#yekaterina ii

[blueplumbbob]

The Royal Jewels of Iverny (part 1)

Queen Catherine's Emerald Diadem

Out of any tiara in the Ivernian royal collection, none are more closely associated with one specific member of the royal family than the emerald and diamond kokoshnik often worn by Princess Claudia, Princess Royal. While it is lovingly called "Princess Claudia's Tiara" by both the public and the royal family, the tiara is formally known as Queen Catherine's Emerald Diadem.

In 1891, Grand Duchess Yekaterina Alexandrovna of Russia, a great-granddaughter of Emperor Paul I of Russia, was betrothed to the third son of King Philip III of Iverny and Queen Mary Josephine, Prince Richard, the future Duke of Ettinger. As a wedding gift, the bride's parents commissioned a kokoshnik tiara set with emeralds from the collections of the bride's grandmothers, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna. The young Yekaterina was delighted, and the tiara became a beloved reminder of home as she entered in to a new chapter of life in Iverny as Duchess of Ettinger.

After the tragic and sudden death of her niece Queen Jane II in the fall of 1918, Catherine stepped into her new role as consort alongside her husband, the newly crowned King Richard V. Her emerald kokoshnik tiara was worn for countless state dinners, galas, balls, and portraits throughout her eight-year tenure as queen, and into the 1930s and 1940s in her role as Queen Mother.

In 1949, on the occasion of her granddaughter's 15th birthday, Queen Catherine gifted the tiara to King Arthur V's only daughter, Princess Catherine. The young Princess Royal was said to be "positively elated" by the gift from her namesake. The Princess Royal wore the tiara regularly up until the early 1970s, when she gifted it to her niece, Princess Claudia. Reportedly, the note given to Princess Claudia alongside the tiara read "from one Princess Royal to Another, from your dear Aunt Cathy."

Princess Claudia first debuted Queen Catherine's Emerald Diadem in 1972. Over the past fifty years, the Princess Royal has worn the tiara almost exclusively, from her brother's coronation in 1976 to her own wedding in 1988 to nearly every state dinner. It is unknown if the Princess Royal will continue to wear the tiara into her old age, or if she will pass it on to her own niece, the junior Princess Royal, Princess Caroline, Countess Hatheway, as many anticipate.

HRH Catherine, Duchess of Ettinger, wears the yet-unnamed tiara in a portrait photograph, 1893.

HM Queen Catherine's first official painted portrait in her role as Queen consort, 1921.

HRH Princess Catherine, Princess Royal, wears her grandmother's Emerald Diadem at the French State Dinner, 1957.

HRH Princess Claudia, Princess Royal, shakes hands with guests at His Majesty's Charity Benefit Gala in Gaucelin, 1980.

post inspired by @warwickroyals 💙

[nanshe-of-nina]

Women’s History Meme || Mistresses (6/10) ↬ Yekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova (1847 – 1922)

By the next morning, of course, the court knew. The ladies-in waiting of the late empress were stunned and angered. The witnesses had to justify their behavior by explaining they were commanded to do so. The news traveled instantly from Tsarskoye Selo to St. Petersburg. Mme Bogdanovich recorded her “profound indignation” in her diary. The general reaction was “the old emperor has immediately forgotten his poor wife and married a young debauched woman.” The two-faced Janus didn’t get it, yet again. The despot Peter the Great could marry a cook and make her an empress— precisely because he was a despot. Alexander, who wanted to rule European-style, had to think about public perception all the time. But he had been brought up by his father, and he could not get used to the idea of public accountability. That night she slept in the palace, in his bed, and he sat at his desk and finalized formalities. He signed the necessary decree: “To the Government Senate: Having entered a second time into a legal marriage, with Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukaya, we command her to be named Princess Yuryevskaya with the title Serene Princess. We command that the same name with the same tide be given to our children: our son, Georgii, our daughters Olga and Ekaterina, and also to any others that might be born subsequently, and we confer upon them all the rights of legitimate children in accordance with article 14 of the empire’s basic laws and article 147 of the Statutes on the Imperial Family. — Alexander II: The Last Great Tsar by Edvard Radzinsky While sex between even the lustiest pair usually fizzled after a few years, Czar Alexander II (1818–1881) and his pretty brunette mistress Katia Dolguruky enjoyed a passionate sex life throughout a fifteen-year relationship that ended only with his death. Though profoundly stupid, Katia was thirty years younger than Alexander and adored lovemaking. In 1870 the czar wrote her, “What I felt within me you saw for yourself, just as I saw what was happening to you. That was why we clenched each other like hungry cats both in the morning and in the afternoon, and it was sweet to the verge of madness, so that even now I want to squeal for joy and I am still saturated in all my being.” — Sex With Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge by Eleanor Herman

[unhonestlymirror]

It's a shame that I, as a Ukrainian, never wrote what I think about russia's name in hetalia.

Because it's so damn lifeless. XD I see plenty of people referring to Ukraine as Katyusha (nickname made from russian Yekaterina, has nothing to do with Ukraine) and to Belarus as Natasha (russified nickname, which appeared, according to russian sources, in the 18th century, and according to American sources, in 1965, has nothing to do with Belarus) - but, for some reason, Great Russia doesn't want to have 100% russian name:

Ivan is the name of ancient Hebrew origin, which translates as "Mercy of God." It is formed from the ancient form of Ioann. This name is definitely older than russia itself. This name is commonly used in Ukrainian and Belaruthian folk songs, this name is used to refer to Ivana Kupala celebration: the name arose at a time when the Christian church wanted to replace a pagan holiday with a new religion.

Not even England has such an average name: it's like if they used John Brown instead of Arthur Kirkland.

Now about the surname: and I will use quotes from russian(!) sources:

The surname Braginsky belongs to a common type of Jewish surnames.

The Jews of the Russian Empire began to be given surnames at the end of the 18th century, after the western regions of Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic states were annexed to the Russian Empire - after the partition of Poland.

Then Catherine II "acquired" along with the western regions a huge number of Jews who historically did not have surnames, but only a first name and patronymic, for example, "Moishe, son of Shmelke."

And my favourite:

"So, the surname Braginsky owes its origin to the urban settlement of Bragin - at present, it is the regional centre of the Gomel region of the Republic of Belarus. The settlement was founded in the 16th century."

Gomel region? The region from which locals like to joke that they use Ukrainian with Belaruthian letters? (Lots of my relatives are from there, and some of them even identify themselves as Ukrainians).

What an interesting name for personification of russia to have. Especially considering how much russia hates both Jews, Ukrainians, and Belaruthians. This name literally screams: "Look, I am not a nazi." And I really doubt Hidekaz Himaruya, who clearly isn't versed in never-soviet countries' culture, would choose this name without influence from his sponsors.

If russia loves its culture so much, why did they choose what they chose? Why doesn't its personification have a perfectly russian name? I will even translate some of the greatest examples for you:

Dalis - Да здравствуют Ленин и Сталин!Long live Lenin and Stalin!

Delezh — ��ело Ленина живёт! The deed of Lenin lives!

Deleor — Дело Ленина — Октябрьская революция! The deed of Lenin -- October Revolution!

