#livia answers

[dearemma]

I saw the ask you got about Disco and was wondering if you might want to share more of your thoughts about about Disco!Pike and Disco!Una characterizations? 💕

oh god, these are dangerous waters cause i hold very unpopular opinions on this subject.

in summary, i find the disco!characterizations of both of them highly superior. both (but especially una) are portrayed as incredibly competent, professional officers who can handle everything that comes their way. una is owed various favors, can commandeer experimental flyers without authorization when an admiral is on the ship. she is as good as pike, and better in various aspects.

on the other hand... snw!una... during the first season, my first inkling that i was unhappy was that i would finish every episode and go 'this episode could have existed without una'. she was often sidelined very quickly, and when the characters were having discussions, she never took any initiative or offered her own suggestions.

una was a pilot. and snw introduced erica (whom i love) but that means una no longer has an active role on the bridge. she is kind of just there a lot of the time.

and that includes episodes where she is the focus. i don't feel we know a lot about her personality (and what we do know, like her horrible laugh in the last episode, directly contradict the very serious and professional personality we saw in disco and the cage).

she feels dulled down. instead of a clever woman with a silent sense of humor, who can do anything, she is just... a prop for pike's man pain.

and pike, on the other hand, feels dumbed and less interesting.

my fav episode of disco season 2 is probably new eden. there we see a pike who is very serious on a mission, who deeply respects religion and other cultures, but who also has a sense of humor and beautiful smile (his scene with michael, and with the man on the surface at the end of the episode).

contrast that to his joking behaviour on the comet episode. or how he treated the alien with?? contempt tbh.

i miss their disco versions! i can see the show is going for lighter versions of their characters, so they are more palatable but i feel like that was a mistake. especially with una. una was rejected by audiences in the 60's for being too cold and detached, and instead of proving them wrong in 2023, the show is constantly making her less similar to her original version in the 60s, still following very limited views of how a female character should behave.

i love disco!una, she is one of my fav characters, and i miss her.

that doesn't mean i don't enjoy them on snw, i still find them both delightful

#curator-on-ao3 #livia answers

[navree]

How do you think Augustus felt about Livia?

It's a bit hard to parse out how the man felt about anyone, just because he controlled his image so tightly that nobody ever publicly saw anything he didn't want them to see, save for some very rare exceptions (ex: Augustus is recorded as having become publicly emotional three times in his entire public life, and two out of those three were very likely deliberate performances meant to engender a specific response, though one of them was definitely just spontaneous emotion). And with the added caveat that trying to ascribe feelings to historical figures can be very tough because those involve private thoughts that we are just not historically privy to, especially during the Antiquity where we're just missing so many records, I think it's fair to say that there was some kind of love there.

There's a lot of misconceptions around their relationship because Augustus and Livia just have very negative public reputations (Augustus just due to the popularity of Antony and Cleopatra as a couple, which means that most stories of this time are about them, slotting him into the role of antagonist or even outright villain in contrast to them as protagonists; Livia due to the popularity of stories like I, Claudius, which painted her as a scheming manipulator and burgeoned outward from there) that sees them both as people who didn't care about anyone, let alone possibly each other, and were in this relationship purely for opportunism and power. That's not to say that they didn't care about the power or opportunities the match would have afforded both of them, they clearly did; I've never bought into the legend that Octavian fell in love with Livia at first sight because nothing I've read about the guy, Mr. "hasten slowly" himself, shows someone who made snap judgments without thought. Octavian had prestige from his relationship to Caesar, and his family was influential in their Roman suburb, but he didn't have the patrician family roots that Livia did, and marrying her would have given him additional prestige to really solidify power. For Livia's part, her family was on the downward spiral after having repeatedly been on the wrong side in recent wars (her father fought for Brutus and Cassius, her first husband routinely was opposed to Augustus not just at Philippi but also during Fulvia's War and my beloved Siege of Perusia as well as siding with Sextus Pompey when he opposed Octavian), and allying herself instead with someone who was shoring up massive amounts of power and influence in his own right would have been hugely beneficial for her and her children. There was absolutely a calculus that went into this relationship and in figuring out what both parties could bring to the table to make the marriage viable against some not great optics, like Livia already being pregnant by her first husband and Octavian getting ready to break his alliance to Sextus by divorcing Scribonia (literally on the day she gave birth to Julia, my man you couldn't have waited a day?).

