Post by angelinehofstee on Feb 28, 2011 21:14:51 GMT -5
(((My Reflection)))
Nation: Latvia
Name: Raivis Galante
Gender: Male
Appearance Age: 15
Hair Color: Dirty blonde
Eye Color: Purple
Height: 4 feet 9 inches or so
Weight: 110 lbs.
Appearance:
Latvia is a tiny, tiny young man. Though he is a nation that is several hundreds of years old, he looks like a child. This is due to constant suppressing of his people and culture, mainly by Russia. His hair is somewhat curly, and is blonde with a tint of brown. His eyes, which are usually watery, are a violet colour. His face is round, but not chubby, and he lacks muscle or fat in general. Raivis is almost all skin and bones. He is what you would call lanky for sure. He tends to hold his arms and hands close to his chest(probably because it makes him feel secure, more so anyway.). For him, shivering is a common habit, though it’s not because of the cold. He usually looks distraught or stressed, but the moments when he smiles are heart-warming. Typically he wears a maroon uniform with yellow trimmings and boots. But he is just as comfy in a nice sweater and sneakers. When he goes to meetings, he usually wears a V-neck sweater with a white blouse and tie. Lately though, he has been trying to look more official by wearing a suit. He isn’t big on fashion.
(((Know Thyself )))
Personality:
Raivis is a shivering wreck, to put it simply. Less simply, he has been abused, trampled and taken advantage of for most of his life. His innocent face hides his distrust of many nations, especially those larger than him (and that is a lot of them). Befriending him can be both easy and hard, as he is easily frightened. However, once you get to know him, Latvia can be a loyal and caring friend. He often will go out of his way to help his companions, even if it is inconvenient. He is also very gentle and kind, though he doesn’t have a choice really. It’s hard to be mean when you’re that small. Despite his small size and child-like appearance, he is quite the drinker.
As fearful as he is of people, when speaking to them he is often blunt. Even if he is attempting to be polite he offends sometimes. He really does not mean any harm however. Unfortunately, many of the people he is forced to interact with cannot see that. He tends to over think things, and this stresses him out even further.
Latvia is scared of most people, and thus enjoys being out in nature more than some. Solitary places, where the sunlight is just right, where he can read a book or take a nap. Being around people, is what causes him to over think, simply because people are so unpredictable. So nature and animals are a big relief from that. He especially enjoys the calmer animals like rabbits, cats, and sheep. He also often remembers his pagan roots, which make him want to delve into nature even further. He doesn’t like big bustling cities, and his capital, Riga, reflects this. The buildings still have their old charm, and skyscrapers are rare. He loves the simple life. A cozy little village, with a quaint cottage tucked away somewhere hidden would be ideal for him.
Naturally, Latvia does not like war. He is usually the one to lose or be occupied, often without him even joining said war. His lack of allies is also a problem, most nations would much rather take him over than be diplomatic since he is so small. So in many cases he protests war, not only in Europe, but all over the world.
He would like to have closer ties with his brothers, Lithuania and Estonia. All of them are so different though, even though they are called the Baltic trio. The three do get along of course, but are not nearly as close as some other nation siblings. Latvia seems to want to remedy this, but his brothers are less than enthusiastic. This doesn’t help Latvia’s lack of social skills and confidence. He has found some companionship with Sealand but is often dragged along by the younger boy instead of taking charge.
Likes:
★ Dainas (traditional Latvian musical poetry.) and poetry in general. He likes them cheesy and mushy.
★Sunny afternoons
★Books, especially romance novels.
★Quiet, secluded places.
★Alcohol
★easygoing people
★ His brothers.
★ Sealand (Though he can be bothersome at times…)
Dislikes:
✖Russia
✖Belarus
✖Cossacks
✖Livonian Order
✖War and violence.
✖The drop in his GDP and stable economy that he worked so hard to get.
✖When things move too fast. From life, to people and animals.
✖ His trembling problem.
Fears:
☣Being occupied.
☣Dissolving due to Russian influence.(In many large cities there are more Russians than Latvians!)
☣Another world war in Europe.
Secrets:
♦ He sometimes loathes how small and weak he is.
♦Shy as he is, play a folk-ish tune and he will dance. It’s far too hard for him to resist. He is quite good at it too.
♦Raivis can play the harp and zither, but prefers to do it when he is alone.
♦He is sometimes guilty of liking the action shows Sealand likes.
Strengths:
Latvia’s strengths are few, and his weaknesses many. Though a crybaby, he can have bouts of determination. Still, this does not help much. Can being adorable count as a strength? Not if you live with Russia…
Weaknesses:
Being so small is certainly one. He is not strong, can’t look you in the eye, and can’t seem to stop shivering. His economy is pretty bad now too…
(((The Pages of History )))
History:
1204: The pope officially sanctions the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. This would later dissolve upon defeat from Lithuania, into the Livonian Order. Contrary to the name, they were not Latvian/Livonian, but German warrior monks. They would carry out the crusades to rule Livonia.
