#YEAH KIEVAN RUS'

[lxvvie]

I also study history and I'm German... I can never escape the WW2 people😔

My favorite thing to study are the middle ages in europe tho, they're sooo misrepresented in media its so sad. Also hyperfocusing on Russian history lately!!

I realize looking back at my posts yesterday that it read as if I was shitting on history buffs in general, especially those who love the World Wars and/or Civil War. Whoops. I'm sorry, y'all!

There's nothing wrong with being a history buff and studying wars in my opinion; in fact, I love that so many people love history! it's just been my experience that a lot of people who like these moments usually focus on military history over everything else, even though there were political, economic, cultural, and societal changes that resulted from these events, too.

I had the pleasure of having a German student in one of my classes some years back and they were/are brilliant as hell! They weren't a history major but I did get some on-the-ground perspective on how World War 2 is taught in places other than America.

And how Russia came to be Russia is fascinating in and of itself. You could really spend an entire semester talking about its development within the context of world history. It seemed like only a passing mention to me when I took AP World History in high school. It was like, "Yeah, here's the Kievan Rus' and something something, Russia was formed but guys, look at Russia during the Age of Enlightenment, Bolshevik Revolution, World War II, and the Cold War!"

[unhonestlymirror]

LMAO russians are just as always

"Are Etruskans russians?"

Oh hell yeah, Kyivan Rus VS Kievan Etruria

#etruscan #etruria #lmao #0 days without russians trying to steal something #what the hell are they talking about Etruria is a fcking Italy 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 #just because ivan the terrible payed a lot of money to Italians #for designing st. basil cathedral doesn't make you automatically italian sweetie #russians don't have that moriro dare lashate mi cantare #yk what? that's okay. as long as russia is not Ukraine I am okay with russia being italy #*with Philomena Cunk voice* both russians and italians invented fashism #if i was Italian I'd already start being nervous because russia claims being siblings/relatives only in one case #when they want to occupy someone

[softquietsteadylove]

Hello!!!

I miss cute interactions between Jack and Thenamesh!! Would you write something sweet? Jacks birthday party for example. So he can introduce his cool aunt and uncle to his friends. And Phastos totally disliking it?

THAAANK YOUUUUUU

"You must stop sulking, Habibi," Ben chuckled as he patted his husband's shoulder. He emptied another bag of pretzel sticks into a bowl.

"What ever happened to having a secret identity, hm?" Phastos huffed as he peeked out from the kitchen and into the living room. "He's in there telling them that his 'superpowered' relatives are gonna lift the freakin' car for them."

"He's exaggerating," Ben excused for his son, as well as maybe hoped that if he said it then it might be true. "I'm sure they know that."

Phastos just sighed as Jack's friends oohed and awed at Gil and his muscles as three of them hung off one of his arms. "He has to at least make it look like it takes effort."

"They're children," Ben shrugged, offering Phastos some pretzel sticks, "and look at him."

"Baby," Phastos turned to his husband, "if you start checking out my own brother, I swear to-"

"Could you blame him?"

Ben just laughed, while Phastos nearly jumped a foot in the air. He put his hand on his chest, "Thena!"

The Warrior Eternal merely looked at her brother, enjoying her newest favourite American snack: cheese puffs. "The children are enjoying themselves."

Jack had eagerly asked Uncle Gil and Aunt Thena if they would be around for his birthday party. They agreed, of course, although Gil may or may not have whispered in Jack's ear that Aunt Thena wasn't really one for crowds. Jack, being a very sweet and considerate boy to his favourite Aunt, told her that she didn't have to hang out with them the whole time.

She had emerged to greet them and then for cake, solely to oblige her dear nephew. She smiled, "kids love Gil."

Ben smiled at the look on the surprisingly gentle hearted woman's face.

Phastos shook his head at her, "that look on your face makes me long for the days of Kievan-Rus."

Thena punched her brother right in the side.

"Aunt Thena!"

Thena shoved her bowl of cheese puffs into Phastos's hands (who was both already holding the pretzel sticks and also still winded from her punch). She smiled at Jack, leaning down to him, "are you enjoying your party, Jack?"

"Come on, everyone wants to see Uncle Gil lift you up!"

Thena let Jack pull her along into the living room with everyone else. She eyed the children among them, "hello."

"Miss Thena, is it true you picked up Jimmy and his friends on Halloween?"

She tilted her head at the question, as if she hadn't even understood the words. She looked at Gil.

"Remember the kid who took Jack's candy?" he asked, which immediately sparked some recognition in her. "Yeah, the one you picked up from the back of his jacket."

Thena nodded, indeed remembering that incident. She looked at the child who asked the question, as well as the others crowded around them for the answer. "We work out together."

"I told you they're cool!" Jack hollered, to which his friends also cheered their agreement. He looked up at them, "Aunt Thena, will you lift me up?--please?!"

Gil nodded, "sure thing, bud. Just not like she lifted up Jimmy, or you could get hurt, okay?"

Thena looked at Gil, and then down at her precious little nephew. Humans were so delicate already, and children were a whole other story. She sighed, "very well."

Jack and his friends all whooped and hollered as Thena lifted him right up off the ground like it was nothing, holding him under the armpits like a baby, or a pet.

"Enough," she smiled as she set him down again, making sure he was unharmed from having his body weight held from just two points.

"Me next!"

"No, me!"

"Me!"

"No," she stared the kids down without hesitation. They all just laughed, unbothered by the dry response. "Only Jack."

"Okay, okay," Gil laughed, ready to intercede for the sake of his wife. He came up behind her bending down and scooping her up on his shoulder without a care in the world. "Aunt Thena is off limits now."

"Uncle Gil!" Jack laughed. His friends all admired his display of strength.

Luckily the living room had a higher ceiling than the dining room and kitchen. Thena leaned over slightly anyway, her hand on Gil's opposite shoulder and her hair swaying against the back of his neck.

Phastos sighed, left with just the pretzels and the cheese puffs, "unbelievable."

#Jack and Thenamesh #Poor Phastos #stuck here with his lovebird siblings #his own husband checking out his brother #and his sister on a mission to scare him into mortality #Thena was willing to endure the party for Jack's sake #but she would be lying if she said she wasn't relieved when he told her that she didn't have to stay for the whole thing #she's been hiding in the basement watching the fish in the fish tank #she knows how to work the tv #she would rather watch the goldfish #Gil keeps her on his shoulder just for fun #and then also none of the kids can bother her too much

[licncourt]

could you give us some spoilers for who armand is? i've seen him talked about a lot by people who have read the books and he seems important

Yeah, sure! Under the cut for spoilers! And an obvious disclaimer that he'll probably be at least somewhat different when he appears in the show, this is just the book version of him.

I really love this art for anyone who wants a visual!

So, quick and dirty backstory: Armand is a Ukrainian-born vampire from early 15th century Kievan Rus'. He was turned at 17 by the ancient vampire Marius and is described as being cherbic looking and somewhat short with amber eyes and wavy, auburn hair to his shoulders.

He was kidnapped from his homeland at 12, but rescued by Marius and brought to Venice where he was raised in something of a boy's school before being kidnapped by a Satanic vampire cult and brought to Paris. He's Armand, so he eventually becomes their leader.

He's crudely "cult deprogrammed" by Lestat in the late 18th century and ends up the leader of a coven of vampires who run a theater in Paris. When Louis and Claudia travel to France, they meet him and he becomes obsessed with Louis, eventually having Claudia killed to get to him. He and Louis travel together for several decades before parting ways.

In the 80s, Armand tracks down Daniel, the interviewer from IWTV and stalks him until they end up in a fucked up romance as Daniel guides him through the modern world. More things happen to him past this (I only covered up to Queen of the Damned on the VC timeline), but that's the core of his story/what generally defines him as a character, as well as his affection for Louis, fraught paternal relationship/romance with Marius, and frenemy antagonism with Lestat.

Personality-wise, he's extremely volatile and manipulative, very violent and Machiavellian but also very traumatized (a nice combo of CSA, gaslighting, physical abuse, and religious/cult abuse). The "victim becomes the monster to protect themselves" trope x10, basically. He has all the mood swings and anger of a mentally ill teen with the impulses and abilities of a centuries-old vampire.