But I don't think that means that there wasn't any feeling there. For one, again, there were some bad optics involved as well as changes in alliances, and Livia definitely needed Octavian more than he needed her; he could have absolutely found some other patrician woman to boost up his pedigree by association rather than one from a family that had constantly opposed him. I wouldn't be shocked if there had been some emotion behind choosing Livia specifically, that when they met (sources say she was personally introduced to him before they decided to get married, so they had at least one chance for rapport) they formed a connection of some kind and an appreciation for each other. We also know that Octavian, as he grew in power and especially once things steadied in Rome and he got his name changed to Augustus, still relied on her as a source of advice and listened to her as a counselor, in spite of her gender and the extreme patriarchal nature of Rome. Augustus, when it comes to Livia's role as an advisor to him, actually had Livia occupying a space very similar to the one he had originally occupied for Julius Caesar: not just being an advisor and a trusted someone at their side, but also someone you could ask to intercede for you with The Great Man either on your behalf or on the behalf of someone you cared about. That Augustus allowed this at all shows a care for her, because he was big on the rigid societal structures and propriety of Ancient Rome, what with all his family laws and his strong stance on morality. But I do think the strongest indicator of love between them, since I do believe there was a love between them, is in the fact that they stayed married.

Livia and Augustus were married for 51 years, from 39 BC until he died in AD 14. And it is honestly wild that, in all that time, they never got divorced. Divorce in Ancient Roman times was exceptionally easy. Literally all was required was that one of the parties move out of the house and that's it, you're considered divorced legally and religiously in all ways that mattered. That's why, when you read about these people, you see how often they're just getting divorced right and left at the slightest provocation, Augustus included, divorcing Claudia and Scribonia with relative ease. But not Livia, even though the marriage wasn't doing the one thing most political marriages really need to be doing: bringing in children. Livia and Augustus never had any children, and only ever one pregnancy, which ended in a stillbirth. Given that Augustus specifically really needed an acceptable heir, as he was trying to build a hereditary autocracy that relied on power being passed down from father to son, rather than the semi-democracy Rome had at the time, this is a big deal. We know that Augustus struggled with heirs, mostly because everyone he ever wanted as an heir kept dying before him (which has to suck, just on a personal level, given that a lot of these were family members that he'd been close to and viewed as his own children, sorry man), and he probably would have very much liked to have a natural son to prepare to succeed him, rather than bouncing around. And given how quickly it became apparent that his marriage to Livia was not going to give him any children at all, let alone any sons, he could have easily divorced her with just a few words and found someone else, especially after he cemented his power following Actium and patrician prestige was no longer as important as his own personal presence. But he didn't do that. For a man who always thought ahead and always made decisions based on how they would advance the goals he felt he needed to have, irregardless of personal feeling (the existence of the Second Triumvirate is basically proof that Augustus, very quickly in his political career, developed a habit of shunting his own personal feelings to the side for the sake of doing what needed to be done), choosing to stay in a marriage that wasn't really offering him anything beyond the companionship of a woman he loved is very weird. It speaks to the amount and the depth of feeling there, that he decided to remove political calculation and opportunism from his thought process and decide to stay in a marriage that wasn't necessarily advantageous, because he wanted to, because he cared about and loved the person he was married to.

All in all, I think he cared about her, probably did love her, and even if there was some opportunism in the match, it seems to have been a marriage between two people who enjoyed being together and liked each other.

#personal #answered #anonymous #roman history #octavian #livia drusilla #i'm generally quite wary about ascribing specific emotions to specific historical dynamics #just cuz again we don't Know and here specifically there's a lot of missing information #but i'm at least comfortable in saying that they liked each other #'oh but amelie you don't have a problem saying agrippa and octavian loved each other-' because i have eyes #because a lot of their relationship in stark contrast to the marriage with livia was done VERY publicly #and we have a lot more info on it and how reciprocal it was #but yeah i'd say there's at least A kind of love between augustus adn livia

[hurremshiv]

Do you think there are any parallels between the way Hurrem in MC and Livia in either Domina or I Claudius? (2nd wives doing what they can to place further their own line in the succession)?

