#Russian & (ex)USSR Animation

[alatismeni-theitsa]

https://youtu.be/1CRdXiLx8b0 I've found this stop motion short from the UK that tells the story of Hades and Persephone. Honestly, I wish it was a full leghth film as the animation is gorgeous and I prefer it to LO any day of the week.

The animation is GORGEOUS HOLY SHIT! The faces, the gestures, and the transitions (like when Demeter's and nature's grief/transformation were shown) made me feel so many emotions! I really want to show some screenshots!

Just look at Persephone with her sweet muuuuum!!!

I am not even mad about the scene where Demeter snatches Eros by his wings and his ears, like a good old-fashioned Greek Mother, who then complains to her husband "why don't you notice me anymore!!" 😂😂 JUST LOOK AT THIS MASTERPIECE

"ΕΕΛΑ ΔΩ ΡΕ ΑΝΑΓΩΓΟ ΦΤΕΡΩΤΟ ΜΑΛΑΚΙΣΜΕΝΟΟ"

And the abduction scene was so good??? It showed everything without sugarcoating stuff the way we see today from 90% of the HxP "retellings". It didn't shy away from how scared Persephone was and how she cried for her mother, and it showed from her POV how terrifying Hades was at the moment. I know I am praising it for just following the source material, but that's rare nowadays in a market dominated by USAmerican media.

Hades has a little monstrous assistant that I am willing to accept as a Kalikantzaros (it would be kinda accurate since they live underground) and move on with my life xD I also buy the dialogues of Hades and Persephone, how they move and how they interact. In a few seconds, they showed all the complexity of their situation.

The way it shows Demeter looking around for her daughter in distress, it's chef's kiss! When Helios basically tells her "don't worry Persephone will be queen!" Demeter is like ΔΕ ΜΑΣ ΧΕΖΕΙΣ ΚΙ ΕΣΥ ΡΕ ΜΑΛΑΚΑ ΗΛΙΕ ΝΑ 'ΟΥΜ and then she goes to Zeus like ΔΕ ΣΟΥ ΕΙΠΑ ΡΕ ΑΑΑΑΧΡΗΣΤΕ, ΑΝΙΚΑΝΕ, ΔΙΠΡΟΣΩΠΕ, ΑΝΤΙΠΡΟΣΩΠΕ, ΝΑ ΜΗΝ ΚΑΝΕΙΣ ΤΙΠΟΤΑ;;;

AHAAHAHAHHA LOOK AT THAT FACE! And his complaints about his wife, typical boomer Greek stuff xD (μπασα φωνη)" ΕΜΕΝΑ Η ΓΥΝΑΙΚΑ ΜΟΥ ΕΙΝΑΙ Η ΠΙΟ ΣΠΑΣΤΙΚΗ ΑΠΟ ΟΛΕΣ ΣΤΗ Γ-"

There is the typical "the mother wants her daughter only for herself" which is a bit annoying as a trope but the rest is so good that I'll let it slide 😅 Like, mah dude, mah Hades, Demeter is not upset because she thinks Persephone should be hers. She is upset because her daughter was abduuuucted and she had no idea where she was or how she felt after that traumatic event. Go to some therapy stopMotion!Hades.

But DUUDE LOOK AT THAT WINTER COSTUME!! SLAY (please not literally) DEMETER!

I am overall very happy with this animation! I think someone had sent it to me before but I didn't have time to review it in depth back then. Sergei Olifirenko, well done! Anon, thank you for sending it!

[k-s-morgan]

Hello! I sincerely hope everything goes well for you in the future. The reason I am sending this ask is that I am taking a class in Stanford called “Genocide and Humanitarian Intervention” currently, and while we haven’t gotten to the part in the course where we talk about current events, my professor said that there is a very clear case to be made that Russia is committing genocide against Ukraine. I was wondering if, as a Ukrainian, you had anything you wanted/would be willing to add. I know you talk about your experiences in Ukraine quite frequently, but I don’t remember if you ever touched on this specific topic. Sorry if I am making you repeat yourself or if this is formatted or worded poorly.

Hi! Thank you for your ask, I'm more than willing to share my thoughts!