Dazdrasen — Да здравствует Седьмое ноября! Long live November 7th!

Avtodor -- Общество содействия развитию автомобилизма и улучшению дорог. Society for the Promotion of Motoring and Road Improvement

Agitprop -- Отдел агитации и пропаганды при ЦК ВКП (б). Department of Agitation and Propaganda under the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks

Glasp -- гласность печати. Publicity of the press.

Karmiy -- Красная Армия. Red Army.

Kid -- коммунистический идеал. Communist ideal.

Kravasil -- Красная армия всех сильней!The Red Army is the strongest of all!

Kukutsapol -- "Кукуруза — царица полей!" Corn - the queen of the fields!

Piachegod -- "Пятилетку — в четыре года!" "Five-Year Plan - in four years!"

Revvol — революционная воля - revolutionary will

Revdar — революционный дар revolutionary gift

Yurgoz -- Юрий Гагарин облетел Землю -- Yuri Gagarin circled the Earth

Zamvil — заместитель В. И. Ленина -- Deputy of V. I. Lenin

Idlen -- Ideas of Lenin

Vidlen - Great ideas of Lenin

Vinun — "Владимир Ильич не умрёт никогда" -- "Vladimir Ilyich (Lenin) will never die"

Lunio – "Ленин умер, но идеи остались" - Lenin died, but the ideas remained!"

Lelud — Ленин любит детей -- Lenin loves children

Lengenmir -- "Ленин - гений мира!" -- "Lenin - the genius of the world!"

Lestak - Lenin, Stalin, communism!

Pofistal – Победитель фашизма Иосиф Сталин -- "The winner of fascism, Joseph Stalin."

Yausyaukh – "Я устал, я ухожу" - "I'm tired, I'm leaving."

Porof - Позор российскому футболу - Shame on Russian football.

Motevsor - мочить террористов в сортире - kill terrorists in the toilet.

Dogzeb -- "Догзеб – Доллар – грязная зеленая б��мажка" - "Dollar is a dirty green paper"

And it's only a little part of what exists. If there are so many great, purely russian names, why to name russia after "stupid khokhols" (russian slur about Ukrainians) or "bulbashi" (russian slur about Belaruthians) or "zhydy"(russian slur about Jewish)?

[131sthungergames]

games

i - two of clubs - prison escape

atlas - dead sanvi zane layla lars rosalia eros yekaterina hermes olympia cleon constantina tony jane jamie kasia anton victoria holden aquata - dead heath circe noah astrid

ii - five of spades - tag

sanvi zane layla - dead lars rosalia eros yekaterina hermes olympia cleon constantina tony - dead jane jamie - dead kasia anton victoria holden heath circe noah astrid - dead

iii - three of hearts - truth or dare

sanvi vs jane: alliance zane vs noah: truth lars vs holden: love rosalia vs kasia: trouble eros vs yekaterina: betrayal hermes vs cleon: betrayal olympia vs constantina: friendship heath vs circe: friendship anton vs victoria: friendship/betrayal

iv - mix

seven of spades (4) noah, rosalia, anton, circe

seven of hearts (4) eros, yekaterina, victoria, olympia

seven of clubs - ludo (4) sanvi, jane, hermes, kasia

seven of diamonds - chess (6) team 1 - zane, lars, holden team 2 - cleon, heath, konstantina

v - marbles (king of hearts)

noah - circe anton - zane yekaterina - hermes lars - holden

vi - jack of spades

noah lars anton

[blood-and-mirrors]

blood&mirrors character

.. district i

winter

musa

marco

ambrosia

caleb

marissa

anthony

kiara

aiden

noah

astrid

.. district ii

robert

navenia

senna

catrine

sebastian

emma

nico

heath

circe

.. district iii

zachary

soyeon

greta

cole

melissa

malachi

holden

aquata

.. district iv

caden

dante

evan

apollonios

genevieve

reginald

anton

victoria

.. district v

rosella

alaska

josephine

rachel

james

jamie

kasia

.. district vi

jerome

ciél

solomon

lissa

tony

jane

.. district vii

samantha

blake

kasia

camila lidell

eleazar

yasmine

tony

cleon

konstantina

.. district viii

celestiana

iris

abraxas

nicole

constance

drogo

rio

hermes

olympia

.. district ix

fiona

camila overhill

felix

craven

anika

daniil

eros

yekaterina

.. district x

marcus

clementine

violet

cesare

rufus

amelia

jefferson

allison

kaz

lars

rosalia

.. district xi

kamali

hawk

hephaestus

tabitha

zane

layla

.. district xii

gil

clover

malcolm

atlas

sanvi

[short-wooloo]

"After having been rescued by Soviet troops, Orenstein emigrated to the United States in 1947, changed his first name to "Henry" and soon opened his own grocery store, which he eventually sold off. He subsequently became president and CEO of Deluxe Reading (also known under its brands Deluxe Topper, Deluxe Toy Creations, Topper Corp., Topper Toy Group, and Topper Toys), where he invented many successful toys such as the Johnny Lightning cars, the Johnny Seven OMA, and the Dawn dolls. Overall, Orenstein held over 100 patents in the toy field. Mattel allegedly had meetings on how to stop the man.[2] However, in 1973, Topper Toys/Deluxe Reading filed for bankruptcy. [3] The Securities and Exchange Commission also sought an injunction against Topper Toys, Orenstein, and other officers of the corporation, for violation of antifraud, registration, and corporate reporting provisions related to a public offering of stock.[4] An injunction was entered in 1974 by consent without Orenstein or the other defendants admitting or denying the allegations.[5] Subsequently, Orenstein went on to be a pitch-man for toy companies like Hasbro.

In 1983, he went to Takara to convince their president that their transforming toys were ripe for an American rebrand and then went on to successfully sell Hasbro CEO Stephen D. Hassenfeld on creating what became Transformers. As well as being "the bridge" between Hasbro and Takara, he facilitated the meeting between Dunsay and Takara that would be influential on the rest of the line.[6][7] Following that, he created the rubsign. While this was his last contribution to the franchise, it made him quite a bit of money and he proudly talked about it a lot at the time.

In 1987, Orenstein, already in his mid-60s, discovered the world of poker. Finding television broadcasts of poker games "boring", he invented the hole card camera, the table-level camera that allows television audiences and announcers to view players' hands and hidden cards. This innovation led to a boom in poker tournaments[8] and television shows, some of which were launched by Orenstein himself. As a result, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2008.

The Lejb and Golda Orenstein Building, an eleven-story building for low-income families in New York City, is named after Henry Orenstein's parents who died in the Holocaust. Henry Orenstein himself paid for air conditioners in all apartments and security. Another Lejb and Golda Orenstein Building is located in Kiryat Ono, Israel, which was also largely funded by Henry Orenstein. He also ensured Yekaterina Lipinskaja, the Polish woman who sheltered his family for months, was added to Israel's Righteous among the Nations memorial for gentiles who aided Jews in the Holocaust.

Orenstein also authored two books, his autobiography I Shall Live: Surviving Against All Odds, 1939-1945 (1987, reissued in 2010 as I Shall Live: Surviving the Holocaust 1939-1945 and as an e-Book I Shall Live: Surviving the Holocaust Against All Odds) and Abram: The Life of an Israeli Patriot (1999), a biography of Abram Silberstein, who fought in the British Army during World War II.

