#my little maiu maiu

[theprissythumbelina]

Alyss, Part 1

For something a little different today, I'm going to post a little part of my traumatized witch, which takes place in the same world as both Nicolette and the Family. Back to regular creature posting tomorrow.

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Maius 5th, 4593 AP

People are bad at describing things. My aunt fought in the first war, and she told me it was like being an ant on a running track. Sometimes you wander around doing ant things, and sometimes a trampling horde of foreign creatures run atop and leave you untrampled by chance as your fellows are smashed.

I fought in the second war, and it wasn't much like anything. It was like nothing. It was war and war is only like itself. It's surviving, and then at some point, you realize to survive you’ve ended someone’s life and you don’t even feel bad about it. And you feel bad for not feeling bad. And then everyone tells you you’re acting strange, but they’re the ones that took normal people and exploded things in their face and made them kill people whose faces they never see and they tell you you’re acting strange. 

They called it combat fatigue like I drank too much disgusting coffee and didn’t sleep right at 9:30 that night and acted grumpy the next day. I don’t have a better word. I like my aunt's word better. Shell shock. Not professional enough for the military, but it's better for me. 

My CO recommended me for leave after the incident. That’s what they call it in the military, an incident. You can’t describe it. I told my aunt that and she told me you can, if you give it time. They gave me a few months. A few months to see if I was dangerous or useful and when I was neither they threw me away. I can describe how I feel. I feel like gum. Old gum. The war was a mouth that chewed and chewed and chewed until all my flavor leeched away, then it spat me on the sidewalk. I’m on the sidewalk to this day. I’m a spot on the sidewalk. 

[amberthefantasy]

Nitimur in Vetitum

chapter twelve: bellum (war)

"Livia Drusilla's exact location during the late 40's BCE are unknown, but some say that she was present in Perusia during its sacking and burning"- The Life of Livia by Adelaide Lyons

On the Nones of Maius in the Year of Antonius and Vatia (7th May, 41 BCE)

ANTIUM, ITALIA.

Lucretia let out a loud moan as Agrippa moved above her. He responded with a moan of his own, pressing himself deeper inside her. Lucretia let out a hiss when he moved slightly too fast and too deep. "Sorry," Agrippa huffed, slowing.

Lucretia stared up at him, "I didn't tell you to stop." Agrippa smiled at her and began to move again with purpose. Lucretia ran her hands up his back, digging her nails in making him hiss. "Come on baby," she muttered. "Make me feel good."

Agrippa groaned, his hips faltering from their rhythm slightly as he neared his end. "Gods Lucretia," he said slowly. Lucretia let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a moan as she felt her legs start to shake from the pleasure. She gripped Agrippa's neck, pulling him down for a kiss, smiling as she felt him release inside her. He moved in and out of her a few more times before Lucretia let out a loud moan as she reached her climax as well. 

Agrippa smiled at her, breathing heavy, before fully pulling out and laying beside her on the bed. Lucretia took a few moments to catch her breath before she stood up and walked over to where the bowl of lemon juice was placed beside the bed. As she soaked a cloth in the juice Lucretia looked out the window. Lucretia, Gaius and Agrippa had decided to take a trip to Antium and stay in one of Lucretia's villas on the shore. Currently, Gaius was entertaining three-month old Fabia while Agrippa and Lucretia spent some quality time together. 

"Domina!" Pompona's voice called through the house. "The babe is hungry!" Lucretia groaned, standing, sharing a look with Agrippa, then walking out into the main house. Pompona was standing near a bench, bouncing Fabia up and down in her arms as the baby whined.

"Give me the baby," Lucretia said, holding out her arms for her little girl. Fabia smiled when she spotted her, stopping crying to reach out her arms. "Hello my love," she smiled at the baby and bounced her up and down in her hands. Lucretia rocked her as she walked to one of the benches and sat down. Lucretia shimmied the sleeve of her underdress down to expose her breast. Fabia latched onto her without waiting a moment. Thankfully, she was an easy babe to feed, unlike Octavia's little Marcellus, who was a fussy little thing.

"Gods damn them all," Gaius snapped as he came storming into the atrium.

"What is wrong my dear Gaius?" Lucretia asked, patting Fabia's back.

"That damn woman," he spat in response, pacing.

"Oh that narrows it down," Lucretia snapped back. She saw Agrippa emerging from the bedroom out of the corner of her eyes, expression worried. "Control yourself Triumvir."

Gaius halted in his steps, eyes snapping to Lucretia. "Sorry. Fulvia has raised an army in Rome with the backing of Lucius Antonius."

"Marcus Antonius' brother? The Consul?" Lucretia's eyes widened in shock.

Gaius hummed. "An army in Rome," Agrippa repeated. "How large?"

"I don't have exact numbers," Gaius said. Agrippa walked closer to him, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Have they said what they want?" Lucretia wondered.

"No, but I can guess," Gaius said sarcastically.

"Well-" Lucretia began, standing to hand Fabia to Pompona- "this shall not stand."

--

5th Day Before the Ides of Iunius (9th June, 41 BCE)

ROMA, ITALIA.

There were less people on the streets than was normal in the city. Lucretia and Horatia managed to walk through the centre of town and towards the Capitaline without anyone getting in their way. 

After Gaius and Agrippa had raised their forces and marched on the city, Fulvia and Lucius Antonius had fled without a fight. Her brother's forces had marched into the city and set up camp right near the gates. Horatia had found Lucretia immediately after and told her everything she knew.

Lucius Antonius had come to Lucius Fabius and asked for his support, saying that he knew his brother Marcus would offer his full support of the act too. Apparently he did not have it yet though, which calmed some of the tension inside Lucretia. Thinking about why his brother and wife thought he might support them brought that tension right back though.

Gaius and Antonius had been exchanging letters since they parted after Philippi, and according to her brother there was no sign of ill-intent in any of those letters. "They are leaving to chase the traitors?" Horatia asked.

"Yes," Lucretia nodded. "Gaius and Agrippa plan to go after Lucius and Fulvia the moment they know where they are heading."

"They shan't be gone long," Horatia smiled. "Lucius thinks he is a warrior but he has only ever commanded small forces under his brother, he has never led a war. It was foolish to even start one."

"Yes, I believe Fulvia was the largest force behind it, she was quite upset when my brother sent his betrothed back to her mother." Lucretia smirked. "Lucius may not have fought a war, Gaius however-"

"Has just won one," the two friends said in sync.

--

On the Day Before the Kalends of December (30th November, 41 BCE)

MARCVS VIPSANIVS AGRIPPA. OUTSIDE PERUSIA, ITALIA.

"We should just take it," Maecenus spat.

"If we tried to take the city now, too many of our men would die for it to be worth it," Agrippa responded in a similar tone.

Maecenus stared at him, "and if we wait it out then more civilians will starve in that city."

"We cannot afford to-"

"-You are both correct," Gaius interrupted their argument. "If we attack now we will lose too many soldiers, if we wait my people will starve."

The emphasis he placed on my made Agrippa smile. His people . In his city, in his province that Antonius' darn wife and brother thought to take from them.

"So what do we do?" Maecenus asked.

Gaius sighed. "If we don't have an army we don't have anything," he began. "But if the people turn on us..." Gaius stared into the distance for a moment as he thought, "Lucretia advised that if it came to it we should wait them out, the people will turn on Lucius and Fulvia before they turn on me."

