#kievan rus siblings

[spoati]

Been rewatching atla recently and thought of my favorite rus sibs ofc....

Russia: Shitty waterbender, especially in terms of combat. He's better at freezing things but not good at the push/pull motions required of manipulating water so he's awkward with it. In most cases he relies on General Winter and physical strength rather than bending and he's insecure about it.

HOWEVER, inexplicably, he can bloodbend. He prefers not to but he can.

Belarus: Non-bender. Y'all know she doesn't need to be a bender to be terrifying, next.

Ukraine: Earth bender. Uses it for farming mostly but her bending is a might to be reckoned with during battle, do not fight her unless you wanna be wrecked.

(Oh yeah and feel free to shoot ideas about the other nations in the comments of this post i dont mind :3)

[apersonwholikeslotus]

Belarus: I'm going to get myself some soup

Ukraine: Be careful not to burn yourself, it's hot.

Belarus: I won't burn myself.

~30 seconds later~

Belarus, entering the room: I burned myself.

[vahvah]

Bros, the ideas that circulate in canon and fanon around eastslavic siblings really seem strange to me.

It is strange to expect a japanese man to be well versed in the intricacies of eastern european history of the early and high Middle Ages, but to expect this from an english-speaking fandom (mostly northamerican, let's face it) is also, it seems to me, pointless.

Let me explain. "Kievan Rus" is an artificial construct adopted from russian imperial/soviet historians. Moreover, it’s not just a matter of the name, as, you know, the late Rhomean Republic is called the “Byzantine Empire”, it’s just that there was LITERALLY no such state as “Kievan Rus”. In the space approximately from the Baltic and White to the Black Seas, there were numerous proto-urban and urban settlements of slavic, finno-ugric and baltic (as well as other) tribes, which entered into alliances with each other, sometimes quite strong, but still remained isolated. Of course, it would be disingenuous to say that since the beginning of time the urban educated population did not develop some kind of common identity… for some time.

But if we talk about actually existing cultural regions, determined by geography and economics, then, in fact, it is worth highlighting Northern (Novgorod) Rus' and Southern (Kievan Rus' itself), in a very simplified scheme. One of them was tied to the countries around the Baltic Sea, like the scandinavians, the baltic tribes and northgerman cities, as well as the slavs of modern East Germany. The other constantly encountered nomads, “Byzantine Empire" and, to a lesser extent, the western and southern Slavs (and magyars!). They were never able to truly become a unified state.

Of course, this is a simplification, because in addition to the Rurikids in the North, who subjugated the South and over time moved there (while the south over time began to separate itself, in particular, into the Novgorod Republic), there was a separate center in Polotsk and some others, but it approximately reflects the essence and, if I were asked about personifications, then I would make two separate MAIN personifications for Rus', Novgorod in the North (male) and Kiev in the South (female), which would be the parents of the future Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.

But if you asked me in even more detail, then Belarus should stand a little aside. You know, in fact, historically it is more archaic and “stagnant” than Ukraine in the south and Russia in the northeast. Did you know that lithuanians called belarusians an ethnonym derived from the name goths lol? Plus, genetically and partly culturally, belarusians, like some poles, are closer to the baltic peoples, and not to the rest of the slavs. Taking into account the independent center of statehood in Polotsk, independent of the Rurikids, I would say that Belarus DEFINITELY must be older than Russia (which in the strict sense could only have been born as the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality/North-Eastern Rus' with more ancient names, let’s not clutter the text ) and POSSIBLY older than Ukraine. Perhaps she is an adopted child.

Of course, in reality we have many problems in studying the region for objective reasons, such as a lack of written sources, but… I still love Eastern Europe, these are my roots, after all. And it's really interesting.

[princessoftherus]

𝓧𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓪 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓥𝓲𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓡𝓾𝓼 & 𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝓠𝓾𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓸𝓯 𝓚𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓰𝓪𝓽

