#russian noblewoman

[royalty-nobility]

Princess Tatiana Alexandrovna Yusupova

Artist: Franz Xaver Winterhalter (German, 1805–1873)

Date: 1858

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

Princess Tatiana Alexandrovna Yusupova

Princess Tatiana Alexandrovna Yusupova (29 June 1829 – 14 January 1879) was a Russian noblewoman and lady-in-waiting to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, of the Imperial Court of Russia. She was the Countess Ribeaupierre and wife of one of the richest landowners, Prince Nicholas Borisovich Yusupov.

Tatiana was the youngest daughter of Count Alexander Ivanovich Ribopierre, a Russian diplomat of Swiss origin and Ekaterina Mikhailovna Potemkina, who was a niece of Prince Potemkin. She was born and raised abroad, where her father was stationed. In addition to her native French, she learnt German, Italian, English and Russian. Among her elder siblings was Maria Alexandrovna, who married Prussian Count Joseph Brassier de Saint-Simon, Prussian envoy in Constantinople, in 1849. She was known as "Tata" to her family members.

[pokeberry5]

more rita except the first one is non-canon (<- lol what canon) bc i was an idiot and set this fake isekai in the fake early 1800s

[chicago-geniza]

I fear Summer Will Show is another case of "what if a book were written expressly for me, Tumblr user chicago-geniza"

[lacnunga]

Putting hornblower under a glass to study him putting hornblower under a glass to study him putting hornblower under a glass to study him putting hornblower under a glass to

[black-rose-writings]

Inspired by some recent conversations, I'll do something I wanted to write out for a while - how would Bella Swan fare as the Sun Summoner.

Bella Swan is the go-to example of a poorly written "blank slate" protagonist, Twilight birthed half of the shitty fanfic tropes of the last few decades. I also shares a lot of parallels to SaB/Grishaverse as a whole, imo, but it a sort of "evil twin"/twisted yin-and-yang sort of way.

There's a lot I could go into here, but let's just stick to the premise - the heroines.

Firstly, it's important to say that their backstories are super important to how they turned out as people, so "Bella Swan as Sun Summoner" and "Alina with Bella's personality" would be kinda different - Alina's damage comes from not being able to grow up, while Bella's are from parentification, from being forced to grow up too fast.

(Since most of my audience is probably not familiar with Twilight, a significant part of Bella's backstory is that her mother is not a very practical, to put it mildly, and that Bella had to be the responsible one in the relationship from pretty early on in her life. Honestly, narrative-wise in many places, it feels almost like Alina was supposed to be the protagonist of Twilight (a 21st century teenager dragged into the supernatural kinda against her will) and Bella was supposed to be the heroine of SaB (a gothic heroine forced to grow up too fast, fascinated and drawn by the supernatural), but I digress.)

There's two ways her's backstory could go:

If we go the orphanage route, there's not really much that needs to be changed - in fact, she almost makes much more sense as a product of such environment than Alina. I'm calling this one Bellalina (she has Alina's backstory and talents, but with Bella's personality). Bellalina was a sickly child, who burried herself in books, dreaming of a life that seemed out of reach, while being forced to take care of the younger children and generally help around the orphanage, getting herself a brainy job in the army as soon as she could to get away. She'd have a much more complicated relationship with Ana Kuya than Alina has, similar to the complicated feelings Bella has to both of her parents (again, for my Grishaverse followers, Bella was heavily parentified by her mom and seems at least somewhat aware that it messed her up, and she has a distant relationship with her father, especially early on in the books, mostly because they're basically strangers when the books start).

The only problem with the orphanage route is that I kinda have hard time believing someone with Bella's personality would manage to avoid being discovered for so long.

Bella's original backstory is hard to transplant into the Grishaverse, just because of how differently marriage is treated in the Grishaverse compared to the modern world, especially in the social classes Bellalina would need to be to recieve the necessary education. I'm calling this one Liza, considering the slavic version of Isabella is some form of Elisabeta and she is Bella in the Grishaverse). But here's an attempt at a plausible version - Liza's mother was either a lower noblewoman or the daughter of a wealthy merchant, who eloped with a soldier when she was younger, but quickly changing her mind after getting a taste of the less-than-wealthy life, returning to her parents, either pregnant or with baby Liza. Grishaverse!Renée(Renata, maybe, if we wanted to slavify her name) and her family would certainly try to get her divorced or have the marriage annuled (depending on the relevant law in Ravka). This might work, or she might just have to wait for Grishaverse!Charlie(I'm thinking of slavifying his name to Kirill, which has different origins, but there's no russian version of Charles and I refuse to name him Karel) to die (which is not exactly an unlikely fate for a lowly soldier). Either way, Renata, due to having such sordid past (by 19th century standarts) and possibly still being technically married to Kirill, has hard time remarrying, only managing to do so when Liza is almost 16. At which point, Bella decides she might as well join the Ravkan army, seeing it as the best way to set herself up for her future (and probably to get away from her mom and her family, who probably didn't let her forget about having a common father and questionable legitimacy).