He's educated, refined, and plays his cards close to the chest, but also very curious and childlike because of how isolated he's been. Equal parts philosophical mastermind, serial killer, and kid desperate for love.

He's a really interesting character and I can't wait for y'all to meet him! It sounds like that'll be in season 2.

#answered #vc #interview with the vampire #iwtv

[heysawbones]

ah yeah I finished this . influences are ottoman and kievan rus (and Art Deco, always Art Deco)

in the whimsical world of dnd, bob is a noble and a wizard. he eats responsibility and dreams of 360 noscoping with fireball. the dm has been nice enough to allow me to manually enter graviturgy spells in Foundry so I can have bob specialize in weird shit like gravity magic

anyway his friend probably inadvertently ended bob's noble house so he likely won't have many excuses to wear this noble garb that nobody in the party has ever seen him wear

#dnd #my humps #bob #dnd bob

[aohendo]

@pga-books here for the ask game! 👑 - Are there rulers? A government? Who calls all the shots? 🏆 - What is the end goal? What are your characters fighting for? ⌛ - What time period does it take place in? Does it combine periods?

@pga-books hi! Putting the 👑 answer at the end and under a cut because it's a long one :)

From this ask game here.

🏆 - in Prince for Hire, the characters are competing for the empress of the Turre's yarlyk. It is her permission to rule the entire Plateau on her behalf, and a designation of whichever prince wins it as the first among equals (explanation on the prince system under the cut). If the princes didn't show up to Compete for this yarlyk, the empress of the Turre would conquer and raze the entire Plateau without issue (it's very much a matter of not only does she have an army of giant war hawks, but she also has food security. The Plateau, on the other hand, suffers greatly with even just a handful of fields destroyed). The Turre empress finds the Plateau's Competition thing more entertaining than flat killing everyone, and also a great way to demand tribute in the form of the plateau's "sorcerers," magic being an exceptionally rare ability among her people. The empress' main advisor really wishes she would just kill everyone and save him the headache of dealing with a 30 prince Competition.

⌛ - it loosely takes place in a 1300's equivalent, and was (again quite loosely) inspired by the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus.

👑 The short answer: YES. MANY. SO SO MANY. The long answer under the cut.

This is a slightly outdated map of the relevant regions generally referred to as the plateau (and yeah I know it's not a plateau shhhhh). Except for the Turrean Empire (ruled by the empress 'L Tuola Turre) and Aghran (which has its own thing going on), each of those states is a principality, ruled by its own set of princes. The highest prince in that principality is the First Prince, and is basically the king. Their heirs (by blood or adoption--either is perfectly acceptable) are Second Prince, Third Prince, and Fourth Prince. They may have no more than three heirs per First Prince.

To be a prince one must be polarized within the Tri-Life (be capable of magic), not have studied or developed that capacity for magic (considered extremely selfish), and either have been conceived or adopted by a land-owning First Prince. I specify land-owning here because there are many princes who otherwise meet these qualifications but do not have any land. They are called vakon, and are generally considered annoying parasites by the land-owning princes.

The reason these vakon guys exist is because a prince's family is not inherently possessed of their principality. Instead, each First Prince has staged a Competition for their principality and won it against other Competing princes. So if a prince (vakon or not) really wants, say, Cysev, they could consult with Cysev's boyar council and convince them to host a Competition against their current First Prince. If the challenger wins, they are now First Prince of Cysev, and the previous prince (and their heirs) become vakon until they are able to Compete--and win--against another principality's First Prince

In the event of a First Prince's death, the Second Prince maintains the principality until another Competition can be hosted, and then, if they want to become first prince of their parent's principality, they must Compete for it. It's fairly chaotic, honestly, and places like Aghran, Musmiel, and the Turre and baffled by it, but it works for the people of the Plateau, and it does keep tyranny to a minimum since there's the ever-present knowledge that if the citizens are displeased, and the boyars are displeased, the current set of princes can be expelled in fairly short order.

Happy to ramble more on this :)

#princeforhire #pfh d2 #ask game #fantasy #worldbuilding

[anime-dub-transcripts]

Hetalia: Axis Powers Episode #43 Transcript

This episode has Russia trying to find friends.

Russia [narrating]: One day, my older sister said…

Ukraine: Bye! It’s been nice knowing you, brother! At this rate, we’ll never see each other again! Weheheh!

Russia [narrating]: Then she turned around and left my house for good. Right now she’s trying to make new friends in the European Union!

Ukraine: Please! I have to find a friend! Won’t someone be friends with me?! I all alone in the cold and lonely world! I am not ready to fend for myself. Wehe…I’m scared…and lacking natural defensive borders…and high speed internet! Weheheh!

Russia: Hey, sis! Stop it!

(Ukraine: Weheh!)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Russia: Hetalia!

{Caption: Hetalia}

Russia [narrating]: A long time ago, we all used to live happily together, after a little genocide, that is, in a place called the Soviet Union. But one by one, everyone left me alone. Lonely…sad…sometimes pathetically inebriated.

Russia: Mh!

{Caption: She’s back}

Belarus: I left him when my sister Ukraine went away. But I just feel safer between his strong arms.

Russia: Bela---

Belarus: I’ll stay with you forever, Big Brother. Even if you don’t want me to stay, I’ll stay.

(Russia: What?)

Russia: That’s so sweet! Even though it creeps me out a bit!

Belarus: And if you marry me, then our souls will be bonded for all of eternity!

Russia: Uhuh…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Belarus: Hetalia!

{Caption: Hetalia}

Russia [narrating]: Recently, my boss and Italy’s boss, both fabulous dancers and narcissists, have gotten very close! I guess that means I can finally become friends with Italy too!

Russia: I…was thinking that we should start hanging out!

Italy: Okay!

(Romano: Huahuahuahuah!)

Russia: Hm!

Romano: Don’t you dare!

(Italy: Aaaah!)

Russia: I heard you guys have a really nice house and good food! You don’t mind if I come over, do you?

(Italy, Romano: Aaaaahhhh!)

Belarus: He’s mine!

Italy, Romano: Huahuahuahauah!

{Caption: Flustered}

Russia: Huh? Uah?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Italy: Hetalia!

{Caption: Hetalia}

Belarus: Boo!

Ukraine: Aaaah! Russia, help! She’s freaking me out with her eyes; they keep turning black!

(Russia: Hehehe…)

Lithuania: Hahaha! He gets pushed around by his sisters! That’s so lame! Loser! I wouldn’t mind being pushed around by them though.

Estonia: Yeah, but then he takes all of his passive aggression out on us. It is nice to have sisters around though!

Latvia: Ja!

(Ja!: Yes! → Latvian)

Latvia: They’re so cute! I wish that I had some siblings! Or at least a pet sugar glider!

Lithuania: Uah!

Estonia: Uah!

Lithuania: Yeah.

Estonia: Me too.

{Caption: Although they are called the “Three Baltic States,” they are pretty much strangers to one another}

{Caption: International Loner}

Latvia: Yeah…I’m alone.

(Lithuania, Estonia: Hmhmhmhmhm!)

{Caption: All the best, Latvia}

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia: Hetalia!

{Caption: Hetalia}

Russia: Huah…I wonder when things started changing between us. I remember we used to be so close.

Chibi Russia: It’s cold, huh…

Chibi Belarus: Yeah…

Chibi Ukraine: Hold on! This should do the trick!

Chibi Russia: Huh…

Chibi Ukraine: Here! So I can always keep you warm! It makes you look so handsome!

Chibi Russia: But sis! This is your favorite scarf, isn’t it?

Chibi Belarus: Noooooo!

Chibi Ukraine: All I ask is for control from the Black Sea to Poland! Ahahaha!

{Caption: Inheritance rights to Kievan Rus}

Chibi Russia: My sister’s a total nut job!

Russia: Okay. I guess we weren’t that close.

Belarus: Grr!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Russia: Hetalia!

{Caption: Hetalia}

Russia [narrating]: France has this really cool radio show! It’s super popular, so I sent a letter in to him. I hope he reads it today! I’m so nervous.

France: Welcome to the Mental Hug with your host, France! How about we check the mail? I am having a problem, France. You seem like such a likeable talk show host. Tell me, what should I do if I want more people to like me? Hah…that’s a good question! And my answer is even better! You share your love! Dig it? Finding your next friend could be as easy as saying, “Hey, do you want to bear my children?” You should try it!

