The Republic of Belarus

Some say the world will end in fire




Nation: B - Рэспубліка Беларусь ( Respublika Bielaruś )
R - Республика Беларусь ( Respublika Belarusʹ )
E - Republic of Belarus

Name: Natalya Arlovskaya

Gender: Female

Appearance Age: 19

Actual Age:
1600 (if counted from the arrival of Slavic tribes in Belarus)
1200 (if counted from the establishment of the first Belarusian state as the Principality of Polotsk)

Some say in ice


Hair Color: Platinum Blonde

Eye Color: Blue Violet

Height:
160 cm
5' 3"

Weight:
120 lbs
57 kg

Appearance:
Natalya has a lithe build that is well-suited for speed. She doesn't appear very muscular and looks like she was born for good looks instead of hard-iron work. Her slim build isn't very curvy to her disdain given that sestra, but she has a fair amount of breast for a woman of Slavic heritage but it still isn't enough to compete with sestra. She has a very pale complexion, as common with Slavic women.

Her platinum blonde hair gives her the appearance of an ice queen, her violet blue eyes with a sharp coldness. She pays extra attention to her appearance (to always look her best for her brother) and is a stickler for cleanliness. Her eyes rarely give away emotions, and her face tends to keep a simple, neutral expression unless provoked. Her smile is a rarity, but is said to be beautiful.

Her favorite outfit is a dark purple dress that goes down to her knees and a white apron, given to her by her brother. She wears a white ribbon in her hair. She has had other, not as elegant and impoverished outfits in the past and keeps them to remind her of her past. She also still has her military uniform, a deep green jacket, a long matching skirt, and black boots. This had been her common outfit during Soviet times. She also seems to always have a knife strapped somewhere... you just have to look.


Defining Features:
Her eyes which betray no emotion and her poker face. Those are her greatest defenses, she reasons. Her brother had once also told her that beauty was a defining feature that you could use against people, and so considers that a defining feature. She also always wears her white ribbon. As a child, she kept her hair braided.

From what I've tasted of desire

Personality:

• Realist : She once had a very beautiful view of reality. She once believed she would be the princess and would marry her prince and that her country would be a beautiful place for people to thrive. Perhaps if she were located somewhere sunnier, she would have been able to live some of those beautiful images. The dreams of sunflower fields and the sun smiling upon her land were dreams she had to learn how to disregard. She isn't stuck in a fantasy world anymore (on the most part) and it was a painful transition to breathe in the wintry air of reality. She doesn't like dealing with people with such optimistic and simply unrealistic views and such drawn out optimism. No, she isn't a pessimist, for a pessimist wouldn't believe in possibility. It takes time to get her convinced of a good outcome and she adheres to the concept of entropy and chaos ruling over all. ( I'll say that the realist trait kicked in when the Russian Empire dissolved — it wasn't a particularly bright time in her view, though it didn't directly hurt her as much as it hurt her brother. )
  
• Judgemental : To the point it could be condescending. She doesn't give people enough credit, really. She doesn't believe in other people to get things right, and she holds herself with high regard. She can look at you and find five different faults and weaknesses in a minute. She tends to look down on people as her first impression, denouncing them for their weaknesses. She's very critical of people and herself. She won't voice her thoughts, but you can see it in her eyes, the way she internally criticizes your every move. She never looks at level with people. She either looks up to certain people... or looks down on certain people. ( Around the time of the glory of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. )
  
• Obsessive : Once you get an idea in her mind, she's stuck with it. The thought of marrying her brother had grown into such an obsession that even she would know that it was growing to be a problem, but... she can't help it. It never grew out of her. She's been avoiding her brother as of recently because nothing good can come out of it. But it pains her to know that she's still obsessed with him. ( Starts off as a small liking for her brother when she was younger, becomes especially salient after the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, pans out a bit towards the direction of normality and becomes less obsessive in modern times. )
  
• Manipulative : It's required sometimes. It comes naturally, actually. She looks beautiful, she has the voice of a soprano, she's quiet... and she could use it to her advantage. So she does. The bad thing is she's manipulated herself into thinking a certain way. Not good at all, but she needs to use her manipulation to survive. ( Becomes essential during Soviet era. )
  
• Cynical : Her view on life, and humans in general, is quite bleak and saddening. Quite a bit sad, actually. She often questions "Why am I doing this?" She wonders about her death at times, how it would affect everyone... but she isn't suicidal. She's treasuring what she has before she knows that it'll be taken from her eventually. Because it all will be taken away from her. Because a lot of things have been taken away from her. She knows she'll only be happy once she finds something worth living for... and that it will be permanent. She's obsessed with permanence and wishes for it, though she knows nothing is permanent. She is very guarded because of this, and rarely lets anything pass through her inner censors. ( A recurring theme. )
  
