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Hello Tumblr! Long time no see! I’m here to show you my newest papercut-turned photo-turned gif! Will I ever get over this show? Probably not. Every time when I think I’ve used all of my ideas regarding Cursed Child I have another one just randomly, in the moment I least expect to have creative thoughts. So, here it is.

#harry potter and the cursed child #time turner #paperart #harry potter

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The Allegory of Victory in 1920, Zdzisław Jasiński

The Battle of Warsaw, 1920

Free people everywhere should be grateful to the Poles for the victory. - Lawrence W. Reed

Many historians consider the Polish-Soviet war (February 1919 – March 1921), and especially the Battle of Warsaw, to be a key moment in European history.

Making war on Poland was more than a local affair to the Soviets. They made it plain that the Poles were simply in the way of their larger goal: exporting communism to the rest of Western Europe. Germany, gripped by post-war economic and political chaos, seemed ripe for a Marxist revolution if only Soviet troops could move in and assist, but Poland would have to be disposed of first.

Nicknamed “the Red Napoleon,” Soviet commander Mikhail Tukhachevsky ordered, “To the West! Over the corpse of white Poland lies the road to worldwide conflagration. March upon Vilnius, Minsk, Warsaw and onward to Berlin over the corpse of Poland!” Bolshevik theoretician and Lenin confidant Nikolai Bukharin publicly declared that the campaign would take communist forces “straight to London and Paris.”

Soviet victories in the summer of 1920 looked unstoppable, as Moscow’s Red Army pushed to within striking distance of the Polish capital. From August 12-25, the Battle of Warsaw raged. Foreign observers expected the imminent collapse of Poland. Then, the tactical brilliance of Pilsudski and his chief of staff Tadeusz Rozwadowski plus the legendary courage of Polish fighters combined to produce what Poles call “the Miracle on the Vistula.”

While the central Russian armies were fixated on Warsaw, a Polish strike force side-slipped to the south of the city, and then turned north in a left hook into the exposed Russian flank. Surprised, demoralized, and outmaneuvered, the Russian armies disintegrated, with some retreating back to Russia and others fleeing to German territory to be interned. Pilsudski's counteroffensive was assisted by the breaking of Russian codes, a Polish specialty that they later used to crack the Nazi Enigma machine.

For the next two months, a string of additional Polish successes produced what Lenin lamented as “an enormous defeat” for his forces. Against all the odds, Poland had crushed the Soviet Union’s revolutionary expansionism dead in its tracks. There would be no Bolshevik Western Europe.

#poland #battle of warsaw #polish soviet war #1920

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The Battle of Warsaw in 1920 - the miracle you’ve never heard of….

#polish-soviet war #battle of warsaw #1920 #poland #communism

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Please, get the whole picture of the situation before reblogging something. Margot was arrested because two months ago she destroyed the truck and was physically violent towards pro-life activist. We have free of speech in Poland and even if someone beliefs and says something that you don’t agree with it is no excuse for violence and destruction of property. That’s why Margot was arrested, not because she’s LGBT. I admit that the police is too violent towards activists but the activists are also not innocent. They jumped on police cars and gathered in great numbers before the police arrived to prevent the arrest (the warrant of arrest was issued by the court and perfectly legal). I support LGBT people with all my heart but I support truth and facts even more.

PLEASE SHARE WHEREVER YOU CAN! THIS IS HAPPENING IN POLAND RIGHT NOW. PEOPLE ARE GETTING HURT IN THE STREET AND THERE HAVE BEEN SOME ARRESTS. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REBLOG AND SHARE

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Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising (1.08.1944)

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Witold Pilecki, the Heroic Polish Spy Who Volunteered to Go to Auschwitz

Pilecki’s military career started when he joined the Polish Army to fight the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1920, twice receiving the Cross of Valor for his courage and acumen in battle. In 1931, he married Maria Pilecka and had two children, Andrzej and Zofia. When the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, Pilecki was a cavalry platoon commander and took part in heavy fighting. 

As a captain in the Polish army and a member of the Polish underground resistance, Pilecki convinced his superiors to let him go to Auschwitz. He was arrested in Warsaw during a general roundup by the Germans on September 9, 1940, and was sent to the notorious camp then thought to be just for prisoners of war.

For two and half years, he collected data and found ways to get the information to the outside via the Polish resistance. 

In order to survive his ordeal, Pilecki found a way separate the pain in his body with what he describes as a type of exhilaration of “playing” these terrible men. “When the body was continuously in anguish, spiritually you felt sometimes - not to exaggerate – wonderfully”, he explained. “Pleasure began to get nested somewhere in your brain, both due to spiritual experiences and due to the interesting game, purely intellectual, which I was playing.”