At the age of 98, Mr. Orenstein passed away due to complications of COVID-19 at his home in New Jersey."

in honor of that anon who said jews have done nothing for the world, here’s a non exhaustive list of things we’ve done for the world:

arts, fashion, and lifestyle:

jeans - levi strauss

modern bras - ida rosenthal

sewing machines - isaac merritt singer

modern film industry - carl laemmle (universal pictures), adolph zukor (paramount pictures), william fox (fox film forporation), louis b. mayer (mgm - metro-goldwyn-mayer), harry, sam, albert, and jack warners (warner bros.), steven spielberg, mel brooks, marx brothers

operetta - jacques offenbach

comic books - stan lee

graphic novels - will eisner

teddy bears - morris and rose michtom

influential musicians - irving berlin, stephen sondheim, benny goodman, george gershwin, paul simon, itzhak perlman, leonard bernstein, bob dylan, leonard cohen

artists - mark rothko

actors - elizabeth taylor, jerry lewis, barbara streisand

comedians - lenny bruce, joan rivers, jerry seinfeld

authors - judy blume, tony kushner, allen ginsberg, walter mosley

culture:

esperanto - ludwik lazar zamenhof

feminism - betty friedan, gloria steinem, ruth bader ginsberg

queer and trans rights - larry kramer, harvey milk, leslie feinberg, abby stein, kate bornstein, frank kameny, judith butler

international women's day - clara zetkin

principles of journalizm, statue of liberty, and pulitzer prize - joseph pulitzer

"the new colossus" - emma lazarus

universal declaration of human rights - rene samuel cassin

holocaust remembrance and human rights activism - elie wiesel

workers rights - louis brandeis, rose schneiderman

public health care, women's rights, and children's rights - lillian wald

racial equity - rabbi abraham joshua heschel, julius rosenwald, andrew goodman, michael schwerner

political theory - hannah arendt

disability rights - judith heumann

black lives matter slogan and movement - alicia garza

#metoo movement - jodi kantor

institute of sexology - magnus hirschfeld

technology:

word processing computers - evelyn berezin

facebook - mark zuckerberg

console video game system - ralph henry baer

cell phones - amos edward joel jr., martin cooper

3d - leonard lipton

telephone - philipp reis

fax machines - arthur korn

microphone - emile berliner

gramophone - emile berliner

television - boris rosing

barcodes - norman joseph woodland and bernard silver

secret communication system, which is the foundation of the technology used for wifi - hedy lamarr

three laws of robotics - isaac asimov

cybernetics - norbert wiener

helicopters - emile berliner

BASIC (programming language) - john george kemeny

google - sergey mikhaylovich brin and larry page

VCR - jerome lemelson

fax machine - jerome lemelson

telegraph - samuel finley breese morse

morse code - samuel finley breese morse

bulletproof glass - edouard benedictus

electric motor and electroplating - boris semyonovich jacobi

nuclear powered submarine - hyman george rickover

the internet - paul baran

icq instant messenger - arik vardi, yair goldfinger,, sefi vigiser, amnon amir

color photography - leopold godowsky and leopold mannes

world's first computer - herman goldstine

modern computer architecture - john von neumann

bittorrent - bram cohen

voip internet telephony - alon cohen

data archiving - phil katz, eugene roshal, abraham lempel, jacob ziv

nemeth code - abraham nemeth

holography - dennis gabor

laser - theodor maiman

instant photo sharing online - philippe kahn

first automobile - siegfried samuel marcus

electrical maglev road - boris petrovich weinberg

drip irrigation - simcha blass

ballpoint pen and automatic gearbox - laszlo biro

photo booth - anatol marco josepho

medicine:

pacemakers and defibrillators - louise robinovitch

defibrillators - bernard lown

anti-plague and anti-cholera vaccines - vladimir aronovich khavkin

polio vaccine - jonas salk

test for diagnosis of syphilis - august paul von wasserman

test for typhoid fever - ferdinand widal

penicillin - ernst boris chain

pregnancy test - barnhard zondek

antiretroviral drug to treat aids and fight rejection in organ transplants - gertrude elion

discovery of hepatitis c virus - harvey alter

chemotherapy - paul ehrlich

discovery of prions - stanley prusiner

psychoanalysis - sigmund freud

rubber condoms - julius fromm

birth control pill - gregory goodwin pincus

asorbic acid (vitamin c) - tadeusz reichstein

blood groups and rh blood factor - karl landsteiner

acyclovir (treatment for infections caused by herpes virus) - gertrude elion

vitamins - caismir funk

technique for measuring blood insulin levils - rosalyn sussman yalow

antigen for hepatitus - baruch samuel blumberg

a bone fusion technique - gavriil abramovich ilizarov

homeopathy - christian friedrich samuel hahnemann

aspirin - arthur ernst eichengrun

science:

theory of relativity - albert einstein

theory of the electromagnetic field - james maxwell

quantum mechanics - max born, gustav ludwig hertz

quantum theory of gravity - matvei bronstein

microbiology - ferdinand julius cohn

neuropsychology - alexander romanovich luria

counters for x-rays and gamma rays - robert hofstadter

genetic engineering - paul berg

discovery of the antiproton - emilio gino segre

discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation - arno allan penzias

discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe - adam riess and saul merlmutter

discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity - roger penrose

discovery of a supermassive compact object at the center of the milky way - andrea ghez

modern cosmology and the big bang theory - alexander alexandrovich friedmann

stainless steel - hans goldschmidt

gas powered vehicles

interferometer - albert abraham michelson

discovery of the source of energy production in stars - hans albrecht bethe

proved poincare conjecture - grigori yakovlevich perelman

biochemistry - otto fritz meyerhof

electron-positron collider - bruno touschek

[dailyhistoryposts]

Yekaterina Mikhailova-Demina

Ekaterina Illarionovna Mikhailova-Demina, in Russian Екатерина Илларионовна Михайлова-Дёмина (1925-2019) was a Russian military doctor and recon officer.

She was born in Leningrad and grew up in an orphanage, volunteering for military service and working in a military hospital at age 15. When her hospital was evacuated as the Germans advanced through Russia, she stayed behind to work as a field medic for the Red Army.

Mikhailova-Demina volunteered for front-line service in the 369th Independent Naval Infantry Battalion. She treated and evacuated wounded and scouted enemy territory. She participated in a commando-style operation to assault a Nazi bunker and retake the city of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi. In her military career, Mikhailova-Demina was seriously wounded three times and personally saved the lives of hundreds of men.

She was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal for her work during WWII and, in 1950, became a doctor. She was nominated three times for the Hero of the Soviet Union, the highest distinction in the country, but was turned down due to sexism. Mikhailova-Demina received it belatedly in 1990.

[thetimetravellinggaybar]

Chapter 8: The Royal We

It was nearing two in the morning when there was a loud clatter on the roof. Leaving only the time for the bar’s diminishing clientele to look up before the ceiling seemed to swell and burst, and a cluster of bodies fell through, landing with great commotion in a pile on the floor.