Russia: I’m not sure that would attract the right people.

Belarus: Grr!

Russia: Aah!

Children: To be continued, maybe!

{Caption: To be continued}

#anime #anime transcripts #anime dub transcripts #hetalia #hetalia dub transcripts

[qqueenofhades]

I'm the Eastern European anon from like a week ago and I wanted to say: thanks for reiterating that it was Russia's *perception* of things, not an actual fact. It's just so frustrating to see people take their talking points seriously even when they're basically "we cannot abuse our imperial possessions any more and we wanna :'(" and half the time people think EE consists of Russia and poor witless puppets who cannot think for themselves. So I get touchy. But yeah. Thanks for the follow-up.

Yeah, of course. I was struck (as a lot of people were) by how Putin's speech yesterday was an exercise not so much in alternate history as full-out parallel universe. According to him, "Ukraine" was invented in 1922 by Vladimir Lenin, it has no history of being an actual sovereign state, and even if it did, it is manifestly ungrateful for rejecting all the "blessings" of the Soviet Union (and before that, the Russian Empire). All of which, to say the least, is obviously false at best and straight-up tyrannical delusion at worst. This isn't necessarily new, as Putin has implied and outright said some of these things before, but it was fascinating (if also terrifying) to hear it all together. He has made no secret of his ambition to piece back together the USSR, but to do it with an entirely different legitimating strategy, putting the Orthodox Church at the forefront (a la the Russian Empire and the medieval Kievan Rus') rather than embracing the institutional atheism of the Soviet state. Except, of course, this isn't 1919 (as Linda Thomas-Greenwood said yesterday at the UN Security Council meeting) and if Putin thinks that he wants the USSR back, he's going to discover that you can't have the "good" (i.e. total control over the former Soviet territories) without the bad (crushing economic isolation, domestic deprivation, institutional paranoia everywhere and in everything, etc). And of course, the Russian people aren't going to stand for that either. Just as in the west, most of them don't want a totally unnecessary and deeply destabilizing war, are fretting about the political and economic costs, and don't really support the invented justification for it. Which, indeed, was why Putin had to fulminate on for over an hour yesterday, in an attempt to whip up support for it. Considering that one independent Russian TV outlet paired his speech with a real-time graph of the ruble sliding to historic lows and the Russian stock markets crashing, we'll see how that goes for him.

I wrote a paper (last year, before this current mess started) about the medieval and crusading roots of Russia's obsession with Ukraine, which makes me look somewhat prescient, or something. But of course, the truth is that this whole clusterfuck has been steadily building for a very long time. Putin's invasions of Georgia in 2008 and the Crimea in 2014 were largely met with a shrug and slap-on-the-wrist sanctions from the West. I suspect this was at least in part because other post-imperialist powers didn't want to be told that they also couldn't fuck around in other parts of the world as they pleased. At the time, America was over a decade into its Afghanistan occupation with no end in sight, we all know about ill-fated US foreign adventures, and everyone with a modicum of historical consciousness has to admit that it's deeply ironic to see Europe and America, aka the original biggest propagators of colonialism, imperialism, and special-ops coups in the world, going on and on about respecting other states' sovereign borders and territorial integrity. Likewise, I have deep critiques over the way in which the end of the Cold War was interpreted as being EVERYONE DO SO MUCH MORE CAPITALISM NOW!!1, and Russia, a country with no relevant history of either capitalism or democracy, was forced into speed-running both of them and never actually figuring out a way to make it work. Now they're stuck with Putin and his unreconstructed authoritarianism, and nobody still has any idea what he's going to do. The recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk as so-called independent republics was one of the suggestions as to what he would do in place of a full-fledged invasion, and now, well, he's done that. Putin, for all his delusions of grandeur, is at least usually on speaking terms with realpolitik, and he has to know that an actual military conflict would be a lot more damaging for him than the domestic cachet he can rack up from standing up to the West, and trying to force concessions and new deals, without genuinely starting WWIII.

That said, I still don't know what is going to happen, and neither, it seems, does anyone else. We can definitely note that it would be a whole lot worse for everyone if Trump, aka Vladimir Putin's favorite puppet, was still president (in any number of ways, but definitely for this). Trump treated NATO and Ukraine with total disregard, tried to get Ukraine to manufacture dirt on Biden, and now the US right wing, who are so addicted to dunking on everything Biden does no matter what, are busy repeating Russian propaganda on Fox News and questioning why the US isn't on Russia's side. (Yes, Tucker Carlson, you odious oozing scab, I am definitely looking at you.) I fucking hate the guy and hope he's burning in hell, but Ronald Reagan is definitely rolling in his grave at this Republican embrace of Russia. But it's because in their minds, a) everything Trump does is great, therefore Russia must be good (and a lot of the GOP senators have also been taking Moscow's money), and b) they openly hanker to impose the same kind of government in America, so they applaud Putin's dictatorial methods and wish they could just kill, poison, or send to the gulag all their own enemies as well. Oy vey.

I have a long-standing interest in Russian history, literature, and language, and if they don't get themselves completely cut off from the rest of the world, I'm still hoping to visit the country one day. As noted, this isn't something that most Russian citizens want any more than everyone else, and for all the talk of "punishing Russia," there are plenty of ordinary people who didn't ask for this and don't deserve the consequences. As ever, it's an example of governments and the powerful elite doing whatever the hell they want and making everyone else suffer for it, and I wrote a recent post about how the social and political concept of imperialism is responsible for most of the problems in the world right now. But of course, Ukraine is still going to suffer the most, and the ways in which the current Russian regime has been flagrantly flouting international law (and largely getting away with it) and basic empirical reality is only going to get worse, unless there are immediate and severe consequences for it. The EU is already running into problems with the necessary unanimity for strict sanctions, since Viktor Orban of Hungary (big surprise) is close with Moscow, and states such as Germany, Austria, and Italy are heavily dependent on Russian energy supplies. So the question is whether they're going to make themselves suffer, and since the answer is "usually not," I am... not entirely optimistic.

Anyway. Yes. As you note, most people in the West don't really know much about Eastern Europe and/or Russia, and there are definitely those in the media sphere who are unintentionally (or in the case of Fox News, intentionally) amplifying its propaganda. Russia has been churning out relatively low-quality dezinformatsiya at a record rate, another time-tested Soviet tactic, and we have already seen how the West (especially the right-wing populist parts of it) is often eager to embrace it for their own purposes. So yeah. It's anyone's guess.

#anonymous #ask #history #russian history #politics for ts #long post #russia ukraine war

[wiltingofthewhitelily]

{Hetalia Family Week 2021} Day 6: Hurt/Comfort - Ukraine & Russia

A/N: Submission #6 for @hetafamilyweek!

Yes, yet another fic with the Kievan Rus' siblings, this time with just Russia and Ukraine. Their relationship has pretty much always intrigued me the most out of the Kievan Rus' siblings. Maybe it's because it's not really explored a lot in canon? Maybe it's because I have a little brother too, like Ukraine, so I find their relationship more relatable in a sense? Idk.

They're gonna be kids here, younger than they were in my first submission. So yeah. (Geez, I've written a l o t of fics about them as children-)

This one I do like too, though I think I could've done better with the ending honestly lol. But oh well.

»»————-　➴　————-««

The fireplace crackled and roared with yellow and orange embers. Sitting next to it in a large rocking chair was an older blonde girl—the personification of the nation that would become Ukraine. She was knitting a scarf for herself, humming some sweet tune, when she heard the sound of the front door of the small cabin opening and closing. Figuring it was her younger brother (who'd gone outside to play not too long ago), she lifted her head up to see it was indeed him—though she was deeply disturbed to see him with his hand over his nose, sniffling and whimpering; he was clearly close to crying about something.

Ukraine immediately dropped what she was doing and rushed by Russia's side. "Honey, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

That was when Russia burst out into tears, gradually sliding his hand down from his nose. What was revealed made Ukraine gasp; his nose was bleeding, profusely. "Oh dear..." she sighed out. She removed his hand from his nose, swooped him up, and took him into the living room to get him cleaned up.

