#slavic rant

[inkyami]

I’ve made a deck for the slavic themed Mafia game — each character is from classic fairytales and epics. Part 1 of ? (Not really supposed to reveal the whole deck)

𖧷 Ivan Tsarevich 𖧷 Koshchei the Deathless 𖧷 Solovey (Nightingale) the bandit 𖧷 Rusalka

[Part II]

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[raspberry-rampage]

Jagna's crown in The Peasants (2023)

To begin with, I really liked this film in many, many aspects, so this is by no means hate on it.

Buuut if there's one tiny thing that they could've done better... is to double down on the folk stuff. What I mainly mean is Jagna's crown. It's like a nod towards tradition but... Her dress is very city-like imo, white, embroidered with what seems sparkly (meaning expensive) threads. Meanwhile, the crown is small and made of lace, peacock feathers, blueberries??, plants I don't recognise. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty and huge respect to the maker. In the og book, regarding the crown, we read: "Her hair, braided over her forehead, bore above it a rich pile of gold spangles, and peacock’s eyes, and sprigs of rosemary. Therefrom, down to her nape and shoulders, fell long ribbons of every hue;" (translation by Michael Dziewicki). It was also described as tall but I guess it was lost in translation.

Well, just compare this:

to these:

These are from Łowicz which is kinda in the region where Lipce is.

Anyway, this film is not super historically accurate (there's no way they would let Jagna have her hair down, not braided at all) but they did try. Overall, it's a nice introduction to the culture and an invitation to explore more on your own.

More on flower crowns in this brilliant article with more gorgeous examples by lamus dworski.

[mogoce-nocoj]

what isn't the purest connection than bringing someone closer to your culture through art that you create together

[renegade-hierophant]

If you were to travel back in time to the 6th century in order to find a speaker of the Proto-Slavic language, but you could only speak a modern Slavic language with them, the one they would be least able to understand is Russian, because Russian has evolved the furthest from Proto-Slavic than any other Slavic language, especially in pronunciation, that is, it sounds the least Slavic. The most luck you would have if you spoke Slovenian or Serbo-Croatian with them.

Now some Slavic speakers, especially Russians, might say that Slovenian sounds too “Germanic”, that its pronunciation has been influenced by German. They say the same about Czech. This is not based on any studies about Slovenian or Czech phonology, it’s merely that they assume the most Slavic, or “proper” Slavic-sounding language is, well, Russian.

Why? Because Russians have spent the last 200 years convincing everyone, Slav and non-Slav, that Russians are the Slavicest of all Slavs, that Russian is the most Slavic language, that it is an exemplary Slavic language, and so all other Slavic languages are judged on how Slavic they are by how much close to Russian they are. This is all based in Russian imperialism and their desire to absorb all Slavic countries under a Russian state. Even if this political dimension is removed from the conversation, the Russians have succeeded at creating the impression of Russian being the default Slavic language, when in reality it is the odd one out.

My suggestion if you want to study Slavic linguistics is to ignore Russian as much as you can, because it will distort your understanding of what a Slavic language is supposed to be.

PS: Imagine if you wanted to learn a Romance language that sounds the most like Latin and you chose French.

[teplavecernice]

westies: *completely butcher a cee word making it obvious they didn't even try*

also westies: i hope i said that right 🥰🥺

[merrymorningofmay]

linguistics is about the only context where hearing the word "slavic" doesn't set off kill bill alarms in my brain

[zombie-bait]

my thirst for Slavic characters in media knows no bounds. And no, I don’t mean some Russian spy or super model or mafia boss. I want normal and interesting characters from smaller Slavic countries who celebrate name days, who live by weird superstitions passed down through their families, who make gulash and sausage and bean stews for dinner. I want Slavic characters with affectionate nicknames given by their family. I want characters who grew up on German fantasy films from the 60s and weird soviet cartoons. I want the societal pressure and the religious guilt and the love for rolling green mountain ranges that remind them of home. I want to see myself in this real personal way that I have so rarely encountered in media or in real life.

