#The Commandeering Heir - Imperia

[amorfati-rp]

CW: Death, Violence, Familicide

Imperia views Femininity as pure unadulterated strength and wits. Through her femininity is how she is getting and has gotten not only power but joy. After all, she only loved her mother. Her father and younger brother (Gray and Shaxor from Utahime Five) she despised and actively aided the Intoners in murdering them. And she did it with utter joy. In a way Imperia hates masculinity, mostly the traditional toxic masculinity that Gray was.

After her mother's death and when Gray was forced to y'know...actually raise his teenaged daughter he straight up didn't. Even though Imperia was a perfect girl practically. Beautiful, intelligent, even combat capable to a degree. Yet he overlooked her and gave territory to an ACTUAL CHILD instead of her. Which led Imperia to straight up help the Intoners. But here's the thing. Imperia only likes One.

She HATES the other Intoners with a passion. Viewing them as actual fucking children and idiots who doesn't deserve the power they have. Even though, in Midgard at the time they are the pinnacle of "feminine beauty" they are literally goddesses. But they are really only beautiful. Five is frivolous, Four is hypocritical, Three is Selfish, and Two is just incompetent. Only One earns Imperia's respect which got them into this deal, that One would aid Imperia as her successor. Cause Imperia genuinely cares.

Imperia genuinely cares and wants the best for Midgard. Wants to improve on the land after the Intoners are gone. And in such she views Femininity as a leader. A powerful protector with strength and wits that through those things can lead to glory and more importantly, prosperity. Just like how she viewed her mother.

Imperia echoes her mother and wants nothing more than to do all she can to better Midgard through her mother's teachings and that includes whatever sacrifice she will have to make along the way. But in her eyes it is worth it.

[astynomi]

Hi! I'm currently putting together a powerpoint on Tiberius for my Latin class and I was wondering if you could link me to a source for the quote from Tacitus's Annals 1.80 describing Tiberius? (‘talented and intelligent, but paralysed by lack of confidence’) I've looked at various online editions for the Annals (Perseus Digital Library, MIT Classics) but I haven't been able to find anything that resembles it. Thank you very much for your help!

Hello! Delighted to hear my ramblings are helping with an actual class presentation! :D Yes, of course. That description is actually my own paraphrase of what I think was Tacitus’ characterisation of Tiberius. It draws primarily on two passages from the Annals, one of which is the one you mention.

Annals 1.80, from: Goodyear, F.R.D. (1981), The Annals of Tacitus Books 1-6, edited with a commentary. Volume II: Annals 1.55-81 and Annals 2. Cambridge.

prorogatur Poppaeo Sabino provincia Moesia additis Achaia ac Macedonia. id quoque morum Tiberii fuit, continuare imperia ac plerosque ad finem vitae in idem exercitibus aut iurisdictionibus habere. causae variae traduntur: alii taedio novae curae semel placita pro aeternis servavisse; quidam invidia, ne plures fruerentur; sunt qui existent, ut callidum eius ingenium, ita anxium iudicium. neque enim eminentes virtutes sectabatur, et rursum vitia oderat: ex optimis periculum sibi, a pessimis dedecus publicum metuebat. qua haesitatione postremo eo provectus est ut mandaverit quibusdam provincias quos egredi urbe non erat passurus.

Poppaeus Sabinus had his command in the province of Moesia extended, and Achaea and Macedonia added to it. This was another of Tiberius’ practices, to maintain commands and keep many people in the same armies or jurisdiction until the end of their lives. Various causes are reported for this: some thought that he found it tiresome to redo tasks and therefore, once he had approved something, kept it that way permanently; some say that it was out of envy, to avoid numerous people enjoying [the honour]; there are those who think that, for all the brilliance of his mind, he was anxious about making decisions. [Lit. ‘As his mind was brilliant, so his judgement was anxious’.] For he did not pursue outstanding degrees of excellence, while on the other hand he hated vice: from the best men he feared danger to himself, from the worst, public disgrace. This hesitation led him to go so far as to assign provinces to men whom he had no intention of allowing to leave the city.

