| Jan 12, 2012 2:57:47 GMT -5 |
Post by datcroat on Jan 12, 2012 2:57:47 GMT -5
TOMISLAV (CROATIA) DAMJANOVICH
{a good friend is worth more than a bad brother}
{a good friend is worth more than a bad brother}
I Feel Like We're Summoning The Devil
Nickname/Alias:Tomis, Tomis, Tomica
Gender: Male
Character Type: Country
Country or Country of Origin: Croatia
Canon or Original: Original
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When I look into all of your stupid faces
I think how fun it will be to pound them into dust
Hair: Dark, dark brown
Height and Weight: 5'10"/164 lbs.
Other Distinguishing Features: There are tattoos across his left side, as well as numerous scars all over the place. He wears a goatee that he keeps neat and trimmed in the vague shape of a heart.
Overall Appearance: Tomislav appears as a young man with slightly curled, rich, dark brown hair that ends a bit beyond his upper back, with a relatively lithe build on a medium frame. Many people consider him quite striking, along with his impeccable taste in fashion (there is a reason he is known as the Pearl of the Adriatic). He is only five feet and ten inches, short in comparison to the rest of the taller South Slavs, but he does not allow that to get in the way of anything he does or wants—not to mention his proper posture; the Croatian representative never slouches or slumps in public. Ever. He has a variant of amber-colored eyes, but a fairer complexion than the others who have spent centuries beneath the rule of the Ottoman Empire (in part due his time spent under Austria and Hungary’s rule). Furthermore, Croatia is covered in coarse scars from head to toe, symbolic of the numerous wars and battles he has faced both internally and externally, as well as a recent addition of black tribal-patterned tattoos over his left side—a decision he made once the wars were over.
Most of his wardrobe consists of brand names and timeless pieces that never fell out of style. Generally, Tomis prefers functional fashion when it comes to everyday wear, which includes an assortment of dark slacks, white dress shirts, and comfortable dress shoes. He does possess an assortment of accessories such as belts or suspenders, favoring the latter for most of his wardrobe. His suits are always tailored and pressed; they are also usually on the cutting edge of fashion and more expensive than his casual clothing. However, they only appear in the case of national or representative meetings. Otherwise, he wears what entertains his fancy for that day—and whatever will make him look good. Tomis is not shy of working out, and continues to do so to maintain his physique. No one ever said the man was not vain. An item Tomis is never seen without, however, is his silver cross. No matter the occasion or outfit, he always has it on him whether or not it is visible. Not only does it act as reminder of his faith but also as a figurative security blanket; when something is truly bothering him, he will seek to hold it and garner himself some comfort.
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Man up or I'll beat you with my peace prize!
✔ Licitars
✔ Paprenjaks
✔ Alcohol
✔ Doughnuts
✔ Chocolate
✔ Coffee
✔ Gospa
✔ Holidays/Parties/Celebrations
✔ Nature
✔ Humor
✔ Sun
✔ Music
✔ Outdoor activities
✔ Dalmatians
Dislikes:
✘ Certain members of his family
✘ Terrain Disputes
✘ Oppression
✘ Invasion
✘ Any disrespect
✘ Too much rain
✘ Too much industrialization
✘ Destruction
✘ Intolerance
Strengths:
Loyal – Tomis tends to be faithful until the very end, given that he’s behind whatever it is he’s pledging loyalty to. Historically speaking, Croatia was not known to back down in a fight, even when things became daunting.
Trustworthy – Usually a trait that only friends and allies get to see, Tomis has never misplaced some one's trust in him before. He may be seen as a traitor to his family, specifically by Serbia, but he has never been known to back stab someone either.
Tenacious – In part with Tomislav’s loyalty is a persistent, determined, and stubborn will that will keep him in favor of whatever or whomever he believes is right. He will stick to those beliefs and ideals, until it is beaten and ripped right out of him.
Sociable – Tourists like friendly and beautiful countries, so Tomis strives to be as friendly and inviting as possible with everyone he meets. So, naturally, second and third, and maybe even fourth impressions are needed before he can make a decision about whether or not he wants to talk to someone. If he finds it all right to do so, one may never get him to be quiet.
Weaknesses:
Neurotic – Tomis spends most of his time in an unspoken, obsessively anxious state, and as such, remains worn down by misusing his energies. As a result, he takes an unnecessary amount of antibiotics, thinking they will help him feel better and absolutely refuses to take any time off to recuperate.
