Salvatoria: The Memoirs of Lucretia Aurelia

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Hey everybody!

This is the second version of this story, and its pretty close to a full rewrite and reboot. I spent roughly a month adapting the original source material, plotting out a different plan and such. There are a lot of changes to Lucretia's character, and I wanted to make her more flawed and well developed.

With the benefit of hindsight I realized her "adoption" by Julius Caesar was kinda weird because Julius Caesar literally wouldn't have given a shit. So I changed that as a first note, and I changed how her relationship with him evolves overtime. Because prior to this she was just a diehard Caesar simp which is kinda cringe and flat in terms of development. Along with that fact she just replaced Octavian/Augustus as the person who formally dismantled the Roman Republic, transforming it into the Empire is also something I don't like.

There is some subtle political messaging regarding the Roman Republic, and by the end I do pose you - the reader - with some questions regarding the character, with some critiques of historical sources. With that in mind, I, in the name of reader involvement, want to see how many biases you can pick up on. Because this story is in first person, and written as a memoir, its how Lucretia as an individual wants you to view her. As is the case in history, she will try and portray herself as the coolest thing since sliced bread. As is the case in history, this is not the case! So see what you can pick up on!

As a reminder, Ancient Rome is not a great place for women. They had different norms and different rules. Men and women got married as early as 16. Men joined the Army at 15-16 and women were prohibited generally from fighting. So, of course, for the love of God don't attribute anything that could be remotely perceived as offensive as my own beliefs... because they aren't.

There will be weird relationships, especially any mentions of extramarital relations. Sometimes the age gap in these pairings was frankly fucking gross. Such as that time Pompey the Great married Caesar's daughter Julia. He was 47. She was 17. OR that famous time Caesar was sleeping with Cleopatra (22 at the time) when he was 53. It was not uncommon for there to be 10-15 years between spouses, which was actually really shocking to research.

Violence can get a bit intense at points because let's be honest... ancient warfare was fucking brutal. I do try and keep it toned down as much as I can though!

The second version is far longer, by about 40 pages and 10-11,000 words, and ten chapters or so. But I think its better in that regard, and I don't think I rushed it as much, which is always nice.

As always, let me know what you think in comments - but keep it constructive please! Also, if you have a problem, let me know in comments or direct messages. DO NOT just report them and get them taken down. It's in bad faith. I'd rather be able to revise and improve then just... lose it forever!

With all that said, thank you for reading!

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COPYRIGHT:

All Rights Reserved. This story or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, distributed or changed subtlety in any part of the text whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher. 

©Jack Huston 2022 

All Rights Reserved. This story or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, distributed or changed subtlety in any part of the text whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher.

©Jack Huston 2024