#Katya Learns Russian Series | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

tobyjenny · 3 years ago

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Hetaught me some chords in an after school class, and he also made me love poetry, especially Edgar Allan Poe.

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artificialqueens · 5 years ago

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Girls Interrupted, Chapter 2: She Wants To Dance Like Uma Thurman, But She Can’t (Vatya) 1/2 - Maeve

A/N: Hello! It’s me, Maeve, again. This is the first part of the second chapter of Girls Interrupted, and I can’t believe it. You won’t believe how much time I spent trying to learn cheerleading terms for this (it was a lot). It makes me so happy to see that we aren’t letting this drought get the best of us. So many prompts! The world could always use some more Vatya, and I’m more than happy to provide because their dynamic is so fun to write. Hope you enjoy it!

P.S. Part two is going to be wacky

Neil deGrasse Tyson would have good pickup lines—or at least Katya thought he would. Sharon was taking an exceptionally long time to change into her gym uniform, and not wanting to walk back to the gym alone, Katya was forced to wander the landfills of her mind.

“Boo,” Sharon smirked, emerging from around the corner.

Katya rolled her eyes. “Some of us have limited lifespans,” she tutted. “How long does it take to put on unisex activewear?”

“Fuck off,” Sharon laughed. “I had to take my face off. As much as I enjoy an irritated Phi Phi, I’m too hungover to hear about my ‘cakey Ben Nye’. Clown white, of course. It’s a real pain in the ass to find foundation, you know?” Katya’s head whipped back as she cackled, and Sharon was quick to clamp a hand over the blonde’s mouth. The abruptness of the action shocked Katya into silence. “What part of ‘hungover’ did you not understand, Zamo?” She snapped.

Katya’s sheepish smile was hidden underneath Sharon’s cold, clammy hand. In a moment of poor judgement, Katya licked the offending palm. “Tastes like soap,” she stuck out her tongue. The spooky teen pulled away in disgust. Sharon was about to retaliate when the blonde fell to her knees. “There is no need to spite me, Mistress of Darkness, for I am currently paying for my actions with the acrid taste of ‘Generic Brand’.”

Sharon wiped her palm on her shorts. “Get up, pussyfart,” she instructed. “It’s too early in the year—even for me—to become Coach Rice’s sacrificial lamb.” Katya did as she was told, and the two hastily descended the stairs that lead to the gym.

Utter chaos had taken over the gym. Coach Rice was nowhere to be found, so Katya and Sharon joined their classmates on the bleachers and watched the madness unfold. A group of cheerleaders in green and white skirts and halter tops practiced stunts across a series of large, green mats. The Back to School Pep Rally was due to begin in less than half an hour, and the throbbing vein on Coach Calhoun’s forehead told Katya everything she needed to know.

In the center of the floor stood a red-faced Violet Chachki. Even when raising the fires of Hell, she looked immaculate. Her uniform was pristine (likely freshly laundered), and not a hair in her high ponytail was out of place. The form-fitting material hugged her body in all the right places, and if Katya didn’t know whose head was attached to it, Katya’s mouth might’ve watered.

Violet towered over the frightened Junior Varsity girl, reducing her to a sniveling mess. Ouch.

Bianca, who was watching the drama unfold from the other side of the gym, finally spotted her friend through the forest of cheerleaders. She snuck her way over to Katya and plunked down next to her.

“She’s been like this all day,” Bianca informed them. She pursed her lips, “It’s nothing new, really. Chachki can’t get it through her thick skull that we can’t all be as perfect as her. Their routine is sloppy and the stunts aren’t clean.”

“Bummer,” Sharon quipped.

Katya frowned. “But that’s not her fault, right?” She turned to Bianca, “Couch Calhoun can’t really blame her.”

Her friend shot her a pitying look. “You’ve clearly never met Coach Calhoun,” Bianca said, standing up and excusing herself to go put the Spartacus the Spartan costume on.

Katya frowned, Can one girl really be expected to carry the weight of both squads? Violet Chachki was by no means her favorite person, but the blonde could still recognize an unfair situation. She returned her attention to the mats where Alyssa and Coco tried and failed to perform a routine lift.

“That was the most offensive thing I’ve seen in twenty years of coaching!” Coach Calhoun Bellowed. “You’re pathetic! All of you! You’ve made me want to stab myself, congratulations! Now get your sorry asses cleaned up because my girls are not ugly!”

Even Sharon flinched at the severity. The two shared a nervous glance. Pep Rallies were usually optional, but since their 7th period was in the place where the pep rally would be held, they didn’t have much of a choice. It was going to be painful to watch.

The cheerleaders weren’t the only issue with the pep rally, either. Coach Rice had been forced to send three members of the football team to Principal Charles’ office due to a locker room jockstrap incident. The man re-entered the gym just before the pep-rally looking rather disheveled. He stormed into the coaches office and slammed the door behind him. School spirit, am I right?

“You sticking around for this shitshow?” Sharon asked Katya. “I need a smoke.”

The blonde took a moment before shaking her head. “Why try new things when you can try nothing?” Sharon gave her an exasperated look. “Stay and watch the show with me?” She begged.

With a dramatic sigh, her friend caved. “Fine, but you owe me one, Zamo,” Sharon grumbled.

Despite all of her complaining, Katya knew that Sharon wasn’t upset about sticking around for the circus. She’d probably get a kick out of the mess to come. Katya, however, found herself compelled to remain on the bleachers by different forces. There was something about the gruesome and horrific that made you want to look when you knew you shouldn’t. Katya would certainly regret it later.

The pep rally commenced with a speech from Principal Charles: school spirit and all that crap. The football players paraded in after, pumped for their game that evening. Next, the Spartanaires performed a lackluster, borderline raunchy dance in their usual out-of-sync fashion. Finally, it was the cheerleaders’ turn.

Fallout Boy’s Uma Thurman was an appropriate cheer remix for the scene unfolding in front of them. She wants to dance like Uma Thurman, but she can’t. Katya grimaced as all of the girls jumped into a double hook at slightly different times than each other. She scanned the rows for familiar faces, finding Alaska first. Her smile looked more like a grimace as she jumped into a hurdler. The clump peeled off into two groups and proceded to butcher an axel turn canon into a drop. Alyssa and Coco were clearly competing for the best leg height in the toe touches that followed. A series of back handsprings, cartwheels, and walkovers later, Katya finally spotted Violet front and center. She was lifted into a scorpion hold cradle for the conclusion of the routine.

Is there anything she can’t do? Katya wondered.

The raven-haired cheerleader remained in the air for a glorious second before she began to wobble. Immediately, the blonde knew something was off: Courtney and Willam kept shifting their grip. Katya watched in horror as Violet plummeted towards the ground moments later. Roxy, who was supposed to be her back spot, stumbled backwards to avoid being crushed, and the cheerleader hit the mat with a loud thud.

Katya couldn’t breathe. It was impossible to tell if Violet landed on her back, her head, or her ass. Her fellow cheerleaders continued to hold their positions, knowing full well that they’d be flayed by Coach Calhoun for breaking formation. Suddenly, there was movement, and the cheer captain pushed her way through Willam, Courtney, and Roxy. Her face was flushed and her high ponytail had seen better days. Violet raised her arms in a V shape and gave her head a sharp nod, concluding the routine.

The other fliers dismounted and the relatively unphased squad began to roll up the mats. Violet slipped away in the crowd of exiting students.

Is no one going to make sure she’s okay? Katya wondered. She didn’t notice anyone chasing after Violet, but Katya had been wrong many times before. Katya poked Sharon. “Did anyone go after Violet?” She asked

“Don’t think so,” Sharon commented. “Betcha she went home like the rest of the bimbettes are going to Thanks for the good time, Kat. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sharon hopped down from the bleachers and slunk off to the locker room, leaving Katya to find Bianca.

Bianca exited the mascot’s private dressing room just as Katya made to open the door.

“Just the assclown I was looking for!” Bianca exclaimed, “There’s a back to school party at Alaska’s tonight. She wanted me to invite you. Something about it coming from a non threatening face. Gotta run, bitch! I have dogs to put through college. Just remember that I refuse to associate with losers!” Bianca sprinted off in the direction of the junior lot.

Don’t be a loser. Got it. Katya made a mental note. She was both over the moon and wholly mortified that Alaska invited her—Katya, “Bozo the Cunt”, your average run-of-the-mill Russian bisexual transvestite hooker—to her party. Katya’s skin felt warm and tingly, and it was in a good way for once! Suck it, Susan, I am putting pants on tonight, she grinned.

The blonde practically skipped back to the locker room to collect her things. At the base of the stairs to the girls’ facilities, she stumbled into a cloud of cigarette smoke. “Sharon Needles, you are one rotten girl,” Katya tutted. Sharon was perched on the third step with a cigarette in hand.

“The most sickening ghoul you know,” she affirmed. “Cancer sticks wait for no woman, babe. Pop a squat?” Her friend offered her a toothy smile.

“I’m all for soaking up your secondhand smoke like a sponge, but I only have a few hours before the ball to turn myself into a biological woman,” Katya apologized with a pout.

Sharon nodded, “Suit yourself, Zamo. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

“The Harris County Morgue!” Katya bounded up the stairs two at a time. High school was shit as a whole, but she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of making two new friends in one week.

In the locker room, Katya peeled off her gym clothes. She was slipping into her custard yellow mom jeans when she heard a yelp from the bathroom area. Because it was a day for stupid decisions, Katya zipped up her pants and set out to investigate. She padded across the cold concrete in her bright blue rubber duckie socks. The bathroom area was made separate by the abrupt switch to peppery tiled floor. There was a series of exposed sinks, and bathroom and shower stalls were on the left and right of the sinks, respectively, and separated from the rest of the locker room by brick walls.

When Katya turned the corner, she was brought face to face—well, face to back—with a half-naked Violet Chachki. The cheerleader was examining a scrape on her forearm.

Katya felt a lot like she’d pressed that ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ button on Google in that moment. She hadn’t known what she was going to find in the bathroom, nor had she developed any expectations for the result. She had said ‘sure, why not?’ and was presented with something (a surprising something) that she now had no idea what to do with.

Thanks, I guess? Fuck. Katya grimaced.

Violet’s quick recovery on the floor had masked the true damage done by the fall. There were claw marks on her sides and down her back. Either she fell on someone or her bases tried to catch her, Katya deduced. A small first aid kit was perched on the side of the sink. The blonde decided to dig her hole even deeper.

“Violet?” She called softly. The last thing she wanted to do was startle a wild animal. Violet’s head whipped around, and Katya found her ocean blue eyes connecting with piercing brown ones yet again.

“What?” Violet snapped. Her words were merely a gut reaction to being disturbed; it took her a moment to process that it was her cretinous lab partner doing said disturbing.

Katya froze. “I-um…are you…you know? Okay?” She stammered. “I saw the fall, a-and then you got up, so I thought maybe…but then you just now did the, and I heard you. Now, here we are, and your back lo—”

“It’s none of your fucking business!” Violet interrupted. The cheerleader crossed her arms over her sports-bra-clad chest. This was not good.

She tried again, “Are you sure you don’t want help?” Katya was no Dr. Ken Jeong, but she could still tell that it was going to be a real pain in the ass for Violet to dress the scratches on her back by herself. The raven-haired girl hissed. Literally.

“I get it. I’m a bitch. But in no way should that discourage you from believing the goddamn words that come out of my mouth. I don’t need your help. I don’t want your help,” Violet’s voice was cold and laced with venom. Katya turned tail and ran back to her locker. She didn’t dare look back.

Katya leaned back against the cool, green metal of her locker and sank down to the floor. Fuck. Just, fuck. That’s what you do, Katya you fuck everything up. She dug her face into her knees. You can’t show your face in biology now. She’ll make your life a living hell. Is that what you want, Katya? Do you want to run away? Do you want to be pathetic? The blonde’s breaths were labored and heavy. Her wet palms grasped for purchase on the fabric of her jeans. Katya needed to calm down. This couldn’t happen here. She frantically grabbed for her ‘birds aren’t real’ shirt and pulled it over her head. Next, shoes. It was difficult with her shaking hands, but she managed to lace up her high tops. Katya was almost out the door when one of her worst nightmares came true.

“Shit!” Violet’s voice echoed through the room. Katya pinched the bridge of her nose. Why did it always have to be her? She couldn’t just leave Violet—even if she was a raging cunt.

I’m not gonna panic, because I don’t do that anymore, the blonde steeled herself. She marched with purpose back to the sinks and put on her sternest face.

“Look, Chachki, I’m going to need you to put your feelings towards me aside for right now,” Katya began. Violet once again whipped around, still unamused. “I’m going to help you whether you like it or not. This might come as a bit of a shocker, but I don’t get off on watching you struggle. I don’t want a leg up. I don’t want to be friends. But if you don’t cover some of those nastier ones up and irritate the hell out of your skin, it’s sure as hell going to be my problem when you’re extra rotten in class.” Neither of the two girls were expecting that to come out of Katya’s mouth. There was no turning back now.

