result of this splitting of hairs. Next time you go through the Greco-Roman statue portion of a museum that contains full body statues, check out which ones are barefoot! Oftentimes, there is a political message mixed in to that effect. For example, with otherwise naked generals (in a style referred to as "heroic nudity", often used for mythological heroes or athletes) being shown still wearing sandals, to signal they are still modest enough to be depicted as humans, not gods.

The thing is, Calliope is not the only time in The Sandman comics that a godlike being is depicted as barefoot at an otherwise unusual time, specifically in a Greco-Roman context. For example,

After this event in Brief Lives, Dream is shown leaving the temple walking barefoot on the ground. Dream is also named as the Roman god Morpheus, who the Romans would therefore have no issue with being portrayed barefoot.

And much more interestingly, he is throughout the Brief Lives arc frequently and unusually shown barefoot even when wearing modern clothes:

It is this frequent portrayal of Morpheus without shoes on that leads me to believe the choice is deliberate on @neil-gaiman's part, not merely as a depiction of vulnerability but rather as a nod to ancient art history visual language, as is so frequently done throughout The Sandman comics and his other works: modernizing the ancient and bringing the mythological into our world.

[whencyclopedia]

Britannicus

Britannicus (41-55 CE) was the second child and only son born to the Roman emperor Claudius (r. 41-54 CE) and Valeria Messalina (c. 20-48 CE). Seen as a threat by Claudius' fourth wife, Agrippina the Younger (15-59 CE), and her son, the future Nero (r. 54-68 CE), Britannicus was poisoned the night before his 14th birthday.

Early Childhood

Born on 12 February 41 CE, he was originally named Tiberius Claudius Caesar Germanicus; the name Britannicus was added after his father's invasion of Britain. In his The Twelve Caesars, the ancient historian Suetonius (69 to 130/140 CE) wrote, "Claudius would often pick little Britannicus up and show him to the troops or to the audience at the games either seated on his lap or held at arm's length" (197) Claudius had a son by his first wife Urgulanilla, but the boy died accidentally before coming of age, and Britannicus became the obvious choice to assume the purple upon the emperor's death. However, this would soon change when Claudius married his niece Agrippina the Younger (15-59 CE). The emperor's new wife brought with her a hidden agenda; she had high aspirations for her son, the future emperor Nero (r. 54-68 CE).

Agrippina the Younger was the daughter of Emperor Tiberius' (r. 14-37 CE) nephew Germanicus (15 BCE to 19 CE) and Agrippina the Elder (14 BCE to 33 CE), making her the great-granddaughter of Augustus (r. 27 BCE to 14 CE). Her marriage to Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus produced one son Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, the future Nero (b. 37 CE). Gnaeus, who died when Nero was three, was extremely violent and was described by his contemporaries as "a despicable character." Two years after Domitius' birth, Agrippina was exiled by her brother Caligula (r. 37-41 CE). After Caligula's assassination in 41 CE, one of Claudius' first acts was to recall her. Her strong ties to the Julio-Claudians would pose a serious challenge to young Britannicus' position as the emperor's heir and, unfortunately for Britannicus, the highly aggressive Agrippina would stop at nothing until little Domitius upended his position. According to Matthew Dennison in his The Twelve Caesars, Agrippina "was not distracted by bodily appetites; arrogance and an undistracting focus steadied her performance." (156)

In 40 CE Domitius' father died of dropsy. Upon her return to Rome from exile, the widowed Agrippina married Gaius Passienus Crispus, who had recently divorced Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus' sister Domitia. The marriage ended before 47 CE, possibly due to poisoning. Agrippina inherited his vast wealth, making her extremely rich. Widowed twice, she set her sights on husband number three: her uncle Claudius. Claudius showed little interest in obtaining another wife; there was still strong competition for the old emperor: Aelia Paetina (his second wife) and Lollia Paulina (Caligula's third wife). Lollia would later be exiled on the orders of Agrippina where a suicide would soon follow. However, Claudius' financial secretary Marcus Pallas favored Agrippina, and on 1 January 49 CE, she became Claudius' fourth wife.