Of course, there are large things. Russia is committing genocide by murdering Ukrainian men, women, and children (we have so many new cemeteries now), stealing and burning our land, bombing historical sights and churches, attacking fields with crops, factories, etc. It's eliminating our language and culture in the placed it occupies, and it's been doing it for decades. Most ex-Soviet countries have Russian as their pre-dominant language. Not because they lack their own language, but because USSR spent a lot of effort on turning everyone Russian and making people forget where they come from. Ukraine is not an exception, although it's incredibly resilient, especially now, after the full-scale war.

But Russia is also committing genocide in smaller ways. It bombs our critical infrastructure. We have a severe lack of electricity as a result. What does it entail? Much more than people normally think. As an example, right now, it's over 40 degrees Celsius outside. When there is no electricity, the elevators and air conditioners don't work. Just recently, I was taking a walk, and I saw an old man sitting on the bench, asking people what time it was with increasing desperation. It was already dark outside, and he couldn't get home because he lives on one of the top floors. He can't use the stairs, so he's dependent on the electricity to simply get home.

During the winter 2023, multiple Ukrainians froze to death, mostly those who weren't able to leave their apartments due to the lack of heating and working elevators, the consequence of bombing.

Sick people, disabled people, those with fragile health are all being slowly killed by the situation Ukraine is in. I barely function in such a heat, and I'm a young woman. What about people with heart diseases? What about the elderly?

Hospitals and vet clinics can't perform surgeries with certainty that the generator isn't going to break at the most critical moment. Small business close down because they can't afford to work.

Russia has made bombing a gruesome art. When the bombing is coming, first, it turns on the connection on a combat range. Usually, it happens around 20:00. From then on, we know that the whole country is about to be bombed and people and animals are going to die - we just don't know who's going to bear the worst impact. At around 22:00-23:00, Russian bombers fly out. It takes them about 4 hours to approach our borders and send their missiles. Then another 1 or 2 hours. Sometimes they are faking it. Most often, they are not.

Imagine how it affects every Ukrainian. To know what's coming hours in advance and to be unable to do anything about it. How many nerve endings are being destroyed. How many stress-related diseases are brewing already inside us, waiting to kill us months, years, or decades later.

Fearing for our lives, for the lives of our loved ones. Fearing losing our apartments - regular people like me will be homeless if the missile targets our houses. Fearing dying in the war. Fearing Russians burning down and occupying our cities, towns, and villages.

Russia is killing us in many ways, some instant, some not. And if nothing changes drastically, if the world continues to condemn Russia on words and play nice with it in actions because it's beneficial to them, I think Russia will succeed. We are a very small country compared to it. It will simply overwhelm us at some point, killing and injuring hundreds of thousands and displacing millions of Ukrainians.

Another short video. Note that it's just some scenes from some bombings in some regions in Ukraine, all taken this week. This week alone, Russia sent over 700 bombs, 170 drones, and 80 missiles against my country, including my city, killing many people. And this happens every. Single. Day. For two and a half years.

We are surviving against all odds. For now.

[radiomayak]

tagged by: @derhaifischderhattraenen

tagging: @zdravstvuysclntse, @skogland, @princeofsolitude, @undeadrelic, @statesiian, @pusziipajtas, @feniiksburnt, @ladyofkiev

FULL NAME: Ivan Mikhailovich Braginsky, for no reason in particular for any of it. He picked his own name at basically random, or for very menial reasons.

GENDER AND SEXUALITY: Male, bisexual, homosexual biromantic leanings, and he lives in the closet alone with a pile of shoes.

ETHNICITY AND SPECIES: Russian Federation, formerly Moscow; Nation Manifestation.

BIRTHPLACE AND BIRTHDAY: He was born just outside the Grand Duchy of Moscow around 1280 to his best guess, and the wintertime is his earliest memory, so he made his birthday the day before his favorite day of the year (during the USSR; he chose his birthday in 1932), December 30th.

