#is my personal death to carthage
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Unwanted: Chapter 29, Unarmed, Redux - Pt. 1
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader
Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.
Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language, mentions of injury, death, human trafficking.
Word Count: 1.5k
Previously On...: It was the final showdown! And you died.
A/N: We begin to wrap everything up :(
NOTE! The tag list is a fickle bitch, so I'm not really going to be dealing with it anymore. If you want to be notified when new story parts drop, please follow @scoonsaliciousupdates
Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917!
Thank you to all those who have been reading; if you like what you've read, likes, comments, and reblogs give me life, and I truly appreciate them, and you!
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You crawled back toward consciousness with the unsettling sensation of deja vu. Bright lights, pain in your abdomen, the sound of machines incessantly beeping. You tried to pull the covers over your head, but your left arm didn’t seem to want to move.
Well, that was new, anyway.
“The fuck am I in the hospital for now?” you murmured to yourself. “One miscarriage wasn’t bad enough?”
“Ex-fucking-scuse me?” came Tony’s shocked voice from your bedside. “One fucking what now?!”
You slowly opened your eyes. “Uh… hey, Boss. How’s it going?” You glanced over at Tony; he looked terrible, eyes red rimmed and puffy. “What’s wrong? Why do you look like you’ve been crying?”
Tony barked out a laugh. “Are you kidding me? You had us all scared half to death, Kiddo. Pretty sure it took ten years off my life when word came in that Carthage fucking shot you. You know, you were clinically dead for seven whole minutes?! Longest seven minutes of my life– even longer than the Seven Minutes in “Heaven” I spent with Alice Seymour in 7th grade.” Tony shivered.
You blanched. “Seven minutes? Holy shit. I’m sorry, Tony.” You weren’t sure why you were apologizing; you hadn’t shot yourself, after all, but you still felt awful for making him worry.
Tony came to sit alongside you on the bed. “Hey,” he began, taking a hold of your hand, “you have nothing to be sorry for. At all. You warned us from the beginning that Carthage was rotten. We should have done a better job of protecting you from her. I should have done a better job of protecting you.”
“It’s not your fault, Boss,” you told him, squeezing his hand. “None of us could have realized how far gone she was until it was too late. Where is she, anyway? On a one-way trip to The Raft, I hope?”
Tony looked away from you, toward the door of your room. “Not necessary,” he said. “She’s dead.”
You sat up quickly, wincing in pain at the tugging in your abdomen as you did so.
“Easy there, Kiddo,” Tony said, helping you get upright. “You had major abdominal surgery just a few days ago; you’re gonna pull your stitches.”
You let go of Tony’s hand to gingerly prod at your stomach, flinching as you came into contact with the heavy gauze that concealed your incision. Looking back up at him, you asked: “What do you mean, ‘she’s dead,’ Tony? What the fuck happened?”
Tony cleared his throat and poured you a cup of water, as if needing to busy his hands while he considered how to go about saying what he had to tell you. “We pulled up in the Quinjet probably only a few moments after you were shot,” he said, handing the cup to you. You took it gratefully, not realizing until that moment how parched you’d been. “Barnes was holding you in his arms, just sobbing, and… God, Pocket, there was so much blood. We thought you were done. I’ve never– I’ve never seen him like that before. He wouldn’t let go of you. Cap and Point Break had to hold him off so we could get you into the jet’s onboard Cradle; he just didn’t want to be apart from you. Kept screaming it was all his fault, he should be the one who was dead instead of you. Can’t say that, in the moment, I disagreed. We ended up having to sedate him.”
As Tony spoke, bits and flashes of the event came back to you– Bucky offering himself to Jade in exchange for your life, seeing his lips on hers, the sensation of Jade’s bullet ripping through your flesh.
“Once we got you stable, we went back out and found Carthage’s body. I’m not one hundred percent sure what happened, because Barnes still won’t talk about it, but, well, her neck was snapped.”
You blinked in shock. He’d killed her, for you. When it mattered, when it truly, truly mattered, he’d picked you over her. “Wow,” was all you could get out.
“Yeah,” Tony agreed softly.
“Where is he, Boss?” you asked, looking up at him desperately. You needed to see Bucky right away, needed to thank him for saving your life, to apologize.
“I’ve, uh… I’ve been kind of keeping him away,” Tony admitted reluctantly.
“Why?!” you asked, hurt and shocked. “Why would you do that, Tony?”
Tony looked at you defensively. “Because he admitted what he did to you, Pocket. How he hurt you, again, and again. All of it. I’m sorry, but I wasn’t going to let him come near you after everything he’d done. It was his fault you were in this mess to begin with. He’s lucky I didn’t fucking kill him. If he had stayed away from her, been faithful to you from the beginning–”
“Tony,” you interrupted, putting a hand on his forearm to stop him. “Please trust me when I tell you that the situation is a lot more complicated than it appears from the outside, okay? I’ve… I’ve seen things, things that showed me how badly she manipulated him, got into his head. I’m not saying he’s blameless,” you were quick to add when Tony opened his mouth to protest. “He’s got a lot to make up for– I know that; I’m just saying that the party who bears the most responsibility is dead. I want to see him. Please. I owe him my life.”
Tony pursed his lips as he assessed you, mulling over your words. “It’s against my better judgment,” he finally said, “but it’s your call. I’ll send him in.” He stood up, leaning forward to kiss the crown of your head.
“Tony, wait!” you said, before he could go too far. “The missing women. The strip club. What happened with them?”
“You did good, Kiddo,” he said with a smile. “Once we got you outta there, we were able to retrace your location to find the Hydra base where they were keeping you and get into their files– they kept records of every woman they sold, who they sold to, and where they went. SHIELD’s already picked up several of the buyers and identified the key players based on what you’ve been able to get us. We’ve been able to recover seven of the women so far, but Nat’s optimistic we can track down even more.”
You let out a shaky exhale. Seven women, saved from trafficking, with your help. “That’s amazing, Boss,” you said.
“And as for the club, Kozlov’s been arrested on a slew of charges; don’t anticipate he’ll be breathing fresh air anytime soon. And your buddy? Dimitri? He was real happy to start cooperating with us if it meant he didn’t go down with his boss.”
You nodded, feeling a sense of relief, a weight being lifted off your shoulders. They weren't going to be able to hurt anyone else, you thought to yourself. You’d help make sure of that. Maybe you could make your amends to Chloe, after all.
An idea came to you then. “Boss,” you began, “how much money’s in my swear jar now?”
Tony gave you a bemused look. “Kind of a weird time to be asking about that.” He pulled up his phone and touched the screen several times before letting out a low whistle. “Well I’ll be damned, Pocket. You certainly have quite the potty mouth– there’s almost half a mil in there!”
“I’ve sworn half a million times in the last twenty months?” you asked, incredulous.