While in the camp, Pilecki was hopeful that the Polish Resistance would be able to sabotage the camp or incite some sort of uprising, but Resistence felt they didn’t have the military force to do it. Even as the Allies, the Soviets, British and Americans were made aware of the camp’s unthinkable evil, none showed the will to do anything to destroy it.

Eventually, after two and half years of back breaking work, lice, freezing conditions, pneumonia, Pilecki realized that it was getting too dangerous for him to stay. He and a few other inmates escaped one night through a poorly secured door of a bakery he had been working in. He then wrote what became Witold’s Report, a comprehensive report on what was happening at Auschwitz for the Allies.

Pilecki took part in the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944 and ultimately survived the war. Auschwitz was finally liberated on January 27, 1945.

Pilecki’s luck ran out after the Soviets took over Poland. He remained loyal to the exiled Polish government in London and gathered intelligence on the Soviet movements within Poland. While doing so, he was arrested in 1947 and after a show trial in 1948, was executed.

For decades the communists suppressed his story until Poland was free again in 1989. On October 1, 1990, Pilecki was exonerated and five years later he was awarded posthumously the Order of the Polonia Restituta. In 2006, he was given Poland’s highest decoration, the Order of the White Eagle, and on September 6, 2013, he was given the rank of Colonel. A street has been named for him in Warsaw.

#Witold Pilecki #Auschwitz #communism #Poland #hero #Polska #world war ii

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Happy Easter! Radosnej Wielkanocy!

#easter #jesus #christianity #resurrection

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Light in the Darkness - Chapter 11: Epilogue

A huge thank you to @bounding-heart and @abradystrix for editing this chapter! <3

AO3

ff.net

Two years later

Scorpius fidgeted in his chair. He looked around the Great Hall, which was richly decorated in banners of all Hogwarts house. The long tables were gone, replaced by rows of chairs in the far end of the hall, which were occupied by teachers and seventh year students. The rest of the hall was full of families and friends who were invited to the Graduation Ceremony.

Scorpius sighed. He couldn’t believe that this day had finally come. He was both relieved and nervous. For the past few months, in the midst of the N.E.W.T. preparations and his prefect duties, he couldn’t wait for the school year and exams to end. At the same time, he was anxious of leaving the predictability and surety of Hogwarts and going into the world of adult duties and responsibilities.

He looked at Headmistress McGonagall who was standing with the Heads of Houses in front of the students. Hagrid read another name from the long list and a Hufflepuff student went to receive a diploma and congratulations from the Headmistress and his Head of House. Houses and students were listed alphabetically so Scorpius and Albus were almost at the end. Professor Warmund had informed them before the ceremony that Albus was going to be read just after Scorpius so his boyfriend could help him.

Scorpius looked at Albus. He was sitting with his eyes closed, though Scorpius knew he was fully awake. His white cane was on his lap, ready to use. Scorpius put his hand on Albus’s thigh. Albus opened his eyes, smiled and put his hand over Scorpius’s, squeezing gently. He leaned in Scorpius’s direction and whispered:

“I never thought the Graduation Ceremony could be so boring.”

Scorpius snorted. He wanted to answer but stopped himself short when he caught the displeasing glare of another student. He turned around in his chair, trying to find his father, grandparents and the Potters in the throng of families and friends. The crowd was too thick, though, so reluctantly he turned back and resigned himself to watch other students receive their diplomas.

Finally, Hagrid read their names. Together, with Albus holding Scorpius’s upper arm, they walked to the Headmistress and Professor Warmund. McGonagall smiled and took a diploma from a now short pile on the table next to her.

“Congratulations, Mr Malfoy.” She shook his hand and gave him the diploma. “I’m proud of your academic achievements. You have a bright future in front of you.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Scorpius said. It meant a lot to hear such a praise from the strict and demanding Headmistress.

“Congratulations, Scorpius,” Professor Warmund said. “It was a pleasure to teach you. And you did a great job as a prefect. Good luck.”

Scorpius thanked him and moved aside to make room for Albus. McGonagall shook Albus’s outstretched hand and gave him his diploma.

“Congratulations, Mr Potter,” she said. “You did an incredible job and I’m very proud of you. May you achieve anything you want in the future.”

Albus received congratulations and best wishes from Professor Warmund and returned with Scorpius to their chairs. Scorpius looked at his diploma. It was richly ornamented and stated that he graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For N.E.W.T.s results he would have to wait a month at least.

