#class bogatyr

[grailfinders]

Grailfinders #332: Dobrynya Nikitich

today on grailfinders we’re saying good riddance to Tunguska and the year 2023, but not before getting one last build in! our final build in 2023 is none other than Dobrynya Nikitich, the legendary bogatyr dragon slayer. and dragon rider, it turns out. maybe even just dragon? tbh I stopped reading this event after the story chapter that was almost literally just every character gathering around to say the sentence “Koyanskaya is not Daji” over and over. I might not have a great handle on what Nikitich is, but I’ve got what she can do down pat, so let’s get into the build!

Dobrynya’s a Drakewarden Ranger to have a permanent dragon partner to ride, as well as a Champion Fighter for a meatier axe, and a Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer to grab her armor phantasm, as well as her later ascensions. I mean she’s definitely got a lot of draconic blood, it’s just all wrapped up in a pervert horse. oh god I just realized he's staring at her underwear in the FA art what the hell

check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

next up: wait a minute, didn’t we just shoot you into space?

Ancestry & Background

our first question of the day is, “what the hell is Nikitich?” our second question of the day is “do we really want to waste time waffling on what she is when Custom Lineage exists?”

answering no to the latter gives her +2 Charisma as well as Darkvision and the Strike of the Giants feat to fight for better working rights for meteored animals. or it gives you a frost strike you can do once a turn proficiency times a day to deal an extra d6 of cold damage and force a constitution save on whatever you hit, reducing their movement speed to 0 for a turn if they fail. I know the ice axe doesn’t show up until third ascension, but I think a treat is warranted here.

Dobrynya talks a big game about how tenuous her connection to humanity is, so she’s an Outlander now for proficiency in Athletics and Survival. Folk Hero would also fit here, but a dragon is not a beast in D&D, so that animal handling proficiency would be completely wasted.

Ability Scores

I’m not going to lie, this build needs a lot of stuff, so we’re just going to point buy things this time around. even then, it’s pretty hard to get everything where it needs to be. Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom will be set at 14, the former two to be good with an axe while wearing a bikini, and the last one so we can multiclass, and to make your dragons’ breath a little hotter. Constitution is at 13 so we don’t die. meanwhile, Charisma is all the way down at 9. we’ll need to invest a little for multiclassing later, but she’s not the life of the party. that means we’re dumping Intelligence at 8. not much worse than charisma, but she does leave all the thinking to others most of the time.

Class Levels

1. Ranger 1: starting off as a ranger nets you proficiency in Strength and Dexterity saves, as well as Animal Handling, Nature, and Perception. I know your dragon isn’t a beast, but there’s Fou who… is probably an aberration. well, at least there’s Taigong Wang’s tapir, which… also isn’t a real animal… but there’s the sheep thing! yeah, I don’t think that counts either. so much for an animal sanctuary, huh?

for further bafflement, we’re actually going with mostly OG ranger features this time around. but if you’re going to be a dragonslayer, it probably helps to have Dragon as a Favored Enemy for advantage on checks to track and find out about them. thankfully, most dragons are pretty easy to track on account of their size and their tendency to hang out in the sky. that being said, you need to slay/mount a white dragon before this is all done, so getting used to the Arctic is a must. thankfully, you’re a Natural Explorer up there, so it’s pretty hard for your traveling group to get lost or slowed down. you can also track creatures a lot better!

2. Ranger 2: second level rangers get a Fighting Style, and the Dueling style will even out the damage differences between two-handing and one-handing your battleaxe. you really need to lean over your dragon if you want to hit anything, so a free hand to grab onto something helps out a ton.

you also learn some Spells this level- Hunter’s Mark lets you deal extra damage with every attack against a target for up to an hour, and you can swap it to another as a bonus action if the first gets ko’d. it also gives you another bonus to tracking the target down! it’s hard to get species-specific bonuses in D&D, but if you only use this spell against dragons it’s kind of the same thing, right?

also, you get Jump, to jump. getting onto the back of a dragon after every time you attack is rough without something to boost you up.

3. Ranger 3: at third level you gain a Primal Awareness of the world around you, giving you some extra spells as you level up. I’ve said it before that I’m pretty sure your dragon isn’t a beast, but it’s better safe than sorry, so you get Speak with Animals for free. you can also cast Longstrider now to dash as a bonus action. when your main way to attack is hitting things with a big piece of metal, some extra movement can be very helpful.

you also become a Drakewarden this level, which gives you a Draconic Gift- it’s Thaumaturgy and a language. thankfully, you also get a much cooler draconic gift- your Drake Companion. you can summon a small dragon as an action whose appearance and breath type you decide on. it moves after your turn, but it can’t do anything but dodge unless you spend your bonus action commanding it. you can summon your drake once a day for free, or re-summon it by spending a spell slot. since you can decide on your drake’s appearance and breath weapon separately, you aren’t shackled to ice-type attacks this entire run, thank goodness. tbh I don’t think we ever see Nikitich’s ride use its breath attack. it could be anything! it could even be ice! though we don’t get any breath attacks until level 11- right now, this just gives it a damage immunity, and it can use its reaction to add its element to a nearby creature’s regular weapon for one attack, dealing an extra d6 of damage.

4. Ranger 4: use your first Ability Score Improvement to bump up your Charisma to multiclassing levels. I wish we could keep this lower to match her… her, but we’ll make do.

5. Ranger 5: fifth level rangers get an Extra Attack each action, as well as second level spells! you get Beast Sense for free, but we’re more here for Magic Weapon. it’s not quite the glowy blue axe you get at third ascension yet, but this should help cut through dragons a bit easier.

6. Fighter 1: bouncing over to fighter gets you another Fighting Style, like Great Weapon Fighting. now if you hold your axe with both hands, you can re-roll 1s and 2s on your damage dice. with your dragon, giant strikes, and hunter’s marks, you can add a lot of dice to your axe.

you also get a Second Wind once per short rest, healing up as a bonus action. in most builds this is basically free healing, but even with the draconic wrinkle it’s still a nice addition.

7. Fighter 2: second level fighters can Action Surge once a short rest, adding an extra action to your turn

 this doesn’t give you more bonus actions, but it’ll be super useful later.

8. Fighter 3: third level fighters get their subclass, and as a Champion you get an Improved Critical, allowing you to crit twice as often. again, you can add a lot of dice to specific attacks, so adding them all to a crit just makes it even sweeter.

9. Ranger 6: now that we’re a couple levels in, let’s start talking about how we’ll take down Koyanskaya. if we’re going into Tunguska, we need to get prepared- that’s why this level you get another Favored Enemy in beasts and another Natural Explorer biome- forests. that should help with most of what you’ll be facing in there. probably.

