#Roman engineering skills

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Oldest Bronze Doors (115 AD) still in use in Pantheon, Rome, Italy.

These doors cast in bronze for Emperor Hadrian (76-138 AD) rebuilding, dated about 115 AD.

These large bronze doors serve as an entrance to the cella, measuring 4.45m wide by 7.53m high, yet so well balanced they can be pushed or pulled open easily by one person.

Each half of the double door weighs 8.5 tonnes. It rotates on pins set into floor and architrave above.

—

The bronze doors in the Pantheon of Rome are indeed a remarkable testament to the engineering and craftsmanship of the Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Hadrian.

Here are some fascinating details about these historic doors:

1. Age and Origin:

The bronze doors in the Pantheon are estimated to date back to around 115 AD, making them over 1,900 years old.

They were commissioned and cast during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, who is renowned for his architectural contributions to Rome.

2. Purpose:

These doors serve as the entrance to the cella, the inner sanctuary or main chamber of the Pantheon.

The Pantheon itself is a well-preserved ancient Roman temple dedicated to all the gods (hence the name "Pantheon").

3. Size and Dimensions:

The bronze doors are sizable, measuring approximately 4.45 meters (14.6 feet) in width and 7.53 meters (24.7 feet) in height.

What is particularly impressive is that despite their substantial size, they are perfectly balanced and can be effortlessly opened or closed by a single person.

4. Weight:

Each half of the double door weighs a staggering 8.5 tonnes, adding up to a total weight of 17 tonnes for the entire set.

This speaks to the advanced metallurgy and engineering skills of the Romans in handling and crafting large bronze structures.

5. Rotating Mechanism:

The doors are mounted on pins that are set into the floor and the architrave (the lintel or horizontal beam) above the entrance.

This ingenious design allows for the doors to pivot smoothly, enabling them to be moved with relative ease despite their immense weight.

6. Historical Significance:

The Pantheon, with its iconic dome and these bronze doors, is an enduring symbol of Roman architectural innovation and grandeur.

The fact that these doors are still in use after nearly two millennia is a testament to the durability and quality of their construction.

The Pantheon's bronze doors are not only a functional part of this historic structure but also a tangible link to the past, offering a glimpse into the architectural and engineering achievements of ancient Rome.

They continue to awe and inspire visitors from around the world with their sheer size and remarkable craftsmanship.

Credit: Statistics (X)

[lesbianshepard]

Cornelia:

Mother of the Gracchi brothers! Highly intelligent and influential woman who educated her sons and helped shape their political careers. OG Roman MILF

Clodia

Catullus' "Lesbia" Wealthy and highly educated woman who had a talent for poetry (none survives :( ) Cicero hated her and called her "the Medea of the Palatine" (huge W for Clodia) Known for taking many lovers and accused of incest with her own brother (Catullus did not take the breakup well)

Fulvia

The first (real) woman to appear on Roman coinage. Married to Marc Antony (her third husband) and very involved in politics. Cassius Dio wrote "the following year Publius Servilius and Lucius Antonius nominally became consuls, but in reality it was Antonius and Fulvia. She, the mother-in‑law of Octavian and wife of Antony, had no respect for Lepidus because of his slothfulness, and managed affairs herself, so that neither the senate nor the people transacted any business contrary to her pleasure." Plutarch wrote "Fulvia wished to rule a ruler and command a commander and she schooled Antony to obey women." (marc antony is into femdom he's just like me fr fr) Acted as both a political and military leader.

Agrippina the Younger:

One of the most powerful of the Julio-Claudian women and a big influence on behind the scenes politics. Mother of Nero by her first husband. Was exiled for a conspiracy to assassinate her brother Caligula, but later returned. May have poisoned her second husband in order to marry the Emperor Claudius. She was the one to convince Claudius to name Nero heir, instead of Claudius' own son. May have poisoned Claudius in order to make Nero emperor. Ruthless, ambitious, and domineering #girlboss. Fave moment was when Nero engineered a boat designed to sink specifically to assassinate her. She swam to shore, realized her shitty son had tried to kill her (again), and wrote a letter to him letting him know that she had survived a terrible accident by divine fortune.

Messelina

Third wife of Claudius and hugely influential, directly responsible for the execution of several people and tried to get young Nero assassinated so that her own son would have the throne. Hated Agrippina for obvious reasons. Executed for a conspiracy to assassinate Claudius. Pliny wrote a famous (and certainly fake) story of her challenging a famous prostitute to see who could sleep with the most men in one night. (Messalina won at 25)

Julia the Elder:

Augustus once famously remarked that he had two difficult daughters: Rome and Julia. Married off by her father several times, all for political reasons. Clashed with her controlling father on many occasions about her spending, behavior, etc. Augustus passed laws making adultery a crime and then had to exile her for adultery (after killing and exiling her lovers) She was popular with the Roman people, who petitioned for her recall from exile, and was known for her kindness, intelligence, and wit. She never returned to Rome, and died in exile.

Livia:

Wife of Augustus and first Roman empress. One of, if not the, the most powerful and influential women in the early Roman Empire. iirc she was the first woman to be deified. Cassius Dio wrote "Livia was destined to hold in her lap even Caesar's power and to dominate him in everything."

Hortensia

A skilled orator, best known for her public speech given in the forum in protest of a tax put on women to fund the civil war after the assassination of Caesar. She was successful, reducing the number of women taxed down to 400, with new taxes on men being levied to make up the difference. (Using this image of a fresco from Pompeii because there's, surprisingly, no art I can find of her from a google search)

Empress Theodora

Byzantine empress. She was the daughter of a bear trainer and an actress, and worked as an actress and prostitute in her youth. Married the Emperor Justinian and became his advisor, preforming jobs that were usually only done by the emperor (receiving envoys and corresponding with foreign rulers) and helped pass laws for women's rights.

[merovingian-marvels]

Early medieval wood work

Wood is one of those things that decay over time, taking important details about everyday life from past eras with it.

However, wood survives well in waterlogged conditions. The wooden head above is one of five ship bowheads found in the Schelde (Belgium) during dredging work. Continental Europe has very few surviving wooden artifacts.

However finds such as this bowhead prove that skilled woodworkers used animal- and geometric motives on pretty much most daily objects. It might even be possible that metal artifacts often had wooden counterparts such as beads, pins, bowls, etc.

The bowheads from Belgium are dated around the fifth century, which is too early for Viking travels (and their famous boats). This is an indication that craftsmanship and engineering hadn’t disappeared after the “fall” of the Roman Empire.

