#maria’s answers

[darkestgrays]

Hello! I’m your gifter for the Klaroline winter exchange, I’m very thrilled to be able to make you something!

Do you perhaps have a preference between Story, GIF or mood board? I just want to get the ideas flowing and my brain pumping so that your gift is truly magical.

Also, would you like it to be Christmas themed? It wasn’t mentioned in your request, it’s totally fine if that isn’t your thing but I’d just like to know before I jump into anything :)

Hello!! I honestly don't really have a preference, I would like a story or gif a little bit more than a moldboard but i like them all and i think you should do whatever's calling you (or is easiest lol)

It doesn't have to be Christmas themed but if you have an idea that's Christmas related totally go for it!! I love Christmas so I'd love to see it.

Hope my answers cleared up anything you needed to know, I'm excited for whatever you're cooking :)

[niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian]

The part where Maria takes Shadow away from being experimented on indirectly compares him to a teddy bear

Speaking of that scene, just look at miserable he looks here, also how cute he looks having to sit on that pillow.

He absolutely hated going through all of those tests and trials day after day. The poor thing was just going through it, knowing that they'll end eventually before he has to do them over and over again the following day.

Then the door opens behind him, and he turns his head to see Maria snuck into the room, wagging her eyebrows at him, mentally asking him, "You wanna ditch this place and go have some fun?"

And he does! Before the science can even notice, they put the teddy bear in his place, and they do exteme rollerskating in the hallways. The whole time, he just had this wide adorable grin on his face, just thrilled to be out of the lab for once and having fun with his friend.

Sorry, but I had to gush about this for the 6th time this week.

[shima-draws]

Just got back from seeing Sonic 3 and HOOOOOOLY SHIT y’all. Oh my fucking god. OH my god. Ohhhh my g o d

[writingtraumaforever]

I need someone to cry with me about that one scene where Shadow says so softly; 'I don't know what I do without you' to Maria. These siblings got me f'd up in mah feels

OKAY OKAY—

I’M SOBBING????

I saw this in SO MANY WAYS!!

The obvious one being like— he just doesn’t wanna lose her. She’s his rock and his light and he’d be miserable without her, right?? She’s the only good thing he had in his life!!

BUT ON THE OTHER MORE DEEPER HAND—

He was genuinely TERRIFIED of what he’d do without her! He genuinely believed she was why he was GOOD! That without her, he was just the monster all the researchers and staff saw him as! A weapon and nothing more. But she saw him as something GOOD, and so he WAS. But he was terrified of what he’d become when she was no longer there. That he’d become everything they all told him he was. He wanted to be good like her. Save the earth and protect its people. But he was so dang convinced that she was his tether to that. That she was the only thing stopping him from being something so monstrous! And the SECOND she was taken from him, all of that anxiety and fear of being bad manifested itself into just doing it! Because that’s what he was convinced he was. By Gerald, by GUN, and then when he hurt Tom??? Yup.

It wasn’t until Sonic came along and reminded him that he has a CHOICE. That he doesn’t HAVE to be bad if he doesn’t choose to be..

And AHHHHHH I JUST LOVE HIM AND HES SO GOOD SUCH A GOOD, GOOD BOY THE GOODEST OF BOYS AND HE BETTER KNOW THAT NOW SHDKFLGLG

[bestjeanistmonster]

Since Maria is Nora Freeze equivalent of the DC au, does that mean she's technically alive (albeit cryogenically frozen). Would that mean there is a chance for Maria and Shadow reuniting?

…

the short answer is yes! (this is the sequel piece to these pieces, made this forever ago but i completely forgot to post it cuz i couldn’t be bothered to finish it lol)

:)

[teecupangel]

What if desmond was reborn as the 5th auditore child? Like he was just a baby/toddler when the auditore were executed

Hey, nonny.

We can make Desmond be born on March 13, 1476 so he would only be months old when the Auditores are executed.