Insecure – He would never admit it, but compared to all his neighbors and family, he feels horribly inadequate and inferior. It takes a lot of energy for him to bolster up enough resolve to pretend and act as if he is confident in his abilities.
Paranoid – Incredibly distrustful of anyone and everyone, Tomis also sometimes finds himself second-guessing the good intentions others have for him—he has been fooled one too many times in his opinion.
Fears: If there is one thing Croatia fears above all else, is the threat of invasion and control. Having gone from one power house to another through out all the centuries has left him a little worse for wear and with a bit of identity confusion. However he has seen what oppression did to his family, creating a nasty schism between all the Balkan countries, so he is deathly afraid of being taken over again and forced to comply with another culture. And on a lesser scale, Tomis is also frightened of the possibility of losing his family one way or another.
Secrets: Croatia's hidden talent is a stunning voice, and the numerous octaves it can hit. He is also a prolific gardener. And somedays, he yearns for the time he was the NDH, because of the power rush it gave him.
Any Quirks/Habits: When Tomis is uncomfortable, he will obsessively reach for and hold onto his cross.
Overall Personality: Easy going, level headed, patient and playful is how the Republic of Croatia would describe himself, fairly self-censored. After trying to model behavior from his understanding of the modern European values, which would include good food and wine, nice clothes, vacations at the seashore, attention to the environment, preservation of historical treasures and a calm, polite demeanor, he feels that he has gotten those ideals down. He is quite a bit of a family man, taking pride and personal enjoyment when he sees relatives getting together and showing love to one another—not like his own blood-related family. Regardless, family remains to be an extremely important aspect of life for Tomis, almost as important as being a Roman Catholic.
He understands that most representatives see him as viewing through rose-tinted glasses. However, that statement could not be further from the truth. As much as the others believe he has more free time than he should, from sunbathing on the shores to dining in chic little restaurants along cobble stoned roads all the way up to consorting with the elite, Tomislav is an honest, hard worker. The Croatian representative takes seriously each repair that his home direly needs; these repairs, both locally and foreign, range from political issues to agriculture, both large and small, and being the most ‘westernized’ Balkan country, his main anxiety and concern rests upon bringing more of the west, eastward.
Tomis has known oppression and outside control for most of his life. Starting from beneath the Roman and Byzantine Empires, all the way to the final form of Socialist Yugoslavia, he had very little opportunity to develop his own person, as a distinct being, with such control. He become lost within the woodwork of what others perceived of him and pushed onto him. The one opportunity he received to be a Kingdom, and a powerful one at that, was short lived after a subsequent coerced-marriage to Hungary. In all, this created a great deal of resentment, a lack of identity, and a pervasive feeling of being weak; Tomis often turned to neighbors for help, when further invasion was imminent. Even then, his ‘saviors’ walked all over him, and with his greater issues resolved for him, save for the minor ones within his own home, the reputation of being witless and shallow was earned. After all, who talks about any of the Balkan countries in history books?
Serving others and carrying out their wishes made up his youthful days, and when he thought he found someone that cared about his state and affairs, he was often let down and sorely disappointed after putting so much blind faith in another. After finally gaining his independence, the new and absolute freedom he had back-lashed. It caused severe tensions between ethnic groups inside his home, and went as far to infringe upon human rights. Tomis could not please anyone, and because of his bid to join the European Union, he had to force himself to re-conform to new laws. As such, he is considered bitter, self-interested, cynical, and indifferent to his relatives.
What also has stuck is his ability to be increasingly neurotic and paranoid. He is highly suspicious of aggressive and rather dominant countries; part of it has to do with the fact that he likes to develop good relationships over an appropriate amount of time, instead of rushing into treaties and friendships without a shred of knowledge of the other. The other, speaks back to his youth where it seemed like every powerful empire or kingdom wanted a piece of his home—and got it. Regardless of how long it has been since then, Tomis has never recovered from the years of strain under oppressive rule. His family and close friends know of his inferiority complex, and for every piece of land or water territory that is stripped from him, pushes him further to an edge he does not wish to go over.
While the rest of the South Slavs can hold grudges against each other, no one can quite hold a super grudge like Tomis can. He is also quick to anger and be offended—especially when it hits close to home. Tomis is frightfully nationalistic, regardless of the terrifying weight he carries as an example to the rest of the Balkans, and the rest of the world. He truly believes himself far superior when compared to his siblings, including his way of life. While he does not want to engage in any more wars, he would if it meant to protect his home, his people, and his freedom.