[prodigal-explorer]

familial beauty and the beast au

so it's called familial because remus and roman are in the places of belle and the beast.

but basically, roman and remus are twins who were separated as young children due to a falling out between their parents, logan and patton. logan disagreed with how patton was using his power as a ruler, and so he took remus and ran away without a word after being unable to convince his husband to change. logan is a very skilled mechanic/engineer, but he is seen as the town nutjob because ironically he is so much smarter than them, that they think he's talking nonsense. remus follows into logan's footsteps as he grows older, but he ends up embracing his "nuttiness", becoming someone who makes little trinkets and machines regularly.

but let's go back to patton and roman, the ones who are left in the kingdom. patton is enraged when he finds out that logan left and stole remus, and he's also terrified that he'll lose roman too, the only family he has left. so he locks up roman in the palace, spoiling him rotten and isolating him from the world so that roman never wants to leave him. but since patton is roman's only role model, and he is not a particularly good one, roman becomes a terror of a person. rude and nasty and spoiled, always needing to get his way, immature, childish, and ignorant.

one day, roman runs away because he wants to see the world. but he runs into a witch. not particularly knowing any better, roman treats her extremely rudely. she retaliates by placing a curse on him, and patton soon finds roman passed out in the woods. and he looks like a MONSTER. the rose is sitting next to him, with a note: "if the prince does not destroy what poisons his heart before the last petal falls, he will stay infected forever."

but when roman wakes up, and he sees patton, he goes wild. he freaks out. he blames patton for not teaching him anything about the world. he's a terrified teenager whose life was ruined, and he doesn't understand why. he attacks patton, and patton, believing that roman is too monsterous, a failure, beyond saving, runs. and he abandons roman.

roman retreats to the castle, and when he finds that he's all alone, he starts to loathe himself. he doesn't know what poisons his heart. he doesn't know how to destroy it. so he's horrible to his servants who stay. he's too scared to leave the castle ever again, because he doesn't want to be cursed again, or loathed as an ugly beast.

but patton isn't finished. he realizes that as long as roman is running around free, he's a danger to the village, and to the rest of his living, though estranged, family. so he approaches the witch and tells her to cast a spell on the castle, to trap roman and the servants inside it. reluctantly, she agrees. anybody can come into the castle, but nobody can come out. not until somebody joins hands with roman and walks out with him. but roman cannot leave alone. so patton and the witch are convinced that roman is trapped forever, or at least, at their mercy.

what happens when remus decides to go into the forest to find a plant that he desperately needs when logan falls dangerously ill, and he sees the castle, realizes it looks familiar, and starts to explore? before he realizes that though he walked in with no trouble, he's unable to leave.

and standing right across from him, is the most hideous, horrifying beast he has ever seen. but instead of being afraid of the beast, remus pauses and realizes something: the *beast* is terrified of *him.*

[ummick]

A Night In Tokyo With Mick Schumacher and A Mercedes 190E Evo II

Driving around Tokyo is daunting. With no centre or suburbs, its road network is huge, spiralling, occasionally latticed and sometimes subterranean. At times, even Mr Roboto in the satnav gives up and shrugs directions your way. Which has happened. Meaning I'm lost while leading Mick Schumacher (behind the wheel of a stunning Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II) through Japan's neon-lined labyrinth. It's a hot, humid evening and Mercedes F1's reserve driver (and son of iconic seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher) is cutting the perfect shape of a 90s boyband member. Where I'm perspiring like a burst pipe, he palms back his blonde curls and looks effortlessly cool in his loose-fitting, oversized Tommy Hilfiger contractual clobber. Sartorially, it couldn't be more of a perfect fit for the car he's driving. Born out of German touring cars, the Evo II is a deeply lustworthy, boxy and bewinged sports saloon. With a revvy, induction-tastic 232bhp four-cylinder engine mated to a dog leg close-ratio five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive and aero appendages that get petrolheads salivating, it's a proper tip one's hat 'if you know, you know' car. Mercedes only built 502 of them (as per DTM's homologation rules) out of some 1.9 million W201 models that it's based on, so they're properly rare beasts. The fact we've got a quadruplet of Evos following Mick makes the situation we're in a bit more mind-blowing. But that's the plan. We wanted to give Mick an evening to remember, to take him away from the repetition and rigmarole of modern media junkets. We don't want to know where he keeps his ketchup, or when the last time he thought of the Roman Empire was. We want to indulge his love for cars.

"I went looking for an Evo II to buy but decided against it… for now," Mick says in his soft, geographically hard to place international accent. "It's a beautiful car and has huge sentimental value to me, the main reason being that my dad had one as a company car when he was a Mercedes junior. He spent a lot of time doing lots of laps on the Nordschleife with Heinz-Harald Frentzen. I remember within a month they had to change the brake pads and things with the engine. So it's an emotionally important car to me." Growing up in Gland, Switzerland, Mick struggles to pinpoint exactly when he got bitten by the road car bug. "Honestly, I don't really know where I got into them. Driving them around the property as a child was a big factor. The first time I had a steering wheel in my hand from a road car was maybe four or five years old, on my dad's lap. I got to drive very nice cars, very soon and very early. I guess it just grew naturally. Especially when I turned 18; then it really turned into an obsession." Raised on a healthy diet of racing, the Fast and Furious franchise and gaming, Mick picked up a penchant for JDM cars by proxy. "I just love how raw and simple they are," he says. "I enjoy playing around with them, changing stuff, tuning them and making them more fun to drive." Knowing this, we head out of Tokyo towards Chiba to meet Japan's most inconspicuous bad boy: Kazuhiko 'Smokey' Nagata. Tobacco and turbo enthusiast Smokey is one of Japan's legendary tuners. He and his company Top Secret have modified every generation of Nissan GT-R, including an R33 Skyline GT-R that managed 0–186mph in 17 seconds at Yatabe test track and 204mph in Tokyo's famous Aqualine tunnel. Like Smokey, Mick is also a GT-R fanboy, with some tucked away in a shed at home, including his R34 drift car.

"I've really got into drifting. As an F1 driver, drifting, or oversteer, is the opposite of what you want to do, but if you control it and have the feel for it, it can really help you. So I took the step of saying 'I want to try it' after the 2019 Race of Champions skill race. I was quite good, finishing second against rally drivers and everything, so I thought, 'Okay, maybe I should try this a bit more,' so I got my own car and started enjoying sideways. I love the sensation of connecting turns and being in a difficult situation, because obviously the car is upset, to then be able to control it. I think that's what's so intriguing. It's a good feeling." Mick's curiosity and JDM love resonates as he wanders around Smokey's GT-R littered shop. Not being able to speak Japanese, Mick uses international hand signals for car nuts to explain various car parts, gets out his phone to show Smokey his cars before stumbling upon Smokey's VR32 GT-R (an R32 with all the mechanics and interior of the R35 transplanted) and trying to find a way to import it into Switzerland. But we've got no time for this, as we've got the legendary Bayshore Route to hit and a car meet to get to. For someone so young, 24-year-old Mick is at a rather quiescent point in his career. Having had a triumphant run in his youth coming second in karting in the World, European and German Junior Championships, then switching to Formula 4 in 2015 and finishing second overall in both the German and Italian F4 championships, before becoming European Formula 3 Champion in 2018 and FIA Formula 2 Champion in 2020, Mick made it to the big leagues and bagged himself a seat in F1 with Haas. It wasn't easy. In 2022 Mick lost his seat after a difficult second season that saw him struggle to match teammate Kevin Magnussen for form. He recorded a best finish of sixth in Austria, one of two points finishes during the season, but it was not enough to save his seat. For 2023, Mick dropped his Ferrari junior ties and linked up with Mercedes (the last team his father raced for in F1), picking up the role of reserve driver.

