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mexsia · 1 year

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Extraterrestrial Life forms like Maple Syrup. (🇨🇦’s Version)

During a really hot summer in Manitoba Canada, an Aboriginal family from the Turtle tribe that lived in Manitoba, was in a picnic near one of the many lakes in Manitoba. Which one would be is regardless, for a Refugee family from Ukraine also came to have a picnic and started to establish a conversation with the Cree family.

Then, a bigger family from Colombia who just became permanent residents, came to celebrate their victory in being able to stay permanently in Canada.

The three families began to talk with each other and the children begin to play among each other despite their differences in language, culture and knowledge.

Suddenly, something made a huge boom above the sky.

*BOOOOOOOM!!!*

The three families from different backgrounds quickly looked up to the sky as they gathered the children altogether and in place. Next thing they knew was that some kind of weird flying disk came down like an asteroid on fire towards the ground.

Seeing as the weird thing in the sky came quickly down towards them, the Colombians, knowing way too much thanks to the U.S movies—or as they called them “gringo movies”— they quickly made the other adults react and made everyone run for their lives and the weird disk came crashing in the exact same disk the three families were having their picnics.

One of the oldest Colombian children had to give his smaller sibling five bucks, for the little one had guessed that something completely unexpected would happen. And it did.

While the Colombian mom and the Colombian dad were checking that everyone was here and the Ukraine adults were contacting 911, The Cree mother started to get close to the strange disk that was now stuck on the ground. The disk was literally like the stereotypical U.F.O that was seen in the old movies and videos, just three times bigger. And in real life. And the size was like over three middle-class houses or even a whole school. The women who got close to the thing couldn’t really tell. But it was really big.

‘Well, the 911 hanged up on me.’ The Ukraine father said with frustration.

‘¡Oh por Dios! ¿¡Y que se supone que vamos hacer!?’ The Colombian mother asked really freaked out. She was a believer of god but mind open, but she was also pregnant with her fourth child and the hormones were not helping her. ‘¿¡N-nos Matarán?! O-’ the Colombian father had to hug her and calm her down because she was literally screaming her lungs out in Spanish. This was definitely not a moment to panic. Not yet.

The Cree mother, along with her husband and children, they got close, and just as the Cree woman was about to touch the strange thing, the big-disk-thing started to open up.

*FSSSSSSSS!!* A door started to pop up and it started to open and coming down.

The Cree husband acted quickly and took his family with the other families screaming, ‘THEY’RE COMING OUT, HIDE!!’

They didn’t need to be told twice as they also saw the door of the disk open up and come all the way down making a bridge for whatever came out could walk without lo much trouble.

The families didn’t know what to expect, but they certainly did not expected some kind of mutant-bee-rhino-of-eight-limbs-without-wings come down with strange suits on them.

They seem to walk like a four legged animal, but unlike four legged animals, these species had a dorso like a centaur and had four arms with three finger each hand. They had two pairs of antenas on the head, and a stinger-bee-like on what it seemed to be the butt. Whether they were female or male it was unknown or at least unrecognizable. For the humans at the very least.

One child of each family, a little sweet girl of five years old from the Cree family, a shy little boy of seven from the Ukraine family, and a little “demonio” (demon in Spanish) from the Colombian family, had either the courage or the stupidity or the innocence to walk up to the strange “aliens” that just came to earth.

The Aliens looked at the children—or as they called them “larvae”— and the children looked at them.

There were three aliens in total, it seemed that they were all the same specie, for the children and the rest of the human families at the very least. The aliens on the other hand, they seem to be quite surprised for this, they see that each “larvae” was the same kind of especie, but they also can see a lot of differences which for them it was extremely difficult to process, since not many sentinent species were different from each other.

The Colombian mom, being the bravest and the most agressive along with the Cree mother, they both screamed the names of the children out loud while the other adults made improvised weapons just in case.

The aliens became alert as they heard the strange “cry” and they soon found out that the “larvae” did not lived on their own. But rather, they were being protected by the adults of their species.

The children suddenly came running to their mothers and the fathers putted themselves in front of the rest of the others.

The Ukraine mother started calling the police, while skipping the details of the agresors being “aliens” she asked for help, for she felt they were in danger.

The aliens on the other hand, they just standed there. Unable to comprehend the speaking and body language from the new species they encountered. But from what they could gather, the new species were sentinent, like them.

The leader of the alines tried to present itself, but the new encountered species seem to have become extremely scared as they heard him talk.

Or as the humans would say, heard him scream.

Not knowing what to do, one of the Leader’s subordinates finds a strange bottle dropped and still intact. As he picked up, she saw a strange liquid inside, and a strange decorative sticker in the form of a strange leaf of orange color.

The subordinate checked whether it was secure or poisonous with his futuristic technological scanner stocked in his head, the scanner concluded that it wasn’t poisonous, but rather, it was very nutritious for her own specie. The subordinate liked the “nutricious” part and tried to open it up. But it wouldn’t.

The other subordinate looked at him confused.

The subordinate #1 gave the bottle while quickly telling him the nutricous factor. Subordinate #2 tried to open the bottle quickly but couldn’t either.

The leader was still trying to find a way to communicate with the strange creatures when he notice that all of them were paying attention to something else, and when he saw where they were looking, the leader concluded that it was someone else.

{What are you doing?!} the leader asked somewhat angry and embarrassed that his subordinates were literally fighting for a “simple” bottle.