The blonde approached the sink, and with all the courage she could muster, placed her hands on Violet’s shoulders and gently turned her around. Her patient tensed under her touch. “Sorry,” Katya apologized, “I tend to forget they’re usually cold.” The first aid kit on the sink contained a small tube of neosporin and some gauze. She quickly washed her hands before picking up the tube from where Violet had abandoned it. It looked like the girl’s sides were taken care of, so she moved on to her back.

Violet’s skin was smooth but firm under her fingertips. Katya gently traced the red marks until each one was taken care of. She then began to unroll the long spool of gauze just enough to give Violet one of the loose ends to hold at her hip bone. Katya skillfully guided the roll around the girl’s body until there was only a bit left to tuck into a fold. Without making eye contact with the cheerleader, she washed her hands once more and returned to her bag. If anyone saw Katya sprint to her car that afternoon, they never said a word.

Ironically, Katya felt like she could finally breathe in her stuffy car. She was too scatterbrained to remember to put up her sun visor in the mornings and was doomed to regret it later. But the heat didn’t matter now. Katya had given orders to Violet Chachki—orders the cheerleader had obeyed. Violet Chachki. Violet fucking Chachki.

Oh shit! You manhandled God’s gift to this world! What were you thinking? Katya plugged her phone in and put on some tunes to drown out the potential consequences. Elton John couldn’t solve her problems, but he could make the drive home a little less shitty.

#rpdr fanfiction #katya zamolodchikova #violet chachki #sharon needles #vatya #bianca del rio #high school au #lesbian au #slow burn #fluff #angst #enemies to friends #enemies to lovers #drama #girls interrupted #maeve #tw anxiety and depression #concrit welcome

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master-sass-blast · 5 years ago

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Fall Family Day.

Hi, welcome to the Fluff Train, ALL ABOARD!

Summary: You, Piotr, and the students at Xavier’s take a day to celebrate Fall and mutantism with the families and alums connected to the Institute.

Pairings: Piotr Rasputin x Reader and Alexandra Rasputin x Nikolai Rasputin.

Rating: G. Just ignore the swear words. There aren’t any. Shhhh.

Set after “Meeting the Rasputins” but before the ending of “Gatekeeper.”

Taglist: @chromecutie, @marvel-is-perfection, @super-darkcloudstudent, @girl-obsessed-with-things, @nebulous-leo

Watching Piotr slowly step into the role of headmaster at Xavier’s has been a fascinating journey to watch. You know he takes the role with the utmost seriousness and dignity, and that he’s invested countless hours into learning the ropes of managing students, supply orders, payrolls, training waivers, and the various nitty-gritty details that come with the role of managing the Institute—

But you’ve also watched him work on implement new, fun activities for the students –case in point, today: Fall Family Day.

It’d taken some work to get off the ground, but Piotr managed to block out a Friday to invite the –supportive, loving—family members of the various students to come and visit the Institute and have their respect kids show them around and show off their various academic and mutation training accomplishments; for the kids that don’t have anyone coming, he’s also invited the various alumni and college students that work with Xavier’s to come, visit, and support the kids that don’t have anyone. The parents will have a chance to properly meet with the teachers in charge of their children’s education, and there’s a training session scheduled before lunch so the students can show off their progress from studying at Xavier’s.

Also on the day’s docket is pumpkin carving, apple bobbing, hayrides, and other fall-themed fun.

It’s not hard to miss the pride and satisfaction that’s practically glowing off Piotr. You know he loves doting on and supporting his students, and the fact that they’re excited and happy makes him happy—

You can’t help but smile. He’s the literal sweetest.

He’s also dressed in a dark gray button down shirt that he’s rolled up the sleeves on, and –granted—he’s wearing his X-Men suit underneath in case disaster strikes and he needs to armor up, but…

Hot dayum.

Anywho.

The excitement in the air is palpable –which, granted, with a combination of thirty odd elementary, middle school, and high school students, is pretty easy to achieve.

Granted, not everyone is quiet so overjoyed…

“It’s okay,” you soothe Sasha –who is far more prone to weepy outbursts than her counterpart, case in point right now. “We can set up a call with your parents soon, and you’re still going to have so much fun today—”

And then a shouted, elated greeting in Russian distracts the girls, and two adults that look a lot like them are running towards them, and then the girls are running towards the adults and hugging them—

“Just so we’re sure,” you say as you jog over to Piotr. “Those are the parents, right?”

He chuckles and nods. “Da. Although, that still leaves question of how they got here—”

“Medvezhonok!”

Alex strides across the lawn, beaming at her son, with Nikolai close behind and Illyana and Mikhail trailing after as they argue over something.

Piotr gapes at his family as they finish closing the distance between them. “Chto… kak?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s how Katya’s and Sasha’s parents got here,” you comment quietly.

Piotr only has a moment to blink –which is followed by a snort—before he’s pulled into a massive hug, courtesy of Alexandra. They converse in Russian for a moment, then Alex turns to you and flashes a dazzling grin at you. “Malen'kaya ptitsa!”

You grin back as you’re drawn into a hug. “Hi! How’s everything? Also, when and how did you get here?”

Alex chuckles as she lets you go. “We teleported.” She nods to Sasha’s and Katya’s parents. “And picked them up along way.”

“Mama,” Piotr says in a voice that’s equal parts exasperated and admonishing, which prompts Nikolai to soothe him in a stream of Russian that –like just about everything else everyone’s been saying—you don’t understand.

Alex merely shrugs and smirks. “We have it handled. And we wanted to see you.”

Piotr shakes his head, but there’s no hiding the grin on his face. “Just be careful.”

Alex grins crookedly at her son before turning to face Xavier’s. “Aren’t I always? Now, tell me all about today.”

***

First on the roster is the training session –well, not a “session,” in the technical sense of the word. It’s more of a display, a chance for the students to show off everything they’ve been learning during their time at the school.

The younger students –along with those who are new to Xavier’s and haven’t had as much time to work on controlling their mutations—mostly stick to fun tricks: juggling with no hands, throwing or aiming things at targets, and the like.

One girl with the ability to control water makes it jump from cup to cup. She beams proudly when she finishes her display and does a little curtsy for the applauding crowd.

The older students –and those who have been at Xavier’s for longer—get to run through some of the tamer training simulations or perform more elaborate tricks for the crowd. Kitty wows everyone as she does various gymnastics through random objects, Yukio makes a short animation with her electrokinesis, and Ellie and Russell put on a display of pyrotechnics and energy manipulation that would’ve brought the house down if the room hadn’t been so thoroughly reinforced.

All in all, it’s a good time. The kids are practically glowing from all the praise they get from everyone that showed up, and the older students are similarly pleased, though some of go to greater efforts to hide it.

“This was a good idea,” you say to Piotr as everyone heads back towards the main part of the mansion. “The kids really needed this.”

He squeezes your hand and smiles at you gratefully. “Spasibo, myshka.”

***

Lunch comes in the form of a massive picnic on the back lawn. Blankets are laid out on the grass, and picnic baskets –labelled, so students with food allergies don’t wind up getting something they can’t eat—are distributed among the students, alums, teachers, and parents. The weather is perfect –dry, full sun, but still with that hint of fall chill in the air.

Wade and Nate also show up at lunchtime. They split off so Wade can visit with Russell and Nate can visit with you, Piotr, and his family –but Wade is properly dressed and on his best behavior, for once.

The relief on Piotr’s face is palpable.

Katya, Sasha, and their parents –who you learn are named Alexei and Natalia—sit with you, Piotr, and his family, since no one else speaks fluent Russian at the mansion.

All in all, it’s a good time. You all munch on sandwiches, chips, and other –healthy—snacks, and you only catch about a tenth of what’s said in Russian, but it’s good. Calm. Happy.

You smile when Piotr’s hand curls around yours. It doesn’t get better than this.

***

After lunch comes a series of fall-themed activities for the students, alums, and parents to do together: apple-bobbing, pumpkin carving, corn hole, hayrides, and the like.

Your role in all of it mostly boils down to making sure none of the students cut in the line for the various activities and that no one runs with the knives in the pumpkin carving area, same as the other teachers and staff members in attendance.

You do, though, get treated to quite the display when Piotr bobs for apples at the behest of his students. The way the water drips off his chin, the way his cheeks flush from the chill of the water, the ever-so-slightly self-conscious smile he wears when he finally manages to grab one…

Hot dayum.

Also high on the list of “entertaining moments” –albeit in an entirely different context—is watching Alex and Wade carve a pumpkin together. They’re both entirely too dramatic about the process of carving a pumpkin, of all things, and their steady stream of banter makes several of the students fall out of their seats from laughing too hard.

All in all, it’s a good day.

***

“You did good today.”

It’s night, now. The students that stay at Xavier’s are in bed, the parents and alums have gone back to their places of residence, and you…

Well, you’re in bed with Piotr –post having worked out your pent-up frustration caused by the apple-bobbing contest, thank you very much.

The blankets are haphazardly draped over you both; you’re nestled up against your boyfriend’s chest, one leg slung over his hip, and Piotr’s fingers alternate between playing with your hair or tracing nonsensical designs up and down your back.

“I mean it,” you insist when Piotr tries to dodge the compliment with his trademark humility. “You did good, Piotr. You made the students so happy today. So many of the kids here come from such ugly backgrounds; they needed a day like today just soak in love and positivity.”

It’s a truth seldom spoken out loud at Xavier’s. There’s the occasional few students or members of the X-Men that manage to dodge the worst of the persecution aimed at mutants, but almost every single person who’s passed through the front doors of the Institute for Gifted Children have undergone some form of mistreatment for their different DNA, be it bullying, rejection by their families, or growing up in one of the orphanages like the one Russell and his peers came from.

“You’re going to be a good headmaster,” you say as you kiss your boyfriend’s chest. “Today proved it –again.”

Piotr ducks his head bashfully, though it’s impossible to miss the way his cheeks flush with happiness. “Spasibo, myshka.”

“Anytime, baby,” you murmur as he kisses the top of your head. “Anytime.”

#sass writes #piotr rasputin x reader #colossus x reader #alexandra rasputin x nikolai rasputin #more fall themed wholesomeness #and fluff #always fluff #x men fanfiction #deadpool fanfiction

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atimefordragons · 5 years ago

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[ T S E S A R E V N A ... ]

My incomplete audition for Gem Quest, didn’t have the time to participate properly, let alone finish my audition from all the other groups (yeah, I don’t know what time management is and have no idea how to pace myself).

“В небе далеком горит звезда, | In distant heaven star shines Не одинока и не одна | It's not alone and not the one Каждый себе выбирает путь | Everyone choose their own way И она не даст свернуть | And star won't allow them to turn Не закрывай глаза | Don't close your eyes Смотри она ведет тебя.. | Look, it leads you...”

- Звезда (Dima Bilan ft Anna Belan)

Real Name: Yekatrina “Katya/Rina” Anatolyevna Raevskaya

Age: 26

FC: Alia Bhatt

Species & Class: Dragonborn & Mage-Knight

Guild: Moonstone

Description of In-Game Powers: (what their fantasy species lets them do, basically, and all the associated drawbacks)

A dragonborn is a cross-bred species, born from the bloodline of either a human or an elf, and a Great Dragon (highly evolved, ancient dragons that can cast spells, and shit, and even speak the human tongue). Because great dragons are rare, most dragonborn are second generation or later. In the case of Tsesarevna, an ice dragon and a human (not a first gen).

Dragonborns have a natural affinity for magic, particularly elemental, even more specifically for the element of the dragon type whose blood they inherited, in the case of Tsesarevna, frozen water related magic, ice, frost, snow.

Place of Birth: Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation

Appearance: (optional textual description/notes of wardrobe, features not represented by fc, etc)

Places Most Likely to be Found In-Game: Level 20 - A Midwinter Night’s Dream (I see what you did there Ayz) and Level 38 - Murias Pass (the snow reminds her of home, ya know. The cold never bothered me anyway), also sometimes Level 39 - The Dragon, but she’s technically stuck on that level because she refuses to kill the Dragon, issa zaldrīzo ānogar.

Current Inventory:

History Book: The Dragon King Festival

Strongest character trait: eurovision knowledge Confidence (in herself and some others)

Strengths: Katya is almost surprisingly determined, it contradicts with the rest of her “I’ve never had to work hard to get what I want in my life” type personality, but she is persevering and stubborn, when she wants something, she won’t stop until she gets it. Which in her real life was never very difficult getting.

Weaknesses: Where to even start? Spoiled Princess Brat (she has never not gotten what she wants in her life, and it shows), impatient, impulsive, not exactly a team player (I mean, she is now, but that shady shit she pulled back when she first started playing kinda got her a rep), arrogant, prideful, kind of a bitch (doesn’t really think of it as a weakness, but ya know, it’s hard to make friends), dragon obsession (refuses to kill dragons, even in order to advance the game, got herself and party members killed early on in the game ‘cause of it), kind of an adrenaline junkie, and reckless af. She doesn’t really consider the consequences of the game, wholeheartedly believes her dad, fam and connections in the real world will get her out soon enough, so has no problem running head first into fire (”I’m too hot to die in a video game”).

Player Stats: (on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the weakest, 10 being the strongest. try to balance it out!)