Once there, she sat him down and dabbed his nose with a rag for a little while, then told him to keep his head down as she held it against his nose. "What happened?" she asked, once everything was finally (a bit) situated.

Russia wiped at his reddened eyes and tried to speak, though his voice was a bit muffled by the rag.

"What was that?" Ukraine said gently. She removed the rag for a moment to let him speak properly.

He tried again, twiddling his fingers as he spoke. "Th-There were these two big kids and they..." He finished his sentence, though it was completely unintelligible due to the fact he was still blubbering as he spoke.

"What?" Ukraine asked again. Gently, she placed both hands on his cheeks. "Slow down a little and tell me." She wiped his tears away with her thumb.

Russia eventually calmed down enough to tell his older sister the complete story. Apparently, two older kids (she assumed human children since he didn't appear to know their names) had been bullying him, with one of them pushing him face-first into a rock, causing his nose to bleed.

Ukraine paused for a moment, hot rage beginning to simmer within her after he'd explained what those kids had done to him. However, she quickly calmed down enough to whisper, "Okay." His nose was starting to bleed again, so she put the rag back on it.

After a few minutes, his nose had stopped bleeding completely and she set the rag down to be cleaned later. "Okay, you're all good," Ukraine tried to say cheerily. "Do you want to do something inside now?" She didn't want him to go back outside, for a multitude of reasons.

Russia didn't answer and instead looked down at his toes; his little mind had just been racing with thoughts and emotions the moment he walked back into the door. Almost suddenly, his lower lip trembled and he slowly began to cry again. "Sis," he asked, "why does everybody hate me?"

Ukraine, horribly saddened by the sight of his tears and the question he asked, leaned forward to hug him again. He sunk his head into her lap and bawled louder. She began to stroke his ash-blond hair and shush him quietly. "Dear, not everybody hates you," she told him.

He lifted his head a little, staring at her with tear-stained purple eyes. "Then who doesn't?" he asked, wiping at his nose.

"Well," she began, "I don't. I love you more than anything. And Belarus does too."

Russia grew a tiny smile on his face. "You mean it?"

Ukraine grinned widely, rubbing his cheek. "Of course I do. And, guess what? I have a feeling that when you grow up, you'll be loved by many people."

He looked at her then with a sort of wonder in his eyes, which had mainly stopped flowing with tears. "You mean it?"

She hummed and nodded.

Slowly, his smile grew from ear to ear, and he leaped up to wrap his small arms around her sides. "I love you bunches and bunches, sis!"

She leaned back a bit at the force but chuckled as her brother went back to his happy-go-lucky attitude. "I love you bunches and bunches, too," she answered, kissing the top of his head after. "Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah!" Russia said, jumping happily. "I'm hungry now though," he added.

Ukraine chuckled again. "Well, how about we go bake some cookies?"

Her little brother gasped and immediately jumped from her lap. "Yay!" he exclaimed, already heading toward the kitchen.

Ukraine got up, picking up the pace in her step to catch up with him. I suppose he's back to his normal energetic self now, she thought happily. Eventually, she got to his side and held onto his small hand, and the two went into the kitchen to bake cookies.

#hetalia #hetafamilyweek2021 #hetalia event #hetalia fanfiction #fanfiction #aph ukraine #aph russia #hws ukraine #hws russia

[pomegranates-and-blood]

ἀλήθεια (Chapter 6, Vοσταλγία AU)

ἀλήθεια Masterlist

Pairing: Freydis/Reader, Ivar/Reader (past)

Word Count: 3.6k

Warnings: The usual, plus mentions/descriptions of war/battle. My endless swooning over Freydis.

A/N: So yeah, another one of these. It’s on the shorter side, and it doesn’t have much Freydis/Reader; but it is the last setup for the epilogue, so I needed to get plot stuff out of the way before we get to the good part lol. Hope you like it!

She loses count of all the months that go by, of all the flavors and scents she discovers, of all the stories you share and hear, of the vibrant and new colors she sees, of the people she meets and names she now remembers.

And she learns to speak your language of strange consonants and odd verbs, and you learn to speak hers of silent glances and smiles that feel secret. You learn to say the name of the man that you left without pain, and she learns to say the name of the man that you loved without resentment.

Oddly enough, these months teach Freydis to be almost thankful for Ivar.

Doesn’t mean she doesn’t still feel the ridiculous envy for a phantom, and that each time you and her argue about something regarding the past, she feels his mocking glare on her, as if reminding her it wasn’t him the reason she lost; doesn’t mean she doesn’t see him in every man in power she meets, especially those that linger too close to you, those that lose themselves in the curve of your smile.

She doesn’t blame them, but she hates them all the same.

But the ones she hates the most are the softer ones, the ones that are so unlike him that they make you laugh freely and don’t make you think twice about the easy affection you give away, the ones that are so unlike her that they don’t make you think of secrets and can offer you the world in a way only a man can.

But once again, Freydis is thankful for Ivar. For many things, because he taught her many things, because he brought you to her, because he freed her once. Most of all, she is thankful for what he taught the both of you about men in power.

Because when a prince in some cold land -colder than Kattegat, though she isn’t sure if distance is clouding her memories- presses a reverent kiss to your knuckles and looks at you with hunger in dark eyes, you smile with the same thing written in your own gaze; she is able to understand that your hunger isn’t for him, nor for all the worlds he offers you.

Because when she meets the last remaining man of your blood and he greets Freydis roughly in her own tongue -unaware she speaks Greek, but it is better that way, it is better they don’t know she knows many things- with a smile warmer than yours but eyes just as calculating; she can smile back and accept the warmth for a truth instead of searching for a lie.

Almost a year goes by and she finds herself enthralled in the way you make Sparta your own, the same way you did Kattegat: by letting the world around you change you just enough that you can force it to bend to your will.

And now there’s more definition in your shoulders, the lines of your back stronger, more defined; from a year training with bows and arrows alongside Lysander and Galla.

And now your anger is more subdued, the chaos kept at bay with cruel and well-placed words, but the fire is the same that makes her think of spring storms; from a year a woman free of everything except your ambition.

Freydis has changed too, she knows this. She finds herself standing taller on ground not her own; she finds herself just as aware as she always was of how they look at her, only now able and willing to use it against them; she finds herself finding certainty not in the Gods but in herself; she finds herself accepting that pain was never a gift from the Gods, and it may have marked her, body and soul, but she made herself.

And now here she sits by your side, trying not to let her thoughts linger on how you both said goodbye to Galla knowing she would return to him, to the man she supposedly loves, but here he is greeting you with a Spartan woman by his arm, a wife that isn’t the strong-willed and secretive woman Freydis came to care for in those months travelling together.

Your cousin eyes you with a teasing smile, “You are itching to return home, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know where my home is,” You correct, a tilt of your head, “But I do want what is mine to be returned to me, yes.”

“Some still say lands in Scandinavia are yours. To think you left Greece promised to a Thebesian and now you have returned, the wife to a Varangian King.”

You shrug one shoulder.

“Twists of Fate.”

“I’m still expecting him to storm our coasts to get you back.”

“You put a lot of value on my hand, Lysander.”

“Humility doesn’t suit you,” The man shrugs broad shoulders, and in the way he offers a side glance Freydis sees so much of you. “Regardless, if they do, we will be ready.”

“Of course you will be. I would hope you would ready for another battle, though.” You state, tone growing serious.

“We will retake Eleusis when the time comes.” Lysander reassures you, but you shake your head, and in your gaze all Freydis can see is…hunger.

“I am not speaking of Eleusis,” You promise, and when you smile your cousin returns the same mad kind of smile. She remembers Ivar and Hvitserk talking and boasting over the table during a feast after a victory, she remembers the mad smiles they shared with one another, and she understands seeing you and Lysander now, that there truly is a special kind of song to be heard only by those who share blood. You raise your chin, and offer, “Thebes is weakened, Lysander. And you know better than I do that to retake Eleusis we need to strike through land.”

Realization dawns on the man, who leans back and studies you in silence for a few breaths. You never lose the confident stance, though, staring him down as he considers your words.

Finally, he says, “We take over Thebes, settle your army there, and we can attack Eleusis from the North with the brunt of Attic forces, while Spartans choke their coasts.”