“Do you doubt it?” Tony answered, grinning.
“Abso-fucking-lutely not,” you said with a smile. “Do me a favor? Take that money and divide it up among the surviving women, okay? They’re gonna need resources for a fresh start.”
“That’s real generous of you, Kiddo,” Tony said, giving you a fond smile. “I’m proud of you.”
“Yeah, well, I learned from the best,” you half-shrugged, grinning back at him. “Gotta pay it forward, right?”
Tony nodded, then turned toward the door. “I’ll make sure it’s taken care of,” he said. “And I’ll send in Barnes."
“Thanks, Tony.”
“Oh, and if there’s one thing this entire ordeal’s taught me,” he said as he put his hand on the doorknob, “it’s that life is short. I’m gonna ask Pep to marry me.”
“Tony!” you exclaimed, delight coursing through you. “That’s fantastic! Congratulations! I’m so happy for you!”
Tony smiled at you. “Be flattered, kiddo. You’re number two to know.” With a wink, he was out the door.
You closed your eyes, smiling to yourself. Tony Fucking Stark was finally settling down. You honestly thought you’d never live to see the day. Fuck, you almost hadn’t. You felt a dull ache in your left arm. It had been strapped down in a sling to your torso, preventing you from moving it, and you had the sinking suspicion there were probably pins holding the fracture in place. You were certainly in line for a long road to recovery.
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#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes x you#bucky barnes x y/n#bucky x you#bucky x reader#bucky fanfic#bucky barnes#bucky barnes fanfic#bucky x female reader#bucky barnes fic#bucky barnes fanfiction#james bucky buchanan barnes#james buchanan barnes#mcu bucky barnes#james barnes
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the green carpet scratches at your pink heels. bile rises in your throat.
they talk about womanhood- but it’s not quite right. there is the pink and compliments and talk of boys
i am a beloved daughter
but there is also something else. it digs at your flesh, it feasts on your skin. your mother motions at your chest, bigger than hers and you're not even done growing yet! how lucky.
of heavenly parents
you pray to a man every night, finish it in another’s name. on your knees. you were sent a shady link as a kid. the woman on her knees, tears streaming out of her eyes, i don't want this, she said
with a divine nature and eternal destiny
blood on the inside of your underwear. you were told this meant you were a woman now. you were ten years old. what the fuck did you know about being a woman? your mom said you weren’t allowed to touch between your legs, but it's normal to want to. you didn't know what that meant, either.
as a disciple of jesus christ,
you wanted to be desired. you daydreamed of being the trophy for boys around you, of claiming that role one day as a wife. you came from a long line of women married young. you don’t know their names, but you were taught about their husbands in church.
i strive to become like him.
pressing your breasts down as much as possible, trying to give the illusion of a flat chest. badly cropped jpgs of jesus photoshopped to have top surgery scars are the secret currency you pay to get past the hours of church. you hold them like diamonds.
i seek and act upon personal revelation
you thought god was talking to you. you almost threw away everything you owned. you thought you were a prophet. total fuckin’ ego death! holy shit! god speaks through me!
and minister to others in his holy name
and then the next morning. when your faith crashed, when moroni abandoned you, did it feel unreal to you too, joseph?
i will stand as a witness of god
oh god, no. please. i don’t know what’s real anymore.
at all times
leg hair peeking from under your pretty sunday dress. they all stare. you ignore them and open up to D&C 132.
and in all things
emma, did you love him to the end? i don’t think you wanted him. did you watch as he married a 14 year old? did you tell him you burned the commandment? did you cry when he died for the church that he loved more than he loved you?
and in all places.
blood on the floor of carthage jail. this martyr will be remembered forever. do they talk about you, emma? or are you just joseph’s wife?
as i strive to qualify for exaltation,
when i marry, my husband will be a god, and i shall cleave onto him. when i marry, i will go to his universe and bear more of his children.
i cherish the gift of repentance
heads bowed low as the sacrament is passed. my hands clutch onto the bottom of my skirt. pleasure outside celestial marriage is forbidden. i apologize for loving the wrong way.
and seek to improve each day
i tried to kill myself, last time i got home from girl’s camp. i got home and cried and found the pills and shoved them into my mouth until i cried more and more until i was gagging. i hunched over the toilet. my hands on the grimy floor.
with faith, i will
forced to sing in front of the congregation. my head spun from anxiety. my stomach turned with nausea.
strengthen my home and family,
loving wife beautiful kids loyal husband church once a week work weekdays weekend mom monthly round on the business end of his cock forever and the vomit threatens to make an appearance.
make and keep sacred covenants,
an old man is in a room alone with me. he asks me if i masturbate.
and receive the ordinances and blessings
i tell the man no. i receive a card so i can be ordained.
of the holy temple.
that's just how it goes, isn't it?
all around are paintings of god and jesus. we learned about heavenly mother. why don’t i see her in paintings? did god have plural marriages? did heavenly mother make us? why don’t we pray to her? did she watch god marry a 14 year old? did she cover her eyes? when she saw blood on her underwear, was she told she was a woman? did she touch between her legs? did she ever believe herself better than god? does she cry when she cant talk to us? why do i cry? was heavenly mother scared of singing in public and did she press her chest flat and did she cry when god forced himself into her mouth? did she burn his doctrine too?
i am given flowers on mother’s day. i will be one eventually, after all. and i vomit in the church bathroom quietly like the perfect woman i am supposed to be.
#okay this one is a doozy. will prolly regret writing +posting an unhinged rant at midnight but whatever#lmk if i forget to tag something#ill edit in the morning im sleepy#vent#mine#poetry#spilled ink#exmo#exmormon#pimo#ex christian#transgender#transmasc#tw emetophobia#tw emeto ment#tw suicide#tw sui ment#tw sa implied#i am so fuckin tired. if ur wondering what someone writes while sleep deprived after stress studying all day for an ap test. this is it#fuck it not even reading over this once. whatever. into the void#all spelling mistakes are between myself and god#long post
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Can I ask what Maria & Antonio’s relationship has been like through the ages? Like, Al & Arthur have Crown Prince vs Old King, but what’s the vibe with Maria & Antonio? She was Crown Jewel of Spanish Empire. Do Spain & Cuba view each other as Father-Son? What about the rest of Central & South America? Also, Brazil & Portugal? Sorry for so many questions.
hey! thanks for the question—i will focus just on Maria (Mexico) and Antonio here, whom i have the clearest headcanons for.