Finally, the ceremony ended. The students rose up from their chairs and went in search of their families. Scorpius and Albus waited a while until the most of the crowd left the Great Hall. At last Scorpius noticed his family, the Potters and the Granger-Weasleys standing beneath the great windows. Rose was already with them, embraced tightly by her mother. With Albus at his side, Scorpius went to them.

For the next few minutes he was hugged, kissed and congratulated by his father and grandparents. Albus received the same treatment from his family. Filled with pride and joy, Scorpius showed everyone his diploma. Still, there was a bit of sadness and regret inside him that his mother couldn’t be with him on this special day.

“Where is James?” Albus asked suspiciously when he finally managed to free himself from his grandmother’s embrace.

“Don’t worry,” Harry said with a big smile. “He was with us the entire time but he had to get out to prepare the surprise. Come, he’s waiting for us on the grounds.”

“Surprise?” Albus frowned as Lily took his arm and led him outside. “What surprise?”

Harry just laughed and followed his children. The rest went after them. Scorpius looked at his dad and wanted to ask him if he knew what the surprise was but quickly bit his tongue. He would soon find out.

They went out to the green and sunny grounds. It was the hottest day of the summer and Scorpius soon felt uncomfortably warm. He took off his robes and followed Potters through the groups of students and their families.

As they neared Hagrid’s hut, he saw James with the surprise. He laughed out loud and came closer to Albus.

“The surprise, Albus. You’re gonna love it.”

Albus frowned and stopped at Lily’s guidance. James went to them and passed the surprise to Harry. He gave Albus a short hug and ruffled his hair.

“Congratulations, little brother.”

“Thanks. So, what is this surprise?” he asked, impatient.

“You better kneel down,” Harry said. Albus scowled but complied. Harry and Ginny kneeled down next to him.

“Reach out your hand,” Ginny said as Harry let the surprise approach Albus.

Albus gasped and then laughed when his fingers touched the soft and smooth fur of a dog. His hands roamed over the dog’s head as the creature sat patiently before him. Only its swinging tail betrayed its merriment at meeting its new owner.

“A dog!” Albus exclaimed. “I can’t believe it! I finally got a dog!” He laughed again as the dog licked his face.

“It’s a girl. Her name is Freya,” Ginny said. “She’s a border collie, black and white. She's two years old. We're sorry we couldn’t get you a puppy but we wanted to give you a guide dog and it takes time to train one. She's just finished her training. The trainer said she was one of the best in her group.”

“A guide dog – that's amazing. Now I'll be able to go outside without somebody else’s help.”

Harry smiled. “We arranged for you a few meetings with Freya’s trainer. She's going to teach you how to work with a guide dog. Freya will be a great help for you but you must remember that she’s now your responsibility. She'll take care of you but you must do the same.”

“Of course. I will. You know I always wanted a dog. Even before I went blind. It doesn’t matter if she’s a guide or not. She's most of all a friend.” Albus hugged Freya fiercely.

Harry stood up. “We have a reservation in a fancy restaurant to celebrate your success,” he said, looking at Albus and then turning to Scorpius and Rose. “You’re ready to go?”

Everyone nodded and headed to the gates.

x x x 

“So, our last night at Hogwarts,” Scorpius said. “How are you feeling?”

Albus moved slightly to find a more comfortable position. They were sitting on the window sill in the Owlery. The night was warm and peaceful. Owls were hooting in the background and once in a while Albus heard a rustle of wings as a bird flew in or out of the tower.

“Honestly? I'm not sure,” he answered. “I hated this place for a long time. But after our adventure with Delphi I started to like it more and more. The last few years were pretty good. I will miss Hogwarts. But I'm excited to start a new chapter of my life. And also scared.”

“Yeah, me too,” Scorpius said. “The responsibilities of adult life. I don’t think I'm ready for that.”

“If you’re not ready, Scorpius, the most responsible person I know, then no one is ready.” Albus reached for Scorpius’s hand. “We’ll manage it. Together. We always do.”

Albus felt Scorpius’s cold hand on his cheek and moments later they were kissing passionately. With no fear of anyone interrupting them, they enjoyed intimacy for some time. Finally, Scorpius broke the kiss and, sighing blissfully, leaned his head on Albus’s shoulder.

They sat in silence, enjoying the tranquillity of the moment. Albus heard a rustle of wings and a moment later felt the owl landing next to him. It started to peck at his sleeve to get his attention.

“Kirjava?” Albus asked, thinking it was his family’s owl. He stroked its smooth feathers.

“No, it’s not Kirjava,” Scorpius said. “It has a package, presumably for you.”