“And in controlling Thebes we control most of the silk trade in the Empire,” You finish, proud as you straighten in your seat, “Those priests are sure to miss their Byzantine Silk, are they not?”

Freydis is aware, in some part of her mind, that she is probably staring at you like a lovesick fool. Wide and lost smile, the faint warmth she feels on the top of her cheeks, eyes giving away every secret, if there ever was one.

You have eyes for the man across from you, gaze defiant in a way she knows well, in a way that her heart knows well too, for each skipped beat that gaze is responsible for.

Lysander tilts his head to the side, much like you do, and presses, “And who would rule? You?”

“Who else?” You retort, shrugging one shoulder, “You were never the conquering type, the Gods know you are Anax because you have no choice.”

He ignores the jab you throw his way, instead insisting,

“But you are Anassa of Attica, and I don’t think Boetians would take kindly to an Athenian woman ruling over them.”

Your mouth curves downwards, a nonchalant gesture that speaks of anything but that.

“They will, because we will be saving them. Attic or not, I am still Greek. Tis better than the alternative.”

“The Empire is not the enemy you thi-…”

“I’m not talking of the Empire. I’m talking of the Kievan Rus.”

“Oleg.” You start, and she lifts her gaze with a frown.

“What of him?”

“Do you trust him?”

Freydis scoffs, “No. And neither do you.”

Pressing your lips together, you look away for a moment, considering your next words. Freydis watches in silence, though her hands still follow the familiar motions of picking apart the flowers, stems, and leaves from the dried batch of yarrow.

“I think I do,” You start, voice quiet. “I think…I think that if nothing else, he is…direct. Reliable, in his own way.”

“He is unpredictable.”

You reach forward to correct a mistake she made, picking off a dried flower she left alongside the leaves, and say, “So was Ivar.”

“Not the same, and you know that.” She argues, leaning forward. For all the times she argued that you should have manipulated Ivar into doing your bidding, she never expected you to find the one man that outshines your husband in volatility, in chaos; and try doing so to him instead.

“He is smart, and he has ambitions that…align themselves with mine,” You insist, and Freydis accepts your words with a sigh. She doesn’t like where this is going one bit, but she will concede that this prince is a piece in the board that you shouldn’t rule out as a useful. “Do you think…?”

The words hang in the air between you, and her gaze meets yours, her answer unspoken.

“We will see,” She promises, and the smile that slowly curves at her lips is mirrored in yours. “Lust loosens a man’s tongue much more than wine, after all.”

The moment the words leave your lips silence reigns in between the people in the room, but Freydis doesn’t fail to notice how Galla is undisturbed by the mention, continuing her craving of a wooden block to make a building to add to the detailed stereographic map Lysander keeps of Eleusis. She isn’t sure if it is an act, if it is part of her pretense that she knows everything, or if she truly does.

Lysander’s broad arms are crossed over his chest, and he frowns as he looks at you.

“What are you talking about?”

Your smile is a secret in itself, but it speaks of something she knows well. Arrogance.

“A Prince from Novgorod will send an army to Thebes soon, they will be razing through Macedonia when spring comes.”

“How exactly do you know that?”

“I am a witch, I know things?” You tease with a smile, before sharing a look with Freydis and explaining, “There’s a man, a powerful man, interested in Constantinople, much in the way I am interested in Greece. He has agreed to send weak enough forces that we can overtake them and conquer Thebes, as long as we weaken the Empire for him.”

“Impressive woman as you might be, you cannot give the Rus Constantinople.”

You don’t miss a beat, answering, “But I can weaken it by taking Thebes, Athens, and Eleusis from them; and I can give the Rus standing ground on Athens when the time comes for them to invade.”

A sigh, and Lysander tries, voice strangely calming, “How are you certain you are not setting up the invasion of your own land?”

“I have other…safeguards.”

“Marriage?”

You shake your head with a scoff, “Nothing as fickle as that, no.”

“What, then?”

“Fear, awe. There are many things you can call it,” You state. When you speak next, there is a purposely false tone of innocence in your voice, and you shrug your shoulders, “You ought to remember, Lysander, that I am married to a Viking. And a famous one at that.”

“You divorced him.”

“But that is not a tale people will tell. Not there, for they fear his wrath too much to imply his wife has left him; and not here, for they fear the indecency of a woman capable and willing of ruling alone. As far as anyone knows, Ivar the Boneless has his eye set on the Mediterranean, and it is just a matter of time before his army gets here.”

“You cannot-…” Lysander starts, only to be interrupted.

“We courtesans are good at sharing secrets, you know?” Galla pips from her seat, dark eyes still focused on her project. “I can make sure my people spread the right secrets.”

Lysander’s eyes go slowly from the former courtesan to you, and he takes a deep breath.

“How much time will that buy you?”

“Enough,” You promise, unfaltering. “One like me never outlives a lie.”

____

The war takes a toll even on you. She sees it in the tired eyes as you offer a smile across a war table before returning your attention to the movements of the troops your commanders speak of, feels it in the loose hold of your hand in hers as you promise your goodnight wordlessly and slip away in the quiet of the night, hears it in the quiet prayers that leave your lips as you cut off a piece of your hair and let it flow with the wind that carries the ashes of those who perish in the battles.

But war, war like this, it is invigorating as much as it is debilitating. Freydis feels it, feels it in every victory that makes her smile a little wilder, feels it in every successful trick that makes Galla’s dark eyes shine with pride, feels it in every piece of land you claim for yourself that makes you a little more goddess than woman.

And before winter is upon you, the mark of battle is slowly fading from Eleusis, and you stand before a throne made of stone that they all pretend not to see the Norse runes etched on, and with your head held high, you claim the title you were born to hold.

Anassa of free Greece.

____

It is the sight in the night you offer a feast to honor the first families that are joined in marriage under your rule that Freydis notices something off about you.

Granted, a celebration in your home is almost nothing like the celebrations she participated in while in Kattegat; the games are very different and so is the music, the food is fascinatingly strange and the people less so, but still as fascinating; but she is unable to stop herself from comparing it to a feast in Kattegat, to the nights of music and loud people all around you, to the breathed laughs you’d let out and all the different smiles you would offer in the course of one night.

And while the world around you is familiar once again, and the people are warmer and kinder, and the music is more refined and the food sweeter; you…you remain distant. And your breathed laughs are mere chuckles for the benefit of others, and the smiles you offer do not stray from two varieties she sadly knows well: the false smiles and the wistful ones.

So, she approaches you. Quietly, you both know by now there aren’t words that need to be exchanged, she takes a seat next to you.

As who awakens from a dream, you turn your gaze to Freydis and offer a smile. A warmer one, a truer one, and that fills her hollow chest with something indescribable.

But instead of saying anything, or accepting the impossible calm in the midst of the chaos of the celebrations as you sit side by side, you stand up and extend a hand.

“Walk with me?”

Freydis doesn’t hesitate to take your hand, and when you don’t let go as you start walking through the balconies of the temple, she dares to intertwine her fingers with yours.

“You seem…different tonight.”

“It is strange, sitting there alone,” You tell her, an explanation, an answer to the question she didn’t need voice. “I never knew how to handle power alone. I had Narses, I had Ivar. I was never alone with power, with the decisions, with the…weight.”

“You don’t have to lose yourself because of it.”

“I don’t plan to, I just…if any of them were here, I could…ask them, I could…”

“What would you ask?”

“If hunger like this is to be expected,” You reply instantly, holding her hand just a tad tighter. You stop walking turning to look out at the sea from the stone balcony, and Freydis cannot help but feel you see much further beyond the horizon when you do. “I am not content with Eleusis, I want…more.”

Freydis smiles, proud and maybe a little mad.

“No one ever expected you to be.”

“What do you mean?”

“What is it you truly want, Freydis?” Galla asks, too convoluted of a question for this early in the morning. Though, Freydis has learned in these passing months that to what her is a morning to Galla is the middle of an afternoon.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

The other woman shrugs, full lips almost in a pout, “Everyone has ambitions. I wonder about yours.”

“If you expect me to name kingdoms, you will be disappointed.”

“I don’t.”

She adverts her gaze, pressing her lips together as she tries to come up with an answer, with a truth that doesn’t have the claw marks of her instinct that begs her to lie.