1206: The first Livonian crusade is carried out by Germany. The area known as Livonia, makes up what is most of Latvia today. However, at the time, only tribes occupied the region, and they had no organized central government.
1227: The crusade ends, Livonia is ruled by German nobles. This will be the constant until 1918. For this reason, Latvia is extremely young looking, maybe around 6-11 until the declaration of independence in 1918. Then he hits a growth spurt (and becomes his current age of 15), which is quickly halted by Russian occupation.
1554: The Livonian Order secularizes and converts to protestantism after a meeting with Polish leaders.
1558: The collapse of the Livonian Order makes Russia consider invading, and he does. But the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth does not like that, and neither does Sweden and Denmark. At first Russia is succesful, but the counter attack that conbined Swedish and Polish forces overthrew Russia. Livonia went to Poland when the war ended in 1583.
1561: The German aristocrats, in fear of Russia, gave up their rulership to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth for protection. The privileges of the German rulers were preserved, however.
1600–1611: The Swedish-Polish war (well one of them), In this war, Sweden gained control of Livonia. It was a good time for the Latvians, since the rights of the nobles were restricted. The Latvians called it "good Swedish times". The first books were printed in Latvian at this time as well.
1700-1721: The Great Northern War. Russia really likes hurting poor Latvia. This war was devastating to the Latvian population. Russia won, and took control of Latvia. The German nobles enjoyed this, because the Russians gave them their ruling powers back. The Latvian workers were oppressed once again.
1850s-1880s: A cultural revival takes place. Latvians for the first time are allowed to study in a university in Estonia. This gave them knowledge of their own land. They began to form the Social Democratic Labor Party.
1904: Social Democratic Labor Party founded.
1905: A national uprising was started and crushed by the German aristocrats and Russian leaders.
November 18th 1918: Latvia declares independence from Russia. A country ruled by German nobles, yet occupied by Russian forces decided it had enough. Mainly because of the fall of the Czarist Russia and Germany during WWI were they able to pull it off.
January 26, 1921: Recognized as an independent country.
Great depression: Latvia, after independence, was experiencing a golden age, its economy was great Europe and 0.3% of its citizens were enrolled in universities. This number was the highest at the time. However when the depression came, Latvia was hit hard.
May 5th 1935: A man named Karlis Ulimanis and his followers executed a bloodless coup, and began a nationalist dictatorship. Under this regime, Latvia’s economy was second in Europe. Despite being a nationalist dictator, there was no ethnic cleansing.
August 24th, 1939: Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. Latvia along with Estonia and Finland were assigned to the Soviets.
October 5, 1939: Latvia is forced by the Soviets to accept mutual assistant pact.
July 16th 1940: Russia demands that Latvia give up it’s neutrality and allow it to station even more troops in its borders. Latvia complies and a new pro-soviet government replaces the old one. Troops now occupy Latvia and the genocide begins. 35,000 Latvians were murdered, and thousands more were deported to Russia. In Latvia it’s known as the “horrible year”.
June 22nd 1941: Nazi Germany beings the invasion of the Soviet Union. They succed in overtaking Latvia. The Latvians welcomed the Germans at first. Though they proved to be oppressors all the same. They began their holocaust there as well, killing 75,000 Latvian jews.
May 8th, 1945: German surrenders, WWII ends. 200,000 Latvians died.
January 29th, 1949:.Between 136,000 and 190,000 upper class and/or anti-soviet Latvians, were imprisoned, repressed or deported to Soviet Gulag camps in the post war years, from 1945 to 1952
-An important thing to note, that during this period. Russia turned the economic system of Latvia upside down. Many minority schools were shut down, many factories were built, and Latvia was forced to re-industrialize and farms were collectivized. Since there were not enough Latvians to work the factories, they imported workers from all over the USSR. This greatly declined the ratio of Latvians to the population.-
1980s: Latvia experiences its third cultural awakening due to discontent with the Soviets.
1985: Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev introduces glasnost and perestroika, which allows more freedom of speech. This allows Latvians to voice some of their opinions.
August 23, 1989: Baltic way, or Baltic Chain is made. Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians form a huge human chain across their lands to symbolize Baltic identity and the desire for independence.
May 4, 1990: the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR adopted the Declaration On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia, Latvian SSR was renamed Republic of Latvia. The main government in Moscow did not recognize this however…
August 1st, 1991: The Republic of Latvia declared the end of the transitional period and was restored full independence.
2004:Latvia joins the EU
2008-2010: Economic crisis for Latvia.
Allies:
As I said, Latvia did not have very many actual Allies.
Lithuania and Estonia during Soviet occupation and now.
The United States, who never recognized the Latvian SSR. They didn’t help much directly though.