{We’re trying to open up this bottle! It won’t open!} Subordinate #2 exclaimed as he was pulling the bottle’s body away from subordinate #1.

{I-It’s too powerful!} Subordinate #1 exclaimed as he was pulling the bottle’s cap without being able to open it up either.

The leader became even more frustrated. {What’s so important in that bottle that—}

{High levels of Glucose and Fractose!!} Both subordinates exclaimed as they made ven more effort.

{. . . What?!} The leader was shocked.

In their planet, their nutrients were based on Protein, Glucose and Fractose. Protein wasn’t the issue but Glucose and Fractose was another thing. There was a glucose and Fractose drought among their civilization. Which was bad as they needed both to survive. Especially their offspring whose diet was based off mainly from these two things.

If the leader was able to make a friendship with these creatures, they could save the dying offspring. But the lack of communication was something troublesome.

‘Ejem.’ Someone made a noise behind them.

The three aliens turned around and they saw the small little boy with strange hat on his head (Mariachi hat in other words).

The boy extended his hand and looked at the bottle. The aliens must have thought that it belonged to him so, with reluctancy, they gave him the bottle.

The boy smiled smugly as made the cap of the bottle spin for a few second and it lifted up opening the bottle.

For the humans, it would have been embarrassing, but for the aliens it was impressive, especially if it was a “larvae” that opened up.

As for the human families, even though they were still wary of the aliens, it seem to curious them as they seem to be fond of the maple syrup. And the organic one.

Soon, the police arrived, in shock, they called the military, the military numb founded and called the Interpol, the Interpol escorted the aliens and the three families while calling the Canadian Prime Minister, the UN president and the UN president came with the representative of humanity Mazlan Othman.

The three families came along the three aliens to meet the Canadian Prime Minister, UN president and humanity’s representative.

Long story short, they were able to make a machine that could translate each others words thanks to the help of the aliens—or as they call themselves “Kruch-ëđbæl-ù”— and they were able to make negotiations with the Canadian government and come with a trade with maple syrup in exchange of a little knowledge in future technology.

Soon, humanity was able to learn the diet of these creatures and when they learned that the offspring of the Kruch-ëđbæl-ù were in danger, it didn’t take long before a lot of countries signed up to help them.

But most of the help came from Canada, who had large resources of maple syrup and honey ready to be sold.

The Kruch-ëđbæl-ù quickly called their leaders and told them that they had large amounts of fructose and glucose ready to take home, but they needed help for it.

The back up didn’t take long to arrive, and with them a lot of their most sick and hungry offspring. It was dangerous for an offspring to be far away from their progenitors, but these were extreme times and the offspring couldn’t wait anymore. They had to eat.

As soon as the Kruch-ëđbæl-ù offspring were full and ready to go home, the back up and the three scouts took the large amounts of maple syrup and honey while promising to come with the technology knowledge as soon as the rest of theirs offsprings were saved.

Humanity understood and let them leave.

The Canadian government gave the Mexican family and the Ukraine family their nationalities as a reward for helping the aliens find the thing they needed. The Cree family received money, land, and scholarships for their kids as their reward which was greatly appreciated.

Who would have thought that a simple picnic with pancakes and maple syrup would have make them heroes?

The End.

#earth is a deathworld #earth is space australia #humans are space orcs #humans are strange #humans are weird #humans are deathworlders #humans are good actually #humans are hospitable #humans are space australians #humans #humans are confusing #humans are space fae

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zoeyslament · 4 months

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Under Scattered Stars

In which Noel and Mischa confess to each other while stargazing

So yeah, tw Nischa under the cut!

Nights were the most beautiful when the sky was clear and the stars flickered in the night air like sprinkles on a freshly baked cupcake. Telescopes would poke out from balconies, the world at a standstill as people admired the constellations. It was beauty and happiness at its finest. However, they say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so in the same way of thinking, one man’s beauty and wonder is another man’s sadness and pressure.

It had to have been nearly one in the morning when a tired, and more importantly, angry Mischa Bachinski crawled onto the roof of his foster parents’ house, staring out at those balls of gas and fire with disdain.

Just last year at this time, he was staring out at these same stars, but in the company of his mother, back in his hometown in Ukraine. As he glowered at the rooftops of Uranium, he remembered how much more breathtaking the nights had been back home. Here, some stars were barely visible behind the thick curtains of clouds.

“Stupid, stupid Uranium…” He grumbled. “Killing my mother, slowly eating away at my soul too. I hate this whole damn place.” A chill breeze blew over the roof, and he shuddered, but didn’t go back inside. Why would he? He wasn’t wanted there anyway.

He lay back as the lights from the few, dimly lit street lamps glowed at his feet. There was nothing left for him in this stupid town. Nothing at all!

Noel loved watching the stars. There was something so beautiful and romantic about it, gazing up at galaxies beyond his own. That particular night, he had been up for hours. He scrambled out to the backyard and climbed into the treehouse.

The thing had been there since Noel was six. It was just about the only nice thing his father had done for him. Now, the roof had a massive hole in it, the wood was rotting, and the tree itself had withstood decades of storms. Was it unsafe? Hell yeah. Did Noel care? No, he did not.

He set himself up so he was staring out the giant hole in the roof, a mostly-clear expanse of stars opening up to him. It was absolutely gorgeous.

He moved his body so that he got a glimpse out the treehouse window. To his shock, something moved on a nearby rooftop.