10. Ranger 7: at seventh level you forge a Bond of Fang and Scale with your dragon, granting it a flying speed, and letting it grow large enough to ride on- though you can’t do both at once. it also starts adding elemental damage to its own attacks, and giving you resistance to the chosen damage type.

also, you can cast Lesser Restoration now. it’s not quite debuff immunity, but curing a debuff right after you get it is pretty close, right?

11. Ranger 8: for our next ASI, pick up the Fury of the Frost Giant feat for +1 Constitution, permanent resistance to cold damage, and when you get hit by an attack you can blast them back with ice, forcing them to make a constitution save to avoid cold damage and being frozen in place. you can do this proficiency times a day.

your Land’s Stride exists now too, so you can pass through any nonmagical terrain without worrying about being slowed down or hurt by plants.

12. Sorcerer 1: it’s been long enough, let’s ascend. as a Draconic sorcerer you get Draconic Resilience, giving you an extra 1 HP per sorcerer level (so. 1 for the build) and a permanent mage armor effect as long as you’re not wearing real armor, making your AC 13 + your dexterity modifier. it’s not super strong with your dexterity, but if you’re going to stand in front of 999 turrets this should help some miss.

you also learn some charisma-based spells! light and message are just kind of here because… why not. a lot of stuff in FGO glows for no reason, and if you’re on the Chaldea team they’re going to give you a communicator at some point. Blade Ward is another layer to your armor, giving you resistance to physical damage, and Sword Burst is spinning around in a circle. it’s a neat trick!

you also get a breath weapon a little early by casting Burning Hands. as a level one spell it’s pretty weak, but it can always be upcast.

13. Ranger 9: ninth level rangers don’t get a lot, but third level spells are nice! now you can Speak with Plants (boring) or turn that axe into an Elemental Weapon! this gives your weapon a +1 to hit, and deals 1d4 damage of an elemental type on hit. it’s not as good as hunter’s mark, but it does work on any weapon, not just your own attacks. also, flaming axes are cool.

14. Ranger 10: tenth level rangers get a third Natural Explorer biome like, for example, Mountains. sadly, “blasted hellcape” and “corporate office” aren’t biomes you can pick from- partially because they’re synonyms. that being said, if you’re stuck in the death zone you can use Nature’s Veil to hide yourself as a bonus action, becoming invisible for a round up to proficiency times a day.

15. Ranger 11: eleventh level rangers get their guts thanks to casting revivify, and your Drake’s Breath finally kicks in- as an action, you or your drake can breathe elemental damage in a cone, forcing everyone inside to take elemental damage if they fail their dexterity save. you can use this once a day for free, and you can gain extra uses by spending spell slots.

16. Ranger 12: now that we have multiclassing and feat stuff done, we can finally get a handle on your Strength for more accurate and damaging attacks.

17. Ranger 13: thirteenth level rangers get fourth level spells, letting you get in touch with your wild side and become a Guardian of Nature. there’s two ways to use this spell, but we’re here entirely for the first, turning you into a cat monster… turning you into more of a cat monster, increasing your walking speed and darkvision distance, and giving advantage and bonus damage to strength-based attacks.

18. Ranger 14: fourteenth level rangers get one last Favored Enemy, so let’s track down Koyanskaya and end that Aberration once and for all! (she is an aberration, right?)

if things go south you can Vanish as a bonus action, which despite coming later that NV, only lets you hide rather than actually vanish. you also can’t be tracked without magic, but you’re level 18, your enemies have magic by now.

19. Ranger 15: fifteenth level drakewardens have stronger breath attacks as well as a Perfected Bond, adding more elemental damage to your dragons attacks, and making them large enough to ride on while flying. on top of that, you can now spend your reaction to give yourself or your drake resistance to an attack proficiency times a day. it says “or”, but you can always be a rules lawyer and say it’s an inclusive or! I won’t tell!

you can also cast greater restoration this level, reducing the effects of exhaustion or removing one effect that is charming, petrifying, cursing, or reducing a stat or HP total of yourself or a party member. again, it’s not debuff immunity, but it’s the closest you can get in D&D.

20. Ranger 16: use your last ASI for more Strength. it’s not complicated, but neither is Nikitich.

Pros & Cons:

Pros:

I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I’m giving riding a dragon its own spot on the pros list. why? because riding dragons is cool, and you’re playing an RPG to feel cool.

as far as actual gameplay goes, you are fantastic at dishing out Burst Damage. whether that’s piling all sorts of damage modifiers onto a lucky crit, or action surging to blast a crowd with two breath attacks at once, you can fire off a lot of damage in a short amount of time. (also, while it’s technically not Rules As Written, you should be able to easily argue that freezing them in place with frost giant stuff would at least give them disadvantage, if not a force failure, on dex saves, forcing them to take the full brunt of 20d6 damage if you time it right)

as a ranger, you have a surprising amount of Utility for a mostly martial fighter, greatly improving your party’s time while traveling and providing emergency debuff removal and revivals. you’re no healer, but sometimes staying alive is a victory all its own.

Cons:

your multiclassing requirements alone use three ability scores, and that’s before we factor in the two other stats we need for the build to play well. all this means we never really get a chance to get the abilities we want high, which leads to…

weak spells that are easily avoided by enemies. your casting modifier for both kinds of spells is only a +1, so they’ll be whiffing a lot before you reach level 10.

we don’t even get started working on your strength, your main attacking stat, until level 16. even if we skip over the giant thing for later, that’s still not until level 11. you’re not very accurate for a majority of the build, let’s leave it at that.

#fgo #fate grand order #D&D 5e #DND #Dobrynya Nikitich #Ranger #Sorcerer #Fighter

[tgrailwar-zero]

The winning choice was RIDER.

The cards fanned out, leaving only that one behind. You see a potential future with five Servants... it's up to you to choose the one that will accompany you on your journey, should you choose an Standard-Class Servant. If you choose instead to pursue a Extra-class Servant as your ally, this Servant may very well become your enemy...

Those Servants are, as follows:

Medusa

A Servant standing on the line between 'Divine Spirit' and 'Demonic Beast'. Despite her poor luck, her incredible speed and strength put most other Heroic Spirits to shame, as well as her incredibly dangerous Noble Phantasms. As an Anti-Hero, she may be prone to act in her own interests at times, however.