As the intruders extricated themselves from the heap, five figures distinguished themselves: three men in dazzling, ceremonial-looking military garb, lavishly bedecked with silk and velveteen; a woman buried up to the neck in duchesse satin, crinoline, pearl jewelry, and ribbons; and another in hunting dress, with black velvet gloves up to her elbows and thick furs draped over her shoulders.

They got up, dusted themselves off, and without a moment’s hesitation began to yell. Several seemed to be speaking Russian, and turned to each other in confusion before returning to the business of their complaining.

Feeling themselves ignored, they first looked around accusingly; then, assuming the problem must be the language barrier, all five, nearly simultaneously, switched to French.

One of the five - Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich of Romanov - was halfway through a sentence when, suddenly, his gaze stopped on a familiar face: that of Tsar Nicholas the Second of Russia.

“We were not informed that your Majesty was visiting! What a pleasant surprise!” He exclaimed, in French, before gesturing at the unfamiliar surroundings and switching to Russian again. “This… forgive me, but are we here on your orders, your Majesty?”

“Absolutely not. I am as baffled as the you,” replied Nicholas.

“Dima!” The call of the sickly sweet voice behind him made Dmitry freeze the moment he heard it. He didn’t need to turn around; he knew immediately who it was.

“Felix,” he muttered under his breath. The Tsar was looking over his shoulder - at Count Felix Yusupov himself, he knew - with one eyebrow raised. In skepticism, perhaps, or simply curiosity over the nickname. Dima. How dare you, Dmitry fumed. The risks you make me take, and for what? If the Tsar found out, where would you be? Where would we be?

But now the Count stood beside him and the Tsar had moved on from the topic without a word. He and Felix were discussing their sudden… transportation.

After a spat of conversation, the three decided that they could make nothing of it on their own, and weren’t there others who had come down with them? Perhaps one who spoke Russian, too.

The three of them turned, then, to the women beside them, who were making slightly less noise and trying to make sense the unusual surroundings. “You two! Do you speak French? What’s going on here?” Nicholas broke in, in French, interrupting their conversation.

“Of course I speak French! Who do think I am?” the two exclaimed simultaneously.

“Who are you?”

The more elaborately dressed of the two stepped forward. “Yekaterina Alekseyevna, Empress and Autocrat of All the Russias.” Her voice was ice cold. “What spectacular ignorance on your part. I am ashamed that any subject of mine should fail to recognize - “

“Subject!” Nicholas spat. “I am the subject of none! There is no man more powerful in all Russia!”

“Good thing, then, that I am no man.” Empress Catherine smiled a chilly smile, switching to Russian.

“Who are you? A Bolshevik? God forbid, a parlementarian? What is your business in - “

“Yekaterina Alekseyevna, Empress and Autocrat of All the Russias. Must I continue to repeat myself? Where are my servants? Who is responsible - ”

“I demand that you explain yourself!” Nicholas was furious. “I’ll have you know that I will have you executed for false claims to the throne.”

“Treason!” Catherine shouted. “My men! Treason! Have him arrested!” She turned away from the weakly rambling Tsar Nicholas and grabbed the first unsuspecting customer she laid her eyes on by the sleeve. She repeated her orders then, several times - first in Russian, then French, “Qu’on l’arrête!”, and German, “Verhafte ihn!”

When the man only stared at her blankly, Catherine turned away again in disgust. “Doesn’t anyone here speak Russian? Besides this madman,” she grimaced, glancing at Nicholas with utmost contempt. “Well some of you must speak French. Arrest this man!” she screamed, for the whole bar to hear.

At this point, the other woman, a Swede named Kristina, broke in, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Why exactly should this man be arrested? I am not familiar with either of you.”

“How many times must I repeat myself? I am Yekaterina Alekseyevna, Empress and Autocrat of All the Russias. I am feared throughout the the Empire and the world, and I will be respected.”

King Kristina of Sweden - for that was her title - only nodded along with an absent-minded grin. Little did she know, her own reign predated Catherine’s by more than a century. “You will excuse me, but I’m a little baffled. I’ve never heard of you, and given what your claims are I most certainly would have. Either there is a grave misunderstanding here, or you are quite mad.” Kristina smiled wryly. “I’m sure Emperor Mikhail the First will understand the situation at once, if I were simply to send him a missive? Perhaps have you tried for treason?” Her tone was mocking.

All of this was too much for Catherine, who broke out in fury and bellowed in French, “Seize her! Seize them all!” When nobody reacted, she went on: “Someone tell me immediately where I am and who engineered all this so I may have them executed at once!”

At this point, a woman in her early twenties, most likely a student at a nearby university, coughed nervously and raised her hand to catch Catherine’s attention. When the empress finally calmed down enough to listen, she began to speak, in rather rusty, accented French.

“Excuse me, Madame, but I think that you are maybe, uh…” she paused for a minute to look down at her phone, Googling some vocabulary, “a little inebriated, and… you should stop drinking and maybe go to your, ah, house or hotel.”

Catherine stared at her in utter disbelief. How dare anyone, especially someone of this intruder’s stature - dressed so shabbily, no marks of nobility, no… well, anything - dare to address her so?

“I cannot possibly believe i have to say this again. I am Yeka-”

“You are mad!” Broke in Nicholas II. “Yekaterina II is dead!”

“Nonsense!”

“Has been for two centuries now.” replied the woman with the phone, nodding tiredly.

For once, Catherine was silent. Suddenly, Kristina understood: this strange creature must be some aggrieved madwoman who, in a state of intoxication and with far too much money to her name, had taken to imitating an ancient monarch she’d read about in some obscure history book. Perhaps even in a legend. How tragic.

It was then that Nicholas decided to cut in. “I must admit I am no scholar, but I am quite certain... the great Empress has only been dead a hundred years, at most.”

“I can assure you I am not dead!” screamed Catherine, distraught.

“Look right here. Died, November 17, 1796,” sighed the young woman, holding up her phone. Catherine the Great’s Wikipedia page lit up the faces of the monarchs standing before her.

Kristina gaped. Catherine’s face was stormy with anger. “What is that unholy thing you possess? Must I remind you that divination is beyond illegal? Give it to me,” she barked. “You witch! Hand it over! Give it - ” Catherine snatched the cell phone out of the girl’s hand.

“Excuse me…” the girl made a feeble attempt to grab it back, but Catherine shook her off with a savage wave of her hand.

“Excuse me! Could someone - she just… she just stole my phone,” she mumbled. Someone nearby took out their phone to call the police.

When the cop’s walkie-talkie buzzed in his pocket, he was on his way to the precinct.

“Hey. You still dealing with the bathrobe gang?”

“Just on my way back. They’re at the motel down the street.”

“I have some bad news for you.”

The cop’s face fell. He knew what was coming. “Please tell me there aren't more…”

“Five of them, apparently, but only one is causing trouble. She stole someone's phone, and now she’s screaming about witchcraft. She says she's Catherine the Great, you know, the Russian Empress? And she has no idea what a phone is. I need you to go pick her up, return the phone and… you know. Just... deal with it, okay?”