Xenia Lothbrok formerly Rurikovich better known as Xenia of Novgorod and called among her people the Viking Princess is the princess of Kievan Rus, daughter of the late King Rurik, Igor's older sister and niece of Prince Oleg, Dir and Askold. Always protected and guarded, Xenia grew up lovingly among her family, raised in the belief in the Norse gods and raised as a proud Viking woman, to which her people belonged before converting to Christians, still firmly maintaining her faith today, like her father once, who was a convinced Viking, warrior and king and still today refuses to follow the Christian faith, which she sees as a threat. As the only child of her parents, Xenia had a strong will from an early age, knowing how to use it to make others follow her will and to captivate them with her charm. In addition, she showed early on what she wanted to fight for by taking a great interest in the battles, travels and plans of her father, who included her in their plans from an early age and relied on Xenia's intelligence and acumen, which made men passionate and skillful supported, which is why he took them and their uncles with him into battles, on the sea and on raids. After the birth of her brother and the death of her mother, she took over her mother's upbringing, grieving but outwardly appearing strong and determined. Shortly before her father's death, he appointed Oleg, his brother-in-law and closest confidant, as regent and leader of the Rus and entrusted him with the care of his children. Due to the dispute between Oleg and his brothers, both siblings were separated, which is why Xenia initially grew up alone under Oleg's supervision and was considered Oleg's little darling in Kiev for a long time, who was a substitute father for the princess, taught her a lot and was the only person that Oleg really loved. Since Oleg's hunger for power and his madness encourage him to own the country for himself, Xenia once again loses part of her family and is on her own. This is now considered to be treated with caution, not to be underestimated, as combative, respected by the people as a strong, direct and honest young woman who is beginning to make her own alliances among the Rus and knows how the game is played and is the only one who always defies Oleg, who now sees her as a danger. While time and losses have shaped her and coldness and harshness characterize the princess, who seems aloof and doesn't let anyone get close to her, which often makes her appear arrogant. However, behind this mask in order not to appear vulnerable is her mother's gentle nature, great sensitivity, a feeling for others and wanting to help them, her good-natured heart that burns for those she loves and is loyal to them and Igor is similar is than everyone else assumes. When Igor also falls into Oleg's hands and Xenia gets to know Ivar the Boneless, she reveals herself to him, who becomes her only confidant and she also builds a close bond and supports him in his plans to overthrow Oleg and take Igor away from Kiev. After this success, the rest of the small family is united and the Rus are stronger than before. Despite the admiration of her people and her role as an advisor to Dir and Igor, she always feels alone, doesn't belong and is sure that her fate lies somewhere else. Far away from their home, the two men and the Christians. Now she lives in Kattegat with her beloved husband King Ivar, at his side and as the new Queen of Kattegat and mother of Cailan Ivain, Vidar Ragnar and Edda Aslaug. ⸻ Vikings.

[unhonestlymirror]

*read from from bottom to top*

It reminds me of a Georgian journalist taking an interview from a russian refugee. (N.B. Georgia is partially occupied by russia.) They asked, "Whose Crimea is?" - and the guy answered "of people who live there." XD

It's such a simple question with only one correct answer. If a "good" russian can not answer "Ukraine" on it, they is very much not a good russian at all.

I kindly ask all "Kievan Rus" believers to go and read this article with translator

"Moscow as a settlement was founded in 1272. In the same year, the third population census of the Golden Horde was conducted. During the first census (1237–1238 pp.) and the second (1254–1259 pp.) settlement, Moscow is not mentioned," wrote historian Yaroslav Dashkevich. Which is the 13th century. According to other not very reliable sources, it's the 12th century. And even back then, there were no russians.

"It all began on November 2, 1721, when Tsar Peter I proclaimed the Muscovite Kingdom, the "Russian Empire" and Muscovites "Russians." Tsar Peter decided to join Muscovy to the European cultural heritage, so he was not at all satisfied with the story of the origin of Muscovites from the great and proud Finnish tribes: Mokshi, Meri, Murom, Vesi, Pechora, Mesheri, Perm, Mari. He gave instructions to add the name Rus instead of the barbaric Moksel."

"This is how academician Hryhoriy Pivtorak explains it: "Catherine II tried to learn the history of her state on the basis of written sources provided to her - chronicles and other documents of Moscow's antiquity. The true history of Muscovy shocked her because it was lame and very poor. The tsaritsa was especially struck by the fact that the mighty state of Russia, whose glory thundered throughout the world for three centuries and whose princes considered it an honor to become relatives to the kings of France, Hungary, Sweden... as it turned out, had no relation to Muscovy."

On December 4, 1783, by order of Catherine, the "Commission for compiling notes on ancient history, mainly Russian" was created. The commission worked for 9 years and, by rewriting and distorting historical facts, created a new history of the Russian Empire, which traced its origins back to Kyivan Rus."

"A new version of Russian history was published in 1792.

It became a standard for future historians of the 19th century and formed the basis of "History of the Russian State" in 12 volumes by Karamzin, as well as the fundamental "History of Russia from Ancient Times" in 29 volumes by Solovyov"

P.S. My personal history is that russians left me and my family without home. russians killed my pets. russians killed my friends and my classmate. This is my personal history.

