I thought this was kind of fitting for CHA and since were all kind of into sharing work I have something for the history/essay nuts, here's a autobiography of Julius Caesar I wrote enjoy
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Vini, Vidi, Vici
As surely as Apollo guides the blazing sun to Nox’s dusk from Aurora’s dawn, descension into the black abyss of death and exile happens as inevitably as ascension into the brightness of grandeur. I, Gaius Julius Caesar triumphantly conquered thee impossible obstacles where all others have failed. Although some will argue that Alexander of Macedonia still holds this honor, I overcame the weaknesses of the flesh that consumed that drunken youth. I, Caesar, son of Venus, am paramount amongst humanity and an archetype of eminence. The epic military campaigns I embarked upon have dropped the blood-drunken barbarians to their knees in submission, annexing all of Gaul for our beloved republic. Through magnificent cunning and seduction of Fortuna, I have risen as oil repelling the watery clutches of my powerful enemies in Rome. My breathtaking charm and unmatched wit have made the powerful Cleopatra of Egypt a pet whom I dominate and manipulate as a mere puppet to ensure Roman sustentation. Alexander was an extraordinary conqueror, but contrarily to me the boy did not possess the temperance, mercy, diplomacy or piety that fuses the alpha and the omega to allow the ascension to divinity.
The bloodlust bred into the Gaulish tribes from perpetual warfare within their own territory and against their common enemies of Germanic tribes has created a particular savageness within their race. Naturally endowed with extraordinary bravery and valor, these uncivilized tribes fought like barbaric Spartans; the Belgae and Helvetii tribes the fiercest examples. The first six years of the Gallic conquests were an extremely challenging game of latrunculi, playing upon grudges, vanity and greed I found myself able to use the tribes against each other to my own ends. Tribes such as the Aedui, Sequani and Arverni proved to be useful time and time again. But their commitments to Rome eventually faded away and were forgotten. The liberty and self-determination the Gallic tribes lived under for centuries was longed for by chieftains once again. Civilized society began to seem unnatural for the Gallic tribes as I attempted to break apart the consuming darkness over the region with the torch of Roman enlightenment. Chieftains and their infamous cutthroat competition did not appreciate this to any extent, as now they were limited by me in the pillaging of their own nation for personal wealth and glory. Soon propaganda spread amongst the tribes and for the first time Gaulish tribes united behind a single man as king. Vercingetorix a young Gallic aristocrat from the Arvernian tribe, whom I have had previous personal relations with in my attempts of civilizing these barbarians. Vercingetorix raised hordes against Rome for endeavoring to save Gaul from consuming itself, Romans were viewed as tyrants for suppressing the aggressive barbaric nature of the region. The entire Gallic campaign depended on the tribes being broken apart and pacified as single units, but if the tribes were to ever unify against Rome, a massive horde could arise; an unstoppable force striking an unmovable object. Myself and Vercingetorix scrimmaged in many battles throughout Gaul, and as each of us gained increasingly substantial amounts of power I began to realize an interesting crossroads of fate. For if Vercingetorix was to fall all of Gaul would be Rome’s. The Gauls understood strength and if Rome’s strength crushed all of Gaulish accumulated might under their unified king, soon the tribes would realize that the Republic of Rome is unwavering and Gaulish darkness could not extinguish Roman light. I strategically pinned Vercingetorix upon a high hill town in Alesia. It seems upon these hills that the destiny of Gaul would be decided, for the victor of this battle would reign supreme upon the other as both myself and Vercingetorix were pinned. As I mentioned the Gaul’s had the high ground and tactical advantage, but Rome had the technological and engineering advantages. Ditches were dug quickly and traps were created to delay and break apart offensive waves. Massive siege towers and ramparts were constructed to span between these for the protection of my flanks and to funnel the Gauls into their gruesome fate at the end of Roman swords. Both sides successfully called upon the tribes of Gaul for additional warriors to gain advantage over each other, as these relief armies arrived Gaul’s destiny could now be decided. On the third day of siege Vercingetorix and his relief army stormed into a weak spot in the Roman line, a haphazard attempt to outflank and surround the Roman army. Labienus proved again to be a brilliant commander as he defended the fort. Additional cohorts and calvary Labienus ordered enveloped the offensive strike of Vercingetorix; massive massacre followed. Vercingetorix realized that recovery from such a massive defeat was impossible and surrender was inevitable. The king of the Gaul’s rode down to the Roman camp upon a fine horse, attired in beautiful armor and kneeled at my feet in submission. Though Alexanders exploits were on a much more massive scale than my own at Gaul, the boy did not have to deal with or worry of the intricacies of politics as I had to, abroad, or on the home-front. The people that Alexander conquered were civilized before his arrival, thus already being prone to a single entity ruling over them, and all those who had opposed him were swiftly and unmercifully made examples of. After Alexanders death there was no loyalty towards the empire he had created because the fear that he embedded into these cultures was lifted. But I successfully transformed Gaul into a province of the Republic bringing civilization to the region and eventually pacifying the Gaul’s savageness and created a society dedicated to the cause of Rome that will continue long after my death upon the mortal planes.
