Lucius Vipsanius Roscius

[Chevi]

LUCIUS VIPSANIUS ROSCIUS

23 | Kalendae Ianuariae 53 | Senatore | Disappointment | Pansexual | Original | Bob Morley

 

 

Personality.

Lucius is a disappointment to his family, but not really for the usual reasons. He is not a rebel, and does not (usually) engage in debauchery. And yet, his world view and personality is in contrast with what is expected from a young patrician man. This is partially due to his upbringing - he's spent much of his formative years in his mother's household, surrounded by freedmen, servants and slaves who provided a replacement for his own dwindling family. With a lack of paternal supervision, and the trauma of his father's death, Lucius lost all interest in politics or pursuing ambitions of rank and power. Instead, he just... likes people. Social boundaries baffle him, and he spends a lot of time among the plebeians of Rome. This in itself would not be that unusual, except Lucius is not slumming it, like many other young nobles. He does something much ore embarrassing: he likes to help out. He enjoys being useful and helpful, and is not afraid to put in actual physical work when he feels like it. He has a variety of unusual skills, from gutting fish to fixing a wheel. He is generally a friendly, bright, open person who smiles easily, but tenses up when official obligations come into play. He has a good relationship with his mother and sister, and looks up to his brother, despite their ever-growing differences in world view and ambition. 

Appearance

Lucius has the dark hair, dark eyes, and olive skin of the rest of his Italian family. He bears a marked resemblance to his brother, although he is taller and leaner. He spends a lot of time outside, so he tends to have a darker tan, and it is not uncommon for him to forget to shave long enough to look scruffy. He wears his hair longer, almost in the Greek style, which is why it tends to get into his eyes. Lucius enjoys exercise, which keeps him in good health and good shape, but he lacks the noble bearing and poise of the rest of his family, or the mannerisms of his brother who had the luck to grow up under the tutelage of his senator father. Lucius prefers simple clothing, blending in with the people of Rome, and decidedly hates wearing a toga. 

Family

Father: Marcus Vipsanius Roscius (deceased)

Mother: Claudia Lemonia

Siblings: Gaius Vipsanius Roscius (b. 41), Vipsania Roscia (b. 46)

Spouse: none

Children: none

Extended family: 

Other: Marcus Vipsanius Acastus (freedman, tutor)

 

History

53 CE - Lucius is born as the third (and last) child of Marcus Vipsanius Roscius and Claudia Lemonia. He is a late child, his brother is twelve years older than him, but the siblings get along fairly well anyway. From the beginning, Lucius looks up to his brother and sister, and he is the apple of his mother's eye. The siblings mostly spend their time at the family's villa outside of Neapolis.

60 CE - Lucius is 7 years old when his brother Gaius begins his cursus honorum by traveling to Britannia as a military tribune. Lucius misses him dearly, and dreams of following in his footsteps. In the meantime, he spends his days under the care of his mother, and the members of her household. Lucius is a bright, friendly child, a favorite among the slaves and the freedmen. He is too small for his father to take much interest in his education yet, but things will soon change forever.

62 CE - Childhood ends at age 9 when news come that Lucius' father has been killed in Rome by Clemens. Gaius becomes the paterfamilias, but he is still away in Britannia. The household is in disarray. Wanting to see at least one of her children in safe hands, Claudia Lemonia quickly arranges a marriage for her daughter, and Vipsania leaves the household too. Lucius is still too young to count as an adult, and it is too dangerous to go to Rome, so months are spent in uncertainty and anxiety at the villa. Gaius returns for a short time, much changed by the years and the new responsibilities, then leaves again to finish his term in Britannia.

Lucius comes of age in a household much changed. As soon as he takes on the toga virilis in the absence of his brother, he begins his studies with a rhetorician, a trusted freedman of his father named . He becomes as close to a father figure as Lucius has had in a long time, and he does not only teaches the young man everything a patrician needs to know, but also teaches him empathy and understanding for the people around him. By the time he is finishing his studies, Lucius is rapidly losing interest in politics and ambition, and finds comfort in the company of plebeians, freedmen, slaves, and other ordinary people.

68 CE - Gaius returns from Britannia to take up the responsibilities of the paterfamilias, in person this time. Lucius still adores his brother, but in the years that passed their personalities and ambitions have diverged from each other, and neither quite understands the other anymore. Gaius soon travels to Rome to start the next steps of the cursus. Lucius follows him, although reluctantly. Gaius is trying to prepare him for following in his footsteps when it is time to start the cursus.

76 CE - Lucius i 23 and has not started the cursus yet. It is high time for him to become a military tribune, and yet he is in no hurry to do so, dodging his brother's repeated pleas and warnings. He spends his days on his own terms, mostly with people that would not be considered appropriate for someone in his standing or family background. It is becoming somewhat embarrassing for the family name. Something will have to give, sooner or later.

Chevi | Central European | Discord

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