Never ever Ukraine called russia its sibling, and we never will.

I declare kvasgod an uneducated latent rashist.

[peppermint-chocolate-cherries]

Some Analysis of LietBela

I’ve been thinking about making this post for quite some time, but I also knew I’d be explaining my side of things in essay form.  Well, I finally wrote the essay.

Full disclaimers, I am a Canadian who was barely taught anything about Eastern Europe in high school.  My knowledge on Lithuanian, Belarusian and Polish history is from spending a few hours clicking through Wikipedia as I wanted to learn more about Lithuania once the Hetalian became my newest muse a few years ago.

Hetalia’s Lithuania was really an afterthought at best when I joined the fandom. When I wrote my first story, Absorbing the Deck, he appears as a side character in the last couple chapters driving the Clubs carriage.  At that point in my fandom experience, he was still just Russia’s lackey, and that’s how he was until I planned out The Nefarious Mathilda Jones.

I don’t recall what the change was this time, I think I just wanted to give Ivan a familiar Hetalian to be working with as one of Mathilda’s nefarious henchmen.  Even in the original D&D alignment chart (good vs evil, lawful vs chaotic) I made for the characters in the story, Tolys was never specifically assigned an alignment.  I even considered putting him and Antonio into a side fling, but that didn’t pan out.  Over time, since it took 2.5 years to write the last 10 chapters of the story, I was able to think about the nefarious quartet’s motivations a lot more, and develop backstory for them that would cover ⅔ seasons worth of a television show.  That is when Tolys’s POV became so important for me, as a voice of reason to rationalize Mathilda’s decisions in the last year of the story.

And that is when I fell in love with the character of Lithuania, and looked up his history.  Turns out that Lithuania was already an Eastern European powerhouse in the 1200’s-1400’s, before joining up with Poland to create the renowned Commonwealth.  There were many instances during their union where Poland wanted to cooperate more with other kingdoms, such as Sweden and France, but it was the Lithuanian faction that opposed this.  I realized that this made for an interesting dynamic between the two of them: Poland was the politician, and Lithuania was the warrior.

Then we have Belarus.  The young child was bounced around a lot between guardians, along with Ukraine and Russia.  The rise in power of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 1200’s was all about taking over land from the Mongols and from the former Kievan Rus when opportunity struck. At that time, he controlled territory all the way from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, including large sections of what are now Belarus and Ukraine.  As such, both sisters would have technically been under Lithuania’s charge for some time.

So, this is where this complex relationship starts, with Lithuania as Belarus’s guardian.  In the Hetalia strips and anime, we see that Belarus is quite young around this time, as this is also when Russia is a child struggling to make friends while also fending off the Teutonic Knights (aka Prussia).  While not much older, Lithuania definitely has the advantage in this power dynamic with Belarus. Although I did read that the Lithuanians did allow the Ruthenians a bit more economic and cultural autonomy in exchange for on-call military support.

During these centuries under Lithuania’s control is where Belarus grew up into a young lady, in my humble opinion.  Perhaps it was the autonomy while under his control that allowed her to do just that.  Even when Poland entered the mix and the Commonwealth came to be, Belarus remained firmly under Lithuania’s control and was not shared with Poland.  Perhaps it was Lithuania, or even Poland, that taught her how to use daggers in self-defence, should the two of them ever be unable to protect her.

Meanwhile, through all this time, Belarus kept an eye on the welfare of her siblings.  While Ukraine was also subject to Lithuania’s rulership at times, Russia was not.  He eventually found his own footing and path to imperial power, eventually becoming a fascination and a threat to the rest of Europe.  The inheritance and control of Kievan Rus, the former territory that was home to all three siblings, was becoming a hot topic of debate again, and now Russia had the power to make the move.

And so he did.  Not only did he bring his sisters back under his wing, he also dismantled the Commonwealth and claimed Lithuania for the Russian Empire as well.

Lithuania had all his former power and glory stripped away, and was reduced to following the orders of someone else.  Sure, he had to work with Poland for centuries, but that was a relationship of equals.  For the first time in centuries, Lithuania no longer had his autonomy, and now had to answer to the Russian empire.

The only trace of his former life was having Belarus at his side in the same position.