Strength: B

Endurance: D

Agility: A

Mana: B

Luck: E

NP: A+

Starting Health: 5

Starting Mana: 9

Constantine XI

A proud emperor and kind soul. While his Servant statistics may be considered middling in a general sense, he himself serves as a defensive powerhouse, being able to take large amounts of damage- and further strengthen himself and others. The definition of a 'team player' and 'tank', his values and valor shine brightly.

Strength: C

Endurance: A

Agility: C

Mana: D

Luck: C

NP: EX

Starting Health: 11

Starting Mana: 5

[ SERVANT DATA ERROR ]

SERVANT CANNOT BE PROPERLY SUMMONED. PLEASE PICK FROM ONE OF THE OTHER OPTIONS.

Saint Georgios

A saint known for slaying dragons. Everything about his being as a Servant calls out to incredible defense and longevity on the battlefield, turning most battles against him into battles of attrition. However, with an impressive magical mount and blade, he combines the best attributes of both a saint and a knight.

Strength: D

Endurance: A+

Agility: C++

Mana: D

Luck: A+

NP: C

Starting Health: 12

Starting Mana: 5

Dobrynya Nikitich

An epic hero known throughout Russia, who bravely slew the dragon Zmei Gorynych. However… there seems to be a bit of an oddity within Dobrynya's Saint Graph, causing her to manifest as a brave warrior woman that more closely resembles Nastasia Mikulishna, Nikitich's wife, rather than the bogatyr Dobrynya Nikitich as recorded in legend…

Strength: A+

Endurance: C

Agility: B

Mana: C

Luck: A+

NP: B

Starting Health: 7

Starting Mana: 7

#summoning poll #thgw story

[joiedecombat]

hmmm raine 14!

14: here's a favorite Red Mage look!

This is in fact mostly Raine's original Red Mage glam, give or take a few pieces. I hated how pretty much all of the RDM artifact armor looks on female characters, and in general Caster gear doesn't suit the class's style at all, so very early on I dropped threebux on a seasonal top and it's remained a mainstay of Raine's Red Mage wardrobe ever since.

Vampire vest, high house breeches, platinum circlet of casting, Ishgardian Historian's gloves, Bogatyr's thighboots of casting. Weapon and jewelry aren't part of the glamour plate, but the current look uses the Wild Rose rapier, Palm ear cuffs of casting, and augmented Crystarium choker of casting.

#ffxiv #oc: raine d'arcy #red mage #ask meme #thank you for the ask!

[casualazurlane]

SN PAMIAT MERKURIA [X]

Artist:  ビョルチ⋆

#azur lane #azurlane #yostar #northern parliament #northern union #sn #my post #my edit #artist ビョルチ⋆ #event ship #northern overture #elite #light cruiser #class bogatyr #sn pamiat merkuria #pamiat merkuria

[fiercestpurpose]

every single arthurian legend is colored with the knowledge that the end is nigh and camelot will fall. even if it’s not what the story’s about, i think the audience always knows it (the way the audience always knows that anakin skywalker will turn - it’s inevitably part of the thought process whether the work itself invokes it or not, and plenty of works do invoke it). and i was talking recently with someone who mentioned that one of the recurring themes of the odyssey is that odysseus is, in many ways, the last. he is the last to do several things before the boundaries between the mortal and the heroic worlds are strengthened. i think it’s fascinating that myth is so frequently about a before time, a time that was if not better, then closer to something that now seems unattainable

#m.txt #for those of you in the ffty game - the way alie's russian myth encyclopedia talks about bogatyri seems in line with this #(as opposed to the bogatyr class in the game) #myth #myth: a #myth: c

[omgellendean]

#also in some versions of the story#she reveals herself to stavr through the set of erotic metaphors - she what now

Ehehehe, it's Russian folklore hour, babe!

So, this ask is about Vasilisa Mikulishna, the main heroine of the bylina and folktale by the same name. Her story was super popular and well-known; modern philologists counted at least 50 variations of it in different regions. Remember this info, it will become relevant later.

For those of you who haven't yet figured the plot out from my spam, here's the (not really) short summary: at the feast of Prince (Knyaz) Vladimir the Red Sun (popular epic character, not to be confused with real princes of the same name), young merchant Stavr Godinovich unwisely boasts his riches and his beloved wife Vasilisa Mikulishna. Stavr claims that she's the most beautiful woman in Rus and is so wise and clever, she can outsmart the prince himself and his boyars as well. In some versions, he's just drunk and arrogant; in others, Vladimir provokes him by mocking his humble origins, and Stavr pays him the same coin.

Aside from insulting Vladimir, his wife, and his boyars all at once, this boast subtly puts in question class dynamics of the society: even though Vasilisa, her father and her sister are all bogatyrs, they are also peasants. In Soviet animation, Vladimir's wife and niece outright call her a peasant wench (мужичка). Which means what Stavr actually says is that he, a merchant, and his commoner wife are all-around cooler and richer than Russian nobility and even prince himself.

Anyway, Vladimir can't let it slide, so he puts Stavr in the dungeon and, in some versions, sends his people to take over Stavr's property and bring Vasilisa to him as a prisoner. Luckily, Vasilisa quickly learns what happened, cuts off her beautiful hair, disguises herself as a man and comes to the prince first. Pretending to be a Lithuanian/Polish/Italian or Tatar (the most popular version) envoy, often named Vasily, she either demands Vladimir pay her a giant money debt, give his daughter/niece's hand in marriage or both. Interesting little detail: the moment Vasilisa puts on male clothes, the narrative only talks about her as a man, using male pronouns and gender inflections.

Vladimir's wife or niece notices that Vasily is actually a woman and makes the prince put him through various tests: archery, horse riding, wrestling, playing chess, going to the bathhouse with other guys etc. The type of the tests depends on the region. Vasily passes the tests either by being a great warrior or through tricking the prince and finally has his demands fulfilled; they have another feast to celebrate this. Pretending to be sad and bored, Vasily asks for Stavr, who's a talanted guslar, to be freed and brings him outside of the city to his camp. There Vasily reveals himself as Vasilisa to her husband, they return to Vladimir and explain everything. Shamed, Vladimir admits his defeat, rewards the spouses and sends them home with gifts. The end.

Now to your actual question, anon! Remember how I said there are MANY versions of the story? Well, some of them are hornier than others.