Either way, she ends up in the army - Bellalina still in the carthography unit, Liza, I'm not sure what Bella's skills would be good for in a 19th century army. Maybe some kind of communication officer? A clerk? Some kind of intelligence work (like, the boring, paper-pushing kind)? (that would be very ironic considering Alina's utter disregard for the concept of secrecy) A secretary/typist for some higher-up officer? IDK, something fitting for a well-educated, observant and intelligent, but physically feeble girl.

From here, the divergences mostly end.

She's sent across the Fold as part of an assignment, things go badly, she's discovered as a Sun Summoner, pretty much as it goes in the books.

Except Bella is into it. She's been dreaming of having a dashing hero sweep her away into a magical life since she was little. She would spend the entire ride to the little palace asking way too many questions like an over-excited toddler. She'd be crushing on Sasha so hard (especially after he saves her life).

She would dive into her studies head first once she arrived. Again, this girl dreamed about this her whole life. She loves this, she loves the power. Mental block who?

She is also very observant. She would clock Aleksander's immortal ass within two conversations (and probably confront him about it first opportunity to get him alone).

Bella is also significantly hornier than Alina, so Winter Fete would get much spicier.

Now, the real big question: Would she believe Baghra? My answer is no. Primarily because she would have confronted Sasha about the before-mentioned immortal bullshit before the Fete, and would probably recieve at least an outline of the plan at that point. (Considering how non-chalantly OG!Bella rolled with vampire murder lore, she would probably be fine with some tactical fantasy nukes, especially if framed through "protect the people you care about" lense). Also, if Bella was promised a good dicking, she would not listen to Baghra on principle, because she's horny and she's NOT going to be happy about getting cockblocked.

Que good ending, immortal overlord Sasha and his immortal saint wife Bella bring world peace.

[dangermousie]

The best cdrama you probably haven't watched - Tribes and Empires Storm of Prophecy

Most of my airing cdramas are ending within the week and unless we get a lot of other good replacements, it means time to rewatch a favorite.

And this favorite? The sprawling, epic fantasy Tribes and Empires Storm of Prophecy. Tribes has a huge cast (one of criticisms I've seen leveled at it - but that is why I love it; it's epic in every sense of the world), but it centers around three very different men - Shaofeng Heye (Zhou Yiwei), a son of a murdered barbarian chief who will eventually lead the rebellion that tries to topple the empire, Muyun Sheng (Huang Xuan), a disregarded prince who is half-fae and whose mother was supposedly the emperor's great love who he mourns (the truth is so much darker and more complicated) and Muru Hanjiang (Shawn Dou), the cursed son of the chief general who was abandoned to live on the street due to prophecy. Sometimes they are allies, sometimes enemies, sometimes both at once.

Despite the huge budget, it was not a hit either in China or internationally - people complained about the slow pace, the large cast and the lack of ending (the drama is 70+ eps and tells only half the story.) I loved every second of it. I grew up reading Russian novels which were also sprawling, with a huge cast, deliberate pace and often lack of resolution at the end. Perhaps that is why the one audience where I think it was a hit was the Russian-speaking cdrama fandom (all the MVs I can find, btw, are made by Russian speakers.)

(The above is a gorgeous general MV)

Why do I love it? Other than the amazing visuals (it's directed by Cao Dun, all of whose dramas are genuinely stunning looking), there is the fact that it really feels like a window in a whole other world - epic and a little alien, complex, full of horror and beauty.

And there are the characters and the narrative. Because this drama does not hurry, it's not only the mains who get fleshed out - secondary and even tertiary characters are fully-fledged. Two of my favorite characters are emperor and empress - two intense monsters locked in an emotional cage with each other, clawing at others and themselves, as bystanders die.

This is a dark dark world - made before the censorship tightening up, there is none of that "tireless emperor ceaselessly working for the people" nonsense or even other character spouting about working for the greater good. The emperor and most of the imperial family are monsters, grasping for power, lives of people as ants to them. Some characters do have ideals but they are not glib or easy or fit within modern parameters. This is a narrative that starts with Shaofeng Heye's entire tribe being wiped out because of an act of kindness by a boy (and his tribe and other tribes are locked into a life death struggle for resources perpetually.) Blind loyalty to the crown is not viewed as a virtue - Muru Hanjiang's father is a monster for throwing his infant to die due to a prophecy that states he's a threat to the throne.