Agrippa nodded slowly. She was right, as always. The people trapped in Perusia with Lucius' army would throw him and Fulvia outside the walls before they blamed Gaius for besieging and starving them.

"So we wait," Agrippa said. 

"So we wait," Gaius repeated. Maecenus rolled his eyes and sighed.

--

On the Nones of Ianuarius in the Year of Calvinus and Pollio (5th January, 40 BCE)

LIVIA DRVSILLA.

"Come on!" Nero snapped at her. Livia huffed, pulling her cloak tighter to her body as she tried to squeeze through the gap in the wall.

Finally, she and her husband had found a place far enough away from Rome that they should have been safe from the wrath of the Triumvirs. But no. Lucius Antonius and Fulvia had to go and start a damned war with Gaius Julius and now he was outside the city gates. Soon, those gates would be opened, the people of Perusia finally done with sheltering the traitors, and Gaius Julius' army would sack the city. 

To make sure that no one tried to collect on the bounty on Nero's head, her husband had decided to leave the city before the gates were opened and flee into the Italian wilderness.

"The gates are opening, we need to hurry," Antigone whispered. She was bouncing little Tiberius on her hip, keeping the little one from crying and giving them away. Livia contained a yelp as Nero pulled her through the hole in the wall and away from it.

"Antigone, hurry!" Livia whisper-yelled at her friend. Antigone hurried after them.

Livia hoisted her son into her arms as she climbed the hill. Archias reached out to hold her steady as she reached a semi-flat part of the hill and turned to look back at the city. "They're burning it," Livia said. "Which side do we take now?" She looked back at Nero who glanced at her.

"Sicily. We're going to Sicily," he said breathlessly.

"Sicily?" Livia almost yelped, pausing in her climbing to stare at Nero as he passed her.

"Sextus Pompeius is holed up there. His fleet controls the seas and they can't get to him. We will be safe there," her husband explained.

"You said that about Perusia," Livia hissed lowly.

"What?" Nero turned back to her.

Livia stopped moving again to glare up at Nero. "We're tired of running, Nero. We can go to Gaius Julius, he's less than a mile away."

"I will never crawl in front of that fucking kid!" Nero snapped.

"He'll pardon us," Livia tried to reason.

"I don't want his fucking pardon!"

Livia sighed, rolling her eyes. She felt Antigone place a hand on her back. "Then let me go. I'll speak to him." Livia had not seen him since her wedding but the man had never left her mind. Their moment up the stairs in her father's house had shown her that Gaius Julius was weak to the wiles of women, so hopefully if she asked for a pardon he would offer it more readily.

Nero spun to face her. "I would rather kill you first and the boy!" He almost yelled. Livia stumbled back slightly into Antigone's arms. "Sextus will welcome my support. He hates Gaius as much as I do." It sounded like Nero was trying to convince himself more than her. He walked away.

Livia heard Antigone huff. She glanced sideways at her friend and saw the same exasperated look on her face as was on Livia's.

NiV masterlist / full masterlist

[phwoarcana]

Y'all are probably sick of seeing these lol

Apprentice/Arcana OC Picrew thread!!!

I found this really cute one here! Made by Poikas on Tumblr https://picrew.me/image_maker/296093

I'd love to see your Arcana OC's! Add some info too if ya want!

Here's mine (2nd pic was slightly edited by my good pal @adairctedgibbgirl! Thank u s.i.s ^3^))

Name: Maia/Maius

Gender: ????

Pronouns: switches between He/Him (Maius) and She/Her (Maia) depending on day, is fine with They/Them too

LI: Muriel and/or Asra, with... a kinda hate thing with Lucio in some stories lol

Name: Andraste

Gender: Non-binary

Pronouns: They/Them

LI: Would be happy with everyone but Lucio, and also a certain little herb master.. ;3 Eh, Adairctedgibbgirl? ;333

[craftycritters]

Commission completed

I finished my first commission for @darkfumaa who bought all three slots!

Here are his new little guys

Kory the Crocodile

(Pattern by maiu amigurumi)

Lilac the sea turtle

(Pattern by Ana Paula Rimoli)

Cutie the Flamingo

(Pattern by Justyna Kacprzak)

I might open up some more commissions if anyone is interested ^^

[elektra-of-argos]

Latin for Bullet Journals

I realize that this is hella niche, but I love Latin and feel like Shouting Into The Void, so here we go.

This is my bujo. I do it in Latin, bc I am That Sort Of A Person and Latin just makes me happy. My main rule for this is that I don’t do anything in Latin that would impede my ability to use my journal effectively. That means that my tasks/events/notes are basically never in Latin, but I try to do headings and labels in Latin to the extent I can (fun fact: I could not for the life of me figure out a good way to say groceries).

Here’s a list of vocab words I use:

The Week

hebdomas, hebdomadis (f): week*

dies, ei (m/f): day

dies hebdomadis:

dies Lunae: Monday

dies Martis: Tuesday

dies Mercurii: Wednesday

dies Iovis: Thursday

dies Veneris: Friday

dies Saturni: Saturday

dies Solis: Sunday

The Month

mensis, is (m): month

mensis Januarius: January

mensis Februarius: February

mensis Martius: March

mensis Aprilis: April

mensis Maius: May

mensis Junius: June

mensis Julius OR Quintilis**: July

mensis Augustus OR Sextilis**: August

mensis Septembris: September

mensis Octobris: October

mensis Novembris: November

mensis Decembris: December

dies mensis:

kalendae, arum (f): the first of the month

nonae, arum (f)***: the Nones, the eighth (or ninth, if you’re counting like a Roman) day before the Ides

idus, uum (f)***: the Ides, the thirteenth day of most months; the fifteenth of March, May, July, and October

ante diem: days before; dates are given in reference to the next Kalends, Nones, or Ides

pridie: the day before

I know that whole bit was a little confusing, so here’s how to write a date:

Say you want to write today’s date. It’s September 24, 2018. The next reference date will be the Kalends of October (kalendae Octobris). That’s in seven days UNLESS you want to be super accurate bc the Romans used inclusive counting. Basically that means that when you’re counting the days between now and a week from now, you also count today. To a Roman, it’s eight days before the Kalends.

So today is ante diem VIII kalendas Octobres.

Or if you’re not feeling like doing All That, you can just put the date you need into this Roman date calculator. TBH I usually do that too just to check.

The Year

ab urbe condita [AUC]: years counted from the traditional founding date of the city of Rome, 753 BCE. This year would be MMDCCLXXI (2771) AUC. If you’re dealing with any AD/CE year, add 753 to the year. DON’T adjust for inclusive counting bc there isn’t a year zero, so the number to modern ppl is really this year plus 753 minus 1.

Various Other Words

agenda, orum (n): lit. things to be done. I use this for my events section

annotatio, onis (f): a note.

mox: soon. I use this for my upcoming events section

destinatum, i (n): goal, mark, target. I use this for my goals section

*I usually stick with Classical Latin, which is my main area of interest, but I ended up going with a more Medieval Church Latin word here.

**I use Julius and Augustus bc they’re closer to English and I would never not be confused by the numbers being off

***In March, July, October, May, the Ides are on the fifteenth day, the Nones the seventh and all besides have two days less for Nones and Ides.

[scrutineerethel]

3200.8.Maius

Recorded Transcript 

[[Scene: A large, clean, and well-equipped kitchen located in the basement of the Eridanii Embassy on Imperial Prime. Though it is relatively early in the morning, there is already plenty of activity here. A few well-dressed servers mix among a dozen chefs, all of whom wear aprons with the House Eridanus symbol embroidered over their heart.]]