Mischa’s eyes fixed on the rickety treehouse. He lived fairly close to Noel, and from this angle, he could see just about everything. The poet’s head was visible through the window. He waved.

Noel waved back. It was kind of funny, the bond they had. You wouldn’t think they would be so close, considering one was a self-proclaimed bad boy rapper gangsta, the other a romantic, closed-off poet.

Mischa felt his phone buzz. He picked it up to see a text message appear, from Noel:

N: Why are you up so late?

He laughed for the first time that night and scrambled to reply.

M: I could ask you that too

Another reply:

N: stargazing, dumbass. You look like you want to jump off the roof.

M: nah, just thinking about how much i hate stupid uranium

N: that makes 2 of us.

N: you should go to bed

N: see u at choir tmrw

M: ya see u

“You look so tired, Noel!” Ocean pointed out the next morning. “I told you not to stay up so late, you look homeless, what with the bags under your eyes!”

“Thanks for the reminder, bitchface.” Noel may have been tired, but he would never be too out of it to snap back at Ocean. “Some of us prioritize actual joy over your stupid choir.”

Ocean clapped a hand over her chest in offense. “Stupid? And who was the first person to join after I said I was starting the choir in the first place?”

“That would be Constance.”

She bit her lip. “And the second person?”

“Ricky.”

Ocean wrinkled her nose up in annoyance. “My point is, you joined, Noel.”

“Only because you forced me,” he shrugged, “Now I’m stuck with you losers. Speaking of losers, where’s Mischa?”

“Probably doing drugs.” Ocean growled. “He’s always late. It’s tempting to just kick him out of the choir.”

Noel’s heart grew heavy, and he wasn’t really sure why. Mischa was really the only reason he came to choir. He never would have expected to get along so well with the Ukrainian, but they were basically tied at the hip. Choir was the only class they had together, but they made it enjoyable for each other. Noel was even willing to endure Ocean’s lectures on music theory if it meant more time spent with his friend.

“You can’t kick him out!” He sputtered. “Not only is he here as a punishment, only Father Markus has the authority to decide who can and can’t join! You may have started the idea for a St. Cassian’s choir, but he’s the advisor! So you can’t kick Mischa out. End of story.”

From beside him, Noel heard the electronic chirp of Ricky’s AAC device starting up. “Getting a little defensive, are we?” It said. Ricky had a shit-eating grin plastered on his face, eyebrows raised as if he knew something someone else didn’t. “Why are you so keen on Mischa staying? It’s not like he actually sings or anything.”

“Neither do you.” Noel hissed, to which Ricky replied: “I provide moral support. Your bad boy lover doesn’t even do that.”

“He’s not my lover.” Noel snapped. “He’s just a friend.”

“A friend you’re madly in love with. Admit it, Noel. I see the way you stare at him. That’s not how friends look at friends.”

Noel couldn’t deny that he did spend a lot of time looking at Mischa. What else was he supposed to look at, Ocean’s stupid face?

“You wrote his initials down in your algebra notebook.” Penny added with a giggle. “I watched. N+M=L.”

“That was an algebraic equation!” He flew up from his seat. “You know that’s all it is!”

“But of all letters?” Ocean joined in on the teasing. “Why not X and Y?”

“Those are boring! Besides, N and M can stand for anything! Like… Nutella and marmalade!”

“If you’re eating Nutella and marmalade, there is something seriously wrong with you.” Penny said matter-of-factly. “Like, full on needs-to-be-in-a-mental-hospital.”

“Thank you all for your input.” He growled. “Much appreciated.

At that moment, the door swung open. Mischa waltzed in as if he owned the place, earbuds in. The entire choir turned to stare at him.

Look, your boyfriend is here! Ricky signed in Noel’s direction. Noel glared at him, but as usual, couldn’t tear his eyes from Mischa for too long.

“Where were you!” Ocean demanded, standing up. Her head barely reached the middle of Mischa’s chest.

He looked down at her, sneering. “My car needed gas, little orphan a-hole. Not like you would know, since you got your permit revoked a day after you got it.”

She tapped her foot impatiently. “You could have told us!”

“Did not want to.”

“You should have.”

“Too bad.”

He plopped down. “Can we start stupid singing now please?” Ocean glared daggers at him, but sighed and turned to the rest of the choir. “For this next piece, I want to add in a dance component.” She explained. “I want to have us learn ballroom dance, make it into a real scene. What do you guys think?”

“I think you should have Noel and Mischa dance together.” Penny said, “Give them a chance to get to know each other better.”

Mischa looked confused. “I already know Poet plenty well. He and I watched stars together last night.”

Noel’s face reddened. “Mischa. You shouldn’t have said that.”

“Why? I liked that. Watching the stars with you. It was nice. Peaceful, even.”

All eyes were on them. Damn Mischa and his fucking stupidity! Damn his adorable smile and his charm and his obliviousness to anything that could possibly be considered romantic.

“Half the time I don’t think you know what you’re saying.” Noel kicked at pebbles as he and Mischa walked home that day. “It’s like you’re trying to embarrass me.”

“I am not, I was not lying. I did enjoy staring out at the same stars as you. Noel you are always calling things poetic, and what I think is poetic is the fact that we walk on the same earth and gaze out at the same stars.”

Noel pondered this for a little while. “You’re kind of right, I suppose. It’s nice to think about, huh?”

“I do feel bad for being late again. Car broke down.”