In most variations, when Vasily takes Stavr outside, he mentions them being dear friends and asks if Stavr recognises him (he never does). In some northern variants, however, Vasily describes their exploits together:

"Помнишь, Ставер, памятуешь ли,/ Как мы мален��ки на улицу похаживали, /Мы с тобой сваечкой поигрывали: /Твоя-та была сваечка серебряная,/ А мое было колечко позолоченное? /Я-то попадывал тогды-сегды,/ А ты-то попадывал всегды-всегды?"/ "Ты помнишь ли, Ставер, да памятуешь ли, /Мы ведь с тобой в грамоты училися: /Моя была чернильница серебряная,/ А твое было перо позолочено? /А я-то помакивал тогды-сегды, /А ты-то помакивал всегды-всегды?"

He says that when they played together, Vasily had the gilded ring and Stavr had the silver pile, and while Vasily couldn't always get the pile into the ring, Stavr hit his mark every time. And when they were having writing lessons, Vasily had the silver inkpot, while Stavr had the gilded pen and, again, always put his pen right into the inkpot.

When Stavr still has no clue, most versions have Vasily change into women's clothes, becoming Vasilisa again. But there's at least one variation, in which she goes further:

Тут грозен посол Васильюшка Вздымал свои платья по самый пуп, И вот молодой Ставер, сын Годинович Признавал кольцо позолоченное.

The fearsome envoy Vasily (still referenced in male gender only) pulls up his clothes, and this is when Stavr Godinovich sees and immediately recognises the gilded ring in question.

And there you have it! This bylina has everything: class struggle, feminist themes, crossdressing, gender politics, sex and violence all at once. Nobody does it like Vasilisa Mikulishna.

#anonymous #answered #folklore #vasilisa mikulishna #language #tropes #long post #fave

[vampyrasgone]

MORE ON L'ÉCOLE DU DRAGON / SCHOLOMANCE !

the school of the dragon - better known in modern day as scholomance, was the place i talked about lurking beneath the city of sibiu.   it’s an academy of magick that only accepts ten students at a time at intervals of 100 years, turns their students into the undead and teaches them the secrets of solomon’s powerful magic, particularly with a focus on weather manipulation, folklore and the ars goetia.    

before i go on, it is very important that you recognize that the way the devil is portrayed in romanian creation stories in their orthodoxy is very different to the western portrayal of satan; he is far more a a mischievious trickster, and less ‘pure evil’ as most western orthodoxy would portray. so it is entirely wrong to look at this school, and at the solomonarie (who originally had nothing to do with the devil, til catholicism came into play-- they focused on solomon) through a western lens.

as i have said before, dracula was the tenth scholar; the most promising of the warlocks who would go out into the world and begin to document the historic decisions and behaviors of mankind.   he became the most powerful of the ten in his class, thanks to his eidetic memory, and spellcasting came easy to him since witchcraft and ritual had been taught by the women in his family for generations.  this meant however that he would not be free to go.  instead, he would become the devil’s ‘’servant’’, but what this meant was not at all what more recent accounts would have you believe.

rather, dracula would become a rider of a bacaul- a type of gold-scaled dragon with many heads that was so massive it had to reside in the waters of a very deep lake in the mountains when it slept.   the rider would ride the stormcaller dragon high up into the clouds and conjure great lightning storms wherever he pleased, either bringing rain to the people or spreading drought across the land. he would be armed with a stave and a great book of knowledge, and would wear very fine robes despite his pledge to poverty for as long as he remained in servitude.  interestingly, it seemed that God also approved of this method of bringing rain to areas that most needed it, for he would prevent the dragon from falling to the earth and causing destruction by making sure that while it was flying, it would never get tired.

in my canon, as balauri are numerous within the carpathian mountains in folklore, the 10 students (as they are ALL called solomonarie and allowed to create pacts with the local people to control the weather) each had to capture their own dragon and forge a bond with it. but these smaller stormdragons were but children of the largest one, which lay at the bottom of the mountainous lake near sibiu and eventually became dracula’s magnificently terrifying mount.

YES.  THE SCHOLOMANCE ACADEMY AND HIS DRAGON ARE STILL PART OF MY CANON!  and further cements the original meaning of his name: son of the dragon.

i personally believe this myth also corresponds with the story of the Zduhać, and so i will be focusing in on those and their dragons, the hali, which are also known to be weather demons for further research and inspection.

this,  the story of zmei bogatyr,  and THE FLYER is going to play a huge role toward inspiration in my upcoming fantasy verse, so i’m glad to have a place to write this sort of thing down.

#headcanon tbt

[xn--ko8h]

darkest dungeon still very good

some nice class adding mods I like:

Seraph (kinda like Leper, but makes use of marks)

Butcher Bird (mobile melee grandma)

Snake Charmer (mobility and blight reposte)

Bogatyr (santa)

Exorcist (crusader with a moustache)

Lamia (like Abomination but does friendly buffs)

Falconer (Arbalest, also bird)

Wraith (similar to Bounty Hunter)

Itinerant Cook (dedicated healer)

None of these require Color of Madness but some might require Crimson Court

#playing video game because i got too worked up over stupid shit to sleep

[screaming-skvll]

“Only cloak I ever needed is the one my Ghost made me when it rezzed me.”

“Isn’t that more of a scarf?”

“Aren’t you more of a paracausal theoretician than a fashion critic? And a Warlock?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Everyone knows Warlocks’ sense of style is... limited.”

“Have you, like, never heard of Sharona-8?”

“An exception. Just because the greatest fashionista of the City happens to be a Warlock... Besides, I still think she got sorted into the wrong class.”

(Neuroghast 1.0,  KD Bogatyr 2.0, KD Bogatyr 2.0, Makeshift Scarf, Superblack)

(Request: @goatmattersinc)

#twosday extra #a new challenger approaches #sharona-8 #greatest fashionista of the last city #makeshift scarf #microfiction #destiny game #destiny 1 #cloak

[lakecoded]

the bear and the nightingale is an excellent book both for the plot and but also for the shit i recognized from the russian class i dropped halfway through the semester

#the book: bogatyr #me: bitch!!!!! bogatyr!!!!! #and like!! it deals with the dual faith in russian culture and the tatar rule and it reads like a fairy tale and im !!!! #lowkey wish i had stayed in that russian class but at the same time it was too much for me to deal with so #isabel.txt #good book all around!! has some not comfy dynamics that are fairly normal in fairy tales but also has great family relationships!!

[manfrommars2049]

Bogatyr Class Armor by Ilya Bodaykin via ImaginaryArmor

#ImaginaryArmor #Lol33ta

[vigilante-rpg]

「 BIOGRAPHY 」

On March 28, 1990, everyone in Newhaven knew about the first son of Gryphon and Bogatyr, heroes of The Guild. The journey of Gryphon’s pregnancy was followed by the public since she first left the front lines to preserve her health and that of the baby. His name was never released, of course, lest the heroes, his parents, would be revealed.