STRENGTH: 9

DEFENSE: 7

CHARISMA: 3

PSYCHE: 5

WILLPOWER: 9

CAUTIOUSNESS: 2

AGILITY: 5

ENDURANCE: 7

INTELLIGENCE: 8

LUCK: 4

Personality: “Haven’t you ever seen a princess be a bad bitch before?”

Haha, yeah, but mostly, she’s just a massive nerd. She’s such a fucking nerd. Bitch learned Quenya and Sindarin just for kicks, and her own amusement. Literally no one else in her irl circle even fucking knows what those two things are (Elvish tongues in Tolkien).

As the baby of a two large families, and the only daughter of a Russian oligarch, Katya is incredibly spoiled, and very much self-centered. Something of a downplayed celebutante, she is not quite as present at every single high society, high fashion event in Russia, or elsewhere in Europe, she only goes to a handful. And really only for the free stuff, she loves stuff. Katya maintains a somewhat disinterested high social status, as she is the daughter of a major industrialist, and friends with other, higher profile wealthy Russian heirs and heiresses, and there are benefits (so many), but she isn't quite interested in attaining spotlight or attention. However, she also perceives it as something that is just naturally part of her life. She uses a lot of hand gestures when speaking, and tends to give off a naive-princessy vibe who seems to think the world revolves around her. Which, to be fair, it does in her house -she does know that it doesn’t actually, but ya know, can’t quite turn off that bitch, I’m a princess mindset.

“I don’t skate through life... I walk through life. In really nice shoes.” - Alexis Rose (Schitts’ Creek 3.04)

Notably, she speaks with a vocal fry when speaking English. She says “like” a lot, has a bit of a condescending tone, but, she like, does care. About a lot of stuff, but also humanity in general. Spoiled baby she may be, she does have a moral compass, and was amongst the public figures who signed an open letter against the Saint Petersburg Anti-”Gay Propaganda” bill (it’s some bullshit about “protecting” minors from “non-traditional sexual relationships”). She believes in doing the right thing, that the goal of any organization or even person should just be to decrease the net suffering of humanity, but also, she is a super proud Russian. Very anti-american, thinks they’re all stupid, always says shady shit in Russian whenever she runs into americans online. However, it’s not like she’s a fan of United Russia (Putin’s party), they’re right-wing nutjobs, she does not like them. Her main political party is A Just Russia, who are much less then left than her (officially, they be centre-left), but they’re the only ones (of her favoured parties) who have seats in the State Duma (the lower house of the Federal Assembly, Russia’s legislative body - the Duma is like parliament, or congress, I think, I don’t really know what congress is tbh, house of representatives maybe? Idk, the place where Nancy Pelosi is charge, equivalent to that). Katya also supports Patriots of Russia, a socialist, left-wing party, but they only have seats in regional parliaments, and only one seat in the Federation Council (similar to the senate, the upper house of Russia’s legislative body). There’s also Russia of the Future, but it’s not been formally registered yet. In the 2018 election she voted for the communist party’s candidate just for kicks (it’s different in Russia, there’s was zero possibility of Putin losing, come on, grow up).

As a side note, if this helps with the explainary-stuff, I basically envision her as a slavic-desi cross of Alexis Rose from Schitts’ Creek, and Gina Linetti from Brooklyn-99, also this hindi song; Sheila ki Jawani. The song is basically about owning the fact that you’re super sexy.

Biography: Katya is half-Russian, half-Indian, born to a Russian father, industrialist (and oligarch) Anatoli Ivanovich Raevsky, and an Indian mother, activist and journalist Mishti Syeda Khan. Her parents eventually separated, though technically are still married, when she was about 14, and her mother moved to Manchester in the UK, while Katya remained in Russia with her father. Katya is from a large family, on both sides, and at the time of her birth, was the first baby to be born in quite a few years (the elder cousins were like tween-teen, too old be constantly coddled and cuddled, and too young to make babies), so she was hella spoiled by everyone. The problems her maternal family had with her mother marrying a non-Muslim white boy? Well, we still hate him, but look how cute Rina is.

Despite the... complications between her family members - the whole religion/marrying a shada (white) boy thing, not to mention that Mishti herself is like agnostic at “best”, in general, as the baby, Katya (or Rina as her mother and maternal family call her), get along - well, okay, there’s always the shady auntieji’s, and bullshit drama, but like, that’s just brown families yo. We like that. We’re all 100% those bitches (see ya at Eid Nanu [grandma], ya messy bitch). While there is some distance between Katya and her mother, metaphorically and literally, she really does look up to her mother and her work, and followed in her footsteps, studying journalism at Moscow State University, and moving on to work at Известия (Izvestia), the “national” paper of Russia, formerly the state newspaper of the Soviet Union. Currently, she’s a glorified fact checker, and maintains the website with a handful of other colleagues. She’s also authored small “puff pieces” for Nedelya (a weekly Friday section about leisure actives, culture, that kinda stuff).

Katya is not exactly an avid gamer. She likes games, but it’s not like a 24/7 thing, whereas she is 24/7 thinking about like ASOIAF or Stars Wars (fuck you JJ, you were supposed to destroy the Sith R*ylo, not join them), not to mention Eurovision. Anyone who thinks Eurovision only lasts for a week is a fake fan, and anyone who thinks it’s a one day thing is an american. Ziben ziben ilulu motherfucker. Anyway.... she prefers immersive, high fantasy worlds, she likes the story and plot, so her types of games are The Witcher and Dragon Age Series, Elder Scrolls, that sort of thing. She doesn’t put in daily hours, ‘cause she got other stuff to do, but will dedicate weekends to leveling up her characters in order to accomplish quests and missions quickly and not waste time to get to the story cut scenes. She hates, hates, hatessss microtransactions and those stupid fucking mmorpg phone games which are literally just farmville repackaged with a dragon or an orc; FUCK YOU. What a fucking waste of time, quit advertising as having a plot and story, or cool character customization, ‘cause you don’t have any of that you basic ass bitch!

Gem Quest was regifted to Katya by a coworker, who had gotten it as a present, but didn’t have a VR set (of course she had one, she’s rich, and also she needed it to play Batman: Arkham VR - she’s still waiting on a game that’ll let her make out with Nightwing while playing as a custom character). She got a bit of a bad rep (understatement) in the beginning of the game. Katya hates being stuck because she doesn’t have enough exp or whatever, so she always levels up in the beginning of a game before taking the time to fuck around and do whatever, which, in the case of Gem Quest, means teaming up is the easiest way to do that. So, whenever a party member was holding them back from leveling up, she would straight up kill them in order to move on. She killed her own irl friends, to be fair, she doesn’t do that anymore, that was just in the beginning, but ya know, the rep of being that bitch kinda hard to get of.

G.’s announcement didn’t particularly freak out Katya. Whatever kind of evil Kaiba Corp execs bullshit he was pulling didn’t matter, he still had a body out there in the real world, and there’s no fucking way her dad would let die in a fucking game. There’s perks to being Oligarchs in Russia, and even if she did die in-game and was unable to return to reality, wherever G. and his real body were, motherfucker will die in excruciating pain. Polonium-210 ain’t pleasant, and the Novichok series is so much worse.

Relationships: (OPTIONAL, fill out whenever you want to)

Silverwing - rn. Anastasia “Anya” Gagarina (fc: Anna Belan), a fellow moonstone, and real life friend - well, the younger sister of an ex-boyfriend whom she still gets along with (the sister, not necessarily the ex).

Inferna - I don’t really have any plotting ideas, but Inferna’s whole; “It’s very important that I am both cute and powerful” is so relatable (to me and Katya xp)

Enthroned -

Morningstar -

Extras/Trivia (aka unnecessary information):

Her mother, and thus maternal family, are from Kolkata, in the state of West Bengal in India, thus making Katya fluent (relatively) in Bengali as well (well, a dialect of it - West Central, you’d think as an actual Bengali person, I’d know the proper name of it, but nope. Idk, shudobasha maybe, but I think that’s for people from Dakha, which is in Bangladesh, not India. Whatever. Not like my dad will check this and be disappointed in me.)

Apart from her native Russian, Hindi, and Bengali, she speaks English, and Japanese (100% learned it because she’s a weeb), as well as the fictional languages; Quenya, Sindarin (and can use the Tengwar script to write them), High Valyrian, Mando’a, Dovazhul, and Klingon. As a teenager she also created a dictionary for ancient “Black Speech”, an in-universe constructed language in Tolkien’s legendarium, but her version is not canon, so it doesn’t count - she’s also forgotten a lot of it. She was a baby, she still has the hard copy she made somewhere in the Raevsky Manor in Saint Petersburg.

After graduating from MSU, her father bought her, her own apartment in the Kudrinskaya Square Building in Moscow, adjacent to the ones he owned already, which she had lived in when she moved to Moscow for school.

Katya’s family is religiously mixed (well, she’s the one who’s mixed), her maternal family are largely Muslim, some Hindu (very few though, like, you can count them on one hand), and her paternal family are either Orthodox Christian or atheist (usually depending on how long they were alive and how into the Soviet Regime they were). Katya’s parents are agnostic (Mishti), and atheist (Anatoli), Katya herself is also atheist, but sometimes she’ll say she prays to the Seven or R’hllar, or Lord Jashin, or some other made up nerd ass religion (’cause she that bitch).

But for real, she can be a real bitch about religion. The Soviets got a lot wrong, but banning religion was not one of them <- so she says. She gets super pissed when someone brings up religion during a politics chat, that fake shit should have nothing to do with running a country.

hates starbucks with every fibre of her being, it’s such an american staple and the first time she saw one in Russia, she nearly had a heart attack.

Will die mad about:

The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker; the fuck was that bullshit? We trusted you JJ!

the garbage show’s gaslighting and murder of Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, First of Her Name, Rightful Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men. Queen of Meereen, The Prince who was Promised, The Unburnt, Slayer of Lies, Breaker of Shackles, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, and Mother of Dragons.

Hrithik Roshan still being so fucking hot (he’s 45, please like chill a little, holy fuck)

Catarina de Lurton dying

Former american politician John McCain constantly saying “Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country” - bitch, we’re a thousand years old, how’s your 250 year old failed experiment of a garbage nation going?

Freud.

Links:

Playlist

Urstyle Collection (aesthetics, and other shit)

Social Media

#gem quest #katya raevskaya #audition #my edits #clara's edits #mine #incomplete #writing #graphics

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elliepassmore · 6 years ago

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We Rule the Night Review

5/5 stars Recommended for people who like: fantasy, bad-ass female leads, multiple POVs, flying stories, disability representation

TW: ableism I was intrigued by the description of the book being in the vein of Code Name Verity, which is one of my all-time favorite books. Combined with the mentions of dragons and the fact it's loosely based on the Night Witches, I knew I had to read it. The dragons are not real dragons, I found, just what they call certain types of planes, but my disappointment over that was over quickly. Barlett did her Night Witch research wonderfully. I definitely recognized the bits and pieces she included, from girls marching to the offices, to the 'beautification' rituals the girls had for themselves and their planes, to enlisting, to the prank on their second test flight. Barlett even included some of the real Night Witches' names in the book--from memory Galina and Katya stand out the most, but there were definitely others. Revna's character was interesting to get behind. The book opens with her trying to flee from the bombing of her city and using illegal magic to save herself as well as one of the terrifying Skarov--mutated--soldiers. Instead of getting killed or sent to a prison camp, she's recruited to join Tamara's all-female flying regiment--Tamara is a stand in for the famous Russian pilot Marina, who accomplished the things Revna mentions Tamara did when they meet, and was the real-life commander of the Night Witches. It was easy to get into being Revna as I read. Her anger at people underestimating her due to her prosthetics became my anger at the same people, and her frustrations with training became mine. Bartlett really did create a masterfully relatable character. After all, hasn't everyone experienced others underestimating us? And just about everyone's vowed to do better, be the best in response? The tragedy of Revna was easy to get into as well. I felt so much for her and I just wanted things to work out. It was nice to see the shift from her life before entering the regiment to after. Obviously it's war and things still suck, but the girls in the regiment are, overall, better toward her than the average citizens were, even if a few of them are still unsure about her abilities re: prosthetic legs. Due to where the story begins, it's easy to get into Linné as well and she was easy to sympathize with. She's just been outed as being a girl in the army when girls aren't supposed to be fighting. She should be sent back to her father or worse, but like Revna, she gets an out: Tamara's regiment. Unlike Revna, she's not exactly thrilled about it. I understood Linné's anger and fury toward getting transferred, and I even felt bad for her after she joined the regiment, but my god the girls aren't wrong in saying she's a stuck-up ass. Due to the war training she has--and perhaps more so due to her anger over the transfer--she definitely tries to control the girls and makes no secret her belief that they're frivolous and not cut out to be soldiers. She's even downright mean to some of them sometimes. It, perhaps obviously, does not win her many supporters. But again, Bartlett does an amazing job. Despite everything, it's hard not to like Linné. She's hard-working, has no friends in the regiment, and is desperately trying to prove that she and the other girls belong in the skies and in the war. Maybe she didn't learn social skills growing up, so what? In the end she comes through for the others every time, no matter if it's a gaggle of holier-than-thou men or a set of Elda fighters, she's determined to make sure her people make it through. It should come as a testament that her two biggest opponents(?) come around to liking her in the end that she's not a bad character, just a little snippy and in need of the realization that, yes, the other girls might be a tad frivolous, but they have the skills to fight and fly just the same as she does. On top of it all, the world was well-built. While Bartlett did take inspiration from the Night Witches, and there are the similarities I noted above, you really can't tell that the Union is supposed to be the Soviet Union and Elda is supposed to be Nazi Germany unless you squint, and really, most of the similarities come through during the training and flying scenes. Otherwise, Bartlett did a good job of making the world a fantasy world while still tipping her head at the real-world events things are based off of. I definitely went into the book looking for similarities, but I found it pretty easy to forget the fantasy countries were based on real countries, it's all very cleverly hidden and twisted away in the world-building and history Bartlett has created for the novel. My one complaint--other than maybe the fact the dragons aren't actually dragons--is that I also went into the book expecting it to be a lesbian enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story and it just...wasn't. Linné and Revna do not get into a romantic relationship, though I definitely think that by the end of the book there is potential for one. Neither do Revna and Magdalena, their engineer, though there also seems to be potential hints for them to develop romantically as well. I don't know if this is going to be a series or not (I really hope it is), but I think that if it is, then Bartlett should definitely get either Revna and Linné, Revna and Magdalena, or even Linné and Magdalena together in a relationship. Revna and Linné has the most future potential, IMO, but I will take any of the three pairings listed (I think my next fav is Linné and Magdalena, though they don't really get along until the very, very end, I still see potential).

