| Jan 9, 2012 22:11:37 GMT -5 |
Post by janiet on Jan 9, 2012 22:11:37 GMT -5
TORIS (Lithuania) LAURINAITIS[*img] 30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lq6tzeD6IT1qhqzjgo1_500.jpg [/*img]
All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers.
Francois Fenelon
All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers.
Francois Fenelon
I Feel Like We're Summoning The Devil
Nickname/Alias: --- Lietuva, Litauen (German) Litwa (Polish), Litva (Russian), Lithy, Tor, Tory, That Lithuanian Guy, The Oldest Baltic State, the Pagan one.
Gender: Male
Character Type: Country
Country or Country of Origin: Lithuania
Canon or Original: Canon
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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: Chestnut Brown
Height and Weight: Height-163cm (5’4”)
Weight-124 pounds (56 kg)
Other Distinguishing Features: One apparent thing about Toris is how weary he always looks. His eyes have bags underneath them half the time, for he tends to overwork and stay up all night doing paperwork. He usually wears long sleeved shirts, even in the warmer weather, to hide the deep scars that are scattered over his back. He claims that they do not bother him any more. There is a circular scar around his heart from the Vilnius conflict, but he doesn’t allow anyone to see it. It sometimes starts prickling when he argues with Poland.
Overall Appearance: --- Having stayed the height of his people in the 1920’s, Toris is on the shorter side. During Soviet Union days, he was very sickly looking, but has almost fully recovered by the twentieth anniversary of his independence. Living in the colder parts of Europe, his skin stays pale. Being so unused to the warmer sun, when he stays on the sea shore for too long, or works in the fields in early autumn, he usually manages to give himself intense sun burn.
In the olden days, Toris was one of the most feared men in Europe. Although he did not have brute strength, he was agile. Also, he had quick reflexes and a well-trained arm in swordplay and archery. The only time he uses his former abilities presently is to chase Prussia off of his territory and to dodge dangerous objects thrown by Belarus. His green eyes are very characteristic of the area he lives in, but his dark hair comes from the amount of Jews came to Vilnius in the Commonwealth days. His hair brings him a lot of grief; getting into his cooking, flying into his face when he runs and so on. He refuses to cut it though, because he feels he will look too similar to the other Baltic States. Toris has gotten good at hiding his emotions behind a pleasant mask, so his face is rather hard to read.
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Man up or I'll beat you with my peace prize!
--Working in the Rye fields
--Wolves
--Martial arts (he is hopeless at them, though)
--Odd theme parks, the stranger the better
--Women who can defend themselves
--Music in the minor key
--Baking
--Any bread at all
--Beer, occasionally
--Well-organized papers
--Basketball
--
Dislikes:
--Russia
--Being drunk
--The cold
--Being hit over the head with books he wants nothing to do with
--Russia
--Teutonic Knights
--Text message abbreviations
--Annoying, stuck up people that think they know your needs better than you
--Being taken over/partitioned/split in half/used as a war trophy etc.
--Thinking too deeply, he tends to depress himself.
--Unclear treaties
--Being the only sane one in a large group
--Russia
--Being rejected by Belarus a.k.a. getting his fingers broken
--Getting grouped with his brothers as the Baltic Trio and forgotten as an individual
--Having his name mispronounced
--Being forced into something
--Gender confusion
--DIDWEMENTIONRUSSIA?
Strengths:
-- Organization
-- Getting things done
-- Swordplay
-- Taking care of children
-- Patience
Weaknesses:
-- Unable to say "No"
-- Can't stand up for himself
-- Easily exploited
-- Can not let go of the past.
Fears:
--Whenever Toris crosses paths with Russia, he gets a familiar jolt of panic in his spine. All the years of living with the giant Eurasian has made the Lithuanian very wary of making him angry.
--The Lithuanian’s bond with Feliks was forever shattered in the Vilnius conflict. Toris fears that Poland may try something again, so he keeps a distance.
Secrets:
-- The Lithuanian’s name has been wrong for a long time. When he was young, he took the name “Taurus”, meaning bull, but went by Tolys, an actual Lithuanian name. When he was given to Russia, “Taurus” was phonetically changed to Торис (Torees), and during his outsourcing, America put it into English as «Toris».
-- He has an obsession with wolves.
-- Toris and Feliks were originally supposed to have equal power in the commonwealth but it didn not work out that way.
-- He actually drinks much more than one would expect (although Latvia still drinks more)
Any Quirks/Habits:
-- Gets up really early.
-- Trembles. A lot.
-- Has a tendency to put his hand over his heart when the Vilnius Conflict is brought up.
Overall Personality: Unlike many nations, Toris raised himself. He did not have an empire invading him in his early years, and was usually a loner. As a young nation, he was either targeted or avoided because of his religion. He grew up fiercely independent and bent on staying that way. Also, his patience and determination have to be taken into account. Only because of them was he able to achieve what he did.