Wanna fuck with Desmond and the Auditores some more?

What if we keep Maria’s mental state after the execution and make her believe that the baby in her arms is Petruccio.

The only person who could remind her that she was holding and caring for her fifth child was Claudia and it was becoming harder and harder for her to keep trying to stay strong when her mother treating Desmond as Petruccio makes her think that she’s in the past and asking when her husband would be back or if Federico and Ezio be back from playing outside.

The final nail in the coffin is that Maria mistook Claudia as someone else, maybe an older sister that was already dead or even her old nanny who died when Petruccio was just born.

Ezio saw what was happening and pushed Claudia to managing Monteriggioni to keep her from spiraling.

It becomes apparent that Maria sees Giovanni in Ezio and Mario tells him that it might be better if they slowly separate Maria from Desmond.

It’s not doing either of them any good and making Desmond replace Petruccio was a fate that no child should ever shoulder.

So Ezio pretends to be Giovanni taking Petruccio for walks and tries to be there for his younger brother.

But being an Assassin made it hard for him to return home frequently.

He tries his best and he knows Claudia also tries to make their younger brother understand that they don’t see him as a replacement and that their mother is simply�� confused at the moment.

That’s how Desmond grew up, pretending to be Petruccio when he’s with Maria Auditore.

Mario trained him while Ezio was running around but he couldn’t leave Monteriggioni because Maria starts to ask where Petruccio is whenever she doesn’t see Desmond for a few hours.

Ezio went to Firenze after journeying to Spain (and got entangled with Bonfire of the Vanities) when Maria finally realized that Desmond isn’t Petruccio. To be more exact, Desmond had turned 21 and Maria cried as she remembered that Petruccio would have never grown as old as Desmond.

At that point, Maria’s relationship with her youngest child was strained by her own guilt and grief while Desmond just accepted it because he loved Maria and a part of him believed that he should have done something more (even if he was still a baby, guilt does not care about one’s age)

Desmond starts doing Assassin work as well but goes rogue for a few months, returning with the remaining seals for Altaïr’s statue.

Desmond takes the armor for himself and just shrugged it off as Ezio’s birthday present or something equally unimportant and Ezio returned to Monteriggioni with… well…

A very awkward family reunion, that’s for sure.

So many things have happened at that point and, as much as he is happy to see his mother healing, he feels guilty for not being there for Desmond who just shrugs it off and tells him “I understand.”

“I understand.”

That was the worst phrase Ezio heard.

He kept hearing it from his younger brother.

At first he was relieved that his brother understood.

Then he realized that the phrase meant more than that to Desmond.

It was a resignation to his current situation.

And Ezio wasn’t really in the best place himself.

He was still grieving the death of Cristina who died while Ezio was in Firenze for Savonarola and his men so there was also a bit of guilt there.

So Mario suggested Ezio takes Desmond to the Vatican with him as a ‘trainee’ and Ezio agreed.

He tells Desmond that he never wanted him to be an Assassin, that he hoped he was the only one who had to carry the blood that drenched the Auditores’ blade.

Desmond just stares at him and goes…

“I understand.”

And Ezio knew that he failed being a brother to his youngest in this bloody path of vengeance he had taken.

[thecottagecorebisexuals]

Do you often think about which girl you would like to marry, Catarina?

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

Among other things, my favorite new footage from that music video is Sonic's surprise at Tails being able to fly past him

Tails's little waving at him before zooming on ahead is so freaking cute ALL THE BROTHER FOOTAGE I'M SEEING IS LIFE TO MY SOUL AKSMCMCMMSNSFN

[otmaaromanovas]

Do you know what the girls liked to read and what their interests were ?

Hello! I have tried my very best to include detailed quotes and information about OTMA's interests and what they liked to read, so this is quite a long post!