This is where I think their relationship becomes more twisted and complicated.  Belarus is the only constant that Lithuania has left, she’s the only one here he can technically still trust.  This is likely where he starts projecting his affections on her, believing that she still cares enough about him to watch his back.  Meanwhile, Belarus is embracing her role in the Empire, enjoying her people’s return to Slavic cultures and traditions, and more than happy to serve her brother instead of Lithuania.

When the Russian Empire collapses, and everyone becomes independent after World War I, Lithuania and Belarus both find themselves suddenly fighting with Poland and Russia to reclaim the territories surrounding Vilnius.  There were even a couple attempts to work together, first as equals in a Lithuanian-Byelorussian republic, but then with Belarus still a part of Lithuania.  Ultimately, her land got split between Russian control and Polish control, while Lithuania had to cede control of Vilnius to Poland.  Nobody was getting along during this time, let’s just put it like that.

World War II comes along, and they both get conquered again, bouncing between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia a few times before they both ultimately become Soviet states after the war.  Finding himself in the same position as before, Lithuania is desperate to make amends with Belarus and rekindle the allegiance they once held to each other.  Even if the times of conquering lands and controlling territories was no longer a thing, Lithuania still deeply cared for her.  However, Belarus was once again happily embracing Russification and rejecting Lithuania at every turn.

This is where I ultimately think their relationship became toxic.  Lithuania is pining for her beyond reason, and she wants nothing to do with him.  It’s hard to say who is more at fault here. While Belarus breaking his fingers in the Hetalia strips is certainly a very extreme action, Lithuania also did not have the wherewithal to take off his rose-coloured glasses and see that she was genuinely not interested in his advances.

It’s not until the fall of the Soviet Union, when Lithuania and Belarus take their separate paths to independence, that I think Lithuania finally sees the light.  He’s making all these efforts to join the European alliances and economy, and earn his places in the UN and NATO.  He’s working with the other European countries to find ways to bolster his own economy and provide for his own people, now that everyone has agreed to stop invading each other and work together instead.

On the other side of the border, he can see all too clearly now how stuck Belarus is in her own ways.  She struggles to make ends meet for herself, she does not seek aid or alliances with the rest of Europe, and she ultimately resorts to being a puppet state to now-capitalist Russia.  It troubles Lithuania greatly, since he’s watched her for so long as she grew to be a nation only for her to take this path that opposes his own.

He does still have to cooperate with her on border issues, and he still has to pay attention to anything she or Russia might be up to.  Lithuania still cares about her fate, but I think in modern days he’s come to accept that he cannot control it for her.  One day, Belarus will have to remove her own rose-coloured glasses and see where she has allowed Russian influence to take her.

On that day she comes to her senses, she might realize that it’s already too late to avoid becoming entirely Russian and fading away into the history books.  On the other hand, she might wake up in time to resist that fate, and forge her own independence.  She might finally call on assistance from the West to break free from Russification, to reclaim her own culture and language that were nearly lost.

Lithuania still awaits the day where she’ll come to his doorstep asking for help, and he will always keep the door open for her.  But now he realizes that it’s up to her to ask for his help, when and if she is ever ready to.

I found Hetalia in 2015, at which point there were already thousands of stories posted to Livejournal, Fanfiction.Net and AO3.  When looking through the tags for LietBela (as well as RusLiet), there is a LOT of toxic relationships in there.  Early fandom really went hard with the “Lithuania pines, Belarus breaks his fingers” aspect of the manga and wrote some very dark and abusive tropes into their stories for Tolys and Natalya.  I only needed to read a couple of these stories to figure out that this is definitely not my cup of tea.

However, I cannot overlook the historical context between these two characters, and what events would have led to their relationship becoming so toxic and complicated in the first place.  These are two characters who have known each other for 800 years, who grew up together and forged their identities alongside each other.  No doubt they used to respect each other when Belarus was under Lithuania’s rulership, perhaps even admire each other’s strengths.  But that loss of Lithuania's power led to their relationship becoming incredibly strained and violent.

In my headcanons for the modern day nations, Lithuania is still recovering from the anxiety and paranoia he developed under Russia’s control, and part of that journey is accepting what has become of his relationship with Belarus.  He has learned to move on, to work on himself instead and to find happiness in other ways and with other relationships.  But he still holds onto that hope that, someday, Belarus will come to him and ask for his help.

And he will answer that call gladly.

[littletrouper]

A glimpse into Andrei’s (Armand’s) early childhood

We start with some bits from canon and then some head canons. The later are based on historical records of life during that era (sources below the cut), which tbh are scarce and may be a little stretched, so bear with me.

