#the death of grigori rasputin

[gwydpolls]

Time Travel Question : Murder and Disappearances Redux

I periodically get new Death and disappearance Items. (Also ones I can't remember if we did in the 2023 poll). Since we have enough to make a poll, I'm reviving it here.

A lot of the big famous ones like Jack the Ripper, we covered in 2023. If your fave doesn't go this time, odds are it was one I remembered we already did.

As long as there is a reasonable mystery such as cause of death, reasons for murder, where they went, etc., it counts.

I will not do ones that are 21st century, because it makes me feel creepy and ghoulish. I will not do ones that are credibly definitively solved.

I refuse to do JFK. I have my reasons.

[i-am-theseeker]

Meet the Most Mysterious Man in History

Grigori Rasputin’s rise to power in Russia was a combination of charisma, mysticism, and manipulation. He was born into a humble peasant family in Siberia in 1869 and lived a rather ordinary life until he embarked on a pilgrimage to a monastery in 1897. It was during this journey that Rasputin underwent a transformation and […]Meet the Most Mysterious Man in History

[otmaaromanovas]

Vera Ignatievna Gedroits - the openly lesbian, first woman professor of surgery in Russia, who worked alongside the Romanovs

Princess Vera Ignatievna Gedroits was a doctor, surgeon, poet, and pioneer of medicine. Vera worked alongside Tsarina Alexandra and Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana Nikolaevna, working with the Red Cross to treat injured soldiers during the First World War. 

** content warning for mention of suicide **

Born as a Princess of royal Lithuanian descent in 1870 in Kyiv, Vera is thought to have developed an interest in medicine following the passing of her little brother Sergei during childhood. Vera later wrote under the pen name ‘Sergei Gedroits’ in honour of him. 

In 1892, Vera was arrested for participating in the Populist movement. Freed and undeterred, Vera was adamant to continue her medical studies. An open lesbian, Vera entered into a marriage of convenience with friend Nikolai Belozerov, permitting the obtaining of a new passport to travel, allowing her to pursue her dream of a medical career without the restriction of borders and her previous name being on police records. Despite their marriage being one of convenience, rather that romantic love, Vera and Nikolai were close friends, and stayed in contact through letters.

In 1903, Vera obtained the title of ‘female doctor’, but later that year attempted suicide. Vera’s mental health had declined due to an overwhelming personal family life, the death of her sister, exhausting workload, and breakup of a relationship with a lady in Switzerland. The following year, Vera had recovered, and the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese war led to her working in horse-drawn mobile hospitals. 

Working with wounded patients, Vera took detailed notes which allowed the making of the connection between injuries and the weapon used to inflict them. Interestingly, Vera did not shy away from abdominal operations, which was irregular due to previous thoughts that such injuries were ‘inoperable’. Often, patients with such injuries were refused surgery and were sadly left to pass away.

Following the War, Vera worked provincially, attending to 125,363 patients. This pioneering work was recognised by Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna in 1909, who invited Vera to take the position of Senior Court Physician. Vera was the first woman to serve as a physician in the Imperial Palace. Vera wrote ‘Conversations on Surgery for Sisters and Doctors’ to help the Palace understand the profession. Vera would eventually write 58 scientific papers. Vera earned a Doctorate of Surgery on May 11 1912, the first woman in the history of the University of Moscow to do so. 

Following the outbreak of the First World War, Vera helped to install physiotherapy equipment and X-ray machines in hospitals to aid recovery. Vera taught Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna and her daughters, Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana, medical work, and they assisted with operations. Vera worked alongside Imperial Physician Dr. Evgeny Botkin to help connect infirmaries to railways and supplies. Vera occasionally travelled to the front lines to help provide surgery directly at the scene, and in one case performed over 30 operations over a three day period. 

Vera is recorded as having little patience for the infamous Grigori Rasputin, with one source recording the shoving of Rasputin ‘into a corridor when he refused to get out’ of the way.

There are no records that suggest that the patients or the Romanovs objected to Vera's sexuality, though there was disapproval of her continuing to remain in Tsarskoe Selo to continue military surgery after the Revolution. If anything, she was renowned as one of the most capable and intelligent women of the era. Vera wore a surgeon's cap rather than the head coverings that nurses and Sisters of Mercy wore.

During the First World War, Vera met fellow nurse Countess Maria Dmitrievna Nirod-Mukhanova, a widowed maid-of-honour at the palace. The pair fell in love and started a relationship, which would last for the rest of Vera’s life. Maria had three children: Dmitri Feodorovich, Marina Feodorovna, and Feodor Feodorovich. The children knew about their mother's relationship with Vera, as they lived as a married couple whilst caring for and raising them. Some sources suggest that Vera and Maria had a marriage ceremony.

By the late 1920s, Vera was living with Maria, who worked as a surgeon, in Kyiv after the couple and Maria’s children escaped Revolution, taking refuge with monks. They spent eighteen years together. The pair lived as a married couple. In 1932, Vera passed away aged 61 after a diagnosis of uterine cancer. Maria continued Vera’s work by operating a pharmacy that provided free medicine to the poor. Maria passed away in 1965 aged 86. The above image is the only photo that has been attributed to her.