Olga

Olga sometimes played the piano and sang, and she was considered the best pianist out of the family. Sophie Buxhoeveden recalled that

"She could play by ear anything she had heard, and could transpose' complicated pieces of music, play the most difficult accompaniments at sight, and her touch on the piano was delightful. She sang prettily in a mezzosoprano. She was lazy at practising, but when the spirit moved her she would play by the hour."

Olga also had a playful streak, and would enjoy playing practical jokes on her tutors when she was a child. When she was older, she sometimes joined in Anastasia's mischief. From a letter to her father in 1915:

“I am sitting in Mr. Gilliard’s rooms near the door of his water-closet where Trina’s little nasty girl Katya is sitting locked in by Anastasia and myself. We’ve just drawn her along the dark passage and pushed her in... Katya is still locked in the W.C. She is knocking and wailing behind the door but we are implacable"

Katya is thought to have been one of Ekaterine 'Trina' Schneider's maids, Ekaterina 'Katya' Zhivaya.

Fittingly, Olga seemed to enjoy comedy books. She sometimes wrote about the books she was reading in her diary:

Friday, 12 August 1916: "[I was] lying down in the hammock and read the second part of “Surgery.”" Sunday, 23 October 1916: "After 10 o'cl. came over and read Sladkopevtsev's funny short stories" Wednesday, 20 November 1916: "After 11 o'cl. to bed. Read V gostyakh u turok [Visiting the Turks] by Leikin."

I think that on 23 October, Olga is referring to Vladimir Vladimirovich Sladkopevtsev, a writer and actor who authored over 300 short stories. Nikolai Alexandrovich Leikin was a satire and comedy writer, and his book Visiting the Turks, part of a comedy series about a traveller, was published in 1897.

Olga brought several books with her to the Ipatiev house, including religious and history books:

And Mary Sings Magnificat, a religious book with handwritten prayers and poems composed by Olga, another interest of hers.

The Eaglet, which I believe is the Russian edition of Edmond Rostan's play based on the life of Napoleon II

The Princess and the Goblin, a children's fantasy book, gifted to Olga when she was a child by her aunt Irene

France in All Ages, a gift from Nicholas II, likely a history book

Tatiana

Tatiana had an interest in needlework and embroidery, regularly sewing clothing and blouses for herself, her sisters, and her friends. Whilst OTMA were all taught needlework by their mother, Tatiana was the most skilled. Anna Vyrubova remembered that Alexandra's "best pupil" was Tatiana,

"who had an extraordinary talent for all kinds of handwork", making "beautiful blouses and other garments, embroideries and crochets".

Tatiana also enjoyed fashion. Vyrubova also remembered that:

"she was able on occasions to arrange her mother's long hair, and to dress her as well as a professional maid"

Similarly, Sophie Buxhoeden noted that Tatiana would step in to style hair when the usual hairdresser was unavailable.

"Tatiana Nicolaevna loved dress. Any frock, no matter how old, looked well on her. She knew how to put on her clothes, was admired and liked admiration."

Tatiana's interest in fashion was reflected in her diary, where she noted when they were measured for dress fittings and that her and her sisters had a hairdresser that would curl their hair for special occasions. Similarly, she described having their heads shaved in 1917 as a "horror", but, ever sensible, noted that "now we feel comfortable".

Tatiana also had an interest in Russian history, particularly when she got to help with Alexei's lessons during 1917 to 1918. She enjoyed reading, and makes more references to reading for pleasure in her diaries than Olga does, but unlike Olga she tended not to give the titles of the books she was reading. She mentions reading “The Wide Wide World" to Maria, which was a popular novel written by American author Susan Warner in 1850, that has Christian moral lessons as its core.