Canon (Chapter 10, TVA):

Andrei had at least four siblings – one older married sister (unnamed), another sister around his age (Anya), one younger brother (unnamed) and another brother which we know nothing about. He also had an uncle his age (Borys) who lived with them.

Andrei, his parents, his uncle and his siblings all lived in a wooden house in Podil (the oldest part of Kiev), just yards away from the Dnieper river. The house had rats and was very VERY cold. Based on historical facts – the house must have been a typical Russian “Izba” (more info in the head canon part).

His father was a hunter, the strongest man in town and well respected. He taught him how to hunt and ride a horse, Andrei was his favorite son. He often sang to him, he and Borys would sing together on occasion. He sang songs about the glory of old Kievan Rus, which Andrei did not favor.

He painted eggs with his mother – red dye and wax. The eggs were believed to heal the sick and ward off evil spirits. When they were done painting eggs, Andrei would place them in the orchards for good luck with the coming harvest, also on the door of his sister’s new home when she married to wish her good luck.

Head Canon:

Andrei’s birthday is on the 30th of November, which is the Name day for all people named Andrei. Tradition at the type suggested that it was a good omen to name the child with the name that corresponds to the day of birth. More on that in this post. BONUS: Andrei means warrior, as does Armand btw (coincidence? I THINK NOT! 🤨)

His mom’s name is Ekaterina, just cuz ❤ plus, it looks like @hekateinhell and I were both calling her that in our heads, so it must be fate.

Andrei and his family lived in what is typically known as a Russian “izba”. It was a wooden structure with only one room which the owners separated into several parts. The stove corner which was separated with a curtain was an obligatory part of the izba. There were also separate zones for men and women.  All corners in the house were built according to the four cardinal points, and the most important among them was the Eastern (red) corner, where the family had the iconostasis. The iconostasis is where they put up Andrei’s ikons, of which he painted many.

The masonry Russian stove is the main element of the interior of Andrei’s home. It had wooden benches that were used for sleeping which were stretched from the stove to the opposite wall. To lie on it, feeling warm and cozy was the ultimate dream, but as per custom – it was usually reserved for the head of the family. But Andrei would always use the opportunity to take a quick nap there during the winter, while his father was out hunting.

Andrei’s favorite and probably only sweet treat was baked milk (apart from fruit, which was typically boiled). It’s slightly aged cow milk that his mother left in the cooling stove overnight, which made it caramelize and thicken slightly and it was always a lovely surprise for Andrei to wake up to. Plus, it’s packed with calcium and gave him strength for the hunting trips with his father.

The stove was also believed to have healing capabilities. So when Andrei got a cold after a long hunting trip with Ivan, Ekaterina smothered him in blankets on the stove bed and gave him inhalations from chamomile tea steam. And when he got a fever, she would send Ivan to get ‘grave soil’ to sew into a cloth bag and hang around Andrei’s neck. It was believed at the time that soil taken from a grave could have healing qualities.

In medieval Russia it was believed that a sword and an earring make a man. Russian warriors have been piercing their ears since ancient times, it was a protective, magical action. Ivan wasn’t a wealthy man, but he had a pair of copper earrings which he wore proudly. When he took Andrei (his favorite son, to whim he gave the name ‘warrior’) on his first hunting trip he gave him one of the earrings. Andrei lost his earring while running from the Tatars, and it was the only thing Ivan found of his son after. Ivan wore both earrings until the day he died.

Literacy was extremely rare after the end of the Mongol occupation and schools in Russia wouldn’t exist for another 200 years. The only place one could learn to read and write was in the monasteries, which is exactly where Andrei learned both. He was the only literate in his family (the church disapproved of hunting so Ivan was not welcomed there). He read scripture to his  mother and his little sister Anya before falling asleep.

Bath time was not something Andrei would particularly look forward too. Ivan took him and his little brother to the Podil ‘banya’ (translate: bath house). He hated how sickeningly hot it was inside and how the air was thick with soot from the heating stove. While there, they had to anoint themselves with tallow, then they would take young reeds and lash their bodies (think Finnish sauna, except harsher). Ivan helped both boys with the lashing, it was believed that this was crucial to their good health. Andre did enjoy the dousing with cold water that followed after though.

Andrei scribbled notes and practiced writing on dried birch bark, paper was extremely difficult to find.