Vera defied all the social norms, becoming a pioneer of medicine and challenging traditions within the profession, saving thousands of lives in the process. Vera’s legacy lives on today.

SOURCES:

Hands that bring back to life. Vera Ignatievna Gedroits - surgeon and poet by V.G. Khokhlov

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Wartime albums of Olga Nikolaevna and Tatiana Nikolaevna, Last Romanovs on Flickr

The Princess who Transformed War Medicine - BBC

Princess Vera Gedroits: military surgeon, poet, and author by J.D.C. Bennet

The Diary of Olga Romanov : Royal Witness to the Russian Revolution by Helen Azar

Tatiana Romanov, Daughter of the Last Tsar : Diaries and Letters, 1913-1918 by Helen Azar and Nicholas B.A. Nicholson

[foreverinthepagesofhistoryy]

Three photos of The Romanov Family with Grigory Rasputin

Photo 1: Top Row: Olga, Middle Row: Anastasia, Alexei, Rasputin, Alexandra Feodorovna, Bottom Row: Maria, Tatiana, Maria Vishnyakova, 1909

Photo 2: Tatiana (obscured), Maria, Anastasia, Rasputin, Alexandra Feodorovna, Olga, 1907

Photo 3: Unkown Woman (if anyone knows who she is please tell me!), Maria Vishnyakova, Alexei, Rasputin, Maria (on the floor), Anastasia, Tatiana (above Anastasia), 1910

The Romanov family’s relationship with Rasputin is unlike the stereotypical “seducing madman” version that you might first hear. Alexei, the only son and heir to the Russian throne, was a hemophiliac (a disease where the blood cannot clot resulting in any minor bump or bruise could lead to severe hemorrhaging and even death) and had many accidents resulting in major pain for not just him, but for his entire family, especially his mother, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. The Tsar and Tsarina (Nicky and Alix) were desperate to relieve their son’s pain and heard about Rasputin, a renound mystic healer, from some distant relatives and invited him to court to try to relieve Alexei’s pain. He came to court in 1906 and immediately calmed the boy who prior to this point would not stop crying, and managed to soothe both him and his worried family. Eventually the hemorrhaging stopped Alexei eventually made a full recovery. This “miracle” made Rasputin an immediate source of comfort for the family and became a new important friend. He visited the family often and Alexei and his sisters always looked forward to his visits, even Anastasia who was as young as 7 years old was writing to her mother saying:

“Mama darling! I really want to see Him. I wish him and his children all the best, and send Him my best regards, and all his family. I saw him last night, and I was very happy, tell] him please, my dear Mama…To my Mama from Anastasia”

“Thank you, Mama darling. Tell Anya that I send him my regards. Mama, what is his name? I don't Know My Friend's name is, and I love him so much more than can tell you. Anastasia”

Their relationship with Rasputin remained close throughout his life, various visits and letters, Alexei getting hurt and Rasputin writing or saying calming words and sharing aspects of religion. He remained very close to the family until his death, committed by Romanov hands, and they always remembered him as a close friend and confidant.

There was no love or romance between Rasputin and the “Russian Queen” as the tales tell. He was a friend and a tool to help soothe Alexei, her youngest child. A theory historians have, one that I agree with, is that Rasputin didn’t miraculously heal Alexei, his presence deeply calmed and set Alexandra at peace and because of that, Alexei got calmer because seeing a parental figure stressed while you are in pain doesn’t help you get better does it?

[elminx]

The Great Aquarius Spell of 2024

Are you the kind of person who wants to make a real change in the world? Are you the kind of person who thinks BIG? Who is disappointed in the status quo? Do you want to see a better world for all people?

Then this is the spell for you.

And no, this isn't exactly a spell tutorial. Let's call it a spell invitation. A cosmic chance to supercharge your magic.

Why now?

This month (January 2024) has two days that strongly highlight Aquarius and Uranus energy. For those in the know, the sign of Aquarius and Uranus, its planetary ruler, are the rebels, the rulebreakers, the big thinkers, and the revolutionists of the astrological zodiac.

I want to list for you a couple of famous Aquariuses throughout history for a moment so might get an idea of what I mean here: Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Ferdinand Magellan, Fredrick Douglas, Charles Darwin, Galileo Galilei, Yoko One, Charles Lindbergh, Aaron Burr, Bob Marley, Kim Jong-Il, Rosa Parks, and Grigori Rasputin.

One thing that can be said for the Aquarius spirit is that it rarely leads to a milk toast personality. From great revolutionaries to despots to peace activists, Aquarius is THE sign of political change, the kind of change that ripples through history.

Circle these two days on your calendar:

On Saturday, 1/20, the Sun and Pluto meet up in conjunction and move in lockstep with one another into the sign of Aquarius.

One week later, on 1/27, Uranus stations direct.

These are the kind of days when change happens. But we witches don't just let change happen, we MAKE change happen. This is the best aligned chance to enact real and lasting change - the kind of change that the above listed Aquariuses made - for quite some time.