how i personally headcanon it: Antonio and Maria are somewhat similar, but also different from Arthur and Alfred— so, a father/daughter dynamic. he is her "father"—in the usual, loaded nation sense of 'his actions caused her to come into being' and/or 'he has shaped her culturally'. just as in human families, not all fathers are good ones: so father-daughter here doesn't mean 'this is a healthy, cosy domestic dynamic'. after all, imperialism also shapes people and families intimately; Antonio is her "father" similarly to how Arthur is to Alfred—it's the dynamic of imperial power, authority and lineage. from the POV of humans who saw them both in 16th century Mexico City, they read them as 'oh, a spanish lord and his mestiza daughter.' he does have her officially legitimised (as some conquistadores historically did with their multiracial children).
nonetheless, like all nations, she isn’t born the human way. and in reality, she has more than two "parents"— at the very least, from a young age she'd been aware also of her connection to Mexica (who headed the powerful Triple Alliance commonly referred to as the "Aztec Empire") and Tlaxcala (another Nahuatl-speaking state and Mexica's long-time enemy, who made an alliance with the Spanish and furnished most of the soldiers during the siege of Tenochtitlan, the Mexica seat of power. Antonio's actions contributed to her being born—but so did Mexica and Tlaxcala's. thus, while Antonio tries to assert cultural dominance (speaking Spanish and religion for example), Maria always navigated it differently, rather than him being able to transplant his culture wholesale (such as with how cultural syncretism occurred re: religion in Mexico) because it was simply impossible for her not to be unaware of her non-European heritage. as i see it, from young, she was always fluent in Nahuatl (the language of both Mexica and Tlaxcala), not just Spanish.
much like Arthur did for Alfred, I see him being the one who picked the name 'Maria' for her. for Antonio, on some messed-up level, he sees himself in her and that’s one thing that underlies his willingness to legitimise her as his daughter: he understands himself as being born in the conquest and bloodshed inflicted by Rome and Carthage— and many others who came subsequently (your birth being someone else's misfortune or even death, is one thing that is understandably jarring from our point of view, but taken for granted by older nations). as I see it, “Antonio” came from Rome naming him “Antonius”. Hispania was fought over by Rome and Carthage in part for its rich silver mines, after all—and while history doesn't repeat, sometimes it rhymes. as it was with Alfred, while she was seen as the prestigious 'jewel' in the spanish crown, her relationship with her father was always riven by the contradictions imposed by imperialism.
Antonio claims her as his daughter, and his name and authority gives her access to certain things—but that acceptance and privilege was often conditional and inconsistent (as was the experience of many real mixed-race people during that time who had powerful fathers—or as in my own family re: the context of British and French imperialism in the 20th century), and there was no ignoring the imperial hierarchy in place in the wider colony-empire dynamic, even if Antonio was at times personally affectionate or indulgent towards her. so, while she was well-educated and had many social opportunities, she did feel the imperial hierarchy quite keenly. i feel that sometimes, she felt similarly to Alfred (and maybe even more so, given the richness of Mexico's silver mines and dramatic stories being told about the "Aztec" Empire/Mexica in Europe) in that she was being shown off for her father's status rather than being understood as a person. i will leave it here for this ask, for now, but overall, it was a relationship similar in some ways to Arthur and Alfred, in the sense of paternal authority and imperial hierarchy—but of course, also different due to the ways British and Spanish colonial policies in the Americas diverged.
#hetalia#hetalia headcanons#hws mexico#hws spain#hws mexica#hws tlaxcala#i need to think more on the rest to do justice to them#but otherwise interesting questions!
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I have recently begun studying the Aeneid at college, and we have just finished reading about Dido and her death. I can’t quite explain it, but I felt an overwhelming sadness and rage at her death. I have never felt such female rage before, but something in my heart cries out for my fallen sister, even if she’s fictional, doomed by the narrative from her first appearance. I wrote this poem to express my feelings, it’s not my best work and it doesn’t rhyme, but I just had to share how I felt about poor, doomed Dido, the Queen of Carthage:
Oh Dido, most unhappy of women!
Subjected to loss, time and time again
A brother through treachery, a husband through death
Then your heart itself through false love
Venus and her cruel, taunting sons destroyed you
Tore you apart until you were nothing
Scraps of meat for the lions to feast upon
And oh, how the gods feasted upon you
You died by Aeneas’ sword, his belongings in ashes beneath you
His love killed you in all the ways a person can be killed
But, in truth, no gods, no forced love, truly doomed you
It was we, who clamoured for stories
Who clamoured for art, and music, and sculptures
Mostly made by men who could not comprehend your grief
To them, a woman’s heart, and the way it breaks, is a source of amusement
Virgil was the one who doomed you first, your epithet sealed your death sentence
“Doomed Dido” - he never gave you a chance
It was mankind who made the gods, and the stories of old
Aphrodite became Venus, but lost none of her cruelty
Once folklore is written, it’ll rarely change
We know Pandora will open the box
We know Eve and Snow White will eat the apple
We know Orpheus will damn Eurydice by looking back
And we know you will die, struck fatally by Cupid’s arrow
To those who know your myth, they’ll think firstly of your death
Of a shining steel sword plunging into your vulnerable, exposed chest
There is little art that depicts you in your prime
Standing tall, sitting proudly upon your mighty throne, in a city you built through your blood and sweat alone
No, we see you upon your funeral pyre, eyes raised heavenwards
We think “poor, wretched Dido” - is that how we should view a Queen?
In 1666, the closest mankind could get to understanding you was a lament
A soprano dons your regal clothes and sings
“Remember me, but ah! forget my fate”
We have denied your request, all of us
You are doomed anew every time someone reads your story
Laid upon your pyre like a sacrificial lamb to slaughter
Yet another corpse for the gods to draw their power from
I do not see your story as a tragic love
I do not support Aeneas
Perhaps I did, before I knew you
Before I knew the force for good you were
Before I knew your grief, your fallen husband, the sacrifices you made to build Carthage
Before the man you were forced against your will to love sailed away for good
Now I see a monster, who knew what he was doing
He is no Odysseus, he is no Orpheus, though both men have their faults
He is the conceited, self-important child of a god
‘Founder of Rome’ indeed
I weep for you, Dido
Virgil gave you such power, such strength, then he tore it away
You had nothing at the end, you were led to your doom like a puppet on strings
Even this poem goes against your final wish
I cannot mention you without your tragic death before your time
I beg you, please forgive me, my Queen
You have always been so much more than a victim
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this could be a very niche post but i mourn dido. she was a refugee who built a civilisation from the ground up!! she was a queen!! she was everything aeneas needed to be!! when we first meet her, she's compared to diana. diana goddess of the moon, diana goddess of the hunt. dido was so radiant and loving and warm, even without venus' fatal meddling, she opened her arms to the trojans and welcomed them to her land.
dido of carthage was such a powerful woman, she was the epitome of a person - she was pious, she was strong and she was so, so beautiful. venus ruins her. venus is a real villain of the trojan war and it does not get talked about enough‼️ yes the whole helen thing but cmon!! dido!! venus ruined dido's life - this rational, calm-headed woman is rendered a helpless victim to Love and its follies.
she believes her and aeneas to be married and then he just turns around and walks out on her. (I don't blame aeneas, i actually really like him. he too was a victim of the gods' whimsies - "I seek Italy not of my own will.") but it ruins her. aeneas has up and left and with it venus' interest in dido wanes but the arrow of desire remains stuck in her very soul, staining sticky red love all over her life.
when i think about dido's death i honestly get so sad because the last cry for help to diana when the priestess is performing the death rituals is just fucking heartbreaking. it's a jarring reminder of how dido used to be before aeneas, before the gods sunk their claws into her life.
beautiful dido, who glowed like the moon, now lies dead and burnt to ash on a pile of clothes and carvings of a man who never even loved her.