They called him Fledgling, born with the beak of an an eagle and destined to follow in the footsteps of his father and mother.

Behind the mask, the Halls were a loving, if somewhat overinvested nuclear family. Vladimir Hall, cheerful father and knightlike superhero, lived as an interpreter of numerous Slavic languages for immigrants such as himself. Chantelle Prevost-Hall had more of a challenge to balance out her heroics and her civilian life as a popular stunt actress, but she was more than up to the task for what she felt was the right thing to do. They adored Garrett, and later their second son, Vincent, who inherited none of the family’s powers. But if Chantelle were to look back, she would see that her presence in the boys’ emotional conflicts was a place she fell short, and where she was needed more than ever. For Vlad, he was kind, he was affectionate, but the man simply could not empathize with his sons of a different generation and culture. Where they faltered to meet their children’s needs, they compensated in support of their education, social lives, and especially Garrett’s own unique abilities.

Along with his astonishing prowess throughout his years of education, Garrett was trained in his superhuman abilities — plural after his secondary power manifested at age 4 — so that he would flourish as a sidekick to the heroic power couple Gryphon and Bogatyr, and eventually ascend to become a hero of The Guild. Everybody knew this. People gossiped, journalists followed the masked child’s every move, and where they failed to catch anything of note, they could glean some off of the proud parents themselves. Nobody was more excited for Fledgling’s next development than them.

That is why Garrett never told them how he really felt. His fears, his anxieties and insecurities were clutched to his chest, and he never spoke a word of his peers and other adults who saw him as the loner, a shortcut to their own successes, or the perfect target to push into the dirt. When he came home with a soggy bookbag and a busted lip, he said he fell into a fountain. When given the silent treatment by his younger brother, powerless and painfully average in everything but heart, he said he had eaten the last of Vincent’s favorite snack. When someone spoke about Fledgling and his sparkling future, he smiled and kept his mouth shut, even though he screamed on the inside, “Does anyone care what I think?!”

The last flickering light of hope turned to smoke when he learned the answer. Almost 18 years old, freshly dubbed a hero in his own right, and he had nobody. Even his best friend, his favorite person, his first love, only looked up to the heroic side of the mask. Just like everyone else.

Fledgling was so lucky, wasn’t he? To be the child of heroes, to be anywhere close to Spectrum, to be a hero himself.

That’s not me.

The rest of that day was a blur. He went to his room, threw on a jacket, got in his first — and only — fight with his dad, and then he was gone. He doesn’t remember what he said that evening. Only the rage, the guilt, the fear, but not enough to pretend he could ever make his family proud. Fledging was declared to have stepped down a week later, when the Halls had to realize that Garrett wasn’t coming home.With no contact, no leads, no motivation for him to completely run away, it was as though Garrett simply dissolved into thin air.

The years following were just as foggy when Garrett tries to look back. He wandered the streets, learned what it’s like to fight for his life, hitchhiked out of the city, and worked the odd job here and there until a kind samaritan had pity and took him in. He got into college with a double major in law and accounting, then law school because you can take the boy away from heroics, but you can’t take the hero out of the boy. He became a lawyer in the city on the outskirts, and a good one at that. It wasn’t until the last year that he was found by his brother, now an officer who begged and bothered for his return.

He got through to Garrett. This was not the life he wanted to lead anymore. In the span of a day, he quit his job, said goodbye to the person who took him in those years back, and disappeared into the night. The second time he ran, this time to the very place he yearned to leave behind.

His abrupt resignation would not bode well if he applied to another law firm, and between the deskwork and the effort outside of the office, he would hardly have time to have a full night’s rest. It was Vincent’s suggestion to start small instead, so Garrett pulled out his second degree and took the first accounting job he could get, at a bakery just mere blocks from the apartment he rented out. It was the perfect foundation to slip into the evening sky for the first time in years, wings bared for all to see.

After everything he did, it all lead back to putting on those golden shackles.

「 PERSONALITY」

Intelligent: Even without the dual wielded powers inherited from his parents, Garrett grew up a prodigy of all kinds. From a young age he mastered languages from the English, Russian, and French he heard daily, to Spanish, sign language, and Mandarin. Kinesthetic intelligence developed in his training and play, both effectively honing his body for a future of constant movement. In school, he set academic records that have yet to be beaten. For much of his childhood, he was educated in classes above most children his age until his parents moved him back down, rightfully fearing the neglect of his emotional needs. With the focus on his own growth, Garrett came to brush off those who seemed lesser than him, whether he meant to or not. Sometimes he did. Without establishing connections with the rest of the essentials for life, Vlad and Chantelle worried for his future. However, Garrett refused to ease his burdens, continuing to cultivate his mind and the skills he proved good at. After all, it’s what all the people wanted from him, right?

Blunt: One of the few things Garrett struggled with has always been social interaction. He can and has come off to others as rude and irritable, not just because he is, but also because he lacks the understanding of sensing others’ emotions and following that to a proper response. As a result, he simply says and does what is on his mind. [Emotional] While he would argue his brain to be his greatest strength, Garrett is almost entirely emotionally driven, and rather impulsive at that. He is the type of person to act first and apologize later than to ask for permission or another’s point of view. As much as he pretends to be an impervious wall to those around him, Garrett is prone to wear sad eyes and scrunch his face to avoid a fit of helpless snickers. Plus, there’s the avoidance of sad films; he has made many people uncomfortable with gross tears. He has also grown acutely aware of his personal traits and needs, as well as the ways his actions affect the lives of others. This may be the biggest cause for his return to Newhaven.

Observational: This trait is somewhat tied to those addressed before. Garrett is smart; he sees things and does everything he can to understand the who, where, when, why, how, and what to do next. It is much easier for him to go through this experience with the theoretical, scientific, mathematical, and rhetorical than it with the human mind. Humans are not so predictable, and Point A does not always lead to Point B with them.

A Grade A Asshole: That’s it. This is him. We’re done here. In slightly more seriousness, he can really be a jerk. This is important when connected to his impulsivity and inability to understand people. Garrett has made a number of mistakes that hurt other individuals in his own self-destructive spiral. When he says and does what he believes needs to be done, his methods can be… questionable at best. 

Troubled: Both Garrett and Legacy behave complete differently for the same reason: he doesn’t know how to amend the person he is with the person he wants or needs to be, as well as what is expected from him. His entire sense of self has been fractured, and it shows. Garrett attempts to push himself almost completely from the kind of person most would accept, much less want to be around. Legacy is quite the opposite, the golden boy he was fated to be since the very beginning. But neither of them are the real him. He doesn’t know how to get that back.