“Control,” She offers, before scrunching her face at her own words. It sounds wrong. So, she tries explaining, “I want to…for too long my life has been dictated by the choices of others.”

“Yet you follow a foreign woman to a world so far from yours, you accept her as your leader even if you aren’t of her people.”

“I need only have myself to have something to control. I’ve...learned that.”

“Will you tell me you truly do not hunger for more?” Galla insists, before being interrupted by the door opening with what seems to be a kick.

“I will kill Lysander. Mark my words, I will kill that man one day.” You complain loudly as you enter the room, shrugging off the himation with a frustrated grunt that just makes the task much more complicated for you, resulting in a little angry dance as you fight the piece of clothing that Galla snickers at.

Freydis watches you with a small smile on her lips, unable to keep herself from it. Quietly, she answers,

“We all want more.”

She searches your gaze for a few moments, before finding her words.

“If they were here, what would they say?”

“Narses would tell me to hold my ground, to wait for them to attack but ward them off by showing my strength,” You say, eyes unable to leave the blue of the sea as you continue, “Ivar would tell me to raze it all, to attack before they have time to realize I am a threat.”

“Would you do what any of them would tell you to?” She questions, even though she knows the answer.

She sees it in the curve of your mouth, feels it in the chuckle you let out as your head drops to her shoulder, hears it in the breath that leaves you.

“No, I wouldn’t,” You voice finally, quietly. “I would…I will lure them into attacking. They won’t think me a threat, no sane man would think a witch that stumbled her way into being a conqueror can protect a kingdom. When they step too close, we will attack, we will…reclaim.”

It isn’t what that fool you tricked into loving you would have done, for you aren’t standing tall like a man would and daring the world to come and stop you, because the world won’t hesitate to strike down a woman that dares do such a thing.

It isn’t what the man that offered you a heart and a kingdom yet lost you when he couldn’t give you freedom would have done, for you aren’t biting anger and bloodthirst at the helm of an army wanting to bring the world to its knees, because the anger that burns away at you is not one you will let turn you to ashes as well.

It is what you would do, with all the lessons those men and many others have left you with, but, more importantly, what all the lessons the women you have met and loved have left you with.

With your mother’s faith, with Sieghild’s resolve, with Valdís resilience, with Galla’s cunning.

Freydis doesn’t know what lessons, if any, she might have left you with. Yet as time goes by, and you both return to this same place, to this same home that isn’t the stone walls of the temple but something more, something more permanent than that; she realizes she never need leave you with any lesson, much like she refuses to acknowledge any lesson you may leave her with.

Because that would imply that one day you won’t be side by side. If Freydis accepts she leaves you with her loyalty, or her perseverance, then that means she leaves you, and she never would. If you leave her with your pride, or your strength, then there is a world possible where you are lost to her, and that simply cannot be.

I never knew how to handle power alone, you told her. But you never were. Alone, that is.

Her fingers intertwined with yours, her presence at your side, her shoulder for you to lean your head on as you both look ahead at the place where the sky meets the sea; and Freydis hopes you know that, just as she prays quietly, to whatever Gods may here, that neither of you ever know what it is like to be alone again.

____ ____ ____

Thank you for reading! Hope you liked it!

I’ll post the epilogue in a week or so, maybe earlier :)

Taglist: @youbloodymadgenius​ @heavenly1927​ @toe-vind-ek-jou​ @xbellaxcarolinax​ @angelofthorr​ @samsationalwilson​ @peachyboneless​ @1950schick​ @punkrocknpearls @ietss​​ @itsmysticalmystery​​ @revolution-starter​​ @the-a-word-2214​​ @fae-sedai​​ @crazybunnyladysworld​​   @funmadnessandbadassvikings @stupiddarkkside​​ @aprilivar​​ @msrawog​

#freydis #freydis x reader #freydis vikings #ἀλήθεια masterlist

[ask-the-ancientalia]

Snowy Times Means Grandpa Time

December 17th Prompt: Bundle up/Snow Day

Character(s): 2P Sweden (Beck Oxenstierna), 2P Kievan Rus (Rurik Bjornsson), 2P Ukraine (Yulia Chernenko), 2P Russia (Zakhar Braginsky), 2P Belarus (Natasha Arlofskaya)

@welovefrukmerunning

(2P Belarus art by 2P Jamaica on 2P Amino. 2P Ukraine, 2P Russia (in the cat sweater), and 2P Kievan Rus made with Gacha Club)

“Who wants to go see grandpa?” Rurik asked. “I do!” Natasha said with a bright smile. She loved seeing her grandfather and jumped at the chance to see him whenever he could. She had inherited Rurik’s red eyes and strawberry blond hair, just as her brother Zakhar did. Yulia is the only one with auburn hair. But she happened to have their red eyes. The three kids didn’t have school today since there was more snow than there was the day before. Rurik looked at Zakhar and Yulia. “Do you two want to see grandpa?” “Yeah,” the two say. “Let’s go see him,” Rurik said. The four of them then got their boots and coats on before they headed out to see a certain redheaded Swede.

When Beck answered the door, there was Rurik with his three kids. Seeing them brought a smile to his face. He did invite them inside. Once their boots and coats were off, Natasha was the first to hug Beck. A hug that was returned. He did love the moments he got to spend with his grandkids. Yulia and Zakhar also hugged Beck and he hugged the two of them.

“Pappy, guess what?” Natasha asked. “What is it, sweetie?” Beck asked. “We have a snow day today!” Natasha said. “Is that why you’re here?” Beck asked. She nodded. “Well, I’m happy you’re here,” Beck said. “I was just thinking about how I wanted to see you and your siblings.” This earned another hug from his youngest granddaughter. She was picked up and spun around a bit, earning laughter from the girl. Rurik smiled at the interaction. He always liked seeing his family happy and this made him happy. Yulia tugged on Beck’s sleeve. “Grandpa, can we draw?” “Of course you can,” Beck said. He took the kids to the living room and got them paper, pencils, crayons, and colored pencils.

Red eyes look at Rurik when he joined them. An arm was placed around his shoulders and a smile crossed the Swede’s face. Rurik smiled more and hugged Beck, saying, “You’re the best, papa.” Beck hugged Rurik and held him close, kissing his head. “That means a lot to hear you say that.”

#2p sweden #2P Kievan Rus #2p russia #2p belarus #2P Ukraine

[minetteskvareninova]

One type of petty bullshit that bugs me (even though both me and especially Ukraine have much bigger problems) is that now that Westerners realized Ukraine exists, they are trying to make sense of it. And one dumb misconception that they keep repeating in order to do that is “Kievan Rus = Ukraine”.

Don’t let that name fool you, Kievan Rus wasn’t Russian, and it wasn’t Ukrainian either. God, that’s just the whole “Great Moravia = Slovakia” bullshit all over again, isn’t it?! Listen... There were no Ukrainians in the 10th century. Or Russians for that matter. Tribes of Kievan Rus (of which there were many, mostly Slavic, but also Ugrofinic and Scandinavian) were the ANCESTORS OF modern East Slavic nations - all of them, Ukrainians, Belarussians, Russians and Ruthenians alike, just like Slavs of Great Moravia were ancestors of both Slovaks and Czech (as well as modern Moravans, who are their own nation, depending on how you look at it - look, I don’t have time here to explains what the deal with Morava is).

So yeah. It’s not the biggest deal, but I did a presentation on Kievan Rus a year and a half ago, so it kind of annoys me.

#random history #minette complains #very lightly and tentatively

[radiomayak]

Ivan’s Late Literacy, the Big Nerdy Defense TL;DR: Ivan absolutely has a language disorder. Prelude: I proclaim Ivan neurodivergent in the name of him being an external consciousness despite being representative of a population because playing an omnipotent is boring and neurodivergence is human and interesting and lovely.

Develomental Language Disorder (DLD) (sometimes just the phenomena of a developmental dysphasia) is a current niche area of study for child language development specialists, especially where those specialists are focused more on praxis and child neuropsychology rather than linguistics. DLD can refer to any NOS language delay of a child or an adult, specifically where the delay isn’t attributable to any known neurodivergence such as an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In a child, it can mean disorganized speech, telegraphic speech in a child that otherwise should be able to form longer thoughts, improper conjugation of verbs in their native language and dropping articles. 