Andrei remembers his grandmother living with them when he was very little, he called her ‘babushka’. She was a hunched over woman with no teeth and an abundance or hardship written on her face, she didn’t live past her 45th year which was a longer life than most got at the time. He remembers her sitting on the porch of the izba, regaling him with stories of magical samodivas dressed in white and singing in the woods. He also remembers her threats that Baba Yaga (a witch) will snatch and eat him if he misbehaved. When she died, he wondered if perhaps she has sacrificed herself to Baba Yaga instead of Andrei, who had broken his father's bow when he was clearly told not to play with that.

Ivan took Andrei on his first hunting trip pretty early on, he knew his boy was strong. Andrei had just turned 8 when Ivan took it upon himself to teach him the craft in the winter’s season (January-February). The wolf is the most widespread large indigenous game animal in Russia of the times and that was their catch more often than not (wolf killers lol except they knew what they’re doing). They locate a pack and encircle them with a 3-5 km long tether. The cloth retains human scent so the wolves tend to stay in the encircled area. Ivan had Andrei help him with the tether and then demonstrates as he plucks them off one by one (remind you of someone?! In a certain scene in Venice with some shady nobles?).

Ivan was legendary with the bow and arrow (this part is canon, Armand compares him to Ulysses). And naturally he taught his boy how to use it as well and he was very vocal in his pride when Andrei shot his first hare.

Resourses:

Model for Armand/Andrei – Matthew Clavane, edits made using FaceApp

Some historical links:

www.rbth.com

www.medievalists.net/2019/12/b-mail-everyday-communication-on-birch-bark-in-medieval-russia/

www.tota.world/article/594/

[shadowcovcn]

★ ⸻ GENERAL

name: Krasimir

title(s): Baron; The Undying One.

gender: male

age: 56 (death); 950+ (current).

birthday: he doesn't remember.

place of birth: East Slavic; Kievan Rus’ (modern Belarus).

spoken & understood language(s): Spanish, English

sexual preference: pansexual/demiromantic.

occupation(s): formerly an advisor and teacher to a wealthy family in the Byzantine Empire; cult leader.

★ ⸻ APPEARANCE

eye color: blonde.

hair color: blue.

height: 6'4"

major scars: He was made into a eunuch before being sold...so I'll let your mind paint the picture on that one.

★ ⸻ FAVORITE

color: crimson

song: (thinking about this one)

food: pizza.

drink:  virgin blood.

★ ⸻ HAVE THEY…

passed university: no, not enough money to cover fees and he couldn't get a scholarship

had sex: yes

had sex in public: yes

gotten pregnant/someone else pregnant: no

kissed a boy: yes

kissed a girl: yes

gotten tattoos: no

gotten piercings: no

stayed up for more than 24 hours: yes

★ ⸻ ARE THEY…

a virgin: no

a cuddler: no

a kisser: no

scared easily: no

jealous easily: yes no

trustworthy: lol. not the word i would use.

dominant: yes

submissive: depends on the person.

in love: he has been, not that he'll admit it.

single: on and off thing with Carlisle. very fucked up. don't think too hard on it.

★ ⸻ RANDOM QUESTIONS

have they harmed themselves: unintentionally

thought of suicide: no

attempted suicide: no

have/had a job: yes

have any fears: he'll deny it up and down but the concept of death is a frightening one to him, especially after being charred.

★ ⸻ FAMILY

sibling(s): Several although he remembers none of their names

parent(s): father and mother whose names have been lost to immortality

children: none. however he takes on a paternal role with other vampires such as nandor and nadja.

significant other: Carlisle Cullen ( @musecraft)

pet(s): hellhound

[𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘]: @gui1lermodelacruz [𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆]: @klngbottom @mutinouscaptain @hellceo

[aohendo]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! How long have your current WIPs been in production? Was there a moment in the conception process when everything just CLICKED and you knew you needed to write them?

Thanks for the ask, and happy STS to you, too!

For Prince for Hire, I scribbled out the first pseudo-scene during a particularly boring class about a year and a half ago. It started with: "Kiris had turned the queen’s bathtub into a boat" (which I still think would have been a wicked first line). From there it just kind of... spiraled.

I'd had a vague idea of setting and concept (fantasy Kievan Rus, sometime during the Mongol invasion when local princes would compete to essentially become the lead prince/emissary from the Horde over the region), but I'd set it aside to knock out a few drafts of Reverberate. Finished that up, checked my list of WIPs with potential, and realized Kiris and his group were stuck in my head despite the number 1 contender having a really interesting setting and a strong sibling bond (the short version: fear- and trauma-based portal magic + fire rescue + tail end of Samurai era Japan + recurring college student plotline).

