#they never refer to me with honorifics and idk how to deal with that

[aldebarangel]

happy lesbian visibility week to the 12 year old lesbian who treats me like some peer and makes fun of me by calling me a short emo

[vitvliyv]

                 - ̗̀   HSHQTASK036: RUSSIAN NOBILITY   ̖́-

RUSSIA is divided into 84 duchies. all 84 duchies are inside 9 grand duchies all of which are governed by a duke or a duchess that is appointed by the tsar. the title of a grand duke or grand duchess cannot be inherited. the grand duke or duchess is chosen from “regular” dukes and duchesses. all members of the imperial family carry the title of grand duke or grand duchess despite not governing a grand duchy. all members of the imperial family have their own duchies though. map under the cut & the blurbs !

                               - ̗̀   THE GRAND DUCHIES    ̖́-

TURQUOISE: the grand duchy of northwestern russia. YELLOW: the grand duchy of central russia. PINK: the grand duchy of southern russia. LILAC: the grand duchy of north caucasian russia. GREEN: the grand duchy of volga. BEIGE: the grand duchy of ural. BLUE: the grand duchy of siberia. ORANGE: the grand duchy of far eastern russia. not pictured: the grand duchy of finland, north west of the grand duchy of northwestern russia.

( don’t talk to me about the quality of these photos idk how to use ps okay 😭😭😭 )

OKSANA FILATOVA, the 42 year old duchess of ARKHANGELSK and the grand duchess of NORTHWESTERN RUSSIA who resembles JESSICA CHASTAIN

the filatova family is the latest addition into russian nobility. oksana was given her title by alexei when the former duke of akhangelsk died and his only son was in prison. this was three years ago, before then oksana had been part of alexei’s staff and a close friend. oksana received the title of a grand duchess last year when the former duke of komi passed away. oksana is definitely loyal to the imperial family, no doubt about that. she is, however, detested by all of her neighbours including vitaliya and the new duke of komi --- both of them expected to receive the title of a grand duchess/duke. 

NIKITA KURAKIN, the 54 year old duke of KHABAROVSK and the grand duke of FAR EASTERN RUSSIA who resembles KEANU REEVES 

nikita kurakin is first and foremost a general. he is steadfast and reliable. the romanovs trust him. far eastern russia is his kingdom and anyone who challenges his leadership gets a slap on the wrist. he isn’t necessarily liked but he isn’t feared. he is very fair and doesn’t misuse his power. kurakin’s one of the most important figures when it comes to east asian politics. usually when kurakin is on a diplomatic mission, it’s a successful one.

GRIGORI KOLOBKOV, the 68 year old duke of KRASNODAR and the grand duke of SOUTHERN RUSSIA who resembles ED HARRIS

kolobkov is one of the few ussr generals to survive the revolution --- and by that we mean that he was the only general to survive the change in leadership. kolobkov sided with the royal family at a very crucial time and managed to avoid an execution. kolobkov’s expertise landed him a duchy during tsar mikhail’s reign. currently he is pretty much leading the attack on ukraine. 

RENATA SHIRINOVA, the 37 year old duchess of STAVROPOL and the grand duchess of NORTH CAUCASIAN RUSSIA who resembles NATALIA VODIANOVA

shirinova grew up in france --- her family only returned to russia when her father’s family’s title was returned to him. the shirinovas weren’t the loudest supporters of the romanovs when they were fighting for the country. this is the reason why the shirinovas have been rubbing elbows with the romanovs ever since their return to russia. renata is no different from her parents. the problem is that their behaviour just irritates the romanovs. but at least they are loyal !

LIZAVETA ORLOVA, the 34 year old duchess of MORDOVIA and the grand duchess of VOLGA who resembles NATASHA POLY

lizaveta inherited her title from her father but it is her mother who is important. lizaveta belongs to one of the richest families in russia --- while she could use her title to make changes happen, to make sure certain kind of laws happen... it’s her mother’s name and mother’s money that gives her real power. people are afraid of her because she makes problems ( people ) disappear with a snap of her fingers. she was named the grand duchess of volga 100% because of her mother and not because of her father.

ZINAIDA DASHKOVA, the 37 year old duchess of KRASNOYARSK and the grand duchess of SIBERIA who resembles LOTTE VERBEEK

dashkova will stab you in the back if you upset her. she is as power hungry as they come. her resourcefulness has no competition. alexei bought her ‘loyalty’ by giving her the title of grand duchess of siberia. dashkova always hears the imperial family out and usually makes decisions that are in the romanovs’ favour but there are times when dashkova’s own ambitions are more important than being liked by the romanovs. she only respects the hierarchy when it benefits her --- she’s the type who forgets to use honorifics unless she wants something from you.