#book #books #book review #book recommendations #we rule the night #fantasy #female pilot #magic #night witch #badass female characters #disabled characters #prosthetics #enemies to friend #multiple pov #flying stories

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listentotheland · 4 years ago

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In the 1840s. P’etro Fedorchak narrowly escapes death while fighting in the Allies Shadow War. After receiving a land grant for his heroic service, he marries Ilia and relocates near the enchanted Black Sea. Samuil is born in a cabin near the edge of the haunted Southern Forest. In the forest Bogs a mysterious shadow fog is transforming forest animals into deadly shadow creatures, who stalk Samuil from birth. Samuil often escapes to the serenity of the forest and finds peace while listening to the singing river and communing with the animals. As the shadow creatures’ aggressions escalate, Samuil befriend Nikolai of the Caves; an eccentric time traveling wizard with an old hound named Wolf Killer, and the Legendary Snow Owl. Together with Katya and Teddy, they use their powers in a spine-chilling cosmic battle on Devils Island attempting to defeat the Shadows. Only time will tell whether they can fend them off long enough to claim their extraordinary desctiny. “This debut historical fantasy sees a Russian family battle dark forces in the wilds near the Black Sea. For his series opener, Stephens offers a fantasy focusing on primal good and evil that should entrance fans of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This first volume’s magical crescendo should create loyal readers who will return for more fairytale-style grandeur. A captivating start to an Eastern-flavored and methodically built fantasy epic.” -Kirkus Review “Samuil and the Legendary Snowl Owl is an ambitious fantasy novel that pits the might of tough people against demonic anger.” -Foreword Clarion Book Review “[A] dynamic reminiscent of Dostoyevsky or Chekov… a tale full of imaginative creatures and mythical conflicts… concise action, and his skill for creating strong characters makes the first entry in the series engaging and memorable.” Blueink Review To learn more or order the book: https://ift.tt/3dnXSwO Facebook: https://ift.tt/2bB1UUE Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/iUniverse Instagram: https://ift.tt/2zeK9ps Pinterest https://ift.tt/2bF9ScK

#IFTTT #Vimeo #art 360 #listening to the land

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always-over-analysing-blog · 8 years ago

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Externalising Anxiety

I just came across this essay I wrote a forever ago. I never did anything with it at the time, but, now I have a Tumblr I guess I can post it here (even though no one actually follows me lmao).

No one is immune to anxiety. That voice in your head which unprovoked rears its ugly self on what seemingly was a fine day, only to tell you that you’re not good enough and how everything will go horribly wrong. When not dealt with, the anxiety can grow and take over. You’ll alter your plans and let your actions be determined by self-doubt and insecurity. You’ll let yourself weaken and regress in attempts of ever-building desperation to keep that rotten, vicious, discouraging voice shushed. Meanwhile, your anxiety only strengthens ceaselessly becoming a more prevalent, dark and unruly figure in your life.

I’ve named my anxiety. And, now when I hear her grating voice, I tell her:

“Mabel - shut the f*ck up!”

I learned this technique from Katya; a drag queen famed from RuPaul's Drag Race, where she won the title of ‘Miss Congeniality’ on season 7 and made the top three on the series’ latest All Stars season. Katya (who’s known as Brian when stripped of makeup, padding, fishnets, and wigs) names her anxiety Brenda.

I have suffered from pretty severe GAD and clinical depression all through my tween and teen years. And I’ve tried more than a few meditation and relaxation techniques and positive self-talk tools to battle that ugly voice, all to varying levels of success. However, it was not until trying this method of externalisation that I truly felt able to gain back control.

Giving your anxiety a name allows you to separate its identity from your true self. It's a very real way of distancing you from your mental disorder, allowing you to understand that your anxiety is not equivalent to who you are nor does it define you. I named my anxiety Mabel because it's a funny and unintimidating name. Suddenly, when your anxiety sounds like either the name of a grandmother or of a family pet, it no longer seems as frightening and formidable.

I first became a fan of Katya's on RPDR as I found her unique humour hysterically funny. As the competition progressed, I began to root for her because I related to the way she doubted herself. I wanted to see Katya, who suffered from anxiety in the same way I did, succeed in overcoming her mental health. If she could succeed, it's totally possible I can succeed too.

Admittedly, having a fake-Russian, ex-drug-addict, surreal humorist drag queen as a role model is, on paper, an odd choice for a teenage girl living in rural Scotland. But, I have my reasons. Watching Katya and her zany wit either on TV or her youtube series can sometimes be the only thing which will give me a moment of respite from crappy stuff going on in my life. She's a weird, goofy character who has been able to make me laugh whenever, whatever.

And it's not just her comedy I find inspiring. Katya uses her platform to speak out on important issues. In a series of late night live streams, she has discussed topical matters such as racism, feminism, politics, addiction, and anxiety. She's a passionate, intelligent, well-spoken advocate with a unique perspective who wants to make a positive impact on the world. Not bad for a man in a dress.

Externalising your anxiety is not much different from creating a drag persona. You get to chose their name, characteristics and how much attention you'll give them. You've probably come across the metaphor where you have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Why not try counteracting the discouraging voice of your anxiety with the motivating voice of a fierce queen? I'll pay more credence to a glittery, unshakable, confident diva than I will to Mabel. And the more I consciously disregard the opinion of Mabel, the quieter her voice becomes.

This externalisation technique, for me, works far better than other methods of tackling anxiety have. Perhaps it's simply a technique that I click with. Maybe, because I learned it from someone I admire and not from a clinical, monotonous, counsellor's office pamphlet, I tried a little harder. It could be both these combined. I'm not sure. What I do know, however, is that I've become more self-assured and optimistic. I do still worry a lot, but I'm getting better at recognising when my fears are irrational, and when they are, I know not to allow them to deter me.

Dealing with anxiety will be something I'll likely face for decades to come. It's a process, and it's not going to go away overnight. I had my last panic attack just a week ago, and realistically, I doubt that will be my final one. Mabel will always be trash-talking in my ear, and there are going to be times when I'll give in and listen.

Over the past two years, I've seen Katya blossom from someone who was insecure into someone who believes in herself. Not only does she now take advantage of opportunities when they come her way, she'll also use her ingenuity to create her own opportunities. I can't say I'm this courageous yet, but reaching that level of spirit no longer seems an impossibility. If Katya can do it, so can I.

#anxiety #gad #katya #katya zamolodchikova #depression

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dazzledbybooks · 6 years ago

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On Tour with Prism Book Tours Through the White Wood By Jessica Leake Young Adult Historical Fantasy Hardcover & ebook, 416 Pages April 9th 2019 by HarperTeen The Bear and the Nightingale meets Frostblood in this romantic historical fantasy from the author of Beyond a Darkened Shore. When Katya loses control of her power to freeze, her villagers banish her to the palace of the terrifying Prince Sasha in Kiev. Expecting punishment, she is surprised to find instead that Sasha is just like her—with the ability to summon fire. Sasha offers Katya friendship and the chance to embrace her power rather than fear it. But outside the walls of Kiev, Sasha’s enemies are organizing an army of people bent on taking over the entire world. Together, Katya’s and Sasha’s powers are a fearsome weapon. But as their enemies draw nearer, will fire and frost be enough to save the world? Or will Katya and Sasha lose everything they hold dear? Inspired by Russian mythology, this lushly romantic, intensely imaginative, and fiercely dramatic story is about learning to fight for yourself, even when the world is falling down around you. Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Book Depository│Indiebound│Powell's│Target Other Books in the Series Beyond a Darkened Shore By Jessica Leake Young Adult Historical Fantasy Hardcover & ebook, 384 Pages April 10th 2018 by HarperTeen The ancient land of Éirinn is mired in war. Ciara, princess of Mide, has never known a time when Éirinn’s kingdoms were not battling for power, or Northmen were not plundering their shores. The people of Mide have always been safe because of Ciara’s unearthly ability to control her enemies’ minds and actions. But lately a mysterious crow has been appearing to Ciara, whispering warnings of an even darker threat. Although her clansmen dismiss her visions as pagan nonsense, Ciara fears this coming evil will destroy not just Éirinn but the entire world. Then the crow leads Ciara to Leif, a young Northman leader. Leif should be Ciara’s enemy, but when Ciara discovers that he, too, shares her prophetic visions, she knows he’s something more. Leif is mounting an impressive army, and with Ciara’s strength in battle, the two might have a chance to save their world. With evil rising around them, they’ll do what it takes to defend the land they love...even if it means making the greatest sacrifice of all. Praise for the Book "Beyond a Darkened Shore is thrilling and romantic. This is a must-read for lovers of fantasy, mythology, and folklore." - Kody Keplinger, New York Times bestselling author of The DUFF and Run “With undead armies, flesh-eating spirit horses, and a powerful heroine, fantasy, romance, and historical-fiction readers will have a great time.” - Booklist “While Morrigan and Odin are terrifying, raven-haired Ciara is the star. Beautiful, strong, and independent, she is the perfect warrior princess. Epic historical fantasy filled with deadly creatures, simmering romance, and nonstop action.” - Kirkus Reviews Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Book Depository│Indiebound│Powell's│Target Review: Jessica Leake did it again! Through the White Wood is absolutely amazing. This woman knows how to write. If you have not picked up her books, you totally should. She brings such a rich tale to her readers. I just can't get enough. "I hadn't set out to be a monster, but what happened when someone was pushed too far? What happened when the dark swirls of regret were accompanied by a sense that maybe what I'd done wasn't so terrible? What happened if I liked it?" Katya is an outcast in her village. She was raised by surrogate grandparents. Katya has had to deal with mistreatment her entire life because Katya has a power. Those who have power are frowned upon in her village. Katya can summon ice. She doesn't always have complete control of her powers because sometimes the ice comes when she wants it and some times she doesn't want it to come. After a tragedy in her village, Katya is taken captive and becomes a prisoner. The people that have imprisoned her are taking her away to Prince Vladimir's kingdom. The prince is looking for more people with abilities to join his army. In reality that ins't the case. Prince Vladimir actually wants to kill them and drink their blood and eat their hearts to gain their abilities himself. As Katya journeys with the people that have taken her, she starts to develop friendships with them. Soon Katya and Saha must fight to survive. Katya learns what her power really means. I really enjoyed these characters. I loved how Katya grew as a character. She went from someone that was afraid of her power to a warrior women that embraced it. One of my favorite things to have in a story is a character that grows and becomes a better character. Leake definitely did that with Katya. I wasn't sure that I would love Through the White Wood as much as Beyond a Darkened Shore but I was wrong, I think I loved it even more. Leake's writing is so amazing. I actually love her writing so much that I am going to check out her adult books just because I can't get enough. Through the White Wood is such a fantastic story. The plot pulls you in. You want to root for the main character the entire time. There is a dash of romance that is just enough. Who doesn't love a name like Katya? It is definitely a warrior name. I am really looking forward to Leak's next novel. About the Author: Jessica Leake is the author of Beyond a Darkened Shore as well as the adult novels Arcana and The Order of the Eternal Sun. She lives in South Carolina with her husband, four young children, lots of chickens, and two dogs who keep everyone in line. Visit her at www.jessicaleake.com. Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Instagram Tour Schedule: Tour Giveaway: 2 winners will receive a copy of Through the White Wood (US only) 1 winner will receive a $25 Amazon eGift Card (open internationally) Ends April 17th a Rafflecopter giveaway

http://www.dazzledbybooks.com/2019/04/throughthewhitewood.html

#SEO #Local SEO training

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oneofthe3gabbs-blog · 6 years ago

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strange element on the Internet

I want to become the closest person to you - this idea I find both heartening and disappointing

I am glad, because this desire increases the probability of avoiding social phobia

it's upsetting, because the realization that I have to share my thoughts with people who may be on the other side of the world or just happened to come here or something ... scares me.