"Being a reserve driver gives you tremendous insight, especially at Mercedes," Mick says. "I miss driving, I'm not going to lie, but the main thing I've learned since moving from Haas to Mercedes is how the team operates, the tools they have, how they use them and the communication. They're big learning points. It has opened my eyes in a lot of ways and has made it clear why Mercedes is as successful as it is. The worst part is sitting in the garage and seeing everybody drive out and do what you love to do." Part of Mick's remit is to join Mercedes trackside at all F1 race. That's how we're able to blat around Tokyo for a night before he heads to Suzuka to support the team. But time in Merc's state-of-the-art sim back in Brackley is also key. Mick was praised by Mercedes' technical director James Allison for a 2 am shift he did during the British GP weekend, turning the car's "woeful" one-lap pace on Friday into a competitive car and set-up for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to compete with during quali and the race on Sunday. With every mile behind the Evo II's wheel, Mick's smile grows to match the width of its monstrous rear wing, especially when he realizes it shoots flame on the overrun after a 7,600 rpm toll booth roll out. We cross over to Yokohama and swirl down a concrete pillared plughole, arriving in an unsuspecting parking lot that doubles up as the epicentre of cool Japanese car culture in Japan: Daikoku PA. Mick, having never been to a car meet before, has his eyes widened. Even though it's a school night, the place is pumping. Mick walks around curiously, showing his girlfriend, Danish model Laila Hasanovic, Veilside-kitted Mazda RX-7s, how riveted wide arch Liberty Walk bodywork hangs from an R35 GT-R for the ultimate kerbside stance, and the extended provenance from the flood of awesome, rare Mercedes (including the original 190E Evo I, an AMG-clad W124 and a custom Cosworth 2.5 boasting Penta wheels and Brabus brakes) that are all parked honourably in their uniform herringbone bays. As Mick gets under the bonnets and kindly signs carbon airboxes for marginally hysterical owners, I wonder if he's handy with the spanners.

"I wish I was," he says, "but I don't have the time. I'm starting to bring more of my cars over to my place so that I eventually will be able to work on them myself and change things that I want to change. Currently, I am very good at taking things apart… maybe less gifted at putting them back together." But since the meteoric rise of social media and documentaries like Netflix's Drive to Survive, racing drivers' personalities have been mainlined into public consciousness. Nowadays, it appears drivers' human interests need to be put on display like the plastic dishes outside Daikoku's service station restaurant windows. Yet here, tonight, Mick seems completely at home and relaxed. "It's risky because I feel like I'm a very private person. I like my privacy. Sometimes when you get people wanting to know more, they get a bit too snoopy. I feel it should be my choice how much I share, and what I share, not people trying to figure that out for me." In this job you get to sniff out the car nuts from the blaggers, and Mick's passion is palpable. It's refreshing to see, and a welcome break from the headlines and hearsay currently surrounding him given he's caught in a gloopy limbo where F1 politics, money and raw talent are all currently fighting each other to work out where he'll race next.

As I type, Mick's currently linked with an LMDh drive with Alpine in next year's World Endurance Championship, a move Mercedes F1's big boss Toto Wolff is fine with, as Mick is "part of the family" and "will always have a home." Mick's tone becomes more forlorn when talking about the future, obviously having had a tough few years and aching to get back into an F1 car. I wonder if it takes its toll, and how he pushes through in times of uncertainty. "Having the right people around you," he says. "You need to try and be mentally in the right space and try and get the best out of the situation so that you can, whenever it's necessary, be in the position that you can jump in and be ready to go." After an evening with Mick, you can't help but wish him the best of luck. If all else fails, he could always lean into drifting and see where that takes him. Sideways Schuey. Has a good ring to it, doesn't it?

[scotianostra]

On April 23rd 1733 work began on the bridge over the River Tay at Aberfeldy with General Wade laying the foundation Stone.

Many people might not like the fact that Wade was in Scotland, but regardless of you opinion on him, many of you will have at some point travelled on a road, or crossed a bridge that was part of his work here in Scotland.

In 1925 Wade was charged with building a network of roads and bridges throughout the Scottish Highlands to aid the transport of men and equipment. The government was rightly concerned about the possibility of another Jacobite uprising following the '15, and wanted to make sure that military transport was as efficient as possible in case of another revolt.Over the next 15 years, Wade oversaw the building of 250 miles of roads - the first engineered roads in Britain since the departure of the Romans in the early 5th century. To link those roads he also built over 40 bridges.

The most impressive 'Wade bridge' spanned the River Tay at what is now Aberfeldy. At the time it was the only bridge across the Tay, allowing access to the central and eastern Highlands from the south. It is sometimes known as the Tay Bridge, although since the construction of the bridges at Dundee that name has gradually worn off, although I do know some Jacbites out there that will not call them Wades Bridge or Roads, the roads especially are called “Old Military Roads”

The humpbacked bridge was designed by the famous Scottish architect William Adam, father of Robert Adamwho went on to become perhaps the foremost country house architect in the country. General Wade considered the elder Adam 'the best architect in Scotland'.

Adam's design was much more than a purely functional piece of military architecture; he created a neo-classical five-arched bridge stretching 112m (368 feet), with a central span of 18.2m (60 feet). Adam added Baroque details, including four obelisks over the central span and decorative pyramids at each end. The central span also has a raised parapet. The roadway is 14 feet wide.

To ease the impact of water on the bridge piers there are triangular cutwaters. The arches are segmental, and the bridge is composed of grey chlorite schist with rubble spandrels and arch rings of dressed stone. The piers were supported by 1200 timber piles encased in with iron sunk into the river bed.

On the inner face of the parapet in the centre of the bridge is a dedication panel in Latin which translates as:

Admire this military road stretching on this

side and that 250 miles beyond the limits of the

Roman one, mocking moors and bogs, opened

up through rocks and over mountains, and, as

you see, crossing the indignant Tay. This

diffIcult work G. Wade, Commander-in-Chief of

the Forces in Scotland, accomplished by his own

skill and ten years labour of his soldiers in the

year of the Christian Era, 1733. Behold how

much avail the Royal auspices of George 2nd.

The exterior of the central arch bears another panel with relief carvings of a crown and crossed swords and the monogram of George II between them.

Stone was quarried at Farrowchil, a mile away. Skilled masons were brought from all across the north of England and they worked on finishing the blocks through the winter so that it could be quickly assembled in the summer. It was opened to traffic in October 1734, though the official opening ceremony did not take place until the summer of 1735.

The bridge cost a total of 4095 pounds (another source puts the cost at 3,596 pounds) and Wade considered it his finest achievement.

The building of Wade's Bridge was directly responsible for the town of Aberfeldy. At the time it was the only road bridge across the Tay, so it formed a vital link in transport routes. A settlement grew up near the east end of the bridge and in very short order grew to a considerable size.

Wade considered his network of roads and bridges an essential step in keeping peace in the turbulent Highlands. However, the only military commander to actually benefit directly was Bonnie Prince Charlie, whose Jacobite troops used the road network to their advantage during the '45 Uprising.

