14 - To Russia With Love
Title: To Russia With Love
Characters: Russia/America
Rating: PG.
Summary: 1918 - America writes Russia a letter from the front lines of the Great War. I'm not gonna call it a love letter, but he does get a little gay there towards the end.
TCE is co-written by wizzard890 and pyrrhiccomedy.
---
January 25, 1918. A letter arrives in Moscow.
Dear Russia,
How are you? I'm doing okay. The weather in France is pretty nice this time of year, but all the bullets make it kind of hard to relax. This continental war thing--I don't know, man, this stuff is confusing. Nobody wants to take orders from anybody else, and half the nations fighting just seem to be here 'cause their friends were fighting and they didn't want to feel left out. It's weird. This is why I stay out of alliances: stupid shit like this.
But I'm here now, so whatever.
Hey, I'm sorry we haven't had a chance to catch up really since your revolution, but I've been reading all about it in the papers! Good for you for getting rid of monarchy. I mean it. I never really felt like it was my place to say anything, before now, but you deserve so much better, you know? Not to just get pushed around by your boss all the time. There's nothing like government by the people and for the people! I'm pretty excited for you to get to find that out first hand. We're gonna have so much to talk about!
Your new leaders sound like smart guys--a little, uh, intense? But, I guess new governments are always pretty intense. I know France was impossible to talk to for a few years back when he overthrew the okay that was a bad example, those guys turned out to be dicks. But, yeah--your government will mellow out once they've been in power for a while, right?
Gotta go for now, troop inspection.
---
Hey, you remember back in 1903, when I came over to your place all excited 'cause I flew for the first time? God, that was so awesome. I mean, it only lasted for about a minute, but even then, I knew this whole 'plane' thing was gonna change the world. And I remember saying to you that maybe it would be the end of war, because planes would make warfare too expensive. And you gave me that "how do you even dress yourself in the morning, you're so clueless" look that you have, but I was like, "oh, you'll see."
…You were right. England's got an air force with twenty thousand planes in it already. (Of course England would be a prick about airplanes before anybody else. He's like, a prick pioneer.) I think people are going to be talking about 'air superiority' a lot from now on.
It's kinda depressing.
Flying is still so cool, though.
---
Oh my God, does France ever shut up about Alsace-Lorraine? Holy shit. It's like, the size of Connecticut. I'd just give him Connecticut if it meant he'd quit bitching.
---
I had such a nice talk with my boss today, I've gotta write some of this stuff down before I forget it.
I've never been all that impressed with the guy, I've talked to you about that, right? The only good thing he really did during his first term was keep me out of the war. That's why he got reelected, even. People were like "no war, excellent." And then as soon as his second term started, he was all "Hey, I've got a great idea!" so I was like "thanks, asshole." But today he sat me down and explained why we were fighting (finally), and it was…sort of awesome.
...I'm actually having a hard time summing it up
Okay, basically what he said was that I've got to stop just thinking about how wars affect me personally. There's a lot of nations out there who are trying to be free, and cool, and democratic, but they can't fight for themselves that well. Like you, right now, I guess; you're trying to deal with your revolution, and getting out of the Great War, and Germany's shoved that bullshit peace treaty down your throat.
God, I remember hearing about that--I don't blame you for walking out on him. Actually, I think it's awesome how you walked out on him. Because, like, he's kicking your ass right now. (No offense, it's not like it's your fault, with everything you've got going on.) And then he comes along, all "Hey, so, I'm just gonna keep every foot of land I've occupied, and you can go fuck yourself if you don't like it. How's that for a peace treaty?" And I think a lot of nations would just go along with that because shit, man, bullets. But not you. Even if it means you continue getting your ass kicked.
--Okay I'm re-reading that and I'm not sure I actually managed to pay you a compliment, but I was trying to. Let me give it another shot. What I mean is, you never give up, ever. No matter what they put you through, or how nasty the odds might be. (Seriously, let's never fight. Our mutual stubbornness would be world-ending.) Because it means you can never lose, you know? Winning might hurt, and it might take a long time, but you just outlast them. It's like you don't even know how to give in, no matter how many times people try to teach you. And
Christ, what am I even talking about, you don't need me to tell you this. I'd cross it all out but my pen is low on ink. Just pretend I said "hang in there" or something, okay?
Anyway. My boss says I should fight for people like you, not because it helps me directly, but because it's the right thing to do. He says it's about freedom, and justice, not territory or resources--or at least it should be.
And I gotta say, I like the sound of that.
I should finish this up, my pen is almost dead.
When the war is over, do you think your new boss would be okay with it if I helped you restore peace at your house? I know he doesn't think much of me, but I'd like to lend a hand if you need one. Really, it'd be my pleasure.
Yours truly,
- AMERICA
PS - Just out of curiosity, what's gonna happen to the Romanovs?
+++
SO MANY FOOTNOTES. I don't know how such a short fic spawned so many footnotes.