An older-looking woman enters the kitchen. She wears a modest white dress with a high-necked, black coat over it - formal enough for daily business attire but lacking any sort of ornamentation that would be appropriate for such a gala.  Her grey hair is tied back in a tight bun. She carries a half-full teacup in one hand and a datapad in the other. 

After saying a few quick words to one of the chefs, she takes a seat at a small wooden table near the back of the kitchen where she will be out of the way of the workers.The woman taps a few notes into her datapad, then presses a button and speaks towards it. 

"Luzia. Review my appointments for today. As I recall, we had scheduled several meetings on Imperial Prime since I was required to be here for the gala. Presuming this lock-down of the embassy is going to persist, you will need to contact all my appointments for today and attempt to reschedule for later in the week. Do not reschedule tomorrow's appointments yet. One hopes this inconvenience will not take any longer than a day to resolve but ..." 

She seems to want to say something else here, but shakes her head and regroups instead. 

"... But, I will let you know tomorrow morning if those appointments will also need to be moved. For now, I am in the kitchen to try to get my usual work done. The suites are entirely too loud for this purpose. If anyone needs me, they should send me a message."

Another woman enters the kitchens, blearily rubbing her eyes. She's wrapped in a loose, fuzzy robe, her hair is in a messy bun perched precariously on her head, and she doesn't particularly seem to care that she's supposed to be at a "gala". She opens one eye and sees an older lady sitting at a wooden table near the back. 

"At least someone in here has some sense," she mutters to herself. She swipes a platter with a tea-kettle and two cups from a setting marked "Purple Seas" and makes her way over to the table.She sets the platter down in front of the other woman, probably disturbing any paper or tablets if present. She looks over to the woman, "Honestly, you'd think Lyra was as terribly off as Pyxis, the way they're stalling on paying a ransom. They can pay a ransom, right? Anyway, I'm Echo Brosson Perrin - House Pyxis. Tea?" She pours tea into both cups, regardless.

Ethelind blinks up at the younger woman, quickly pulling her datapad away from the platter.

"Pyxis, did you say?" Ethelind looks over Perrin appraisingly, then nods as if to say 'That tracks.' 

"Ethelind Riverty - House Eridanus." She pulls the full teacup closer to her, pushing aside her now empty one. "And I am inclined to agree with you about the ransom. Just pay the damn thing so the rest of us don't need to be held hostage here! Poisoning and kidnapping are simply assumed risks one takes when agreeing to attend an event like this. Surely Lyra should have budgeted for the possibility of a ransom?"

"Ethelind of Eridanus! A welcomed crossing, indeed." Perrin sips her tea.  "Your House sure knows how to throw a party.

"You know, I bet Lyra loves the drama. Maybe they're drawing it out on purpose. But I could do without a lockdown, honestly. How come you aren't up there with the other Eridanus hosts?" She peers at Ethelind over the teacup.

Ethelind crooks an eyebrow, then takes a sip of tea before she replies. "In truth, I had not planned to attend at all. While I appreciate the need for the festivities and opportunities for diplomacy the gala provides, it's difficult not to think of it as a colossal waste of time and money - which it is. I only decided to come to Imperial Prime when it became obvious that I wouldn't be able to accomplish anything at my offices on Tiber while the rest of my House is here in a drunken stupor." 

She chuckles a little at this, as if it might be a joke - though it doesn't really sound like one ... 

"Tell me, Perrin of House Pyxis - what do you know about the Lyran who's been kidnapped? Are they anyone of consequence? I confess, I was too busy yesterday to have paid it any attention until I saw the notification about the lock-down."

Perrin chuckles at the thought of House Eridanus in a drunken stupor - she totally missed the tone. "Well, from what I gather he's relatively well-known? Horuset Montgomery something-or-other? Unfortunately I'm a little out of the loop on gossip myself. One of the Pyxis Orators speaks fondly of him, though."

"Interesting."  Ethel stirs her tea, then calls out to one of the nearby servers.  "Tobias - would you bring over a bowl of sugar and a bit of milk?" 

There is a quick shuffle to see to Ethel's request, and the server hurries over with the milk and sugar bowls, which he places on the tray. He quickly retrieves Ethel's empty teacup before hurrying away once more. Ethel uses a small pair of tongs to drop two sugar cubes into her teacup, followed by a splash of milk. She begins stirring her tea again as she speaks. 

"I've had the opportunity to speak to a few of your Orators before, though I have yet to run into them in person. They seem like a friendly bunch. Quite .... honest." Ethel settles on the word after pausing for a moment.  "But you said that you are an 'Echo' if I am not mistaken? What precisely does that title mean in your House?"

"Oh hey, Tobias come back, I'm starving." Perrin points to the hotplate for the Purple Seas. "Just grab me that plate there that's ready to go, I'm sure the recipient up there will understand." She winks what she thinks is her most charming wink. Tobias hesitates for a second and then retrieves the plate in question, rushing back over to the cooks who roll their eyes a bit but start prepping a new plate for the restaurant. 

"The Orators are good folk. Probably as honest as they are because they can't wait to not be stuck talking to a bunch of stuffy diplomats - no offense." Perrin stabs a sausage and waves it around a bit as she talks. 

"So, Echoes - we basically carry information system to system. Sounds redundant, right? The way comms work anyway? Well my ship houses internal Pyxis messages that need to cross the sector in  a way that -" She looks around. "- Velan routes can't, if you catch my drift." She pops the sausage in her mouth.

Ethel laughs a little. "Yes, one of your Orators recently told me I was lucky he'd answered a communication from an Eridanii at all. It is not difficult to imagine that we bring bad news to House Pyxis far more often than good news." 

She looks over at Tobias again, who tries for a moment to evade her glance but finally gives in as she crooks a finger at him. He crosses the busy kitchen a third time, garnering some irritated grunts from the chefs as he does so. 

"Toast and jam for me, Tobias. The black currant if any was brought over from Tiber - which it certainly should have been."  Tobias nods and speeds off to fulfill the new request. 

"So if your Pyxis Echoes are taking 'alternative' routes to deliver these messages, does that imply that the messages reach their destinations faster than they would using regular means?"

Perrin's eyes light up and she shoves her plate to the side. "Okay, so -" She holds her palm flat, facing up and activates a small hologram of the sector map above it. 

"Here's Imperial Prime. Here's say, I dunno - Halvei, in the Oenon System." The two sectors light up. "If you want to go the traditional way, using Imperial Velan charts, you'd drill through spikespace in these sectors." Sectors light up on the map in a connected line from Imperial Prime to Halvei. 

"Buuuut - and this is the cool part - what if you drill here and end up here?" She points at the two planets and Imperial Prime and Halvei's sectors light up with no connecting lines.

Ethel stares down at the hologram, takes a long sip of tea, and then stares at it again. 

"From your enthusiasm, I have to imagine the answer is that you somehow arrive safely at your intended destination. Though I honestly cannot understand why it wouldn't be more likely that you lose yourself and your message in a black hole. Though, perhaps, that is part of the ... charm?" Ethel hangs uncertainly on the word, clearly a little out of her depth when it comes to sussing out Pyxis motivations.