I haven't seen Domina yet although it is on my list. But I think there is something to the parallel between I Claudius!Livia and Hürrem in that regard for sure.

My overall take however is that Livia in I Claudius was a seminal example of a particular trope of female villains (which I have called the 'Livia archetype') that Hürrem deconstructs and subverts. They are both manipulative and scheming. They both kill people. But Livia is very cold in a way in which Hürrem isn't. Hürrem has a sense of empathy and genuine care for her family. What makes Livia dangerous is that she is cold and calculating. Hürrem's defining quality for better and worse is passion. Not to mention the fact that while in I Claudius when a mysterious death occurs it's almost always Livia, Magnificent Century complicates the narrative. When Hürrem is accused of something, there will be plenty of times where she straight up didn't do it or even when she did it, there is a context to her actions that the audience understands but the other characters don't. It's very apparent that the writers of MC are aware that Hürrem's characterisation is at least in conversation with 'the Livia archetype'.

And while both of them have somewhat difficult or toxic relationships with their kids, Hürrem's purpose is keeping her kids alive in a sysem where the fratricide law exists and she would never abandon one of them. Meanwhile it's heavily implied that Livia killed her own son Drusus. Not to mention the ableism that Livia shows for her own grandson Claudius whereas Hürrem makes it abundantly clear that she views Cihangir as just as worthy as her other children even though he is insecure about his illness.

Not to mention that Livia stands for something politically in a way in which Hürrem doesn't. Livia is staunchly against returning to the Roman Republic. Hürrem's agenda is purely about gaining power for herself and keeping herself and her family safe. And the nearest she has to a genuine political agenda is her dislike of the 'military heroes' and her charity work. Livia's story is about the fear of women encroaching on politics whereas Hürrem's is about how to survive and keep your humanity in a system designed to strip you of it.

The overall difference can be summed up in the most important quotes about these two women that sum up their characters.

Tiberius says of Livia 'They say a snake bit her once. And died.'

And Hürrem sums up her experience in the palace to Afife by telling her 'Everyone talked about me. The cruel one, the witch, the tyrant. But no one said a thing about what they did to me.'

Both women are SO entertaining to watch though.

#livia drusilla #hürrem sultan #i claudius #magnificent century #answered #anon

[stinkrascal]

if i dont finish the sopranos soon my brain will crawl out of my skull and finish it for me i think. this is a threat

#i told my bf i would watch it with him but he only wants to watch one episode a day #the struggle between someone who binges tv shows vs someone who paces their watch time #i’m gonna watch it anyways idc… i love rewatching stuff so it’s fine if i’m way ahead #my favorites are tony and carmela and christopher! i think carmela is soooo funny and lowkey briecore like just vaguely #tony is a fun mc too. actually everyone’s super fun #even junior and livia i think they’re fun even though they’re shitty #AUUUUGH oh yeah that scene where dr melfi describes livia as having bpd that was shitty too #dr melfi literally described bpd as being manipulative and abusive and incapable of love. like! ok! thanks for that? 😭 #this show came out in 99 like what i had no idea ppls perceptions of bpd has always been this bad. am i just naive or something #dont answer that. anyways. im literally tony soprano #words of affirmation im literally tony soprano #im sorry i cant wait any new tv shows or movies im busy catching up w shows from before i was born #i was born in 99 but still

[theromaboo]

Guys I need to draw some ancient Romans for this one thing but I don't know who to draw.