“You’re okay. Ocean and Penny and the others were too busy teasing me anyways.” He admitted. “They think I have a crush on you or something.”

Mischa laughed. “You do not, though, right?”

Noel swallowed. “Uh…yeah, right.” Mischa looked suspicious. “Really? Because, Poet, sometimes I notice the way you look at me…”

Noel was dead. Ricky had been right all along and the secret was out. He cursed himself for his stupidity.

“Mischa, I…” he began, but Mischa silenced him with a finger to his lips.

“My Poet, do you not realize the very reason I spend so much time at your side?”

“Because we’re friends?”

“No, Noel! Because I think you are…” He turned to face the shorter male, one hand reaching out to cup Noel’s face. “Perfect.”

Noel blushed, taking one step closer. “Really, Mischa?”

“Yes, dumbass. Now come home before the sun sets, we must watch the stars.”

The two of them climbed up onto Mischa’s roof that night as the vast sky sparkled above them, dotted with pearls of flame. They lay down side by side.

“Mischa, why are you even telling me all this?” Noel wondered aloud.

“It felt like the right time.” Mischa’s face was nuzzled into Noel’s hair. “You look pretty, my boy.”

“You flatter me, dumbass.”

A few moments of silence passed before Noel pointed up to the sky. “Look, the big dipper!”

“Huh.” Mischa grunted before pointing himself to another cluster of stars. “That one looks like a penis.”

“How very mature of you, Mr. Bachinski.” Noel sat up again. “So glad you are the guy who fell for me.”

“You fell first!” Mischa laughed. “I merely followed the example of the most romantic boy in town!” He joined him in sitting, hesitantly wrapping an arm around Noel. “It gets pretty chilly up here. Want to go inside? There’s hot cocoa!”

“You know as well as I do I hate hot beverages. Besides…I really want to kiss you and it only feels right to do it under the stars.”

Mischa nodded, and pulled Noel closer and closer until their lips touched lightly. Noel’s lips were smooth and glossy, Mischa’s rough and chapped. They pulled away after a moment, breathless.

“Look up, Mischa. Even the stars are smiling at us.” Noel moved his body close, and they shared one more cuddle before going inside to sleep of the last few restless nights.

#rtc #ride the cyclone #mischa bachinski #noel gruber #nischa #writing #oneshots

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workersolidarity · 3 months

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[ 📹📸 A Russian military transport plane, was in the process of flying 65 Ukrainian POWs to a location in the Bolgorod oblast to facilitate a prisoner exchange when it was shot out of the sky by Ukrainian missile, killing everyone on board.]

🇺🇦⚔️🇷🇺 🚀🛩️💥 🚨

UKRAINIAN MISSILE SHOOTS DOWN RUSSIAN MILITARY TRANSPORT PLANE FILLED WITH ITS OWN POWs

74 are dead, including 65 Ukrainian POWs, after a Russian military transport plane being used to facilitate a prisoner exchange scheduled for Wednesday was downed somewhere over the Bolgorod region of the Russian Federation, near the border with Ukraine. The prisoner exchange has since been called off by Russian authorities.

In an article published by Ukrainian Pravda, a Ukrainian news periodical, a source is cited as saying that the aircraft was downed by Ukrainian forces near the border with Russia's Bolgorod region, however they have since retracted the source, and are now claiming they cannot confirm the news. The Russian authorities have since confirmed that the plane was in fact downed by a Ukrainian missile, likely using either an American Patriot air defense missile or a German-made Iris-T.

In a statement released by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Russian authorities say that the crash took place at approximately 11:15am (local time), when a Russian Il-76 military transport plane filled with Ukrainian POWs was downed near the Bolgorod region.

“At about 11:00 Moscow time, an Il-76 plane crashed during a scheduled flight in the Belgorod region. On board there were 65 captured Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen, <including> six crew members and three accompanying persons,” the statement says.

In its statement, the Russian Defense Ministry slammed the missile strike, declaring the "Kiev regime committed a terrorist act" in downing the military transport.

According to Russian sources, the aircraft had been en route from the Chkalovsky military airbase in Moscow, and was shot down by air defenses stationed somewhere in the Kharkov oblast in the northeast of Ukraine, killing everyone on board.

The Russian and Ukrainian authorities had agreed to conduct a prisoner exchange later on Wednesday, with the exchange set to take place near the Russian village of Kolotilovka, also in the Bolgorod oblast, close to the border with Ukraine.

A second military transport aircraft carrying some 80 Ukrainian POWs was turned around before reaching the danger area, and was successfully diverted to another airbase after news of the downing reached Russian authorities.

The Ukrainian officials have so far refused to comment on the crash, remaining mum as news of the event spreads, although Andrey Yusov, a spokesperson for the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) confirmed a prisoner exchange had been scheduled for Wednesday, adding that the exchange has since been cancelled.

#source1

#source2

#source3

#videosource1

#photosource2

@WorkerSolidarityNews

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mariacallous · 1 month

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Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods is a surgically precise, raw and devastating documentary about a seven-week mission undertaken in November 2023 by the Ukrainian Berlingo Battalion. The stakes of the Berlingo’s mission are extremely high. The 99 soldiers must defend a section of a railway line that runs through the forest that lies north-west of Kupyansk. If the Russians were to take it, they would be able to resupply and potentially push on to Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine.

This film does not so much explain the mission as show it in visceral detail. You will see death and dead bodies; these images are unlikely to leave your mind. I have never seen war portrayed in this way, so close up, grotesque and frantic.