Another notable quality about Toris is his kindness. Even in his Empire days, when his land stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea, he tried to be nice to everyone. When he conquered territories, he did not expect them to change their language or religion. This approach was considered naïve by other nations, but it worked and worked well. He was and is a pacifist and preferred keeping everyone happy instead of forcing things upon them. His kindness tends to make him a push-over, though.
After his incorporation into Russia’s house, Toris became very jumpy and cautious. Perhaps because of Ivan’s violent habits, Toris started to act overly protective of his adopted brothers. At the beginning of his long lasting stay in Russia, Toris maintained some of his fire, but it was slowly tamed and extinguished by the Russian. The Vilnius Conflict and World Wars crushed him completely, reducing Toris to a trembling nervous mess.
A quality that has caused the Lithuanian a lot of pain is his long memory. He has an unfortunate clinginess, unable to let go of the past. When others move on, he is left behind, alone. Long after alliances are broken, friendships scattered, Toris still cherishes them, hoping for things to return to the way they were. They never do.
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I'm the hero!
Childhood
--1009 CE First mention of the name Lithuania appears in a Prussian manuscript, Annals of Quedlinburg.
--1236 Grand Duke Mindaugas unites the ethnic Lithuanians to create the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
--1236-1263 The Duchy interferes with Teutonic expansion to the east.
--1253 Grand Duke Mindaugas accepts Christianity for political reasons and becomes the one and only king in Lithuanian history. Lithuania himself stayed pagan, though.
--1316 Grand Duke Gediminas comes to the throne and starts long term expansion into eastern Slavic land aka Belarus, Ukraine.
--1341 Gedimians' rule ends.
Adolescence
--1385 Grand Duke Jogaillo marries Polish Queen Jadwiga and becomes King of Poland, this marked the beginning of Polish-Lithuanian co-existence and is known as the Union of Krewo. Christiantiy spreads to Lithuania and he starts to accept it.
--1392-1430 Rule of Grand Duke Vytautas, prosperous times for the Duchy. Lithuania officially grew a few years older in this time span because of his expansion and political standing.
--1410 Lithuania and Poland defeat Prussia at the Battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg). At first Prussia had the advantage, Lithuania committed a false retreat and caught Prussia unawares. Belarus and Ukraine come under Lithuania's rule around this time and move in with him.
--1529 The first Stature of Lithuania is written.
--1569 The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is formed. Lithuania did not want to enter this union, but due to internal problems, was left with no choice. For some reason, this union became known solely as Poland in modern istory books. This annoys Lithuania to no end.
--1566, 1588 Two more Statures of Lithuania are put into text. The last one applied to the area that was the Grand Duchy long after the actually country was wiped off the map.
--1654-1667 Lithuania, and with him Poland, begins to war with Russia.
--1655 Lithuania's capital, and heart, Vilnius was seized by the Russian army. At this time, Lithuania and Poland were having an argument over their internal situation. Lithuania was in an international problem as well. To somehow help himself get back on track, and to win back his heart, Lithuania made a pact with Sweden. The agreement did not last very long, and Lithuania began to decline.
--1772 The first partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by Russia, Prussia, and Austria. By this time, Lithuania had lost almost all of his rights in the Commonwealth and was not happy about it.
--1793 Second partition of the Commonwealth. The country had greatly diminished in size. Belarus and Ukraine were no longer living with Lithuania, having moved to their brother’s house.
--1795 Final partition. Poland and Lithuania are split up among Russia, Prussia and Austria. Lithuania went to live at Russia’s house although some of his territory was given to Prussia.
Young Adult
--1812 Napoleon invades Russia. When France reached Vilnius, Lithuania welcomed him, hoping that he would be freed from Russian rule. When the French withdrew from Russia, defeated, the Russian Czar commanded all Russian territories to take on the Russian language and religion instead of their own.
--1831 Lithuania rebels against Russia along with Poland. Russia, displeased, closed down the Vilnius University and stopped Catholicism in Lithuania. Only Russian Orthodox churches were allowed.
--1863 Again, Lithuania rebels against Russia. The consequences were harsher this time. Lithuanians could not buy land, put up crosses or build churches. Lithuania got himself sent to Siberia along with many of his peasants and boyars.
--1864 The Lithuanian language and Latin alphabet are banned. Lithuanians either had to write their tongue using Cyrillic letters or learn Russian. The latter was greatly encouraged.
--1883 Lithuania smuggles books in his language in through Lithuania Minor, which is in Prussia. A Lithuanian periodical called Ausra (Dawn) is organized illegally.
--1914 When World War I begins, Germany occupies Lithuania. This was a more favorable situation than was expected, though.