Having married the emperor, her next objective was to secure the adoption of her son, and on 28 February 50 CE, Lucius Domitius became Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus Caesar. Suetonius wrote, "In his last years, Claudius made it pretty plain that he repented of having married Agrippina and adopted Nero" (204). Realizing, the possible danger posed by Nero and his mother, Claudius told his son repeatedly "to grow up quickly." With the adoption of Nero secured, Agrippina turned her attention to the one serious obstacle to her son becoming the emperor: Britannicus.

Continue reading...

[collapsedsquid]

My sense is that Silicon Valley has developed in just the opposite direction. My dearly missed friend, Aaron Swartz, was arguably the most genuinely open-ended intellectual to come out of modern tech. And he hated living in Silicon Valley in the early 2000s. He used to complain (sample here - he would expound on this at great length if you prompted him) about how intellectually dull Silicon Valley was, how disinclined people there were to talk about ideas, and how much happier he was after he moved to Boston, a place where people actually cared about books. Aaron was a member of the first class at Y Combinator. However, his broader intellectual interests were not only irrelevant to founder culture as it was back then but made him an actively bad fit, so that he ended up wandering off in a very different direction. In fairness, he was an awkward customer in all the right ways, and might very likely have lit out for other places no matter what. Silicon Valley has changed remarkably in the intervening two decades. Its culture now centers not simply on technology but the exercise of power. Powerful founders and funders not only aspire to make lots of money, but to reshape the world along better lines. They see themselves as a political elite as well as a financial one, and they are looking to educate themselves, often in ways that reinforce their own values and understanding of their own benevolent role. They want to be formed, and accidentally or consciously form others too. Tanner talks a lot about the classic Greek concept of paideia (education/formation). Its most prominent elucidation, the Cyropaedia, was written by Xenophon to support Athenian conservatives, who favored the rule of the few, in their struggles with the democratic faction. Xenophon’s notion of elite education was the model for the “mirror of princes,” a genre of mediaeval texts providing guidance for the education of rulers.Latin texts were similarly bastardized in the nineteenth century to mould the young gentlemen who would rule the British Empire, and through them influenced the anglophile East Coast elites who populated the State Department and the OSS. And that helps explain the creation of a canon. Founders who model themselves on Augustus Caesar, and engineers who aspire to reshape the world in their image, will not find what they need to know in textbooks on optimization. Nor, however, will they find it in the cultural precepts of the mid twentieth century WASP ruling class. Those were different times, and different values. Hence, they’re crafting their own mirrors from found materials - science fiction, biographies of great men, rationalist and libertarian tracts, and books about themselves. And there are lots of the latter, reflecting and refracting their own culture right back at them.

[disappointingcabbage]

TMAGP 19 thoughts, spoilers under the cut

Celia why do you have so much paper, what in the hell are you making that many photocopies of?

ALCHEMY??????

She’s looking into alchemical explanations for universe hopping, I think (transference stuff)

Celia why are you looking at incomplete transference stuff??? What was missing when you universe hopped????

Sam found alchemy stuff when looking into the Magnus Institute, which is very much consistent with the ARG

“What’s got you looking into this?” “Just curious” *immediate glitch* yeah Celia we’re all aware that this research is way more than just curiosity bestie

Sam is doing what’s best for his personal safety but not what’s best for narrative flow (ditching the institute stuff). Good for him tbh.

old ass statement this time (1684), I’m surprised it’s Chester reading it instead of Augustus tbh

A regrettable anti Newtonian PROTOCOL????

yooooo this dude is on a first name basis with the gravity man himself sir Issac Newton

IS NEWTON THE PROTOCOL VERSE’S JONAH MAGNUS??? or perhaps Robert Smirke

Protocol against the entirety of London???? Destruction of knowledge?? DREAD EMISSION????