~

Annals 3.56, from Fisher, C.D. (1966), Cornelii Taciti Annalium ab Excessu Divi Augusti Libri. Oxford (Scriptorum Classicorum Bibliotheca Oxoniensis.)

This passage is about the succession of Augustus to Tiberius, and Tiberius’ attempt to establish Drusus as his successor (so he would have been the third emperor if he had not died young). I think it’s an important and overlooked passage: people usually focus on Tacitus’ more negative presentation of the succession in Annals 1.3. (It’s worth noting that even in Book 1, Tacitus is not negative towards Tiberius himself in his own voice.) Here Tacitus expresses Augustus’ motivation using indicative verbs, so it’s Tacitus’ own opinion of what happened. It’s the most convincing and balanced account I know; he’s saying that Augustus thought the purpose of the monarchy was to prevent civil strife occurring by multiple nobles fighting for supreme power, and that Augustus thought Tiberius’ character was such that he would not use the position for personal gain. Tacitus grants a lot of space to Tiberius’ argument that Drusus (and, by implication, Tiberius himself at the time) was a suitable heir. Tacitus also points out here that Tiberius treated Germanicus (his adopted heir) and Drusus (his own son) equally, even though elsewhere he reports contemporaries accusing Tiberius of favouring Drusus, and gives the reader a negative impression, as though Tiberius were being unfair to Germanicus, even though in book 1 Tacitus expresses outrage that Tiberius was made to adopt his nephew when he had a son of his own, who would thus be deprived of his position of Tiberius’ direct heir (since Germanicus was slightly older than Drusus).

Tiberius, fama moderationis parta quod ingruentis accusatores represserat, mittit litteras ad senatum quis potestatem tribuniciam Druso petebat. id summi fastigii vocabulum Augustus repperit, ne regis aut dictatoris nomen adsumeret ac tamen appellatione aliqua cetera imperia praemineret. Marcum deinde Agrippam socium eius potestatis, quo defuncto Tiberium Neronem delegit ne successor in incerto foret. sic cohiberi pravas aliorum spes rebatur; simul modestiae Neronis et suae magnitudini fidebat. quo tunc exemplo Tiberius Drusum summae rei admovit, cum incolumi Germanico integrum inter duos iudicium tenuisset. sed principio litterarum veneratus deos ut consilia sua rei publicae prosperarent, modica de moribus adulescentis neque in falsum aucta rettulit. esse illi coniugem et tres liberos eamque aetatem qua ipse quondam a divo Augusto ad capessendum hoc munus vocatus sit. neque nunc propere sed per octo annos capto experimento, compressis seditionibus, compositis bellis, triumphalem et bis consulem noti laboris participem sumi.

Tiberius, having obtained a reputation for moderation because he had put a check on the growing number of accusers, sent a letter to the senate in which he sought the tribunician power for Drusus. This was the phrase that Augustus had come up with for supreme power, to avoid taking the name of king or dictator while having some title that gave him pre-eminence over other forms of command. Then he chose Marcus Agrippa as his colleague in that power, and when Agrippa died, Tiberius (when he was called ‘Nero’), so that there would be no doubt about his successor. He thought that by this move, the twisted hopes of others could be thwarted: he trusted simultaneously in Nero’s modesty and his own greatness. It was by this example that Tiberius moved Drusus to the supreme position, though when Germanicus was alive he had shown no preference between the two of them. But at the start of the letter he prayed to the gods to make his decisions turn out well for the commonwealth, and he added a few moderate words on the young man’s character, without any false exaggeration in his favour. He noted that he had a wife and three children, and was of the same age as he himself had been when called to take up this duty by the divine Augustus. And it was not with undue haste, but with eight years of experience – putting down riots, settling wars – having won a triumph and been consul twice, that he was now being engaged to share in a labour that he already knew well.

Both of those translations are mine so feel free to link to them (and to the original post) if you use them!

[amorfati-rp]

— laying on their chest (for Imperia from One ofc)

It was rare for Imperia to lay down, a rare down moment for the soon to be ruler of Midgard. She read a book, many from the library that One seemingly kept adding to. Which was good enough for her. Gave her something to do. When the Intoners entered the room she had looked away from her book for a brief greeting before continuing to read. Until she felt a pressure on her chest that caused her to flinch and pull the book away from her. Looking down to see that blonde hair as One kneeled the ground beside her simply laying her head against her.