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I'm the hero!
Throughout the centuries, Croatia has been the bridge between central European and Mediterranean worlds, marked by this position as a borderland for competing powers; he was the division between the two halves of the Roman Empire and later between the Byzantine and Frankish successors. The Eastern and Western churches competed for influence over him, and as the frontier of Christendom, he confronted the limits of Muslim expansion into Europe. After World War II, as part of Yugoslavia, he lay between the Soviet and Western blocs.
Having inherited the land from his surrogate mother, Illyria, Croatia existed as a subject to both the Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire as separated provinces. In that state sadly, he contended with numerous invaders and attempted takeovers constantly from all sides. Unfortunately, most of the invasions proved successful (save for the few times the Byzantine Empire provided assistance) and Croatia would find parts of himself owned by other greater tribes and territories. As a result, he spent another quarter of his existence as a vassal to Francia. Luckily, during that time, he managed to fend off the Republic of Venice for several centuries thereafter. Eventually, Croatia accepted the Roman Catholic Church through the figures that raised him though chose to preserve a Slavonic liturgy.
After three hundred years of outside rule, Croatia was finally united into one Kingdom with a sizeable estate and military in the 9th century beneath one of his first kings. The domain extended from the Adriatic Sea to the Drava River and from the Raša River to the Drina River. Unfortunately, this put Croatia in direct line with Bulgarian Empire, who was looking to expand his own domain and take over the Byzantium territories. Croatia at that time was considered a threat to any growing empire, as he had become a great ally of the Byzantine Empire and a fearsome militaristic power. After occupying Serbia for a time, Bulgaria eventually made his move and Croatia fought back; under the leadership of his beloved king, Croatia completely devastated Bulgaria. As the Byzantine Empire began to weaken however, Croatia saw many internal problems begin crop up in his home and several more attempted takeovers by other various powers; most notable by Venice whose leader saw some of Croatia’s greater cities as rivals that needed to be brought under control—none of them proved successful. Croatia retained his independence under native kings until 1102, when the crown regrettably passed into the hands of Hungary's dynasty. Croatia was pushed into a personal union with Hungary, officially after the Battle of Gvozd Mountain, which had been a decisive victory for Hungary. While she allowed him to maintain his statehood, Croatia no longer had the power to oversee his affairs.
Over the following centuries after unionizing with Hungary (wherein he saw more and more battles, as well as the Crusades—being declared the forefront of Christendom by the Pope), Croatia’s territory gradually shifted north and west as he lost Dalmatia to the Republic of Venice by 1420 and then later as the result of the Ottoman conquests. In 1493, the Battle of Krbava was fought between Croatia and Ottoman forces, which resulted in the total defeat of Croatia's army; thirty-three years later Croatia saw the temporary end of his union with Hungary who fell at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Mohács. With Hungary as a Turkish province Croatia turned to Austria and the Habsburg Empire in his weakened state; Austria was elected to defend the “remnant of the remnants” of Croatia by establishing the Military Frontier along his border with the Ottoman Empire. Austria promised to respect Croatia's historic rights, freedoms, laws and customs he had when united with Hungary and to defend Croatia from Ottoman invasion.
From the end of the 17th century, Austria began to regain Croatia’s lands, first from the Ottoman Empire (with the treaties of Carlowitz in 1699 and Passarowitz in 1718) and then from Venice after the Napoleonic Wars (confirmed by the Treaty of Vienna in 1815). For the most part these territories were never given back to Croatia, but were incorporated into the Military Frontier or organized as separate provinces as spoils for Austria’s allies; much of Croatia’s land was re-distributed to Germany and Hungary. However, as he was too impoverished and too weak during this time to withstand Austria’s Germanization that began under Maria Theresa and continued under Joseph II, Croatia turned to his wife as a last defense of his rights and privileges. Unfortunately, he was ultimately exposed to the rising force of Hungary’s nationalism as well. Threatened by Hungary’s influence, Croatia turned to the lesser evil and once more sided with Austria against his reinstated wife. In “reward” however, the same control and Germanization he faced before was dealt out again, which was also being dealt to Hungary as punishment. For much of this time, Croatia was shared between Austria and Hungary directly.