While the soldiers discuss their experiences in interviews, we also see battles from two other positions. The first is through drone footage. Viktor and Denys are drone pilots who fly explosives, or what they call “gifts”, over the Russian troops and their “foxholes”. With FPV (first-person view) drones, the pilots wear goggles, giving them a direct view of the explosives reaching their targets. When they blow up, the screen cuts to fuzz.

In one attack, from the sky, we see a Russian soldier enter a house. The drone follows him in through the front door. A second drone captures the explosion that follows. The Ukrainian soldiers speak frankly of the thrill of it and how they feel about the men who die: “Why should we feel sorry for them?”

In their own foxholes, the Ukrainian soldiers eat, talk, joke and pray. They hold up rudimentary explosives, made from soap and petrol. They extract mice from their food supplies. They talk about the Russians and ask, again and again – sometimes asking captured Russian soldiers directly – why they have come to this country.

The Ukrainians know they are outnumbered. Maksym, who is 19, says more Russians come every day: “They just die, but they keep coming and coming and coming.” Watching a livestreamed battle on a laptop, Dmytro, a company commander, says: “We kill a thousand, they send another thousand.”

Bodycam footage brings horror from another side. We see decisions made on the fly, hectic and desperate. The Ukrainians shoot at Russian soldiers and the Russians fire back. Foxholes are destroyed by Russian drones. We watch the men discovering the bodies of their comrades, then carrying wounded comrades, groaning in agony, through the forest. In the snow and ice, there are so many bodies. To hear the rapid, panicked breathing of these men – to hear the adrenaline and the fear – is so utterly intimate, direct and powerful. It is deeply disturbing. And it should be.

Over the course of just one hour, we get to know these soldiers, who are deep into a rotation they should have left weeks ago, but there was no one to replace them. Natalia, a combat medic, is the only woman in the battalion. She has a veterinary degree, but now she treats people. She has become “emotionless to certain moments of life”, she says, unconvincingly. Vlad, a unit commander whose family fled Kherson during the Russian occupation, has been rapidly promoted through the ranks. He is “fully 19 years old”.

This film is full of haunting landscapes. In one moment, a soldier examines by torchlight a heap of bags piled on the floor. These are the possessions of the soldiers who have left the battalion. Many are injured; some are dead. A battle takes place at night, in the black of the forest. It is lit only by the flashes of gunfire and explosions. The sky turns red. It is a vision of hell.

But the soldiers of the Berlingo often talk about the after times: what they will do and what they dream of in a free Ukraine. Sometimes, these dreams are as simple as football and festivals, life as it was before. They would like houses, dogs, to spend time with children. In war, in all the loss of humanity, there is a sliver of hope.

Many of us find ourselves scrolling through social media feeds that casually drop in images and footage of conflict and war, among holiday snaps and selfies, flattening these nightmares into a swipeable passing moment. Documentaries such as this insist on the opposite. It is distressing in its frankness – of course it is. But it makes the conflict real and asks you to look, understand and remember what is happening, not so far away.

Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods aired on BBC Two and is available on BBC iPlayer

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alcestas-sloboda · 2 years

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The free people of independent Ukraine!

And that says it all. Just four words, but how much is behind them today. On the 182nd day of the full-scale war. How many symbols and meanings, feats and losses, joy and pain are in these words. And mainly how much truth is in them. Our truth. Truth about our present, with which it is impossible to argue, as it is impossible not to see and not to admit. We are the free people of independent Ukraine. After six months of the attempts to destroy us, we are the free people of independent Ukraine. And this is the truth about our future. The free people of independent Ukraine.

Six months ago, Russia declared war against us. On February 24, the entire Ukraine heard explosions and gunshots. And on August 24, it wasn’t supposed to hear the words "Happy Independence Day". On February 24, we were told: you have no chance. On August 24, we say: Happy Independence Day, Ukraine!

During these six months, we changed history, changed the world and changed ourselves. Now we know for sure who is really our brother and friend, and who is not even a casual acquaintance. Who did not lose his name and reputation, and who worried for the terrorists to save face. Who doesn't really need us, and where the door is really open for us. We understood who is who. And the whole world learned who Ukrainians are. What Ukraine is. No one will say about it anymore: it is somewhere over there, near Russia.

We started to respect ourselves. We understood that despite any help and support, no one but us will fight for our independence. And we united.

We didn't have HIMARS yet, but we had people willing to stop tanks with their bare hands. They were not ready to close the sky for us, but we had people willing to cover their native land with themselves.

The Ukrainian people and their courage inspired the whole world. They gave humanity a new hope that justice has not completely left our cynical world. And it is still not force that wins in it, but truth. Not money, but values. Not oil, but people.

Yesterday the world was not united. COVID-19 clearly showed: it's every man for himself. Ukraine has changed this in six months. All world history textbooks will have a section "Times when Ukraine united the world". When democracy grew teeth again. When tyranny receives an answer in the language it understands.

Someone said: Europe is no longer a player. Weak, disunited, passive, sleepy. Ukraine invigorated the whole continent. Europe takes to the squares. Europe introduces tough sanctions. Europe unanimously recognizes that Ukraine is a future member of the European Union.

Big business realized that money still smells. With blood, cinder, death. Corporations and brands are leaving the Russian market, and people have become more important than potential losses.