#pls reblog #i want to see some answers #ancient rome #tagamemnon #ancient romans #vergil #virgil #cicero #agrippina the younger #livia #octavia #emperor augustus #mark antony #julius caesar #julia the elder

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

Plot Bunny: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

(grandmother to my new oc, Bellona Plinth)

Livia Plinth. Sejanus' sister or cousin (tbd), as a thank you for his friendship to Sejanus, the Plinths arrange a marriage for Coriolanus Snow to their niece/daughter, Livia. Horrified by this arrangement and not entirely convinced that Snow really was that good of a friend to Sejanus, Livia flees the Capitol and returns to her old home of district 2. Determined to get out of this marriage, she gets herself pregnant as fast as she can, knowing that "ruining" herself is her only chance at freedom.

Her child dies young, leaving Livia to raise her granddaughter Bellona alone.

#ask #answered #ginevrastilinski #livia plinth #about livia #plot bunny

[laufire]

livia "i'll straight up start faking alzheimeir to get away with plotting an assassination on my son" soprano.

#idr if there was a definite answer on whether it was faked but if livia told me two plus two equals four #i would start questioning everything i know about math lol #talking to the void #my thoughts #sopranos sunday #catching up #sopranos thoughts #the sopranos #livia soprano #the sopranos 1x12

[aquilathefighter]

Hello! I hope it´s not a weird question, if so, please let it pass...

But since I watched this vid I have been meaning to ask...Why do some pigeons do backflips? (I hope it doesn´t sound like a shitpost question or something, I´m really curious about that thing)

Is it normal on some of them or is it a thing that´s been taught to them?

I leave here the vid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGm4Pyi0WhM

Thank you! and sorry if it truly comes off weird

Not a weird question at all! I love talking about bird behavior.

The video in question:

So pretty much every rock dove/pigeon that we're gonna see anywhere humans is the domesticated feral kind. (Columba livia domestica) This includes fancy pigeons, which are bred for all sort of traits, including their ability to maneuver in the air.

There is a group of breeds called Rollers, which are bred to do somersaults, rolling, and other tricky maneuvers in the air. We're not sure what the exact cause is, but there are perhaps genes that can be selected for this behavior.

My guess is that this is one of those breeds that has been bred to be able to do this!

Thanks for the q!

#aquila answers #birds #columbiformes #columbidae #columba livia domestica

[disruptedlogic]

# ( a random text ) — esen -> kyungseok

[ SENT : 7:38 PM TO KYUNGSEOK ✨] -> i accidentally texted that person that was all up in harvey and i’s business at the gala.

[ SENT : 7:38 PM TO KYUNGSEOK ✨] -> HOW DO I EVEN HAVE THEIR NUMBER?

[ SENT : 7:39 PM TO KYUNGSEOK ✨] -> i am never unlocking my door again. what if they find out where i live??

#fatalled #( esen ; answers . ) #( interaction ; kyungseok . ) #this lines up with the text she made to livia bc why not #bc it’s too funny not to do #( meme weekend . )

[rubixscrewed-archive]

from liv to harvey . [TEXT : 3:45 am] - are you awake? [TEXT : 4:01 am ] - rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ( context: they fell asleep with their phone in their hand while waiting for his reply hence the accidental text. FNDSKFKJSDn )

[Text: 4:04 am to Liv ☁️] I dozed off [Text: 4:05 am to Liv ☁️] ssssssssssssssssssssssssss Im coming over there

As Harvey sleepily grabbed a taxi to the University. He went to Laboratory. There was a soft smile on his face as he gently picked her up and into the the bed set up in the room. There was a gentleness in his movements not wanting to force her awake. Like he was handling porclean that would shatter. He kissed her forehead before sitting near the edge of the bed. But evn he was sleepy. Still on the edge he closed his eyes as well dozing off. At least it was with someone than alone.

#answered;harvey #to;livia #(harvey said bet)

[dearemma]

Do you have any theories for 2x08? I remember someone saying that it might focus on Christine and M'benga, hope that's true!

so! based on the promo pics that were released, we're definetly getting some christine and m'benga material.

we learned on episode 1 of season 2 that they served on the klingon war together and were one of the few survivors of a massacre. here is the description of episode eight:

"Captain Pike and his crew welcome a Klingon defector aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, but his presence triggers the revelation of some shocking secrets."

we are getting some flashback content. christine is looking very hot in her black widow suit, i can't wait to get my hands on the footage.