I’ve always held on this blog that Ivan’s speech was “off” when he was younger, due to neglect/absence of being taught, not because of the way Kievan Rus and Tsarist Russia was, but out of a lack of guardianship by other nations due to the sheer distance and how it’s difficult to place the Russia/Ukraine/Belarus siblingship in history as a unit of children. Yeah, yeah, it’s fiction, but instead of working around how that was balanced, I’m working through it.  The fortunate thing about nations, however, is that presumably they have a degree of ESP as the collective “mind” of their population, and this is how I explain a lot of Ivan’s “folk learning” despite this language delay... so if he can learn in that “backdoor” way, what’s the point in keeping the language delay? Aside from representation, it has been hypothesized since the 90′s that feature-based lexical organization doesn’t just HAPPEN to people with DLD/dysphasia. They do not learn language through constructing paradigms (more accurately, the research states “[people with dysphasia] do not have the underlying capacity to learn through constructing paradigms”, which implies that they may, but that it has to be tutored/external in the opinion of Gopnik (lol) and Crago, 1990.) And that provides defense for this being an ongoing neurodivergence (and perhaps a functional difference in white matter brain structure according to Herbert et al.) that Ivan would have a difficult time overcoming on his own. Of course, over 400 years of struggling did result in a pubescent child who meets verbal expectations of his age group, but what about foreign languages?

Given that he preferred visual and tactile work (carpentry, tanning, arts...), I think it’s safe to say that that was one of his primary venues of learning, and most of his success has come from the physical trades. So combine a lack of experience being tutored, illiteracy so he wasn’t immediately ready to learn a foreign language in texts, and an underlying difficulty acquiring language and using it properly, it’s no surprise that his first efforts learning French fell through. Ivan is far less of a polyglot than other muses, and a lot of that is attributable to this. 

Of course, DLD doesn’t just mean that his speech was a horrible blend of Old Slavic dialects, “modern” Russian, and whatever French loan-words came in to the zeitgeist during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it also means that he may experience discrepancies in verbal comprehension, contributing to any purely psychoemotional volatility or insecurity in his interpersonal life, adding to his impulsive, unpleasant, and extreme behavior towards other people. 

His cards aren’t right, they weren’t set up right.

Gopnik, M.. and Crago. M.B.. 1991. Familial aggregation of a  developmental disorder. Cognition, 39: 1-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0277(91)90058-C

Herbert, M.R., Ziegler, D.A., Makris, N., Filipek, P.A., Kemper, T.L., Normandin, J.J., Sanders, H.A., Kennedy, D.N. and Caviness, V.S., Jr (2004), Localization of white matter volume increase in autism and developmental language disorder. Ann Neurol., 55: 530-540. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.20032

#ooc #headcanon #i did this in the span of fifteen minutes to please do 5give me and dm me if you have anything you'd like me to know #especially in the way of ''you're fundamentally incorrect bc my lived experience is ...'' just dm me man #then i mcfix it

[earths-roots-grow-up]

A weird rant about how APH Prussia is the Rock Lee of Hetalia, except he’s a jerk, and APH Russia is kinda lowkey Gaara, but saner. And some historical rusprus stuff.

I dunno if anyone here ever liked Naruto, but I used to be a fan ages ago. One of my fav parts was the Gaara vs Rock Lee dynamic, not only because of the contrasting personalities, but mostly because of the build-in differences in how they operated as warriors and what they had to work with. Gaara had the demon tanuki in him from birth, which - sure was kinda a curse that made him slowly go insane - but ninja-abilities-wise it made him this super-human from the start. So he had incredible advantage when it came to natural (let's call them that for simplicity's sake) abilities. He had this curse/gift he never had to think twice about, he was just powerful. While Rock Lee was born with a handicap - he was unable to use ninjutsu, so something that would normally disqualify him from being a ninja. He had to make up for that by incredibly hard work, discipline and drive. He needed to put so much more work than others just to be equal to them, but in the end, he was one of the best among them! He was even called the Genius Of Hard Work because of this. Those contradictions always reminded me of Russia and Prussia. NOT personality-wise, but the what-I-was-born-with aspect: Russia from early on had vast amounts of land and people, which in the Nation Universe gives you a certain amount of power. That's just the way he was born, he had it kinda given to him by the luck of the draw (if you HC he's the Kievan Rus. If you HC that he's the Principality of Moscow and Kievan Rus is his mom - this still kinda works bc he was born into large lands he inherited, I guess?). Of course that does not mean he had it easy, neither did Gaara - being powerful means others are scared of you and both of them felt that painfully. But they did start off with some advantages in certain aspects, is what I'm saying. Actually, ALL Nation representatives, even old tribal ones, were born with land they already owned. Russia was just kinda lucky, because his lands (or his Mom’s) were large. Prussia, on the other hand, was never born as a Nation, he was a Knight order with NO LAND. To me, that's kinda like being born without ninjutsu in Naruto — and what did Prussia do? He could just remain that order, the way many others did, like the Templars. But nope, he was determined to not only be equal to those who were born more powerful, he wanted to best them. And he did. With hard work, discipline and drive. So he is The Genius Of Hard Work in Hetalia. And just like with Lee and Gaara, here I also love the they-are-foils dynamic, the way they started off in such incredibly different places, but ended up equals on the battlefield. Their conflicts, like during the Seven Years War, were so draining for both, because they were so well-matched. But I think that because Prussia has a completely different psychological makeup than Rock Lee, his general mindset about this whole thing is different. They would agree that yes, hard work is more important than being born with a Talent, and that discipline is more important than motivation. But Rock Lee was optimistic and friendly, he never let his lack of ninjutsu make him hateful or angry or jaded, while Prussia I headcanon very much was angry at those who had naturally more power than him. He felt jaded because of it from a very young age, felt like he was not given what he deserved, and later it evolved into mindset that you need to achieve everything yourself to be worthy, so: those, who were given things, were below him. Their accomplishments were lesser than his, which made him more self centered and self-important. While Rock Lee never had this poisoned outlook on others nor did he feel superior to them. 

So anyway, I’m really into this in the context of RusPrus and their history because it creates this interesting scenario, in which they started off completely differently and their road to success also had to differ because of this, but in the 1700s both of them end up in a similar position: eager, ambitious Nations who are just stepping onto the “Great Powers of Europe” stage and wanna prove themselves and gain respect among giants such as France or Austria.

They are in a very similar stage of getting up the ladder and during that time get to, both: fight viciously with each other and help each other and grow thanks to the other’s support, depending on the decade. So they can learn about each other from different perspectives. 

That means two things to me: they are at the same time able to relate to one another bc of their current position, but also can find relating to one another hard and feel alienated, because of how differently they started off and how different their road to this spot was. So Prussia, for an example, would feel kinship with Russia bc he recognizes his own predicament in his current situation, wanting to be recognized and respected in Europe, but would also feel kinda alienated from him because ‘He has no IDEA what I had to go through to get to this point, none of them do!”. I love the idea that Russia shows him that he does in fact get it, at least as much as he can without going through it, and respects it immensely.  I dunno if anyone here likes Naruto so I can only hope this was interesting to some, so... yeah I give you: the asshole-bully Genius Of Hard Work Prussia and the haunted cursed powerful child Russia who had no friends but was still less psycho than Gaara, so... success? Please note that some parts of this whole comparison fit more than others xD  It’s just some loose musings of mine.

#aph prussia #aph russia #rock lee #hetalia #aph #Axis Powers Hetalia #hetalia world stars #hws prussia #gilbert beilschmidt #hetalia prussia #hetalia russia #rusprus #ruspru

[honestsycrets]

Rus | Sy’s Resource

Timeline

793 | Viking attack on Lindisfarne.

Late 8th-9th c  | Vikings attacks on Europe- leading out into the Baltic sea, resulting in exploration through the Dvina river.

859-862 |The arrival of first Rus in E. Europe as raiders then leaders.

873 | Ivar the Boneless dies.

882 | Oleg expands from Novgorod to Kiev.

907 | Oleg attacks Constantinople, success. Results in a trading treaty giving Rus privileges in Constantinople.

912 | Oleg dies.

941 | Igor’s failed attacks Constantinople: failure, Byzantines has more success.