Frowning, Albus untied the package from the owl’s leg. Once freed, it immediately flew away. Albus carefully felt the package. It was rectangular and large, most probably a book.

“Is anything written on it?” he asked Scorpius.

“Just your name and address. I don’t recognise the handwriting.”

Albus tore away the paper. It was indeed a book. Large and heavy, bound in leather. He opened it and something fell onto his lap.

“It’s a letter,” Scorpius said, taking it before it could fall down on the owlery’s dirty floor.

Albus put aside the book and took the letter. He unfolded it and ran his fingertips over the paper. The letter was written in Braille.

Dear Albus,

Congratulations on your graduation. Please accept this book as a small gift. I finally finished my life’s work and wrote down everything in this book. It was hard to find a publisher and in the end I had to publish it on my own. It is a small edition but I hope it will reach some significant people in the world of magical research and start a discussion. Obviously, I can’t promote the book myself but I hope someone will notice its importance and potential.

The main conclusion of my research is the same that I wrote to you about in the last letter. In my book, I described everything in detail (don’t worry, everyone is anonymous) and made some smaller observations. I hope you find the book interesting.

If your father is still trying to find me, tell him to stop wasting his time and resources. He will never find me. I'm going to start a new research soon, there’s so many things in the wizarding world that need answers. But don’t worry, I'm not going to harm other people this time.

I wish you a bright future and success in every aspect of your life.

Edward Mortimer

Albus put down the letter and sighed deeply.

“Who is it from?” Scorpius asked.

“Mortimer,” Albus said flatly. Scorpius gasped. “Here, you may read it.” He gave Scorpius the letter.

“I can’t. It's only in Braille.”

“And the book? It's his.” Albus reached for the book and ran his fingertips over the first page. It was in Braille.

“It’s also in a normal alphabet,” Scorpius said.

Albus nodded and read the letter to Scorpius who transcribed it in the meantime.

“Well,” Scorpius said, once he finished. “I... I really don’t know what to say.”

Albus smirked. “Yeah, me neither.”

“Is your dad still searching for him?”

“Yes, though he doesn’t have enough time and people for that. He must work on other cases too. But he still looks for something that may lead him to Mortimer.”

“Maybe someday Mortimer will make a mistake and will be caught.”

“Maybe,” Albus said. He took the book and ran the fingers over the title page. “What do you think of his book?”

“His research methods are immoral and atrocious but I'm kind of glad he published this book.” Scorpius hesitated. “Don’t get me wrong. This whole thing should never have happened. But it did. I think this book is the only good thing that could come out of this. His victims and their sufferings will be remembered. And if not for this book, his victims and their families would have never known why they were tortured. I hope it will gain some attention in academical and research circles and prompt new studies of the Cruciatus Curse. Ethical ones this time.”

“I agree. His victims deserve to know what they suffered for. I hope he will keep his word and won’t harm any people in his next research.”

“I hope someday he will be punished for what he did,” Scorpius said fiercely. “I'm against the death penalty but a life sentence is the least he deserves. His crimes are unforgiveable.”

Albus took a deep breath and said: “I forgave him.”

Scorpius was silent for a long while. “You did?”

“Yes, some time ago. It was hard. I hated him so much. All I felt towards him was anger, resentment and hate. I knew I had every right to feel that way but I wasn’t happy. I sort of spiralled more and more into the well of misery. I started to read a lot, about psychology, some philosophical and religious texts. One day I read something that resonated strongly with me. And I decided to forgive him. It wasn’t easy but finally I let go of hate and anger. I was free.

I don’t know if he wants my forgiveness, if he will ever regret what he did. I forgave him but I did it mostly for myself. I couldn’t hold on to hate and grudge for the rest of my life. And I believe it was the right thing to do.”

“Of course it is the right thing,” Scorpius said, taking Albus’s hand. “I know how difficult it is. I haven’t forgiven Delphi yet. Though, I have to admit, I haven’t even really tried.”

“It isn’t easy but I believe it is enough if you just only want to forgive. Even if you can’t forgive now but you want to, then someday it will come. It also comes easier when you realise and accept that you also need forgiveness. Everyone does. If you want forgiveness for all the bad things you do, then it is only right to give it yourself first.”

“When did you become so smart?” Scorpius asked.

“I didn’t make it up myself. It’s all in those books I read. You should read them.”

“With pleasure,” Scorpius said, always excited to read more books.

Albus smiled and rested his head on Scorpius’s shoulder. He put the book and Mortimer’s letter away. He was inclined to read his book someday but for now he wanted to enjoy the last night at Hogwarts with his beloved Scorpius.