We just need to use it.

As stated above, I am not going to outline an exact ritual or spell for you here because this spell needs to come from you. It should, in some way, reflect the change that YOU want to see in the world.

But I will give you some places to start.

A General Spell Framework

There are three major players in these powerhouse days. 1/20 involves the Sun, Uranus, and Pluto and 1/27 involves Uranus. As outer planets, Uranus and Pluto are considered beyond human influence and most astrologers believe that they cannot be petitioned in the same way that the seven planetary powers can. The Sun, on the other hand, can be. Create an altar to the Sun. Moreover, create an altar to the Sun in the sign of Aquarius. Aquarius is our fixed air sign so elements of air can be added to your altar. Additionally, you could include photos of famous Aquarius changemakers that you particularly admire or even non-Aquarius changemakers who worked with the particular cause you are championing. The Sun supports life itself, Uranus and Pluto are our planets of change, and Aquarius supports community of all kinds. Intentions around the world as one community will be highly effective during this time. If you are struggling for an intention, something like "Everybody deserves more love, not less" is a reasonable place to start.

Think big. The sky is the limit here. This isn't a day for magic to fix your own life - this is a day for magic to fix the world. Do you want to stop climate instability? End homelessness? Redress great injustices?

The symbols for the Sun, Uranus, Pluto, and Aquarius may prove useful in your spellwork. You can carve them onto candles or onto petition papers.

If you work with tarot in your spellwork, there are a few cards that can be worked with to enact great changes. The one that comes to mind immediately is the Death Card because what greater change exists than to exit this life for the next? The death cards can be directed to remove anything from a situation through a metaphorical "killing" of it. And then, of course, we have the Tower - the OG card connected to the energy of Uranus. The Tower is associated with dramatic and unthinkable change (as the card depicts) but it has a deeper esoteric association with the changing of belief systems, like the sign of Aquarius! And then we have Judgment which can serve the purpose of bringing about consequences to those that need to face their actions.

Alternatively, if you work with runes, both the Dagaz and the Tiwaz runes can be used to enact change (Dagaz, as a brand new day and a brand new chance) and Tiwaz (to enact divine justice). The rune Halagaz can also be used similarly to the Tower card to bring down systems and enact the change of inevitability. Though I find the energy of Hagalaz to be similar to that of the Tower, I favor the rune in this case as it implies the inevitable rebirth at the end of the change: when the ice melts, new things will grow again.

That said, as always, your magic needs to work for you.

Do you like my work? You can support me by tipping me on Kofi or becoming a monthly supporter.

[steddiebang2024]

I’ll die, i’ll cross over, and you’ll be sorry i did  |  Mature |  15k

Author: ItsAllShitTed | ao3

Artist: @xandriumart

Beta Reader: blipblot | ao3

[Link to fic]  |  [Link to art]

Pairings: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson

Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Wayne Munson, Alexei (Stranger Things), Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, Jason Carver

Tags: I’ll update characters as they becomd relevant, and tags too, i’m just a little guy in a big world that’s not finished and doesn’t know all the tags to put, first chapter is world war ii, alternate universe - hellboy fusion, eddie munson is hellboy, adoptive dad wayne munson, the violence isn’t ridiculously graphic but it’s definitely violent, eddie loves chocolate

Trigger Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death

↳ Keep reading below for a summary!

It was a classified mission off the coast of Scotland. It had been 60 years, but Wayne Munson still remembered it like it was yesterday. How could he not? It was the day he unexpectedly became a father, or a guardian of sorts at least. The day he met Eddie - or as the boys had fondly named him at the time, “Hellboy”.

[sewersewersewercouch]

things from the psychonauts art book that I found interesting

putting this under a cut so people who are getting it but don't have it yet don't get spoiled! also some of these might have been said outside of the art book and I just forgot

Tim wanted to go inside Lili's head but they decided not to for time

There was a concept involving rescuing a dying brain

One of the unused concepts was aura reading, where "Truman's" aura would be around his suitcase rather than his body, and Milla's would change when she was around Sasha...hm

There were also plans for Claymation style animations

Gristol was, ironically, based on Grigori Rasputin

Maligula wasn't always going to be Raz's "grandma"

The Psychic 7 were originally going to be all from different time periods

An early concept of Compton was blind

Nikki Rapp drew from her own experiences of losing her dad when voicing Lili

Adam almost had facial hair, but it made him look too much older than the other interns

Character artist Zahra Amirabadi, who's from Iran, came up with Gisu's name and the cultural aspects her design

This isn't a fact really, but it's important to me that Dona is described as "a loving mother and talented performer" and "deeply attuned to her family's feelings" thanks for that Ashley Esqueda

Quote from Tim: "Dion and Mirtala might still be hiding something" hello???

Frazie originally had a bigger role and I know they had to cut it for time but I'm still sad!!!

