Invictus Shakes: A Gladiator Slice of Life

To taste glory, gladiators must bring a whole new flavor to the arena or die trying. Salve! Welcome to the Imperium Aeterna, where the gods decided to cut out a piece of ancient Rome and keep it to themselves. I'm Maximilia, owner of Invictus Shakes. You'll find my smoothie bar across from the best gladiator school—the one started by the champion, who, funny story, also adopted me. Whatever the occasion, I've got the drink for you. Training hard? Fuel with the Fortis Aqua. Partying harder? Recharge and recover with the Raucous Bacchus! Won big betting on who died? Well, you can live it up like a god with real gold flakes. And I've also got the latest rumors to go with it.  So, get this. People think the mysterious territories appearing are from the world we left behind. But what I want to know is what kind of warriors they'll have fighting in the next games and how dangerous they'll be. Because I'm already praying to the gods I don't end up handing my friends their last drink. There's a lot more to these gladiators than guts, glory, and good looks. Alright, stop staring at their muscles and...hey, eyes up here! So, what can I get you? Ingredients to expect - Slice of life, drama & action - Found family - Gladiators vs other cultures - Complex characters & relationships - Flirting and romance/slow-burn - Humor & tragedy Art by @andrewrussell_art Add content more to your drink with Patreon. You can even make it spicy! Bene advenisti! Welcome! While I've worked hard to incorporate historical accuracy, I am by no means an expert on the cultures, history, or combat depicted...(or Latin. I'm sorry!) So as a writer, I've taken some creative liberties. I also usually work on stories that are emotionally heavy with an extensive writing process. In contrast, Invictus Shakes is very much a project started for fun and to try something new...although it's not without its heartfelt moments. It's charmed me and I hope it charms you too. — Grātiās vōbīs agō (My thanks to you all!)  Launch will be 20k words across Thursday and Friday (updated), then a chapter every weekday for four weeks. This will be followed by a regular schedule of Mon/Tue/Thu at 8:18 AM ET.