#light in the darkness #harry potter fanfiction #Albus Severus Potter #scorpius malfoy #Harry Potter #albus/scorpius #Blind Character #disabled character #Blindness #disability

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Playground in Tychy, Poland

#i played there as a kid #there is a lot of these strange sculptures in tychy #brutalism #communism #socrealism #art #if you can call it an art #tychy #poland

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What can you see on the horizon? Why do the white gulls call? Across the sea, a pale moon rises The ships have come to carry you home And all will turn to silver glass A light on the water, grey ships pass Into the West. A tribute to Christopher Tolkien. Without him, we wouldn’t have been able to grasp the true depth of Middle Earth’s history, and there would be many more stories left untold. The Silmarillion has always been a favorite, and has been a constant source of inspiration and a source of comfort, along with the other books in the legendarium. There are no words to describe how much these books mean to me, and no words to express how I’ll forever be grateful for them for their accompaniment throughout the years.  It always felt like coming home, reading them, to a place you’ll forever hold dear to your heart. His and his father’s legacy will continue to live on, and I’ll forever be thankful that it has been released into the world, for the world is immensely better because of it. From the depths of my heart, thank you for everything you’ve done, Christopher Tolkien. May the Star of Eärendil guide you back Into the West, and may you find eternal peace in the Halls of Mandos.

#christopher tolkien #LOTR #into the west

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Christopher Tolkien

The sad news has come today that Christopher Tolkien has passed away. He was 95 and passed away at a hospital near his home in France. He has been such a remarkable conservator of his father’s work and vision, providing us with such a wealth of material from Tolkien’s notes and manuscripts. It is truly astounding how much he has given to the Tolkien community–both the scholarly and fandom parts of it–in his tireless pursuit of continuing his father’s legacy and sharing the stories with us all. Condolences to his family and the entire worldwide Tolkien community. This is a devastating loss of a dedicated and talented individual. 

The publication of the Silmarillion alone would have been a gift but his continued research and organization of his father’s work to provide us with The History of Middle Earth, The Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien, and most recently The Fall of Gondolin has truly resulted in a wealth of material and a vast legendarium that is unparalleled. 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-christopher-tolkien-dead-son-21295706

#christopher tolkien

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Rest in peace, Christopher Tolkien

The Silmarillion fandom will forever be grateful for your work

#christopher tolkien #silmarillion #lotr #tolkien

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as a pole, i feel like y'all new ppl to witcher deserve to know that jaskiers name doesnt actually translate as dandelion

they thought it too femmine to use but jaskier in polish actually means buttercup

do what you may with this information

#witcher #wiedźmin #jaskier

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Ok guys…..PALPATINE DIDN’T CREATE ANAKIN.

I’m so happy to read these tweets. Seriously….why people here believe that Palpatine, from lightyears away, got Shmi Skywalker (a random woman in a random planet) pregnant using a stupid ritual of some kind, 9 years before the events of Episode I, when he was still Plaguies’ student? And WHY he never tried to kidnap him? He trained Maul, but not a baby created by him? You know that this is stupid even for Disney, right?

Palpatine didn’t know anything about Anakin Skywalker and he didn’t create him. Palpatine has nothing to do with the creation of Anakin. That comic just depicts Anakin’s biggest fears. It’s just an illusion.

#anakin skywalker #star wars #darth vader

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“You gotta remember, this is one movie–and it’s meant to be seen I through VI. So, I think when you watch the actual movie in order, the story will become very clear. That Anakin is the Chosen One. And even when Anakin turns into Darth Vader, he is still the Chosen One.”

— George Lucas, Star Wars Episode III - The Chosen One Featurette (via gffa)

#anakin skywalker #george lucas #prequel trilogy #star wars

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As an Anakin fan this shit just pisses me off to no end. I will never get over how they just threw him away like garbage, destroyed his legacy, made his fall all for nothing since apparently any Jedi can easily bring back the dead (out of nowhere), and couldn’t even complete his redemption properly since he didn’t kill Palpatine. He also spoke to Rey when she asked but not to his grandson who he could have saved from going down a dark path and dying. And they have a Palpatine take on his name, buried his lightsaber on Tatooine, the place he hates the most in the world.

If they respected the character at all they would have at the very least buried it in front of Padme’s grave. But no, JJ only cares about that nostalgia money.

Fuck this s*it.

#star wars #anakin skywalker #the rise of skywalker

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People here only talk about Ben and Reylo, but, guys…this movie DESTROYED all the franchise. ALL the previous movies are useless. 40 years of history. 40 years.

#Star wars #the rise of skywalker