Bonnie Prince Charlie himself crossed the bridge in February 1746 on his retreat north after Derby. He stayed at Castle Menzies, just a mile away, for two days. Just two days after that a contingent of the Duke of Cumberland's soldiers followed him across the bridge. They would eventually catch up with the Prince and his men at the Culloden near Inverness, a battle that effectively ended Jacobite hopes.

Though many of General Wade's military roads are still in use today, the bridge in Aberfeldy is the only one of Wade's bridges still in daily use. Today it carries the B846 over the River Tay. It was not designed to carry two lanes of traffic so there are lights at each end to regulate traffic flow.

Although the bridge as a whole is impressive, the masonry is quite different from the smooth neatness of Telford’s or Smeaton’s later bridges – the outside is neater than the inside, but it’s still a quite different style.

[vullcanica]

  — BASICS.

IS YOUR MUSE TALL / SHORT / AVERAGE? somewhere on the cusp between average and short. 5'6.5"

ARE THEY OKAY WITH THEIR HEIGHT ? some might argue the .5 is proof enough he's touchy about his height - which he is, as the malnourished runt of a notably tall, sturdy roman-nordic family line (all of which different iterations of himself, meaning large used to be his default). he remains unbothered by any other comparison however - to modern humanity or creatures alike. his size is a feature far more often than he anticipated, so that helps.

WHAT’S THEIR HAIR LIKE? thick and dark, holds an immaculate wave. subject to frequent and willful change, including a permanent 'genetic dyejob' from his natural light blonde to the black he sports now. likes to keep it luxuriously long whenever able, but has sported both short masculine cuts and scalp-tight shaves for practicality's sake.

DO THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THEIR HAIR / GROOMING? rarely, beyond brushing.. doesn't bother with intricate hairstyles or accessories unless forcibly assed by the dresscode of some event or societal position. even then, he tries to opt for the simplicity of tails or singular braids.

DOES YOUR MUSE CARE ABOUT THEIR APPEARANCE / WHAT OTHERS THINK ? considering the amount of changes done to it - from colors to bone structure - and the variety of vessels his souls has held, he understandably feels no strong attachment to his visual presentation. has a vague preference for fashion and a knowledge what he looks good in, but his enjoyment of sharp angles, dark metals and masculinity does not speak of a strict adherence to it

  — PREFERENCES

▸ INDOORS OR OUTDOORS? outdoors, diehard village boy. ▸ RAIN OR SUNSHINE? rain. ▸ FOREST OR BEACH? forest. ▸ PRECIOUS METALS OR GEMS? precious metals, far more versatile and visually appealing. ▸ FLOWERS OR PERFUMES? perfume (for the longevity alone). flowers don't particularly like him. ▸ PERSONALITY OR APPEARANCE? personality. appearance has little impact on his opinion beyond surface level sexual attraction (which means nothing in the grand scheme of partner choice). ▸ BEING ALONE OR BEING IN A CROWD? can handle either for an impressive while before feeling a craving for the other. forever middleground - spending time in trusted company. ▸ ORDER OR ANARCHY? anarchy, it serves his goals best and he finds it far more stimulating. order can be stifling in more than small doses. ▸ PAINFUL TRUTHS OR WHITE LIES? capable of stomaching and saying both (less so the former). ▸ SCIENCE OR MAGIC? he sees magic as science, as proven by him reverse engineering it. ▸ PEACE OR CONFLICT? conflict. ▸ NIGHT OR DAY? night. ▸ DUSK OR DAWN? dusk. ▸ WARMTH OR COLD? cold. ▸FEW CLOSE FRIENDS OR MANY ACQUAINTANCES ? (very) few close friends. ▸ READING OR PLAYING A GAME?

  — QUESTIONNAIRE

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MUSE’S BAD HABITS? To narrow down the definition of 'habit', I'm excluding more general inclinations more connected to psyche like 'impulsivity', 'manipulation', 'obsessiveness'. As such, lying is his worst habit - a skill honed to perfection and utilized without much thought, on automatic. Some might call him compulsive, but it's much more controlled than it might seem. Second best is his habit of disorganization and physical mayhem - he's unconcerned with order as it isn't as stimulating, so makes little effort to allot dedicated places for things when his memory suits him well enough in navigating the chaos he creates. Other physical habits include the marks of his restlessness, colloquially The Ten Tenseness Tells: oral mannerisms like chewing (fixation), tongue clicking, whistling, humming, foot tapping, fidgeting or playing with items, drumming fingers in tune, touching - texture fixation, cracking knuckles, picking wounds/scabs.

HAS YOUR MUSE LOST ANYONE CLOSE TO THEM? HOW HAS IT AFFECTED THEM? His daughter, Avita. Not only his only living child after countless children lost in infancy, but one whose life and death was the direct result of Nikodemus' gluttony for power beyond his due. It was just about the most devastating loss to at last watch her grow and give his all to ensure she thrived in safety, fully assimilated within a loving community, only to watch those very people bring about her demise when she proved far more powerful than they deemed safe. It broke Nik, in a sense, to lose her to the very power he'd pursued in the name of ascension above mortality, humanity, vulnerability, which in the end provided nothing but a dangerous alienation. In the true fashion of a grieving parent, he razed that town to the ground and pursued eternal life - in turn, eternal time to amend his daughter's death and reach ultimate indomitability - both for himself and for her. He walked away much colder from the ashes of Krilnei.

WHAT ARE SOME FOND MEMORIES YOUR MUSE HAS? Many, though with painfully few people. Most notably and importantly, time spent with Antonín and Avita. His life as light-touched King Lucius alongside his brilliant sworn knight Adiel (as well as said era's eventful end - and beginning of a terrible, wonderful bond) is indispensibly precious to him. Holding his daughter for the first time in millenia was unforgettable. There are many gentler, softer moments he holds dear as well - memorable in their uneventful domesticity, in the rush of simply living without haste or need for novelty. Rarity for a man like him.

IS IT EASY FOR YOUR MUSE TO KILL? Taking a life is a method of sustenance to him as natural as breathing and eating is to humans. His life, immortality and magic all hinge on a mechanism he's built centered around the automatic sacrifice of a life for his own. There's an eerie passivity to it all. — and beyond that, he doesn't shy away from killing directly and violenty with his own two hands either.

WHAT’S IT LIKE WHEN YOUR MUSE BREAKS DOWN? Explosive. Bloody. Apocalyptic. If only for the fact he doesn't break down at all. Whatever emotions should be externalized in their raw form instead manifest into anger, impulsivity, violence, desire, desperation - distractions with which to inflict collateral upon his surroundings. Instead of introspection, he self-soothes through sheer chaos, hedonism or rampage. If unable, he would simply shut down, forced to feel everything in its brutal sincerity - a pain he can rarely afford.