Did the people of this universe just straight up know about the fears in the 1600s? Was it then covered up???

Looks like this universe’s Newton got into alchemy and letter writer guy Does Not Like That

As an aspiring biologist I’m curious as to how exactly the “vegetative propagation of metals” would even work, seems like a funky little experiment

Awww Issac has a disabled dog!! Hell yeah animal rescue

“Yo what’s that big ass glowing flask?” “Oh that? Yeah it’s no big deal, just the philosopher’s stone in liquid form” bro WHAT

I sincerely hope that that means protocol verse Issac Newton is still alive and that we get to hear his voice in canon. I think that would be Neat.

bro has a tiny tree growing in a flask. That’s awesome. Why is letter guy upset at this? Is my brain refusing to see some horrific implications here? probably lol

I cannot get over the writer of this statement just casually calling Newton “Issac”, actually (might be because my dad is a physicist so Gravity Man is a fucking legend in my household)

ohhhh vegetative propagation of metals. The tree is made of mineral/metal

“I made a metal tree wanna eat its fruit?” “what???? No???” “Too late it’s already in my hand dude you’ve gotta try it”

NO DONT GIVE IT TO YOUR DOG

fullmetal alchemist war flashbacks

dog is now an alchemy plant/dog pokemon what the fuck

The dog now has human intelligence, apparently

Oh it’s reversible. Dog is dog again. That’s so mean to the dog why would you do that to him???? Dogs don’t deserve the burden of human comprehension they are too babey

“Are the computers listening to us?” Daaaaamn Sam caught on fast

Alice, bestie, ignoring the obvious supernatural elephant in the room won’t make it go away I fear

I’m scared Sam is just going to stop confiding in people at this point and then get into danger alone. That ain’t good.

Alice seems to be getting a stupid amount of JMJ errors. Maybe it’s because the Jon, Martin, and Jonah are all arguing over which cases to give her lmao

lmao Lena’s basically just telling Gwen to put her big girl pants on and deal. Iconic.

oooh Lena lore, she used to be the externals liaison.

COLIN MY BELOVED

bros holed up in his house, probably paranoid as shit

Definitely paranoid as shit, he knows the phones are listening and wants to yeet it in a fish tank

Colin’s got alchemy on the brain too, apparently

Poor Alice, she just wants her friends to be okay and they’re all spiraling.

[thefootnotes]

hello, darlings✮ welcome back to trench. here's my current quarterly playlist. fic requests are open right now - for ships listed below. dividers by @saradika-graphics.

spotify || ao3 || pronouns page || writing masterlist

✮ you can call me ellis, ells or el. close mutuals can call me elmo. ask about other nicknames, but nine times in ten i'll adore you forever if you nickname me.

basic info ✮ he/him, trans, pansexual, ambiverted infp-t, type six, sagittarius, australian, dog person, romance reader, writing is everything to me, winter>>, glasses wearer, headphones on twenty-four/seven, cd collector, spotify premium user, aspiring author, regular oversharer, real-person-shipper and rpf author, ginger cat, ao3 addict, anti-monarchist, socialist, lacrosse player, pwhl enthusiast, seattle seahawks supporter, theatre nerd, night owl, revolutionary, linammon roll, moderator of the be my valentine challenge, high schooler, green is the best colour talk to the hand, i like weird science podcasts and emergency-drama shows, tote bag owner (to a mildly concerning degree), im an eyeliner kind of guy, i don't keep my mouth shut for anybody. free palestine!!