Within minutes, he was back in the bar. It wasn’t hard to find the disturbance. A few very muscular butch women - Kristina of Sweden darting in among them - were busy wrestling the phone out of Catherine’s hands. Nicholas and his meagre entourage were a ways off, whispering conspiratorially to each other - given the circumstances it seemed best to stick with familiar faces. The other customers were clustered around them, eager to help but unsure as to what should be done.

“Right, stop fighting her. I’ll deal with this.” sighed the police officer. The women let go of Catherine, who dusted herself off then straightened out. Standing to her full height and striking the most regal, powerful and absolutely arrogant post she could muster, she addressed the cop, very patronisingly, in French.

“Hello, young man. I am rather surprised to find myself where I am now. I demand that I be returned to the Hermitage immediately.”

The officer, who spoke only barely enough French to pass his high school language course, was getting used to feeling baffled. He stared at Catherine for a minute, before looking around. “Can I get a translator, please?” He asked in English. “English? Anyone?”

Tsar Nicholas and the young woman whose phone had been taken stepped forward at the same time. After a brief exchange, it became obvious that Tsar Nicholas was the more competent translator.

The officer sighed deeply. This was definitely not going to be easy, and he didn't think he had room for all five of them in his car, he couldn’t leave the royals here and his translator was somehow the last Tsar of Russia. The officer briefly wondered if Nicholas knew he was going to be the last of his dynasty, but of course he didn’t. The most important thing right now was Catherine, as she still had the civilian’s phone. He needed to explain to her what was going on, and very much doubted that Nicholas would approve of his way of handling the situation. Royalty usually wants everything run their way and Nicholas would not be happy with returning the phone to the civilian.

After a few minutes, he decided just to run with the protocol and see where that got him. “Ma’am, please hand over the phone and wait quietly for your arrest.” This was of course said in English, but he glanced over at Nicholas curiously, hoping for a translation. Nicholas translated efficiently and fluently, with the only fault the omission of “Ma’am” and “please”, but this was surely no mistake. Catherine, of course, was not compliant, and was determined to keep the phone. She had tuned out what anyone was saying and was slowly reading her own Wikipedia page.

Since she was not moving, the officer found it easy enough to surprise and handcuff her. As expected, she was absolutely furious and started lashing out viciously. Luckily, the officer had prepared for this and responded quickly. He shot a blank in the air and made use of the general confusion to put Catherine to the floor and grab the phone from her.

“You are under arrest for theft. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one shall be provided for you.” Nicholas stared at the police officer in disbelief. Surely since Catherine thought herself Russian then He, the Tsar, should be deciding her fate.

“Excuse me, I think I'll do that bit. This is my subject “ said Nicholas. As an add on, he went to take the phone from the police officer, who pointed his gun at George. “If you try and interfere with the legal proceedings, I will be forced to arrest you as well. Don't make this harder for me. You know she isn’t yours. Surely you can tell something is wrong.”

It took Nicholas a few seconds to recover from the shock. He was an ally and an honoured guest in this country and it’s lowers had no right to treat him as such. “Mutiny! Revolution! Seize him! He's a madman listen to what he's saying.” announced Nicholas. Realising that something violent might happen, the gang of butch women quickly swooped behind Nicholas and, two on each arm, and positioned him in front of the officer, on the floor, next to Catherine, in a position that made it easy enough for the officer to handcuff the King.

“You are under arrest for disorderly conduct, violence towards a police officer and attempted theft. You have the-” The officer tried to end his usual mini speech but was cut off by Nicholas. “Do not ever attempt to tell me what I can and cannot do! Unhand me at once!” He bellowed. With a very decisive lurch, he tried to get up. Unfortunately for him, it becomes harder to balance when your hands are cuffed and he was quickly returned to the floor.

Seeing the state the officer had put their Tsar in, Felix rushed to his assistance. Dmitry, however, grabbed his wrist and held him back. “It might be best to remain free, at least for the moment. We can follow him, ask to escort him.” said Dmitry.

Felix nodded. “As you like. Caution doesn’t usually agree with me, but I will admit I’m a little disoriented.”

Dmitry almost smiled. If only Felix were always so thoughtful. “Excuse me,” he tapped the officer’s shoulder. “Excuse me. I am Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich of Romanov. This man,” he gestured to the handcuffed figure of Nicholas on the floor, “is my cousin.”

The officer looked at him blankly. Dmitry had been speaking French.

The two called for a translator at the same time. Nicholas was too busy grumbling to pay attention. The young woman from earlier, whose phone had now been returned to her and who was now standing by the bar with a bottle of beer, was brought over.

“Which is… ah, what is the problem, sir?” she asked Dmitry hesitantly.

“Count Yusupov and I would like to accompany my cousin the Tsar to… well, wherever this man plans to take him,” the Grand Duke replied.

The girl translated to the officer. “No problem,” he laughed. “We have a right party over at the station already. A couple more can’t hurt.”

“You can come,” the young woman translated back to Dmitry, who nodded curtly.

“By the way,” the officer added, “you’ll come with us, won’t you? None of us can get by very well in French, and we might need an unbiased account. For filing, you know. Nothing serious.”

“Oh. Well, yeah, sure. I guess so.”

“Sorry to keep you up, but… well. It’s not just any old thing, is it?”

“I guess not.”

The party got up to leave and determined they would not be able to transport Catherine and Nicholas with only the officer… well�� dragging. Kristina had also noticed this issue and rushed over to help. Since it would be extremely indecent for the count and the grand duke to forcefully remove the Tsar, they both went to help with Catherine. Kristina and one of her new friends each took one of Nicholas’s arms and the company of six, as well as their two prisoners, made their way towards the vehicle and loaded the two Russian rulers into the back. The officer got in the driver’s seat, the translator in the passenger seat and the two butch women, Kristina and her new acquaintance - her name was Erin, she found out - in tow.

[liebefreundin]

I cant't stop. Help me :0

[historybizarre]

Budanova, like other women, belonged to a civilian aeroclub before the war, where she earned her pilot’s license and eventually became a flight instructor. The enthrallment with women pilots occurred across the country, as more women began working in factories in the pre-war years. In 1938, a state-sponsored all-women crew piloted the plane Rodina across Russia, setting a new record for nonstop flight by women and surviving a crash-landing in Siberia. One member of this expedition, Marina Raskova, would go on to found three women’s air regiments, including the one that Budanova flew in. While those regiments were meant to be reserve troops, the high casualties inflicted on the Red Army meant women aviators went on more and more actual missions and were increasingly integrated with men’s units.

[helpmeiwanttosleep]

people are supporting ukraine from all over the world rn, and I'm really thankful for that.

but, a lot of people think that, with Putin gone, all of the problems in relationship between Russia and Ukraine will magically disappear.

that, however, is not true

here is a post abouthistory between Russia and Ukraine, and explanation of all crimes done by Russia against ukrainian people.

---------------------------------------------

first, trigger warnings ⚠️:

TW // war , violence , oppression , slavery , death , xenophobia , discrimination , genocide , canniballism , starvation , dictatorship

please tell me if I made any mistakes here.

--------------------------------------------:

In 17th century the State of Viiska Zaporozkogo(also known as Cossack Hetmanate) was formed, and a lot of ukrainians saw it as their opportunity to finally create an independent country for themselves (they didn't have one since the times of kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia, formed on freedom and democracy).