Perrin laughs, "Exactly! It's like folding a piece of fabric and connecting those two points to make a new pattern - skip all this extra time and space in between. And besides, falling into a black hole wouldn't even be the worst outcome - imagine what you'd see once the event horizon spits you back out." She stares wistfully into the distance for a moment and the hologram disappears. 

She sighs, "Honestly, we know what most of the sector thinks of us but, someday we'll have hard evidence and not just theory. I refuse to believe there's nothing else in the sector."

Tobias drops off Ethel's toast and jam and then hurries off before either noble can make another request of him. 

"It is certainly enlightening to see your exuberance for your craft. It's true that I - and I suppose most of the sector - do not understand the risks that you and your House take. But when you describe it as such, it sounds like a brave and worthy endeavor ... if maybe a bit foolhardy as well." 

Ethel gives Perrin a small smile. She's obviously trying so. hard. 

"But the idea of there being more in Acheron Rho ... what do you mean by that? What would you hope to find, exactly?"

"Well!" Perrin leans back and hooks an elbow over the back of her chair. "House Vela says we've mapped the whole sector, right? But who has access to those their archives now - only them. They sure have a lot of power in controlling the flow of people. House Vela adjusts the maps. Who's to say they didn't do that already and there's a sector with a forgotten planet in it? Because they didn't like what we - and I say we as in, Pyxis was once part of Vela - found there?"

Perrin leans forward again and holds her hands up. "Vela has the power to just say, 'Hm, nope - this planet doesn't exist anymore,' and cut them out of the map completely! Imagine what that could do to a population or a House - cutting them off from the Imperium like that." She shakes her head and tuts. "We're trying to make sure that doesn't happen, and if it did we want to find out about it."

"So you are speaking in hypotheticals, then? It is not that Pyxis knows Vela has done this, but that Pyxis knows Vela has the power to do so?" 

Ethel picks a bit at her toast, frowning slightly. 

"And if it had been done in the past, surely Vela would not have made such a move without the express support or instruction of the High Church, no? Particularly if it was done to separate - or erase - the population of a former House?" 

Ethel looks up at Perrin pointedly.

Perrin squints a little at Ethelind. "Any Pyxis that actually were around long enough to access records as to whether it happened before are probably long dead - occupational hazard with us, of course. As for which institutions would have been behind it well, the High Church -" Perrin's mouth twists a little around the words "- and the Imperial House itself - especially since there was a Velan Emperox." 

She waves a hand, dismissively. "I mean we can't really prove anything until we find something so until then, it's just the usual Pyxis behaviour as far as everyone's concerned. Until we stop chucking ships and people at a problem and start producing evidence, no one will look twice." 

She cocks an eyebrow at Ethelind as if to say, "Right?"

Ethelind casts a quick glance around the kitchen before turning back to Perrin. She nods in response. 'Right.' 

"Yes, well. Pyxis does have some interesting theories, I'll give you that. But - back to the topic at hand. I'm curious - what chance is there that an Echo might be willing to carry some communications other than internal Pyxis messages?" 

Ethel picks up the teapot and fills first Perrin's cup and then her own. "It seems to me that would be a very valuable service to provide. Faster than usual delivery at the expense of being a little less ... reliable. But, perhaps, a bit more secure as well, since anyone who intercepted the Echo would assume that any communications they carried were simply Pyxis messages to one another."

Perrin purses her lips. "I mean, officially... Yes. Everything's encrypted too. I don't even know what the messages are, half the time. Unofficially..." She picks up her cup and smiles at Ethelind, "I wouldn't be opposed, but the ratio of willingness increases with payment."

"I think you'll find that a willing Echo would be well compensated for such an arrangement." Ethelind returns the smile. "However, I would have to insist that payment be rendered per delivery, rather than on a contractual basis, simply because it is impossible to know how long the terms of the contract would be - based upon the general Pyxis life expectancy, of course."

Perrin nods. "I suppose that's a fair stipulation for something like this. Even we have no idea most of the time." She chuckles. I look forward to working with you in the future, then."

"And I with you."  Ethel nods.  "I'll have my secretary send over my suggested terms, my contact information, and an initial payment - consider it an advance for your helpfulness this morning." 

Ethel sets her teacup on the tray, along with her now-empty dish. She pushes her chair back from the table. "I suppose I should check in on the rest of my House. When I left our suite this morning, at least two of them and perhaps a third were discussing the possibility of proposals. Goodness knows how many of them will be married by the time I get back. It was good to meet you, Pyxis Perrin. Should you find yourself looking for conversation away from the noise of the rest of the gala, I would be happy to share another pot of tea at a later time."

Perrin raises her eyebrows at the mention of 'proposals'. "Well, good luck with that. It was good to meet you as well, I think I may have had the wrong idea about your House. You certainly didn't seem incredibly boring to me." She smiles. "Until the next star." 

[[The scene fades on Perrin reopening her sector map hologram as Ethelind exits.]]

Transcript of a scene with @seekerpyxisbrossonperrin.

[irrfahrer]

How Would You Die in the Star Wars Universe? You know it's gonna happen. I can say with utmost confidence that no one I've met, ever, in my life, would survive a Star Wars trilogy. The question isn't IF you're going to die, it's HOW.

Your Result: Unbridled Disrespect Maybe you made fun of Master Fisto's name. Maybe you backtalked some Sith lord one too many times. Maybe you asked why Jedi training involves so many flips. Maybe you told Obi-Wan to ditch the mullet. Whatever happened, your mouth finally wrote a check that your ass couldn't cash and you probably got Force-choked to death. Which you might've enjoyed, honestly. Goes without saying, but you're rude in a hot way and you love causing problems on purpose. You literally could not care less about what anyone thinks of you and maybe you're a little bit stupid but, like, sexily.

Tagging: The Force Tagging: This one feels like tagging @sithisms specifically because in every interaction of Exar and Ziv it seems like she is exactly one inch away from getting Force-choked into oblivion for him to wear her pelt on his cloak. @retrocognizantrecreant @mando-of-esverr @peacefaithed @wild-spxce @starfaithed @lessthantwelve @retrocognizantrecreant @cnlyluck @onehell-of-apilot @skysnipsw @lighthouseborn @space-hecate @asycuwish @skyler-bane @hopexncarnate @starfaithed  @beskar-himbo @cicatrise @arachnoheaux @kylo-wrecked @ofthestcrs @honorhunt  @lady-proudmoore @khenobi @savior-of-humanity @bracca-scrapper @starfaithed @stillfocvsed @builtonhoope @gildedcommander @fallesto @outcaststar @jedilovcd @poewingsdameron @cardinal-carvings   @jeedang @smertzimy @kyberllcore @berrakhira   @cfmartyrs  @vicicus @luminousxbeings  @thaneirstaer @admrl @notsith   @gwiazdowe @lvkexskywvlker @drabbles-n-doodles  @preempire @ad-maius-bonum @therabidcur  @ariadne-inthesky @archaeotech @sxbaist @lightfaithed @unascend @trueheartofarebel  @protectxthem   @peacefaithed  @masterofthelivingforce @ofthestcrs  @startrailed @bladelancer @thelightsabcr @empatiaa   @wartornpilot @rcfekjwtaardby@protectxthem  @sithdestined   @honorhunt  @safrona-shadowsun  @stubborn-amphibian @rabldcur  @ncxile  @skywlkrr @vsoatahn @jedixamidala @chromium-siren @aetcrnus  @savesgalaxy @thestupidmeanone @fatewills…and everyone else who wants to do the prompt!  