#dido was a QUEEN#an almost deity in her own right#virgil's sympathetic portrayal of her is just so beautiful and heart wrenching#makes aeneas seem the antagonist in her story it's just genius#sorry this is so random but i honestly think about this constantly and just need to get it out there#I love you dido!!#aeneid ramble#vi.rambles#vi.random
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I got tagged by @demeter1111 back when wattieza forests were still a thing. sorry for being a disorganized noodle!
15 questions and 15 mutuals:
Were you named after anyone? When was the last time you cried? Do you have kids? Do you use sarcasm a lot? What's the first thing you notice about people? What's your eye colorScary movies or happy endings? Any special talents? Where were you born? What are your hobbies? Have any pets? What sports do you play/have played? How tall are you? Favorite subiect in school? Dream job?
KNIGHTS! NEW QUESTIONS! (obligatory obscure Monty Python reference)
What famous person, alive or dead, would you want beside you during a zombie apocalypse?
Hanibal of Carthage. He is super smart, a great fighter—and he comes with elephants. Lets be honest, elephants would be super cool in a zombie apocalypse. Especially zombie ones😁
If they made a movie about you, what would your theme song be?
since I’m a nomad, The Great Divide by National Park Radio😉
Which muppet character would you be willing to go on a date with?
Gonzo—as long as Gonzo sets up the date. Cuz you know Gonzo would set up a wild date😆
What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?
I was served whale blubber at a party once. Do NOT recommend🤢
What is the weirdest thing you still eat?
I really love peanut butter on my crepes😋
You can have any extinct or fantasy animal as a pet. What would you choose?
The enormous pteradactyl, Quetzalcoatlus. With a handy riding harness. And maybe some water ballons…😏
List a very boring fact about yourself.
I am an American mutt. My parents were from very different parts of the country, but all four of my grandparents came from families that settled in the U.S. in the timespan 1630–1730.
You are granted a wish to have any food you want—but the catch is you will have to eat it twice a day for the rest of your life. What do you choose?
**ponders** popcorn or freshly baked cookies or popcorn or freshly baked cookies or popcorn or—
You can choose any singer or band to play at your funeral. Who do you pick?
Nat King Cole. Everyone can roll up the rugs, and dance the night away!
What line of poetry or doggerel is forever stuck in your brain?
Charge of the Light Brigade: “Into the jaws of Death, into the mouth of hell/Rode the six hundred.” I used to quote this at work, usually when we were getting overrun. For some reason, my bosses were never amused. Then again. they also didnt appreciate it when I would tell them ‘I would like to inform you that the barbarians are at the gates.”😂😂😂
You can bring back an item of clothing that has fallen out of style. What would it be?
We really need to bring back the clothing of the Han Chinese. Imagine if we could all walk around in loose, flowing comfortable clothes. Also, wearing hanfu means long flowing belts—which means we could turn all the cool stuff we currently put on our key chains into belt decorations. With tassles. Cuz modern clothing haz a serious lack of tassles. Just saying…
You are granted the gift of being a were creature. What animal would you choose to change into?
Definitely were-otter. Much scampering, much floating—and lots of fish. Also, I wouldnt have to worry about villagers and pitchforks, cuz seriously, who is gonna be scared of a were-otter?
What is the most useless fact you know?
The last person to collect a Civil War pension was Irene Triplett. She passed away in 2020. Also, in 1916 the U.S. Postal Service changed the rules, and you can no longer mail more than 200 pounds/90 kilos in a single day. Why? Some guy was building a bank in Utah and realized he could save on freight charges by just having the bricks mailed. Yes, ALL of the bricks😂😂😂
You are going to be locked, all alone, in a place for 24 hours. Which place do you choose?
Um, tie. The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art or the Gilcrease Museum😍
What is the superpower you want and whats the superpower you DONT want?
Best superpower? Making quarters appear wherever I want. No, seriously. Think about how much fun you could have, in a super sneaky way. College kid walks by—put a few extra quarters in their pocket. Seniors sitting on a park bench—now there are handfuls of quarters in the bottom of their purses. Tip jar at the coffee shop—add another layer of quarters. Also easiest superhero name ever. Just stick a pencil behind your ear and call yourself ‘Drawn and Quartered’🤣🤣🤣
The worst superpower? Anything to do with ice and snow. Nope nope nope!
ok tagging @distilled-prose @cowandcalf @teruel-a-witch @ellena-asg @wordrummager @torrentialmonsoon @sherrylephotography @ends-2-beginnings @itwoodbeprefect @alex-a-roman @mikefrawley @firstfullmoon @gracebriarwoodwrites @maureen2musings @stephmcx and cuz I changed the questions @demeter1111 also tagging @neil-gaiman cuz I know he wont answer, but I am super curious about his answer to question one😂😂😂
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more Medieval AU incorrect quotes, because you can't stop me
Korkie, talking about Ai-kel: Is he a friend of yours, Ahsoka?
Ahsoka: Kind of? Not really. He's in my life and there's nothing I can do about it.
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Ezra: Apparently, it was Rude™ of us to pitch in our two cents on a conversation we happened to overhear, despite agreeing with them.
Sabine: On an unrelated note, we are no longer allowed in the wall passages.
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Ahsoka: Well, well, well, if it isn’t the consequences of my actions.
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Merrin: Arson? Oh, you mean "crime brûlée".
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Adenn: You're violent.
Skira: Yeah but I'm also short and that's adorable.
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Ahsoka: I'm a firm believer in "if you're going to fail, you might as well fail spectacularly."
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Ezra: Hey, do you wanna know a secret?
Zeb: No.
Ezra: Okay.
Zeb:
Zeb: Do you smell smoke?
Ezra: The secret is that my curtains are on fire.
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Ahsoka: Why don’t people find me attractive when I bite my lip?
Barriss: What do you look like when you bite your lip?
Ahsoka: *bites lip*
Barriss: ...Have you considered biting your bottom lip instead?
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Caleb: How's the most beautiful person in the palace~?
Hera: I don't know, how are you~?