Tim won't confirm or deny whether Queepie is psychic

Unused enemy concepts include "death wish" "root of the problem" "high horse" and "defensive turtle"

The restaurant is called the Noodle Bowl because noodle is slang for "brain" which...I honestly did not realize until now and I've been into psychonauts for about 2 years, oops

A concept for Millas room had candles everywhere, which, uh, I can see why that one didn't make the cut

Coach originally had his own garage where he made his mech

The through line they had for Hollis' brain was being a woman in a male dominated profession

The initial concept of Compton's mind was a trivia battle between the Booles and the Aquatos where we'd learn more about their families--man I'd kill for that!

They originally took Raz's powers away in Ford's mind, but decided that made for boring gameplay

There were plans for an abandoned summer camp in the Old Colony

Part of the reason you're locked in the Old Colony after Tomb of the Sharkophagus is because if there was an option to talk to the Aquatos then Raz would have to lie to his family's faces about Lucy and that just seemed too cruel

Cassie's mind was modeled off of 1920s Shanghai

They recorded voice lines for the moth dragging Bob into the sea during the Truheltia Memonstria battle, and Amber Hood cried while recording them, which, fair honestly

[thehollywoodnecromancer]

Hello all!

I’ve been here for a while and have not yet done an intro post, so while it makes my heart heavy to unpin this post, I felt like I should.

I mostly just scream into the void here, and occasionally the void screams back and talks to me about Yellowjackets so that’s pretty neat

I use he/him, I’m Australian (AEST), and I don’t use tags because I can’t even organise myself to stand up half the time

I’ll occasionally post fanart but mostly it’ll just be reblogging/rambling to myself lol

I’m very nostalgic, it makes up a good 80% of my personality

I love flowers, filmmaking, art rock, vampires, poetry, absurdism & psychedelia

Fandoms/interests under the cut! 🩷

I listen to a LOT of music but my favourites are:

David Bowie

Florence + the Machine

Anaïs Mitchell

Hozier

Picture Parlour

The Last Dinner Party

The Beatles

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

The Doors

The Cranberries

Oh Pep!

Siouxsie & the Banshees

Chappell Roan

The Cure

PJ Harvey

The Crane Wives

Stevie Nicks

Kate Bush

Gracie Abrams

Jefferson Airplane

Sleep Token

Ethel Cain

Jeff Buckley

They Might Be Giants

The Smiths

Will Wood

Movies:

Edward Scissorhands

Dead Poets Society

The Breakfast Club

The Truman Show

Love & Mercy

Labyrinth

Television:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Yellowjackets

Interview With the Vampire

Derry Girls

Blackadder

The Good Place

Deadloch

Daisy Jones & the Six

How I Met Your Mother

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Books:

The Liar’s Dictionary

Jekyll & Hyde

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Anne of Green Gables

Ella Minnow Pea

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Metamorphosis

Theatre, musical and otherwise:

Hadestown (but I’m a firm believer in concept album superiority)

Sweeney Todd

Les Mis

Jekyll & Hyde

The Producers

Hamilton (not as much anymore but I still love it)

Accidental Death of an Anarchist

Otherwise… I love 60s fashion, I wear a lot of long coats, and I could rant about Grigori Rasputin for hours at a time. T.S Eliot and Gwen Harwood are my favourite poets, Alphonse Mucha is my favourite visual artist and I have a soft spot for purple carnations

That’s pretty much all!

[thefinalbracket]

INTRODUCING THE ONLY BRACKET YOU NEED

Hey there! Tired of seeing no one you care about win long winding brackets? Sick to death of polls not catered to you? Do you just like answering questions and being right?

WELCOME TO THE THUNDERFUCK DOME

I have a list of the sixty-four (64) most powerful bitches on the planet, and I’m going to have YOU ALL vote on who the hell would win it all! This isn’t about popularity, it isn’t about glory! It’s just the unapologetic motherfuckers killing each other!

The bracket will be up shortly! If you want a full list of every single participant, I’ll be putting it under the readmore! LET’S KILL SOME HOES!

Introducing our cast:

ICHIGO KUROSAKI, from BLEACH

THANOS from MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

SAKURA HARUNO from NARUTO

REIGEN ARATAKA from MOB PSYCHO 100

NAGITO KOMAEDA from SUPER DANGAN RONPA 2

SANS from UNDERTALE

MONICA.chr from DOKIDOKI LITERATURE CLUB

BROLY from DRAGONBALL Z

FROPPY from MY HERO ACADEMIA

MISSINGNO. from POKEMON

SEPHIROTH from FINAL FANTASY

NORVILLE “SHAGGY” ROGERS from SCOOBY-DOO

KIRBY from KIRBY

MARIYA TAKEUCHI from CITY POP

MRS. GREEN M&M from MARS CANDY

BERNIE SANDERS from AMERICAN POLITICS

REIMU HAKUREI from TOUHOU PROJECT

SANDY CHEEKS from TEXAS

TONY HAWK from PRO SKATER

SHINJI IKARI from NEON GENESIS EVANGELION

BASTION from OVERWATCH 2

HATSUNE MIKU from PIAPRO

NEZUKO KAMADO from DEVIL SLAYER

SAYAKA KANAMORI from EIZOUKEN

POPUKO from POP TEAM EPIC

JESSICA RABBIT from WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?