Do not be afraid of me, and I will not be shy)

I want to find new people, get acquainted, learn them, communicate, share and create wonderful things.

I'm crazy about art and everything connected with it!

Therefore, those who are interested in music, sound engineering,theater,painting, dancing, etc. - write, run to me, we will get along quickly)

Film, TV series-mans also to me: I really want to watch, to study the film industry, which breaks the brain, makes me think and dig to the very essence

Neoclassic. Has anyone heard of her? This is truly wonderful,believe me. Let me get this straight: what is Neoclassic? It is modern motives, understandable to our, sadly, degraded society with the corresponding consciousness, in the performance of classical instruments, which still keep the old days of brilliant musicians of great times.

Possible,and even likely,my writing will seem difficult to understand,but I'm sorry,that's me and nothing to do with it can't.

I'm in the 11th grade and I pass literature, so the previous paragraph will explain.

Writing in simple language is simple,I agree with that

If you do not like involved and adverbial-participial turnovers-zavorotnya,guys, you can be boring and uninteresting-I will not keep the power,go and find your)

You like poetry?

when some shit happens in my life,inspiration comes to me, or when my heart whispers to me: "let's get away from reality, abstract, create" a Masterpiece”

if I feel that my poetry isn't so bad,I'll be periodically posting them here, interested in your assessment

like most,animals are my weakness. If with them something happens,I'll be bawling in the case of its own futility

I'm trying to play sports. Why "try"? I am not a person with a particularly strong will in terms of physical activity. I have a hardy body, a lot of strength, capabilities,but my laziness, unwillingness,misunderstanding,hell,I do not even know how to call it, just ruin all my plans. I want to have a beautiful sports body, so there were a lot of attempts to go this way. And here-summer - one more chance to approach closer to one of the dreams. If anyone has any advice or recommendations-please contact me - I will be glad)

You may not be surprised, but I dream of traveling. Now this dream is quite common, because it is a kind of chip many bloggers and bloggers,as we all know,now a lot.

let's continue about travel. I grew up (and am still growing up) in a poor family,and I'm not going to sit on my parent's neck. I must admit, now the difference between generations is very acute. Children, spoiled, enslaved by materialism, enjoy parental love. As painful as it is to admit it, it is. Sincerely sorry for such trouble-free parents. Sometimes I think that myself I can classify such “children” monsters. But I'm trying to really try to get out of this vacuum. I mean, if I want to fly (go, swim) somewhere,I will do it when I can fully provide for myself and my parents. It's our duty Ponder these words.

can now endlessly many and long, but, me seems you already wowed a bit from such a large number of information about me)

we still have time to talk to you, I promise

just be honest with me.

I do not want any insults and rudeness - it's not mine

I just want to finally find some place to think.

With naive hope and love,

Katya.

P.S. there was a very outstanding question: to write in Russian or in English..?

After all, this social network was created by the Americans, and I'm here in Russian will scribble... I'm not strong in English: also do not want to disgrace and powderize the brains of people who all life speak a different language. It seems my clumsy English will be not to their liking)

okay, try not to torture, I'll be English.

🔥

#look here #with me #with music #thoughts #conspiracy theories #tell me #look for it #all #my soul

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lintimmer287-blog · 6 years ago

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Austen As Well As Antigua Restraint In Her Time. Calibrated Music. Conneaut.

Lately I created a comprehensive article on the crucial maxims of Sun-Pluto calls. First off, on the volume downtrend, there are actually some other product groups that our experts are actually going out that our company don't talk a lot concerning on these calls, off quite low-margin, we phone all of them PFR, product for reselling, that run through our coolers that are actually quite inefficient, honestly. Starlet and also former style Angie Everhart said to KLOS early morning series "Frosty, Heidi & Frank" that Weinstein masturbated before her while they were actually staying on the exact same boat at the Venice Film Event. As a result of our quantity efficiency, Administrator Foods share from the fluid milk type decreased FIFTY manner aspects versus Q2. A ton of opportunities when our experts gain the exclusive tag offer, certainly, our Todaydietpills.info company receive the top quality service that supports that. I presume this is actually a mix that our company're simplied with. Russian television person hosting Katya Mtsitouridze informed The Hollywood Press reporter that she was actually fooled into meeting Weinstein alone in a hotel space throughout the Venice Film Celebration in 2004. In the extreme folks think about just how so many Germans might be ripped off by bad passed off after them by Hitler ... but hazardous leaders remain undisputed for a variety of main reasons in public, private and also religious companies today around the entire world. 14 ¶ As well as The lord claimed, Let there be actually lights in the welkin from the paradise to break down the time off the night; as well as permit all of them be actually for indications, as well as for times, and for times, and also years: 15 As well as let all of them be actually for illuminations in the sky from the paradise to offer light upon the earth: as well as this was actually thus. 16 And The lord created two wonderful lights; the higher lighting to rule the time, as well as the smaller light to rule the evening: he created the stars also.

I opened the door horrified, brandishing my twenty-pound Chihuahua mix in face from me, as though that would carry out any type of good." Sorvino said she informed Weinstein her guy" was coming by, whereupon he ended up being dispirited as well as left. I take pleasure in an energetic social life while still having my own individual on your own time. Mendengarkan itu nonya berkata sesuatu kepada suami-nya dan Leong mengenakan seluar-nya semula sebelum beredar pergi setelah di-suruh oleh nonya. Supervisor Lars Von Trier said that Dafoe's penis possessed a "stand in" for the movie "Antichrist": "He has a huge dick, exceptionally well-equipped. Each bordering family, amongst all of them the Ryders, Vehicle Wicklens, Durlands, as well as Stoothoffs, was actually allotted a cooperate the cemetery during the time this was actually developed. Robert Francis: The youthful star which stars with Humphrey Bogart in "The Caine Mutiny" possessed a dense 10 inch dick inning accordance with numerous who knew him. She pointed out considering that that was day time she could think of removing them at night. This tip-- that the job's energy resides not simply in what is visible, however likewise in just what is wiped out-- prolongs, in Hansen's thoughts, to one more common discussion involving free of charge phrase today: what to carry out with Confederate monuments, the inquiry that sparked the Unite the Right" rally to begin with. When NAACP attorneys convinced the U.S. High court to conclude Jim Crow as unlawful in 1954, President Eisenhower carried out not back Brown v. Panel of Education and learning and also grabbed his feat to execute this. At a White Residence dinner the year prior to, Head of state Eisenhower had told Main Judicature Earl Warren he can recognize why White southerners desired to ensure "their pleasant little bit of girls are not demanded to being in college along with some significant dark buck." He unwillingly sent out federal government troops to secure the Bit Rock 9 which were actually desegregating an Arkansas secondary school.

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apexart-journal · 7 years ago

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Kiran Chandra in Moscow, Day 16

I haven’t posted in almost a week, because my days have been full, my body exhausted and now that I am finally over jet-lag, I can actually sleep, so am choosing to!

I began this day looking for the Ostakhino Television Tower of Moscow, which when built 50 years ago, was the tallest tower in Europe. Actually to say looking for it isn’t accurate as one can’t miss it in the skyline, however, getting out of the Metro and weaving my path to it took a while, like everything does with me, here in Moscow.

I went through 2 rounds of airport level security to enter the barbed wire premisis, even had to show my passport. A narrow elevator with Larisa our uniformed operator, took myself and other early birds into the tower, up 337 floors in less that 60 seconds, and voila, panoptic views to behold! There was also a portion of the floor that was glass and allowed one to look down to their potential fate, not for the overly imaginative.

The views were alright. I would rather be walking in the the city, than beholding it from this remove. And I’ve seen better views from the top of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the State Library, even Gorky Park and the top of the Lubyanka Children’s Department Store. Views that keep the scale human.

Below are images from these lower vantages:

From the roof deck of Lubyanka Children’s Store

From the Lenin State Library Offices

From the Russian Academy of Science: Moskva River

Another view from the Russian Academy of Science

And my apartment on the 12th Floor!

This is a walker’s city- the word pedestrian is so...pedestrian- so walking. I have noticed too that this is ONLY a walking-in the strict sense of the the word-city, people with different mobility needs are not visible in Moscow and nothing in the city appears accessible to people in wheelchairs. The Metro system has no elevators, buildings lack ramps and there are stairs EVERYWHERE. I wonder if newer architecture in the city, and city planning is taking all kinds of movement of people into consideration?

To return to this thought about walking in the city. As spread out as Moscow is, it’s made up of boulevards and walking bridges and wide foot paths and has excellent underpasses that allow one to walk across massive avenues. It’s an energetic endeavour, but it’s walkable. This actually surprised me, I didn’t imagine it to be a city that encouraged walking.

Which I have done a LOT of! And how!

I have been thinking about walking and there are so many ways to walk. There’s agenda walking- when one needs to get someplace, and knows the most efficient route- commuters, people headed to work etc. My walk to and from my apartment and Prospect Mira Metro is this walk.

There is also the five steps ahead, turn around, look about, gape, open google maps, turn left, retrace your steps, go back, read the metro map instead, lost walk- familiar to people who don’t speak Moscow streets and avenues and may lack an inner compass. That’s my other way of walking these days, so far from the brisk New Yorker I consider myself to be. I feel like my suitcase on the Riga conveyor belt- going around in circles, but not entirely lost!

Then there is Nordic Walking!

Last Tuesday which felt like a summer day, I met Ekaterina (Katya) who took me to Neskuchny Sad, which translates to something like ‘a nothing special garden’. I had walked here with Pavel my first week, though now the snow has completely melted, making the ground soft and slushy. Nordic walking is a fitness exercise that Katya enjoys doing, usually on her own, as then she can keep her own pace. She had graciously offered to show me how, and take me walking. She brought me an adjustable set of sticks, showed me how to grasp them, and off we went. Though not quite. How complicated can walking be, you might ask. Very, if it’s Nordic. It takes co-ordination and some very conscious hand work. You must undo your grasp on one hand, the hand that goes behind, while putting pressure on the stick and simultaneously using it to propel yourself forward with the other. Legs move in the opposite direction to hands. Apparently one can reach really swift speeds with this approach, and Katya said she was curious as to how I would feel after, when I was regular walking say. People claim this action of NW is like swimming or flying and regular walking can then feel like walking through molasses. Well, I didn’t get to experience this sublime description of movement. Instead, I felt as if I was learning to walk for the first time!

The Indian Classical walk: I had a Bharatnatyam class this past week with a wonderful teacher and dancer, Natalya. It was a crash course in a dance form which cannot be taught in such a manner. However, I was given the survey through basics in footwork- steps, stamping and hand work- one hand mudras, two hand mudras and then, the walk. We practiced this walk for a majority of the class, walking forward and walking back, eye and gaze lifted and lowered in sync with the movement of the feet. Such a simple series of steps, a walk, something I have done since I started walking on my two feet, and yet so new to my body!

All this walking and dancing and moving through the city has put me inside my body. My legs ache, my back aches, even my toes ache. And then a Butoh class took this walking business into another realm.

I met Elena outside her studio in the south west part of the city. She took me in and asked me what I knew about Butoh, which surprised me as I hadn’t caught that this class was related to Butoh which I only knew of as a Japanese form of theatre. ‘Good she said, better like this’. And then, ‘let’s walk!’

And we walked in the studio, back and forth, in circles, clockwise and anti -clockwise. I followed Elena’s instructions- ‘when I clap- freeze your walk’. More walking, Clap. Stop. ‘Now add a hand movement- only upper body’, then ‘only lower body’, then ‘make a face- change your expression- not a pretty one- it’s hard for girls’. Move. Clap. Freeze. Face. Repeat.

All of this walking, just walking.

Every cell in my body was awake. I made a movement in ten steps. So did Elena, we taught each other our movements and then we moved through both dances. I felt like I had learnt a new language! I can’t say more, I was so inspired!

This is a Netsuke piece from the State Museum of Oriental Art. I enjoyed the museum’s collection and their displays. This is a teeny little piece made in ivory of a carpenter and his apprentice. I have no pictures of my dance and movement classes, but I think this might convey something in it’s exquisiteness, in the presence of people who know their discipline and body. I watch them, they watch the work. They do, I do. It’s beautiful.

#Kiran Chandra #Outbound to Moscow

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artificialqueens · 5 years ago

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learning to be silent (multi) — chapter six - Roza

[ summary ] : the final skater of the event takes to the ice as a podium is set in stone meanwhile, alaska battles her own issues with her skating and detox is in a stump.

[ author's note ] : getting more and more motivation by the minute since russian nationals haha, so shocked my girl alena didn't pull through but congrats to the girls !! enjoy this chapter y'all, ignore the fact we are deblibaretly ignoring cup of china in favor of rostelecom.

AO3 / My Tumblr / (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ｡*♡

— *.✧

Don't fail your country. Don't fail yourself.

Sasha took a deep breath before looking forward with a smile, attempting to hide all her deep anxiety and all the insecurities she had been facing while attempting to do this skate back in St. Petersburg. The blonde kissed her hand and said a prayer before fading into her starting position.

As soon as the music started she was off and jumped before spinning on to her backwards edge, smiling as she extended her hands behind her and skated at the edges of the rink, kicking her leg out as she bent back and turned. She was enjoying what few bars of true free skating she had before all the jumping and hysterics would begin.