As a reaction to the disappointing circumstances, Croatia eventually got the mind to rebel (which manifested itself as the “Party of the Right”) and began emphasize his right to be an independent country. This in turn caused Croatia to rely on his Slavic family who was also strongly opposed to Austria-Hungary’s ruling. Coupled with this, the idea of getting back to his mother’s Illyrian roots, Croatia and the other Slavic countries revived the movements under the name “Yugoslavism.” Croatia, along with the rest of his family, advocated unity as an independent Balkan state within the Hapsburg Empire. Croatia’s sibling Serbia, whose population with the incorporation of the Military Frontier had become a larger proportion of Croatia’s population, managed to get influence within his government, which he resented entirely. This came with an increase in Croat-Serb antagonism within Croatia’s home, along with Croatia’s demands for greater autonomy. However, due to the crisis of Austro-Hungarian dualism and the accession of the Russophilic Karageorgeviæ dynasty in Serbia, the situation demanded for cooperation between Croatia and Serbia.
Solutions to Croatia’s problems became possible with the divorce of Austria and Hungary (and officially legally between Hungary and himself) after World War I. However, the 1915 Treaty of London threatened his postwar future, where the Triple Entente promised Italy and Serbia extensive Habsburg territories on the Adriatic in return for entering the war on the Allied side. This included extensive rights to Croatia’s lands, where in October he publicly broke relations with Austria and Hungary and declared himself an independent state once he unified all of his lands. Fearing for his future and self-unity, Croatia turned to Serbia for assistance and agreed to form a unified South Slav state as a democratic, constitutional, and parliamentary monarchy. This agreement between the siblings would save Croatia from being partitioned by the Allies as part of vanquished Austria-Hungary; unfortunately, the two never specified whether the new state would be a federation of equal partners or would merely represent an extension of the Serbia’s administrative system.
In many respects, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes represented the expansion of Serbia’s control, and in Croatia, discontent. This caused a great deal of strain between Serbia-Montenegro and Croatia. Under Serbia’s dictatorship, where the country attempted to override national divisions by introducing a new supranational patriotism symbolized by the new name of Yugoslavia, the internal borders state were redrawn, so that Croatia vanished into Yugoslavia and would cease to exist. However, Croatia's own nationalism and opposition to this state system were not eradicated by Serbian hegemony, which simply continued under the name of "Yugoslavism.” As a response to the unitarism, the political repression Croatia’s people faced bred extremism and resulted in the rising of Fascism party that would not take hold until after the Invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis’ forces. To stop the growing threat, Serbia lessened the hold on Croatia’s affairs, but it did little to rid the growing resentment Croatia felt for his sibling.
When World War II broke out, Yugoslavia declared neutrality, but invasion, occupation, and partition followed in 1941. In his campaign against Yugoslavia, Germany exploited Croatia's discontent, and presented himself as a liberator and incited Croatia to mutiny against Serbia. In April 1941, Germany and Italy set up the Independent State of Croatia, which also embraced Bosnia and Herzegovina and those parts of Dalmatia that had not been ceded to Italy. As an Ustaše, he began to believe and insisted that only the destruction of Yugoslavia would liberate himself and his people. When Croatia finally received his own "autonomy" and power that he so enthusiastically embraced, he began to ruthlessly persecute any Serbs, Jews, Gypsies, and antifascist Croats within his home shortly thereafter. Ustaše-Croatia planned to eliminate his Serb minority partly through conversion to Catholicism, partly by expulsion, and partly by extermination. As many as 350,000 to 450,000 victims were killed in massacres and in the notorious concentration camp in Jasenovac.
As the war neared its end however, Croatia continued to fight for Germany, despite the growing favoritism toward Communism in his home. A week after the war officially ended (and he still had been fighting for the Axis), Croatia was sorely outnumbered and was forced to surrender to the Allies. England however, refused to accept his surrender and gave him over to Serbia and the Yugoslav Army. A result of the surrender was the Bleiburg Massacre, where tens of thousands, including many civilians, were subsequently slaughtered on the forced marches back to Yugoslavia and in death camps. After 1945, Croatia was forced to become a republic within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and subsequently was made to move back in with the rest of his Slavic family. Not wanting a repeat of what happened prior the war, Serbia strove to make the new federation satisfy every one's aspirations, but with the revived push for Yugoslav unity and a Communist Party in control, this undermined the structure everyone wanted. Croatia's own communist party was purged in 1948, along with others that supported his national interests, which would have threatened the absolute control Serbia had in not only the party, but also army and police; Serbia had total had control in the economic centralization that appropriated the republic’s income as well.