• Strong-Willed : She pours her heart out into anything she does. She's got a strong heart and an equally strong will. If she gets rejected, she'll get right back up and try again. She's not the mopey kind of girl, she'll pick right back up and keep trying, even if it appears impossible. Sometimes, it just isn't good because if she ends up hitting the dead end so many times. It makes her a bit colder but she always will pick back up... eventually. She'll fight for what she believes is rightfully hers, and she's not going to back down. She's a fighter. ( Especially during the spike of Belorussian nationalism. )
  
• Affectionate : Despite appearances, she can be very affectionate to those she values and trusts. It's rare to see her be affectionate for anybody, but really, this girl will give you one-hundred percent of her trust and her caring. Her affection for some people, though, can blind her from what they really are, making her mental image of them perfect. Of course, her affection could make those receiving the affection uncomfortable if they don't reciprocate her feelings. ( She was very much affectionate in her younger days. )
  
• Romantic : She believes in true love. She just hasn't found it. But she desires love, love that isn't a product of her own manipulation, for someone to love her with all their heart, and she with hers. Too bad she has to see you as an equal. ( Perhaps something she picked up from her brother, though she probably did get a dose of actual love once before. )
  
• Clever : She needed a bit of street smarts and resourcefulness. It's easy to take advantage of a girl like her in this rough world. But she won't allow it. She doesn't want to be those other girls who end up too naive to notice that they're seen as simply objects. Though of course, that makes her cautious of other people and suspicious of all men, she will most certainly use her smarts to outsmart you and get the best of what she wants. ( An intelligence she has always needed. )
  
• Prideful : She's got quite a bit of pride in there, something that can't be easily hurt, but any attempts to hurt that pride are returned with efforts to undermine you. If she's accomplished something, she'll be proud of it. She's not too proud of what she's done, but she's proud of who she is and what she can become. ( Spiked up during Russian Empire days. )
  

Likes:

• Brother - Yes. Is it not obvious? She no longer feels a compulsive desire to stalk and propose to her brother, but she cares for him quite deeply and is forever loyal to him, though she isn't quite sure whether he has noticed her change in attitude. Their relationship has grown in a complicated manner for certain. ( this is subjective to the period of time )
  
• Sister - She's always been there and Natalya does know that she cares.
  
• Stability - Something that she has lacked so much in the past.
• Occult - She is very curious about the "world beyond", though this obviously conflicts with her realistic view of the world. Perhaps it gives her a sense of hope, in the morbid sense that the things she believes in tends to be somewhat dark. She's quite a good fortune-teller.
• Rock Music - Something Alfred got her into. Shhh.
• Fashion - Especially her traditional clothing. She keeps up with the latest fashions and pays attention to her appearance. In earlier times, it was harder to be able to keep up with the latest fashions when she had less money.
• Marriage - A beautiful affair that she actually had her share of (depends on how certain RPers would like to depict certain eras of history), and of course, her infamous infinite amount of marriage proposals to her brother. Marriage is something she has dreamed of and she would love to be able to give her whole heart to someone, though it will take her a while to get to the level of comfort and trust to be able to do so ever again.
• The Pravda - She's an avid reader of this magazine and loves to get her hands on other reading materials.
• Propaganda - Unfortunately, she has been prey to propaganda and has developed a liking and comfort to it. She knows it is bad and has definitely taken away from her free thought. At nine, she decides to poison her mind with state-run television, or at least that's how it had been before (ESPECIALLY during the Soviet Era).
• Gymnastics - She takes pride in her ability in gymnastics and she really loves to watch gymnastics.
  
• Singing (and her voice in general) - She loves the musical quality of her voice, which can be described as reminiscent of the tinkling of snow bells and the softness of a first snow. She grew a bit more quiet during certain eras, and she rarely would ever want to perform in front of anyone. To catch her singing, you need to catch her alone. She also prides that the softness of her voice could be used roughly as well, her words could be sharper than her knives, and that she could be a good speaker. 
• Music - Music is an expression of life. She finds that she shares her brother's love of music and uses it for self-expression. She loves musical composers from her land.
• Cardboard Boxes - She has an odd fascination for them and says that she's packing for something. (I think I'm placing this during the Soviet Era? I haven't explored this like, but I noticed it on the Wiki and it's a bit strange ;
• Useless Trivia - Something she used to pass the time with. It is implied she could use this knowledge for more criminal matters, but she would prefer not to.
• Potatoes (and agriculture) - She eats quite a lot of potatoes due to inflation. Agriculture pretty much powers her economy.
  