「 ABILITIES 」

Gryphon Physiology: From his mother, Legacy possesses a genetic structure that can shift from fully human to a more animalistic form. This ability is not powered by emotions or the person’s control, but is merely another body for him to inhabit. However, the more he changes at once, the more painful the process becomes. He has to physically make alterations to his muscles, bones, and every part of his body, which is hardly a natural effort. The most he can accomplish without causing significant injury to himself is manifest his wings, talons, claws, and bird-like eyes. Garrett has only tried to fully transform once as a teenager, but he failed impressively and never made an attempt since.

His strength and other physical attributes rely on his own fitness, except for the strength of his wings, massive and powerful to carry the weight of a grown man and then some, thus entirely capable of blunt damage should he risk injury to one of his most sensitive body parts. Another consequence is that his clothes get torn from the transformation if they are not specifically altered for this ability.

Gryphon and Bogatyr discovered his inheritance as soon as he was born; it was undeniable when they saw a beak in place of a wrinkled nose and mouth, and a head of pale, downy feathers. His parents made the decision while the medics tended to the newborn. They kept his identity a top secret from the disappointed city, known only to the doctors and the closest members of The Guild as they trained him parallel to his growing up.

Armor/Weapon Manifestation: “He is his father’s son,” said Gryphon, hiding a smile behind her hand as Bogatyr slammed the door open with 4-year-old Garrett swinging a knife behind him.

“Mama! Look what I made!”

Bogatyr is able to create a full suit of armor around his body as well as an impressive range of weaponry as long as they are predominantly composed of metal. Legacy, on the other hand, can only make himself a sophisticated short sword, shield, and the very basics of armor: visor, breastplate, shoulder guards, and simple coverings for his arms and legs. This ability also lasts for no more than a couple hours without causing significant strain (one and a half hours while part-gryphon), and can only bear up to the force of twice its mass without visible damage, likely due to a weaker version of the mutated gene. But the flexibility works well when he shifts forms with Gryphon’s power. For both men, the properties of their manifestations has no match to any known type of metal, but most closely resembles heat treated L6 Bainite. Between them and those who worked on research with them, they suspect the armor may be connected to iron and other materials from their bodies. For obvious health-related reasons, though, there have been no tests on either Bogatyr or Legacy.

#garrett hall #taken #male #taken character #bio

[russianfolklore]

‘Tsarevna Sophia’ by Ilya Repin.

Tsarevna Sophia ruled as regent of Russia from 1682 to 1689. She allied herself with a singularly capable courtier and politician, Prince Vasily Golitsyn, to install herself during the minority of her brother Ivan V and half-brother Peter I. She carried out her regency with a firm and heavy hand, not hesitating to use violent tactics to promote her agenda. The activity of this "bogatyr-tsarevna" (as Sergey Solovyov called her) was all the more extraordinary, as upper-class Muscovite women, confined to the upper-floor terem and veiled and guarded in public, invariably were kept aloof from any open involvement in politics.

#ilya repin #илья репин #tsarevna sophia #russian art #царевна софия #tsardom of russia #russian #russian history #history of Russia

[mercy-thompson-fanfiction]

Previews Galore

Not really a preview in the traditional sense because it’s already been posted.  Part 2 of my little fan fiction on AO3 has been started.  There were only supposed to be 2 parts to begin with but now there’s a third because this story wiggled its way in between parts 1 and 2. So here’s the first chap for “Whispered Promise” as it appears on the archive.  Love getting the comments and such.

Full Story (or as much is actually posted) here

“Who else is there?”  Dad asked skeptically.  I covered the receiver and glanced at the only other person in the apartment with me desperately.  He stopped moving.  

“No one, dad.”  I responded, trying to sound casual.

He sighed and chose to ignore it.

“I’m not paying for an apartment for you to mess around.”  He reminded sternly.  The man with me had since relocated to the kitchen but threw me a grin.  “How was class today?”

“It was incredible, dad.”  And it had been.  We had dissected pigs in lab today and I had been anxious going into it.  Something about my family, we tend to only face blood when we’re hurt or when we’ve hurt the thing bleeding.  “The professor really likes me and he suggested I try and apply for a summer study with him.”

“That’s great to hear.”  He sounded relieved.  I knew that he had been anxious leading up to today as well.  “So you think you’re starting to adjust a little better now? …Porsche?  I told you, if you need us to come get you, we can.  It’s not a problem.”


“I…I have to go.”  The man beside me looked at me confused.  

“Porsche…” Dad trailed off.  “You need to talk to someone if you’re not feeling well about this.  Your mother would probably like to hear from you?  Maybe Sam, he’s in a closer field of study.  Maybe he could help—“

“Dad it’s not about my studies.”  I groaned.

“Your grandfather has tried calling you and says you ignore his calls.”  He continued.  “Maybe answer him?  He can help you.”

“Dad, I don’t even know what’s wrong.  I’m sure I’ll be fine.”  I shivered and nodded towards the window.  It was quickly shut.  “It’s just a big adjustment, New York City and college.”

“How is the pack?”

“They’re fine.  Oleksiy is very sweet, helpful.  He’s taken Bran’s words to heart.”

“Everyone does.”  Oleksiy was an old wolf, Ukrainian and probably from the Byzantine era.  He never divulged just how old he was.  The only reason I doubted my assessment was because Bran had implied he was younger than I’d assumed.   “No one is bothering you?  You’re eating?”

“I’ve still felt nauseous.”  I admitted.  “I’ve been eating though.”  Truth be told, whatever was cooking in the kitchen was making me feel like throwing up.  

“You’re too young to behave like this.”  I knew he was worried, it didn’t even need to show in his voice.  Wolves needed to eat, a lot.  We metabolize much faster than the average person.  Mix that with the general idea that we’re predators and not eating could mean someone goes missing somewhere.

Self control is especially tough in a city like New York.

“Tell mom and Bran that I’m fine.”  I sat down on the couch and laid my head back.  “I don’t need a visit.  I’m just trying to make myself at home here.”

“It’s already the end of September.”  Dad said cautiously.  “Maybe you need to transfer?”

“I’m really ok.”  I promised.  “I’ll call you if I need something, ok?”

“I love you.”  My dad said his goodbye.

“I love you, too.”  And I hung up.  I stretched up and again laid my head back, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.  The only visitor I had made his way over to me slowly, a little too quietly.

“Ready for dinner?”  It was Bohdan’s voice from behind me.

“Mmmm,”  I yawned.  