Never before in the world has public opinion had such an influence on politicians. Today, people dictate trends and rules of behavior to the authorities. Being indifferent, inactive and slow is a shame. Being indecisive and too cautious is a shame. Speaking sluggishly, vaguely and too diplomatically is a shame. Not supporting Ukraine is a shame. And saying about fatigue from Ukraine is a shame. This is a very comfortable position: fatigue is a cover to close your eyes. And today we hear from world leaders and ordinary citizens: we will be with you until the end, until your victory.

Dear people!

We always paid tribute to all the fighters for independence, called this day the main holiday, and the blue-yellow flag - a shrine, put our hands to our hearts while singing the national anthem, and proudly said "Glory to Ukraine!" and "Glory to Heroes!". On February 24, we had to prove our words with deeds.

On this day, the second all-Ukrainian referendum actually took place. Again - the main question. Again - a decisive choice. But this time it was necessary to say "yes" to independence not in the ballot, but in the soul and conscience. Go not to the precinct, but to the military commissariat departments, the territorial defense units, the volunteer movement, the information troops or simply work steadily and conscientiously in your place, at full strength, for a common goal.

We all changed. Someone was born again. As a person, individual, citizen, patriot, simply as a Ukrainian. And this, of course, is good news. Someone disappeared. Did not perish, did not die, but dissolved. As a person, individual, citizen, as a Ukrainian. And this is actually not bad news either. We will not hinder each other anymore.

We made a choice. For some, it is Mariupol. For some - Monaco. But we know who the majority is. And we finally became truly one. A new nation that emerged on February 24 at 4 am. Not born, but reborn. A nation that didn't cry, didn't scream, didn't get scared. Didn't run away. Didn't give up. Didn't forget.

This flag will be everywhere it should be by right. Both in Donbas and in Crimea. The enemy thought we would greet him with flowers and champagne. Instead, he received wreaths and Molotov cocktails. He was waiting for an ovation, but hears "claps".

The occupier believed that in a few days he would be on parade in our capital’s downtown. Today, you can see this "parade" on Khreshchatyk. The proof that enemy equipment can appear in the center of Kyiv only in such form. Burnt, wrecked and destroyed.

It doesn't matter to us what kind of army you have, what matters to us is our land. We will fight for it until the end.

We are holding on for six months. It is difficult for us, but we clenched our fists fighting for our fate. Every new day is a new reason not to give up. Because, having gone through so much, we have no right not to reach the end. What is the end of the war for us? We used to say: peace. Now we say: victory.

We will not seek an understanding with the terrorists. Although we understand the Russian language that you came to defend. And killed thousands of people you came to liberate.

And Johnson, who speaks English, is much more understandable and close to us than murderers, rapists and looters who did it in Russian.

And we don't sit down at the negotiating table because of fear, with a gun pointed at our head. For us, the most terrible iron is not missiles, aircraft and tanks, but shackles. Not trenches, but fetters.

And we will put our hands up only once - when we will celebrate our victory. The whole of Ukraine. Because we do not trade our lands and our people. For us, Ukraine is all of Ukraine. All 25 regions, without any concessions or compromises. We do not know these words, they were destroyed by missiles on February 24.

Donbas is Ukraine. And we will return it, whatever the path may be. Crimea is Ukraine. And we will return it. Whatever the path may be. You don't want your soldiers to die? Free our lands. You don't want your mothers to cry? Free our lands. These are our simple and clear terms.

The free people of independent Ukraine!

We are facing this day in different places. Someone is in trenches and dugouts, in tanks and IFVs, at sea and in the air. Fighting for independence on the frontline. Someone is on the road, in cars, trucks and trains. Fighting for independence by delivering what is necessary to those on the frontline. And someone is on a smartphone or on a computer. Also fighting for independence by raising funds so that those on the road have something to bring to those on the frontline.

We are facing this day in different circumstances, conditions and even in different time zones, but with one goal - preservation of independence and victory of Ukraine!

We united.

Happy Independence Day of Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!

- President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy

#volodymyr zelensky #independence day

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anastasiamaru · 2 years

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This little girl Zhenia from a photo that shocked the world on the morning of June 26, when the russian missile hit her home in Kyiv.

She was eagerly waiting for her saviors and prepared a small heartwarming drawing for them.

#ukraine #war in ukraine #ukraine under attack #missiles attack #stop war #stop putin #stop russian bastards #stop russian missiles #close the sky over ukraine #armukrainenow #arm ukraine to stop russia #russian nazis #russia terrorist state #pray for ukraine #pray for ukrainian soldiers #pray for ukrainians

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ohsalome · 1 year

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youtube

Here is famous jewish-russian poet Iosyf Brodsky reading poem dedicated to Ukrainian proclaimation of independence (translated by Artem Serebrennikov, but without his commentary).

Brodsky is considered one of the geniuses of modern russian poetry. He has a number of awards (including the Nobel Prize), and he had to flee from the Soviet Union due to the fear of state presecution. So, you know, a classic russian liberal.

Dear Charles XII, the Poltava battle*

Has been fortunately lost. To quote Lenin’s burring rattle,

“Time will show you Kuzka’s mother”*, ruins along the waste,

Bones of post-mortem bliss with a Ukrainian aftertaste.

It’s not the green flag, eaten by the isotope*,

It’s the yellow-and-blue flying over Konotop*,

Made out of canvas – must be a gift from Toronto* –

Alas, it bears no cross, but the Khokhly* don’t want to.