CREEPER from MINECRAFT

HELLO KITTY from BANDAIDS

KOOL-AID MAN from BEVERAGES

A POWERFUL RAT from CHARLES ENTERTAINMENT CHEESE

PINK STEVEN UNIVERSE from SHE’S GONE

EASY BAKE OVEN from HASBRO

CARMEN SANDIEGO from CRIME

BUGS BUNNY from CARTOONS

MARIO MARIO from HOTEL MARIO

CARLTON BANKS from FRESH PRINCE of BEL-AIR

COUNT CHOCULA from MONSTER CEREAL

BARBIE from MATTEL

YELLOW KORBAT from NEOPETS

RiFF RAFF from RAP

SANTANA from EATING NAZIS

PEPSIMAN from THE PS1

RONALD MCDONALD from NICONICODOUGA

ROBBIE ROTTEN from LAZYTOWN

LIVE-ACTION SIMBA from BAD

“I LIKE TRAINS” KID from ASDFMOVIE

DOROTHY-ANN from MAGIC SCHOOL BUS

MICHAEL JACKSON from SMOOTH CRIMINAL

OSCAR PINE from RWBY

LA GIACONDA from THE LOUVRE

BETTY BOOP from CARTOONS

WINNIE THE POOH from AMERICAN POLITICS

RMS TITANIC from MOVIES

CREAM THE RABBIT from SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

SCP-068 from THE SCP FOUNDATION

NIMUE, THE LADY OF THE LAKE from ARTHURIAN LEGEND

DOROTHY GALE from THE LGBT+ COMMUNITY

BLUE THE PUPPY from BLUE’S CLUES

ORCINUS ORCA from THE OCEAN

KARAMATSU MATSUNO from OSOMATSU-SAN

THE XENOMORPH QUEEN from ALIEN

JULIET CAPULET from FAIR VERONA, WHERE WE LAY OUR SCENE

GRIGORI RASPUTIN from RUSSIA LONG AGO

ADORABAT from MAO MAO: HEROES OF PURE HEART

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

So vampires can make people mysteriously disappear, right? (pretend there's a relevant meta linked here.) What unsolved mysteries do you think were actually vampires per Twilight?

Rasputin

Well, there's always the obvious Grigori Rasputin the man who just wouldn't die.

Rasputin was murdered during the early morning on 30 December [O.S. 17 December] 1916 at the home of Felix Yusupov. He died of three gunshot wounds, one of which was a close-range shot to his forehead. Little is certain about his death beyond this, and the circumstances of his death have been the subject of considerable speculation. According to historian Douglas Smith, "what really happened at the Yusupov home on 17 December will never be known".[86] The story that Yusupov recounted in his memoirs, however, has become the most frequently told version of events.[87]

Rasputin's corpse on the ground with a bullet wound visible in his forehead

Yusupov said he invited Rasputin to his home shortly after midnight and ushered him into the basement. Yusupov offered Rasputin tea and cakes which had been laced with cyanide. Rasputin initially refused the cakes but then began to eat them and, to Yusupov's surprise, appeared unaffected by the poison.[88] Rasputin then asked for some Madeira wine (which had also been poisoned) and drank three glasses, but still showed no sign of distress. At around 2:30 am, Yusupov excused himself to go upstairs, where his fellow conspirators were waiting. He took a revolver from Dmitry Pavlovich, then returned to the basement and told Rasputin that he'd "better look at the crucifix and say a prayer", referring to a crucifix in the room, then shot him once in the chest. The conspirators then drove to Rasputin's apartment, with Sukhotin wearing Rasputin's coat and hat in an attempt to make it look as though Rasputin had returned home that night.[89] Upon returning to the Moika Palace, Yusupov went back to the basement to ensure that Rasputin was dead.[90] Suddenly, Rasputin leaped up and attacked Yusupov, who freed himself with some effort and fled upstairs. Rasputin followed Yusupov into the palace's courtyard, where he was shot by Purishkevich. He collapsed into a snowbank. The conspirators then wrapped his body in cloth, drove it to the Petrovsky Bridge, and dropped it into the Malaya Nevka River.[91]

- Wikipedia

In the Twilight world, although Rasputin was eventually shot to death, the whole ordeal is one that screams supernatural in some manner. His hijinks are also something that Twilight vampires seem to enjoy getting into (see Boris, the vampire who turned Laurent, a fake Russian noble hanging out in Versailles, or else George, the sewer dwelling conman who pretends to be Astaroth).

Jeanne D'Arc

Fully human, definitely gifted, stupidly gifted.

Aro is crying that he didn't make it in time for when she was arrested in Rouen and is still upset about it.

You've got any, @therealvinelle?