Caleb, flustered: I-
Ahsoka, from across the room: I'm doing great, thanks!
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Cal: Omega, Merrin, I’ve left letters telling your guardians not to worry—
Merrin: She won’t.
Cal: that you’re safe—
Merrin: That’ll just depress her.
Cal: —and you’ll see them in a few weeks.
Omega: Do we have to?
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Ezra (on his trip to Mandalore): I came out here to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now!
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Sabine: Do you ever get pre-annoyed? Like you already know someone is going to fill you with rage?
Tristan: What? No, I—
Carthage: *enters room*
Sabine: *jaw clenches*
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Ventress, referring to Cal and Omega: Those two are fools.
Merrin: Yes, but they’re my fools.
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Hera: Yes, I'm adopting Ezra and you cowards can't tell me no!
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Ahsoka and Ai-kel: *making loud, shouty gorilla sounds at each other in the middle of the hallway*
Bail Organa:
Rex, exhausted: The royal delegation from Alderaan is here, Princess.
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Cal: What's the signal when something goes wrong?
Omega: We scream bloody murder.
Merrin: ...That'll work.
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Ezra: Okay, how do I look? Be honest.
Sabine: There’s no critic more honest than a young child! Jacen, how does he look?
Jacen: Bad.
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Omega: I don’t think our death ray is working. I’m standing right in it, and I’m not dead yet.
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would love some director's commentary on basically any part of Carthaginians you'd like to talk about, but my favourite part was the second last chapter/the siege itself and I'd love to know how you worked out what trajectory to take the characters on through all the historical records. would also love to know more of your thoughts on Yusuf and Nico's backstory and families, if you have thoughts!
Thanks! <3 All right, Carthaginians, let's go.
The siege - or, more specifically, the final Fall of Carthage - was definitely what came first in terms of planning out this fic. When I first had the idea of writing Joe & Nicky's backstory further back in history, the Punic Wars were a logical setting to start with due to simple geography - Carthage being in modern day Tunisia, and Rome being, well, Rome.
So as with any vague idea, I started with a wikipedia deep dive, kind of assuming that I'd stick to the general canon template of them killing each other for the first time in battle and then becoming lovers afterward. But I immediately stumbled across the fact that Carthage's final stand, after the city had surrendered, consisted of about 900 Roman defectors in the Temple of Eshmoun setting the temple on fire around them rather than allowing Rome to execute them. Which. So that was obviously going to Nicky's arc. Which meant he would have to defect to Carthage much earlier on. Which meant I could give him and Joe a much richer relationship build over the course of the war itself. At that point, there was no question that their first deaths would be more of a suicide pact due to having no other options. I thought about having them, IDK, leap off the temple roof together or something, but nah, it felt much stronger to have them kill each other directly, as per canon, but with a complete subversion of what got them to that point.
I wrote chronologically and posted as I went, but it definitely helped going in to know exactly where they had to end up. For example, I deliberately seeded their exact dialogue together in the temple at the end of the siege as lines in their very first idle political debate in Rome in chapter one, so that Nicky could do a complete 180 on his initial stance in the debate by the end.
Embarrassingly, while that was all planned out from the beginning, I was WELL into the middle of the fic before realizing that, uh, Eshmoun is literally the god of healing. I mean, I knew that from the start, but I literally had my own personal OH DUH moment that they would be dying and resurrecting for the first time in the temple of the god of healing, and would OF COURSE think that Eshmoun himself had literally healed them due to their sacrifice on his own figurative altar. So that was an incredibly lucky piece of historical fact to tie into the immortality narrative.
In terms of their family backstories there - I think Yusuf's is about as fleshed out in the fic as it's going to be, it's all his POV and I included all the family info/dynamics I'd thought about. Nicky's didn't get as much detail in the fic, since we're never in his head and he didn't talk about it as much, but his family was the rough equivalent of landed gentry back in Genua - relatively high status for his own tribe, but doesn't mean much to the Roman Republic as a whole. They were granted Roman citizenship when the Genuates allied with Rome, and Nicky received a formal education, but their family wealth took a huge hit during the second Punic War (when Carthage sacked the city) and never really recovered, which is why Nicky left to join the Roman army and make his own fortune. I think he's not the oldest of his siblings - not the one expected to inherit and carry on the family legacy - but probably the second son, with several younger siblings in the mix as well. He has a strained relationship with his father and a better one with his mother, who I imagine died before he left home. He misses his younger sibs, who he helped raise, but never returns to Genua in their lifetimes.
So...yeah! I spent all year with the world of this fic in my head, it's been hard to let go of it. Thank you for asking!
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Ghost Aeneas Real. there is No Return to Troy. but He does. And it's Creusa who speaks Words of Farewell while he remains silent (mirroring the final farewell to Polydorus for ex). Plus Misenus? Ik there's only M's name attached to the Big Mound but...Aeneas burying himself before he goes Down? Troy as Aeneas's tomb? Anyway. Ghost Aeneas Real.
literally aeneas is so dead. my personal top three Ghost Aeneas Real moments are uh
in aeneid 1 when venus makes him invisible and he's wandering around carthage as it is built. being sad about the fall of troy. looking at the temple frieze (In A Grove. This Matters. it's literally laetissima umbra). about the death of his city. and then he overhears ilioneus telling dido that Yeah Aeneas Is Very Likely Dead and becomes visible again and is like surprise! I'm Here. and you the reader are like ok but are you a ghost. (i think it's Very sexy of vergil to compare how sexy venus makes aeneas when he reappears to ivory or Marble / Decorative Stone right after the description of the stone frieze Which Btw Depicts Aeneas.) (i also extremely think silius had this scene in mind when he wrote hamilcar and hannibal doing necromancy in dido's temple in book 1 of the punica. but that's a whole other thing)
in aeneid 3!!! when aeneas goes to the Extremely fucked up and haunted city of buthrotum. the shadowy lesser double of troy built by helenus and andromache i loooooove buthrotum and i feel like bcs a lot of places dont bother to teach aeneid 3 people miss out on how cool it is. anyway aeneas goes to buthrotum theghostoftroy and finds andromache In A Grove, Sacrificing To Hector's Empty Tomb, and her first questions to him are Are You Real and Are You Alive. ghost aeneas real AND think also that aeneas is narrating this to dido who has also just been shocked by the appearance of aeneas in a grove with some form of physical monument to the trojan war in it. legally you must now reread the scene in aeneid 1 as Also oh fuck that's a ghost.
honourable mention goes to the whole of the book 6 katabasis
when turnus is tricked into chasing an imago (image / phantom / ghost) of aeneas in book 10 like Yes this is a trope in epic battle scenes Yes this happens in the iliad (but like. in the bit where aeneas totally for real dies. why does a ghost have a ghost) Yes i still also think Ghost Aeneas Real. esp because once turnus realises he's been tricked he tries to return to battle / kill himself Three Times and Fails Each Time and that is the only use of ter conatus in the aeneid that is Not about trying to embrace the ghost of a loved one. but it Is right after turnus tried to Chase a ghost. (also was just thinking whereeee is the good scholarship on the book 10 imago and i found this very recent article which looks cool as hell. so.)
in conclusion yeah Ghost Aeneas Real
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ok so my history ass really wants to talk about this but here’s this cool headcanon I have but let’s talk about The Horse Ever.