(another general MV)

Also, me being me, there are ships. There are a bunch, but my favorite is Muru Hanjiang x Su Yuning. She's a minor noblewoman picked to be a crown princess because her horoscope says that whoever she marries will be the ruler (interestingly, MHJ's prophecy that upended his life is that he will end the rule of the Muyun dynasty - clearly they are meant to marry at some point, heh) and she has no choice about it. Their love is glorious and largely unspoken and kinda doomed; the way the drama ends with her ditching literally EVERYTHING and following him and his clan to horrifying exile that might result in death (and even as he still tries to drive her away to protect her, she knows what he's doing and vows to wait for him) is glorious.

This MV for them is amazing:

I also loved Shaofeng Heye and Princess Muyun Yan Shuang. Not functional in the least but so hot!

(The third main OTP of the prince x spirit, I liked but not as much as these two.)

Anyway, this is my next rewatch.

[gattnk]

Working with Irene is a dream come true! Now Igor on the other hand... talk about a nightmare...!

This is it folks, the last of the Golden School teachers! We still have some other Eternals left to go, as well as the humans, but I feel like this is a good milestone to start the year with. Now, Irene and Igor are very particular: they only show up in what the fandom refers to as the "Russian saga", a self-contained story based on the show where Raf, Sulfus and friends briefly go to Russia for some lessons under these two. This context informed my design choices a lot, and they go as follows:

I chose Irene and Igor to be in charge of the Oneiric Compositing faculty, that is, dream-crafting. The concept came from Uriè's digi-dream camera: I thought it would be interesting if angels and devils also influenced humans in their sleep by either inspiring goodness or tormenting with fear respectively.

Irene's canon dress threw me off a bit: I could tell it was a Russian noblewoman's dress thanks to all the gold embroidery and red fabric, but I couldn't pinpoint its exact influence other than it was not a common sarafan. I scrapped the nobility aspect in favor of something more homely, inspired by traditional Eastern European clothes and the Matrioska doll (sorry, no detailed embroidery, I have to respect the design philosophy I've kept so far).

I chose the Matrioska doll as my key inspiration to homage the Russian saga, but also because of its ample symbolism. Some believe these dolls grant wishes and bring good omens; others find them to represent the layers of the mind and the self; they can also be seen as a mother figure, a symbol that embraces and protects generations to come. There's so many ways to look at Matrioska dolls and interpret them, just like dreams!

Igor also had to depart from his canon counterpart: I could tell the original design was inspired by Rasputin, and I see how his infamous reputation could enrich a devil character, but that same infamy could be brought into the picture in other ways. I kept the body complexion, the beard and the long coat as key elements so he would still be recognizable, but I fully departed from the real historical figure and instead focused on making him look like a nightmare that instilled fear and terror.

When I think "nightmare", I think boogeyman, bugbear, Krampus. A spindly, crooked old man that uses his walking cane to punish more than he does for walking, who will stuff you in a sack and take you away if you misbehave, his glowing eyes being the last thing you see before everything goes dark... His only mercy comes from his victims shuffling in the bag, thus ringing the bells tied on top, so now the other children know to beware! >:D

Irene's colors are the traditional primary colors: red, yellow and blue; red and yellow are warm colors and are naturally very eye-catching, so for contrast I used more shades of desaturated blue in her design. Her design is very curvy and full of semicircles, which inspired her halo's shape.

Igor instead has the traditional secondary colors: green, purple and orange; since green is very versatile in terms of warmth and coldness, I used it to highlight certain elements while keeping the rest of the palette more muted and dark (thus the orange became brown). His ram horns are very angular like the rest of his design, and they're the biggest devil horns yet, signifying his age.

If math serves me right I'm only missing three more Eternal designs for the central cast of characters (if you guess correctly which ones, you earn a cookie), but then again I was never great with numbers so I might surprise even myself down the line, hehe. We're done with the Golden School staff! Huzzah! :D

I'll Fly With You (rewrite fic) Art Masterpost

[thetudorslovers]

𝕱𝖊𝖒𝖆𝖑𝖊 𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖆𝖑 𝖐𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝖎𝖓 𝖍𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞 🍷🗡

1. Darya Saltykova was a Russian noblewoman accused of torturing and murdering at least 100 of her serfs. Most of the serfs she murdered were children and young girls. Complaints about Saltykova were ignored by officials for a very long time until relatives of her victims were able to bring an official petiton before Catherine the Great who sentenced her to be chained to a public platform for one hour wearing a sign stating 'This Woman tortured and Murdered', Saltykova was later imprisoned in the basement of a convent for the remainder of her life.

2. Alice Kyteler, a well known Serial Killer in Ireland during the 14th century, murdered 4 men and escaped to England where she was never heard from again.

3. Mary Ann Cotton, Britain's first serial killer, was suspected of the murders of 14 people, including her stepson, in her older life twenty one people close to her died. Her motive was gain, as she would marry, kill and collect the insurance money, then repeat it again. She was hanged in Durham prison on March 24, 1873.

4. Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a Hungarian noblewoman and reputed serial killer of hundreds of young women in the 16th and 17th centuries. Stories of her sadism and brutality quickly became part of national folklore, her infamy earning her the nickname “The Blood Countess” or “Countess Dracula”.

5. Giulia Tofana was an Italian professional purveyor of poisons, and the inventor of the deadly poison Aqua Tofana, which is named after her.

6. Locusta was a notorious maker of poisons in the 1st-century Roman Empire, active in the final two reigns of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She supposedly took part in the assassinations of Claudius and Britannicus.

[chrinopiqua]

Evgeny Ivanovich "Crookedhand" Nikitin

Early Life: Born in the mid-16th century to a noble family in the heart of Russia, Evgeny Ivanovich Nikitin, later known as "Crookedhand," grew up in the lush, rolling landscapes of the Russian countryside. Despite his noble lineage, Evgeny was always more intrigued by the mysteries of nature and the stories of the common folk than the politics of the nobility.

Nickname Origin: Evgeny earned his nickname "Crookedhand" not from any physical deformity but due to his unconventional approach to managing his estates. His decisions often seemed unorthodox and unpredictable, leading to mixed outcomes in his early years. This idiosyncratic style, while initially considered a drawback, later became synonymous with his creative and innovative spirit.

Education and Skills: Educated by the best tutors in literature, philosophy, and the arts, Evgeny also had a keen interest in agriculture and science. He was known for experimenting with new farming techniques and was an early adopter of progressive land management practices.

Career and Achievements: Evgeny's true turning point came when he applied his unique strategies to revitalize his failing estates. He transformed them into prosperous lands, gaining respect and admiration from both the nobility and the peasantry. His success lay in his ability to blend traditional methods with innovative ideas, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose among his people.

Personal Life: Evgeny was known for his generosity and deep empathy towards his serfs, often involving himself in their daily lives and offering assistance during hard times. His marriage to a noblewoman, known for her beauty and intelligence, was a celebrated event, marked by grand festivities that bridged the gap between the nobility and the common folk.

Legacy: "Crookedhand" left behind a legacy of a nobleman who dared to defy traditional norms. He is remembered as a visionary who valued progress and human connection over rigid adherence to outdated practices. His life story became a symbol of hope and inspiration, demonstrating that one can change their destiny through perseverance, innovation, and a deep understanding of and empathy for the people.

[aiza-luna]

☀️~{AC SYNDICATE: AN ASSASSIN'S PORTRAIT}~☀️

★・・・・・・★★・・・・・・★

★・・・・・・★★・・・・・・★★・

- Portrait of Solange Cotoner at the Headquarters of the Spanish Brotherhood in Barcelona, 1867 -

Lady Solange Teresa Vivianne Cotoner-Artois (1848 - 1926) also known as Lady Solange Teresa Vivianne Cotoner-Frye and Dame Solange Teresa Vivianne Cotoner-Artois, as well as by her nickname "Noble Assassin of Tarragona" and her noble title as "Condesa de Tortosa" (Countess of Tortosa), was an Spanish Philantropist, Naturalist, Paleotologist Noblewoman and Master Assassin of the Spanish and British Brotherhoods of Assassins active during the 19th Century. Born in Tortosa, in the Provice of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Crown of Aragon, Solange was the oldest daughter of Carlos Rafael Cotoner y Moncada, Count of Tortosa and his wife, Aimée Isabelle Henriette Artois and older sister of the famous swordwoman Serena Hélène Josefina Cotoner-Artois. Rightful Heiress to her father's maritime business and noble title, she was raised into the Assassins Ways by Carlos and his sibilings, all members of the Spanish Council of Assassins, much to her mother's worry. She becamed a Master Assassin in 1866, after sucessfully killing her target, the Templar Raúl de La Cruz. In 1867, she was send to England to aid the British Brotherhood, as a spy along her aunt Desirée Charlotte Madeleine Pleydell-Bouviere to Henry Green, also known as "The Ghost". Solange played a important role in the Liberation of London in 1868, and later, she was of vital importance to track down the Piece of Eden known as The Holy Grail, along with avoiding the rise of power of the Neo British Templar Rite in the years of 1870 and 1874. After the Liberation of London, she married her fellow Brother-in-Creed, the British Master Assassin and Gang Leader Sir Jacob Frye. She was the one responsible for the truce and diplomatic missions to Morocco in 1887-1888 in amids of the Spanish-Moroccan political tensions, she was also responsible of the rift and tension between the Spanish Council and British Council, after she stood for their lack of action in regards to the Autumn of Terror. Solange was a direct descendent of the legendary Spanish Mentor Renato Valentino Cotoner, the one responsible to modernize the Spanish Creed in the 17th Century. Solange is a Franco-Spanish Assassin of Moroccan-Moorish, Greek, Russian and German Ancestry. Her family comes from Assassins and Knights at the service of the Spanish Crown.