Dislikes:

• Brother - She loves him very much. She hates the thought that she's made him suffer with her obsession, but she admits she hates what he himself has done as well. But you can only dislike a thought so much that you end up loving it... it's a painful process. ( depends on period of time )
  
• Sister - Stop stealing away brother, you big-breasted It's quite a bit of jealousy, really. 
• America - (Will depend on how the RPer wants to depict history, but here's just a basis!) Both a like and dislike. He was the one she turned to when she attempted to separate herself from her brother. Their relationship is quite strained. He became a sort of big brother for her, but he attempted to get rid of her the same as Russia did eventually. 
• Lithuania - (Will depend on how the RPer wants to depict history, but here's just a basis!) Her dislike of him stems from the fact that her brother favored him, but we can say the relationship is complicated, especially when it came to before the Soviet Era (heck, it was somewhat complicated during the Soviet Era), and during the time that they'd both want to break away.
  
• Lack of Chivalry - There seems to be less and less of it in the world today. She wonders why.
  
• Petty Lovers: Usually the flirters. Or those girls who don't take relationships seriously. Every relationship is a precious diamond. Do you go around smashing your diamonds on the ground or throwing them away? No. She hates it when people use the name of love in vain. 
• Poverty - Or being in poverty. She's been used to it and she hates living that way. 
• Injustice - Life isn't fair. She is already certain of this. However, some people make it even more unfair and bask in all their glory. She cannot stand for that.
• Wasting Money - Mostly due to her lack of money.
• Propaganda - Mostly towards the end of the Soviet era, when calls for independence were beginning. She acknowledges that it has done a number on her mind.
• Human Life - Or at least the outlook on it is not very good. She believes that "humans are a series of misfortunes and hardships" and they're constantly filled with misfortune and make others suffer without realizing it by constantly striving for eternal happiness. It is quite sad, really. She's lost faith in humans.
• Forgetting Her Own Language - At one point, she had forgotten her own language because of her obsession with er brother. It's quite sad, really. The most used language in Belarus is Russian, and it's considered a "language to be spoken at home". One out of ten Belarusians do not understand the Belarusian language.
  

Fears:

• Powerlessness - She fears the day she would be at her weakest and the day that would be the end of her. She seems as if she has fully accepted that she would eventually end, but in reality, that isn't how it is. She's anticipating it, but it feels terrible. She's lost quite a bit of optimism in her times of feeling powerless.
  
• Being Alone - She remembers those times of sadness and fear when she was separated from her siblings and was fully relieved when she found herself in the courts of another, but it's quite a bit of a fear, to have no one to rely on and no one to need her.
  
• Destruction of the Family Unit - That is never her intention. She has the image of a happy family in her mind, a happy one in the warmth of the sun, never hungry, in harmony. The term "family unit" could be used loosely, not only being her blood siblings. She's seen hings crumble several times in the various "family units" she has been a part of, but she can't help but feel terrible every single time. She does this thing where she denies that everything is crumbling, but of course, that doesn't always work...
  

Fun Facts:

• She can speak Polish, from her days in the Duchy. She also speaks Russian fluently. Unfortunately, she had forgotten her own language, but she is working to get it back.
  
• She loves a good shot of vodka on an icy day
• She's an excellent potato chef. She knows quite a few dishes involving potatoes, and not just the Russian recipes. She could probably please the Germans and Irish with her culinary knowledge.
• She hides a bit of a lustful side. It takes a lot of work to get her to show that side, but you'll eventually get to it. Her target of lust in the present day is no longer her brother... if that helps at all.
• She's quite philosophical and reads Aristotle and Marx among other things. She would love someone to discuss philosophy with her.
  
• She's a sucker for romance novels.
  
• Despite the hostility, she could come off as a very mild-mannered person if you didn't judge or give her a reason to dislike you (somewhat difficult).
  

Strengths:

• Beauty - Brother said that was a strength. With beauty and brains, you're undefeatable.
  
• Logic - Her strategic abilities are quite sharp and her assistance to her brother was priceless.
  