Tatiana brought many books with her to the Ipatiev House. A few had annotations that Tatiana wrote, and flowers that she kept between the pages. The majority of books that Tatiana brought with her were religious, many inscribed by Alexandra Feodorovna and appear to have been gifts to Tatiana during 1917-1918. These included:

Our Lady of Beneficence

Book of Hours - I believe that these were read accompanied by prayer

Letters on the Christian life

On the Patience of Sorrow

The Life and Miracles of St. Simeon the Righteous of Verkhotursk - St. Simeon was patron saint of the Ural region

The Life of Our Father St. Seraphim of Sarov - Nicholas II approved St. Seraphim's canonisation, and the events for the solemn canonisation were attended by the Imperial family

Tatiana also brought several moral and religious books gifted to her during her childhood and teenage years, including:

Great Canons of St. Andrew of Crete

Collection of Services, Prayers and Hymns

The Beauty of Self-Control - published in 1911, this was an instructional book advocating for a Christian lifestyle

Non-religious books include

The Wider Life

Life's Open Door

The Brave Life - a book by Lidiya Charskaya, who was a very popular author for Russian girls. It tells the tale of a noble girl who decided to join the army as a cavalryman

Fables of La Fontaine - considered classics in French literature, funny short stories for children

Anthology of Childhood

Tatiana also had several history books

The History of Peter the Great - written by historian and children's writer, Sofya Afanasevna Chistyakov

Tales of Shakespeare - likely the popular children's book written by siblings Mary and Charles Lamb. They summarised different Shakespeare plays, making them suitable for young children. Mary wrote the vast majority, however her name was omitted from the authorship declaration for years in favour of her brother.

Tatiana was a fan of classics, writing to her friend Zenaide Tolstaya "I read a lot. I decided to read all the books by our best writers from the beginning to end! I also read books in English and French." Olga wrote in her diary on Saturday, 3 December 1916 that "Tatiana read “Gdye apelsini zreyut” [Where the Oranges Blossom]", another travel comedy by Leikin.

Maria

Maria had a strong interest in drawing and painting. She was naturally left handed, and like many people in the past, was encouraged to write with her non-dominant right hand instead. However, when she did art, she was able to use her left hand, which I imagine was much more comfortable!

This is confirmed in a letter from Russian tutor Pyotr Vasilievich Petrov to Olga, where he wondered whether Maria

"does not want to write [a letter] because she is not allowed to write with her left hand, and the right one refuses to write"

In 1916, Alexei asked Maria if she could draw a picture of his spaniel, Joy, for him

"16 December 1916. My dear darling Alexei! I don’t know how big you want me to draw Joy, but I will give it a go, and if it doesn’t turn out, I can do it again…. I have just tried to sketch Joy but it didn't work out because I don’t really remember what he looks like and it ended up looking nothing like him, so I won’t send it to you. When you bring Joy to me, then I will be able to draw him."

Sophie Buxhoeveden remembered:

"[Maria] alone of the sisters, had a decided talent for drawing, and sketched quite well, always with her left hand"

You will also notice that a lot of Maria's photograph albums are 'hand tinted', where she has painted over the photos to add colour.

Maria was also very interested in children, and loved spending time with babies and kids. She loved visiting the local 'Nanny school', an orphanage. In 1914 she wrote to friend Olga Vorovona that she enjoyed visiting them:

“such awfully sweet darlings... We gave them all presents and they were so happy with them and each one showed their nanny what they got…. I love little children so awfully much, play with them and carry them in my arms. Do you love babies?"

Four books belonging to Maria were found at the Ipatiev House. Interestingly, two of these appear to have been textbooks from her lessons. They were:

On Paris - I believe this was written by popular author Vasily Petrovich Avenarius

Visual Teaching of Foreign Languages

Reflections

The Role and the Ring - perhaps the narrative poem by Thomas Browning?

Anastasia

Anastasia thoroughly enjoyed acting and mimicry. She always participated enthusiastically in plays staged by the children, and was remembered by many people who knew her as an excellent mimic.

"She had a comic gift as a mimic, picking out people's foibles in a way that made everyone laugh. "What a bundle of mischief," recalls her godmother, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, the Tsar's sister."

She liked to tease her tutors to make them laugh, going as far as "throttling" Pierre Gilliard. Sydney Gibbes, her English tutor, recalled her walking into class dressed as a chimney sweep, covered in soot, and sat down as if nothing was amiss, causing lots of laughter amongst her siblings.