Oh, rushnyks* and roubles*, sunflowers in summer season!

We Katsapy* have no right to charge them with treason.

With icons and vodka, for seventy years we’ve bungled,

In our Ryazan we’ve lived like Tarzan in the jungle.

We’ll tell them, filling the pause with a loud “your mom”:

Away with you, Khokhly, and may your journey be calm!

Wear your zhupans*, or uniforms, which is even better,

Go to all four points of the compass and all the four letters.

It’s over now. Now hurry back to your huts

To be gang-banged by Krauts and Polacks right in your guts.

It’s been fun hanging together from the same gallows loop,

But when you’re alone, you can eat all that sweet beetroot soup.

Good riddance, Khokhly, it’s over for better or worse,

I’ll go spit in the Dnieper, perhaps it’ll flow in reverse,

Like a proud bullet train looking at us askance,

Stuffed with leathery seats and ages-old grievance.

Don’t speak ill of us. Your bread and wheat we don’t need,

Nor your sky, may we all choke on sunflower seed.

No need for bad blood or gestures of fury ham-fisted,

Seems that our love is up, if it at all existed.

Why should we plow our broken roots with our verbs?

You were born out of earth, its podzolic soils and its herbs.

Quit flexing your rights and laying all the blame on us,

It is your bloody soil that has become your onus.

Oh, gardens and grasslands and steppes, varenyks filled with honey!

We’ve had greater losses before, lost more people than money.

We’ll get by somehow. And if you want teary eyes –

Wait ‘til next time, guys, this provision no longer applies.

God rest ye merry Cossacks, hetmans*, and gulag guards!

But mark: when it’s your turn to be dragged to graveyards,

You’ll whisper and wheeze, your deathbed mattress a-pushing,

Not Shevchenko’s* bullshit but poetry lines from Pushkin*.

For decades the conossieurs of russian culture has defended Brodsky and denied his authorship of the poem, until this video popped up in 2015. Oh but not russians tho, they don't deny it. They're proud of it! This particular translation I've found on an english website dedicated to popularisation of russian culture :) And of course it had a xenophobic comment expressing support of Brodsky and hatered towards ukrarinians ^)

So yeah, I think we have more than enough reasons to say that any person who claims that russian invasion of Ukraine came out of nowhere and/or that it was not motivated by xenophobia and imerialism towards ukrainians, is full of bullshit.

[context/references explained under the cut, buckle up for a long lecture]

Poltava battle was one of decisive clashes between Sweden and Russia during the Great Northern War. Initially Ukraine was fighting this war on the side of the russian empire as its vassal, but before the Poltava battle we switched sides. There were several reasons for this choice, among the most important - russian emperor breaking the treaty between the Hetmanate and Muscowy. Important context - the head of then ukrainian state, Ivan Mazepa, was very close to russian emperor - you could say, he was his father figure. Mazepa educated tzar Peter in European manner and helped him start the europeisation of the Muscowy. russians see this battle as a huge personal betrayal (the fact that Peter I betrated Mazepa first is always omitted, in russian culture, unlike ukrainian, the person higher than you on hierarchy doesn't owe you shit but has absoulte power over you). That was 300 years ago and russians are still salty about it. and Mazepa is probably the second most hated ukrainian historical figure after Bandera.

"Show you Kuzka's mother" - a phrase meaning "show them hell", famously used by the ussr general secretary Michael Khrushchev adressed to american politicians in 1959.

"Eaten by isotope" - reference to the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.

Konotop - a small city in Northern Ukraine, famous for the Konotop battle that happened between cossacks and muscowytes in 1659. In the modern russo-ukrainian war it became famous for witches that curse russian soldiers with erectile dysfunction. Interestingly enough, a "Konotop witch" has been a phenomena even before that, as refered in a short story of the same name by Hryhorii Kvitka-Osnovianenko, thus giving even more substance to the threat.

Toronto - canadian city, probably mentioned here due to the fact that many Ukrainians flead from the ussr to Canada, thus creating one of the biggest ukrainian diasporas in the world. Canadian ukrainians are known for being very politically active, publishing ukrainian literature at times when it was impossible to do so at home, and fighting soviet propaganda. As a result, Kremlin began a smear campaign painting all canadian ukrainians as nazis, which is effective till this day.

Khokhly - a common slur used against ukrainian. Most probably comes from old slavonic "xoxolъ" that means "bangs" and refers to the hairstyle typically worn by ukrainian men, that russians found funny.

Rushnyks - an embroidered decorative towel, used in home decor and some rituals [examples]

Roubles - russian currency.

Katsapy - common slur used against russians. They will want you to believe that the word comes from phrase "как цап" - "like a goat" and refers to the type of beard worn by russian men at old time, but this is purposeful misleading from the true origin of the word. Katsap comes from arabic "qassab", which means literally "butcher". A legend states that this comes from a single incedent when russian army, after promising to spare a city's residents if they surrendered peacefully, cut down every single person there. But different sources attribute this to different battles (some of which verifyably did not end with the city surrendering), so I don't think this can be bottled down to a single event.

Zhupans - a type of outer clothing popular in Ukraine and Poland [example, another example] Funny trivia - Word of Darkness tabletop universe used this word to describe a subtype of vampires from Eastern Europe, which is incredibly funny for me. Gimme mysterious british vampire warlocks called pullovers.

Hetmans - a military and political head-of-state in some medieval and Renaissance Eastern European countires, including Ukraine (known as Hetmanate back then).