music ✮ one direction, conan gray, olivia rodrigo, twenty one pilots, maddie zahm, caity baser, dylan gossett, sabrina carpenter, alexander black, megan moroney, xana, kelsea ballerini, noah kahan, ed sheeran, billie eilish, five seconds of summer, cavetown, maisie peters, finneas, taylor swift, queen, hozier, girl in red, luke combs, phoebe bridgers, gracie abrams, miley cyrus, adele, sixpence none the richer, morgan wallen, birdy, renée rapp, the beatles, abba, robbie williams, ashe, blackbear, dyl dion, chappell roan, luke combs

books ✮ little women, red white and royal blue, osemanverse, jane doe and the cradle of all worlds, nevermoor, boyfriend material and husband material, afterlove, the meaning of birds, the seven husbands of evelyn hugo, i kissed shara wheeler, the fault in our stars, they both die at the end, song of achilles, girl in pieces, you'd be home now, a semi-definitive list of worst nightmares

musicals ✮ come from away, hamilton, in the heights, high school musical, hsmtmts, dear evan hansen, tick tick boom, wicked, disney musicals<3, the greatest showman, the addams family musical, matilda, tina: the tina turner musical, mary poppins + returns, six, miss saigon, rocky horror, west side story, funny girl, chicago. moulin rouge

movies & tv ✮ little women (2019), barbie (2023), dunkirk, don't worry darling, my policeman, julie and the phantoms, rwrb, heartstopper, 9-1-1 (and lone star), doctor who, clouds, love simon and love victor

my characters ✮ amy march, nina rosario, henry fox-stuart, nick nelson, christopher eccleston's doctor, achilles, ezra squall, regulus black, augustus waters, john laurens, evan buckley, carlos reyes, allen from barbie.

my ships ✮ larry stylinson, firstprince, tarlos, buddie, nick&charlie, wolfstar, jegulus, amy&laurie, morrigan&cadence, hamburr, laurette, hobama<3, eddie diaz with literally anyone

goals and dreams ✮ i want to study abroad, publish my writing, adopt or foster kids, travel to every continent someday, volunteer with lgbt+ homeless/support shelters/charities, attend 5/5 1d boys' concerts, learn at least two languages

my sideblogs ✮ my poetry blog: @thelostboyschapter 1d lyric keywords: @onedirectionandblank

[akitasimblr]

👑GEORGIANA PRIEST👑

HARPER LEGACY DIARIES | Heir's wife | Generation Nine

full name: georgiana priest

nickname: gigi

life state: vampire | young adult | married

origin: made by @gothoffspring

partners: heathcliff harper

offspring: marcello harper | nathalia harper | fredric harper | augustus harper | beatrice harper | clive harper | anika priest harper

aspiration: master vampire

main traits: music lover | gloomy | family-oriented

born in: (victorian) britechester

lived in: forgotten hallow

career: stay-at-home mom

degree: na

EXPLORE MORE CHECK GEORGIANA'S APPARITIONS

*passport template credits

[neonartistycauseidk]

Sooooo….. tell me about this rtc x catcf au of urs…. 😈😈😈😈

HOOOOOOOOGHH HUHUUUHUHHU!!! You’re asking for it!!!!

Okay, so, I’ve been thinking about this concept for the past couple months or so, and I’ve just finally settled on the roles (at least for the kids, Karnak is another thing in and of itself)…

Let’s go in order of song for the kids (in terms of roles):

Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg: Miranda Mary Piker

Noel Gruber: Violet Beauregarde

Mischa Bachinski: Mike Teavee

Ricky Potts: Charlie Bucket

Jane Doe: Veruca Salt

Constance Blackwood: Augustus Gloop

OKAY I’VE GOT SOME EXPLAINING TO DO…

Miranda Mary Piker is one of Dahl’s scrapped characters for the original “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” book and was originally intended to be the daughter of a school master who HATED the idea of holidays/breaks from school/work and wanted to straight up ban them. In the story, she “died” after ending up inside (I believe it was referred to as) “spotty-powder machine” and, assumably, turned into spotty powder. Coming out of the factory, Miranda had red/orange spots on her face…and even in some versions…began to laugh uncontrollably as beforehand, she was a very “no-funny business” girl.