--Initially, Russia's move away from tsarism was greeted with great enthusiasm by the United States. This rush of warm feeling cooled considerably, however, following the rise of the Bolsheviks, who refused to honor Tsarist Russia's considerable debts to the United States, and who the US Government did not consider truly representative. Plus, the whole "violent revolution is great" angle. It was sort of awkward.
--The first manned flights took place in North Carolina in 1903. At the time, there was speculation within the American scientific community that the heavier-than-air craft would make warfare unsustainable. On a related note, the British Royal Air Force was the first official air force in the world, and Great Britain was the first nation to make extensive use of airplanes in war.
--Alsace-Lorraine. I don't want to talk about it anymore than America does. Suffice to say that no, France never, ever shut up about it.
--"Hey, so, I'm just gonna keep every foot of land I've occupied, and you can go fuck yourself if you don't like it. How's that for a peace treaty?" This is a simplified but broadly accurate summation of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the humiliating and punitive peace which was negotiated between the Central Powers and the newly formed Soviet Russia.
--Many of the ideas America brings up in this are cribbed from Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points Speech, which served as a response to Vladimir Lenin's Decree on Peace; a statement of Allied wartime goals; and marked the beginning of a new direction in American foreign policy, away from isolationism and toward enlightened intervention (i.e., this is when America's hero complex gets off the ground, although it wouldn't become the dominant political philosophy until World War II).
I encourage anyone who's curious to just go read the speech, since it's short and not very dense, and full of fangirl fodder for the RU/US shipper in you, but I'd like to particularly draw your attention to the following passage:
[The Russian people] are prostrate and all but helpless, it would seem, before the grim power of Germany, which has hitherto known no relenting and no pity. Their power, apparently, is shattered. And yet their soul is not subservient. They will not yield either in principle or in action. Their conception of what is right, of what is humane and honorable for them to accept, has been stated with a frankness, a largeness of view, a generosity of spirit, and a universal human sympathy which must challenge the admiration of every friend of mankind; and they have refused to compound their ideals or desert others that they themselves may be safe.
They call to us to say what it is that we desire, in what, if in anything, our purpose and our spirit differ from theirs; and I believe that the people of the United States would wish me to respond, with utter simplicity and frankness. Whether their present leaders believe it or not, it is our heartfelt desire and hope that some way may be opened whereby we may be privileged to assist the people of Russia to attain their utmost hope of liberty and ordered peace.
...Or in other words, Woodrow Wilson shipped it.
+++
Please read our Rules & FAQ before posting. / Пожалуйста, прочтите Правила и FAQ прежде чем комментировать.
This is a chapter from The Chosen End, a Russia/America collaboration spanning from 1780 to the present day. You can read all of the fics in this story at the Index.
Characters: Russia/America
Rating: PG.
Summary: 1918 - America writes Russia a letter from the front lines of the Great War. I'm not gonna call it a love letter, but he does get a little gay there towards the end.
TCE is co-written by wizzard890 and pyrrhiccomedy.
---
January 25, 1918. A letter arrives in Moscow.
Dear Russia,
How are you? I'm doing okay. The weather in France is pretty nice this time of year, but all the bullets make it kind of hard to relax. This continental war thing--I don't know, man, this stuff is confusing. Nobody wants to take orders from anybody else, and half the nations fighting just seem to be here 'cause their friends were fighting and they didn't want to feel left out. It's weird. This is why I stay out of alliances: stupid shit like this.
But I'm here now, so whatever.
Hey, I'm sorry we haven't had a chance to catch up really since your revolution, but I've been reading all about it in the papers! Good for you for getting rid of monarchy. I mean it. I never really felt like it was my place to say anything, before now, but you deserve so much better, you know? Not to just get pushed around by your boss all the time. There's nothing like government by the people and for the people! I'm pretty excited for you to get to find that out first hand. We're gonna have so much to talk about!
Your new leaders sound like smart guys--a little, uh, intense? But, I guess new governments are always pretty intense. I know France was impossible to talk to for a few years back when he overthrew the okay that was a bad example, those guys turned out to be dicks. But, yeah--your government will mellow out once they've been in power for a while, right?
Gotta go for now, troop inspection.
---
Hey, you remember back in 1903, when I came over to your place all excited 'cause I flew for the first time? God, that was so awesome. I mean, it only lasted for about a minute, but even then, I knew this whole 'plane' thing was gonna change the world. And I remember saying to you that maybe it would be the end of war, because planes would make warfare too expensive. And you gave me that "how do you even dress yourself in the morning, you're so clueless" look that you have, but I was like, "oh, you'll see."
…You were right. England's got an air force with twenty thousand planes in it already. (Of course England would be a prick about airplanes before anybody else. He's like, a prick pioneer.) I think people are going to be talking about 'air superiority' a lot from now on.
It's kinda depressing.
Flying is still so cool, though.
---
Oh my God, does France ever shut up about Alsace-Lorraine? Holy shit. It's like, the size of Connecticut. I'd just give him Connecticut if it meant he'd quit bitching.
---
I had such a nice talk with my boss today, I've gotta write some of this stuff down before I forget it.
