Fic Rec: SPQR

[dioscureantwins]

Title: SPQR
Author: hoc_voluerunt
Pairing: Sherlock/John, or rather Celatus/Vannus
Length: approx. 118,500 words
Rating: explicit
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Sollemnis Populusque RomanusThe year is AD 68. Emperor Nero is on the throne, the Jewish Revolt is nearing its end under the firm hands of Vespasian and his son Titus, and Marcus

Comments

[belleweather]

Thanks so much for the rec... this is exactly what I wanted to read today. :)

[dioscureantwins]

Oh, what a lovely day you'll have ahead of you then for this is such an excellent series. And, once you've finished why don't you go check out AJ Hall's Gondal series which I recced earlier this month. I'm sure that will delight you just as much if you find you like this.

[rachelindeed]

Oh, I ADORE this series! Thank you so much for recc'ing it here, this is fantastic. If you hadn't, I would have done it before the end of the month. A series whose day of appreciation has come! :)

Some of those Latin conversations just break my heart with their poetry and passion. And the author clearly cares a lot about ancient history and has brought a lot of wonderful authenticity to the stories.

That moment where Celatus holds Vannus's hands and sings him passages of The Iliad to distract him from pain...you deserve a crown of oak...my goodness, just so much to love!

[dioscureantwins]

Oh, apologies for reccing it first but now perhaps we can see his as a double rec! And yes, I do hope the day of appreciation has finally arrived.

For this is a fantastic series, exceedingly clever and written so marvellously well. It's such a shame it's got so little readers because of course the Latin, and the Latin names, are daunting to a lot of people. But naturally using the characters' original names in this setting would be ridiculous and the Latin alternatives are such fun.

I just can't wait for the next part.

[snarryfool]

Wow, this is one persuasive rec, and for a fic whose premise would have kept me the hell away. Now I'm all excited to go read it! Thank you.

[dioscureantwins]

I'm sure you'll love it for it's gripping from first to last. And fun!

[hoc_voluerunt]

Oh my god. Oh my god. I'm the author of this fic, in case the username didn't let you in on that, and someone commented recently on the first chapter saying they'd been sent by this post (may have been you, snarryfool, judging by the profile pic), and I can't. I cannot express how very very much this means to me. That fic holds a very special place in my heart, and I'm so so happy every time I see someone reading and enjoying it. (I certainly recognise a couple of URLs above me!) I know it's a very niche fic, so I never really expected much response, but your support is overwhelmingly sweet!

Tibi gratias maximas ago, dioscureantwins, et cetera!!

(PS: Just letting you know, I'm a 'they', not a 'she'. uvu)

[rachelindeed]

**drive-by squee** I'm so happy you saw dioscureantwins's rec! You are wonderful! Thank you for writing!

[dioscureantwins]

First of all apologies for not finding you here at LJ. I've amended your name in the rec. Also apologies for the 'she'. As a non-native speaker the whole pronoun thing is rather unclear. To be honest I assumed when writing the rec that as approx. 99% of the people in fandom are women 'she' would be safe to use.

Anyway, much like rachelindeed, who was also planning to rec this apparently, I'm so very, very happy you're writing this and enjoying your series so much. The rec is totally deserved and I do hope it will bring you more readers and lots of squee.

YAY!!

[hoc_voluerunt]

Oh, no, that's fine, I'm only very very rarely around on LJ anymore, so I wouldn't expect you to have found me! And if you're a non-native English speaker, then I can definitely give you a free pass on that one. XD You weren't to know, anyway.

Thank you so much again!! I've been watching a new trickle of kudos come in on the early chapters on AO3, and I know it's all down to you two. 0v0

[chapbook]

Love this series. It looks like several of us wanted to rec it, which is usually a good sign

[dioscureantwins]

Hmm, I don't know whether the writer actually evolves into a better writer. They heavy reliance on the source material might have been a deliberate ploy to get the reader, who has to overcome quite a few things like the setting and the Latin names, engage and actually become invested. Than, once we're hooked, they (one lives and learns every day) are free to take us wherever they damn well please, because we're bound to follow. I'd say that's the art of an extremely crafty writer

[hoc_voluerunt]

Haha, you're giving me too much credit. I know my writing has definitely improved over the last two years (!!!) since I've been writing it, for one thing, which I'm very glad for. But honestly, I've said it a few times here and there: the reason 'STUDIUM GRAECE' is so underdeveloped is simply because I didn't know what I was doing. The whole idea of the AU was the product of a couple of long squee sessions with my friend verecunda, but it mostly consisted of headcanons, backgrounds, and names (SO MANY NAMES names are so hard oh my god). I wanted to write something for the AU, but I didn't know for certain if I wanted to stick with it, for how long, or where it was going to go. It was only after 'STUDIUM GRAECE' that I settled into the world, characters, and research properly and actually got comfortable with them, and knew where I was going. There's a part of me that still wants to go back and rewrite the whole first chapter because of this

[dioscureantwins]

Well, it worked for me. And I mean it, the familiarity with the case and the dialogue work as a guide into this setting that contains so many unusual elements. Once there, we're willing to follow you to the ends of the Roman world. :) And I greatly enjoy your ingenuity in translating twenty-first Century London into first Century Rome.

I'm not a historian myself but I enjoy reading history very much and about the Roman world in particular. I admire them for their ingenuity, the way they constantly learned from the people they conquered and managed to adapt themselves and adopt the clever inventions of other people.