[stacylaughs]

July 20-25, 2019

At this point, I’m a little burnt out on traveling so I miss my train to Kraków, Poland ($48.97, no refund) and take a 9-hour bus ride as penance (€32.53). Should have researched flights more, as it’s only zł39 ride from the airport to/from town.

And, even though Poland takes up days on my Schengen visa, it doesn’t use the Euro (like I’ve been used to), and the currency is instead the Polish złoty. A friend along my travels recommended the Greg & Tom Hostel (zł65/night) for the meals alone, and yes, they were really good. Another good recommendation is Atlantis, for half the price, but none of the meals.

It was a quick, cheap trip, but here are some things I recommend:

I walked through Planty Park at least a dozen times. Great walk, and also, as the royal capital of Poland until 1596, Kraków is packed with attractive historic buildings and streetscapes. 

Check out the stunning Wawel Castle and Cathedral. Just walking up to and around the area is nice, in my opinion.

Walk Bernatka footbridge to get to Old Town. Lots of fun restaurants, bars, and cafes in the area too. 

Just outside the Old Town lies Kazimierz, the former Jewish quarter, its silent synagogues reflecting the tragedy of the recent past. The district’s tiny streets and low-rise architecture make it an interesting place to explore.

If you want to visit Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory, keep in mind that the museum is less about the factory and more about the history of Poland and the town. To avoid all lines, you should buy the memorial trail ticket (zł32) at Muzeum Apteka Pod Orlem to have entrance to three places total for seven days.

I booked a tour with Cracow City Tours for a morning trip and guide to Auschwitz (zł119). Personally, I found the guide really beneficial and the experience moving. 

I enjoyed eating the street food oscypek, pączki, obwarzanek, and zapiekanki. Oh, eat sausages and pierogies. Be sure to have some beers too!

The Kraków Pinball Museum is less of a museum and more of an arcade with unlimited play for €10/day. It has pinball machines from many decades.

Make a 1-3 day trip to Zakopane by bus (zł20) to visit Tatra National Park and go up Kasprowy Wierch (hike or cable car). The water park is apparently one of the best.

Kopiec Krakusa is a mound in the middle of a grassy park, further south, that has a very nice scenic outlook. Its highest point is 16 meters tall and offers panoramic views of the city. 

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCAK)

Check out the university, Collegium Maius, where Nicolaus Copernicus went. 

Pomnik Elvisa Presleya is statue remembering the late Elvis Presley. This statue is at the edge of the park. See it on your way to Zakrzówek Lake. It’s an old quarry filled with perfect blue water, but I don’t think they allow people to swim in it anymore because it’s a bit dangerous if you’re not a good swimmer.

[crumpledsilkskin-blog]

THE WITCHS’SON STORY iDEA.

“Come on, come on. “The young man complained. He’d been trying his best for weeks, but magic was a finicky mistress. “Visualize the image. See the mana transform the object. Magic is your will, acting upon the world THROUGH mana.” He took a deep breath and tried again.

His eyes closed till the veins in his head would about burst. His fingers were so stiff, you’d have sworn he was born with them like that. His tongue caught in the intense grip of youthful canines. There was a tingle in his fingers. He could feel it. He was on the cusp of a break through.

“Ditio!? Ditio Mathus! Where are you!?” A firm voice called out.

“Shit!” The young man exclaimed. He shook his hand violently, in the hopes that whatever magic was about to happen, it wouldn’t be strong enough to execute itself. It was too bad his shaking, caused him to lose his balance and he tumbled from his perch on his favourite tree.

“Owww.” He groaned. He rolled into a fetal position and held his head in pain.

“Ditz!” The voice shouted. It was closer now. Closer than Ditz would have liked. “Ditz what are you doing out here? In THAT tree?”

Ditz rolled onto his back and sighed. “Hey dad.” He opened his eyes to see a sweaty, burly middle aged man with matted red hair and a satchel over his back. The mans’ name, was Vaun “Do you have to run around the forest with no shirt on?”

“I wasn’t running around the forest. I was catching lunch.” Vaun stated firmly. “And I shouldn’t have to run around the forest, In search of a GROWN MAN.”

Ditz sat up and turned to face his father. He yawned and parted his obsidian bangs away from his eyes. “You don’t HAVE to hunt a grown man down through the forest. Ten more minutes and I’d have come home anyway.”

Vaun sighed. He plastered his hand across his face and massaged his nose bridge. “Ditz…how many times have I told you to leave this tree alone?”

Ditz scrambled to his feet. “I have left it alone. I always feed it Margrave elixir before I climb into it.”

“Margrave Elixir?” Vaun asked confused.  “Why does that name sound…Wait! Is that why there are dead Robins all over the hut!? You were brewing things again?”

Ditz shrugged.” You don’t actually BREW Margrave elixir.”

“DITZ!” His father shouted.

“Alright yes! I was mixing elixirs again.”

Ditzs’ father looked like he was about to shout, but halfway through his frustration he stopped. He closed his mouth, pouted then sighed. For a minute it looked like he smiled, but it was too fast for Ditz to be sure. Vaun readjusted his satchel on his shoulder and turned around. Most likely towards their quaint little hut deep in the forest.

“Just…don’t take too long to come home.” Vaun sighed. His voice was soft and sounded full of disappointment.

Ditz tried his best to come up with words. Words that might make his father think better of him. Words that might help him understand, but there weren’t any. None he could draw to mind at least and just as quickly as his father had appeared. He had once again disappeared, through the ever changing vines and brush of the wood.

Ditz groaned and looked to the sky. All he had wanted to do was perfect his magic. After all, he was an adult now. Being an adult on Asyloan meant one of two things. You apprenticed yourself to someone In town, or you made your way to the mainland. To Tazean. Ditz wasn’t apprentice material. He hated the smell of the forge. Marcia, the baker would never allow him to alter her bland recipes. He wasn’t as strong as his father and raw fish disgusted him. The only worthwhile Job was being Mayor, but no one would vote for a scruffy, pale, skinny young brushrat with no nobility to his name.

No. For Ditz, his only real option was to reach Profio. There he could study at the Authority Of Magic. Or work at one of the many libraries throughout the city. In time, He might even become Archmagus. He liked the sound of that. Archmagus Ditio Mathus! It had a ring of nobility. Of respect. Archmagus was a position everyone looked up to. If he became Archmagus, then he’d no longer be a brushrat.

Ditz shook his head and slapped his face. He had a bad habit of daydreaming when he was depressed. Ditz formed a fist then stuck his Index and middle finger up. He focused intently on the tip of the higher finger and said.”IOK!” Just as quickly as he said it, he pointed to the ground and finished. “EVARGRAM OKEN!”

In a swirl of light and a huff of smoke. A black cat appeared at his feet.  A glib smile on its face. “Do I only get summoned when daddy hurts your feelings?” It said. Pride and sarcasm in its voice.

“Shut up Margrave!” Ditz commanded

“Oh don’t be cross with me boy!” The cat laughed. It walked up to one of the trees’ roots and placed a paw upon it. “I told you years ago to let this tree die.” Within seconds the root under the cats’ paw started to wither and turn to ash.

“Stop that!” Ditz protested. He fired a kick at Margrave, but the cat was too fast and jumped out of the way. With Margraves’ paw off of it, the trees’ root returned to normal.