“Maybe for bed?”  He chuckled.  I opened my eyes to be met with green ones.  “I won’t stay tonight.  I know you have to wake up early for class.”

“Thanks.”  I closed my eyes again and felt lips press against my forehead.  Bo was second in the East Hudson pack based out of Ukrainian Village.  He was a little older than my father in that Slava was in WWII, I think.  He wasn’t old, then, but he wasn’t young either and he was more than aware that what we were doing was a little too dangerous.

It was probably my fault, I’d not stopped it.

“What’s wrong, Vasilisochka?”  He hadn’t moved from the spot behind the couch.  

“I have a headache.”  I sighed,  “And I still feel very nauseated.”

He made a discontent noise.  I knew my answer had been upsetting him over the past few days.  

“Have you talked to a doctor?”

“Everyone is so quick to say I’m not ok.”  I groaned and looked up to watch him walk into the kitchen and grab plates.  Charles had helped find me a nice apartment, I found out that there had been some arguments about where I was going to live before I came here.  Bran and my father had disputed who would pay for my housing, Bran’s argument being that he could just buy me the whole building and then I can make money for the rest of my life off of it.  My father’s argument had been that, while that was very nice of him, I was still his daughter and I really only needed an apartment. 
Charles had played the double agent, hunting for an apartment for both of them.  He stealthily—I really think this was Anna and my mother’s doing—used both of their money to buy the whole building and the rest to furnish my apartment.  In the end, both had met halfway rather begrudgingly but the deed had already been done.

Bohdan just shrugged at my overly-aggressive response and stirred the pot.  The kitchen itself was a cliche, everything was white and it had a window to the fire escape where I’d placed a few potted flowers.  They were dying, but they were there.

His dirty-blonde hair looked much more red in the sunlight that was disappearing behind him when he turned his head to look at something.  

“Who’s Ben?”  My iPad was charging in the kitchen and the message must have reached it before reaching the phone beside me.

Bran had texted and he’d asked if I had spoken to the blonde-haired man back home.  The man that had actively sought to avoid me the majority of my senior year.  

“He’s a wolf from my father’s pack and a friend.”  I shrugged, trying not to come off in any way as being hurt by Bran’s message.  Bo’s eyes searched mine for a moment and I obediently looked away after a few seconds.  

The problem with werewolves was that you were dealing with two separate sets of instincts. Bohdan’s wolf was much less likely to be jealous, we weren’t mates and it was a complicated situation I was trying not to overthink.  Bohdan himself was more likely to be jealous.

I hadn’t seen how these relationships ended, but I knew they were often difficult and they would more often than not end.  My guess was they end badly.  

“Is there a reason you need to reach him?”  

“What’s for dinner?”  I got up, ignoring Bran’s text and pushing past him in the small kitchen.

I almost threw up, I couldn’t even think about eating.  Maybe I would have to call Sam, much to my distaste.  I hadn’t even responded to texts from his daughter and she would be hurt to know I reached out to her dad.

“Porsche,”  I wanted to tell him to just go away, but he had cooked so I couldn’t complain.  “Porsche Vasilisa Hauptman.”  I froze.  “What is wrong?”

“Can we just eat?”  I whispered.  I tried not to jump at the feeling of his hand on my shoulder.  “And you know you don’t get to try that with me.”

“My apologies, I forget.”  I didn’t like when he tried that.  This pack was a little too eager to pull rank and quick to forget it wouldn’t work unless I let it.  It make me feel sticky when the magic ran over me.

I ignored him and sat at the table.  Besides dad, the only other person from home I had spoken to had been my half-sister, Jesse.  I had already known what I was doing was stupid and I obviously hadn’t changed the situation at all, but I needed to hear it from someone else.  She would keep a secret unless she absolutely couldn’t.

“Do you want chamomile?”  Bo reached for a mug.  I hadn’t even heard the teapot go, my senses were getting dull from restlessness.  “To settle your stomach?”

“Yes, please.”  I sighed, taking a seat at the tiny kitchen table.  I took the mug as it was slid to me and blew on it before taking a sip.  “You put sugar in this?”

“You need to keep up your blood sugar somehow.”  He reminded gently, taking the only other seat across from me.  “The full moon is soon, little Vasya.”

This pack often chose to call me by my middle name, which surprised me at first.  Much of the pack was of Ukrainian descent and my middle name was Russian.  Vasilisa Mikulichna was a bogatyr and a woman.  My understanding was that my mother had wanted to give me something of my father’s heritage since he chose Porsche.  Vasilisa came to the court of Prince Vladimir dressed as a man in order to save her husband.  The other option had been to name me after Princess Nastasya of Lithuania.  My mother’s first problem had been the “of Lithuania” but an afterthought was the fact she was killed by her own husband in some sort of accident.

My mother didn’t want to name me with a fate, she isn’t superstitious to my knowledge but someone seemed to have pushed her into that one.

“You didn’t need ‘little,’”  I mumbled, taking another sip.  He looked up at me from his cup and I knew he was smiling from his dimples.  “It’s already a diminutive, you didn’t need to double that.”

“You are little.”

“And Vasilisa was a warrior.”  I reminded with a raised eyebrow.

“And your father is fourth in the country, your grandfather is the Marrok, you call his sons by uncle.  You were raised to be a warrior.”  It was then I realized he had slipped a plate in front of me as he had sat down.  “But you don’t eat like one.”

“You speak like you are far older than you are.”  I rolled my eyes.  To appease him and everyone else, I picked up my fork and moved things around.  

He just laughed.

#Mercy Thompson series #mercy thompson fanfiction #ao3

[banishingtheshadows]

.

#the only two classes I haven't touched on FF are Pugilist and Lancer\ #and when I say that I actually have a level 15 Pugilist #from when you needed it to become a Bard #I have done nothing useful in FF for the past wto weeks #two* #all I do is log on and spam a dungeon for Bogatyr healing gear #I'm trying to get the full set #I have to get some of the accessories and the boots soooo #it's been a long and broing slog #boring* #but until then it gives me something to do #Badly Aimed Lasers #FFXIV Shenanigans #but right now I have to do cleaning #so I'm just gonna get off my computer #I need the break anyway

[magepie]

Hello everyone! As a russian person who enjoys playing Zarya, I was really excited to see how much love she gets from the Overwatch fandom! As I stumbled upon this amazing review on cultural references found on Volskaya map, I decided that Zarya herself deserves a similar analysis. I am going to speak about easter eggs, russian and soviet imagery that could have inspired her character, and a bit of cultural trivia, too. Even though some references are probably unintentional, I hope talented fan creators out there will find the insight helpful.