However, their political leader Bogdan Khmelnytsky decided to ally with Moscow kingdom. It was mainly caused by religion similarly. Moscow demanded that ukrainians bend their knee and swore in their loyalty to the tsar. A lot of ukrainians were against that pact, because they understood the threat to their independence. That was where Moscow Kingdom first saw the opportunity to make Ukraine it's puppet state, and a lot of russians nowadays refer to this event as "the act of great friendship between two nations".

The russian influence on the ukrainian land had terrible consequences. As the time flew by, more pro-moscow leaders ruled over the state. Ukraine was losing it's authonomy rights to Moscow, as well as their right to keep their national identity. And when one of the Hetmanate leaders, Ivan Masepa, tried to rebel and achieve more independence, the entire city of Baturyn was burned down by the emperor Pyotr I. Approximately 15000, of ukrainians, including children and old people were killed then.

The name "Russia" that the country possesses now has actually gained an active use in 18th century. It originates from the Kiyvean Rus, the state that existed from 9 to 13th century. Rus's first and only capital has always been Kyiv, and even the term "Ukraine" existed, although it wasn't used that often. Most of the country's territories belong to modern Ukraine. To imperialise Russia and make it more fear-inducing, Pyotr I basically stole the name "Russia" from the other nation, as well as their history.

In 1783, the Ukrainian villagers were enslaved by the empress Yekaterina II. They had to work for russian landlords, and were abused, discriminated and were considered as the property by them.The independent ukrainian country didn't exist by then, and Russian Empire banned every attempt from ukrainians to get more civil rights.

In 19th century, there were two main documents that heavily discriminated ukrainian language (1863, 1876). The consequences were devastating for ukrainian: by then, the ukrainian language was forbidden to use publicly, write and teach on. By that, dozens of ukrainians were forced into assymilation with russians. A lot of harmful stereotypes about ukrainians were spread among russian citizens.

Later, in 20th century, Ukraine managed to restore it's independence (1917-1922). Although soviet Russia admitted that (peace of Breast, 1918), it still started two wars against Ukraine.

Eventually Ukraine lost it's independence and was forcefully turned into a part of the Soviet Union. During the period of Stalin's rule, horrible repressions fell onto ukrainians. Everyone who didn't agree with Stalin's ideas, everyone who tried to revive the idea of ukrainian national identity, had met a horrible death and was declared as "the enemy of the nation". Dozens of talented ukrainian poets and writers were slaughtered - later this tragedy will be known as "the shot down renaissance".

The truly horrible incident that stands out is the genocide of the Ukrainian population, a man-made hunger know as "Holodomor". The estimated amount of victims varies from 2 to 4 MILLIONS of people. This was done by Russia(the head country of the Soviet Union) in order to silence the ukrainian national uprisings. People starved to death, the entire villages went extinct, and there are known cases of people resorting to canniballism. This horrible crime that changed ukrainians forever is not recognised by Russia, the country that can be held responsible for the genocide.

Thorough the history, Russia has been murdering and oppressing ukrainians. Right now, with the dictator Putin in lead, Russia attempts to take away our independence, so that the opression of all ukrainians would continue on. However, we won't stay silent about that.

Two countries were never in a good relationship. We are ethically similar, but our nations are not "brotherly" in any way. We won't be able to interact for an extremely long amount of time.

(p.s. it is talked not about ethnicity, but about political concept of the "nation")

If you are interested in links/sources of claims I made, I am happy to provide them!

[mightyecho]

✧ — — starter for : kadri && artair ( @sapphvms​ ) ✧ — — when : chapter ii , event ii ‘the festival of the divine’ ✧ — — where : the evergreen tree in the castle courtyard

he’s standing at the large evergreen, a soft smile gracing his face as his eyes are drawn to delicately painted flowers tucked into the bristling branches. he recognizes daphne’s art style immediately, the intricacy of the design- knowing that it would’ve been something she put time into- and his heart warms at the simple act. all at once, his attention is pulled by the sound of a shout, boots thudding against snow dusted courtyard and a couple of speeding youths ( the young anastase lord vasile and the princeling dimitri, neck in neck and laughing ) flying on sure feet around the curve of the large tree and disappearing down a stone covered breezeway. half of a moment later came the sound of smaller boots furious in pursuit, barreling past the tree and coming to a stop, looking for the escaped playmates.

when euan anastase’s eyes meet his, kadri smiles, letting his eyes roll off to the side as if to point, giving his head a slight nod towards the breezeway the other boys had disappeared to, watching the younger boy take off running. his eyes follow the little lord’s disappearing figure, his mind on yekaterina and her encouragement; he’d been avoiding his betrothed and his family since the pardon— hell, he’d been avoiding most people, unsure of how to proceed now that there’s a black mark against his name. but he was innocent and the only way things were going to start to go even somewhat back to normal was if he acted as if they were.

he feels eyes on him ( not uncommon nowadays, he feels them everywhere ) and his head turns, feeling a jolt run through him when his eyes locked with artair’s. for a heartbeat, there’s a definite urge to politely excuse himself and continue to avoid artair ( one step- first one’s the hardest ) but he forces his feet to move forward, crossing the brief distance between them. there’s an invisible manacle on his tongue, locking it and choking his words with apprehension— he didn’t know how to talk to artair before and whatever sort of confidence he had been gaining with the other man had disappeared the moment he’d been hauled in chains and branded traitor.

but nothing was going to go back to normal unless he acted as if they were. ( let them say it to your face so that you can counter it with the truth. ) “unless you hurry, i’m afraid you’ll be coming in last,” he says after a long moment of grappling for something to say, voice soft and gently teasing, looking towards where the boys had disappeared. turning his head back to artair, there was a tentative expression on his face, “since you’ll lose the race, perhaps i can entreat you to talk with me for a while.”

[nanshe-of-nina]

Women of the House of Romanov, part III

Grand Duchess Yelisaveta Mikhailovna. Daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich and Charlotte von Württemberg.

Grand Duchess Yekaterina Mikhailovna. Daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich and Charlotte von Württemberg. Mother of Helene zu Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Prinzessin von Sachsen-Altenburg

Grand Duchess Olga Konstaninovna. Daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich and Alexandra von Sachsen-Altenburg. Mother of Alexandra of Greece and Denmark and Maria of Greece and Denmark.

Grand Duchess Maria Aleksandrovna. Daughter of Tsar Aleksandr II and Marie von Hessen und bei Rhein. Mother of Marie of Edinburgh, Queen of Romania; Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; and Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, infanta de España.

Grand Duchess Vera Konstantinovna. Daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich and Alexandra von Sachsen-Altenburg. Mother of Elsa von Württemberg, Prinzessin zu Schaumburg-Lippe and Olga von Württemberg, Prinzessin zu Schaumburg-Lippe.

Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna. Daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich and Cäcilie Auguste von Baden. Mother of Alexandrine zu Mecklenburg, Dronning af Danmark and Cecilie zu Mecklenburg, Kronprinzessin des deutschen Kaiserreichs.