[duchesssoflennox]

"if I'm murdered by nobles and your relatives and if they shed my blood, none of your family, that is to say, none of your children or relations will remain alive for more than two years"

Rasputin to Alexandra Feodorovna

After the murder of Grigori Rasputin in 1916, the most influential priest of the Russian court, by Tsar Nicholas II's relatives,A letter from him to the Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, discovered That was Rasputin's last letter to the Empress, in which he made shocking predictions about his own death and the future of Russia which made him one of the most mysterious people in history:

"I write and leave behind me this letter at St. Petersburg. I feel that I will leave life before January 1st.If I am killed by common assassins, and especially by my brothers the Russian peasants, you, Tsar of Russia, have nothing to fear, remain on your throne and govern, and you, Russian Tsar, will have nothing to fear for your children But *if I am murdered by nobles and your relatives and if they shed my blood, none of your family, that is to say, none of your children or relations will remain alive for more than two years, They will be killed by the Russian people and for twenty-five years there will be no nobles in the country..."

What you read is only a part of the letter and all the things mentioned come true in the coming years...

In 1917, the Bolsheviks came to power and the Romanovs were exiled to Siberia after 300 years of rule. The revolution that began with the massacre of Bloody Sunday by Tsar Nicholas II on January 22, 1905, ended in 1917 when the Bolsheviks came to power! and tsar Nicholas with his family and 4 of his crew were shot in July 17, 1918!💔 But after a century, Rasputin's prophecies still continue...💀

[idontliketomatoesleavemealone]

How does the Rasputin family breakdown? Like ages, deaths, stuff like that

Also any other hcs you wanna share!

this hopefully will not get too long.

So, first of all, we obviously have Grigory Rasputin himself & his wife, Praskovya Rasputin, who had three children;

Mikhail Rasputin, called Mischa, born before the isle was created, but taken there once it was when he was four years old. Mischa is dead, but his cause of death is unknown, as is the time. Fact is that he probably passed early because the only memories his next-oldest sibling had of him were very blurry. He would be around twenty-five now, but likely didn’t live past six.

Dmitry Rasputin, called Mitya, was just like his brother born before the isle was created and taken there when he was two years old. Mitya died of a particularly cruel beating by his father when he was nine years old and would be twenty-three now if he had lived. He was a very caring and protective older brother to his siblings, specifically Marya and Varya.

Anna Rasputina, called Anya, was born a few months after her father and brothers were sent away, always stayed sickly, and ended up passing away when she was only a few weeks old. She is not on any death records of the isle because they simply don’t know that she existed. Anya would be around 21 now if she had lived.

(Side note: I know it’s confusing that these two are called Dmitry and Anya because we already have Dimitri and Anya (Anastasia) in their story, but I am basing them off of real-life Rasputin children. For it to be clearer, the heroes are Dima (a different short form for Dimitri) and Anastasia or Nastya.)

After those three, we have four Rasputin kids that do not have a notable parent other than him:

Maria Rasputin, called Marya by most but usually Mascha by her father, the girl who lived! She was born around the same time as her half-sister Anya, but is probably a little bit younger. She’s also currently 21, but is mentally (due to being isolated for most of her life and having 3+ different neurodivergencies etc.) closer to around 6. she is not stupid, she just doesn’t have the life experience that you would expect her to have. Marya is part of Harriet Hook‘s pirate crew as the medic.

Varvara Rasputina, called Varya, is a year younger than Marya, would-be 20 years old but died of untreated pneumonia at age 12. she is kind of the baby of the longer-living Rasputin kids. Varya was blind on one eye due to head trauma and generally more careful and anxious than her siblings. After her death, she was dropped off on the side of a road by her father, later found by members of Harriet‘s pirate crew, and buried in the dragon hall cemetery.

Gregoriy Rasputin, called Schora, is three years younger than Varya, and much less well known. He died about a year after his birth, and would be 17 right now. It’s unsure what actually happened to him, but there’s a good chance his father was involved. Marya doesn’t like to talk about him, suggesting that it was not a peaceful end.

Praskovya Rasputina, called Pascha, n o t Rasputin‘s wife, but a youngest child named after her, two years younger than Schora, so she would have been around 15 now. She was something of a favorite of her father, often affectionately called Paschenka, and being generally better taken care of than any other child. It can be assumed that Rasputin didn’t have anything to do with her death, which happened when she was still an infant.

I technically have a lot of random headcanons about them but I don’t think I can actually put them into words very well so here, have a short summary of all my Rasputin kids, I might add on later if I think of anything else

[victusinveritas]

After the death of Grigori Rasputin, Russian anthropologists Boneym and Farrellov realized that he was just one of many Rasputins. Pictured above is the nigh mythic Ra-Ra-Rasputin, captured during the 1921 Boneym-Farrellov expedition to an undisclosed location in Siberia.

Spurious reports below have suggested the photo was from 1914. That's ridiculous.

[docgold13]

Profiles in Villainy

Rasputin

The mad monk and malevolent mystic known as Grigori Rasputin had previously been a spiritual advisor to the royal Russian family. Cunning an ambitious, Rasputin’s ambitions to destroy the Russian monarchy was found out and the monk was banished by Tzar Nicholas Romanov II.  