So, I plotted out how this could potentially go, wrote a good 10k into that version, then realized I needed Kiris to be a little more competent. Once I figured that out, I really liked his character. Now I want to finish the story to make him happy, and also because I really want to write Musyr (and Iiriok too). I guess, then, the moment this clicked and I knew I had to write it was when I realized I really wanted to give Kiris friends.

[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}

[autistichwsamerica]

HWS Belarus: Is Russia alright? He's been lying face down on the floor for nearly two hours.

HWS Ukraine: He's just a little overwhelmed.

HWS Belarus: Why?

HWS Ukraine: Vietnam smiled at him.

[apersonwholikeslotus]

hws Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus are Denmark, Sweden, and Norways 2nd cousins once removed btw.

the Scandinavians mom was the Kievan-Rus siblings grandfathers cousin.

[wiltingofthewhitelily]

{Hetalia Family Week 2021} Day 1: Hobbies - Kievan Rus’ Siblings

A/N: Submission #1 for @hetafamilyweek! So happy someone chose to host this event, I’m really excited to participate! :)

First up is the Kievan Rus' siblings (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus) bc I can't get enough of them lol. I've written oneshots of them where they're like, young children, but here they're gonna be a little bit older. Ukraine is gonna be the (human) age of about an older teen/young adult, Russia is an older child, while Belarus is still a young kid.

Also, just a heads up: most of the entries I’m submitting (including this one) are nothing more than just drabbles and are, admittedly, not my best quality work—so, my point is, don't expect any amazing writing from me this week lol. Most of 'em aren't as good as a lot of the oneshots I've done in the past but hey, at least they're something. Ok? Ok.

So without further ado, let's get it started :)

»»————-　➴　————-««

"Are you two ready? Have everything you need?"

"Mhm," Russia spoke for both himself and his younger sister, Belarus. He held her hand and they scooted a bit closer to their big sister, holding their yarns and needles.

Ukraine smiled down at them, chuckling a little. She was going to teach both of them how to knit, one of her favorite hobbies—and she was hoping it could become the same for both of them. First off, they were all going to knit gloves for themselves. "Okay. Bela, why don't you come sit over here?" she said, patting the seat on her left. The woman figured it'd be easier to teach both her siblings if she was sitting in between both of them.

Belarus was a bit hesitant to leave her brother's side and looked from him to their sister warily. "Go on," Russia gently encouraged with a smile. Finally, Belarus slowly moved from his side and over to sit next to Ukraine.

Ukraine smiled again and began to ready her materials. "Okay—now just watch closely what I'm doing, and I'll tell you everything as well." Russia began to copy his older sister's actions—and Belarus did as well, just a little more clumsily (most likely due to the fact that she was younger).

Ukraine began to teach them, making sure to purposefully slower her knitting pace so they could see what she was doing, as well as giving them clear directions. Russia seemed to immediately get the hang of it, to the point where he barely needed any instruction at all; Belarus, on the other hand, had a little more trouble, and Ukraine had to set down her own work several times in order to hold onto Belarus' hands and guide her that way. Ukraine didn't mind it at all, however—to her, it was just a sweet, homey moment with her two favorite people in the world, her little siblings. And it was very nice to have both of them sitting next to her like that—glancing over her shoulder, their faces close to her own.

"Sis! I think I got my first glove done!" Russia exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh, really?" Ukraine asked, genuinely surprised, with Belarus looking over as well. "Well, let me see it."

Russia held up the patch of red yarn that he'd managed to craft into one thick, wearable glove.

Ukraine gasped with delight. "Oh, that looks wonderful! Good job!"

Russia smiled widely at the praise and held the glove back down. "Thanks."

Ukraine then turned to help Belarus, who was growing increasingly frustrated. She helped her sister for a few more moments before the little girl asked loudly, "Can I be done now?"

The woman smiled gently. "Sure. You tried your best."

Belarus immediately hopped from her seat, dropping the yarn, needles, and unfinished glove onto the floor. She skipped off while Ukraine sighed and bent down to pick up the materials. She turned to Russia and gave a half-hearted grin, while the boy chuckled. "I'll try to teach her again when she's older," Ukraine said. She glanced down at Russia's work and added, "You can be done too if you want."

"Okay," Russia replied, handing Ukraine the yarn and needles.

She took them and stood up, stretching her back. Russia copied her actions. "Well, do you want to help me cook dinner?" she asked.

"Hmm...sure!" Russia answered.

"Okay, let's go then." Russia was already racing off into the kitchen. Ukraine trotted by the fireplace and stuck the yarn and needles back on top of it. That'd been cute and fun while it lasted—now, back to responsibilities.