Grand Duchess Kseniya Aleksandrovna. Daughter of Tsar Aleksandr III and Dagmar af Danmark. Mother of Princess Irina Aleksandrovna.

Grand Duchess Yelena Vladimirovna. Daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir Aleksandrovich and Marie zu Mecklenburg. Mother of Olga of Greece and Denmark; Elisávet of Greece and Denmark, Gräfin zu Toerring-Jettenbach; and Marina of Greece and Denmark, Duchess of Kent.

Grand Duchess Olga Aleksandrovna. Daughter of Tsar Aleksandr III and Dagmar af Danmark.

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. Daughter of Grand Duke Pavel Aleksandrovich and Alexandra of Greece and Denmark.

[bluepathos]

when: chapter ii, event ii: ‘ festival of the divine ’ where: iarna keep, at the decorated main hall. with who: @danglingpcarls​ ( yekaterina anastase )

“ my lady, may i keep saying this is a terrible idea ? ” not the celebrations per se, nor the idea of performing --for that was his lifelihood, that purpose he’s carved for himself after oh so longtime spent clawing his own way further and further from family looming fate--, but the mere awareness of being within the same walls as aidan of all people ... by cosmin’s blessings, why hasn’t his heart stopped aching yet. weren’t the many songs he’s written out of disillusioned heartbreak more than enough --weren’t the dragons barging into a royal wedding enough of a reason for her lady to leave. on a second thought, he’d rather deal with the dragons instead. “ if i had to deal with snow, we could’ve stayed in danruba. we have plenty of snow. way beyond plenty, i’d daresay --and ice to trip and fall onto in the most ridiculous ways ? a lot of that too. ”

[131sthungergames]

jack of spades (4) kasia (j), konstantina, eros, rosalia

Players team up against Konstantina. Kasia and Eros against Rosalia, Rosalia kills Kasia. Game cleared.

jack of hearts (6) holden, cleon (j), anton, yekaterina, lars, zane

round i: holden & lars, cleon & yekaterina, anton & zane round ii: same round iii: cleon drives wedge between anton and zane, yekaterina sparks suspicion between lars and holden round iv: holden betrays lars, zane betrays anton round v: zane has nobody to tell him his sign, yekaterina betrays cleon game cleared.

jack of clubs (4) noah, aquata, victoria (j), hermes Aquata slips, Noah clears the game, killing Victoria.

[welldonekhushi]

Katya Viktorovna Kovalevskaya | Biography

“Sometimes we trust the wrong person. We tell them everything and it soon spreads it like a small fire combusted by a twig, burning an entire forest.”

Lieutenant Yekaterina Viktorovna Kovalevskaya or just Katya (Russian: Катя Викторовна Ковалевская) is a character featured in Call of Duty: World at War and later in the Black Ops series. She was the Russian squad leader of the Red Army during World War II serving as a Senior Lieutenant in Call of Duty: World at War, and later as a Major in Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Biography

Early History

“I was a teenager that time when I lost my parents. But when I grew up, I realised that life has now sent me to fight for myself and others.”

— Katya’s childhood

Born in 1910, Katya had the roots of her parents being Indian during the British Raj and raised in the middle of Russia. She was learnt to hold a gun at the age of five by her father, who was a hunter. The relationship with her father was a true bonding, as she always wished that he won’t grow old and stay like he is. But, when her father was attacked by a carnivore while out hunting for food, Katya couldn’t resist that pain for losing one she loved the most. Her mother was the only option left and never thought of leaving her instead, as she protested that she’ll protect her family from being attacked from any of the obnoxious forces out there. When she grew up, and the Soviet Union rose to power, she put that urge to fight for her family and country. Being successfully recruited, she was proud to be promoted as a soldier fighting for the borderlines. But as years passed, and Katya surpassed the rank of Sergeant, her mother fell ill and just gave hope to her daughter that her passion will be successful to serve Mother Russia, as her father up there would be proud of her too. As those were her mother's last words, Katya never forgot what her parents taught and did for her, ready to experience and live her new life.

In the midst of armed Russian borders.

Red Army

“I feel like I’m a mother when I take good care of my comrades. Just how mine used to pamper me.”

— Katya, talking about her motherly instincts towards her comrades

In 1927, Katya joined the Red Army, where she was soon promoted to Sergeant. The force ran across the Russian borders and prevented any external opponent force from attacking into it. She probably looked very strict when the comrades saw her for the first time, but in reality, she was a gentle presence around who always loved to have some company. According to her early history, Katya had to live far away from her home in the responsibility to protect the nation, which made her in desperate need for love and affection. She never bothered to have a partner because marriage was never her option to create true love. Instead, she wanted to create a family where everyone stays together and holds a strong bond with no grudges or hatred towards the others. That’s what her family was. Neutral and everloving.

She was bold and loyal, as stated by the comrades who worked for her, and made decisions which basically suited everyone with no conflict of opinion. Katya acted like a mother figure to all the soldiers and also made sure no one was feeling upset about their families because it was right to remember them but not too much which makes us lose our own will to fight, but knowing we’re here for our Motherland.

The Incident

“I couldn’t even dare to forget that day which changed me completely. That filled me with all those moments which makes me tremble when I imagine it.”

— Katya, about her trauma

Katya was promoted to a Lieutenant during this timeline, around 1939. Her life changed the moment when World War II began. Nazi Germany forces began marching in with the ideological goal of conquering the western Soviet Union so as to repopulate it with Germans, called as the infamous Operation Barbarossa. The Russians, believing that they only wished to create strategic purposes with the forces of Germany, decided to attack Russia by surprise. Katya realising the betrayal from their side, she with her comrades advanced on to the mission in eliminating any incoming threat that the Germans could be planning up. Moments later she was informed that a lot of her comrades moved to the nearest German command post and were not able to come back because they were infiltrated with a huge amount of German artillery, blocking their escape. They too were running low on ammunition so they could only try to survive.

Katya was ready to save their lives and arrived at the place with others, but not aware they were in a trap this all time, they were captured by the Wehrmacht and interrogated in the guidance of General Heinrich Amsel. Katya was tortured and tormented, that her growing hatred for him reached at the brim of her sanity. Amsel cruelly killed one of her closest comrades, leaving her helpless, devastated and more rageful. He began killing the other but before he could do anything, Katya begged yet threatened him not to force any action over the captive and wounded soldiers. She basically lost her parents, now she wasn’t ready to lose her comrades whom she meant as family members.

But Amsel hinted at Katya by saying "something radical", before triggering the light. She was surrounded by many explosives in the room. All this time, she was in a huge trap. Even the room where her comrades were filled with them. As it was his chance to escape and kill Katya, he pulled out the fire but before he could throw it over the combustible items, she struggled for a bit but with no luck, she passed out and Amsel started the fire. It burnt everything in the room and the Lieutenant was still passed out. Smelling the burning gunpowder, she woke up and saw the fire in front of her eyes. She suddenly remembered that her comrades were trapped in and she had to save them immediately. Panic and exhaustion with her side, she was also slightly injured on her leg because Amsel kicked it too rough. She looked around and the fire also started in the room they were safeguarded, but all of them were gone. She couldn't understand what to do as the explosives finally blew up around, taking her out, no evidence for her fate.