For decades I felt as Atlas being crushed beneath the weight of the world as the Optimates attempted to shackle me down to their aristocracy as they eviscerated the Republic for the prosperity of a few, like denying citizens land in their fierce opposition to the Rullan Land Bill. My colleagues could not understand that the true power of Rome does not lie within the walls of the Forum, or the hands of a few old men. The wealth and power lies within the hands of the masses and outside of confinements of Rome within the provinces. Although this system had been held together for centuries, it would have inevitably crumbled beneath the ravaging mobs of the people and the continuous raids of the barbaric tribes surrounding Rome if I had not defended our Republic. On the contrary to what the Optimates would have you believe, no amount of pretty oration or fabricated laws would ever be able to soothe starved and oppressed plebs from cutting the throats of noblemen, or Germanic barbarians from raping and pillaging Rome, but for the preservation of Rome I was slandered a blasphemer. I succumbed into despair as my old and dear friend Pompey Magnus decided to not join me in rebuilding the glory of Rome from the disgusting state that the Republic had fallen into. Instead joining the rank and file of the treacherous Optimates and abandoning our triumvirate oath, Pompey sealed his fate by betraying a brother for the chains that imprisoned him. Spilling the blood of the very people that I have been born to redeem felt like my soul being crucified, every battle won felt like an inch of the nails being driven in deeper. The most excruciating of these victories was on the plain of Pharsalus where the decisive battle between Pompey the Great and I, Caesar took place. Pompey outnumbering my infantry with a massive 45,000 legionnaires compared to my meager 22,000; some 6,000 or more calvary towering over my 1,000. In the minds of many this battle was over before it began, but Pompey was consumed by a vital character flaw; hubris. Ignorantly his mathematical probability did not account for the bond between myself and my legions, that of father and son, our experience of Gaul branded a confidence and hardiness that was never before fathomable. The calvary Pompey solemnly believed was harder than steel and would pierce the heart of the Popularis, shattered like the clay pots they were as they met my veteran lines. The repulsion and crippling of Pompey’s esteemed calvary plummeted moral and with the addition of my final cohort reserves, the amateur’s line broke, and Pompey spiraled down from grace and met his unfortunate fate upon his escape to the protection of the Ptolemies. To my delight, my dear friend Marcus Junius Brutus survived; the rebellious tendencies of adolescence and poisonous whispers can taint even the noblest of patricians. I see a magnificent future for Brutus by my side and truly hope to put this disagreement of politics behind us. Even though Alexander conquered masses of poorly equipped Persians under the weak leadership of Darius III and many small city-states, the boy fled India with his tail between his legs at the command of his army who later deserted him. The lad never championed over real challenges such as defeating such a worthy adversary as Pompey Magnus and the Roman Senate.
Being a grand politician and conqueror of other nations are only a few of many qualities that define a colossus. Venus’s game of seduction is a very important attribute that all great men must grasp. Inheriting this gift through my bloodline as the descendants of Venus, I have gained much personal pleasure through my abundant affairs with many outstanding women throughout my life. The most prized of these relations was with that of Cleopatra, the diamond of Egypt. Not only serving as the toy that fulfills my highest expectations of pleasure, she is an extremely useful pawn. The stomach of Rome depends on grain imported from Egyptian farms, without a steady stream of Egyptian grain Rome will starve. Egyptians are an intensely proud people that are not easily controlled, thus creating a very challenging obstacle to overcome. Installing a Roman figure head in government would never be accepted by the Egyptians and the population would rebel. A direct attack and war would be difficult with the costs of the Gallic Wars and the recent Civil War. If the war was not short, a possible uprising would begin as the plebs starved in Rome, not to mention Scipio and Cato were still at large and attempting to regain control of Rome. Cleopatra with her outstanding beauty and unmatched charisma but still tainted with the ignorance of youth proved to be the perfect solution to this complicated issue. Co-ruler, brother and husband Ptolemy XIV did not take kindly to Cleopatra reemerging from exile in Syria to join us in Alexandria. The foolish and arrogant child defied the greatness of Rome and began a war to reclaim Egypt under his sole control. Fortunately the deceiving adolescent proved to be a half wit, and incompetent sovereign; success was a cause of good fortune, not skill. Within a short time the child was defeated and later drowned to his death on his way to exile. On top of the tremendous debt Cleopatra now owes to me personally for the reclamation of her throne, she has fanatically fallen in love and gave me a son. Although she might believe that Caesarian will have legitimacy in Rome. Octavian was named sole heir and with his vast cunning and pride Octavian will never allow the child or Cleopatra to gain any momentum within Rome if I am to meet an unfortunate fate in the short future. In a few short months I have conquered Egypt for the most part diplomatically, and eternally consolidated Egypt as a vassal of Rome. This is a feat that Alexander could never have dreamed of accomplishing for him and Hespaestion would have been too busy with each other.
The name Gaius Julius Caesar will echo through the pages of history for millennia to come. Politicians will study and mimic my oration, conquerors will compare themselves to my greatness, romantics will dream of my seductive exploits. For I have broken Rome out of her cocoon and completed her metamorphosis so she may now soar. Now on the Ides of March, all internal and immediate external threats to my power are now quelled and now hold the title of dictator perpetuo. After some short business to be carried out in the forum I can continue my quest. For the time being it seems I have gained a small foothold over Alexanders greatness, but this is not enough, for people still question who is the greater man and who to base their lives after. With my superior skills I will have the entirety of the known world under the control of the Roman Republic before my magnificent life comes to a close so that Rome, Caesar and the ascendancy to divinity are all synonymous.
. interesting writing btw.*