Solange Cotoner's Wiki / Helix Data Base.

★・・・・・・★★・・・・・・★★・

Comission done by I_Am_The_Vigilante (on Instagram) 🩵

Solange's information and design by yours truly 🩵

[thesoulspulse]

Nowhere To Run/Turning Point Cast

Since the main focus of these two stories are Danny, Vlad, Dan, Valerie, and Dani there aren't many oc's in them. But I'll share them anyway because its one of my best fanfics so far, which is ironic since I originally kinda just wrote it on a whim to take a break from Owen's story and then it became something a lot more profound. Especially since writing it helped get me through a difficult time in my personal life after my stepdad passed away. Anyways, lets move onto the happier stuff shall we?

Nowhere To Run: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12861681/1/Nowhere-To-Run

Turning Point (Nowhere To Run Sequel): https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13603725/1/Turning-Point

Evelina Petrov (Nowhere To Run): This is Evelina Petrov, the ghost of a russian noblewoman turned fashion designer who spends her time hidden among normal humans in disguise. She is one of the few ghosts Vlad trusts/considers a friend who tailors his suits and designed the outfit he wears in his ghost form.

Shade Striker (Nowhere To Run): My best friend came up with the name for this ghost creature who doesn't generate its own ecto-energy so it absorbs it through biting or scratching its victims. Whenever it has too much ecto-energy stored in its body it'll break off the excess crystals on its body that can be used by others as a sort of ghostly battery to recharge with. That's why they were hunted nearly to extinction in the Ghost Zone.

Shavi and Prizrak (Nowhere To Run): These two aren't really characters persay but I like how they turned out despite there not being too many references to normal horses in the original show. Shavi is the black one and Prizrak is the white one, Danny and Vlad rode them during a brief vacation they took to Ireland. I just think they're gorgeous horses.

Whisper (Turning Point): After a misunderstanding when one of her Wisps wandered into Vlad's castle and started playing with his cat Maddie, they track down Whisper herself who apologizes on Echo's behalf. The funny part is she floated right over to Vlad too, not knowing who he is, referring to him as a Zoner. Aka a ghost native to the Ghost Zone which she detests because of all the hostility there, preferring to explore the real world with her three Wisps and helping people find lost things or in general whenever she can. Sensing that Danny is still troubled by the aftermath of what happened with Dan, she agrees to stick around for awhile so Danny can make the most of her naturally calming influence.

On top of that, Vlad asks her to use her precognitive powers to find out what's become of Dani since he wants to put the past behind him as well so the two of them can move on from their dark pasts. Unfortunately this triggers Whisper lost memories of her father back when she was alive who only saw her as a tool as well, having to stop using her powers to track down Dani for Vlad. So he decides its not worth the effort and burns the hoodie he had Whisper use to find out her possible location.

Agent Omega (Turning Point): Head of the female division of the GIW (their sector is currently unnamed) Agent Omega leads a team of elite spies and such that the government only assigns tasks to as a last resort because of her famed ruthlessness and cunning. She has been mentioned by name but hasn't made her official appearance yet so all I can tell you about her is that she and Valerie are going to end up very invested in what the other is doing, which is both a bad thing and a good thing because it means the government sees Valerie's potential as a legally licensed ghost hunter but they're a bit late as far as offering her a job now that she knows the truth about Danny and Vlad being half-ghost and saw them risk their lives to protect everyone from Dan, a full ghost fusion of both their ghost halves from an alternate timeline where everyone they loved had died in a cruel freak accident.

[piduai]

sofia, wilk and kiroranke were part of the russian far east partisans, though initially their goals were divided. sofia was a noblewoman who joined the revolutionary cause in order to reform russia. wilk and kiroranke were fighting with the independence of the far eastern ethnic minorities in mind. they used sofia's revolutionary cause as a way to gain military standing, and as their own fighting ground against imperial russia.

by getting close to them, sofia eventually grew sympathetic towards their cause. they heard rumors of a massive amount of gold being collected by the hokkaido ainu. they wanted to cross over to hokkaido, find that gold, and use it for the creation of one independent state that would encompass hokkaido and the russian east. for that, they would need to fight both against imperial japan and imperial russia. and in order to get the gold, they needed to cross over to japan. naturally, they needed to learn japanese.

they found a teacher. they killed his family. sofia, who felt massive guilt towards the fact, and who wasn't really that keen on the idea of going to japan and abandoning or at least postponing the revolutionary cause anyway, decided to remain in russia and keep on fighting. she also judged that her personal feelings towards wilk could weaken her resolve. she sent them off, and they promised to find the gold and come back for her.