GUILTY PLEASURES: Ivan would hardly tell you the true nature of his fun, but the most personal thing would likely be his obsession with Tetris and hours spent playing it on sleepless or intoxicated nights. Alternatively, there’s his extreme guilty pleasure of a few stuffed animals he has in his house and using them for their intended purposes when the loneliness and sleeplessness is too all-consuming for Tetris.

PHOBIAS AND FEARS: He is very, very afraid of being alone and unloved, which he feels has been realized, and it causes him a lot of grief. Other than that, he’s almost afraid that his life is absolutely immortal and that he will never die, even when he should. He wants to go sometime, and sooner than later, given that the first fear has been recognized.

FAVOURITE BOOK GENRE: Ivan doesn’t read books for pleasure; he never managed to get  into the habit. But, with anything, his favorite entertainment genre is Sci-Fi, which might be another guilty pleasure. Imagining space is fun, and he’s not immune to that.

WHAT THEY WOULD BE INFAMOUS FOR: Ivan is infamous for poor impulse control. Sometimes people get shot, sometimes they get cried on, sometimes they get fucked... Ivan just doesn’t know how not to feel something to the extreme.

WHAT HAVE THEY/WOULD THEY BE ARRESTED FOR: Gang participation/affiliation, or vehicular manslaughter.

CHARACTER MOST LIKELY TO MURDER THEM: Prussia or Prussia or his ex-girlfriend. ( @undeadrelic, @zdravstvuysclntse, @landforces)

CHARACTER(S) YOU SHIP THEM WITH: @princeofsolitude, @irish-emerald, @italitude, or ANY FRANCE or even this one Prussia that is no longer active but still is a dear.

WHY SOMEONE MIGHT LOVE THEM: Ivan’s very lovable, overall. He’s kind, caring, soft, is supportive and into self-disclosing, he’s honest, he’s a homemaker, he will never not try to make things better... Ivan is a good man with a good heart, even if he has a lot of pain.

WHY SOMEONE MIGHT HATE THEM: Ivan is really pedantic and a little stunted on how he handles stress. He can lean too hard on people, react too unforgivably to provocation, or just be too painful of a memory because of what he’s done in the past. There’s a lot of good reasons, and Ivan will support them all as valid.

HOW THEY CHANGE: Ivan started out as a really sweet and caring kid that just got the shit out of life. No one was able to care for him full time and he grew up a street child looking for affection and food, then he was mistreated for the sake of necessity (no one in Moscow could afford another hungry mouth, either) and shooed away constantly until he was taken into the palace... to be pushed away from everyone. He lived like he always had in the elements, but now in a stable, still unloved and uncared for even though he was regularly fed spoiled/unsuitable food or table extras.

He grew up lacking love and became a soldier after his romp of “adult” freedom to learn war and service, then the pressure for him to serve grew in the USSR until he started showing that he could hardly handle it. His mental health deteriorated and his stress did nothing but grow and he began to threaten and grow desperate to please. Then, he crashed, and was suddenly without pressure and stress, but without any contacts when he found he needed help.

Recently, he’s changed from a pressurized, thoughtless person to someone really considerate. Not only does he value life and existence, but now he values other people and their social livelihoods. He was already caring, but now he’s so empathetic that he puts himself second and wants badly to quell his loneliness rather than try to make himself happy in other ways. Ivan has changed from someone free and light to someone who thinks too much until they’re not thinking at all.

WHY YOU LOVE THEM: He’s a big dork, and I’m not sure why I love him if not to display the human spirit after it’s been chewed up beyond it’s control. Nothing Ivan did while a child determined that his life would be painful, and nothing he did determined when he would become a soldier, or work within the upper echelon of his government. It just happened but it twisted his life and his life grew more and more painful. A previous RP character was based on how the soul deals with the evil they’ve created, and one before it was an exploration in feeling pain. It’s just another stage in me spending years building up characters, and I don’t know what I’ll ever do with what I’ve learned with Ivan, but hopefully something.

[digthe60s]

1966

Inflation grew as part of the effect to fund the war in Vietnam. Both the U.S. and USSR continued in their space race to see who would be the first to land a man on the moon. Race riots continued to increase across cities in America, and national guards were needed to bring back law and order. The fashions in both America and UK came from a small well-known street in London, Carnaby Street. Both women and men wore patterned pants and flowered shirts and boots, even caps utilized plastic and vinyl for a wet, shiny look. The most popular groups included the Beach Boys (with Pet Sounds), the Rolling Stones (with Aftermath), and the Beatles (with Revolver).