IS YOUR MUSE CAPABLE OF TRUSTING SOMEONE WITH THEIR LIFE? No. In the sense of genuine incapacity to do as much. His life is no longer so easily endangered to begin with, marked by immortality and, half the time, near invulnerability. Its loss is not permanent, so trust is a moot point. To put it in the actual hands of another means endangering millenia of survivalism and pursuit for power, so the notion is nigh unthinkable. Nor the inclination, really. After 600 BC and the betrayal he suffered at the hands of his most loyal to which he entrusted his own life, he's since ventured to ensure it never happens again. There is one notable exception to the rule, of course - Antonín Cainhurst (exception to much concerning Nikodemus). His eldritch blood essence is an immutable part of Nik, infecting his very physical body and even extending to his spirit, soul and magic. A bond that took centuries of trust to be approved and centuries more to bloom.

WHAT’S YOUR MUSE LIKE WHEN THEY’RE IN LOVE? Unsure. He is unsure - no longer possessed of his usual unquestionable confidence, nor thoughtless egotism. Love, genuine love gives him pause of consideration. Makes him selfless, concerned, un-self-absorbed. Has him contemplative of the other's needs, their wants, his own actions and compromises, if he should really even stay when it may be better to.. go.

[sentient-stove]

“Nope honey, absolutely not.” Leo got up on the chair so that he was more level with Frank’s face. “I ain’t a Sammy, or a Leoni, and definitely not either of those to you. It’s Leo. L-E-O. Full names aren’t my thing, you hear me, and I’m frankly too weirded out to ask how you figured my middle name.”

Hazel keeps staring at him like he’s a dead man, he does not want to deal with her boyfriend doing the same or whatever weird deal they had with mysterious Sammy fella. Leo’s pretty sure his resume had ‘ignoring his problems’ under the skills section. But it was stupid hard to ignore his problems and be a blissful seventh wheel when he had Romans breathing down his neck and calling him Leoni.

They didn’t earn that, and he wasn’t going to let them have it anytime soon.

“What,” Frank blinked at him, thrown off by the chair most likely. “Your name though,”

“Don’t know, don’t wanna talk bout it, don’t care.” He interrupted.

Leo hopped off the chair and went back to dragging the bronze in the direction the engine room was.

…

Did you like this? Consider reading chapter one of this AU here!

[multi-muse-transect]

RWBY/Justice League Rewrite.

So basically I imagined an AU years ago where the RWBY characters are reimagined as DC characters. So here’s sort of a rewrite of mine, the RWBY/Justice League movie is an anthology series that focuses on RWBY characters as DC superheroes with them building up to teaming up with their canon counterparts. 

Woman Of Steel: Focuses on Yang/Superwoman and establishes that the world is recovering from an event called the Apokolips War where every hero perished as it gives rise to violent anti-heroes that cause collateral damage. Mild reporter Yang Xiao Long aka Nyssa-El is sent cover the opening of a new shelter for metahumans by Lex-Corp-Remnant’s new CEO Salem. A meta human hate group attacks the place coupled with an anti-heroic Livewire fight as Yang intervenes as Superwoman and stops the two (her outfit resembles Sasha Calle Supergirl but with red boots). Basically the usual Superman stuff and feels light hearted.

Rose Speedster: Ruby Rose is a normal cosplayer on social media and systems engineer of STAR Labs but also the new Flash. She is given an objective to deliver a package which contains a new organ for the Princess Of Markovia who has days to live which she tries to but fights Count Vertigo. A mix between serious and funny.

Beware The Knight: Blake Belladonna is a heiress to the Belladonna-Wayne Enterprises but at night-she’s the Batwoman-a seemingly mythical being in Gotham’s urban legend. Batwoman intercepts a package shipment heading to one Roman Torchwick aka Black Mask and another package to Neopolitan aka The Penguin. Goes more on the line of horror and thriller as it centers on how the people of Gotham view Blake as to them-a monster.

Sorceress Of Atlantis: Weiss Schnee is an underwater researcher and also the protege of King Arthur Curry and Mera who is skilled with magic as she takes on a gang of pirates that raid an oil rig. 

[clinttakesonrome]

The Roman Temple: Pantheon

I stepped inside the Pantheon, immediately struck by the sheer grandeur of the place. The massive dome above me, with its intricate patterns and striking oculus, was unlike anything I had ever seen. I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and wonder as I gazed up at the ceiling, trying to take in every detail.

The Pantheon is one of the most iconic landmarks of ancient Rome, and it's easy to see why. Originally built as a temple to all the gods of Rome, the Pantheon has stood the test of time and remains one of the best-preserved ancient buildings in the world. According to one primary source, the Roman historian Cassius Dio, the Pantheon was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus and was completed around 27 BC. The building underwent several renovations and restorations over the years, including a major reconstruction under Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD.

Walking around the Pantheon, I was struck by the incredible engineering and architectural feats that had gone into its construction. The dome, which is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, is a testament to the skill and ingenuity of the ancient Roman builders. The oculus, a circular opening at the top of the dome, was not just for aesthetic purposes; it also served as a source of light and ventilation for the building.

According to a secondary source, the Pantheon has had a long and varied history since its original construction. After it was converted to a church in the 7th century AD, the Pantheon became a symbol of Christianity and a popular destination for pilgrims. In the centuries that followed, the building underwent further renovations and changes, including the addition of chapels and tombs for prominent figures such as Raphael and Victor Emmanuel II.

I left the Pantheon, I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to experience such an incredible piece of history firsthand. The Pantheon is not just a building; it's a testament to the ingenuity, creativity, and perseverance of the ancient Romans, and a reminder of the incredible legacy they left behind.

Sources:

Primary source:

Dio Cassius, Roman History, Book LIV.27.6-7

Secondary source:

The Pantheon: From Antiquity to the Present by Tod A. Marder (Cambridge University Press, 2015)

Photo Source:

Parker, Freda. “The Pantheon: A Temple to All Gods.” Monolithic Dome Institute. Monolithic Dome Institute, April 26, 2023. https://monolithicdome.com/pantheon-a-temple-to-all-gods.

[rommynnaalmea]

Modern History

Ancient Water Systems: The ​Indus Valley Civilization

In this blog post, we will delve into the historical significance of the aqueducts built by ancient Rome and their lasting impact on water conservation methods. We will also look at how these engineering marvels revolutionised water supply and continue to inspire modern water management practices.

During the Roman Empire, from 27 BCE to 476 CE, the growing population of Rome necessitated a reliable water supply. The construction of aqueducts, complex structures that transported water from distant sources to the city, emerged as a solution to this challenge. These aqueducts allowed Rome to support its population's needs for sanitation, agriculture, and public baths.

Roman engineers, particularly during the reigns of emperors like Augustus and Trajan, spearheaded the construction of aqueducts. Skilled workers and engineers meticulously planned and built these structures, utilizing gravity to transport water over long distances. The aqueducts were constructed with arches, tunnels, and channels, showcasing the engineering brilliance of ancient Rome.

The aqueducts of ancient Rome transformed the city's water supply infrastructure and improved living conditions for its residents. These systems enabled the diversion and distribution of water from nearby rivers, springs, and lakes. The aqueducts not only supplied water but also facilitated the efficient management of water resources and the prevention of wastage.

The aqueducts built by ancient Rome offer important lessons for contemporary water conservation efforts. By investing in efficient water transport systems, implementing diverse water sources, and prioritizing sustainable water management, modern societies can ensure a reliable and equitable water supply. The principles of efficient resource allocation and infrastructure planning from ancient Rome are still relevant today.