[rae-does-stuff]

Day 2 - Fluff || Humor / Family being idiots

Hello again! So here's Day 2 for @hetafamilyweek !

Prompt: Fluff or Humor/Family being Idiots

Family: The Nyo!Kievan Rus siblings

AU: Human

Human Names:

Nyo!Ukraine: Dmitri "Dima"Chernenko

Nyo!Russia: Anya "Annushka" Braginskaya

Nyo!Belarus: Nikolai "Kolya" Arlovsky

————————————————

Anya couldn't help but smile as her little brother opened the door of his apartment. And for a few good reasons.

The reasons being:

It was her little brother's first home away from Anya and their big brother Dmitri. And although Nikolai would never say it out loud, he was proud of himself.

The second reason was that this was the first time the three siblings saw each other in a long time. They had a lot to catch up on.

Anya gave her little brother the biggest hug she could muster. He froze for a minute before returning it.

When she let go Nikolai told her, "Big brother is in the kitchen making popcorn."

Anya thanked him, "Thank you for having us Kolya."

When she let go Nikolai told her, "Big brother is in the kitchen making popcorn."

Anya practically ran into the apartment.

When she (finally) found the kitchen after some trial and error, she gave her big brother, Dmitri, a hug.

Dmitri, of course, gave her the biggest bear hug in return, "Annushka!"

She grinned, "Dima!"

Nikolai trailed behind Anya, "I see you found Dima."

Dima, Annushka and Kolya. Nicknames they had given each other when they were just little kids.

Dmitri gave a warm smile as he gazed down at Anya and Nikolai (he was the tallest after all), "We're back together again."

Anya and Dmitri started to tear up a little. They were an emotional duo.

Nikolai, however, was not.

"Please don't cry in my kitchen." Although he may have seemed cold, his siblings heard a hint of fondness in his voice.

Anya smiled, again, "We have popcorn to eat, da?"

Dmitri added, "And a movie to watch!"

Nikolai nodded, "And I should give a tour of the place."

After the tour of the apartment, the siblings got some popcorn and plopped down onto the couch to start the movie.

And everything felt, right.

————————————————

That was short. Sorry. I hope you guys liked it!

- Rae

[unhonestlymirror]

It really pisses me off to see "But what can we do?.." from russians. and especially Ukrainians and Belaruthians because that's the cancerous state of mind spread by russia.

Okay, let's assume you were unlucky and you're ethnic russian or were raised in russia. You don't want to go fight or make donations or become a double agent. What can you do?

First of all, stop wasting your time on public whining and complaining and making yourself a victim. It doesn't help anyone, it only pisses people off.

Stop only saying how much you love Ukraine/Belarus. Your country is killing us and erasing our culture, the last thing we need is your love confessions.

Forget "Kiev" and "Kievan Rus". It's Kyiv and Kyivan Rus, and it always has been. It was Volodymyr Sviatoslavych the Great, not Vladimir - and there can not be any "accepted English form" because these "accepted English forms" were made by russia.

Forget the "slavic sisterhood" bullshit. Just accept the fact that we are not siblings. No matter how much russia tried, Poland didn't become its another sister, Finland didn't become its sister, and we will not as well. Ukraine is not your sister. Belarus is not your sister. Accept it and Give up.

Fix all the russified names in English Wiki. Enlight foreigners about the correct names. Yes, the Belaruthian cities and historical figures as well. It's Polack (in Belaruthian Latin) or Polatsk, not Polotsk.

Learn the goddamn Belaruthian Latin. It's not that hard.

Share information about Ukraine. Your country's war crimes especially. Culture. Share information about Belarus and Belaruthian culture and always add that it's currently being erased by russia. Belaruthians really need cultural support, as much as Ukraine needs weapons.

STOP AVOIDING OCCUPATION OF ICHKERIA TOPIC. TALK ABOUT ICHKERIA. SHARE THEIR CULTURE.

STOP AVOIDING OCCUPATION OF SAKARTVELO (GEORGIA) TOPIC.

Just accept the fact that your country is a nazi state and stop whitewashing it. Spread awareness about what it does. Enough to hide behind "just politics".

Just accept that it's not "politics quarrelled us". Just accept that your neighbours have all the rights to hate you.

Crimea is Ukraine, Ichkeria is not russia.

[thatsamericano]

Belarus: WHERE IS THIS WATER COMING FROM?!

Russia: Natalya... you’re crying.