Luthor names

[rheasilvia]

I finally wrapped up my Smallville AU. I'd almost stopped believing in the possibility.

An Author's Note of sorts...

"Julian" is a very odd name for history-obsessed Lionel Luthor's son. Neither of the Roman emperors of that name were good role models for a corporate scion, and I don't know of any other historical Julians who might have been the intended role model - if anyone does, I'd be very happy to know!

As it is:

Marcus Didius Severus Iulianus (133-193) bought his way into power, got no respect and was assassinated by a common soldier.

Flavius Claudius Iulianus (332-363) was in power for less than two years before being killed - by a (presumably common, presumably enemy) soldier during a botched Persian campaign. According to the historians, Julian was the only Roman killed in this battle, and no reward was offered by or claimed from the Persian king, who would normally have rewarded the good aim of the responsible spear-thrower. It is even said that the Persian king later questioned the Roman peace delegation on why they seemed unconcerned about avenging their emperor.

Julian - a philosopher by passion - was evidently an excellent administrator and reformer, a competent war-leader and a courageous, just and highly educated man. However, he is best remembered as Julian Apostata because of his unsuccessful attempt to restore paganism not long after Christianity had become the Roman state religion.

Calling Lionel's second son "Julian" could be construed as a joke on the part of the show's authors: He died before he'd really started, and the changes he might have made never came to be. On the other hand, it could more simply be construed as the careless use of a vaguely Roman, vaguely imperial-sounding name.

Comments

I am amazed !

[lavita.livejournal.com]

Just finished reading Macellum and had to let you know how much I enjoyed it ! You writing is clean and sharp with complex characters that are intriguing and oh so marvelously bent.

Hope to see more of this AU, it is wonderful and hopefully the start of something more. Couldn't even think to add to a work like your's (as you suggested) I'm just not in your class.

Hope you have a joyous and restful holiday, luvs, Vee

Re: I am amazed !

[rheasilvia.livejournal.com]

Vee, I'm very glad you enjoyed the story! That the characters are not only interesting, but also "marvelously bent" is a wonderful compliment - that's just what I look for in AUs in a nutshell. *g* It's great to know my alternate versions of Clark and Lex worked for you.

I also hope there'll be more of this AU, and I may very well write in it again at some point... Still, the truth is that I'm bad with sequels, and I really hope some other fans will be interested in writing in this world. If you feel at all inspired by this universe, I'd love to read what you come up with.

[corinna-5.livejournal.com]

Julian has always seemed to me to be referring to Julius Caesar, updating the name to make it sound more modern (and not remind anyone of Julius Erving!).

[rheasilvia.livejournal.com]

You may be right; that's certainly one Roman Caesar that would make sense as a role model for a Luthor scion. Still, if the SV authors wanted to allude to Julius Caesar, they definitely should have stuck to the name "Julius". "Julian" is not a modern version of "Julius"; even though "Iulius" and "Iulianus" share the same root, they're still separate and distinct names.

I don't know who Julius Erving is, though, so I may be missing an important reason to stay clear of "Julius". :-)

[corinna-5.livejournal.com]

Julius Erving is "Dr. J.," a major US basketball player of the late 70s-early 80s. He's the only famous Julius in modern America, and I've always joked Lionel wouldn't want people to think of a tall black man when they saw his son.

Historical accuracy is not, you will concede, a major concern of any group of people who could put "Skinwalker" on the air. And "Julian" as a name is close enough to sound like Julius without sounding outdated or odd to the average American TV viewer.

[rheasilvia.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see what you mean about Julius Erving. :-) On the other hand, Lionel might not care - I imagine the opinions of people who think of a basketball player rather than a conqueror when they hear the name "Julius" are not of particular import to the man.

Historical accuracy is not, you will concede, a major concern of any group of people who could put "Skinwalker" on the air.

I will indeed concede that. You're entirely correct that the show's creators are obviously not interested in historical accuracy (among other things), and that this explains a multitude of otherwise endlessly puzzling things. I honestly hadn't even thought about the possibility of "Julian" being conflated with "Julius", but yes, I can see that this is probably the origin of Lex's brother's name.

Still, there are two basic ways to look at fiction - from within the fictional universe, or from outside it. When I'm watching a series (or reading or writing fanfic for it), I want to buy into the fictional world and explain it from within. In this case, I have a hard time doing that; I still need to try, though, because the Smallville authors' unconcern with history is not something that Lionel and Lillian Luthor would have taken into consideration when naming their child. They must have had a reason that originated within their own fictional world, and Lionel *would* have known and cared about the difference between "Julian" and "Julius".

So, all things considered, I'm sticking with Julian Apostata, and I hope the Smallville authors have enough sense to keep quiet about who they think Julian is named after. If they ever mentioned Julius Caesar in this context, that would turn Julian Luthor's name into an out-and-out factual error, with no further interpretive adjustment possible... and that would really bother me, because historical accuracy is a major concern of mine, just as it seems to be one of Lionel Luthor's.

[tieleen.livejournal.com]

I remember loving your AUs in the X-Files way back, and this is definitely on par. Well written all through and twisted in a way that seems all too plausible -- the slashy vibes are the *least* disturbing part of the ending.

This story showcases the Luthor family in a way the show only hints at, and makes them exactly the way they should have been. Clark is sixteen through and through, a Luthor through and through, and himself through and through; like I said, an entirely plausible version of himself in this life, and the different threads contrast and connect beautifully.

Lex, too, is entirely himself -- both harder and softer for having had Julian in his life, and I like the fact that maybe the one thing he never quite acknowledges is that both his father and his brother know his weaknesses exactly.

Lionel just bowled me over in the last scene, which seems to be the reason for his existence on this earth. Also wonderfully himself -- who could change Lionel Luthor?

I somehow like the idea of this as a stand alone, the ambiguity, but I still hope you'll take it up and run with it. I'd love to read more.