Enemies:
Russia (Almost all of his life, he has been ruled by Russia. So Russia is an enemy practically all the time.)
Germany in World War II (In addition, before Latvia was born, Latvians were ruled by German Monarchs. They were often harsh and unfair to the Latvians.)
Belarus (Currently Belarus has been creating some problems for him. Latvia has a strong dislike for Alexander Lukashenko,)
Sample Post:
The small blonde peered out of his door. The huge halls were empty. The windows were so large, it made the halls seem even lonelier and added a tint of white light from the snow outside. But the clouds were covering the sky that day, so the illumination was still dim and soft. The silence was absolute, but that did not mean that he was totally in the green either. His suspicions caused him to tremble, but only slightly. Latvia slowly edged out of his room. His back seemed glued to the wall as he crept along. Still shaking, and turning his head side to side every once in a while. Sweat began to form, though it was a bit chilly. Yes, at any moment, that huge lug would come bounding down the hall with a smile on his face. But no expression on that man’s face would ever make Latvia’s heart calm. Whether is was a grimace or a grin, it meant trouble.
“H…How d…does someone sm…smile when doing such aw…awf…f…ful th…things?” he whispered to himself, stuttering because of his persistent shaking and his general fear of Russia. He shut his eyes tight, trying to get the thoughts out of his head.
Latvia just could not understand what he had done to deserve this treatment. Sure, he was sometimes…blunt, but oh, he didn’t mean it! Even when he wasn’t saying things, sometimes Mr.Russia would just come in and harass him. Though he really should listen to his brothers and not say so much…or do so much. Come to think of it, almost anything he did angered the large nation. Even if he did something to be nice, it was always taken as bad.
Finally he came upon a staircase. Running as fast as he could, (and he is quite quick) he darted across the hall to the steps. He almost tripped on the way there, but that didn’t matter now. He quickly, but quietly scanned the staircase, constantly checking his surroundings. After reaching the top, there was another hall that he had to sneak around in. Though, if Latvia had thought about it, it was a useless endeavor. Even if he saw Russia coming, that most likely meant Russia saw him and that was the end of it. He couldn’t just ignore Ivan and run away. But this made him feel a tad safer, though he trembled none the less. A few more halls and he had reached his destination. It had taken a while, but he finally was here. A small smile crept onto his face, though his brows were still reflecting worry.
He pushed the doors of the library open slowly, peering around first. No, Russia was not here it seemed. Perfect. The Library was a huge room, made even bigger looking by the seemingly infinite dark reddish-brown bookshelves. Some of the books here probably weighed half of what he weighed. Latvia felt so small in this place. But in this case, he was okay with that. In several places, old father clocks could be heard. He now almost had a skip to his step. The library was one of his favourite places. Because he lived with Russia, his Russian was becoming quite good. It was forced on him, but in this case it was useful. Still, while he read Russian books sometimes, he had a secret. In the far corner of the massive library, Latvia was keeping some books hidden: Latvian books. Books about his culture and history, but mainly stories and fairytales. He really liked those. His room was not large, and Latvia was afraid that Russia or anyone under him might find them and punish him for reading them. What’s worse…take them away…
The other advantage to the Library, was if Russia did come in, he would hear the nations heavy footsteps and could possibly hide behind various bookshelves until he reached the door. Of course, sometimes sniffling would give him away. But it was a better chance than just about any room in the house.
Since it was a bit cold, Latvia decided to borrow a small blanket from one of the couches by the fire places. Reading by the fire was such a nice way to read! But… a fire would let Russia know he was here.Humming a small tune, Raivis walked to the said corner. Behind a bookshelf that was almost against the wall, lay his beloved books. He reached down and picked one up. He had already read this one a several times, but he loved it very much. “Lāčplēsis”, or, The Bear Slayer, was the title. The young man sat against the wall, knees drawn up to his body, and began to read.
“H….he is so amazing.” Latvia said softly to himself, as he read some pages. “Ripping up bears and defeating giants…if I were that strong…I…I could…” Latvia’s eyes glossed over for a split second. But then quickly he shook his head deliriously. “N…No I don’t…want to… to think of that!” He closed his eyes and buried his face into his knees. He could feel warm tears spreading onto the fabric. Soon though, with the chilling air, they became so cold he shivered. Strong enough to rip the jaws off a bear off or not…the idea of fighting Russia was scary! Although, in Raivis’ case…just about any violence was scary.
He soon pushed that thought out of his mind, and continued along, reading until he grew quite sleepy. The clock in the room produced a nice rhythm and his eyes began to droop shut. The blanket and his state of mind proved to be too comfortable. He really shouldn’t fall asleep here. But it got the better of him. So the small nation dozed off, dreaming of bear killers and the like…
Did you read the rules and Dark Reflections Canon?
I sure did! P-A-S-T-A~!
Random fun fact about yourself:
Yes the story was some-what based of the picture I used.