kiroranke and wilk crossed over to japan. they started living among the ainu. in order to naturalize better, wilk got married. he had a daughter. it changed him.

he loved his daughter. he wanted to live without waste, like the wolves he admired, but he wasn't a wolf, he was a person. it seems that grandiose political goals were easier for him when it was impersonal, it was easier to want to fight for an "entity" rather than for "someone"; easier in the sense that it allowed a bigger scale and bigger ambition. but with love came pragmatism. wilk figured that they can't save everyone, and if he's going to fight for a cause, he'd rather it be a realistic one. he'd rather it be for a cause that would ensure his daughter has a future. he attached himself to his daughter, to her people, and made her home his home. he downscaled from the ambition of gaining independence for the russian east and hokkaido to just hokkaido. it's an island so it can only be attacked at sea; the russian territories are on the continent, much more vulnerable and thus weak. in a way, wilk did make a decision pertinent to his way of thinking - he decided to cut the losses.

except there was still kiroranke. essentially, wilk did betray him. he knew that kiroranke is a man of rigid mind, that, unlike himself, he has no special attachment to hokkaido and hokkaido ainu, and that he has no reason to care for wilk's daughter and her people's future - at least not above other ethnic minorities. he knew that kiroranke's heart aches for sofia and wants to go back to her. so he did what he had to do... he removed kiroranke and sofia from his plans.

that wouldn't fly with kiroranke, of course. they crossed over together, why the hell is he left out of the search for the gold? why is wilk abandoning his own past and history, sofia, their mutual ambitions? because of love? it's not the wilk that kiroranke followed to japan. it's not the wilk that HE loved. that wilk didn't love anyone; he was fair, pragmatic and larger than life. now he was just a human being. the person that wilk used to be would have never let kiroranke live, let alone escape and walk around freely. was kiroranke aware that this was this new, softer wilk's display of love towards himself?

but kiroranke did love wilk. as a friend, as someone like-minded, as a fellow visionary, as a mentor, as a person. news of his death devastated him.

but he had to live on. he figured that maybe wilk was right, getting a family of your own does ground you, and he did try that himself... but ultimately, they were different people, and differently principled, and differently thinking. well, they did know each other since they were teenagers; age changes you, and people react to the same experiences differently. they choose different paths. kiroranke couldn't understand why wilk needed to abandon half of what they fought for. he got a family of his own, his children were going to live and die as hokkaido ainu, but hokkaido ainu were in their plans to begin with, it's not that they would have been neglected! this difference in thinking, and kiroranke's inflexibility, was what undid wilk.

but it turned out that wilk was alive, and betrayed him for the second time - he entrusted the gold to his daughter, not to him. kiroranke came to the conclusion that wilk became too soft. this kind of weakness could never withstand both imperial japan and imperial russia as enemies. wilk betrayed kiroranke, yes, but most importantly, wilk betrayed himself. he has become the weak link, and needed to be dealt with. so kiroranke did what he considered a way to honor the wilk that he used to love - he killed wilk.

[wickedsrest-rp]

Name: Zofia Kowalska Species: Vampire Occupation: Former Antiques Dealer Age: 315 Years Old (Looks about 26) Played By: Grace Face Claim: Matilda De Angelis

"I’ll build myself and my world anew from burnt and broken pieces, and I'll fashion them into something shining and glorious."

Zofia Kowalska had always wanted more from life. She dreamed of parties and jewels, castles and crowns. She loved the night because it hid what was true. She could stay in bed in the forgiving shadows, convincing herself that she would wake the next day living in splendor. She would curl up with that dream and try to will it into existence, until her enemy the sun started to creep its way over the horizon to remind herself her life was no fairy tale.

Zofia grew up in Gdansk, youngest child of Milos, a cobbler, and his wife Izolda. The couple didn’t have enough money to pay another dowry, and all of her siblings had earned their share. Zofia would simply have to set aside her childish fantasies and grow up. Still determined to enjoy some worldly comforts, Zofia decided if she couldn’t be the one wearing the pretty dresses, at least she could be near them. At the age of 16 she set out to attempt to work her way up in the households of the local nobility. After years of working as a maid, she finally became a lady’s maid to Karlonia Branicka. The lady was famous for her parties, and even more famously well connected. Dignitaries from all over found themselves in Karolina’s parlor. Zofia had long been considered a spinster, but it couldn’t possibly hurt to look at the beautiful strangers the noblewoman had collected over the years. At one party in particular, a new addition to Karolina’s menagerie of friends captivated Zofia. She’d been instructed by her mistress to see to the Du Pont’s every need, and Zofia was all too eager to please. Though she was surprised to find Madame Seraphine Du Pont seemed to be just as fascinated with her as Zofia was with the woman and her companions. “A pretty thing like you should not be a mere servant, ma colombe.” The woman had said, petting Zofia on the cheek. “Wouldn’t you like to be so much more?” Hearing her dream spelled out for her, Zofia nodded. “Yes,” She had said. “More than anything I’d like to be like you.”