Taras Shevchenko - perhaps the most influential ukrainian poet, artist, ethnografist and political figure, the metaphorical spiritual father of the country. His influence on the modern ukrainian culture is incomparable - half the things in Ukraine are named after him. He is also among the people who have the biggest number of monuments erected in the world - 1384. Taras Shevchenko's life story is extremely dramatic and deserves its own post - born in slavery, bought out of it thanks to his unique artistic talent, imprisoned for criticism of russian monarchy with an explicit ban on writing and painting, spent the second half of his life in exile. He wrote a lot about freedom and things we would call today anticolonialism and antiimperialism.

Alexander Pushkin - one of the "founding fathers" of russian literature, who is attributed with setting the standard of literary russian language. russians call him "our everything", but as far as I am aware he is hardly known outside the countries smeared by russian imperialism with the exception of some black classic literature fans due to being 1/4 black.

#russian culture #russian literature #russian poetry #poetry #brodsky #iosyf brodsky #xenophobia #imperialism #russian imperialism #rushism #rashism #Youtube

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brooklynmuseum · 10 months

Photo

The freefall into summer time starts now. Who’s with us? ☁️ 😎⁠

Boris Anisfeld’s striking painting of billowing clouds and the Black Sea’s blue water seems a fitting image for today’s #SummerSolstice. While the painting positions the viewer midair, looking down at the vast water from the top of the Ayu-Dag Mountain (located in southern Ukraine), it also challenges the illusion of depth in traditional landscapes by flattening all the elements onto a single plane.⁠

Anisfeld came to the United States after the 1917 Russian Revolution, and the Brooklyn Museum hosted his first American one-person exhibition one year later. ⁠

See this summertime sky—and several other landscape paintings from our collection—up-close in Monet to Morisot: The Real and Imagined in European Art, located on the fifth floor.⁠

🖼️ Boris Anisfeld (Bălti, present-day Moldova (former Russian Empire), 1879-1973, Waterford, Connecticut). Clouds over the Black Sea--Crimea, 1906. Oil on canvas. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Boris Anisfeld in memory of his wife, 33.416 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)⁠

#Brooklyn Museum #Boris Anisfeld #art #summer #summer solstice #painting #black sea #summertime #landscape painting #brooklyn #museum #cloud #clouds #ship #sea #water

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hekateinhell · 11 months

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What do you think Armand (as a vampire*) enjoys most about the beach? What does he like the least?

*I had to clarify because the mermaid Armand from your fic would probably have very different answers. 😂

Oh, I love this question! Off the bat, I would say his favorite thing about the beach is the water.

I'm neurotic enough that I thought about this before several years ago when I first read VC. My pattern orientated brain just hyperfixated over Armand & The Water. Whether by choice or force, Armand has spent the largest and most significant chucks of his life by some body of water!

He was born by the Dnieper River in Ukraine, spent his years with Marius in Venice over the Adriatic Sea, and then lived in Paris for three hundred years. Les Innocents--or the Holy Innocents Cemetery as it was actually called in real life--is right by the Seine River, and there's also the grand Fontaine des Innocents which still exists today!

Look at it, imagine Armand in the dark trying to brood and not enjoy anything every time he happened upon this hedonistic thing.

After Paris, he travelled around the world with Louis--all the countries mentioned in IWTV are by a sea or an ocean. Then they lived in Manhattan for a long time (an island surrounded by the Hudson, Harlem, and East Rivers). From there was the four decades watching over Lestat's living grave in New Orleans by the Mississippi River. Then when he settles with Daniel, it's Manhattan again, and of course... Night Island on the Gulf of Mexico. And finally, he ends up back in Manhattan in Trinity Gate.

All that to say, I don't think it's a coincidence that Armand chooses to live near water whenever he can. Furthermore, he tells us what he did love about the water as a brand new baby vampire in TVA!

What astonished me now was that I could see beneath the water! There was enough life for my vampiric eyes to see the huge anchors lodged in the mushy bottom of the lagoon, and to see the curved bottoms of the galleys. It was an entire underwater universe. I wanted to explore it further, but I heard my Master's voice - not a telepathic voice, as we would call it now, but his audible voice - calling me very softly to return to the piazza where he waited for me.

And right before that:

I floated under the sky for a while, until all the pain was gone from me.

I've thought a lot about Armand and his sensory overstimulation (entirely separate meta), and I definitely headcanon that sometimes he likes to go to the beach and go out into the water and float aimlessly for a bit when he needs a break. In my head it's sort of like a sensory deprivation tank, but of course there's more going on in the water (more beauty too).

Mask off, me being an absolute fucking NERD: Armand has always been my Water element, Louis my Fire (too easy, much too easy), and Lestat my Wind. 🥹

What does Armand like the least about the beach? Sand. It's too close to dirt, and I don't think he likes to be dirty; he had nightmares about dirt and dirt being under his fingers when he was in Venice (not to mention the trauma associated with being underground for him). I don't think it's like a pathological aversion or anything, but I do think that would be his least favorite thing here!

#i know you didn't sign up for this nobody signed up for this and yet here it is #listen i didn't randomly pick armand to be my perfect mermaid he IS water to me!#i imagine him making out with lestat by that fountain in the present day in case anybody was wondering (you weren't)#you ask and hekate answers #armand #mildly meta #vc #the vampire chronicles #armand & the water #quotes

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