"Through the years he preserved from Tobolsk two cheap exercise books, each labelled ‘English’. ‘M. Romanof’ had written her name on one label. The other book belonged to A. Romanova (Shut Up!) Tobolsk 1917-1918.’ Grand Duchess Anastasia, more exuberantly talkative than her sisters, seized on one of Gibbes’s exasperated moments. When he told her to shut up, she asked him how to spell it and adopted it as her nickname."

In a letter to Russian tutor Pyotr Vasilievich Petrov, she expressed her annoyance at him by purposefully filling the letter with spelling mistakes:

"Wikied P.V.P. I am very, very upsit with you. Why didn’t you write a litter to Maria and me? I’m telling you, you are very, very bad, extremely bad even. Maria and I have written you so meny letters and you haven’t replied. I am going to make mystakes on purpose. I alredy see where I made mystakes. Anastasia. 1909. 9 November."

Anastasia also enjoyed shopping. Her nanny, Sophia Ivanovna Tyutcheva, recalled how

""Anastasia Nikolaevna was especially attracted to stores, where they sold doll shoes of various sizes…""

It's a common myth that OTMA did not go shopping - you can read more about the truth here

Only a few books belonging to Anastasia were found at the Ipatiev House, four books of essays.

The children also enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes stories, which their father read aloud to them, including The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Nicholas also read many of Chekhov's short stories to the children, including:

"The Duchess" - often translated as 'The Princess', a story about a narcissistic princess who encounters modest monks

"The Witch" - about a husband who thinks that his wife is a witch who has summoned a snowstorm

"To the Court of Law" - I believe this is an alternative translation for "The Court", a satire on the judiciary system

"The Incident" - about two siblings debating the parentage of kittens

"The Enemy" - about the grief of a doctor who lost his son

This was a very long post, but I do hope that you found it helpful! I don't have my Maria and Anastasia books on me at the moment, so please forgive me for not including more books that they read :')

Sources

Anna Vyrubova, Memories of the Russian Court, (London: MacMillan and Co, 1923)

GARF 640-1-1318

George Hawkins, Alexei - Russia's Last Tsesarevich: Letters, diaries and writings Part One: 1904 – 1915, (Independently Published: 2022)

Helen Azar, George Hawkins, Anastasia Romanov: The Tsar's Youngest Daughter Speaks Through Her Writings, (Independently Published, 2021)

Helen Azar, George Hawkins, Maria Romanov: Third Daughter of the Last Tsar: Diaries and Letters 1908-1918, (Yardley: Westholme Publishing, 2019)

Helen Azar, Tatiana Romanov, Daughter of the Last Tsar: Diaries and Letters, 1913-1918, (Yardley: Westholme Publishing, 2015)

Helen Azar, The Diary of Olga Romanov : Royal Witness to the Russian Revolution, (Yardley: Westholme Publishing, 2013)

Helen Azar, The Romanov Family: Books They Left Behind (Ekaterinburg)

Sophie Buxhoeveden, The Life and Tragedy of Alexandra Feodorovna, Empress of Russia, (London: Longmans, Green & Go, 1929)

[marimayscarlett]

The year 2024 is coming to an end... and I can say it has been a wonderful year in this fandom 🤍

After last year, I did not expect that we could experience and witness such a carefree year and amazing tour of the band, and I am incredibly happy and grateful for it. Rammstein brings me so much joy, and watching some recordings from this year's tour today fills me with such a warm and nostalgic feeling – it was simply magical.

I'm so thankful for this band, and especially for this community here. So open, warm-hearted, and accepting, it's a joy to be a part of it. Have a wonderful New Year's Eve and a good start into the new year 🤍

[niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian]

So was there an entire scene of Maria playing the guitar with Shadow at his side before Gerald arrives and says "we have to go, now!" or nah? I've only seen the part where they run from the soldiers and Maria gets killed.