The next day, Zofia Kowalska was reported dead. And yet she’d never felt more alive.

Zofia Du Pont never wanted for anything. When she had arrived at the Du Pont clan’s chateau in the Loire Valley in France, she felt as if she’d stepped into one of her dreams. It was easy to forget that she no longer needed normal food when her new form of sustenance was poured out for her in crystal goblets and fine china tea cups. Seraphine and Adrien, Seraphine’s consort, as well as their ‘son’ Henri, taught her everything she needed to know. To unsuspecting humans, she was always presented as Sofie Du Pont, Adrien’s distant cousin. Zofia learned that being a Du Pont meant experiencing life as it was meant to be lived. Operas, ballets, and art galleries- the most exquisite fashions and perfumes- nothing was too good for the Du Ponts. The revelries went on for centuries. Sofie saw the world, and played with it. From spectacles such as seeing the Eiffel tower light up for the first time, to pretending to be the long lost duchess of a notable Russian family on a dare from Henri, Sofie Du Pont did it all. So when her new family wanted to join some of the Du Pont clan that had made their way to America, why would she have said no?

The United States at the dawn of a new century was a whirlwind for Sofie. She barely noticed the Depression or the onset of another World War- it was hard to when she was still thriving off the high that was the twenties and still enjoying the luxuries of being on the Du Pont bank roll. She didn’t notice, as the decades passed, that more was going wrong. Every day they received news that more of their clan had gone missing, or turned up dead. She didn’t start to pay attention until Seraphine and Adrien were killed by a slayer and Henri went missing. And by then it was too late.

Alone for the first time in her existence, she had made her way by selling antiques, and had started to settle into life in Wicked’s Rest. She’d started to find a home for herself, to make a new family. Things were finally looking up again. A shame that’s when she stepped into a trap.

Being one of the last survivors left those hunting her clan to eradication with the brilliant thought that she might be in contact with the others. Holding her hostage for months, they tried to extract the information they thought she had from her by any means necessary. Then one day, they made a mistake. They left only one person on guard. In a moment of clarity from the fogginess of her mind, Zofia managed to escape. Now, she’s more determined than ever to finish the hunters off, and to create a new clan for herself.

Character Facts:

Personality: Charming, focused, loyal, captivating, driven, obsessive, vain, forgetful, impulsive, detached

She once pretended to be the long lost Grand Duchess Anastasia as a dare from Henri

Her birthday is June 3rd 1709, making her a Gemini Sun, Aries Moon.

She worked for a while as an independent art broker and antiquities dealer. It’s very easy to sell old works of art when you’ve been collecting them for centuries. She rented a small space as her office in Nightfall Grove, and called the business Dorian Gray and Associates (she thinks it's hilarious, even if she was the only ‘associate’ the business had)

She’s gone by many last names over the centuries, but her first name has always been Zofia, Sofie, or some variation upon that. 

Before it was driven to near extinction, she was a member of the Fleur De Sang clan, a vampire clan in France. The Du Pont line of the clan was a particularly prominent one, and their deaths/disappearances sent many scattering into hiding.

She has always been a patron of the arts, whether it’s performance art, sculpture, paintings- you name it, she supports it. One thing that she’s held on to over the years that she probably shouldn’t have because it’s INCREDIBLY conspicuous is a portrait of her done by Madame Le Brun. The painting is over two centuries old and belongs in a museum and not in Sofie’s apartment. But there it is. Hanging in her living room.

[valkyries-things]

COUNTESS EMILIA PLATER // REVOLUTIONARY

“She was a Polish–Lithuanian noblewoman and revolutionary from the lands of the partitioned Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Raised in a patriotic tradition in Līksna near Daugavpils, she fought in the November Uprising of 1830–1831 against the Russian Empire. She raised a small unit, participated in several engagements in present-day Lithuania, and received the rank of captain in the Polish insurgent forces. When the main forces under the General Dezydery Chłapowski decided to cease fighting and cross into Prussia, Plater vowed to continue the fight and wanted to cross into Poland where the uprising was still ongoing. However, she fell ill and died.”

[kerouacs]

Some headcanon Nyotalia names I'd like to share plus some of my reasoning behind them, because why not?

America: Eleanor Louisa Adams; it's primarily a reference to Eleanor Roosevelt (but also Ellie makes a cute nickname for her)-- there's some debate over whether it's another form of Helen or not, but if it is I think the 'bright, shining' meaning would suit her a'la 'shining city upon a hill' vibes! Her middle name Louisa is a reference to Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women, and I don't think I need to explain the Abigail Adams reference with her surname.