I've never been all that impressed with the guy, I've talked to you about that, right? The only good thing he really did during his first term was keep me out of the war. That's why he got reelected, even. People were like "no war, excellent." And then as soon as his second term started, he was all "Hey, I've got a great idea!" so I was like "thanks, asshole." But today he sat me down and explained why we were fighting (finally), and it was…sort of awesome.
...I'm actually having a hard time summing it up
Okay, basically what he said was that I've got to stop just thinking about how wars affect me personally. There's a lot of nations out there who are trying to be free, and cool, and democratic, but they can't fight for themselves that well. Like you, right now, I guess; you're trying to deal with your revolution, and getting out of the Great War, and Germany's shoved that bullshit peace treaty down your throat.
God, I remember hearing about that--I don't blame you for walking out on him. Actually, I think it's awesome how you walked out on him. Because, like, he's kicking your ass right now. (No offense, it's not like it's your fault, with everything you've got going on.) And then he comes along, all "Hey, so, I'm just gonna keep every foot of land I've occupied, and you can go fuck yourself if you don't like it. How's that for a peace treaty?" And I think a lot of nations would just go along with that because shit, man, bullets. But not you. Even if it means you continue getting your ass kicked.
--Okay I'm re-reading that and I'm not sure I actually managed to pay you a compliment, but I was trying to. Let me give it another shot. What I mean is, you never give up, ever. No matter what they put you through, or how nasty the odds might be. (Seriously, let's never fight. Our mutual stubbornness would be world-ending.) Because it means you can never lose, you know? Winning might hurt, and it might take a long time, but you just outlast them. It's like you don't even know how to give in, no matter how many times people try to teach you. And
Christ, what am I even talking about, you don't need me to tell you this. I'd cross it all out but my pen is low on ink. Just pretend I said "hang in there" or something, okay?
Anyway. My boss says I should fight for people like you, not because it helps me directly, but because it's the right thing to do. He says it's about freedom, and justice, not territory or resources--or at least it should be.
And I gotta say, I like the sound of that.
I should finish this up, my pen is almost dead.
When the war is over, do you think your new boss would be okay with it if I helped you restore peace at your house? I know he doesn't think much of me, but I'd like to lend a hand if you need one. Really, it'd be my pleasure.
Yours truly,
- AMERICA
PS - Just out of curiosity, what's gonna happen to the Romanovs?
+++
SO MANY FOOTNOTES. I don't know how such a short fic spawned so many footnotes.
--Initially, Russia's move away from tsarism was greeted with great enthusiasm by the United States. This rush of warm feeling cooled considerably, however, following the rise of the Bolsheviks, who refused to honor Tsarist Russia's considerable debts to the United States, and who the US Government did not consider truly representative. Plus, the whole "violent revolution is great" angle. It was sort of awkward.
--The first manned flights took place in North Carolina in 1903. At the time, there was speculation within the American scientific community that the heavier-than-air craft would make warfare unsustainable. On a related note, the British Royal Air Force was the first official air force in the world, and Great Britain was the first nation to make extensive use of airplanes in war.
--Alsace-Lorraine. I don't want to talk about it anymore than America does. Suffice to say that no, France never, ever shut up about it.
--"Hey, so, I'm just gonna keep every foot of land I've occupied, and you can go fuck yourself if you don't like it. How's that for a peace treaty?" This is a simplified but broadly accurate summation of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the humiliating and punitive peace which was negotiated between the Central Powers and the newly formed Soviet Russia.
--Many of the ideas America brings up in this are cribbed from Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points Speech, which served as a response to Vladimir Lenin's Decree on Peace; a statement of Allied wartime goals; and marked the beginning of a new direction in American foreign policy, away from isolationism and toward enlightened intervention (i.e., this is when America's hero complex gets off the ground, although it wouldn't become the dominant political philosophy until World War II).
I encourage anyone who's curious to just go read the speech, since it's short and not very dense, and full of fangirl fodder for the RU/US shipper in you, but I'd like to particularly draw your attention to the following passage:
[The Russian people] are prostrate and all but helpless, it would seem, before the grim power of Germany, which has hitherto known no relenting and no pity. Their power, apparently, is shattered. And yet their soul is not subservient. They will not yield either in principle or in action. Their conception of what is right, of what is humane and honorable for them to accept, has been stated with a frankness, a largeness of view, a generosity of spirit, and a universal human sympathy which must challenge the admiration of every friend of mankind; and they have refused to compound their ideals or desert others that they themselves may be safe.
They call to us to say what it is that we desire, in what, if in anything, our purpose and our spirit differ from theirs; and I believe that the people of the United States would wish me to respond, with utter simplicity and frankness. Whether their present leaders believe it or not, it is our heartfelt desire and hope that some way may be opened whereby we may be privileged to assist the people of Russia to attain their utmost hope of liberty and ordered peace.
...Or in other words, Woodrow Wilson shipped it.
+++
Please read our Rules & FAQ before posting. / Пожалуйста, прочтите Правила и FAQ прежде чем комментировать.
This is a chapter from The Chosen End, a Russia/America collaboration spanning from 1780 to the present day. You can read all of the fics in this story at the Index.