There was 3 moments of that scene that were split up across the movie,

The first one was in the very beginning when Shadow was starting to wake up and we see Maria strumming the guitar, the second was when Gerald came to get them when the soldiers arrived, and the last one was when Shadow was moving the eclipse cannon out into space and he started to remember the past again to which we get this adorable shot:

So let’s just say this entire scene takes place the night G.U.N raided the base and this was the last moment of joy he had with her, because it’s more heartbreaking that way if we do 💔

[httpiastri]

sorry i had to

[galacticghoste]

Yeah I kinda already celebrated being on here for a year but that was back in july so yeah XD

You can find these under this art tag GGhosteArt

I think the biggest change that happend this year would have to be how i would grow an intrest for lighting and wanting to spend more time on a drawing.

I can say that my lighting has improved which I'm happy with

So has my understanding of sonic characters in my style

[doubledeadstudio]

Trios reaction to saying I wanna get them pregnant (I'm a girl)

Black: "(quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time as he thinks, furrowed eyebrows) ....How would that work? Like, logistically?"

Crux: "What happened to 'hi, how are you?' I'm not just a sexy, fertile, young thing, you know. I have feelings too."

Vincenzo: "Not out of wedlock, darling. You're not getting anywhere near my womb before the wedding."

[teecupangel]

Don't if this has already been explored before but: Desmond being reborn as Ezio's bastard (the one Clay is supposed to descend from) and everyone's reactions to it. Especially Claudia's and Maria's.

Desmond obviously regains all of his memories. He thinks it's super weird to have his ancestor as his actual father. But quickly realizes he prefers Ezio as a parent to Bill.

Bonus points: things get really confusing after Ezio goes to the Vault

I'm pretty sure there's already a fic like this somewhere in AO3 but the only one I can remember is the one where Altaïr is reborn in Italy and has Desmond as his little brother

So, for this one, we’ll focus on everyone’s reaction to it XD

First of all, we’ll have to think about where to set this. We do not have any confirmation (as far as I know) on when Clay’s ancestor was born but, considering that his memories seemed to focus on AC2, we will set this around the latter part of AC2. My suggestion would be around the time the Brotherhood lost the Apple after giving it to Sforza.

This will give us Ezio finding Desmond during the time he’s looking for the Apple.

Now, for everyone’s reaction:

Maria is still unresponsive around this time but he would move and cradle Desmond when he cries at night because he woke up from a nightmare that may or may not be his. They’re not sure if Maria is truly seeing Desmond or if she’s seeing a ‘memory’ of a child she lost (probably Petruccio).

Claudia doesn’t really pay him much attention, too focus on making sure the numbers are all correct.

When she has free time, she would visit him to ‘take care’ of him while his nanny takes a break. More often that not, she tells him all her complaints in a cutesy baby voice. Desmond is more amused than embarrassed.

Mario absolutely adore him and dotes on him more than enough that Claudia has to cut him off. He doesn’t show it but this is Mario’s way of ‘making up’ for his absence in his brother’s children’s life (whether he did it to keep them safe or because he had a falling out with Giovanni is up to you)

Leonardo is fascinated by him because he is the most mild mannered baby he had ever seen and is willing to stay as still as he could while Leonardo paints him. Desmond is definitely the model of a baby Jesus commission that Leonardo did XD

La Volpe visited him once and only once because it was too dangerous to leave his guild alone and there was really nothing to keep him in Monteriggioni. He slipped inside Desmond’s room at night and left soon after. Desmond thinks that was creepy but just waves it off.

[softlymaximoff]

What about a Maria x Natasha x Wanda x Reader mood board at the zoo?

Pumpkin’s day at the zoo 🐅

Tags: @aggieslittlebunny @ageofevermore @wandasdove @wandaslamb @gemxolio @blue-willow-tree @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @moonlightbvcky @moonxytcn