--1918 With the Russian revolution throwing Russia into discord, Lithuania declares independence on February 16th. On the 12th of December, Sweden is the first country to recognize Lithuania as independent.
Adulthood
--1919 Lithuania and Belarus form the Litbel Republic under Russian influence. This union was broken by a jealous Poland.
--1920 Poland takes Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, after the latter refuses to recreate the Commonwealth. Lithuania did not want to lose his independence so soon after gaining it back.
--1921 Lithuania is admitted to the League of Nations.
--1923 At last, everyone seems to accept Lithuania’s independence and the wars for it stop.
--1924-1938 Lithuania’s outsourcing in America. These were probably the happiest times he had in centuries. Although the Great Depression struck halfway through, Lithuania stuck by America until Russia came and conquered him again. (Note: I know that according to canon Lithuania was supposed to be at America’s from 1921-1932, but he was independent for longer than that…)
--1939 Fascist Germany annexes the Klaipeda region, an area that it gave to Lithuania over twenty years prior. Due to the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, Lithuania was at first part of Germany’s influence, but he refused to attack Poland. Because of this, he was transferred to the Soviet Union’s influence. On October 10th, Vilnius was returned to Lithuania, having been won from Poland by Russia.
--1940 Lithuania is officially occupied by the Soviet Union quickly followed by Latvia and Estonia.
--1941 Russia orders mass deportations of Lithuanian people to Siberia. Germany attacks the Soviet Union, and in the chaos, Lithuania declares independence once again. He is soon taken over by Germany, though.
--1941-1943 Because of his large Jewish population, Lithuania lost many citizens to the Holocaust. To make it more painful, the people not being persecuted were working for the persecutors.
--1944-1945 Lithuania falls completely under Soviet power. America never ceased to think of him as an independent nation, though.
--1940-1953 Lithuania loses approximately 30% of its population between the Holocaust, War, and deportations to Siberia.
--1945-1985 Lithuania is forbidden to use his language once again. A large nuclear power plant, one of the largest in Europe, is constructed in Lithuania.
--1988 A Lithuanian democratic movement is formed. It would accomplish many things in the upcoming year.
--1989 Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia take part in a huge, 2 million people long chain from Vilnius to Tallinn. This was called the Baltic Way, stretching 600km.
--1990 Lithuania is allowed state elections and begins to make plans for independence.
--1991 Lithuania declares independence. To try to keep control over him, Russia took control of the Vilnius TV tower, killing 14 unarmed citizens who resisted. Lithuania continued with its independence movement and was recognized by Russia on September 6th, 9 months after declaring independence. On September 17th, Lithuania became a full member of the League of Nations
--1992 The last Russian soldier leaves Lithuanian land and Lithuania goes back to his house after over 50 years.
--1999 A Russian economical crisis in the previous year cause economical decline in Lithuania. It wasn’t all too serious and Lithuania recovered from it the following year.
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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"!
July 1919
It was funny, really, how all the decisions were made for them. Her brother had made their Union; neither of them had wanted it. Just when the pair had grudgingly accepted each other, the protests from outside began. Toris and Natalia fended them off as best they could, but their republic was too weak to stand up to two strong nations at once.
He screamed as they were forced apart, pulled in two opposite directions by two jealous men. He threatened and pleaded in his own language, in Polish, in Russian, and was stoically ignored. Later he would come to the conclusion that she had been screaming too, screaming when their hands were wrenched from each other’s grasp. But at that moment he heard nothing but the blood pounding in his ears and the cries of his dying children.
After he had been dragged from the building, Toris struggled. His flailing arm caught his assaulter in the face, and the Lithuanian took this chance to leap away. He scampered towards the dark forest surrounding the area; no one would be able to find him there. If only he could reach it in time.
Just as Toris was about to reach the first tree, a hand grabbed the back of his collar and yanked him back. He twisted, trying to ease the choking grasp around his neck and was met with a cold yet guilty gaze. “Stand still,” The owner of those piercing eyes whispered.
“W-what, why? L-let go, your ch-choki---” Before Toris could finish his breathless sentence, pain erupted in the back of his head and the world was suddenly cloaked in black.
Toris awoke to more darkness and an ache in his chest. After a few minutes of simply laying on the cold ground, he struggled to his feet. He swayed and stumbled back against a wall, coughing dryly.
As his eyes adapted to the dim lighting, Lithuania began to get a feeling of déjà vu. He swiveled his head around, growing more and more uneasy. He recognized the place, but from when? Then it clicked.
“This is…” he whispered. "The basement~!" Snickered a tiny voice in his head.
Flashback
“H-hey! L-let me out, you can’t do this! P-please!” Toris cried, banging his fists against the locked, iron door.
“Yeah I can,” replied a voice haughtily from outside. “You’re gonna stay there until you accept my rules, mkay?” The person did not wait for an answer and skipped off as if it was perfectly normal to lock someone in his basement.
