SPQR Blues Chapter 4 part V

[spqrblues]

I never did learn drapery.



A survey of beds in Pompeii and Herculaneum, excluding what are obviously children's cots, shows that Roman beds tended to be very narrow, even though married couples were expcted to spend the night together—for propriety's sake. I suppose one could push two beds together, but I prefer to think that Romans liked to spoon.

About the count: I never posted #3000, so I was able to roll it back by one today.

{{ The ARCHIVES live here }}

Comments

Drapery? What drapery?

[b2creative.livejournal.com]

Mus is remarkably calm about being "outed" - unless he actually thinks servants like Spendi don't talk. Silly boy.

I love Mus' face as he gazes fondly down at his sleeping "lazy slave". Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Re: Drapery? What drapery?

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Outed? Outed? Why, obviously Menander is simply sleeping dutifully in a pile of thin blankets on the hard tile floor, where a servant belongs. Anyone would oversleep lazily, given such comfort. He should be glad he isn't sleeping in the foyer. Yup.

[xanath.livejournal.com]

::enormous happy grin:: Ahhhh, young love. And then they'll be eaten by bears . . . or the volcano. Or something. ;)

--Kris

[ajodasso.livejournal.com]

As long as they're together when Ol' Smoky blows, I might just be able to bear it.

But I'll still be in tears for a few hours, because that's what love stories like this do to me.

[kit-the-brave.livejournal.com]

Oh, Mus and Menander are so sweet! :D

Although I do feel bad for poor Spendi. By now she's got to be wondering if she's going to end up paired off with the bear. :)

[mirazandar.livejournal.com]

are you choking the hamster with the biscuit?

cute anyhow

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

I think the hamster is exclaiming with joy over being given food larger than its head.

[kit-the-brave.livejournal.com]

The hamster is saying, "Wow! A whole cookie, all for meee?"

(Although I don't actually know, since it's a pic from Cute Overload. But I'm sure no hamsters were harmed in the making of the pic.)

[barbaricyawp.livejournal.com]

sigh! Wonderful....

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Love conquers class religion social status moral turpitude all.

[pikku-gen.livejournal.com]

Awww. So cute, both of them. *pink fuzziness*

And a foreboding sense of d00m...

Yes, what about Spendi? You have to pair her up too, otherwise your fandom will. *leer*

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

But of course, no one wants to read an ongoing story about how peaceful and relaxed everyone is, so... well, I'll just let them enjoy that for about 24 hours.

Spendi should be talking to her babydaddy (I'm sure the ancient Romans used the term "babydaddy" at some point...).

[mirazandar.livejournal.com]

Oh i know that feeling, where everything feels safe and wonderful and a bit like it's not really happening

and then you're not careful

then the badness starts

bu oh *makes a sound that reminds of something nice and soft and fluffy*

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Mayhap Spendusa doesn't believe in the whole "moral turpitude" issue, but she probably likes to gossip with fellow servants and family. Probably. Could happen.

[ndgmtlcd.livejournal.com]

Frescoed walls all over?

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Vitalis felt fancy frescoes lend an air of "Look at all my money."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_w_o_o_d_/]

Didn't it happen to Spendusa too, to sleep late in Felix's bed when she was supposed to light the fires in the morning ?

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Mayhap she will be sympathetic.

Servitude does not allow for morning snuggling.

[(Anonymous)]

That's lovely. I do wish Menander had gotten his good-morning kiss before they were disturbed, though. ;)

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Yah, a morning smooch is probably a more pleasant way to wake up than someone yelling about having to do your work for you.

In Spendi's defense, she's probably cranky and nauseated by having to put together someone else's bowl of morning kibble, so some growling on the other sides of doors is in order.

[shadefell.livejournal.com]

Oh man. I am about ready to die of adorable cuteness over here.

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

All they need is a pet hamster eating a big cookie, and it will reach fatal levels of cuteness.

I'd give them one, but since this is ancient Rome, it would all too likely end up rolled in honey and sesame seeds on the dinner table.

[pikku-gen.livejournal.com]

In fish sauce. Don't forget the fish sauce.

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

It's true--I've never once eaten honey-roast hamster without a good topping of fish sauce.