Using his knowledge of the black magical arts, Rasputin sold his soul to a demon in exchange for the supernatural abilities needed to gain deadly revenge on Tzar Nicholas and his family.  Now a lich (a type of undead ghoul possessing magical powers), he enacted the ‘Romanov Curse,’ resulting in the deaths of nearly all of the Romanov family; save for the youngest daughter, Anastasia, who managed to escape.  

Rasputin’s familiar, the bat named Bartok discovered that young Anastasia was still alive and reported back to his master.  Upon learning of Anastasia’s survival, Rasputin endeavored on a diabolical scheme to do in the last surviving Romanov.  

Now a teenager and unaware of her true origins, Anastasia managed to evade Rasputin’s deadly efforts.  She discovers the truth about herself and was finally able to defeat Rasputin.  With the aide of Bartok, Anastasia was able to destroy the villain’s reliquary.  This acted to release the demons who originally imbued the monk with his powers.  Angered over Rasputin’s failure, the demons collected his soul and dragged the villain into hell.  

Although Anastasia was able to survive and went on to live a full life of her own, Rasputin’s actions ultimately resulted in the fall of the Russian monarchy and the rise of the Soviet Union.  

Actor Christopher Lloyd provided the voice for the mad monk (with Jim Cummings in the singing sections).  This iteration of Rasputin first appeared in the 1997 animated feature, Anastasia.  

[daytaker]

Obey Me! As the Russian Revolution (1917)

Disclaimer: This is all just for fun. I am not claiming that these characters are morally equivalent to these historical figures, some of whom did genuinely horrible things.

Vladimir Lenin - - - Solomon

After his brother was executed for revolutionary activity when Lenin was still a teenager, he became dedicated to the cause of socialism. He was single-mindedly and relentlessly pursued this goal for decades until he succeeded, at the expense of his own humanity. It was the concept of the revolution that motivated Lenin, not the individual people who might benefit from it. This justified the many innocent deaths that took place as a result of communist activities, both military and economic.

Solomon is a man of the people. He is a human for humans--no matter the cost. Generally, his view of humankind isn't concerned with the individuals in question, but for the destiny of the human world in relation to the seemingly more powerful Celestial and Demon worlds it coexists with.

Leon Trotsky - - - Satan

A wildly charismatic speaker who was perfectly willing to drop names and addresses. Young and happy to make both sacrifices and enemies in the name of the revolution, he spent some time in Siberia in exile before joining up with Lenin and others in London. He returned to Russia when the 1905 revolution began, and then was exiled to Siberia again when it fell flat. But he would not be stopped. No matter what it took, no matter how many times he would be forced to make his way back west from the tundra of Siberia, he WOULD see that the Revolution came about.

So this is probably my weakest case, which is funny because it was the first joke I made that inspired this weird little post. Of course, in the scenario I was joking about, I was comparing his failure to rally his brothers against Lucifer to Trotsky in 1905, but I mean. I'd buy Satan as a revolutionary any day of the week. Give him an individual to hate or a system to destroy and set him loose.

Also he kept getting stuck in the tundra. :/

Julius Martov - - - MC

A friend of Lenin, he became the leader of the Menshevik party when Russia's communists split into Bolsheviks (led by Lenin) and Mensheviks. The Mensheviks were the less radical group who favored more traditionally democratic methods of achieving power and were hesitant to reject dissenters and more willing to re-educate them.

Lenin remained friendly towards Martov, warning him ahead of time before Mensheviks were targeted by a political purge and trying to send him money while he lived in exile in Germany. Later in life, Lenin regretted losing Martov as an ally.

Tsar Nicholas II - - - Diavolo

Nicholas was not expecting to become the ruler of the country when he did. His father was hale and healthy, and Nicholas himself was on vacation, when his father suddenly died, leaving the throne to him. That's pretty much where the parallels stop, though. Nicholas was a cowardly and selfish ruler who struggled to empathize with his people and tended to agree with whoever spoke to him most recently.

But he's the emperor, so there's no getting around that.

Tsarina Alexandra - - - Lucifer

A German princess whose enthusiasm for her adopted Russian homeland was only matched by her subjects' dislike of her. She was extremely devoted to her family, sacrificing her reputation to keep Rasputin on board because she believed he could keep her son safe.

Grigori Rasputin - - - Barbatos

Ra-Ra-Rasputin, lover of the Russian queen, the all-knowing mystic counselor to the tsar, whose devotion was absolute, who was extremely tricky to kill, and who was said to prophesy his own death and the fall of the Romanovs.... Most of those things are untrue, but history is partly about what happened and partly about what people believe happened.

Felix Yusopov - - - Mephistopheles

Yusupov was the ringleader of the group of nobles who murdered Rasputin. Horrified by his cousin the tsar's public reliance on the clownish peasant Rasputin and wanting to uphold the power of the nobility over the rest of the citizenry, Yusupov and several friends invited Rasputin to his estates and killed him. Later, Yusupov capitalized on his reputation as the person who killed Rasputin, who was reviled by royalists, communists, and everyone in between, to escape violence from the Red Army. He also turned the tale of Rasputin's murder into a fishing story, where the fish became bigger and harder to kill with each retelling.