Nono, not Poland’s Horse. Sorry Feliks and the rest of my blood kindred.
So this is Alexander the Great and his horse, Bucephalus (literally meaning Ox-Head)
According to legend, Bucephalus basically was impossible to tame and Alexander was just “alright, I got this” and basically was the only one who tamed this majestic beast. But basically for much of Alexander’s life, Bucephalus was basically his beloved son on four legs who went into countless battles with Alexander. Unfortunately, Bucephalus was killed in the Battle of Hydaspes (somewhere around modern-day Punjab) and Alexander was really, really distraught to see his beloved hoof son slain in battle. However, Alexander literally made a city where Bucephalus is slain in honor of his beloved horse.
You might be asking “Cheebs! What the FUCK does this have to do with Hetalia?!”
Oh, you’re getting to the Good Part, my friend.
So Ancient Rome (before being Christianized) and Ancient Greece basically had the same gods, right? (Only difference being renamed, like Zeus = Jupiter, Hermes = Mercury, etc). But Alexander’s conquest basically laid the seeds to the beginnings of the Roman Empire.
So we got Ancient Rome in his youth, when the Gods basically called upon him, seeing this young Rome as the one chosen to be the very personification of the young republic and beyond. Jupiter, basically being the King of the Roman Gods (basically Roman Zeus) was the one who basically bestowed a resurrected Bucephalus to Rome himself, for the gods see him as a worthy successor to Alexander to lead the newly-established Republic (and soon, Empire)
Rome’s Bucephalus was just like Alexander’s Bucephalus personality-wise. Rome knew about Alexander’s conquest, but he did eventually tame Bucephalus and basically the two were inseparable, even when Rome had to abandon his own gods who bestowed his best friend and comrade-in-arms. For those years Rome and Bucephalus rode together in battle, from the siege of Carthage, the fight against his greatest enemy, Germania, and many, many internal conflicts. However...
The death of Bucephalus was also the death of Rome, just like the day Bucephalus died at the Battle of Hydaspes. Unlike Alexander, Rome basically died alongside his long-time friend during the day his empire fell, knowing that he will at least die alongside his best friend and longtime comrade his former gods bestowed upon him.
In much of the stuff I work with, whenever I draw Rome, I always have to draw Bucephalus alongside him (see below)
Bucephalus basically is like the one cat who only likes one person (Rome) and hates everyone else, mostly jealousy. Someone not Rome trying to mount Bucephalus? Prepare to get some broken bones! Rome is talking to someone else? “FATHER, WHY DO YOU NOT GIVE ME ATTENTION???”
But nonetheless, Bucephalus and Rome are quite literally best friends!
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Events 3.10
241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end.
298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes a triumphal entry into Carthage.
947 – The Later Han is founded by Liu Zhiyuan. He declares himself emperor.
1496 – After establishing the city of Santo Domingo, Christopher Columbus departs for Spain, leaving his brother in command.
1535 – Spaniard Fray Tomás de Berlanga, the fourth Bishop of Panama, discovers the Galápagos Islands by chance on his way to Peru.
1607 – Susenyos I defeats the combined armies of Yaqob and Abuna Petros II at the Battle of Gol in Gojjam, making him Emperor of Ethiopia.
1629 – Charles I dissolves the Parliament of England, beginning the eleven-year period known as the Personal Rule.
1661 – French "Sun King" Louis XIV begins his personal rule of France after the death of his premier, the Cardinal Mazarin.
1735 – An agreement between Nader Shah and Russia is signed near Ganja, Azerbaijan and Russian troops are withdrawn from occupied territories.
1762 – French Huguenot Jean Calas, who had been wrongly convicted of killing his son, dies after being tortured by authorities; the event inspired Voltaire to begin a campaign for religious tolerance and legal reform.[
1814 – Emperor Napoleon I is defeated at the Battle of Laon in France.
1830 – The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army is created.
1831 – The French Foreign Legion is created by Louis Philippe, the King of France, from the foreign regiments of the Kingdom of France.
1848 – The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is ratified by the United States Senate, ending the Mexican–American War.
1861 – El Hadj Umar Tall seizes the city of Ségou, destroying the Bamana Empire of Mali.
1873 – The first Azerbaijani play, The Adventures of the Vizier of the Khan of Lenkaran, prepared by Akhundov, is performed by Hassan-bey Zardabi and dramatist and Najaf-bey Vezirov.
1876 – The first successful test of a telephone is made by Alexander Graham Bell.
1891 – Almon Strowger patents the Strowger switch, a device which led to the automation of telephone circuit switching.
1906 – The Courrières mine disaster, Europe's worst ever, kills 1099 miners in northern France.
1909 – By signing the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, Thailand relinquishes its sovereignty over the Malay states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu, which become British protectorates.
1922 – Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in India, tried for sedition, and sentenced to six years in prison, only to be released after nearly two years for an appendicitis operation.
1933 – The Long Beach earthquake affects the Greater Los Angeles Area, leaving around 108 people dead.
1944 – Greek Civil War: The Political Committee of National Liberation is established in Greece by the National Liberation Front.
1945 – World War II: The U.S. Army Air Force firebombs Tokyo, and the resulting conflagration kills more than 100,000 people, mostly civilians.
1949 – Mildred Gillars ("Axis Sally") is convicted of treason.
1952 – Fulgencio Batista leads a successful coup in Cuba.
1959 – Tibetan uprising: Fearing an abduction attempt by China, thousands of Tibetans surround the Dalai Lama's palace to prevent his removal.
1966 – Military Prime Minister of South Vietnam Nguyễn Cao Kỳ sacks rival General Nguyễn Chánh Thi, precipitating large-scale civil and military dissension in parts of the nation.
1969 – In Memphis, Tennessee, James Earl Ray pleads guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. He later unsuccessfully attempts to recant.
1970 – Vietnam War: Captain Ernest Medina is charged by the U.S. military with My Lai war crimes.
1975 – Vietnam War: Ho Chi Minh Campaign: North Vietnamese troops attack Ban Mê Thuột in the South on their way to capturing Saigon in the final push for victory over South Vietnam.
1977 – Astronomers discover the rings of Uranus.
1989 – Air Ontario Flight 1363, a Fokker F-28 Fellowship, crashes at Dryden Regional Airport in Dryden, Ontario, Canada, killing 24.