ANYWAYS BACK TO THE SHOW!!! here is what we've heard so far about the episode:

I think that that's pretty accurate. For both of you, Season 2 is 10 episodes, do you have a favorite of the 10 episodes and why? BUSH: Oh, I'm gonna say eight and nine, and I can't say why because that would be a spoiler. BABS OLUSANMOKUN: Yeah, I would say eight, but I can't tell you why either – Oh, it was eight, now nine!

[ comment: nine is the musical episode ]

“As a performer, myself, the scenes that are the most challenging emotionally are the ones that are most enjoyable [...] and where there's the most to be found artistically,” said Jess Bush of the season ahead. “And there's a lot of that in episode eight. I loved doing episode eight with Babs. It was one of my favorite from the entire two seasons. And working with Jeff Byrd (Yellowjackets, The Flash TV series). He's incredible. He's an actor's director. I think he made us both feel really safe to find the truth of that episode. It stretched me and stretched Nurse Chapel a lot.”

You can’t drop a Star Trek truth bomb like that without fans wanting to know more. So, probing deeper, the stars revealed a bit more about episode eight with the round table. Olusanmokun shared: “I can’t reveal much of it, you know, but somewhere in there, there was a moment where I was like, ‘Okay, this is going much deeper.' It felt epic. I hope that was captured. I hope what you see on screen is, but it felt epic as we made episode eight — for me, personally.”

Olusanmokun assures us that it is in the cards. "We're going to see some of their past history, how they came to be, how they came together as compadres. It's written beautifully, and of course, we then tried to mold it as much as possible with our performances. "It's been something. It was really lovely to do. It was really lovely to experience. We maybe go over a scene together while waiting. "I know what I do [to prepare], but I also see that Jess comes quite prepared, and so when we land in front of each other, or the camera's rolling, there's a lot to work with. That's all you can ever ask of your scene partner. There's a lot of giving and taking and being open. Regarding their scene sharing, Bush acknowledges how close Chapel and M'Benga are. "Speaking for myself, I think it's just about staying open and curious when we're together on set and in discovery mode. "There is definitely a lot of deepening of the relationship with Chapel and M'Benga in this season, and we get to go through a lot together. It's something that I've really enjoyed. I think it's been a beautiful deepening of both of their stories separately and entwined. Very heartful, very heartful."

and i could not find the quote, but apparently christine is dropping a shocking secret this episode

so basically.... we're in for a ride, folks

as for theories... nothing specific tbh?? i'm waiting and seeing

#livia answers

[thedeadthree]

OCS AS ART

tagged by the darlings @chuckhansen, @adelaidedrubman, @leviiackrman, @aartyom, and @dihardys to take this uquiz for the loves! ty so much dears!

(x)

TAGGING: @griffin-wood, @risingsh0t, @leviiackrman, @queennymeria, @chuckhansen, @blackreaches, @florbelles, @jackiesarch, @swordcoasts, @noonfaerie, @rosebarsoap, @themysteriouslou, @yennas, @stormveils, @confidentandgood, @arklay, @shellibisshe, @jacobseed, @multiverse-of-themind, @loriane-elmuerto, @roofgeese and you!

MUSIC

you are a breath of fresh air. you are soft and free. you disappear as quickly as you appear, and everyone wishes you had stayed around longer than you did. your voice is what makes people fall in love. everything you say is in harmonies and codes, and only the most experienced listeners can fully understand you. your presence is always enjoyed but you aren’t always given the praise you deserve; people will let you stay in the background. all you want is for someone to really listen to you.

PAINTINGS

everything you do is a work of art. you are beautiful without even trying, simply lounging around looks like you’re posing and waiting for someone to sketch you. you come off as light and easy but you are often misunderstood. people don’t tend to see you for who you really are, and focus too much on how effortlessly you appear to navigate the world. there's some kind of darkness behind your eyes that only some can see under all the layers of paint.