• Perseverance (somewhat broken during the Soviet Era, regained towards the end of it) - She is a very strong-willed young woman and will not back down, despite the odds and even through the injuries. She will always try to find a way to make herself helpful and will always work hard towards one goal.
• Loyalty - Her loyalty is always unquestionable. Even if placed in a situation where she would have to decide between betrayal for survival or death, she would more likely choose death. Her loyalty is hard to earn, but once it is earned, it is earned.
• Poker Face (after the Duchy) - She's a woman of crisis and knows how to look and be calm during a time of trouble.
  

Weaknesses:

• Judgmental: Just as enemies could underestimate her, she judges people and tends to reject them in her mind if they strike her in a direction. She loses potential friends this way.
  
• Communication (after the Duchy): She isn't too great at expressing her real feelings and so there are often many miscommunications when she is in groups.
  
• Loyalty: Also a bad thing because she is willing to sacrifice herself for those she puts worth into. Sometimes sacrifice isn't the correct answer.
  
• Untrusting (after separation from siblings): She is too slow to trust, and she will hesitate to make that leap of faith and trust someone in a split second.
• Pride (around the Duchy): This gets in the way of her accepting help, especially from someone she cannot trust just yet.
  

I hold with those who favor fire
( Please excuse how jumbled a lot of the dates are because the nation was kinda split and things got messy ffff— in other words, Belarus hadn't been a united country for most of its existence. )
Early East Slavs/Kievan Rus

• Between 6th to 8th century - Migration and expansion of Slavic peoples in East Europe
• 882 - Establishment of Kievan Rus, a loose federation that incorporates the Slavic principalities; Christainization occurs
• 9th to 10th century - Scandinavian Vikings establish trading posts
• 10th century - Principality of Turov and Pinsk established in southern Belarus and northern Ukraine
• 987 - The Principality of Polotsk established in northern Belarus
• 1240 - Kievan Rus destroyed by Tartars (Mongols), allowing Lithuania to take the region. 

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania

• 13th century to 15th century - Belarussian lands consolidated into Lithuania via dynastic marriages. Due to the medieval state of development in Lithuania, Belarus kept its culture and played big roles in the political, religious, and cultural life of Lithuania

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

• 1569 - The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth officially established with the Lublin Union. Ukraine was considered part of Poland, while Belarus remained a part of Lithuania.
• 17th century - Ruthenian (the predecessor of the Belarussian language) has become important in official documents, though it later changed to Polish
• Mid-17th century - The Dulge begins in Ukraine, and Russia and Sweden join in. The Commonwealth cannot survive more attacks
• 1794 - Last attempt to save the Commonwealth's independence with the Polish-Belarusian-Lithuanian National Uprising
• 1795 - Partition of Poland, Belarusian lands now part of the Russian Empire

The Russian Empire

• 1830 - The November Uprising, fails
• 1840s - Nicholas I renames Belarus the "Northwestern Territory", prohibits Belarusian language in schools, and campaigns against Belarusian publications

Belarusian People's Republic

• 1918 - The Belarusian People's Republic is established after German occupation. The Belarusian language is allowed again. 

Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia --> Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic

• 1919 - The Soviet Socialist Republic of Byelorussia was established (2 January 1919), but disbanded in a month to be replaced by the Lithuanian-Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (17 February 1919). Eventually this too disbanded (17 July 1919) due to pressure from the Polish and the upcoming Polish-Soviet War.
• 1920 - Treaty of Riga signed, Belarus split between Poland and Russia. The Great Purge sends Belarusian intellectuals to concentration camps.
• 1939 - During the invasion of Poland, much of the eastern part of the country was annexed to the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.
• 1941 - Germany and the Axis invaded Belarus. During this occupation, the Nazi party burned down several villages, sold the people for slave labor, and killed several others.
• 1944 - The Soviet offensive Operation Bagration began. By the end of the summer, all of Belarus was under Soviet control again.
• 1945 - Belarus becomes a founding member of the United Nations Organization
• 1986 - The explosion of the Chernobyl Power plant in Ukraine left a large amount of radioactive fallout in approximately one quarter of the area of Belarus.

Modern Belarus

• 1990 - Belarus declares its national sovereignty
• 1991 - The Republic of Belarus is created.
  