In conclusion, the aqueducts of ancient Rome stand as a testament to the ingenuity and foresight of the Roman Empire. Their water conservation practices paved the way for modern water management techniques. By studying and incorporating the lessons from ancient Rome, we can build resilient water supply systems for the future!

[ceaselesssong]

Rho Erl Posting #9

I've regained count, my mind is still MIA though. Ima justt Just brain dump more Roc Lore. A whole bunch why not.

The Rocs are a species of Nomadic alien that can be found throughout the galaxy. There are five flocks: The Doran, Roman, Kalan, Rhode, and Nokon. Each is composed of several dozen Nests: these ancient, patchwork ships which have been maintained through the centuries by its inhabitants. Each Nest is a family group of 30~ individuals. Rho is of the Erl nest, and Doran flock, which mostly wander around the edges of the Alternian Empire and its neighbors.

~

Rocs are known to be fucking cracked at engineering, and for good reason. They live in their ships full time after all, with hundreds of generations of experience keeping them repaired with limited resources. And thats not to mention the cybernetics that keep them alive. Any Roc that survives into adult hood is going to know their way around a workshop.

It's also how they make their income- they're highly skilled artisans operating in the middle of nowhere, even if they can't charge very much for their services there will always be demand. Additionally, they take salvage work whenever they can, picking the wreckage of merchant ships and military vessels for anything they can sell on.

~

No one really knows where they come from, except that they were somehow in space before any other civilization. According to them, they were exiled by Tevah, a nature goddess, and cursed to rot away.

However, I can offer you a peak behind the curtain ;) The Rocs evolved on a death world. All deserts and mountains and monsters. The brutality of the environment made them prioritize survival at all costs- though, the planet was also extremely resource rich, which led them to develop advanced technology very early on.

It didn't take long for them to destroy themselves, between their runaway industrialization, their constant wars, and an environment which was already out for their asses, they didn't stand much of a chance. The only reason they aren't extinct is because of a popular punishment for religious heretics: which was sealing them into ships and launching them into deep space.

Turns out, at least some of those heretics survived.

~

Andddd... Yeah that's probably too much already. I'll save my religion and biology lore dumps for later.

[just-late-roman-republic-things]

Just saw episode 3 of Rome: Empire Without Limit, presented by Mary Beard. Another very good watch!

What most stood out to me in this one were the globalization and industrialization of Rome’s empire:

Rome imported silk all the way from China, while Roman coins ended up all over Europe, and even in India.

Rome turned many regions into monocultures - e.g. a whole town being devoted to producing olive oil, or ceramic bowls, or other product. This is different from subsistence farming, where people mostly produce food and goods for themselves locally.

Roads, aqueducts, temples, and other megastructures were both functional and a form of propaganda. It took immense wealth, engineering skills, and trade networks to construct them, and they made visual statements of “Rome is bigger than you,” and “This is why you should ally with us.” It was also a matter of personal and national pride, a very physical way of leaving one’s mark on the world.

Seriously aqueducts are fucking huge

The Roman empire was so industrialized it spiked greenhouse gas emissions, starting around 1 CE, on a level not matched again for a thousand years.

Although the Romans romanticized farm life, they were a primarily urban culture, and whenever Romans colonized, they did so by building new cities. These cities had a standardized layout and legal code, almost mass-produced.

Industry and globalization weren’t all good. Just like in the 19th-century industrial revolution, this was built on the backs of poor people (particularly slaves), came at the expense of non-Romans’ freedom, and those fancy cities exploited local resources (like sucking Spain dry of its gold and silver). Pollution was an issue, too. The Romans - and cultures under the Roman hegemony - achieved incredible things, but they did so at a great cost to the people they didn’t value.

When people talk about the “fall” of the Western Roman Empire, I’m starting to wonder if we might more accurately call it a disintegration, or decentralization. If I remember the History of Rome podcast right, most provincials’ quality of life didn’t change that much from 400 to 500 CE. Rather, they started relying more on local administrators and protectors as Rome’s ability to exert its will at a distance decreased. 

This is not necessarily a “decline” in society; in fact, you could argue it’s better than being subjugated by an empire. But it is different, and I can see how medieval Europeans could look at the Colosseum and ask “How come the Romans could build this, and we can’t?” or “Why could they conquer so much, and spread their culture so far, and we can’t? What’s wrong with us?” Perhaps the propaganda value of all those monuments kept working, long after the empire was gone.

[lil-space-king]

Random Story Rambling

I would make this private but I wanna share it with my bf.

This is a modern superhero AU (w/ some angel/demon shit blended in)

Orion is a hero with a crazy backstory. He was born into a cult worshipping a god from ancient times - a smaller star deity who yearns for power.

This star deity demanded strict obedience in exchange for eternal life and his following worked to allow him access to the mortal world.

At some point the god - still not able to access their realm, *is* able to impregnate one of the women.

Orion is then born - under the expectation that some dark ritual will take place on his eighteenth birthday allowing his father to come to life with his heir's help as he reaches adulthood or some crap.

Orion is a curious, indomitable child. His mother disciplined him constantly and cruelly, demanding he is the perfect child and religious follower, but Orion strived against the odds.

At around eight years old, he pickpocketed a flip phone from someone at a convenience store and gained access to the internet without anyone knowing. He kept it successfully hidden from his mother's watchful eye.

He also began to gain powers from his heavenly ancestry - angel wings he could summon at will, high resistance to injury and pain, unnatural strength and speed, and the power to speak and compel animals.

When he was 16 he escaped the compound.

The cult was located in Australia, and in an attempt to not be found, he had purchased himself a one-way ticket on an airplane going to NYC or smth. (He earned the money through a series of online scams that targeted very creepy men).

In NYC he hops around from homeless shelter to homeless shelter and crappy job to crappy job, but he eventually found a loving (queer) community that accepted him and gained a myriad of friends and roommates.

At first, he tries to stay low-key and out of the way, but the rising villains of the city compel him to help. He cares too much. He also has a very black-and-white sense of justice (cough he's autistic cough) stepping in even when the law will not but never killing. His cool superhero name is Arkangel.

He has a whole rogue gallery, but I want to focus on one villainous duo in particular.

Artemis AKA Ava Mcintosh is a highly-trained highly-skilled archer, hunter, bow smith, arrowsmith, engineer, and survivalist. Most of her villainy is killing whoever the highest bidder wants her to.

Ava grew up with in NYC with her mother and father in a very idyllic life, until her father was a civilian casualty of some random and cruel act of violence. This was highly traumatizing for her, of course, and she became overly protective of her mother. Going as far as to dabble in gang activity to ensure protection.

When she was 14, her mother married a new man - with Ava's blessing of course. He was a harmless, sweet, academic type who she felt the same strong protection for when he started teaching her about engineering.

But, he was also a single parent, bringing his own daughter into the family union as well. Her name was Minerva, she was Ava's new stepsister and though she was a very weird little girl Ava soon grow to love, protect, and work for her.

Minerva was not human, and unlike Orion, she didn't really have any way to hide it. Orion can summon and dispel his wings at will.