1990 – In Haiti, Prosper Avril is ousted 18 months after seizing power in a coup.
2000 – The Dot-com bubble peaks with the NASDAQ Composite stock market index reaching 5,048.62.
2006 – The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at Mars.
2017 – The impeachment of President Park Geun-hye of South Korea in response to a major political scandal is unanimously upheld by the country's Constitutional Court, ending her presidency.
2019 – Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 MAX, crashes, leading to all 737 MAX aircraft being grounded worldwide.
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15. Of Regulus, in whom we have an example of the voluntary endurance of captivity for the sake of religion; which yet did not profit him, though he was a worshipper of the gods.
But among their own famous men they have a very noble example of the voluntary endurance of captivity in obedience to a religious scruple. Marcus Attilius Regulus, a Roman general, was a prisoner in the hands of the Carthaginians. But they, being more anxious to exchange their prisoners with the Romans than to keep them, sent Regulus as a special envoy with their own ambassadors to negotiate this exchange, but bound him first with an oath, that if he failed to accomplish their wish, he would return to Carthage. He went, and persuaded the senate to the opposite course, because he believed it was not for the advantage of the Roman republic to make an exchange of prisoners. After he had thus exerted his influence, the Romans did not compel him to return to the enemy; but what he had sworn he voluntarily performed. But the Carthaginians put him to death with refined, elaborate, and horrible tortures. They shut him up in a narrow box, in which he was compelled to stand, and in which finely sharpened nails were fixed all round about him, so that he could not lean upon any part of it without intense pain; and so they killed him by depriving him of sleep. With justice, indeed, do they applaud the virtue which rose superior to so frightful a fate. However, the gods he swore by were those who are now supposed to avenge the prohibition of their worship, by inflicting these present calamities on the human race. But if these gods, who were worshipped specially in this behalf, that they might confer happiness in this life, either willed or permitted these punishments to be inflicted on one who kept his oath to them, what more cruel punishment could they in their anger have inflicted on a perjured person? But why may I not draw from my reasoning a double inference? Regulus certainly had such reverence for the gods, that for his oath's sake he would neither remain in his own land, nor go elsewhere, but without hesitation returned to his bitterest enemies. If he thought that this course would be advantageous with respect to this present life, he was certainly much deceived, for it brought his life to a frightful termination. By his own example, in fact, he taught that the gods do not secure the temporal happiness of their worshippers; since he himself, who was devoted to their worship, was both conquered in battle and taken prisoner, and then, because he refused to act in violation of the oath he had sworn by them, was tortured and put to death by a new, and hitherto unheard of, and all too horrible kind of punishment. And on the supposition that the worshippers of the gods are rewarded by felicity in the life to come, why, then, do they calumniate the influence of Christianity? why do they assert that this disaster has overtaken the city because it has ceased to worship its gods, since, worship them as assiduously as it may, it may yet be as unfortunate as Regulus was? Or will some one carry so wonderful a blindness to the extent of wildly attempting, in the face of the evident truth, to contend that though one man might be unfortunate, though a worshipper of the gods, yet a whole city could not be so? That is to say, the power of their gods is better adapted to preserve multitudes than individuals,—as if a multitude were not composed of individuals.
But if they say that M. Regulus, even while a prisoner and enduring these bodily torments, might yet enjoy the blessedness of a virtuous soul, then let them recognise that true virtue by which a city also may be blessed. For the blessedness of a community and of an individual flow from the same source; for a community is nothing else than a harmonious collection of individuals. So that I am not concerned meantime to discuss what kind of virtue Regulus possessed: enough, that by his very noble example they are forced to own that the gods are to be worshipped not for the sake of bodily comforts or external advantages; for he preferred to lose all such things rather than offend the gods by whom he had sworn. But what can we make of men who glory in having such a citizen, but dread having a city like him? If they do not dread this, then let them acknowledge that some such calamity as befell Regulus may also befall a community, though they be worshipping their gods as diligently as he; and let them no longer throw the blame of their misfortunes on Christianity. But as our present concern is with those Christians who were taken prisoners, let those who take occasion from this calamity to revile our most wholesome religion in a fashion not less imprudent than impudent, consider this and hold their peace; for if it was no reproach to their gods that a most punctilious worshipper of theirs should, for the sake of keeping his oath to them, be deprived of his native land without hope of finding another, and fall into the hands of his enemies, and be put to death by a long-drawn and exquisite torture, much less ought the Christian name to be charged with the captivity of those who believe in its power, since they, in confident expectation of a heavenly country, know that they are pilgrims even in their own homes.
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I find it interesting that you commented “honestly i think the romans with the adoption and selection had it best”, because at first I would agree. Hereditary succession through primogeniture is plagued with obvious theoretical shortcomings. What if the heir is obviously incompetent? What if there’s no son and the dynasty ends, who inherits the throne? What if there’s a better second son or uncle more competent to succeed? In this context, Roman adoptive succession seems more logical. Or some method like the Ottoman and Chinese ones, where the elders of the dynasty choose the next Emperor from amongst the family ranks.
However, historical analysis has shown us that the most stable and powerful countries were the ones with the Frankish succession through masculine primogeniture, with the occasional exception for women to rule. I. e., western European countries. This is because, even if uncomfortable situations like regencies or mad kings occasionally happened, the monarch’s family proved to be an axis of power with firm rules to guide who comes to the throne and when. That’s why France, England, Spain, Portugal and Sicily had enormous advantages among other countries and eventually surpassed them. Naturally, the succession rules aren’t the only or most important thing, but they showcase the power axis of a monarchical country. Behind all this there’s what recent historiography calls ‘the logic of Empire’, which is much more complicated, but you can read Walter Scheidel if you want to get to know more about this.
Take the Holy Roman Empire in present-day Germany. The position of Emperor was elective among the prince-electors across Germany. So, in theory, it would be fitting to always chose the strongest, right? Not exactly. The HRE fell in constant civil wars and the imperial government was absolutely nullified and became just ceremonial. Poland had elections to choose the king, the voters being all the nobles from the realm. What happened was complete chaos among the nobility and the eventual partition and dissolution of Poland in 1795 until 1919! The Ottomans became plagued with succession disputes among the House of Osman until the empire fell into disarray and was called ‘the sick man of Europe’. Meanwhile, the member-states of the HRE who followed Frankish costume became strong countries in their own right, like Bavaria, Austria and later Prussia. Byzantium itself slowly died from within because of internal strife and unending civil wars among the noble families disputing the title of Emperor. All that because there were no fixed rules.