• 1994 - The first presidential elections are held, Lukashenko wins

But if it had to perish twice

( From a HetaOni roleplay by the name Manor of Fate. )

Natalya regretted her costume choice. The dress wasn't too easy to move around in with the first two floors flooded. She had reached the comfort of the third floor and had managed to salvage the dress with the fact that she was wearing high heeled shoes and knew how to hold up the skirts. This wouldn't be the first time she would have worn a long dress in unfavorable conditions, given the state of her country when the Duchy ruled when going through the agricultural zones. And Natalya was the kind of girl that wouldn't mind a little bit of dirt— as long as she knew that she had the means to clean herself later. Unfortunately, she wasn't too keen on trying to take a shower here in the manor. The manor probably wouldn't appreciate a stranger bathing in its bathrooms anyways (and given that the toilets here were somewhat suspicious, she wasn't too keen on going to the bathroom here in the manor either), and so she would simply have to be thankful that the water didn't seem dirty and that it was only the hem that got the slightest bit soaked. Anymore soaked, and her speed would be greatly slowed.



She had rested herself in a bedroom, and kept the door open a crack. No more than fifteen minutes, and it wasn't even rest. You really couldn't get rest in the manor, anyways. She was no deep sleeper, and the fact that she felt an ominous presence about her, basically breathing down her neck at this point, she wasn't going to get rest for a while. After timing it out for fifteen minutes of safety, she left the room and closed the door behind her, deciding not to investigate the room. It wasn't like these bedrooms held anything, anyways. And perhaps it was the childish fear of the monster in the closet or under the bed, or the fear of the darkness... but she wasn't going to admit to that. She is a brave woman who admits to no fear and keeps to her calm. She's faced worse things than darkness, but the thought of being stuck there alone was a very real one, and she has been alone for quite a while.



She kept the thoughts of desiring companionship at bay. There was no use to yearn for something that wasn't immediately obtainable or in her control. If she had just a bit of control of this situation (and a flashlight), she would feel a bit more at ease.



She continued to walk and open doors with the greatest care. Most of the time, she came upon bedrooms similar to the one she boarded at. Not a soul inhabited any of them, but she felt the gravity in the air, heard every little rustle of the wind every little creak of the board, and was calculated in every step. She finally came upon a room that was dimly lit.



Reminds me of one of the parlors back in brother's palace.



She couldn't have a good feeling about the parlors of aristocracy, and this was no exception. However, finding a place she was familiar with only added to her ease. The painting on the back wall was unsettling, but the trinkets on the wall were familiar. This room was meant to be the epitome of feminine conformity, where women were expected to talk over tea and cakes and socialize. Sometimes, Natalya felt as if it were a way to keep women out of the affairs of men. Her time in the Russian Empire had been as such, when she was often was told to speak to

any of the passing noblewomen with her sister. They would don their dresses and speak to women like Hungary and Belgium in parlors. What a waste of time that was, really.



The couches were tempting, and she sensed that this room wasn't going to feel as uneasy as trying to rest in the bedroom. She sat upon one of the lacquered couches, the skirts of her dress like a cloud, spread before her. She felt pale as a ghost with the dim light and the solitude of the room (or at least the apparent solitude). She didn't dare close her eyes or rest, for here was no rest for the wicked. She felt like a ghost, as if she were drifting away. As if she were Alice and had drunk from the bottle and was slowly, ever so slowly, shrinking and disappearing... Her eyes were glassy as she stared at the corner of the room, as if she was waiting for something to appear in that very spot.



But of course, in reality, nothing ever did materialize in the corner of the room. Rather, the door was opened yet again, to reveal a small woman that she had somewhat of an acquaintance of. The much more prosperous younger sister of the Frenchman. She never set a foot in the courts of Russia, certainly, but she was present at United Nations meetings. The Belarusian envied her for the way money seemed to be attracted to her, the way that the rich of the world congregated to her nation, and just how happy (and rich) her people were. But no matter. Natalya stayed ever so still, her gaze not leaving the corner. She would allow the Monegasque the first word.



“Hello? Who are you? What room is this? I’m trying to make sense of the building’s layout. I know the bottom floors are all flooded - it’s a miracle I woke up on this floor – but I haven’t quite made sense of this floor yet.” a voice said from the door. A familiar voice from yet another familiar European country that she was somewhat acquainted with from United Nations meetings. She often flanked her "older brother", that Swiss prude. It was enviable that she was absolutely adored by the man, one who was infamous for his unfriendliness and how closed off he was from the general populace. The Liechtensteiner attracted money as well.



Good fortune tended to be attracted to those two younger siblings. If only big brother were as lucky and as welcoming to advances. She said not a word, and wondered just how long they would stay. She secretly wished that they would say the first word, and keep her from slowly shrinking away with Alice, disappearing into the darkness...

To say that for destruction ice is also great and would suffice

Name: Asu, Asuma

Age: 16

Fun Fact: I'm very graceful... meaning I have a beautiful talent for tripping on nothing.