Major events

• Up to 200,000 people attend anti-Vietnam war protests around the world.

• Miranda Rights come into being after the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the conviction of a confessed rapist, ruling that he had not been properly informed of his right to council and to not testify against himself.

• In South Wales, on October 21, a slag heap containing unwanted rock from the local coal mine slid down Merthyr Mountain. As it collapsed, it destroyed twenty houses and a farm, before going on to demolish virtually all of Pantglas Junior School. 144 people were killed, 116 of whom were children (mostly between the ages of 7 and 10). This became known as the Aberfan Disaster.

• The U.S. Department of Transportation is created.

• The Gemini 8 space mission is aborted early after technical difficulties interrupt the mission.

• The Gemini 10 space mission launches and is completed successfully.

• NASA launches Lunar Orbiter 1, the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit the Moon.

• The ATS-1 (Applications Technology Satellite) was launched by NASA during December. The ATS-1 was an experimental satellite that weighed about 750 pounds. It carried several experiments, including 2 for meteorological purposes. One of the experiments took full disk hemispheric images of the Earth every half hour. ATS-1 remained operational as it orbited around the Equator until December 1978, when it was deactivated.

• Soviet Union lands Luna 9 on the moon in February, and the U.S. follows with the Surveyor 1 soft moon landing in June.

• NASA’s final Gemini mission, Gemini 12, was launched during November. Gemini 12 carried Buzz Aldrin and James Lovell into space where they carried out several experiments during its four day mission. The main purpose of the mission was to conduct several periods of extravehicular activity, which they did successfully. The astronauts also performed a docking with the Agena spacecraft. The Gemini program paved the way for future missions in the Apollo program, which also led to the moon landing.

• The USSR’s Luna 10 spacecraft becomes the first man-made object to orbit the Moon.

• Batman, Star Trek, and The Monkees are among the new TV shows.

• Miniskirt comes into fashion.

• U.S. Population exceeds 195 million.

• The Black Panthers are formed in the U.S.

• Richard Speck murders 8 nurses in Chicago, Illinois.

• Ex-Marine Charles Whitman kills 14 and injures 31 on a killing spree at the University of Texas.

• U.S. has nearly 500,000 troops in Vietnam.

• The Draft Deferment Test is started in the U.S., as a way for students to convince the Draft Board that they would serve the nation better in the quiet of the classrooms rather than in the jungles of Vietnam.

• Race riots happen in Atlanta, and Black Power becomes a significant factor in American politics.

• The Subway Strike in New York brings the city to a stop. Within a few days, the union’s demands are met with a 15% pay rise.

• Ronald Reagan enters politics, becoming Governor of California.

• Canada introduces its earnings-related social insurance program, the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).

• The Salvation Army celebrates 100 years.

• All cigarette packets in the U.S. must carry the health warning “Caution! Cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health."

• 4 people dig under the Berlin Wall to gain freedom from East Germany.

• The Arno River floods cause the flooding of the city of Florence, in Italy, with thousands of historic books, manuscripts and fine art destroyed.

• 200,000 face starvation on the island of Lombak, Indonesia.

• Cassius Clay defeats Henry Cooper in two title fights in London.

• Pakistani-Indian peace negotiations end successfully.

• Indira Gandhi is elected Prime Minister of India.

• The Australian dollar was introduced at a rate of two dollars per pound, or ten shillings per dollar.

• Pope Paul VI and Arthur Michael Ramsey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, meet in Rome—the first official meeting between the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches in 400 years.

• An earthquake in Turkey leaves 2,394 dead and 10,000 injured.

• Ian Brady and Myra Hindley (known as “the Moors Murderers”) are sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 3 children.

• The UK implements much tougher new drink driving laws.

• England defeats Germany to win at the 1966 World Cup.

• China launches China’s Cultural Revolution and begins purging intellectuals.

• Barbados, Botswana, and Lesotho achieve independence.