“It’s a dead Ein tree boy!” The cat snarled. “No matter what you do, it will never learn again. It will never bloom again. No matter how many of my elixirs you feed to it. It cannot teach you wordless magic.”

“Since when have demons been so pessimistic,” Ditz said. “And it’s a DIEING Ein tree, not a dead one.”

Margrave looked up at Ditz with an annoyed expression. “First off, I am a greater imp imprisoned in the body of a cat. Don’t just use the word DEMON like I’m some lost soul seeking solace.” Margrave liked his paw before he continued.” Secondly, dieing or dead, the tree can’t give you what you want. So it’s best you stop wasting mana trying to talk to it and focus on more fruitful endeavors.”

“Oh yeah?” Ditz scoffed.” And what exactly is a fruitful endeavor to you?”

“Women!” Margrave exclaimed with glee. “Human women are so soft. So delicate. Aren’t you an adult now? I could teach a few spells to charm a nice lass or two.”

Ditz sighed and narrowed his eyes at the cat. “You just want me to get someone pregnant so you can leave the cat and possess the baby.”

Margrave snickered. “Can you blame me? This cats’ soul has long left the body. All I ever have are cravings for meat or the urge to kill. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve done real mischief? Actual mischief! Not just stealing fish.”

“You shouldn’t do any mischief, ”Ditz said.

“Imps thrive on Mischief boy! We don’t eat and shit like you humans do. If I don’t cause a little chaos I die. It’s as simple as that.”

“Yeah well, maybe it’s time you died. Maybe—“

Ditzs’ thoughts were interrupted by a heavy vibration flowing through his body. He felt like his eyes were slowly evaporating. In the corner of his mind, he could hear a voice.

MAIUS! MAIUS! VEX THE SERPENT! SET FREE MOTHERS’ WRATH.

Ditz held his chest and cried out. The pain was excruciating. The pain in his eyes had stretched to his head and there was now a sustained ringing in his ear.

“Boy!” Margrave shouted.

Ditz snapped back to reality. All the pain was gone and the sounds of the forest filled his ears. He turned towards margrave to see his paw once again on the tree. This time the wither and decay had stretched up the trees’ side. Almost to the lowest branch.

Ditz made the same gesture as when he summoned Margrave, only he pointed towards the mischievous cat this time, and shouted “IKEGAD IRANIMAK!” A powerful bolt of lightning left his fingertips and electrocuted Margrave to cinder. Within seconds the tree was back to its radiant self again.

“Is that how you respond to someone calling you!?” a voice responded from behind Ditz. From a puff of smoke, margrave had reappeared unharmed.

“It is when you’re a mischief demon who won’t listen,” Ditz replied. Irritation filled his voice.

Margrave liked his paw and scoffed.” It’s a good thing I made sure to absorb some of my elixir from that tree. That’d have been the end of my short lived life.”

“You’re two hundred years old and I’ve got tons of elixir next to the fireplace back home. You can stand a death or two.”

“How rude!” Margrave groaned. He watched intently as Ditz held his head and examined his hands. “You alright? You seemed to be in pain a while ago.”

“I’m fine,” Ditz said. He shook away his concerns and dusted his gray sackcloth vest off. “Come on, dad’s waiting.”

“Fine,” Margrave huffed. “But you should pick up your trinket before you leave.”

Ditzs’ eyes widened as he felt the side of his neck. It was gone. The one item to remind him of his mother. He had nothing else from her. Nothing else to remind him of her. Just a single strange feather, turned into an earring. Ditz spun around. His eyes trained at his feet. Two paces ahead of him, an amber glint caught his eye. It was the earring. It was resting peacefully between a snail and some twigs.

“You damn cat! Why didn’t you tell me it was there?” Ditz shouted.

Margrave chuckled.” I’m not obligated to tell my murderer anything.” Margrave got up on his hind legs and began to claw at Ditzs’ pant leg. “Come now boy. Carry me. Revival is tiresome.” Ditz rolled his eyes and picked the cat up by his scruff. “Ah! I said carry me, not manhandle me!”

“Shut up!” Ditz commanded.

Despite his outward behavior, he actually enjoyed banter with Margrave. He loved this tree and he loved this forest, and despite his disdain for it, he loved the town. So why? Why all of a sudden, no matter how hard he tried to shake it. It felt like it was all about, to disappear.

[novicescholar-blog]

Section 1 : Plautus’ Aulularia

Introduction notable quotes

Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit et artes intulit agresti Latio. 

Greece, the captive, made her savage victor captive, and brought the arts into rustic Latium. - Horace on Rome’s debt to Greek culture

Cedite Romani scriptores, cedite Grai! Nescio quid maius nascitur Iliade.

Make way, you Roman writers, make way, Greeks! Something greater than the Iliad is born. - Propertius on Vergil’s Illiad

graeculus esuriens

Starving little Greek - Juvenal on Greek upstarts in the city of Rome

We are governing a civilised race, in fact the race from which civilisation is believed to have passed to others, and assuredly we ought to give civilisation’s benefits above all to those from whom we have received it. Yes, I say it without shame, especially as my life and record leave no opening for any suspicion of indolence or frivoloty: everything that I have attained I owe to those pursuits and disciplines which have been handed down to us in the literature and teachings of Greece. Therefore, we may well be thought to owe a special duty to this people over and above our common obligation to mankind; schooled by their precepts, we must wish to exhibit what we have learned before the eyes of our instructors.

- Cicero, ad Quintum 1.1

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part one Plautus’ comedies

Titus Macc(i)us Plautus 250-180 bc

wrote circa 130 comedies of which 19 survive

Drew inspiration from earlier Greek models

Aulularia based on a play by the Athenian Menander (340-290)

written for production at Roman festivals (feriae, ludi)

Originals were written in verse

Aulularia begins with the entry of the family Lar ( household god) 

Gives us an outline of the family and Euclio’s miserliness

Vocab for introduction

https://decks.memrise.com/course/5495011/reading-latin/1/

https://pastebin.com/uSj7b0BT

[irrfahrer]

What Is Your True Role In The Story? Your Result: the antihero ah yes, hello edge lord. it is lovely to see you again. you my dear, are the incarnation of duality, and you might think of claws and venom mixed with grace but alas, nothing near as poetic. you my friend, are mixture of what is seen as right, and what is questioned. you follow the path of your own two feet, you know the twists and turns of life's forests quite well if I do say so myself. and you can meander along them wonderfully. you strive to stay true to a certain sense of principles you might call your code, but whereas in reality, those would be your morals. people tend to see you as strange. sharp edged and glinting you hide behind a cloak of chain mail but really you just prefer to show off your imperfections first. unlike many who scramble to make it as if their flaws never existed, you proudly raise yours up. saying, "this is me, this is the worst of me, now you know what to expect." and might I say, it is quite an intriguing mindset, for truth be told, the ones that love your spikes and craters are the ones who appreciate your softness the most. you wish not to be loved as something lovable, but as a monster. for aren't we all just beasts in human skin? you are brave, but you are lonely. you know quite well how to scare off most, making even the heroes with the boldest bravado creep away with their tails between their legs. you are not a villian, sometimes you play the part a bit too well. but nevertheless you are no hero either. you put yourself first, but if one wins your trust then may the gods have mercy on those who might wrong them. you long to be a poetic mess of sorts, and well, if the ink sets in long enough you might just become that sooner or later. but for one who is so dead set on truth you sure do hide a lot don't you? please, step out of the shadows, there is a difference to not making your flaws visible and to simply acting as if you're the most despicable person in all the realms. it's because you're afraid of attachment is it not? well let me tell you a little secret, everyone is. you say you wish to be left alone for eternity but than why are you craving connection. you wish to be known and understood truly, but you snarl and push the ones that might be trying away. please little wolf, accept you are lovable. you are not some ravenous beast that terrifies the multitudes, sure, you are not for the faint of heart but that does not make you an inkling less perfect as you are. young antihero, step into the sun. you would do better actually reaching for the things you want rather than pining for them in the darkness.