Minerva can't do anything about the horns growing out of her head.

Minerva's father is a sweet, harmless man, but he's also an obsessive academic and he spent years studying the occult until he got in contact with a minor demon. He began exchanging sacrifices for some magical powers.

The two also began sharing a very strong emotional connection, they fell in love and then some greek mythology shit happened.

Their love produced an heir, but not in the traditional way. A child was formed from their bond and sprouted from the head of her father. That's how Minerva earned her name! (The roman equivalent of Athena)

From day one, Minerva was intelligent beyond her years. She was able to walk, talk, read, and write, far younger than any of her peers. It wasn't long before her father began personally tutoring her in all manners of study. Plus, it was easier that way as opposed to sending her to school where people would ostracise her for having horns and a demon mother.

(When Minerva was still young, her father cut off contact with her mother, realizing how she would take advantage of her daughter for her own personal gain. He wants to protect her above all else). Later he meets, falls in love with, and marries Ava's mom of course.

Minerva and Ava got along quickly, being both intelligent girls lacking any genuine friendship. They form a strong bond as sisters and friends.

As Minerva grew into adulthood, she gained 7 doctorates and very powerful demonic mind control powers. Her power comes mainly in the form of hypnosis where the victim has to stare into her eyes and lose to the force of her will. (it is possible to assert enough mental focus to deflect it).

She uses her intelligence to assert her will. She is autistic and similarly to Orion, has very black-and-white thinking. She believes that science points to the right answers, and everything else should be ignored. Everything for the pursuit of science.

Minerva has high empathy and low sympathy. She views everything from a very logical viewpoint, so she really only crimes as a means to an end. (the ultimate goal is to 'fix society' how she wants).

She kidnaps someone- only to use as a test subject. Once shes done they can be free to go if they survive.

She robs a bank- only as much as she needs to fund her next endeavor. The government denied her grant for some reason.

She heists national artifacts - she needed to examine them for her research into the occult.

Ava is right behind her, ready to protect her 'little sister' and Minerva utilizes her physical skills where she lacks. Together they terrorize NYC (or whatever I said) with only Orion to stop them.

(By the way Minerva's seven doctorates are botany, history, anthropology, psychology, engineering, medicine, and law).

Now here comes the spicy part! I don't know if I mentioned before, but Orion is hot as hell, and constantly in need of money (heroism doesn't pay!) Heroic Arkangel by day, by night Orion is a sex worker.

(By the way at this point in the timeline Minerva and Orion are probably around 28 and 27).

And Minerva is a person too busy for romance or intimacy, but not too busy to let of some steam and she's got money to spare. d

Orion's place of business isn't the most reputable in the world. It's clean and treats its employees well, but it's a place that caters to the lowest of low in NYC including a certain demonic villain. With the infamy Minerva has gained - no one would dare ask about the horns or turn her away from their place of business.

Minerva has no alter ego or hidden identity - she's just Minerva Porter - and Orion knows her. He ducks into the kitchen, scared she might have deduced his identity and come here to face off.

But as he watched her, hidden, she calmly walked towards the manager, asked a few questions, and walked with him to the back- to one of the lady's rooms. He wasn't even on her radar.

She was like clockwork, she came in once every week, Wednesday nights. She walked in the door at 9:30 and walked out of it at 11:30. Always the same girl. And she never noticed him clocking her movements.

It was something of a relief - at least he knew for those hours she wouldn't be causing an emergency for him to respond to. But eventually his curiosity got the best of him.

He found a way to discreetly, or as discreetly as Orion is capable of, to ask Minerva's weekly 'date' what the woman was like.

"Oh, Minerva? She's... rough. She's given me a couple bruises! But," She shrugged, "She's a good client, listens to safewords, and pays well. Just gotta pretend I haven't just watched the news that morning."

Orion had laughed along with her and did his best to push down any thoughts about *that* that arose when he was trying to disarm a toxin bomb she was letting loose in the town hall.

The thoughts only got louder when she started watching him.

Orion doesn't have a lot of repeat customers (because his superhero gig often leaves him with a very inconsistent schedule). A lot of the time he's in the box.

The box is his club's voyeurism chamber where employees have sex with clients and certain members can watch.

Minerva had never even given him a second glance, but maybe that day her usual was running late - because right in the middle of stripping for the crowd, he saw her standing there staring at him with dark brown eyes that bored into his soul.

Her expression was neutral but incessant. Every time he looked over, she met his gaze unwaveringly. It unnerved him as much as it intrigued him, was she really all she seemed?

From that specific week on, Minerva began to arrive fifteen minutes earlier, to go to the box. Sometimes, Orion wasn't there in which case she'd get a drink, but if he was she would take the time to watch his performance.

Orion's feelings became a complicated mess as the woman he feared and fought, also became the woman whose attention he looked forward to.

One day, she didn't come to the box, and Orion's heart sank, had she changed her routine? Gotten bored? Halfway through his performance, his manager knocked on the door, asking him if he was willing to take a client whose date had called in sick- she had specifically asked for Orion and was willing to pay time and a half.

As Orion walked into the room to see Minerva's dark eyes staring back at him, it became clear things were going to get a lot more complicated.

[prozac-shaped-urn]

iiiiiii had a midday nap and this is what happened inside my brain during that time so maybe sit down and have a stiff drink at the ready cuz this shit is wild

AIGHT *clap* SO

when i dream it's usually not super vivid and i usually don't remember them but if it's a midday nap dream, IT'S BOTH

people: myself, j smith cameron (as herself), jean smart (as herself), and @marlboro-cowgirl (also as herself lmao and hereafter abbreviated as MC)

setting: what i'm assuming is jsc or jean's house i have no fucking idea but it's a really super nice house somewhere in cali, a bowling alley (this shit is wild i'm telling you), and a liquor store

dream starts out with me hanging out with jsc and jean in a very nice house. we're chillin out, doing nothing, listening to music and reading books. it's bright outside and i walk to a window to look at the ocean. jean asks me if i want something to drink and i'm like "nah i'm good, but i'm kinda hungry" (great manners katy) and jean's like "okay yeah! i can heat something up" and then jsc pipes up "i could use a drink though" and i giggle like roman roy for whatever fucking reason and jean goes "all i have is diet coke and water" and jsc shrugs "either is fine, just mix it with vodka"

ALKDSLKDFJSLKDF AJDL WHAT

so jean mixes jsc a vodka diet coke (ew) and hands it over while i'm staring at them like i'm watching some kind of live-action disney film. like my eyes are full of wonder and curiosity. oh, they're also in sunbathing attire. like floppy hats and sunglasses and sarong wraps n shit (idfk stay with me) so naturally i'm looking at all the places i shouldn't be bc ~in my dreams i can do what i fucking want~ fuck off.

jsc takes a sip of the vodka diet coke and winces like it's disgusting bc guess what IT IS jsc you fuckin weirdo. and then jean's like "you said mix it with vodka" and jsc's like "yeah but i didn't realize it would be this gross" and jean's like "we can go to the store but i have a bowling competition in an hour" and jsc is like "okay just get something else on your way back" and jean's like "alright fine whatever"