Anna Karenina was a beautiful soundtrack and Sasha was always more than glad to pick programs that represent her culture, Russian or Slavic. She had won the short program with a Serbian song, why couldn't she get a second gold with a soundtrack about a book from her own motherland?

Hearing the beginning of the brass she began to prep for her quad flip, it would be her first jump and one of the more difficult elements. her stamina was slowly taking a toll but now was definitely not the time to bitch and moan about choreography. Her skates took off from her back inside edge, jumping as she rotated four times before sticking her landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. Cheers poured out from the stands though she ignored them, knowing there was still so many more jumps and even more quads to go.

Sasha turned and continued, having fun with what was definitely the more upbeat section of the music. All the little details that could give her an extra percentile in presentation scores mattered, Sasha was a technical wizard but knew it took more than technical skills to win a competition.

Adding in some twizzles she grinned as she exited, turning to begin her forward takeoff for her triple axel. Her skates approached with a series of backward crossovers, in direction to the jumps rotation before she felt herself off the ice, spinning the needed three and a half rotations. It was followed by her skates backwards on the full outside edge with one leg behind her in the air. She knew her triple axel's were possibly the cleanest and had the most height in all of skating and she tried not to let the pressure get to her. It felt clean, that was what mattered.

Her path continued across the ice as she spun into her camel spin before exiting and adding on her triple toe, triple loop combination jump though that was a jump that never seemed to phase Sasha. The Russian focused on her next quad though her mind was completely deserted with only thoughts about exhaustion and how she was about to pass out at any moment.

Her head shook out of it as she focused on the program, on being Anna Karenina herself— feeling every emotion melt and encapsulate her at once. The music slowed, piano keys pressing and playing the next piece of music which signaled the blonde to go into her quad salchow.

A backward takeoff from the backward inside edge of one skate led her in the air with four full rotations as she landed on the backward outside edge of the other skate. She took a small breath in between all the applause and all the screams. She added in another triple axel soon after to try and boost up her technicality score. She knew her coach wouldn't enjoy her changing the program but she had to win: she had to earn her points and qualify for the Grand Prix final.

After two more quad's Sasha was officially wrecked and felt some kind of joy knowing the only jump left was her attempt at a quad axel, it had never been done (men or women) in competition before and she knew the risk was worth the chance: it be worth a good chunk of extra points even if she fell.

She jumped and jumped into her sit-spin before slowly standing and executing her biellmann spin. She stood with a one-foot spin, holding her other foot extended over and behind her head, forming a teardrop shape with her body before she dropped her arms and skated into another jump once the music progressed to be even more intense with the violin and strings playing into the final segment of the program.

The forward takeoff gave away it would be another axel but whether she would land it would be a completely different story.

I need this gold, I need it.

She felt herself mellow into the orchestration before her backwards crossovers began. The blonde knew it was truly now or never with attempting the first ever successful quad axel. Her direction of the jump's intended rotations landed her in the air with four and a half turns before she landed for a brief moment before finding herself on the side of her hip. The crowd gasped and clapped loudly at the pure attempt, she had landed it but fell slightly short: figuratively and literally.

Sasha didn't let that get to her as she still had to complete the final chunk of her program before she could finally breathe and exhale. She grabbed her free leg and pulled it in front of her face as she executed her I-Spin with a skate hold.

The final notes leading up saw the Russian skater in a pearl spin before going into a layback spin with her hands perfectly folded together as if she was a ballet dancer.

The train station engines puttered, the whistles of the station signifying the end. For Sasha, for Anna Karenina and for this skate, more importantly.

She finished her layback before putting her arms out in front, standing perfectly straight with an emotional smile across her face as the crowd stood up before the song had even ended. The cheering beginning the minute she got out of her spin. Sasha collapsed to the ground and groaned, her gloves covering her eyes as she gave a thumbs up to those watching. She laughed and cried in her hands knowing that was possibly the greatest program she'd ever accomplish before the Olympic season.

A French volunteer came, worried that she needed medical attention but the Russian brushed it off and smiled sweetly extending her hand for some help before turning on her skates and bowing to all sides of the arena as all stood and cheered, screamed, threw plushies and flowers for her behalf.

"Repenting the Russian Federation, Sasha Velour."

"Représentant la Fédération de Russie, Sasha Velour!

She smiled before stepping off the ice to hug her coach who took her to the Kiss & Cry as they sat with plushies abound in hand. He mumbled about how it was a clean skate but wasn't happy about the landing of the quad axel, understandably though there had been no one to even land it in competition before.

All the Russian could do was nod and smile politely though she was hoping to achieve the score she wanted, the score she needed to get the gold medal and officially qualify for the final. She won gold at Skate America, she needed this final piece to complete the puzzle.

"The scores please."

She ran a hand through her blonde hair as she held in a breath, staring down at the floor for a brief moment before the announcer continued.

"Sasha Velour has earned in the free program, a total combined score of…"

Please.

"267 points."

The entire arena gasped with shock, some screaming as a response though Sasha stood mouth dropped to the floor as her coach simply grinned in nothing but victory.

"She has earned a new world record and is currently in first place."

Sasha's ears bled from the excited screams and loud meltdown for cheers as she squealed, standing up and jumping in excitement with a tight hug to her coach who genuinely smiled and said her peace to the younger woman as Sasha turned towards the arena and waved as she bowed once more.

"Sasha Velour a obtenu dans le programme gratuit un score total de 267 points! Elle est actuellement en première place."

Sasha was officially the first skater to qualify for the Grand Prix final, placing with a perfect thirty points or two gold medals behind her. She walked towards the couches completely breathless before hearing an undeniably loud and familiar voice scream to her.

"ты блядь шлюха!" Katya screamed as she ran over and collapsed on Sasha, whispering how proud she was and how she deserved it. Katya held her hand and promised she'd be at the gala but explained how she had ran over from the stands in unfiltered excitement.

"Thank you Katya." She mumbled as they hugged tightly, enjoying the moment before the complete rush of media and the medal ceremony began.

Her tears started to flow again down her face before Katya rolled her eyes and gently slid her finger and took her tears and flicked them in her face, "No crying! You won, you need to put on a smile and get your gold medal!" Sasha laughed, sniffling as Katya stopped flicking her own tears back to her face. The two waved goodbye before Sasha found her way over to the couches where Brooke and Shea clapped, both clearly still shaken from that quad axel.

"Congratulations." The Canadian smiled with a sincerity yet an undertone of bitterness shown in her voice. Shea was quite the opposite, taking the silver medal with pride before Sasha fell into her arms and smiled happily as the American sighed.

"I knew you'd win, don't know why I thought I had a chance and then you attempted that damn quad axel! Bitch, I was shaking."

Sasha laughed as she held onto Shea's arms for comfort, still latched onto her as she replied with a grin. "I fell almost immediately after landing it, it was an attempt."

As the podiums and carpet and medals were being set up the three finalists chatted, mostly about how Sasha was feeling now that she was the first confirmed finalist towards the Grand Prix.

"Well—" she sighed, "there's only five more places and I sincerely hope there are two of them are specifically reserved for you both." Her answer seemed quite diplomatic but Brooke appreciated the comfort and sweetness in her voice as the three stood ready for the medal ceremony.

Brooke stood in front, being third, as it went last with Sasha. The three whispering to one another as they all stuffed their belongings under the one bench present before all three of them stuffed a flag of their respective countries down the back of their costumes.

The usual accordance of introducing the president, the French management, the cooperation side of things.

When they had finally reached the introduction of the medals, the flowers and the volunteers coming out with the president the girls knew it was time to begin. Sasha was impressed that almost all the crowd was staying for the medal ceremony, it was a lot of nothingness to see five minutes of crowning.

The lights dimmed and the spotlights flashed before Brooke began skating out hearing the announcement.

"In third place, representing Canada, Brooke Lynn Hytes!"

"En troisième place, représentant le Canada, Brooke Lynn Hytes!"

Don Quixote began to play as the Canadian skated out with a grin at the applause and cheers of encouragement, bowing as she did a final spilt for fun as she approached the podiums standing proudly at third as she waved and blew a kiss to the section completely covered in Canadian flags, feeling her pride swell.

"In second place, representing the United States, Shea Couleé!"

"En deuxième position, représentant les États-Unis, Shea Couleé!"

Shea cheered along with the crowd as her lips curled into a large smirk, skating along to her long program music that dimly faded once she hugged Brooke Lynn and stepped into the second place podium. She hadn't beaten Sasha but coming second next to her was the biggest honor she could imagine.

"Finally, first place, representing the Russian Federation, Sasha Velour!"

"Enfin, première place, représentant la Fédération de Russie, Sasha Velour!"

The blonde skated on to the rink with a smile, waving to all sections of the arena despite the deafening screams and the camera flashes going off all around her. She skated to the carpet before skipping over to hug Brooke who smiled and thanked her for a great competition again. A final hug was supplied to Shea who excitedly hugged up and whispered a sweet, "I'm proud of you." The Russian mouthed a silent thanks before jumping on the first place podium before the president came out with a volunteer holding all the medals on a tray.

The president began with Brooke as he placed what looked to be the gold medal to the rest of the skaters as Shea told Brooke, the Canadian gasped with a smile, staring at the Russian girl beside her. Sasha giggling at the mistake as the Canadian laughed and awkwardly took it off before the audience and three skaters laughed aloud. Brooke bowed to Sasha who stood on her left and put it around her neck, the Russian widely smiling as the crowd cheered for the excellent sportsmanship and for their winner. The president himself excused the mistake though they all had a laugh.

Brooke was crowned as the bronze medalist and accepted with a wave of applause and getting a special thanks from the French representative seeing as she was Canadian. She waved and bit down on the medal with a smirk, hoping her coach was proud of her with all the setbacks.

The man walked over to Shea next, the American shook the French man's hand before accepting the medal with honor, raising it towards the arena with the applause that came with it, she looked toward where she knew her American teammates sat and winked, showing off the medal.

After being handed each a small arrangement of flowers and Sasha a small trophy the crowd cheered for their three medalists. They snapped a photo of them all gathered on the first place podium before they stepped down and let the national anthem ceremony begin.

As the flags lowered Sasha couldn't help but get teary-eyed seeing the Russian flag above everyone else. She had a distinctive pride towards her motherland even if the government was absolutely shit and she would happily say it aloud if it wasn't for fear of losing her skating career.

"Rossiya – svyashchennaya nasha derzhava,

Rossiya – lyubimaya nasha strana.

Moguchaya volya, velikaya slava –

Tvoio dostoyanye na vse vremena!"

Sasha sang proudly as did the loud and proud minority of Russians and slavs that stood in the audience, waving their flags and cheering and whistling once the anthem ended.

The three pulled out their flags as they did a final skate around the rink, Sasha at the back of the line as she waved her large Russian flag around for everyone to see. The gold medal strapped to her neck as it shined under the spotlights.

Now it was time for the entire hour of media and photos with every journalist and then they had a gala seeing as they were the last event, it had barely even crossed Sasha's mind but she knew of one thing: she was absolutely going to take a nap before this damn gala.

— *.✧

Sasha hummed, steadily napping as she collected her energy for tonight.

The gala was in the simplest terms a collection of performances from each figure skating discipline: ice dance, pairs, men and women singles. All with a prepared program completely separate to their competitive long and short dances. These always happened after the last day of any competition day, celebrating all the medalists and letting all those who at least made it into the competition get their individual shining moment.

Most also took it as an opportunity to do programs with music that most judges frowned upon in competition which was basically anything that strayed away from classical orchestration or retro hits. Creativity was completely welcome in this scenario and it was often the one program Sasha didn't have to kill herself over.

Sasha napped on the couch of her hotel suite as Katya had invited herself in earlier, making sure her costume was steamed and nice and tidy. The Russian's eyes opened quietly hearing her alarm buzz off, alerting her that there was two hours left until the exhibition gala.

"Thanks for helping me out." Her voice spoke hoarsely as she yawned, leaning over and grabbing whatever protein bar she could hunt down from her duffel bag.

"Of course Sashi!" The other Russian exclaimed in utter bliss before curiously turning towards the younger blonde, feeling a bit intrusive and nosy at the moment once finishing up the final details of her costume.

"So can I ask something?"

"Of course."

Katya sucked in a breath before biting her tongue, "So you and the American skater, Shea?" Sasha immediately jumped up as she felt her cheeks spark an uproar of red, immediately denying any accusations Katya had of them being anything besides friends and wonderful competitors. "Sashi! I'm might be dumb but I'm sure not stupid!" She spoke as Sasha tilted her head bewildered by that statement.

"Sashi, it's very easy to see how you both look at eachother and how long your affection lasts, I know you're into her."

Sexuality wasn't something Sasha felt inclined or comfortable to talk about, especially not back home in Russia where one statement would get you killed despite all the bullshit propaganda hammering in how gay tourists could be safe, locals sure couldn't: it was all one big falsified statement. Sasha however was very open against speaking out and gained both a new platform of respect and a complete blow to her image due to the rampant homophobia in Eastern European countries.

"You know I like girls and boys Sashi, I'm very open with that, you can tell me how you're feeling."