“people tend to see you as strange. sharp edged and glinting you hide behind a cloak of chain mail but really you just prefer to show off your imperfections first. unlike many who scramble to make it as if their flaws never existed, you proudly raise yours up. saying, "this is me, this is the worst of me, now you know what to expect."”

Tagged By: @jedilovcd                                                                              Tagging: @peacefaithed @lessthantwelve @cnlyluck @onehell-of-apilot @skysnipsw @lighthouseborn @space-hecate @themidnightqxeen @skyler-bane @hopexncarnate @starfaithed @thestupidmeanone @beskar-himbo  @arachnoheaux @kylo-wrecked @ofthestcrs @honorhunt  @lady-proudmoore @khenobi @savior-of-humanity @bracca-scrapper @starfaithed @builtonhoope @gildedcommander @fallesto @outcaststar  @poewingsdameron @cardinal-carvings   @jeedang @smertzimy @kyberllcore @berrakhira   @cfmartyrs  @vicicus @luminousxbeings  @thaneirstaer @admrl @notsith   @gwiazdowe @lvkexskywvlker @drabbles-n-doodles  @preempire @ad-maius-bonum @therabidcur  @ariadne-inthesky @archaeotech @sxbaist @lightfaithed @unascend @trueheartofarebel  @protectxthem   @sithisms @peacefaithed  @masterofthelivingforce @ofthestcrs  @startrailed @thelightsabcr @empatiaa   @wartornpilot @rcfekjwtaardby@protectxthem  @sithdestined   @honorhunt  @safrona-shadowsun  @stubborn-amphibian @rabldcur  @ncxile  @skywlkrr @vsoatahn @jedixamidala @chromium-siren @aetcrnus  @savesgalaxy @thestupidmeanone @fatewills...and everyone else who wants to do the prompt!  

[irrfahrer]

Remember to repost, not reblog! Bold all that apply to your muse  ,  memories of my childhood edition…

tw, contains mentions of abuse / neglect / death / trauma!

Tagged By: The Force                                                                                 Tagging: @peacefaithed @lessthantwelve @retrocognizantrecreant @cnlyluck @onehell-of-apilot @skysnipsw @lighthouseborn @space-hecate @themidnightqxeen @skyler-bane @hopexncarnate @starfaithed @thestupidmeanone @beskar-himbo  @arachnoheaux @kylo-wrecked @ofthestcrs @honorhunt  @lady-proudmoore @khenobi @savior-of-humanity @bracca-scrapper @starfaithed @builtonhoope @gildedcommander @fallesto @outcaststar @jedilovcd @poewingsdameron @cardinal-carvings   @jeedang @smertzimy @kyberllcore @berrakhira   @cfmartyrs  @vicicus @luminousxbeings  @thaneirstaer @admrl @notsith   @gwiazdowe @lvkexskywvlker @drabbles-n-doodles  @preempire @ad-maius-bonum @therabidcur  @ariadne-inthesky @archaeotech @sxbaist @lightfaithed @unascend @trueheartofarebel  @protectxthem   @sithisms @peacefaithed  @masterofthelivingforce @ofthestcrs  @startrailed @thelightsabcr @empatiaa   @wartornpilot @rcfekjwtaardby@protectxthem  @sithdestined   @honorhunt  @safrona-shadowsun  @stubborn-amphibian @rabldcur  @ncxile  @skywlkrr @vsoatahn @jedixamidala @chromium-siren @aetcrnus  @savesgalaxy @thestupidmeanone @fatewills...and everyone else who wants to do the prompt!    

scraped knees,  silent tears in a locked room,  slamming doors,  pervasive loneliness,  a dog barking,  rain on a metal roof,  flinching at movement,  the creak of an old house,  forced laughter,  wandering in the dark woods,  wondering how you made it through,  sudden loss,   trying to make sense of the noise,  hiding what you love to protect it, trying to explain but your words falter,  invaded privacy,  confusion at the pain,  running barefoot in the grass,  wondering what you did wrong and coming up with nothing,  realizing you aren’t a priority,   grass stains on white clothing,  trying to earn love you will never have,  being threatened over the smallest mistake,  secrets you are warned not to share,  the feeling of never being good enough,  the hope things might someday get better,  grief that aches in your bones,   childish dares and pranks,  the sense that your body isn’t yours,  shame and guilt that aren’t yours to carry,  sledding down a frozen hill,   absentmindedly following snakes through the grass,  punching a tree until your knuckles bleed,  tears over every dead creature you find,   searching out small places you can hide… just in case,  climbing the tallest tree so they can’t touch you,  the feeling of something tainted under your skin,  a curious child told to stop asking,  floral dresses, body tensing at approaching footsteps,  anger with nowhere to go,   brief escapes from the chaos,  the purr of a contented cat,  taking the blame to keep the peace,  being told you’re too sensitive,  the creaking springs of a trampoline on a sunny day

punching a tree until your knuckles bleed, anger with nowhere to go: Beeing send to the AgriCorps was Ziv beeing send to a task that fit her pefectly, yet it does not change the fact that the Tynnan grew up between the younglings that used “farmer” as a insult. Ziv had been a eleven year old child when she had been send to the AgriCorps and while she now understands a little why she had been send to learn under her Master X’Ma, it does not change the fact that she is still angry. She is angry that she had not been given the chance to be a Padawan.She is angry that she had been send to the AgriCorps. She is angry that she could not enjoy her studies in theAgriCorps because this beautiful work made her a “Farmer”. She is angry that she even now, years later, followed being called “Farmer”.

pervasive loneliness,  trying to explain but your words falter, the feeling of never being good enough : Zivs lack of skill to connect with other people in  combination with her closed off nature and her harsh character, also  blocks any potential she could have for Force-Empathy, Mind-Tricks and  Telepathy, but gives her a natural boost in shielding her thoughts and  feelings from others. Her telepathic talent only focuses on Mind-shield. Considering she grew up between highly telepathic people,who could easily communicate without words, Ziv alwas felt like she was lacking, like she was missing, like she could never say everything that is important for she could only use her words that were eventually never enough to truely tell what she wanted to say. She understood soon that she could never communicate the way her siblings in their Youngling Clan could communicate with eachother and eventually the children stopped trying when Ziv couldn´t open up, and Ziv did stopped trying tocommunicate too, building up even thicker mental walls. If she can not connect with others, they will have  a  hard time connecting to her. Which is in itself more a curse than a  blessing but since she grew up after the Order 66 it might had saved her  life a few times.

secrets you are warned not to share, the sense that your body isn’t yours, wandering in the dark woods : Despite Zivs harshnss, she is a nurturing character and when the Murakami Orchid asked for her help, she naturally helped the Orchid. It however meant another secret she had to keep in her life ans especially it meantanother thing that kept her away from other people: Zivs lifeanegery is fed on by the Murakami Orchid which bound them together, yet while that means Ziv has to keep away from other people to protect the Orchid from beeing find out, the Orchid can not communicate with Ziv due to her mindshield. So the Tynnan does what needs to be done to protect the Orchid and in a way she is closer to the flower than she could ever be with another sentient beeing yet she cannot communicate with the Orchid, needing to protect the flower makes her always keep away from people and she can not even ask the orchid for adviceor anyone else as the Jedi Order is gone and the orchid needs to be kept secret. Ziv is, once again, completly alone.