That aside, in my headcannons for her, Miranda was heavily pressured by her parents to be “a winner” and “the best of the best.” This kind of mentality sticks with Miranda and is tough to break out of. With that being said, what role fits our little over-achiever better than Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg?

Now onto Violet…Idk…it just…sorta made sense to me? If I included Marvin Prune (another of Dahl’s scrapped characters) he’s likely fill this role—-but since he’s not, Violet was the next best option. It’s half because I headcannon her as a lesbian and half because I think she and Miranda would have a rivalry with one another (like Ocean and Noel), mainly because of their strict parents who force them into reaching the “highest heights possible” in life. Also, since she’d be a female Noel…instead of Monique being her alter-ego, instead it’d be filled by “Jean Gibeau”…a male version of Monique. (She’d also change into more masculine clothing for her song).

Okay, I think this next one shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise…I mean…“The angriest boy in town”? Who do we know who fits that to a ‘T’? Well, Mike, of course! There’s also, of course all of his dialogue revolving around his phone and social media so…I mean…yeah. I get why people would cast him as Ricky (due to him being imaginative/a literal genius) but…idk, this just makes more sense to me.

Next, Charlie…Your ideas for him as Constance work VERY well…however, hear me out on this one! Hear me out! So, what do we know about Charlie? He aspires to be an inventor/chocolatier just like Wonka and is INCREDIBLY imaginative…Now, what was Ricky’s title again? “The most imaginative boy in town”…LISTEN…I MEAN…ITS LITERALLY IN THE NAME. Many people also headcannon that Charlie’s a genius, like Wonka, so—-for me, at least, it’s not too much of a stretch for him to say all of those “groundbreaking/intelligent” lines. Also, just as a note, “Space Age Bachelor Man” would be re-written to better fit his character since…uh…the cat-love stuff isn’t really…Charlie’s forte, lets say. (I feel like the name should be changed to “Space Age Candyman”, thoughts? And yes, he’s still in space…Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator exists after all).

Now…Veruca. Listen, even though I think it’d make sense to have Miranda as Jane (due to her LITERALLY being a scrapped character, thus limiting who knows her story and name) BUT…In this universe, Veruca being Jane almost makes sense. See, many people headcannon that Jane/Penny’s parents were never really there for her, per-say, and who do we also know aren’t really there for their kid? The Salts. Sure, they spoil her…but spoiling isn’t love. If anything…it turns people into monsters. But in this au, Veruca doesn’t turn into an angry, fear-mongering little rich girl…in fact, it actually leads her to become lonely and feel she isn’t loved by anyone…So, naturally, at St. Cassains (lets just say the story takes place in Uranium, still) Veruca is outcasted and seen as “the weird girl” who comes from that really rich family that nobody really knows too much about other than their famous nut business. Also, can’t leave this out…in the broadway version (referencing “Veruca’s Nutcracker Sweet”) she is LITERALLY TORN APART LIMB FROM LIMB. That includes, of course…her head.

Finally, Augustus. Yes, again, Charlie and Constance makes sense…however, something about Augustus and Constance just…fits for me. In WWATCF specifically, there isn’t a lot of evidence leading to Augustus being a jerk or even a “rotten kid” despite his parents kinda just…giving him more food to eat and him being a foodie. In fact, I’d argue any bad behaviors of Augustus are just endorsed by his parents and never addressed because…well, they caused it. (The same argument could be made for literally any of the other kids and their parents…but I digress). Anyway, in this au, Augustus never had these types of problems with his parents (or unhealthy relationships with food)…and I think that without all of that? Augustus would be a very good kid. Not a Charlie, per-say…but a good kid with a big heart. And because of that? The title of “nicest girl (or rather boy) in town” works quite nicely. It’s the only thing he’s really known for, really. His kindness…and…well…thats about it. Oh, except for the fact that his parents own the best bakery in town, of course! (Yes, the butcher shop is changed to the bakery in this…AND IT STILL FITS). Also, also…I headcannon that Augustus and Miranda would eventually end up as close friends…perhaps even lovers (blackrose, anyone?) in the future…so, in this world…bestie Augustus and Miranda just works.