The Russian shrugged with a sigh, rubbing her kneecaps as she took out the bobby pins in her hair, sitting on the bed with a lost expression. She didn't know exactly what to say or do at the moment, Shea surely wasn't just temporary: the two had texted all night and day since their arrival in France and went out to abandoned rinks and smaller cities around, touting what they could.

"I don't wanna say I have a crush because it's too soon but I definitely like to be around her and I love her smile."

Katya clapped, "I can't my little Sashinka is in love!" The Russian stammered before Katya shushed her, "Let me enjoy my moment! You're so picky and far too smart for any Russian man, of course you'd have a crush on an American skater of all people."

"Next subject!" Sasha yelled over her friend as Katya cackled, the younger skater rolling her eyes as she glared over straight at her exhibition costume as she picked it up and sighed. She had decided to do a Russian pop song from a very famous singer in her area, Sergey Lazarev, who also tweeted Katya's short program using one of his hit songs.

Her costume was very different besides what she usually wore: she had fishnets, a tight black skirt with a red top and a leather material jacket. It matched the tone of the song but it was definitely out her own element.

"It's fun! There's no pressure: it's all fans and a few video cameras, you won the gold so relax before you have to go back and start training hard."

"I'll enjoy it best that I can."

— *.✧

Alaska huffed aloud, putting her black tights over the base of her skates to extend her legs while on the ice before staring at Aquaria who hadn't been in the best headspace since the 4th place finish in France almost a week ago. It would be three days until Detox and Alaska would travel with Sharon and Aquaria to Moscow for the Rostelecom Cup.

Sharon kept a good eye on the young girl as they got back to America, noticing all her stamina and motivation drop to a solid zero after losing a medal though she still gained a decent amount of points from finishing 4th just barely shy of a bronze medal.

Aquaria had totally stolen the show at the exhibition gala with her Italian pop star realness track, her and Sasha were everywhere on Instagram the next day with their European popstar galas. It was lovely to see and Alaska had been blaring Soldi by Mahmood through her ears from the airport in France to the plane touching down in Los Angeles.

The American had been staring at that damned piece of paper pinned to the wall for hours the minute that France was over and done with, reading each name and subjecting herself to hours of YouTube clips to analyze her competition though most of them were either her sister's or huge rivals.

Her biggest rivals by far were Detox and Katya, more emphasis on the Russian who was completely ready to demolish everyone at her disposal considering how her situation back in her home country led her to now be training with Chad and her team. Detox stretched beside her with a groan, standing before lifting her legs behind her head and looking at the blonde beside her who certainly looked out of it.

Kameron was someone she had yet to skate with, she had only met with the girl during nationals and she often didn't place so they never got to speak. Chad always worked hard with her whenever Alaska would visit them up in Michigan.

"You good?"

"Just weird to think this is my last chance to go to a Grand Prix final is all. Olympics are the last big competition I'm going for and the American nationals are in January."

"Don't think about that now, we have to focus and you shouldn't be worrying yet: our competition is stiff but that's how figure skating is and how it always will be long after we're retired."

Alaska nodded quietly, taking a sip of her energy drink as Detox muffled her hands through her blue hair and unzipping her Team USA jacket as she jumped around the rink in her skates trying to break in to her new pearly white Jackson Ultimas. Alaska's quiet eyes stared a bit long at Detox who practiced her jumps off the ice though her mind was totally unfocused considering her own personal relationship issues with Trinity that had yet to be worked out.

Detox came to her hotel room a day after the ceremonies had ended to talk about how her and Trinity had blown up at eachother over some family tenseness and the southerner wanting to hide their relationship as long as possible: scared of backlash and her family disowning her. Apparently they came to France and Trinity introducing Detox as a "close friend" did not sit well.

It was an entire shindig Alaska enjoyed listening to but she sure didn't enjoy seeing her best friend sob on her hotel bed as they shared overpriced wine and french fries.

The American groaned silently as she felt tears swell up in her eyes staring at her best friend since she had started skating, it would be hard to leave behind the legacy and glory she had created with her Olympic, Grand Prix, World championship medals but the greatest legacy she could've created was her everlasting friendship with Detox that grew throughout the two decades Alaska had been skating.

She had gotten over the paralyzing fear of breaking her and Sharon's relationship with this forsaken retirement once the two really talked it over, in bed with the assistance of three entire packs of gummy bears. Detox was the one hurdle she couldn't jump over, the one thing she didn't want to think about was leaving her best friend alone without her. The fights, the podiums shared, all the stupid insults and jokes thrown around about their competitors in the secrecy of their hotel suites, all of it.

"You okay?"

Alaska snapped from her own tension as Detox rubbed her shoulder comfortingly, the older American nodded before turning the table on her not really wanting to delve into her own issues with her own untimely retirement plans.

This is our last Grand Prix event together and it's horrifying how quick my career has gone by.

"I'm fine, perfectly fine. Let's go and practice for Moscow."

#rpdr fanfiction #figure skating au #lesbian au #sasha velour #shea coulee #brooke lynn hytes #katya zamolodchikova #sharon needles #alaska thunderfuck #trinity taylor #sashea #shalaska #detox x trinity #learning to be silent #roza #concrit welcome #detox icunt

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therightnewsnetwork · 8 years ago

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Searching for the American Dream on the Edge of the War in Ukraine

SLOVIANSK, Ukraine—At the public library in this eastern Ukrainian city about 50 kilometers, or 30 miles, from the war’s front lines, a group of teenagers gather on a Monday afternoon to learn about life in America.

This is Presidents Day back in the United States, and, as a way to practice their English, the students write letters to U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Thank you for everything,” a student named Katya wrote to the president. “I want to visit America, and a world without war. Help Ukraine.”

On this day an ebullient volunteer named Oleseya leads the meeting—she asked that her last name not be used due to security concerns. Her energy and enthusiasm are boundless as she prompts the 22 teenage students through a series of icebreakers and English language exercises.

“I wish my children, Milena, 10, and Maria, 4, and all the kids in eastern Ukraine to forgive and forget the horrors they have seen,” Oleseya tells The Daily Signal. “They have supped their part of sorrows. It’s more than enough. And I am sure this generation is born to make a difference in Ukraine. They just have no other options.”

Oleseya, standing, leads the Access group through a series of English lessons and icebreakers. (Photos: Nolan Peterson/The Daily Signal)

The teenagers, who range in age from 13 to 15 years old, are members of a voluntary study group called Access in Sloviansk, which meets a few times a week to practice English and learn about American culture. Access in Sloviansk is one program among many at the Window on America center at the Sloviansk library. Participants in the center’s various programs range in age from 5 to 60.

At the library, an American flag hangs on the wall beside a poster of the Statue of Liberty and the New York City skyline. The shelves are lined with books about U.S. history and geography, as well as GRE prep books, U.S. college application guides, and a DVD collection of Rocky Balboa movies.

“The war affected everyone, but all people react and recover in different ways,” Darina Andrieieva, coordinator of the Window on America program in Sloviansk tells The Daily Signal.

“It’s not easy for everyone to quickly recover and move on, but I’m happy to see that many of the young people are looking forward to a better future,” Andrieieva says. “They are curious, they are learning with passion. And I’m happy to work in this center, because I have a great opportunity to encourage that passion.”

In April 2014, pro-Russian separatists, supported by Russian special forces and security agency operatives, took over Sloviansk. In July 2014, Ukrainian military units launched an operation to liberate the city of about 100,000 people. As artillery and tank shots rained down, and small arms gunfights broke out in the streets, Oleseya resolved that this cycle of violence that has consumed every generation of Ukrainians in living memory had to stop.

The author addressing students at the Window on America program in Sloviansk.

“On April 12, 2014, my little world changed forever,” Oleseya says, referring to the separatist takeover. “The war didn’t kill me, it made me more compassionate and every-moment-appreciating. Now, it’s my turn to help my neighbors—the university students, Access teenagers, Sloviansk locals—to be stronger, more encouraged, more loved, and more English-speaking.”

The 29 Window on America centers across Ukraine are a diplomatic outreach project organized by the U.S. Embassy to “promote mutual understanding between the United States and Ukraine,” according to a statement on the program’s website.

Yet, Sloviansk’s Window on America program was a true grassroots initiative launched by area residents. The Sloviansk center is actually a transplanted version of a Window on America program that existed in Donetsk before combined Russian-separatist forces took over that city in 2014. Today, Donetsk remains the capital of one of two breakaway separatist territories in eastern Ukraine.

“Not all of them dream about America,” Andrieieva says of the teenagers. “Some want to live in Australia, or Germany. But this center, and the desire to learn English, to learn something new, brings them all together. Especially for such a small town it’s a great cultural place.”

Back to Work

Later, at an industrial park on the outskirts of Sloviansk, Olexandr Ivanovich Poligenko opens the heavy metal door to one of his two crockery factories. Inside, on the factory floor the air is misted with clay particles spewing from machines operated by a pair of workers who hardly seem to notice as their boss enters the room.

An unformed tongue of gray clay oozes out of one machine like a giant worm. A worker uses a wire to slice the clay into bricks about the size of phone books. Soon, they will be shaped and then fired into fine ceramic crockery in one of two conveyor-belt kilns at another section of the factory.

On this night, the wide open, high ceilinged industrial workspace is loud with the sound of machinery and brightly lit. Normally, the windows are left open during the day to let some of the dust escape, Poligenko explains. But at night the workers prefer to wear face masks rather than let in the cold air. If you’ve ever experienced a Ukrainian winter, then you understand why.

Olexandr Ivanovich Poligenko in his office.

Poligenko stands proudly, with arms folded, his shoulders pulled back, watching the fruits of 15 years of hard work in motion. His two factories in Sloviansk produce about 650,000 pieces of crockery a month. They also employ 260 people, including veterans and 22 Ukrainians who fled their homes due to the war. A planned third factory, the construction of which is nearing completion, will add another 150 jobs.

“My dream is to expand my business to America,” Poligenko says. “The war will be over soon, and we should look forward to the future.”

Clean shaven, with shortly cropped salt and pepper hair and round animated eyes, Poligenko is the director of Poligenko Trade Mark, one of the largest crockery producers in Ukraine.

Poligenko launched his enterprise 15 years ago. Today, it’s one of Sloviansk’s most important businesses. But success did not come easy. To build his company, Poligenko had to navigate Ukraine’s corruption-riddled, post-Soviet business-scape, replete with the nefarious influence of Mafia thugs, tribute-demanding oligarchs, and Russian agents. And there was the war, too, of course.

A worker operates a machine on a factory floor in Sloviansk.

“It has become easier to do business in Ukraine since the revolution, but if the time of Yanukovych returns, I will not work,” Poligenko says, referring to the pro-Russian former president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, who was overthrown in 2014 by pro-European street protests.

Poligenko says he and his family have been forced to flee Sloviansk five times due to the war and various criminal threats against him. “I know what war is,” he says.

Albeit slowly, corruption is diminishing throughout Ukraine, as is the insidious Russian influence. The country’s economy is also slowly rebounding from the hit it took after the revolution and the loss of its Crimean Peninsula to Russia in 2014, and the three subsequent years of war.

Ukraine’s gross domestic product grew by a tepid 1 percent in 2016, and, according to various Ukrainian and international estimates, GDP is expected to grow by about 2.3 percent each year in the period from 2017 to 2019.

Poligenko is optimistic that Ukraine’s business environment is on the right trajectory and that the war will end soon, spurring him to look for ways to grow his business abroad.

With practically breathless enthusiasm, Poligenko explains how his ultimate dream is to build a factory in the U.S. But for now, he’s looking for a way to export his goods to the American market.

“We’re not looking for investors, we’re looking for business partners,” Poligenko says.

Role Models

In 2014, Sloviansk was at the epicenter of a separatist insurgency, which, with financial and military backing from Moscow, spawned two breakaway separatist republics in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces deployed to eastern Ukraine in the spring of 2014 to stop the combined Russian-separatist advance, which at that time was engulfing town after town across the Donbas, Ukraine’s embattled southeastern territory on the border with Russia.

Sloviansk fell to combined Russian-separatist forces in April 2014. According to accounts from civilians living in the city at the time, Russian special forces troops and agents from Russia’s security services were operating among the separatists. In the intervening years, however, the Kremlin has repeatedly denied supporting the separatists.

A letter from a Ukrainian student to U.S. President Donald Trump.

On July 5, 2014, after weeks of heavy fighting, Ukrainian forces retook control of Sloviansk. It wasn’t quite a Pyrrhic victory, but the battle to liberate the city left scars. Most notably in a nearby village called Semyonovka, which was practically leveled by artillery crossfire. Overall, about 100 people died in the fighting, and roughly 40 percent of the city’s residents fled.

In August 2014, one month after the battle, the carcass of a separatist tank destroyed by a landmine was strewn along a highway leading out of town. Buildings were pockmarked by bullet holes and artillery shrapnel. At an artillery-razed bus stop outside town, a woman and her child sat on their suitcases waiting for a ride. And in Semyonovka, residents who had fled the shelling trickled back, returning to the debris fields that used to be their homes.

Today, the city is peaceful, people have returned home and most of the physical damage has been repaired. The face of the city has also changed. Evidence of pro-Ukrainian sentiment is much more apparent than any latent pro-Russian leanings.