[capsironunderoos]

Stories from the 531st

Her Birthday

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: None!

Author’s Note: Ah! Finally! A lil piece about the 531st boys and their intelligence officer Pumpkin, or as they lovingly call her, Punkin’. This is so self-indulgent I can’t even lie, my birthday was last weekend, and it’s date, 5/31, is what inspired both the name of this group of clones and the name of their captain, Maius, which was an original spelling for the month of May. Also, my nickname growing up was Punkin’, so I threw that in there as well. I plan to continue expanding on the 531st, but if there are any specific clones of stories you wanna read about, just send me a message or comment! I hope you enjoy!

Also, I’ll be using generic green gifs for these stories because their armor is painted with green paint :)

capsironunderoos masterlist

“Maker, Dice, do you ever just shut up?” 

Captain Maius could hear his troopers fussing quietly behind him, Blast making a dig at Dice as Dice giggles like an uncontrollable padawan. 

Mai rolls his eyes as they advance further down the hallway. 

The lights in the ceiling do little to help guide the 531st down the hallway, their blue haze making their GAR issued blacks turn a deep almost navy color. 

Ki and Vaughn make up the rear, with Blast and Dice in the middle as they carry a covered package, both slightly behind Pocket and Maius. 

Pocket directs the squadron further down the hallway, hands flitting above him every so often to gesture left or right. He had visited their intended destination before, but the other troopers were about to make their first visit. 

Blast mumbles something under his breath as Dice trips over his own feet, their shared package shifting in his hands as he tries to hold onto it. 

“Dice!” 

Blasts hisses under his breath again, and the trooper in question blushes, his shoulders shrugging as he regains his grip on the package. 

“Are we close Pocket?” 

Ki questions from the back, his voice just above a whisper so that the medic can hear him. 

Pocket nods, and Vaughn sighs. 

“Thank the Maker.” 

Mai rolls his eyes. Again. 

For this squadron to be one of the best in the GAR, to have worked alongside the likes of the 501st and the 104th, they sure were a bunch of drama queens. 

One final turn around a seemingly endless hallway and Pocket stops in front of a door, his fist raising to alert the troopers behind him. They follow suit, stopping on a dime to observe. 

Pocket glances to Mai and Mai types the four digit code into the pad against the wall. The door slides open with a whoosh, the sound of it making the troopers glance around to ensure they were still undetected. 

Pocket steps forward, cutting on a flashlight as he advances further into the room. 

“Hey you didn’t pack any for us? That’s a shock.” 

Blast murmurs and before he can put the period on the end of his sentence, Pocket has turned around, reached into the pocket he personally sewed onto the leg of his blacks, and dug out small lights for each trooper. 

“Spoke too soon,” Dice chimes, and Blast shoots him a look that quickly shuts him up again. 

With slightly more light now, the troopers maneuver around furniture and stacks of data pads and folders of paper in order to reach their destination; a bunk with a sleeping figure, completely unaware of the situation that is about to take place. 

They are eerily silent, the only noise filling the room being the occasional snore from the sleeping figure and the odd sound of Vaughn tripping on a pair of stilettos. 

“What the hell?” 

He questions, and the silent troopers all whip around to shoot him a glare that tells him to save the questions for later. 

They finally approach the bunk, the intended target still sleeping, covers pulled up so far that it’s hard to tell exactly who is about to fall victim to their spontaneous plan. 

Mai nods to Dice and Blast, and the boys remove the box to reveal a large cake, candles haphazardly shoved into the icing. 

Pocket reaches behind him and lights them with a lighter he pulls from Maker knows where, and the troopers shuffle to all be seen behind and around the cake. 

“Okay,” Mai starts, glancing at the squadron before raising his fingers, beginning to count down from three. 

When he reaches two, Dice beats the troopers to the punch. 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” 

He screams, and the boys all groan or shush him loudly, before an even louder scream erupts from the person on the bunk. 

When the figure shoots up, fear and surprise evident in her wide eyes, the boys all cheer. 

“Happy birthday Punkin’!” 

Blast says again, reiterating Dice’s earlier sentiment. 

The intelligence officer is still in shock, her eyes working to adjust to the strange lighting their flashlights and candles emit. 

“Ki, hit the lights will ya?” 

Mai asks, and Ki shuffles over to the switch, the small click of the knob painting the room with the same blue haze as the lights in the hallway. 

“Kark,” she barks out, falling back onto her pillow and covering her eyes with her hands. 

“I thought I was a goner,” she mumbles before moving her hands from her eyes. 

Her boys stood above her, smiling down at her like a pack of excited puppies. 

“How did you guys even know it was my birthday?” 

She questions, finally sitting up and moving from under the covers. Her bare legs dangle over the edge of the bed, and Dice whistles, prompting a swift slap in the gut from Ki. 

The cake shifts again, and she smiles before standing. 

Her pajamas were a simple grey set, GAR issued, that looked terrible on everyone who wore them, except her. 

“C’mon boys,” she gestures over her shoulder as she leads them to a small table she has set up in her room. She sweeps its contents onto the floor and motions for them to set it on the table. 

“I’m still waiting for an answer to that question,” she prompts, hip cocked and arms crossed over her chest. 

“Mai told us, we didn’t even have to ask,” Pocket chirps happily, hand coming to rest on the shoulder of the captain in question. 

A light blush of red sits across his tanned cheeks and she smiles sheepishly in his direction. 

“Thank you, captain. I honestly can’t remember the last time I celebrated my birthday.” 

Mai clears his throat nervously before speaking. 

“Of course. You’re important to us.” 

He responds, and she’s sure that her face is a deep crimson now. 

“Are you gonna blow out the candles?” 

Blast interrupts the small moment shared between the officer and the captain, and she nods, pulled back into the moment. 

The boys all cheer, and she laughs, shaking her head as she moves to bend over the cake, pausing a moment before blowing out each candle. 

Another cheer erupts in the room, and she’s smiling so widely that she knows her cheeks will hurt for hours after. 

“What did you wish for Punkin’?” 

Ki asks, and Vaughn slaps the back of his head. 

“Not supposed t’ ask that,” Vaughn scolds the trooper, who rubs at the now sore spot. 

“I don’t mind telling,” the officer starts, and the boys fall silent, eyes wide in suspense as she flattens a wrinkle on her shirt before starting. 

“I wish that the war would be over soon, that we would survive it, and that we would be together always,” she murmurs, almost embarrassed now to say it out loud  

As she mutters the last word, her eyes find Mai’s, and her gaze pauses there for the most fleeting moment, but it is long enough for the both of them to notice. 

The moment is interrupted by Dice rushing over to her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. 

“That was beautiful Punk!” 

He wails, and she rolls her eyes, laughing as she hugs him back. 

It doesn’t take long before all of her boys have moved to wrap her in a tight pile of troopers and officer. 

A quick shift sends them to the floor, and she remains in the middle of their arms, wrapped in their comforting touches as she fails to come up with even one other way she would want to spend her birthday.