So uh…that’s my casting! For the kids, anyway…Karnak I’m stuck between it being Wonka or Mr. Wilkinson (from the 1971 movie)…I’m leaning more towards Wonka because of certain headcannons I have that would make this au…EVEN SADDER.

Any more questions? (You have no idea how happy I am that I’m getting asked about this!!! EEEEEEEEE!!!!

“I’ve waited YEARS for someone to ask me about theories…! Hang on, I made a model!!! :)”

[brother-emperors]

I'm really curious to hear your thoughts about Caligula in a way signalling the end of the reign of the Julio-Claudii!

Oh, to me it’s not even ‘in a way,’ he open mouth kisses with tongue everything Augustus had so carefully set up and then breaks it with a sledgehammer while saying ‘who loves ya, baby?’ the corpse of the Republic? don’t need it! there’s no coming back from this. we have a few more guys after Caligula who are going to give it a shot whether they want to or not, but the grave has been dug, they just haven’t gotten the memo that they have to lay down in it.

there’s such a nasty undertone of resentment for where he is and who he is surrounded by, I’m reserving front row seats for the whole thing. subtlety is for cowards, eat ‘em alive, Caligula!

caligula, aloys winterling (^discussing Octavian)

the emperor gaius caligula and his hellenistic aspirations, geoff w. adams

[margareth-lv]

👑 The Royal Family 👑

Caution: the contents of this post should not be seen by those who are hypersensitive to 🧛🏻‍♂️.

Ladies, beware!

☣️☣️☣️

My post below is kind of… weird,  I know, but still, I want to share my thoughts with you.

The whole story was actually quite bizarre, thus my analysis couldn't be anything but, well, strange. And as I went AWOL for almost a year I’m coming today with some outdated news, let’s say to celebrate the king’s coronation last Saturday.

(All I want to say is that you read it at your own risk)

One more warning: I’ve posted below a photo of 🧛🏻‍♂️. Please, be warned.

I’ve also posted a „photo” of Baby Augustus, but his “image” was so heavily (and badly) photoshopped, that I don’t feel bad about sharing it on my blog.

So, as you can guess I want to discuss with you damage control post-funeral photo published, supposedly, in Irish Daily Mirror one day after the funeral, but made public five months after, in January 2023.

You know, from the legal point of view, if it was a REAL funeral photo with a REAL baby image published without the consent of the family, it wolud have been removed from internet months ago. It’s not such a big deal even for an aspiring lawyer. Baby’s image (apart from rules of sharing images with or without consent of baby’s parents) is considered as a personal data. So, as Ireland is a member state of the European Union, the GDPR (data protection rules) applies there. It means that a short request to cease the infringements would end the case.

But the photo, despite of everything, saw the light of day five months after it was taken.

You don’t have to be a genius to come to the conclusion that it was meant to go public.

What a creepy family, indeed, The Balfes.

By the way, poor quality of work in Photoshop on Baby Augustus photo reminds me the story of,  if you'll excuse me, failed “Potato Jesus” (aka “Monkey Christ”) restoration, a certain amateur restoration job that gone terribly wrong. 

Making long story short, the painting of Jesus wearing a crown was given a fresh lick of paint by an elderly local resident of a small village in Spain and in the end the face appeared to have been strangely smeared (just like Baby Augustus 😉). The result of the botched restoration spawned a photoshop meme:

(Anyway, the depth of the image of “Potato Jesus” is comparable to Baby Augustus “photo”, best proof of lack of skills in Photoshop. Caitríona’s PR department never bothered to pick a guy with any talent, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN).

And now…

☀️

Here Comes the Sun.

The Royal Family in all its unflinching glory:

⬇️⬇️⬇️

No, this wasn’t my idea.

Someone wrote on Tumblr that Baby Augustus was strikingly similar to prince William.