England: Emma Guinevere Hargrave; I wanted to give her a name in reference to literature, so why not draw inspiration from Jane Austen's Emma herself? The Guinevere is in contrast to 'Arthur', and basically a name drawn from Arthurian legends because yes; Hargrave means 'grey thicket/grove', and it brings to mind the idea of gray skies over London.

Canada: Sarah Maud Cartier; Sarah is biblical like 'Matthew' is, and I mostly chose it because it sounds homey and I like to think she has a more homey personality compared to Matthew's weirder vibes, but also it's a reference to the poet Sarah Anne Curzon; Maud meanwhile is from from Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables. Evidently, I like my literature names.

Russia: Svetlana Rurikovna Akhmatova; Svetlana's an Orthodox Slavic name, but also a reference to Vasily Zhukovsky's ballad 'Svetlana'; Rurikovna is a patronymic that pays homage to Rurik, the founder of Novgorod and whom Russian history likes to trace far back when it comes to the founding of the nation (though there's a lot of contentious debate on that which I won't get into, so feel free to substitute with your own patronymic headcanons); Akhmatova is a reference to 20th century poet Anna Akhmatova.

Germany: Ava Schelling; Ava sounds simple and practical, which is something I think that suits her, but also a reference to Ava of Melk.

Prussia: Dorothea Ritter; Dorothea means 'God's gift' which I feel tells a lot about her already, but it's also a reference to the princess Luise Dorothea of Prussia; Ritter means 'rider/knight' and both give names of power, and overall together they make a very powerful name that suits her somehow I mean--

North Italy: Sofia Bandettini; Sofia means 'wisdom' which is a reference to how a lot of cities during the Renaissance were in the north (and specifically I'm thinking of Florence, because while I like to think Veneto is Feliciano's heart, in Nyotalia North Italy's heart is Tuscany); Bandettini comes from Teresa Bandettini, who was a famous performer during her time.

South Italy: Fiammetta Bandettini; Fiammetta is the nickname of Maria d'Aquino, a Neapolitan noblewoman, but the name also means 'little flame' which is also a reference to the south's prevalence of volcanoes in the south like Mount Etna; Bandettini is from her sister ofc, which I think she was forced to change her surname to during Risorgimento, but prior to that it was Sciara, which is a Sicilian surname.

[triviareads]

Any good historical romance based in Russia? Or even the hero or heroine being from there?

I haven't read a lot of HR with Russians or set in Russia even though I do have a passion for Russians in romance novels (Harlequin Russians hit different). But here's what I can rec you:

Prince of Dreams by Lisa Kleypas: Look if you know me you know my love for this book; the hero Prince Nikolas Angelovsky was exiled from Russia after killing the tsar's bestie because said bestie killed Nikki's brother. He tried to kidnap the heroine of the previous book (Tasia) because he thought she had actually killed his brother, then when he came over to England, gave his future heroine (the gal he kidnapped's now-step-daughter, who was then fourteen years old) a pet tiger for funsies and to fuck with her dad and basically marked her as his future wife. Fast forward to his own book, he definitely break up the heroine and the guy she likes, gets her drunk, sleeps with her, and then decides a marriage of convenience is the move even though he keeps jumping her after he thinks she's flirting with other men. He also gets knocked out for a solid quarter of the book and dreams he's his ancestor. It's great, would recommend.

Midnight Angel by Lisa Kleypas: The book prior to Prince of Dreams; Tasia is on the run from murder accusations and one crazy Russian prince (see: Nikki), and masquerades as a governess for an English nobleman's daughter, and nobleman immediately has the hots for her. She's also kidnapped and taken back to Russia at one point and the hero comes after her. Lisa also goes hard on the whole *Russian mysticism* thing.

The Perfect Scandal By Delilah Marvelle: So Zosia is a Polish countess BUT she is technically part-Russian (a part of the book's intrigue) also I'm pretty sure Russia keeps trying to invade Poland in this book (which is also a rather ribald joke the one (hot blond) Russian dude in this book makes and QUITE FRANKLY he should have gotten his own book). Zosia falls for the very proper, English Lord Moreland through her window, but then she's kidnapped/coerced into coming back to Russia by the aforementioned Russian dude.

Secret Fire by Johanna Lindsey: Dimitri is a Russian prince who sees English noblewoman Katherine on the streets and decides that he totally wants her. Cue servant confusion and ultimately she's kidnapped, brought to his place, drugged with an aphrodisiac, and obviously Dima has to fuck it out of her, and then OBVIOUSLY once isn't enough so she's thrown into a trunk and taken back to Russia (I'm sensing a Russian kidnap theme here).