Alexander Kerensky - - - Does anybody really, really hate Barbatos? Or is there another angle that will make someone? Come on, fellow Obey Me! history nerds, I need your help.

Kerensky was the leader of the provisional government which was in power from the fall of the tsar in February until the October revolution by the Bolsheviks. He was prime minister from May to September, and not a particularly successful one.

Hating Rasputin was normal for people from all political ideologies, but Kerensky really hated Rasputin. He blamed him for Russia's involvement in and humiliating failures in World War I, urged assassins to kill him, and, after the February Revolution, even dug up his grave and burned his body.

(Yes, I recognize that there is a giant omission here, but I am not going to frivolously designate an anime boy as "Stalin".)

[miffy-junot]

Felix Yusupov on his last visit to Rasputin before the murder

Each time I went to see Rasputin I loathed myself; these visits had become an almost unbearable torture. Shortly before Dmitri and Purishkevich returned,* I went to see him again. He was in a very good temper. "Why are you in such good spirits?" I asked. "Because I've just made a really good deal. Matters will soon come to a head, and it'll be our turn to rejoice." "What is it all about?" I inquired. "What's it all about? What's it all about?" repeated Rasputin mimicking me. "You're afraid of me," he continued, "and that's why you've stopped coming to see me. And yet, I have lots of interesting things to tell you... well, I won't, because you're frightened of me and frightened of everything. If you had more courage, I'd have told you everything." I tried to explain that I was cramming for an examination at the Corps des Pages and that this took up all my time; that was the reason for my apparent neglect. But I could not convince him. "I know, I know... you're afraid, and your parents won't allow you to come here. Your mama is hand in glove with [Grand Duchess] Elisabeth, isn't she? And they both have but one thought: to send me away from here. They won't succeed, indeed they won't, no one will listen to them; they're much too fond of me at Tsarskoe Selo."

"Grigori Yefimovich, your behavior at Tsarskoe Selo is quite different from what it is elsewhere. You only talk of God there, and that's why you're believed in and loved." "And why shouldn't I talk to them about God, my dear fellow? They are very pious and such talk pleases them... They understand everything, forgive everything and appreciate me. It's not the least use running me down to them, for no matter what is told them they don't believe a word of it. I have often said to them: 'You'll see that I'll be slandered. Remember then how Christ was persecuted. He too suffered for the sake of truth.' They listen to everyone, but they act only according to the dictates of conscience. As for him," continued Rasputin, "whenever he leaves Tsarskoe Selo, he listens to everything that wicked people tell him; I've had a lot of trouble with him lately. I try to make him understand that he must put an end to this butchery. 'All men are brothers,' I tell him. 'Does it matter whether they are French or German?' But I can do nothing with him. He doggedly repeats that he'd be 'ashamed' to sign a peace. And what is there to be ashamed of, when it means the salvation of his brothers? He is about to send more men to their death, thousands of them. That is what he should be ashamed of. She is a good and wise woman. But what does he understand? He hasn't the makings of an emperor. He's just one of God's children. What I fear is that the Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaievich** will make difficulties for us if he hears anything. But thank God, he's far away and he isn't powerful enough to get at us. The Tsarina saw the danger and he was sent as far away as possible to prevent his meddling." "In my opinion," I replied, "it was a great blunder to relieve the Grand Duke of his command. The whole of Russia worships him. The Army should not have been deprived of its beloved chief at a time like this." "Don't give yourself airs, my dear boy. The decision was made because it was necessary, and a very good thing too." Rasputin rose and began striding up and down, muttering. He stopped suddenly rushed up to me and seized my hand. His expression became every strange: "Come with me to the gypsies," he said. "If you'll come, I'll tell you everything, down to the smallest detail." I consented, but at that moment the telephone rang: Rasputin was summoned to Tsarskoe Selo. Taking advantage of his disappointment at not going to see the gypsies with me, I invited him to spend an evening with me soon, at the Moika.*** He had long wished to meet my wife. Believing her to be in St. Petersburg, and knowing that my parents were in the Crimea, he accepted my invitation. The truth was that Irina was also in the Crimea, but I thought Rasputin would be more likely to accept my invitation if he thought he had a chance of meeting her.

Dmitri and Purishkevich returned from the front some days later, and it was agreed that I should invite Rasputin to the Moika on the evening of December 29. He accepted on the understanding that I would come for him myself and take him home afterward. He told me to come up the back stairs and said he would notify the janitor that someone would come for him at midnight. The simple way in which he consented to everything, and even went out of his way to make things easier for me, horrified and surprised me.

*Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich and Vladimir Purishkevich, two of Yusupov's fellow conspirators, were at the Eastern Front. it was only after their return that the murder plot could proceed.

**Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaievich was the head of the Russian army until he was relieved of his position and sent to the Caucasian front in 1915.

***the Yusupov palace on the Moika canal, where the murder would take place.

source: Lost Splendour by Felix Yusupov, chapter 22