Yup, he really was. As if he was William’s twin brother.

… or younger brother who wears old clothes of his big bro.

And why on earth the whole family looks like a cost-reduced version of the royal family?

You know, I can’t help thinking that there's more than just a coincidental similarity in these photos.

Another conspiracy theory.

I'm tired.

💁🏻‍♀️

[May 8, 2023]

[no-side-us]

Letters From Watson Liveblog - Oct. 4

Charles Augustus Milverton, Part 2 of 3

Watson immediately jumping to congratulate Holmes on his engagement is funny, especially because I feel he should know Holmes better than that.

Speaking of, I do think Holmes is a bit in the wrong for basically leading this girl on for information. Admittedly, it lasts for only a few days, but I imagine after the case ends she'll be pretty upset by a broken engagement and relationship.

First, I love that Watson takes only a second to think about burgling Milverton and accepts that it is okay to do. Second, I love that he is already planning on going with Holmes before either asking or being asked.

Holmes says this like he doesn't confess his criminal aspirations to Watson almost every other story. I think early on even Watson knew that he would have made a highly efficient criminal.

I don't know why fiancee is written in all caps, but it makes it seem like Holmes is shouting it, as if to really emphasize to Watson that he is engaged.

It's nice to see Watson having fun on the burglary and really getting into it with all this talk of chivalry and adventure. It makes me feel like he would probably be into Robin Hood and the like.

Describing the safe as a dragon also tells me that Watson was probably also into stories of knights. Maybe he's a fan of King Arthur stories as well.

How will they get out of this one? Find out in the next letter.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

[rottenpumpkin13]

How often do AGS + ZC think about the Roman Empire?

Cloud: I don't know, maybe once a day? Twice a day? ..... Is that... Is that too much? ... It's the Roman Empire, get off my ass.

Angeal: The time Genesis angered a chocobo and it chased him for hours is my Roman Empire.

Zack: Every. Single. Day. Why, you may ask? Because of Veni, Vidi, Vici. The swag. The balls. The finesse. That's everything I aspire to be.

Sephiroth: I'm reminded of the Roman Empire every day I walk into ShinRa and remember how like the Roman Empire, it also is founded on a mix of power struggles, personal vendettas and a glorified, over-funded army meant to instill fear in the heart of its enemies. Did you know that Emperor Augustus militarized the city of Rome and founded a spying system that *he goes on for hours*

Genesis:

*Genesis didn't hear the question, he's too busy daydreaming about being a glorious Roman Emperor being fawned over by his loyal, adoring subjects.

[whencyclopedia]

Britannicus

Britannicus (41-55 CE) was the second child and only son born to the Roman emperor Claudius (r. 41-54 CE) and Valeria Messalina (c. 20-48 CE). Seen as a threat by Claudius' fourth wife, Agrippina the Younger (15-59 CE), and her son, the future Nero (r. 54-68 CE), Britannicus was poisoned the night before his 14th birthday.

Early Childhood

Born on 12 February 41 CE, he was originally named Tiberius Claudius Caesar Germanicus; the name Britannicus was added after his father's invasion of Britain. In his The Twelve Caesars, the ancient historian Suetonius (69 to 130/140 CE) wrote, "Claudius would often pick little Britannicus up and show him to the troops or to the audience at the games either seated on his lap or held at arm's length" (197) Claudius had a son by his first wife Urgulanilla, but the boy died accidentally before coming of age, and Britannicus became the obvious choice to assume the purple upon the emperor's death. However, this would soon change when Claudius married his niece Agrippina the Younger (15-59 CE). The emperor's new wife brought with her a hidden agenda; she had high aspirations for her son, the future emperor Nero (r. 54-68 CE).