FILMS

you are wild and there’s no way for your essence to be captured in a frozen format. you are a character and the only way to describe you is to capture you in motion. you are electric. people are naturally drawn to you because you exude confidence. everything you do, you seem to know what your next step is. you are the muse to many, even if you don't know it, but deep down you do. people tend to fall in love with the idea of which i'm sure can be exhausting.

NOVELS

you fall in love easily and hard, and you are the image that pops into someone’s brain when they think of a love interest. you are a romantic and find yourself falling in love a hundred times a day because your imagination is wild and certainly knows how to get the best of you. you are soft and delicate and need to be handled with care, because a heartbreak would break you into a million pieces. you don’t want much else except to be loved and to love. you want to live out your wildest dreams, and the person that loves you can't help but let their imagination run wild with you.

POETRY

you choose your words carefully and your words will be heard. you’re smart as hell. you know it and so does everyone else and you carry yourself with a sort of confidence. you’re a bit of an artist yourself, even if unintentional. you can find beauty in mundanity but you also know when to be a realist. people fall in love with you because you are a confident mystery and they're dying to find out more. you fear that this attraction that people have to you is based purely in curiosity and nothing else.

#only if you want to! 🥀❣️ #oc: elin wiseman #oc: adda de trastamara #oc: ademarta cel tradat #oc: judicael rogarvia #oc: vanja tybur #OKAY IM SO CAUGHT OFF GUARD BY ELINS? i would have been CERTAIN paintings would be more fitting but? this is so good? #also please feel free to pass this if you have done this already! i am a tad tardy bc of computer troubles :’) #but like askjmak elin you got called out my love <3 also u know what uquiz YOU ARE SPOT ON..! #her voice is what makes people fall in love? she speaks in harmonies and codes and only the most experiences listeners can fully get her? #im fine! and i missed elin and her beloved kenzie so I wanted to take this for her! #I KNEW I HAD A HUNCH A FEELING THAT VANJA WOULD GET POETRY and! baby girl got poetry! ur so right uquiz! #‘you fear that this attraction that people have to you is based purely on curiosity and nothing else.’ WELL HOW DARE YOU READ HER LIKE THAT #like for a great deal of the events of the series she took extensive! steps! to conceal her identity! fake name and everything! #as livia she benefitted from the anonymity but the double edged sword (and the thing that she was insecure about with her and levi :’) ) -> #in that she feared that the more signs pointed for marley the more there was to be learned people grew curiouser and more intruiged #JUDE IS A DISNEY PRINCE A FAIRYTALE PRINCE TY UQUIZ FOR VALIDATING THIS FAACT <3 so true bestie! #‘bc a heartbreak could shatter you into a million pieces.’ NOT ON MY WATCH MY LOVE #okok i am so normal about adda and ademartas answers..! #god i need to make that lore post on adda bc.... this answer she got? paintings? nails EXACTLY what her life as been for her! her psyche! #and mar mar ur unhingedness thrived in this answer for u! we support women’s wrongs and the unpredictability that is so captivating..! #her being the muse to so many even when they dont know it? but they do? and people falling for the idea of her? #I need to finish a lore doc/post for her as well bc this answer also nailed so well her psyche! #leg.ocs #leg.tagged #t: tag games

[hurremshiv]

To me, specifically for the way they are portrayed on MC and I Claudius (not speaking about their real life historical counterparts), Livia and Hurrem are kinda opposites.

• Livia works with the system. She puts on the facade of the dutiful, obedient, subservient, and supportive Roman matron but she’s actually really ambitious and ruthless. For better or worse, she leads with her head not her heart (even when it results in those closest to her struggling to feel any real affection for her). She wants what she wants and she won’t stop no matter who gets in her way, even her family. She’s the threat no one sees coming until it’s too late.

• Hurrem actively fights against the system. She’s ambitious and ruthless but she’s also kind and empathetic. She does what good she can (via charity and public works and by rewarding those loyal to her) when she can. For better or worse, she leads with her heart (even when it causes her to make a huge mistake or to lash out in anger in a way that she’ll later regret). She only wants 2 things: 1) for her family and loved ones to be safe and 2) to never be powerless or at the mercy of other’s again. She’s the one who gets blamed for everything even when (sometimes especially) when she’s not the one at fault.