Representation of real experiences is so often boiled down into big concepts rather than the small details that matter. Frequently it can feel like checking off boxes instead of communicating substantial themes or reflections of reality. It’s easy for a show to say a character’s family comes from Germany or Senegal or Russia but that’s usually where they draw the line. The more vague they are, the easier it is to turn entire countries or continents into generic set dressing that (in theory) could apply to millions. But it’s the mannerisms, the culture, the language, the folktales, all these things that shape you from the very moment you’re born. It’s the small details that help you connect, that resurrect the small child inside you who once lived in a foreign bubble, who experienced the awful alongside the great. I yearn to see what I am made of staring back at me through a screen. I yearn to connect to my foundations, to the culture that slowly slips from my memory as I continue to age entire oceans away from the place of its origin.

[i-regrett-my-existence]

I just think there's something about them putting all slavic countries in the same semi

There's just ✨️something✨️ about that you know-

[zetsubobu]

One thing I will never get used to while trying to learn russian are those two letters: ы and ь

I just can't pronounce ы, it always sounds so stupid whenever I say it and my mom always gets a chuckle out of it (she and my father speak russian)

And ь doesn't even have a pronunciation in itself but rather it just softens up the pronunciation of another letter

[tocja]

Okay, I try to avoid this whole Eurovision thing since Israel is not banned, but something caught my eye.

I came across Polish entries, and first on the list was a song by some young woman in cheap babushka/stereotypical Slavic girl cosplay. And it made me irrationally mad. So mad, actually, that I started talking to myself about why the idea of a young blonde in red lipstick and a plastic flower crown makes my blood boil.

And I came to the conclusion that I hate the idea of 'vague Slavicness.'

There is this ideal that being Slavic means the same thing across borders, and as much as I can appreciate cosmopolitan sentiment in this statement, I have to also notice that this is exactly the type of narration which is used by Russia to deny us identity.

'There is no Ukraine - they are just half-baked Russians';

'They are not Poles - they are Russians in denial';

'We are all the same in our Slavic brotherhood and we will be stronger as one' - and I've met my share of Slavic nationalists to know that for some people, those sound like promises and not threats.

If we are all the same, then it is not an attack - it is unification.

And Slavicness means a lot of things; it is not the same even within the borders of the same country. Seeing this idea of being vaguely Slavic, enough to be recognized as one, but not to the point of giving yourself any actual cultural identity - it seems extremely pandering, as if we are trying to show some sanitized version that could be easily sold to everyone. Everyone recognizes 'babushka,' and who cares if you don't even use that word in Polish - your Slavicness makes you semi-Russian by proxy.

And not to be misunderstood - I don't think that the mentioned singer did that on purpose; I am pretty sure she just wanted to make some cute folkish tune that could represent her country.

I just think that the aesthetic of being Slavic is so ingrained in us that we actually forget that this is a culture, not a box of Pinterest/propaganda prompts.

I am rambling; it doesn't have to mean anything. Maybe because I come from a part of Poland with a strong regional identity and work in a museum, I am uncomfortable with the idea of a 'universal Slav,' and this video just serves as an excuse to rant about things that were already bothering me."

Ok fking wait a second

I was just finishing, when i decided to check the video again. The description states:

Kwiaty" is not just a song; it's a heartfelt journey into Slavic, old-fashioned love. Dama's lyrics take us back to a time when gestures spoke louder than words—buying flowers, sweet words, and walks under the moon. The song contrasts this nostalgic ideal with the modern lack of effort in relationships. Dama sings of a Slavic girl's strength, bravery, and confidence, longing for genuine connections. "Kwiaty" becomes a bridge between cultures, inviting reflection on the essence of sincere, old-fashioned love.

what the fuck is slavic old fashioned love

I was saying that I don't think the singer meant anything bad, and well - yes she did, here you go, you get romanticized slavic traditionalist propaganda about GOOD OLD TIMES XDDD

The lyrics are crazy

So you want me but you won't open me door

So you want me but you won't walk me home

So you want me but won't pay on our date

So being with you and without you it's the same

As it is shown by the text above, I am not native english speaker, I make my share of mistakes, but I am pretty sure that some wonky english is on display here.

I have Slavic blood

I keep my head high

And my tears dry

So don't waste my time

Oh yeah babe, there it is, Slavic blooded girlboss.

OKOKOK i don't want to show more text as it is physically painful, but I couldn't find a better definition of ''vague slavicness'' even if I tried. Some '' Slavic dama'' singing about ''Slavic love'' What makes it slavic? plastic flower crown, white frilly dress and patriarchal views. Culture? Those things I mentioned are not culture?