988-989 | Vladmier converts to Christianity in order to marry a Byzantine daughter. Upon his return he forcibly baptized Kiev.

1018-1054 | Golden age of the Rus: Interconnections with Europe, more Christianization.

Who were the Rus?

Most likely, Swedish Vikings, lasting from late 800s to early 1200s. In The Primary Chronicle, written by some monks est eleventh century, Slavics invited a Varangian Rurik and his brothers to rule over them. Sound funny? Yeah, probably is. This was probably written to legitimize their rule.

Rus Vikings popped up around 8th-9th c in Novgorod (hi Rurik)! But, these (most likely) Swedish Vikings interbred with Finns, Bals, Slavs, and Volga Bulgars. They concerned themselves with furs, slaves, and silver.

Lifestyle

Princes | Nobles | Merchants | Artisans | Peasants | Kinda Free (you really tho?) People | Slaves

Most of the Kievan Rus were probably farmers, hunters, trappers, beekeepers, and herdsmen with simple lives. They probably ate what they produced, got their wee butts taxed. Their goods included furs, honey, animal hides, and wax with trade to other areas like the Byzantines.

Kievan Rus were often banded together in farming families, sort of like most Viking communities, including extended families since farming ain’t no easy work. Especially when you have crap tools. 

boyars | fighting men of Kiev. Nobles.

Slavic upper class. Small amount of members but important for the prince, towns, and states.

Merchants | Had a good amount of influence. At times political power. Often imported the luxury items: silk, fruit, spices, wines, metal, and pretty things.

Smerdy | peasants.

can i say this means “stinkers?”

Slaves | Important to early Kievan Rus.

Trade Route with Scandinavian Vikings

General trade during the Viking age included:

From Russia, as preciously stated, exports of slaves, furs, wax, and honey.

From Norway timber, iron, soapstone, whetstone, barley, tar.

From Sweden, Iron and Furs.

From Iceland: Fish, Animal Fat, Wool, Sulfur, FALCONS.

From England: Tin, What, Honey, Silver, Barley, Linen.

Most trading was done in short distances. as trading grew, Norse traders would trade widely. In trading to Russia, there were two main routes as well as two through central Europe to the Baltic. Both would drag ships up rapids and over land. Traders would begin in the Gulf of Finland, to Lake Ladoga (a major trading center c 9th-10th c), Then they would sail along the Volkhov river to the Lake Ilmen to Novgorod. Then the ships would row up rivers to be hauled to either Volga (to Caspian Sea) or the Dneiper (to the Black Sea).

Religion

Kievan Rus converted to Christianity in 988 after Vladmir smashed all pagan idols and uh, you know, forcibly baptized fuckers (The Primary Chronicle). But, heathen belief and practices still floated around after that. The Christian church was still one church. But in 1054, the Church split into the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Orthodox Christianity enjoyed building churches, forming saints, and mass. many old pagan practices were adapted into Christianity. Most arts were religious.

Women and Marriage

Queen Olga rules in 855: the first female ruler, a Christian, but did not adopt Christianity for all the Christians. Well respected for legislation reform of the tribute system. She had a seal, indicating her power.

Most women were homebodies preoccupied with bringing up children and managing the household. Women could control lands in her dowry, lend money, donate to the church, buy or sell slaves. Women could speak on their own behalf or appear as witness. Restrictions depended more on class than gender. Princesses could be judges. Women could hire fighters if a duel came to pass, but if they were both women, they would do this themselves. There was intermarriage with families in German areas and Scandinavia.

Male infidelity was not grounds for divorce, but it was expected when a female was unfaithful female. Men could also divorce women for attempted murder or theft as well as a wife eating or sleeping, visiting public entertainment against her husband’s wishes. Rape and lying was grounds for a woman to divorce her husband. Being unable to conceive was also grounds for divorce. Physical abuse was not alone grounds for divorce.

Orthodox Church forbid marriage between social class, heathens, or those not of faith. Rape would result in the same fine as murder, as was infantcide, abortion, beating a pregnant woman which results in child loss. Birth control was also punished by the church.

Fashion

Previous Resource

Women’s Clothing in Early Rus

Women’s Clothing in Kievan Rus: Medieval Textiles

Writing

Tiiiinnnnny section of population was literate. They might use birch-bark for manuscript codices or waxed wooden tablets. They might use coins and seals, pictures to label or caption, and also had graffiti. Parchment was made from animal skin, birch bark (scraped and boiled) and wooden tablets. Writing included a stylus and ink. Wooden tablets could be reused by smoothing wax with the flat end of the stylus to renew the tablet. Literacy often related to the church; the purpose of books was often devotional. It was also used by rulers and traders to conduct their businesses.

Terminology

kniaz’ | prince or duke.

There is some debate on this term in relation to other ruling classes as it’s debated Rus rulers were not ‘kings’ in the sense of say English kingship so this titlature can be inconsistent.

The etymology of kniaz: comes from Germanic root *kun-ingaz, same roots for “konungr,” and English “king”. Kniaz often were rules of city based territories (Kiev, Novgorod) with surrounding regional control. Stress upon a right to rule rather than a birth right (later did become this).

 Roles of kniazia: ruler, military leader, lawgiver, tax collector.

velikii kniaz’ | grand prince

Scholars disagree with its use. It’s not used frequently but may mean eldest member of kindred, regards a deceased ruler, or is similar to a tsar.

konungr | ruler (old norse) chief, king.

Problematic use of word as there was about 45 kings at one point who bore this title est 800. This word seems to have a loose meaning that can be applied to lesser known people and more well known such as Harald Bluetooth.

gardariki | name given to the Rus in Old Norse.

rex, reges p. | ruler (in relation to anglo-saxon england but also poland (who also used the term dux)).

Also another area where there was an excess of kings in areas like Wessex and Mercia.

rí | king (in relation to ireland).

More than 150 kings during the 5th-12th c. A rí would rule over his own people and were responsible for them. Another term of consideration is an ard-rí, a high king, but that concept is under debate.

How does Vikings (tv) fit into this?

In short, it doesn’t really fit well. But that’s TV for you. While Hirst does use important figures to pull a more well rounded experience for viewers, these dates do not correlate with the people who indeed lived within them. Christinization was not until 988, and when we start with Ragnar in the late 8th century, there would have been no successful wide spread Christianity. In conclusion, Hirst does bring important elements in... but its a bit disconnected over all.

Works Cited

Duczko, Wladyslaw. Viking Rus Studies on the Presence of Scandinavians in Eastern Europe. Leiden ; Boston: Brill, 2004. Northern World ; v. 12. Web.

Franklin, Simon. Writing, Society and Culture in Early Rus, c.950–1300, Cambridge University Press, 2002. ProQuest Ebook Central.

“Land Travel in the Viking Age.” Hurstwic, www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/land_travel.htm.

Thompson, John. Russia : A Historical Introduction from Kievan Rus' to the Present, Routledge, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central.

Young, Matthew. Folk Epics and the Role of Gender in Medieval Kievan Rus. Simmons College, beatleyweb.simmons.edu/scholar/files/original/aea362ec44e5d72e3014bd40a9d07c6f.pdf.

#Sy's Resource #Sy's rant #Vikings Fandom #I tried #welcome to my ted talk

[philomaela]

If Oleg is supposed to be based on Oleg of Novgorod, the whole Christianity thing is off by about a century. Kievan Rus didn't become widely Christian until Vladimir the Great. But what's another anachronism on top of thousands for this show?

I think the thing about Vikings is that it’s essentially compressed the Viking age into the span of like two generations. And so the result is that a lot of people are compressed and historical and culture moments merge together and happen at a very fast rate. I wonder if it’s because it’s aiming for a feeling (an emotional journey), rather than a straight depiction of events… or maybe Hirst just wanted to shove as much cool shit in as possible lmao. Either way, yeah at a base level it’s just another drop in the anachronism bucket lol.

It does make me wonder about Vikings: Valhalla though, I mean… Ubbe is likely going to America… yet we’re supposed to be excited for Leif Erikson? Obviously there are other aspects that can be interesting and other historical figures it might be exciting to see, but I don’t know. Will the world the show sets up be significantly different from the world of Vikings now? I hope so.

#vk ask #Anonymous #Asked and Answered