Agrippina the Younger was the daughter of Emperor Tiberius' (r. 14-37 CE) nephew Germanicus (15 BCE to 19 CE) and Agrippina the Elder (14 BCE to 33 CE), making her the great-granddaughter of Augustus (r. 27 BCE to 14 CE). Her marriage to Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus produced one son Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, the future Nero (b. 37 CE). Gnaeus, who died when Nero was three, was extremely violent and was described by his contemporaries as "a despicable character." Two years after Domitius' birth, Agrippina was exiled by her brother Caligula (r. 37-41 CE). After Caligula's assassination in 41 CE, one of Claudius' first acts was to recall her. Her strong ties to the Julio-Claudians would pose a serious challenge to young Britannicus' position as the emperor's heir and, unfortunately for Britannicus, the highly aggressive Agrippina would stop at nothing until little Domitius upended his position. According to Matthew Dennison in his The Twelve Caesars, Agrippina "was not distracted by bodily appetites; arrogance and an undistracting focus steadied her performance." (156)

In 40 CE Domitius' father died of dropsy. Upon her return to Rome from exile, the widowed Agrippina married Gaius Passienus Crispus, who had recently divorced Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus' sister Domitia. The marriage ended before 47 CE, possibly due to poisoning. Agrippina inherited his vast wealth, making her extremely rich. Widowed twice, she set her sights on husband number three: her uncle Claudius. Claudius showed little interest in obtaining another wife; there was still strong competition for the old emperor: Aelia Paetina (his second wife) and Lollia Paulina (Caligula's third wife). Lollia would later be exiled on the orders of Agrippina where a suicide would soon follow. However, Claudius' financial secretary Marcus Pallas favored Agrippina, and on 1 January 49 CE, she became Claudius' fourth wife.

Having married the emperor, her next objective was to secure the adoption of her son, and on 28 February 50 CE, Lucius Domitius became Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus Caesar. Suetonius wrote, "In his last years, Claudius made it pretty plain that he repented of having married Agrippina and adopted Nero" (204). Realizing, the possible danger posed by Nero and his mother, Claudius told his son repeatedly "to grow up quickly." With the adoption of Nero secured, Agrippina turned her attention to the one serious obstacle to her son becoming the emperor: Britannicus.

Continue reading...

[deviantartdramahub]

So then Jasper made a post about me on bluesky at the end of last year because 'oh noes how hard someone have different opinions than me, some guy in New Zealand still stalks me just because of my posts', like get over it Jasper, it three freaking years ago and this whole thing started in 2020. I used to like this guy but now I very much find him a garbage person.

He is a garbage person because he is a hypocrite for criticizing fat shaming while thinking that overweight men are 'hot' and 'aspirational', and said that I could 'stay mad' and that some people could 'die mad' i.e he was referring to me because I do not find real obesity to be sexy yet he has reposts of overweight gay men on his AD 'After dark' twitter account.  Not even kidding, he has those on there.  And those are somehow allowed on twitter?  But it's pornographic and they don't even bother to label it as 'sensitive' content.

Jasper's Letterboxd review on Burton's re-imaginging of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory very much a paragraph in it about him not getting what Augustus Gloop's punishment was (because he obviously never read the book) and acted like it was fat-shaming the character for being fat.  Oh and he said the same about The Whale too even though that movie humanizes an overweight man, and he also complained about Dan Brown's novel 'Digitial Fortress' having a fat character share the same name as Jabba from Star Wars. Like who cares if a fat character is named after a Star Wars character? 

He is not the one who should be talking about overweight people being shamed when half of the gallery content he has are TFs of him into overweight characters, apart from characters like Fear from Inside Out, the Noid, and for some weird reason Pepsiman (yeah Pepsiman tfs are a thing, be afraid, be very afraid), almost all of the characters he turns into are overweight.  It's like when Mrdrawinglover accuses me of being racist even though he only has a few characters of color in his gallery that he has done commissions of.

Also...he has a freaking were-otaku-fat-nerd-persona/OC he created and very gross lore about it. Yes, he even shipped himself with several of the characters he has done transformation commissions of.  He posted photos of his own privates on twitter, which is supposed  to be for everyone.