I believe that slavicness can be genuine, historically informed, modern and progressive please please please don't let us fall into conservative superficial ideals, just because it sometimes feels like there is not much more to us and our culture. We are rich and diverse.

It took a turn lol

[autistic-and-radical]

I hate when people - mostly Americans - feel like they have the right to shit on Slavs just because we're white. (Which is not true btw, I know a lot of POC Slavs).

Like, yeah our countries are a bit behind, you know why?! BECAUSE WEST NEVER BOTHERED TO HELP US, THEY ONLY EXPLOITED US.

Yeah, some of us live in horrible conditions without running water and bathroom in the house. Why? Because even now no one bothers to help them.

Yeah, many Slavs don't like foreigners. Why? Because of generational trauma that happened less than 80 years ago.

Yeah, many Slavs are uneducated because they didn't have the opportunity to get proper education.

But we're not primitive subhumans as many treat us. We're not inferior.

And when we speak up about our issues, when we want to educate others so they stop harming us with stupid stereotypes, WHEN WE DEMAND BASIC RESPECT FOR A HUMAN BEING

What happens then?

We're called delusional. We're being said that "we just want to steal attention from actual problems because we're all racist pigs", we're being told that our issues aren't that big, right? We're white, so we have sooo many privileges, we definitely weren't oppressed throughout the centuries

Rant over

[slavic-roots-western-mind]

pov: you get the craziest best ideas when you're too over-caffeined, sleep-deprived and burned-out to actually go through with them.

[alpaca-clouds]

When they say "medieval Europe"...

So, yeah. I will do another post on combat. I am thinking pole weapons first – because pole weapons are so freaking underrated – and then I will probably do one on simple fighting techniques. After which… We’ll see.

 

But I really have to mention this one thing right now. The one thing that annoys me more than anything, whenever I am doing research: What people mean, when they say “medieval Europe”. Because howdy…

 

Now, let’s make one thing clear. I am a close combat nerd first and foremost. But given the fact that I am writing fanfictions and my current fandom (Castlevania) just happens to have its events set by the end of the middle ages (1476), so I spent the last few month looking way, way too much into all sorts of medieval research. (Food, clothing, farming techniques, medicine, religion… You name it. Sure, canon often does not align with history – and I might come up with headcanons all the time, but I still want to base stuff on… history.) And there is one thing that is absolutely annoying.

 

Whenever I google “medieval [topic]”, as in “medieval food” or “medieval clothing”, the answers will relate to medieval England first and foremost. Not even medieval Britain, but England and only England. No Scots or Welsh here. If it is not Britain, it will probably be France or the Holy Roman Empire, which is neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an actual Empire (aka Germany) or rarely, very rarely maybe Spain, if we are talking late middle ages.

 

Now, here is the thing. Castlevania is mostly set in Wallachia – which, fun fact, is not Transylvania. And even when I end up writing some original medieval stuff, I will tend towards Eastern Europe. Do you think we will find ANYTHING about that with a simple Google Search? No. Of fucking course not!

 

Because people just ignore most of Europe most of the time. Scandinavia doesn’t seem to exist outside of Vikings, Italy not outside of Rome, the other Mediterranean nations even most Europeans are unable to name and most folks don’t even thing of Eastern Europe as “Europe”. And I feel that’s kinda fucked up.

 

I mean, c’mon. Hungary was pretty important in medieval times, right? And the Norse did interesting stuff – you now, outside of those folks working as Vikings, too. And Eastern Europe has and always had had such an interesting cultural makeup. Why don’t we talk about that more?

[theundergroundwoman]

no more haunted victorian mansions and american suburban houses. haunted commie blocks when. haunted khrushchyovkas when

[worm-priest]

People looking for excuses to justify the way Slavic themes were handled in the grishaverse are so annoying to me

Cause it’s like, I’m not trying to cancel the author or claim that the series is a moral failing or anything I’m just saying that she didn’t know what she was talking about and that’s it. People saying stuff like “it’s not supposed to be a true reflection of the culture it’s just an inspiration“ are so annoying to me I’m sorry. Just admit she didn’t do research and we can all go home

“It’s inspired by the culture” and the inspiration is just stereotypes and bad grammar

[lipstickontheglass1985]

maybe sometimes its better to just not say anything