Codename

“Zarya” (Заря) is a reddish-pink glow in the sky before sunrise. Zarya’s trademark pink hair was clearly designed with this very hue in mind. Bright red zarya represents a new dawn and is a key element in soviet and revolutionary symbolics. In modern Russia “Zarya” remains the traditional callsign for mission control center among russian astronauts - as well as a common name for villages, summer camps, ships, newspapers, soccer teams, chocolates, and basically anything with roots in the soviet era.

Real name

Aleksandra is female version of Aleksander - a popular name of greek origin, derived from “Αλέξανδρος”, “protector of men”. This name used to be well-loved among russian nobility for centuries (there were three emperors named Aleksander). It was also worn by one of our most badass medieval rulers and warlords - Aleksander Nevsky. His defeat of swedish crusaders on river Neva (how he got his “Nevsky” nickname) and then german armored knights in the epic Battle on Ice (which was a literal battle on the surface of frozen lake), when he was 21 years old and only had foot soldiers against heavy cavalry, made him revered as a symbol of martial prowess up to the present day. He was canonized and is regarded as a patron saint of St. Petersburg. It is a very interesting reference because, according to the official Overwatch artbook, Volskaya Industries, which Zarya wants to protect at any cost, is located somewhere near St. Petersburg. Further still, Zarya seems to have beef with swedish Torbjorn Lindholm and a friendly rivalry with a certain german knight... to make the obvious parallels with Aleksander Nevsky complete. A special note for fanfiction writers: modern short forms for Aleksandra are “Sasha” or “Shura”. The latter is more common in the countryside, so “Shura” was probably what Zarya was called as a child, growing up in a siberian village.

Origins

Zarya comes from the Krasnoyarsk Krai (region), located right in the middle of Siberia. Winters are very cold there (-30 C/-22 F at average) but summers are pretty much okay (+20 C/+68 F). Krasnoyarsk Krai is enormous and sparsely populated, except for a few cities, and heavily industrialized. Supposedly, 50 years in the future an omnium would fit there nicely. In order to start her athletic career Zarya would have to go to the region’s capital Krasnoyarsk to train and participate in local competitions. It is a relatively large industrial city, located right on the great river Yenisei - the 5th longest river on Earth. Russian writer Anton Chekhov called Krasnoyarsk “the most beautiful city in Siberia”. It is indeed an important cultural center and a city of great historical value.

Voicelines

Apart from paying homage to popular western stereotypes (like quoting Ivan Drago and Boris Badenov), Zarya’s dialogue contains references to authentic russian and soviet culture - more so in the russian dub. 

 - “Fizkult privet!” (roughly translated as “hello, fellow athletes”) - a slogan for healthy lifestyle and physical exercise (“fizkultura”) in USSR. 

- In Volskaya spawn room Zarya says: “Perhaps a man has a hundred senses, and when he dies only the five known to us are destroyed and the remaining ninety-five are left alive”. She quotes “Cherry Orchard” (Вишневый сад), a classical play by Anton Chekhov (the library on Volskaya bears Chekhov’s name). 

- Since Winter Wonderland event Zarya will sometimes say: "My great-grandfather said: "I have a desire to buy a house, but I have no opportunity. I have an opportunity to buy a goat, but I have no desire". So, let's drink to having correspondence of our wishes and opportunities!" It is a toast from soviet comedy film “Kavkazskaya plennitsa”, which is traditionally broadcasted on russian TV on New Year’s Eve. 

- When asked by Mei, how she manages to even pick up her gun, Zarya responds: “I lift as well as I lift because it cannot be avoided”. It is a quote by soviet champion weightlifter Vasily Alekseev. 

References that only exist in the russian dub: 

 - “We do not have our dawns (“zaryas”) quiet here!” is a reference to Oscar-nominated war drama “The Dawns Here Are Quiet“ (А зори здесь тихие) about an all-female russian war unit during WWII. 

- (Nano-boosted) “Who wants to have a taste of my bogatyr’s power?!” Bogatyrs (Богатыри) are legendary warriors. Svyatogor (the name for giant mechs produced by Volskaya) was a bogatyr, for example, and Zarya’s photo was featured on the cover of the in-universe sports magazine titled “Богатыри”. 

- “Give up smoking, go skiing” - another soviet pro-fitness slogan. 

- “The gun is only as good as the gunner” - a russian saying.

Appearance

Many russian players were underwhelmed by Zarya’s visual design and criticized her for being a “poor representation of beautiful russian women”. However, it seems that this outrage was mostly caused by her pink hair, which was considered tasteless. Some fans humorously admitted that Zarya fits well into a popular stereotype of a ridiculously strong russian peasant woman, formulated by poet Nikolay Nekrasov: “There are women in russian villages <...> That can stop a galloping horse and enter a burning house”. This image lived well into the soviet era, and was reinforced in propaganda: idealized figure of a female athlete or a physically fit woman of the working class was widely celebrated in soviet art, especially during and right after WWII, when women had to replace men in many professions. While modern standards of beauty in Russia aren’t much different from western ones, Zarya actually looks like a 1930s poster come alive. Her “cybergoth” and “industrial” skins are also unpopular, but I find them really well-fitting. You see, it didn’t take an Omnic Crisis for some parts of Siberia to give a certain… post-apocalyptic vibe today. Cybergoth culture in Russia clearly gets its inspiration from young people growing up amongst half-abandoned mining towns, shut-down military and scientific facilities, and other wreckage of once-great economy - something Zarya could definitely relate to.

Mentality

While Zarya’s character and bio are clearly based on history of russian sportsmanship, her vanity would likely be frowned upon in the soviet era. Media of that period and athletes themselves attributed their victories to the state rather than treated them as personal achievements. Modern russian athletes, however, are starting to abandon this mentality and are regarded more and more as actual celebrities. Zarya is fiercely patriotic, but I would not call it a “bad” brand of patriotism. She is not hostile or condescending towards heroes from other countries (even the americans), and her treatment of omnics is at least, well, understandable. It is refreshing to see a positively patriotic russian character, when in real life we are surrounded by all kinds of toxic propaganda, which sometimes borders on pure nationalism. Even her opinion on Overwatch is a nice touch: it mirrors how most russian people feel (ignorantly) about the Allies’ contribution to Germany’s defeat in WWII - still it is more about pride than xenophobia. Finally, Zarya’s larger than life and light-hearted attitude and small-town mannerisms are a nice break from overly serious or scheming russian characters. She is brave, lovable and funny - a perfect representation of my country.

#zarya #overwatch