But, by luck the soldiers from the Red Army arrived and attacked the building by her slight distraction, freeing Katya along with the others and eliminating every infantry in the German building they were being captured and interrogated. She ordered her comrades to stay here in the room while she attempted to kill Amsel who tried escaping upstairs. By flanking his escape route, and closing every possible escape, Amsel was then trapped in the hallway with Katya to an unknown room, knowing it might be his end.

Trauma

Glad, Katya survived the explosion. But, what did it really cost?

Her face? Or her entire mental sanity for what she just experienced? She just saw her comrades die unexpectedly because she was lured into a single yet disastrous trap by the Germans. Her facial, all burnt yet bloodied out, even she couldn't see through her right eye, symbolising the explosion took so much from her. With some of the strength left in her, while carrying a Tokarev gun she picked up from the ground, having little or maybe no ammo. Some Wehrmacht soldiers came close to attack her but she shot each one of them while walking like a zombie. All those hallucinations fill inside her head, and those overthinking thoughts of the one mistake she had committed. She wasn't able to save them.

All defenseless, carrying a single pistol, fighting all those surrounded Wehrmacht. Having no idea what was even happening, by time her other comrades came and saved her from those soldiers. She was immediately taken for treatment in the medical staff, which took her a week to get out of the coma.

She did wake up after that, but the memories still haunted her of the explosion. Seeing that her face was burnt off, she literally broke down in tears. Blaming herself she couldn't do anything, she had a hard time to cope up with herself. The Commissar, who actually heard the news of the Russian soldiers dying during the explosion in the German command post, met Katya and comforted her about it. But being one worried mother figure, she usually failed in the task to protect those innocent soldiers who were held captive by General Amsel. To help her out, the Commissar also brought a Red Army private, who basically survived the explosion with her, but also injured him heavily. He lost his arms and legs in the process, but still, he was all fine. Katya felt a sense of relief when she saw that small recruit alive and okay, but remembering the rest who didn't.

The Private usually said to the Lieutenant that they sacrificed their lives for the country and not for one being, and would never blame because she usually gave them hope to fight with no fear on their back. He also thanked her for being there for them even after their last breath. Such a thing put up a huge impact on Katya's life, changing her to a different person from now on.

She was now in a form where no one could ever face her off again.

Stalingrad, and the end of General Amsel

“Amsel will die. In the midst of the bloody battlefield where the beginning of the new Russia starts to progress!”

— Katya while on the mission to kill General Amsel

Years after the incident, Katya became a more responsible and strong woman, still loyal to her flag and country. Aimed to eliminate General Amsel, she was dispatched to Stalingrad in September 17, 1942, along with her other comrades. The entire place was surrounded by the dead bodies of the Russian army, alerting her trauma. But now being strong-willed and optimistic, the trauma was now just an issue for her. They secretly crawled through many burning, smoke-filled buildings along with damp and dirty alleyways to find their way to Amsel. She even alone encountered an intense match between a Wehrmacht sniper in the nearby building. She called that sniper “hard to get” that he was managing to get away from her aim every time when she tried to shoot him. Finally shooting him, they proceed to move ahead, where they again encounter other Wehrmacht soldiers, coming to kill her. Finally to her luck, she escaped. She was rendezvous with her comrades again, this time, getting introduced to Sgt. Viktor Reznov and Pvt. Dimitri Petrenko. She felt that Dimitri was dead among the massacre at the square, but was glad again that he showed his enough strength to get over such a disastrous situation.

While trying to clear a path for the other soldiers, she was amazed to know Dimitri’s sniping skills, as he killed each and everyone of them in their way. That did surprise her, but didn’t feel upset. The moment was here when they came to the huge, grand moment she was waiting for a long time. General Amsel in her sight, trying to escape from the battlefield. Amsel met Katya again, this time in a new form he never saw. That horrified him, thinking he might die anytime in the hands of the Lieutenant thought he killed, running away again. Katya did try to shoot him and his shoulders were pierced by her bullets, making him difficult to escape now. But, it was a fair match when Dimitri, from the other building, shot him back with his sniper rifle, passing him out. Her vendetta was complete, closing her eyes, remembering her dear comrades, whispering that she gave them all justice.

Not only Katya, but her other comrades had been successful, in ending the first evil of the German reign.

Battle of Berlin

Three years later, on April 18, 1945, to advance further to the German territory, they had to break through the Wehrmacht line of defense in Seelow Heights. First, they had to rescue the captive Pvt. Dimitri Petrenko, before moving forward. She also met a new recruit, named Chernov, whom she felt that this soldier was “different” from everyone else. He was mainly against the violence the Red Army was creating, as Katya examined his point of view each time. She also commanded the tank for Dimitri in order to advance further by eliminating the remaining infantry, which finally broke the line of defence.

They arrive at Berlin, as the Russian forces invade in the German territory, advancing to the Reichstag. One situation that Katya saw was to either kill those surrendering Wehrmacht soldiers or spare them even if their death was under the Russian's hands. Reznov gave Dimitri that opportunity but she stood quiet, just to notice what reaction they replied back. If Dimitri shoots them, a different point of view opens for Katya that he isn't merciful. But if he spares, then she doesn't put up any opinion, instead to feel proud about it. The reason why she was now slowly realising the brutality was when her comrades were unmercifully killing the escaping Wehrmacht soldiers, because of Reznov's ideology about Germans. This quite angered her but didn't talk about it during the fight in the battlefield.

They arrive at the Reichstag, only to realise that Reznov was forcing Chernov to do violent activities which he was usually against. Katya finally protested her anger towards the Sergeant that one cannot just make others do the same action like they really want to. She scolded Reznov about it, that he suddenly felt a bit pity and had to apologise. There, Katya made Chernov hold the flag, and called him a good man. She too was proud of Dimitri for not killing those soldiers before they were about to meet death soon. Throughout this whole time, they finally break through the city of Berlin by hardship and teamwork, threatening the Führer and Nazis that now their end is inevitable.

Germany's Defeat

The Russians were now on the brim of victory against the Nazi Germans. Fighting through all the way from the top floor, Katya had directed and guided her 3rd Shock Army in pushing forward to the heart of Berlin. Destroying the building and claiming it as a souvenir, to show how powerful the Russians were. Katya played a major role in supporting her crew in placing the flag by firing every single soldier coming through their way as a sniper in-hidden. There, they almost reach for the triumph, reaching at the top of the Reichstag.

After years of such torment and torture by the evil like Nazis, there was now a chance to teach a lesson to those who try to mess up with a strong country. To make history of this World War, and to be known by every single person if they get to know it. In-between the flag hoisting, Dimitri was shot by a surviving Wehrmacht, having Reznov and Katya enraged.

The Sergeant killed the soldier with the machete, and Katya along with him supported Dimitri to lift the flag by clipping off the Nazi one, and placing the Soviet, claiming the true victory achieved after fighting for a span of years.

Katya was proud of his Private and along with Reznov for showing great courage and strength, and leading the army to freedom and success, ending the war and starting a new life for the world.

This is her entire story on the World at War timeline! I'll write about her life now in Black Ops very soon <3

UPDATE: Katya's Black Ops storyline is up here now!