(side note: jean is an avid bowler so this part makes sense to me now that i'm thinking about it.)

that part of the dream ends and we do a DISSOLVE TO: transition like a goddamn film to the bowling alley and i'm there with jean and @marlboro-cowgirl (i have no idea babes my brain is fucked up as you are FULLY aware of) and jean is bowling her ass off and MC is smoking her vape while i'm eating a burger and fries and dr pepper. jean gets done with her streak--bowls a turkey--and sits down to join us. MC is like "great streak! you're super skilled at that." and jean's like "thanks :) you shouldnt be smoking." and MC goes "yeah… but it's better than other shit i could be doing. like heroin. or growing a baby." and jean doesnt know how to respond so she just nods her head with raised eyebrows like *yep these kids are fucked upppp* and then she's like "should we go get j something to drink? it's getting late." and i nod and MC is like "yeah let's fucken roll" LKDALDKJFAL DKFJADL so we leave and go to a liquor store

the three of us peruse the aisles and grab whatever the hell alcohol we want. i get smirnoff green apple and goldschläger, MC gets tennessee whiskey and cranberry juice and some high quality brand of rum i cannot remember the name of, and jean grabs a bottle of chinaco tequila a six pack of regular coke and a six pack of sprite. we go to the checkout stand and pay for our drinks and head out to the car (we're in MC's challenger for some reason--probably the turbo orgasm on wheels engine. also no idea how we got to your car since jean and i supposedly left in hers DREAMS ARE WEIRD OKAY) and head back to the nice house

we get to the nice house and unload our shit on the kitchen counter and jsc smiles and nods her head in approval at the selection before her and pours a hefty shot of goldschläger and downs that bitch like a P R O no grimace to be seen anywhere on her face and jean stares at her like she's just eaten a cockroach. jsc shrugs like *what?! it's good!* and jean just shakes her head in bewilderment. i'm grinning like the village idiot at this whole thing and MC is gnawing on her vape and looking at me looking at them with the most exasperatedly amused expression.

so MC takes her booze and juice and leaves the three of us to our own devices (thanks a lot babes lmao) and i'm in this house with jsc and jean and they're trying to outdo each other by taking shots of tequila, vodka and goldschläger and not making faces. like…… a LOT of shots. jsc gets giggly drunk and jean has to sit down on the kitchen floor bc she's spinning so much. i take a few shots in the there too (vodka or goldschläger only bitch) so i'm also kinda giggly drunk and i go to put the vodka in the freezer to keep it cold and jsc stops me with a hand on my arm and chastises me like my fucking mother "NEVER put alcohol in the freezer." and i'm like "uhhhh why? it's where i store my vodka." and she goes "it worsens the taste. keep it room temperature or in a wine cooler." and i'm like *mkay so #1 that was hot. #2 yes ma'am i will keep my vodka on my counter. #3 i'm too drunk to try and hide any smirks or wandering gaze* so i just straight up stare at her cleavage and nod like a mute idiot.

i go sit back down in the chair i was in earlier and start listening to music and jsc and jean do whatever in the kitchen and then i woke up.

moral of the dream: this grit fic has permeated my subconscious, jsc posting that "party at gerri's!" tweet yesterday evidently did something to my brain, and i should never put alcohol in the freezer.

[morphogenetic]

Mediaposting 2023, #12: Succession Season 2

i think I like season 2 Overall less than I do with season 1, but when the episodes are bangers (6, 7, 9, 10) they are fucking BANGERS.

i also have literally no idea where season 3 and 4 are gonna go. like other than the one spoiler I know about s4 [which I'm not really surprised happened at this point] and the fact that kendall gets a shaved head eventually....NO idea what happens. at all. other than the repercussions that I'm sure happen after ep 10 lol

more spoilery thoughts under the cut (though tbh they're more about what I think is gonna happen next season)

-I knew about the "can't make a tomlette without breaking a few greggs" line. vaguely. what I did NOT know was that the line was said in THE SENATE

-honestly just so many good tom and greg moments. "we here for you" is still so fucking funny. the water bottle thing. Tom complimenting greg on his blackmailing skills. it's all so toxic and so so good

-speaking of Tom. "i wonder if the sad I'd be without you is bigger than the sad i am with you" is such an augh line and it's phrased in such a tom way. divorce arc so real

-shiv was so real for letting rhea be ceo and then immediately leaving bc of the cruises stuff. she girlbossed too close to the sun in episode 6 but then girlbossed her way back down to earth too

-i REALLY want to see if Roman actually gets therapy or if they just let him suffer like they did w kendall only getting two days of rehab. im also feeling like he might get more attention next season since shiv was more focused on during s2, when kendall was most important for s1, so maybe each season is more focused on one particular character?

-it's also fascinating to me that even though Roman is clearly the comedic relief sibling...he's smarter than he looks. he couches it in a lot of acting like he doesn't know anything - and he doesn't a lot of the time, lol at him buying the wrong soccer team - but like...the piece of episode 10 where he doesn't think the buyout will work? and in a way where his dad won't really get mad at him for it? he's kind of incredible at socially engineering people, in the way that youngest siblings often are. i don't think he'll ever lead the company but he could definitely be a way bigger player next season

-i know the entire point of kendall is that he's incredibly inscrutable and hard to figure out and like, a+ to jeremys acting on this, but he is even more inscrutable than usual this season. which felt weird after season 1 where he was definitely complicated but at least I could understand what the fuck was going on with him. now I'm a little ???? about it. i guess that's what happens when he's more of a background player this season though

-...but the divide between ep 9 and ep 10 kendall is both wild and totally expected. constantly going between defending his dad and treating him like a God and then saying he's a horrible person? on point. 10/10 no notes

-also I didn't really start paying attention to this until near the end of the season but the way that people have conversations in terms of the physical space between them is so important. it stood out to me with Logan and his kids. with Roman and Logan they sit apart but not distant, like business partners. logan and shiv? at first they had business partner spacing, then they had family member spacing. logan and kendall? circling each other like fucking sharks until the very end where kendall kisses his dad on the cheek right before betraying him. God. peak

-(SPEAKING OF THAT. THE PHYSICAL DISTANCE BETWEEN SHIV AND TOM DURING THE THREESOME CONVERSATION USED TO SHOW THE EMOTIONAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THEM. CHEFS KISS)

-ending the season on a boat was perfect after the season ends up being about the cruises drama. so perfect. i know it has the metaphor of pushing someone overboard too but (gestures) Boats

-i feel like I need to rewatch this season specifically when everything ends because a lot of the episodes felt....not pointless, totally, but more filler-y than season 1? like I really don't even remember what happened for most of the season outside of a few specific moments and I literally just watched it. idk. i mean the same is kind of true for season 1 but season 1 felt like it had more defined mini-arcs and I can remember more of what happened in that way

-i could write a whole thing on the pierces bc I think that was the most compelling part of the season outside of eps 9 and 10 but. ill spare you the details

-i like how by the end of the season greg is totally unimpressed by the size of the boat. luxury corruption arc

-tom and greg are absolutely having a screaming match next season about having the documents even after burning them and i cannot fucking WAIT