Statues of Soviet luminaries, including Vladimir Lenin, have come down. Ukraine’s blue and yellow flags are everywhere, as is the graffitied expression in Ukrainian, “Glory to Ukraine”—a patriotic rallying cry akin to “God Bless America.”

A destroyed tank on the outskirts of Sloviansk in August 2014.

But the war isn’t over. Daily artillery and small arms skirmishes continue on the front lines about 30 miles away.

A cease-fire was signed in September 2014 in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, but it quickly collapsed. A subsequent deal struck in February 2015, called Minsk II, reduced the intensity of the war by proscribing airpower, as well as heavy weapons and armor within a certain buffer zone around the front lines.

However, the war never ended. Rather, it morphed into a static, indirect fire conflict, fought from trenches and improvised forts along a 250-mile-long front line.

A third of the 10,000 Ukrainians who have died in the war were killed after the February 2015 cease-fire was signed. Casualties, both civilian and military, still occur daily on both sides of the conflict. And about 1.7 million Ukrainians remain de facto refugees in their own country due to the war.

The fighting intermittently intensifies, as it did in the front-line town of Avdiivka in late January, briefly capturing international media attention. But the cease-fire has largely kept the war in check, and both sides have not made any major offensives in more than two years.

Hope

The Access in Sloviansk students kick off their Presidents Day meeting by singing a song in English.

They sit in a horseshoe formation of desks around this correspondent and his brother—who have been invited as guest speakers on this day. It is only the second time in two years that an American citizen has spoken at the Window on America program in Sloviansk.

At first, the young pupils are shy, yet effusively polite and well mannered. They raise their hands to be called upon before speaking. Most have smartphones in front of them, yet, demonstrating a level of politeness that escapes many American university students, the devices remain out of the students’ hands while anyone is speaking.

They do, however, whip out their phones to snap some selfies at the end of the afternoon. This correspondent and his brother happily oblige.

The author and his brother among the Access students at the Window on America center at the Sloviansk public library.

During an icebreaker session, when asked to name their favorite symbols of America, the teenagers’ answers span the gamut from the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, the city of Chicago, McDonald’s, Hollywood, baseball, and pizza (sorry, Italy).

When asked to name their favorite U.S. president, the students respond with answers like Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and John F. Kennedy.

The conversation moves from the desks to a circle of beanbag chairs. The students warm to the Americans in their midst, and begin to open up. They talk about their hobbies, like playing soccer and guitar, and their favorite movies, which include “The Avengers” and “Home Alone.”

They have lots of questions about life in America.

“What kind of music do you like?” they ask. “What’s your favorite holiday? What sports do you play?”

Then, “Is it true you can live anywhere you want in America?”

In Ukraine, it remains a laborious bureaucratic process to officially change one’s city of residence. Ukrainians are still required to carry a domestic passport, a carryover from the Soviet era when authorities could demand to see one’s “papers” at any time.

Consequently, the fact that an American could pick up and move to any city of his or her choice, whenever he or she wants, is an alien concept.

Ukrainian students at the Window on America center in Sloviansk.

Near the end of the meeting, Andrieieva, the Window on America coordinator, asks, “Can you explain for them what the American dream is?”

A brief pause to formulate a coherent response, a lot is riding on what comes next.

“It’s the belief that anything is possible, and that, no matter what, you always have the choice to make your life better,” this correspondent says. “No matter where you come from, or what your background is, you are in charge of your destiny.”

“Sounds amazing,” one young woman says, nodding approvingly.

“That’s the Ukrainian dream, too,” Oleseya, the volunteer group leader, chimes in. “You can do anything you want,” she says, scanning the faces of the teenage students. “Remember what I told you. You are a different generation. Your lives will be different.”

Work Ethic

Back in his office at the crockery factory, Poligenko leans forward with his elbows on his desk. “Believe in your work,” he says. “And everything is possible.”

The walls of Poligenko’s office are draped in military memorabilia—unit flags signed by soldiers, medals, shoulder patches, photos. Pieces of ammunition of various calibers line his desk. In a drawer he keeps a live grenade. “Just in case,” he says, smirking.

“Tea, coffee?” Poligenko asks at the beginning of the interview.

Minutes later his secretary appears with a tray of steaming hot cups of tea and coffee, as well as plates of chocolate candies, cookies, and pastries. Poligenko knows how to make a good impression.

Olexandr Ivanovich Poligenko’s blue and yellow coffee mugs—Ukraine’s national colors—have become ubiquitous throughout the war zone.

Poligenko is frenetically ambitious, constantly talking about plans to expand his business in America. With his teenage daughter and adult son chipping in to help with the Russian to English translations, Poligenko explains his idea of work ethic.

“If working from eight in the morning until six at night isn’t enough, then start at six,” he offers.

Poligenko talks about his business for a while, but his demeanor noticeably brightens when he speaks about the Ukrainian soldiers. He lauds the troops’ courage in combat, which he witnessed firsthand when they fought to liberate Sloviansk in 2014.

“The quieter the soldier, the more dangerous he is,” Poligenko says.

On his computer, Poligenko scrolls through photos from the various volunteer projects he has spearheaded to support Ukraine’s military. He has, over the course of the three-year-old war, traveled frequently to the front lines to deliver supplies, including military kit and food, as well as camouflaged storage containers used to conceal Ukrainian ammunition depots from Russian drones.

Poligenko also pays for the medals of soldiers who have received decorations for bravery but could not afford to buy the actual devices for their uniforms. “Who would help the soldiers if I don’t?” Poligenko says.

Poligenko is well-known for one unique item, which is now ubiquitous throughout the war zone.

At his ceramics factories, he produces a special blue and yellow coffee mug (Ukraine’s national colors) emblazoned with the national symbol, a trident, as well as the likeness of Ukraine’s traditional warrior, the mustached, fierce-looking Cossack.

“It’s a morale booster,” he says.

Ukraine’s military has dramatically improved, both in terms of supplies and fighting prowess, from the early days of the war in 2014 when its regular army was caught off guard by the combined Russian-separatist blitz across the Donbas.

With the regular army on its heels, Ukrainian volunteer military units stalled the separatist advance and turned the tide of the war in 2014. These paramilitary forces comprised civilians who often had little military training and were armed with hand-me-down weapons from area police forces. Yet, by July 2014, Ukraine’s mostly volunteer army had retaken 23 out of 36 districts captured by combined Russian-separatist forces.

The volunteer units have now been incorporated into Ukraine’s army and National Guard. And the volunteer troops who put their day jobs on hold to step forward and fight in the early days of the conflict are now some of the most experienced and battle-hardened soldiers in Ukraine’s military.

They also probably have more combat experience against tanks and artillery, and in trench warfare, than any group of active-duty soldiers in the world today.

“We have a real army now,” Poligenko says.

Ukrainians across all walks of life—from university students to businessmen—have volunteered their time and money, and sometimes risked their lives, to support their country’s war effort. Some decided to fight, others to collect and deliver supplies to the front lines.

The volunteers serve with no expectations of fame or fortune. They want to win the war so Ukraine can get back to the business of rebuilding itself into a functioning democracy free from Russian influence.

Olexandr Ivanovich Poligenko’s crockery factories employ 260 people, including veterans and 22 Ukrainians who fled their homes due to the war.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Ukraine’s grassroots war effort is that it materialized without governmental direction or backing. It was a truly spontaneous manifestation of Ukrainian society, underscoring a widespread attitude of self-reliance among Ukrainians who were unwilling to wait for the government to act in a moment of crisis.

Ukraine’s volunteer movement, consequently, is a sharp break from the Soviet mindset—a condition colloquially referred to as “homo sovieticus” among Ukrainians—in which people depend on the government for their financial stability and security, and are reluctant, either due to intimidation or apathy, to challenge the established order.

“It’s important for Ukrainians to help themselves, and not wait for the government,” Poligenko says. “Now, we have to finish the war and get back to work.”

Poligenko credits his business acumen and work ethic to reading books and a natural inner drive. He dropped out of university before finishing his degree, and his first job was repairing TVs. “I have no education,” he says. “I taught myself everything.”

“It seems like you’re living the American dream,” this correspondent says.

A pause as the sentence is translated. Then, Poligenko cracks a smile.

“It’s the Ukrainian dream now,” he says.

The post Searching for the American Dream on the Edge of the War in Ukraine appeared first on The Daily Signal.

from http://www.therightnewsnetwork.com/searching-for-the-american-dream-on-the-edge-of-the-war-in-ukraine/

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patriotnewsblogger-blog · 8 years ago

Text

Searching for the American Dream on the Edge of the War in Ukraine

New Post has been published on http://www.therightnewsnetwork.com/searching-for-the-american-dream-on-the-edge-of-the-war-in-ukraine/

Searching for the American Dream on the Edge of the War in Ukraine

This is Presidents Day back in the United States, and, as a way to practice their English, the students write letters to U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Thank you for everything,” a student named Katya wrote to the president. “I want to visit America, and a world without war. Help Ukraine.”

Oleseya, standing, leads the Access group through a series of English lessons and icebreakers. (Photos: Nolan Peterson/The Daily Signal)

“The war affected everyone, but all people react and recover in different ways,” Darina Andrieieva, coordinator of the Window on America program in Sloviansk tells The Daily Signal.

The author addressing students at the Window on America program in Sloviansk.

Back to Work

Olexandr Ivanovich Poligenko in his office.

“My dream is to expand my business to America,” Poligenko says. “The war will be over soon, and we should look forward to the future.”

Clean shaven, with shortly cropped salt and pepper hair and round animated eyes, Poligenko is the director of Poligenko Trade Mark, one of the largest crockery producers in Ukraine.

A worker operates a machine on a factory floor in Sloviansk.

Poligenko says he and his family have been forced to flee Sloviansk five times due to the war and various criminal threats against him. “I know what war is,” he says.

Poligenko is optimistic that Ukraine’s business environment is on the right trajectory and that the war will end soon, spurring him to look for ways to grow his business abroad.

With practically breathless enthusiasm, Poligenko explains how his ultimate dream is to build a factory in the U.S. But for now, he’s looking for a way to export his goods to the American market.

“We’re not looking for investors, we’re looking for business partners,” Poligenko says.

Role Models

In 2014, Sloviansk was at the epicenter of a separatist insurgency, which, with financial and military backing from Moscow, spawned two breakaway separatist republics in eastern Ukraine.

A letter from a Ukrainian student to U.S. President Donald Trump.

A destroyed tank on the outskirts of Sloviansk in August 2014.

But the war isn’t over. Daily artillery and small arms skirmishes continue on the front lines about 30 miles away.

However, the war never ended. Rather, it morphed into a static, indirect fire conflict, fought from trenches and improvised forts along a 250-mile-long front line.

Hope

The Access in Sloviansk students kick off their Presidents Day meeting by singing a song in English.

They do, however, whip out their phones to snap some selfies at the end of the afternoon. This correspondent and his brother happily oblige.

The author and his brother among the Access students at the Window on America center at the Sloviansk public library.

When asked to name their favorite U.S. president, the students respond with answers like Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and John F. Kennedy.

They have lots of questions about life in America.

“What kind of music do you like?” they ask. “What’s your favorite holiday? What sports do you play?”

Then, “Is it true you can live anywhere you want in America?”

Consequently, the fact that an American could pick up and move to any city of his or her choice, whenever he or she wants, is an alien concept.

Ukrainian students at the Window on America center in Sloviansk.

Near the end of the meeting, Andrieieva, the Window on America coordinator, asks, “Can you explain for them what the American dream is?”

A brief pause to formulate a coherent response, a lot is riding on what comes next.

“Sounds amazing,” one young woman says, nodding approvingly.

Work Ethic

Back in his office at the crockery factory, Poligenko leans forward with his elbows on his desk. “Believe in your work,” he says. “And everything is possible.”

“Tea, coffee?” Poligenko asks at the beginning of the interview.

Minutes later his secretary appears with a tray of steaming hot cups of tea and coffee, as well as plates of chocolate candies, cookies, and pastries. Poligenko knows how to make a good impression.

Olexandr Ivanovich Poligenko’s blue and yellow coffee mugs—Ukraine’s national colors—have become ubiquitous throughout the war zone.

“If working from eight in the morning until six at night isn’t enough, then start at six,” he offers.

“The quieter the soldier, the more dangerous he is,” Poligenko says.

Poligenko is well-known for one unique item, which is now ubiquitous throughout the war zone.

“It’s a morale booster,” he says.

They also probably have more combat experience against tanks and artillery, and in trench warfare, than any group of active-duty soldiers in the world today.

“We have a real army now,” Poligenko says.

Olexandr Ivanovich Poligenko’s crockery factories employ 260 people, including veterans and 22 Ukrainians who fled their homes due to the war.

“It’s important for Ukrainians to help themselves, and not wait for the government,” Poligenko says. “Now, we have to finish the war and get back to work.”

“It seems like you’re living the American dream,” this correspondent says.

A pause as the sentence is translated. Then, Poligenko cracks a smile.

“It’s the Ukrainian dream now,” he says.

The post Searching for the American Dream on the Edge of the War in Ukraine appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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