• Harold Wilson and the Labour Party win the British General Election.

• Jacqueline Susann has her first novel, Valley of the Dolls, published.

• Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the animated television special adapted from the book, is shown for first time on CBS.

Top 10 highest-grossing films in the U.S.

1. The Bible: In the Beginning… (dir. John Huston)

2. Hawaii (dir. George Roy Hill)

3. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (dir. Mike Nichols)

4. The Sand Pebbles (dir. Robert Wise)

5. A Man for All Seasons (dir. Fred Zinnemann)

6. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (dir. Sergio Leone)

7. Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (dir. Byron Paul)

8. The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (dir. Norman Jewison)

9. Grand Prix (dir. John Frankenheimer)

10. Blowup (dir. Michelangelo Antonioni)

Billboard’s number-one music albums (in chronological order)

1. “Whipped Cream and Other Delights” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass

2. “Rubber Soul” by The Beatles

3. “Going Places” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass

4. “Ballads of The Green Berets” by SSgt. Barry Sadler

5. “If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears” by The Mamas & the Papas

6. “What Now My Love” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass

7. “Strangers in the Night” by Frank Sinatra

8. “Yesterday and Today” by The Beatles

9. “Revolver” by The Beatles

10. “Supremes A’ Go-Go” by The Supremes

11. “Doctor Zhivago Soundtrack” by various artists

12. “The Monkees” by The Monkees

Source: [x]

[kharacterkreator]

100 characters in 100 days

Characters 32-38 out of 100 (day 35: 12 June 2017)

———————————————

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!

Ivan Romanov (The Bleeding Russian) Born in Russia in the early 80s, Ivan was subject to secret government testing by a failing ex-USSR laboratory.  He lost his sight in both eyes, which continue to bleed profusely; however, he gained the ability to sense other creatures’, including human, heartbeats.  He can control his own blood, and often uses his cane as a weapon.  He moved to the U.S. seeking medical attention, but found no doctor that understood his cure.

Theodore “Theo” Green

Theo Green was a con-man that used Christianity as a cover to pull off schemes; however, with a brief interaction with the anti-pope of Saint Louis, Theo gained the power to sacrifice his own metabolic energy to heal other.  To upkeep his healing powers, Theo has added over 40 to his person. 

Vegas Liechtenstein

Vegas Liechtenstein is an art major studying out-of-state in Missouri.  He’s an out crossdresser; however, still uses male pronouns, and does not suffer body dysphoria.  Vegas was named after his birth town in Nevada.  He emits low level UV radiation and can slowly tan people.

Karl McSkirmish

Karl McSkirmish is a janitor in a nuclear reactor, and has taken to wearing a gasmask as a protective measure due to his cystic fibrosis, though it’s pretty much for the aesthetic at this point.  He often tends to a public garden, and enjoys hiking.

John “Broomstick” Denver

Broomstick, earned his nickname because of his airtime in basketball, later he was outed for using magic to increase his hang time, and it tarnished his basketball career.  however, he decided to use his magic to aid people in need, just as his charities had done before they lost funding.

Jack (Jack of Diamond)

Born under the name Janey, Jack grew up with strict parents, who reinforced feminine roles on him.  When his parents and him were flying to Madagascar for his graduation gift, the plane crashed in Ethiopia, killing his parents.  Jack had to fend for himself, with only his fencing knowledge to keep him alive.  Eventually Jack was taken in by animal rehabilitation experts and taken back to the U.S.  There he took up the role of Jack of Diamonds to contest the corrupt government that he believed almost killed him.  It was originally a mission for vengeance, but slowly grew into vigilantism.

Dennis Ford-Wright

Dennis Ford-Wright is the blood relative of both Henry Ford and Orville Wright, he was held by a surrogate mother to his two fathers, and is one of the smartest people alive.  He fought in Iraq, and lost both of his legs because an error in the mine detection software he was programming doesn’t detect mortar strikes.  He dawns the mohawk, a sign of a warrior (though in modern society is just seen as ‘punk’) by his Native American adopted father.  He gets his name from the egg-donor and his other father —for clarification.