ALEXANDER CHERNYSHEV, the 36 year old duke of SVERDLOVSK and the grand duke of URAL who resembles RICHARD MADDEN

alexander chernyshev is blue eyed. you can tell him just about anything and he’ll believe you. he’s an army captain even though no one understands how he is equipped to lead anyone. alexander was given the title of a grand duke by tsar mikhail almost a decade ago. the reason ? alexander listens. you don’t need to be afraid of the man double crossing you or causing a scene. 

ANNA ROMANOVA, the 41 year old duchess of MOSCOW and grand duchess of CENTRAL RUSSIA who resembles ANTJE TRAUE

the moscow duchy is economically and culturally an important duchy in russia and having a romanov govern it was important to the family. it was trusted to anya who had always showed competence to rule. anya is the only royal to have her own grand duchy. czar mikhail tried to avoid nepotism whenever he had to choose the next grand duke or duchess. when the previous grand duke of central russia passed away, anya was the only duchess in central russia the romanovs could trust thus she was given the powerful title.

YAKOV GOLOVKIN, the 49 year old duke of SAKHA who resembles JON HAMM

golovkin is a wild card. he is always looking out for himself and takes just about any deal that benefits him. he rarely visits his duchy as it is quite far away from st petersburg. he has never lived in his duchy --- but he really appreciates the money he gets through his title. the romanovs dislikes him, vitaliya likes that he can be bought.

IVAN KAPUSTIN, the 53 year old duke of KOMI who resembles DANIEL CRAIG

kapustin inherited his title from his father a year ago. he’s an army colonel. kapustin may not have held his title for a very long time but he’s been doing his father’s work for a very long time. his military career is also a respectable one. people were expecting him or vitaliya to become the ruler of the grand duchy. he and vitaliya pretty much terrorize oksana --- partly out of pettiness and partly because there’s a chance that oksana might give the title up.

NIKOLAI VON ESSEN, the 35 year old duke of KALININGRAD who resembles ARMIE HAMMER

nikolai’s duchy is barely russian. he has a lot of freedom when it comes to governing. the von essen family has been important members of the russian navy for centuries --- it is why the family received the duchy of kaliningrad when the duchies were reinstated.

LANA YELCHIN, the 46 year old duchess of BASHKORTOSTAN who resembles THANDIE NEWTON

lana yelchin started out as a politician. she had a pretty successful career considering her age --- and then she married the duke of bashkortostan. people liked lana more than they liked her husband so when the man died and it was up to the romanovs to decide whether the man’s cousin would get the duchy or lana... the romanovs chose lana. lana’s heart is in the right place and her experience in ‘people’s politics’ gives her an ability to see issues from a different point of view. she is a person people ask for advice when they are unsure about the effects of new legislation, etc. 

MARINA GLUKHOVA, the 38 year old duchess of BURYATIA who resembles DICHEN LACHMAN

glukhova hasn’t been a duchess for a very long time. she hasn’t even been part of the court for a long time. marina is a illegitimate daughter of the former duke of buryatia. she only came to know about her birthright when, on his deathbed, her father contacted her. marina wasn’t going to accept the title when it was offered to her but eventually caved. it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster for her, she has learnt quickly but her down-to-earth kind of attitude has not disappeared. marina has no patience for mind games and she tends to keep to herself. marina’s passion is foreign affairs though and she’s been very proactive in her role of an honorary ambassador. 

NATALYA ANTOPOVA, the 53 year old duchess of PERM who resembles HELENA BONHAM CARTER

natalya is the first one from her family to have a title. natalya was young, reckless and passionate when the white army recruited her to fight for the imperial family. she had no political opinions but the royalists gave her life a reason, something the soviet union had failed to do. natalya was smart and tended to think outside of the box, which made her stand out. her loyalty was rewarded later on and she was given a duchy. natalya is still a bit reckless and it shows in her style of governing. plans are made quickly, budgets are approved haphazardly... 

VITALIYA VORONTSOVA, the 58 year old duchess of KARELIA who resembles MICHELLE PFEIFFER

u know my bitch. definitely bitter about the title of a grand duchess.

KONSTANTIN ROMANOV, the 34 year old duke of ALEKSANDR OBLAST who resembles CASEY DEIDRICK

aleksandr oblast is the new name of leningrad ( the duchy that borders st. petersburg ) because the romanovs wanted to erase everything that referred to stalin or lenin. aleksandr is the name of the romanovs’ grand father.