Beginning in the early 1960s however, a number of economic reforms and attempts at political liberalization and decentralization were instituted in the Yugoslavian household. These reforms imposed a policy that managed to suppress the rising nationalism and conflicts between Croatia and Serbia, as he had very little influence. In doing so however, Croatia finally managed to get his foot in the doorway of the political world and rose to power. The new constitution for that Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia did not allow Serbia to have all the political power however, which caused the country to grow increasingly disgruntled. Unfortunately, it did not prevent Serbia from dominating the military or the secret services, as most of the generals in the Yugoslav People's Army were either Serbian or Montenegrin. While he continually wanted greater autonomy for himself, Croatia faced the looming threat of civil war, until a new democratic centralism was imposed, and gave more rights to not just him, but the other Slavic republics as well.
In 1980, Yugoslavia’s political and economic difficulties started to mount and the federal government began to crumble. Croatia’s economy in truth was in very good shape, at least until the fall of communism, but he remained the most prosperous out of the six republics. With the end of the Cold War however, and all the subtle benefits Yugoslavia received because of it, inflation soared and for the second time the household began to fall apart. Ethnic tension skyrocketed between Serbia and Croatia once more, especially when Serbia regained foothold in the government. The fifty-year-old rift was starting to resurface, and Croatia once more began to show his national feelings and express his opposition toward his sibling.
The control Serbia exerted on Croatia from that time began to break in the late 1980s, as communist hegemony was being challenged throughout Eastern Europe. While the government was being shuffled around again, namely a power play between Croatia and Serbia, Serbia became deeply alarmed by Croatia actions in the government, which began to purge Serbians from public administration, especially the police. Serbia’s fears also were aroused by accusations that Croatia’s escalating nationalism might have meant a return to fascism and the anti-Serb violence of World War II. In response, Serbia began to tighten the control and hold on Croatia through their united Yugoslavian home; in fact, in March 1990, Serbia tried to declare a state of emergency and tried to take complete control of Croatia and his affairs. Montenegro, Vojvodina, and Kosovo all supported Serbia in the notion, but Slovenia, Macedonia and Bosnia voted against Serbia and in the end sided with Croatia. As the control began quickly slipping, Serbia attempted one final push towards centralizing the entire household’s power in one area, before Yugoslavia deteriorated completely because of the resistance of the other republics.
On June 25, 1991, Croatia officially declared his independence and armed clashes spread throughout the Serb enclaves in his home; they rejected the notion of separating from Yugoslavia, and the possible oppression they might face if they did not fight for their cultural rights, which sparked fear. This allowed Serbia to launch an attack on Croatia; in the ensuing war, towns were leveled by bombardment, cities were shelled, and about one-third of Croatia’s home was occupied. While Croatia took quite the beating from Serbia and those in support, nothing hurt him more than coerced separation he faced with rebel Serbs in his home, that was literally beginning to tear him apart. Eventually all warfare stopped due to foreign troops, sponsored by the United Nations, being sent in to stabilize and demilitarize the areas and parts of himself that Croatia lost. Serbia was labeled as the source of the familial war, with the destruction of cities and numerous war crimes committed by the country against Croatia and their other sibling Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both Serbia and Montenegro were penalized and with the end of 1995, the second Yugoslavia household effectively ceased to exist as a state.
With Croatia finally granted his freedom and independence, he did not officially have control over the entirety of his-self and home until 2002. Over the course of the decade from 1992 to 2002, he regained control of parts of himself that were held by Serbia (as mandated by the United Nations and was forced to enter into a diplomatic relationship with Croatia in full), the rebel Serbs in his home and finally with the withdrawal of UN troops, he had full control once more. As things were finally working out for Croatia, after centuries of control and oppression, he quickly began to work on riding himself of corruption and at last improve his relationships with his neighbors. However, for the first few years, he continued to suffer with deep economical problems and his responsibility to bring his war criminals to justice; this became such an issue between Croatia and the European organizations that his candidacy for entering the European Union was postponed. Considering this, Croatia eventually gave up those his home considered heroes, came up with a strong anticorruption strategy to help him, and eventually got right back on track with the EU. Meanwhile, his economy, aided by the return of tourism, began to improve. He even saw to it that his minorities were given better rights. He also officially apologized to his brother Bosnia on the war crimes he committed against him during this time. On April 1, 2009, NATO officially welcomed Croatia as a member to the alliance.