When the Habsburg Dynasty died out in Spain with the death of Charles II ‘the Bewitched’ and there was no certainty about who would be the next king, everything fell apart and the Spanish dominions across Europe were disputed and shared between the Austrian Habsburgs and the French Bourbons. The Roman Empire itself initiated its downfall by not knowing who would be emperor. That’s why we had the tetrarchy, the year of four emperors, constant civil wars, the crisis of the third century, usurpers, and so on. Anyway, that’s just me musing about inheritances! Just like my previous asks were just musings. Regarding the au, my proposition is to ignore all the variables and just make Eren establish Frankish succession for his eldest son to unite their realms as if the Huns practiced it already (they didn’t). By the way, did I mention all I said does not apply to republics, like Carthage, the Roman Republic, and city-states like Venice and Genoa? Different power dynamics!
history anon i always beam and light up at your long ass asks 😭😭🤔🤣 its so cute to be honest like fr fr. i think that the difference also comes into molding a person from birth to fit your standards and occupy a role and getting a grown ass person to fit your standard who already has their own mind that in the minuscule part of it could disagree with something and that become a great problem. that can lead to domino effect and everything crumbles. but still some kids can become incompetent in the role for whatever reason. leading everything to shit and also tainting a bloodline for the bad reputation honestly and lose the trust of the people.
when we talk about elections is also a tricky subject tbh because obviously the nobles will be the ones to vote, but nobles have their own interests to protect which lead to basically civil wars and blood. a lot of it.
but these nobles cannot go against the birth right if royalty and position pass down to a son.
i think tbh it all comes into gambling. betting on whether and hope that the kid will be a good one. a good ruler. emperor. whatever it is. it’s still a gamble.
just like choosing another is.
they both have pros and cons in my opinion.
imma read that tho. that book you suggested. everything for you history anon.
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#watching the cabinet of doctor caligari#given the slightest opportunity i will rant about silent film accompaniment#donald sosin why you do this to me#i participated in your SING ALONGS for god's sake#also#dennis james can bite me#is my personal death to carthage#SO MUCH RANT#SO MANY FEELINGS#don't even get me started on 'authenticity' in contemporary silent film screenings#(actually#please do)#(i did write a whole paper on it in grad school after all)#(grad school round 2)#(grad school round 1 was costuming in queen christina and the scarlet empress)#in which i am perpetually On Brand#silent film
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Today our lecturer told us about alternate myths where aeneas betrays Troy, and how that's arguably referenced in aeneid book 2 (aeneas wearing greek armour, seeing the treasure in Priam's fallen palace). I don't think personally that it's a case of Aeneas lying to Dido and that he is ~actually evil~ lol but I think it's interesting when considering Aeneas as character who has to deal w temptation/a more 'Achilles' side that he gives into when killing turnus. thots?
OH NOW THIS IS A THOT.....
this alternate mythology of aeneas’s betrayal is interesting bc we don’t know where it comes from really...some people think it’s referenced in the iliad in a quote where aeneas is apparently unhappy with how priam is treating him BUT that particular section may be a later addition to the poem so. who knows!
given that vergil is who he is he probably knew of the alternate tradition and may well have considered it when writing the aeneid BUT i don’t think that the book 2 episode where aeneas is wearing greek armor is necessarily a reference to that (after all it’s not even aeneas’s idea to put on the greek armor, it’s coroebus’; if vergil wanted to make that reference he would’ve had aeneas be the one to suggest the idea).
i think it’s a really fun idea to consider but ultimately it’s not the sort of thing that vergil’s aeneas would do. he is a man known above all else for his pietas, and to betray his people in exchange for power is the opposite of pietas. when we see aeneas fail in the aeneid, he doesn’t fail out of some sort of desire for power or glory in the way that achilles fails. he is not the achilles of the first half of the iliad whose failure comes from hubris. instead aeneas is the achilles of the second half of the iliad whose failures as a hero are inspired by his great love of other people.
think about it: when aeneas fails to leave carthage, he does so because he has fallen in love with dido (and a bit with carthage as a whole). when jupiter sends mercury to get aeneas’s butt in gear, he specifically tells mercury that if the thought of glory won’t make him leave, remind him that he owes this to his son. the implication is that aeneas may well have discarded the idea of ruling his own nation to be with dido if it weren’t for the fact that he cares too much about his family. it’s not a search for glory that compels aeneas’s actions in carthage; it’s the conflict between his love for dido and his love for troy.
similarly, when aeneas kills turnus, it’s his love for pallas and his desire to avenge pallas’s death that drives him to kill turnus. aeneas’s natural instinct is not to be cruel- his first thought is to spare this man kneeling before him. it’s only when he sees the sword-belt that he gives in to rage. only when his love for pallas (whom he calls meorum, “one of my own”) overwhelms him do we see aeneas stray from the more honorable action.
ultimately it’s a fun tradition to explore, but given how vergil writes aeneas, i honestly don’t see much of a place for it in the aeneid!
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St. Louis IX King of France
Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis, is the only King of France to be canonized in the Catholic Church.
At his coronation as king of France, Louis IX bound himself by oath to behave as God’s anointed, as the father of his people and feudal lord of the King of Peace. Other kings had done the same, of course but Louis was different in that he actually interpreted his kingly duties in the light of faith. After the violence of two previous reigns, he brought peace and justice.
Louis IX was a reformer and developed French royal justice, in which the king was the supreme judge to whom anyone could appeal to seek the amendment of a judgment. He banned trials by ordeal and encouraged the use of written records in court, he tried to prevent the private wars that were plaguing the country, and introduced the presumption of innocence in criminal procedure. To enforce the application of this new legal system, Louis IX created provosts and bailiffs
Every day, Louis had 13 special guests from among the poor to eat with him, and a large number of poor were served meals near his palace. During Advent and Lent, all who presented themselves were given a meal, and Louis often served them in person. He kept lists of needy people, whom he regularly relieved, in every province of his dominion.
Louis was devoted to his people, founding hospitals, visiting the sick, and like his patron Saint Francis, caring even for people with leprosy. He is one of the patrons of the Secular Franciscan Order. Louis united France—lords and townsfolk, peasants and priests and knights—by the force of his personality and holiness. For many years the nation was at peace.
Following a vow he made after a serious illness and confirmed after a miraculous cure Louis IX took an active part in the Seventh and Eighth Crusades.
He led his army through North Africa in 1270, but within a month of their landing at Carthage, the army camp was decimated by disease. Louis himself died there at the age of 56. He was canonized 27 years later in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII
Bonus History:
Blanche of Castile, Louis' mother, not only played a great role in training him to be a great leader and good Christian, but also ruled the kingdom as regent until he reached maturity, and then remained his valued adviser until her death. During Louis' childhood, Blanche dealt with the opposition of rebellious vassals and obtained a definitive victory in the Albigensian Crusade, which had started 20 years earlier. She was know to have said:
"I love you, my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child; but I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should ever commit a mortal sin."
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