[kit-the-brave.livejournal.com]

La, la, la, la, la, I can't heeeeear you...

Exclamation points!

[mealesbia.livejournal.com]

Hey there! I've been reading for a while, but I just figured out the whole thing's here too so I can comment!
I adore Latin-- I studied it for six years. I even picked my username based of my love of Latin! (You get a prize if you guess which poem it's from! But not a very good prize.)
So naturally I love ancient Rome. I am also queer, which is pretty cool. And this is the first time I get to engage both of those loves at once!
So, this is me saying, thanks! Cute gay men in Rome! (Especially Menander, with his gorgeous lips, mm!)
The stunning story and art just make it better :) I mean, seriously, this is one of the most beautifully-executed webcomics I've seen, and look forward every page.
As for the volcano...my policy is, "what volcano?" ;)

Re: Exclamation points!

[serpentinthesun.livejournal.com]

Re: your screen name. I'm a little bit embarrassed now because the first poem I thought of was Catullus 58, instead of Catullus 5--it is from 5, isn't it? My Catullus-fu is weak.

Anyway, hi Klio. I've been reading SPQR Blues for a few months now, since my girlfriend turned me on to it. Needless to say, I think it's great--especially the way you deal with the social interactions and mores (e.g., the whole "moral turpitude" thing) and all the details of Roman (Herculaneumian?) life. And, I squee over Mus and Menander. Is it ok if I friend you?

Re: Exclamation points!

[mealesbia.livejournal.com]

It is from 5! Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus...it was the first bit of Latin that I was able to read right through the first time I looked at it, without any help. Catullus was nice that way in general, but for whatever reason 5 clicked for me :)

Re: Exclamation points!

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Hi, thanks for leaving a comment, and I love friends, especially ones with any amount of Catullus-fu :)

My Catullus is horribly weak these days. I've spent so much time staring at ancient furniture and earrings and Herculaneumian architecture, I've been neglecting literature. Time to leap back in, I think....

Re: Exclamation points!

[mealesbia.livejournal.com]

At least you have a good reason!
I have completely abandoned the classics simply because I am in college now, and need to find a major which can lead...anywhere. (This is the same reason women's studies is out, alas).

(Also I'm not really sure if anything can be better than spending a whole year reading the Aeneid with my best friend.)

But SPQR Blues is an easy way for me to feel like I'm keeping in touch-- like I walk past Classics on my way to class, and we exchange pleasant small talk with a touch of nostalgia, and I can continue on my way without feeling like a bad friend.
Or maybe it's more like being Facebook friends with Classics. I watch them obsessively over the internet, and spend a lot of time thinking about Classics' personal life and drama, but never really do anything with them outside the internet.
It's a lot like being Facebook friends with Classics.
But I promise, if I had the "Top Friends" Facebook application, thanks to SPQRB, Classics would be #1!

Re: Exclamation points!

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Well... hm... careers... ::chin scratching commences:: Should you decide you want a career as an editor of any literary stripe, I highly recommend Classics as a major. Although, with your background, you probably already understand the structure and use of language in general pretty darned well. Of course you could always take a course on the side every now and then, right? Greek as a treat. A little Beowulf tossed in as well, maybe? Or, you could just keep reading the comic. That works for me :)

The course I took that combined women's studies and Classics should have been my favourite, but the professors were a little deranged. It led me to all sorts of nifty extracurricular reading, though.

One of my friends struggled through the Aeneid with me in class in high school, but I don't think she enjoyed it much. My main way of getting friends interested in Latin was to tell them elaborate stories about ancient Rome and use Latin in roleplaying game puzzles. They put up with my obsessions for some reason. Maybe they were waiting for me to get to the part of the story with all the wild Roman orgies XD

Re: Exclamation points!

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

serpentinthesun beat me to the prize, but I'll brush up on my Catullus anyway :)

Thanks for stopping by to say hullo, thank you so much for compliments that will have me blushing all night, and I think I can promise a continuing big role for Menander... though I'm contractually obligated to mention that Felix will be in the story again somewhere, too :)

Volcano? I don't see any volcano. Just a pretty bay, some lovely cypress trees swaying in the breeze, maybe some birdies....