"Need a moment?" The inquiry was soft, a gentle hand to the blonde hair. She had to be careful, One was sensitive.

"I'm not a pillow, but I'll allow it."

She continues to read, attempting to ignore the way her heart was racing a bit and that surely One had noticed.

[amorfati-rp]

🔪👑 |[FOR ALL OF THEM. ♥]|

Oh this is finna TAKE A MINUTE!

🔪- For Agares it depends on who. Like Leonard she is feral. She will rush over to him and scream and cry and vow revenge. Like she is doing now. But anyone who isn't an obsession she will be saddened and will promise to avenge them as well. Vengeance is her thing.

👑 - Agares doesn't care about legacies. She just wants to murder Caim and the Red Dragon. She doesn't care about glory or fame. That was her father's deal and so she despises the idea of caring about those things.

🔪 - Sylvia cares alot about people when they get close to her. If she can help someone she cares about she will do ALL in her power to do so. It's just that her main power is her looks.

👑 - Sylvia...never thought about it. Her thoughts are always prioritizing the present and making sure her and Linus can make it to see tomorrow. And if she does think about her being called the Petrova Harlot is very telling.

🔪 - Linus cares little for others and only for Sylvia and if you hurt Sylvia you are now his personal archenemy he will see you dead before her in honor of her.

👑 - Linus could care less about what others think of him in life or in death. He only cares about how Sylvia will view him and she loves him he is sure so he is fine.

🔪 - Imperia mourns quietly. For people she cares about she moves forward in their honor and makes sure their lives were not in vain. It's a respect thing.

👑 - Oh Imperia KNOWS her legacy will be grand. When she owns Midgard after the Intoners she will make CHANGE and force a better way. She will be hailed and loved throughout history. She knows it will happen.

🔪 - Aurora will be sad though....she won't help. Aurora is extremely selfish and a coward and would never put herself into danger for someone else.

👑 - Aurora knows her legacy would be that of a coward, a betrayer, and just...nothing. another statistic of a lowlife person. It's what she deserves she believes.

🔪 - Briar in life and even as the spindler does not stand by! She will mourn and help in all ways she can. Crying though is a given. Shes a cryer even as a shade.

👑 - Briar is a shade now. She doesn't know anymore. And with a gestalt as fucking pathetic as Aurora she doesn't know.

🔪 - Eleanor cares and is quite protective. She will cry and fight in their honor. Or run away if they ask her too. She's just a girl.

👑 - Eleanor is young and simply trying to survive. She don't know.

🔪 - 2G is a fighter through and through and will fight in your honor and for change and for better. Too bad that she'll continue to be recycled.

👑 - 2G would like to be an inspiration to change YoRHa. To inspire something in the androids. But she doesn't know much other than that.

🔪 - 7D is quite a silent protector. Before those loved ones 7D fights and afterwards they will cry. Dramatic.

👑 - 7D believes they are an awful person. A legacy of an executioner...all they deserve.

🔪 - 18O mourns and she cares alot. She would be there for you. Comfort you. Prioritize making your suffering at least manageable.

👑 - 18O isn't sure if she wants a legacy at this point. Of being someone who stood by and only soothed 2G. Maybe she doesn't need one. Maybe...

PART TWO COMING ON A SEPARATE POST CAUSE OMG ONLY 10 PHOTOS?!??? YOU BITCH TUMBLR!

[amorfati-rp]

16 for Imperia!

Could your oc be effectively blackmailed with any of their secrets?

Trying to blackmail the next ruler of Midgard? Good. Luck.

Now for the actually answer, Imperia is fucking IMPOSSIBLE TO BLACKMAIL. She views herself as morally right almost always and thinks about what's best for Midgard and the people above all else. Petty slights and dumb rumors do nothing but hinder her reputation which is already quite adored.

Besides- what dirt can you have on her? That she loved her mother? Ok? Aiding the Intoners in killing her Father and Child Brother? Those two were actively hurting thousands of people and she could care less.

Actively, you will have to be a prideful fool to try to blackmail Imperia Galileus.