mostly random

[vaznetti]

I've found a channel that shows early Due South -- from the Ray Vecchio years, which were the years I watched. And I've completely forgotten just how slashy that show was. Last night's episode had Fraser in drag dancing with Ray at a Catholic school dance. Usually, you have to go to fanfic for that kind of thing, but not Due South. I never got into the habit of watching it when they had Ray Kowalski, because I was in the UK during those years, but I hear that it got even slashier. How is that even possible? BH used to call Angel the gayest show that ever gayed (my husband is a secret Spike/Angel shipper), but Due South is in another class altogether.

Actually, in tonight's episode they're squabbling again. But I'm sure it won't last. And I think Fraser's still wearing eyeshadow.

* * *

There's an archive for Supernatural crossovers now, on the model of Twisting the Hellmouth. TtH is one of my guilty pleasure sites, since although the stories are not really all that good, usually, they do satisfy, in their way. The SPN site is, of course, a great deal smaller, and doesn't look like quite such a guilty pleasure: right now it's got a lot of summaries with typos and portentious questions.

I think I may feel obliged to join and put my stories up there, though. I mean, I like SPN crossovers, they like SPN crossovers, what do we have to lose? It just seems like an alien culture, after all this time on LJ, where I can tailor my experience to my elitist bitch preferences.

* * *

Not unrelated, as I was walking home tonight it occurred to me that one of the Three Portions of An is called Hel, and a story with Sam, Dean, Rood of An and a whole lot of pigs would probably be extremely funny. A caper, I think. Or possibly a brawl.

Comments

[vaznetti]

Hm. The Lacus Curtius is the hole you're thinking of. Livy has two reasons for the name -- first, that it's named for Mettius Curtius, a Sabine cavalryman who gets trapped in a swampy area in the Forum when the Sabines attack the Romans after the whole "Rape of the Sabine Women" incident. The second is nearer to what you have:

In this year [c. 360 BCE], owing either to an earthquake or the action of some other force, the middle of the Forum fell in to an immense depth, presenting the appearance of an enormous cavern. Though all worked their hardest at throwing earth in, they were unable to fill up the gulf, until at the bidding of the gods inquiry was made as to what that was in which the strength of Rome lay. For this, the seers declared, must be sacrificed on that spot if men wished the Roman republic to be eternal. The story goes on that Marcus Curtius, a youth distinguished in war, indignantly asked those who were in doubt what answer to give, whether anything that Rome possessed was more precious than the arms and velour of her sons. As those around stood silent, he looked up to the Capitol and to the temples of the immortal gods which looked down on the Forum, and stretching out his hands first towards heaven and then to the yawning chasm beneath, devoted himself to the gods below. Then mounting his horse, which had been caparisoned as magnificently as possible, he leaped in full armour into the cavern. Gifts and offerings of fruits of the earth were flung in after him by crowds of men and women.
(Livy, 7.5)

For me, the story is tainted by knowing that Rome's cav was mostly foreign-born, people who were doing their twenty years to get the title (and privledges) of citizen.

Not in this period: in this period, the cavalry was composed of the sons of the wealthier Roman families and especially the sons of senators. That's why the highest wealth class in Rome was the "Equites" -- it just means "Horsemen." (The only difference between senators and equites in the Republic is that senators have political careers, and equites don't.)

::takes off geek hat and runs away::

[vaznetti]

and obviously, that's "valour" although the idea of the Romans sacrificing the "velour" of their sons cracks me up to no end.

[hossgal.livejournal.com]

I like the Marcus Curtis story better. *g*

And oooo - did not know that the cav was still Roman at that point. *scribbles furious notes*

You bring your geek hat any time you like.

- hg

[vaznetti]

And oooo - did not know that the cav was still Roman at that point.

It was until the mid-second century BCE, and of course there were always scouts and dispatch riders attached to each legion. But the story would have meant something very different if it had been an auxiliary cavalryman.