After two hours of nonstop yelling and attempts to open the door, Toris lost his voice. His arms were bleeding openly, but he refused to give up and hammered away at the door, the walls, the floor. There was no way out.
Three days later, a maid who had been sent to retrieve something from the basement opened the door. The poor girl almost had a heart attack when she saw the unconscious Lithuanian.
When Toris woke up two days later, the only explanation he got was, and “I forgot you were down there, sorry.”
End Flashback
Toris was beginning to lose hope. He did not know how long he had been sitting in the cold, dark room or what was happening above ground; the days had blended into a never-ending night. He had taken to feeding himself with anything edible he found in any of the numerous trunks lining the walls. Why on Earth would someone keep this many canned beans in his basement?
The Lithuanian’s daily routine of scavenging for food, sleeping, and thinking was broken one day. Toris was pulled from his thoughts by a painful throb in his chest. A strangled cry came from the Lithuanian’s throat, and the metallic smell of blood filled the air. With trembling fingers, Toris undid his shirt’s buttons and looked down upon the stinging and aching area.
The wound was deep, a jagged circle around his heart. Crimson blood welled from it, dripping down his abdomen. Detachedly, Toris pressed his sleeve against the incision and watched with morbid interest as the white material was dyed maroon.
Then, pain. White-hot agony ripped through Toris and he fell to the floor, screaming. It felt like someone was driving a stake into his heart and clawing at it, pulling it from his chest. The blood was flowing faster and thicker now, making a pool on the ground.
Visions flashed in front of the Lithuanian’s eyes. His people, his children, dying in the fields he loved so much. Forests being uprooted, buildings and churches destroyed. The scenes changed, showing a man Toris identified as his boss grimly handing a stack of paper to an unseen person.
Floating. He was floating. There was nothing, nothing at all. The ripping, burning pain was gone, replaced with a soft, warm feeling of emptiness. He was probably dead, wiped from the map, and torn into pieces. Surprisingly, Toris felt nothing as he realized this. Nothing mattered in the emptiness.
Speaking. He could hear voices. Lietuvos. Who was disturbing his rest? Lietuvos. He wanted to tell them to be quiet, but his mouth refused to open, his voice would not come out. Lietuva, Lietuvos. Help us Lietuvos. The speech grew louder and louder until it was ringing in his ears. Who was this Lietuvos they spoke of? Why did he not come out and help them so Toris could rest? With a huge effort, Toris opened his mouth to shush them and woke up in a bright room.
Bleary eyed, Toris looked to his left. Oh, hello wall, aren’t you looking lovely? Then, he turned his head to the right. Dresser. Window, shuttered part way. Fireplace. Door. Table. It was too normal. Wasn’t I in the basement…?
That reminded him of the blood, and he clawed his way out of the downy blanket. White bandages had been wrapped around his torso, tinged pink in some place. Toris sat up and placed a nervous hand over his heart. Thump. Something was wrong. Thump. The heart beating beneath his fingers seemed…different, somehow. Thump. The beats were the same as he remembered, but it just seemed alien to him.
Then, Toris understood, and the realization made his breath hitch in his throat. His heart was no longer his; he had lost his capital. It had been seized from him in the war, but it had still been his capital. What had changed? Why did it feel like a piece of someone else?
“I don’t understand. How could he do this?” The words fell numbly from Lithuania’s lips. The coy voice in his head giggled before giving a response “You’re so naïve, Toris. He’s punishing you for resisting him. Oh look, he left you a letter! How nice of him.”
On the bedside table, there indeed was a folded note. Toris picked it up slowly and examined it. It had been written in pink ink.
Litwa,
I’m not the bad guy. I totally saved you from dying in that basement. You should, like, be thankful. You know how you should repay me? You should totally join me like I asked in the beginning of this mess. Seriously, Liet, you’re being a pain D:<. Oh, by the way, my half of White Russia says hi.
Love,
Feliks <33
P.S. If you join me, I’ll give your heart back.
Notes:
--The Litbel Soviet Socialist Republic was made under Russian influence. It’s capital was originally Vilnius (Lithuania’s capitol) and then, after Vilnius was seized by Polish troops, Minsk (Belarus’ capital). After the republic fell, Belarus was divided in half between Poland and Russia.
-- Lithuania still considered Vilnius to be their capital for a while after it was taken over by Poland. In February 1920, the League of Nations admitted it to be Polish territory.
--Lithuania and Poland had no diplomatic relations for 18 years because of this conflict. In 1938, Poland basically said “Talk to me or I will start another war.”
--Lietuvos, Lietuva both mean Lithuania in Lithuanian.
--I can see Poland using emoticons in his written letters somehow…
--If it wasn’t clear, italics were thoughts, sounds, or that little annoying voice.
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I Summon thee from far away lands, come forth!
You called?
Timezone: GMT -5
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