By mid-2009 on the other hand, Croatia’s smooth sailing came to an abrupt halt because of Slovenia—a member of both NATO and the EU—who had agreed to Croatia’s NATO membership, but strongly opposed Croatia’s accession into the EU, at least until their border dispute was resolved—along with Italy and Serbia who also both claimed that Croatia held property that was rightfully theirs and that their minorities were not given better rights. Adding to Croatia’s problems, the global financial crisis caused his economy to contract sharply during the first half of 2009. Regrettably, his economy is still suffering greatly and regardless he refuses to give up on the few guilty pleasures he has to save money. Fortunately, he and his neighbor have agreed to let the courts decide on their border discrepancies.
Recently, Croatia and Serbia have finally begun to repair their broken relationship. Between the two of them making their way into the EU, they both have concluded that they must support one another, fix the past damage they inflicted on one another and if they are to survive in the expanding global economy, they need to better their relationship to keep each other’s economies strong. With this new positive outlook, Croatia is hoping that with his acceptance into the European Union, Serbia might then experience a pickup economically and in government. Both siblings are looking toward brighter future for Southeastern Europe.
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You've got it backwards! Backwards!
Hurry up and throw it! If you don't hurry up and throw it, you'll go "boom"!
He was greatly troubled, really. Troubled and not doing so well. At first, the Croatian representative thought he could handle the family by himself; after all, it was not the first time the siblings all fought. Their entire history, peppered with bloody, brutal wars and skirmishes here and there, was a testimony to their hot blood and demanding nature. The only thing this time though, was that he had not considered that perhaps Serbia was dead set on maintaining the Yugoslavian household, no matter the cost. That alone caused Tomis to second guess his sister—after all; it seemed like Slovenia got off scot-free with her independence. Then again, Slovenia did not have the population of Serbs that he did, and that was who Serbia was supporting. Still, he thought he could handle it, namely because he really didn’t expect his own sister to do anything extreme.
She had, though.
The army, the only army that they shared as a household, was supporting the rebelling Croatian Serb population. Tomislav was almost completely all on his own at that point, save for what he could scrounge up as quickly as possible when those tanks started rolling. That was when he began to question about whether he was really doing fine. All of his expectations rode on a false hope of a fast cessation, and then in no time he would be free; separate from Yugoslavia and not ever have to worry about Serbia being a tyrant ever again. How wrong he had been though. Then things got bad. Real bad. After the European Commission asked him to hold off on going further with his independence, Serbia’s army (he couldn’t call it his; he had his own then) mobilized and moved further, trying to claim more land. Croatia tried to fight back, but then the shelling began, even as he was out there fighting alongside his people, and he could not go on for much longer.
Bruises bloomed across his body when there was no immediate and direct cause for them; occasionally when a coughing fit hit him hard, blood was what came out. At the rate things were going, either he was going to die if he kept fighting against the superior Yugoslavia and her army for his independence, or he would have to surrender, and lose all power he had. Neither was a savory option to choose. Then as if things could not get any worse, they had. The United Nations—damn them, if they ever thought they were helping—put in place an embargo, and Tomislav suddenly found not just himself, but his army, without new weapons—without weapons that could possibly stop the Yugoslavian army. Now he was truly between a rock and hard place, and with very little hope.
He had slipped into despair—not quite depression, because he still had some energy to fight and the desire to, it was just the overwhelming thought that he would not win was what kept him from going back out there. So he remained at home, it was still far enough away from the battle zones no damage occurred yet, but in doing so, he found that on top of his desolation was a quickly growing weight of guilt. The Croat did not even need to speak to anyone to know what was being said, what was being asked. ‘Why isn’t Croatia doing more?’ ‘Why isn’t Croatia getting help from other countries?’ ‘We aren’t going to win this.’ ‘What will happen if we remain a part of Yugoslavia?’
Not all the rakia in the world could help make him feel better, nor any of the ice cream, bread or soup. He was letting down his people, his home, and the ancient civilization that gave him the land he walked upon; Tomis was no better at doing this, at fighting and gaining his independence, than he had been long ago in the confusion of World War II. Still, he could not just lie back and let Serbia win. However, it would take him little more than a month to feel physically fine enough to get back out there. The Croat did not even possess the stamina either to go for a walk, for leisure or to purchase groceries. Moreover, the house phone? Long since disconnected—Tomislav did not want to hear any other country’s opinion on his affairs, especially a cease-fighting one.
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I Summon thee from far away lands, come forth!
You called?
Timezone: PST.
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