I think the biggest difference they have is their empathy. Hurrem always remembers where she came from and what she’s been through (she remembers her homeland and her native language and keeps it alive by singing lullabies to her children, she cries for her mother and father and sister, she frees Sumbul after he “unintentionally” betrays her and chides her daughter for her privilege when she doesn’t understand, etc.). She is able to be kind and understanding and respectful to the people who have caused her the most harm even when they wouldn’t do the same to her. She asks Mahidevran, the woman who once beat her to a bloody pulp, for forgiveness. She tells Valide Sultan, who tried for years to make her fall out of favor with the Sultan and to remove her from the harem, on her deathbed how much she respects and looks up to her. She prays over Ibrahim’s grave, the man who forced her to poison her childhood sweetheart. Following this cruelty, she remains a true and genuine friend to his wife Hatice for many years. She tells Mustafa to his face the unfair truth and explains to him that it is their circumstances and situations that make them enemies and she genuinely mourns his and his son’s death despite orchestrating his downfall for years. In stark contrast, there’s Livia. She pretends to nurse a man on his deathbed while spoon feeding him poison. She drives her husband nearly mad with paranoia to the point that he’ll only eat figs which she poisons. She tricks a priestess in order to manipulate the contents of a will to her own favor. She gets a loving son to rat out his mother’s scandalous affairs. She constantly berates and humiliates her grandson for his disability. She arranges for her son to divorce a woman he genuinely loves. She gets her granddaughter to accuse her lover of rape and much, much worse.

However, I think the biggest thing they have in common though is their almost unreal capacity to be able to play the long game. They knew what they wanted and they schemed and plotted to get it even though it took years or even decades. The commitment they had to their goals and their willingness to follow through is almost unparalleled in other characters. They also both have a good understanding of other people’s motives and characters and use it to their own advantage. Whether others are aware of it or not, they puppet master a lot of things behind the scenes.

Both are amazing characters that are absolutely captivating on screen. There’s a quote about Anne Boleyn that I think applies to both characters: “perhaps a figure to be more admired than liked”

All of this yes!

I will say that Hürrem's form of rebellion against the system is very interesting and I think is the key as to what makes her different from Livia.

She doesn't foment revolution. She doesn't oppose Süleyman (at least overtly). She uses her loyalty as a shield. It's more subtle than that. She asserts her humanity and refuses to give up that side of herself. She always remembers where she came from and what her motivations and goals are (love and family). And for someone who was enslaved and brought into this system, the fact that she fights for humanity against those dehumanising circumstances to me is the key. One of her first lines after arriving in Topkapi is 'We aren't animals' after all. She always sees herself and everyone else regardless of status as a person in spite of how cruel and ruthless she eventually becomes.

They are absolutely both brilliant at playing the long game. It's just that Livia is cold where Hürrem is hot.

#livia drusilla #hürrem sultan #i claudius #magnificent century #answered #royalsultanas

[heartsbreaking]

i heard silas got livia knocked up and they had to leave the country to escape scandal

"what happened to the baby? do you think i gave birth to a fucking princess and no one's hearing about it?"

send me a very scandalous rumor about my muse to see how they would react.

#*[ CABOT-CARLSON L : ANSWERED ASK ] #character : livia cabot-carlson

[leschanceux]

@multistoty asked  “  who  did  this  to  you  ?  ” -

Julian had hoped to avoid this conversation; the last thing he ever wanted to do was worry his siblings, especially looking like this. "Nobody," he answers, lying through his teeth, "there's nothing going on, Livvy. Nothing you need to worry about, anyway." He's not going to get away with that for long ( if at all ), so it's best to make the most of it while he has the chance. "Did you do everything Diana asked you to do today?"

#multistoty #THREAD; ( JULIAN ) #ANSWER; ( JULIAN ) #WITH; ( LIVIA ) #VERSE; ( MAIN )

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

💙 + My babies, Plinth girls aka Bellona - Callisto - Livia

#ask #answered #ginevrastilinski #bellona plinth #callisto plinth #livia plinth #about bellona #about callisto #about livia