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A realistic depiction of violence also serves to show that even if you do survive a war, you probably won’t feel like a hero. In fact, the impact of combat can be so traumatic that the toll it takes on your mental health can end up destroying exactly what you thought you’d protect, and leave you as a mere shell of your former self that’s neither heroic, nor victorious over evil, nor death-transcending. War don't ennoble men. It turns them into dogs. What is important to remember is that in hero systems, violence and suffering can be redeemed as long as they serve a greater purpose. As Becker wrote; “What man really fears is not so much extinction, but extinction with insignificance.” And so when we’re discussing the cinematic depiction of combat and trauma, this nuance is precisely the reason why many war films stumble in their message. One popular war film that exemplifies this is Saving Private Ryan. The film opens with the invasion of Allied soldiers at Normandy. The 20 minute or so sequence, which is filmed in a realistic-looking documentary style, features graphic violence, terrified soldiers, and the overall chaos and destruction of combat. But after that, as Agnieszka Monnet explains in her essay “Is There Such a Thing as an Anti-War Film?”, the conventions of Hollywood storytelling re-emerge and ultimately frame the violence and cost of human life as heroic, and renders it all meaningful. This is most notably demonstrated as our main hero falls at the end, which could have left us wondering if the sacrifice to save Private Ryan was worth it or not. But instead, the film provides us a clear answer with its epilogue in which Ryan lives to be a good man and beloved grandfather, who remembers and honors the men who died for his sake. In doing so, we are reassured that all is well, that all the sacrifices eventually served a heroic purpose, and death has successfully been transcended to achieve greater significance. To emphasize; this doesn’t make Saving Private Ryan a bad film, but it does make it a comfortable one, and as such, it greatly detracts from its effectiveness as a true anti-war statement. In his review, David Walsh also draws attention to the film’s heroic leaders. “The implicit stance taken by the film” – he writes - “is that only the authorities in Washington concerned themselves with ideological matters, while the men in the field were unthinkingly doing the dirty work.” By looking closer at the representatives of what we could see as the film’s hero system, we indeed see that they are portrayed as righteous, rational, and deeply concerned with the suffering of soldiers and their loved ones. The point is not so much if leaders were actually like this or not, but that it doesn’t at all question the hero system that is driving the violence. The film states the sacrifices were costly, but then assures us they were laid upon the altar of freedom. And this sentiment of meaningful suffering echoes throughout the entire film, and in doing so, redeems it. What it comes down to is that despite showing the gritty reality of combat, war films can still romanticize instead of criticize if they do not question the general function of their hero systems.
— Like Stories of Old, Lies of Heroism. Redefining the Anti-War Film
#long post#quotes#Like Stories of Old#Lies of Heroism#Redefining the Anti-War Film#war#war film#Ernest Becker#Agnieszka Monnet#David Walsh#Saving Private Ryan
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Here is the first list of ships that may most likely interest you if you are a fan of Darklina ! Essentially it's about enemies to lover, or a dynamic reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast !
▪︎ Merlin & Morgana. (Mergana) | Show, Merlin BBC. [Tragical Ending]
▪︎ Halbrand / Sauron & Galadriel. (Haladriel / Saurondriel) | Show, The Rings of Power. [In progress]
▪︎ Rey & Kylo Ren / Ben Solo. (Reylo) | Star Wars, postlogy.
▪︎ Osha & Qimir. (Oshamir) | Star Wars Show, The Acolyte.
▪︎ Dracula & Mina. (Dracmina) | Movie, Dracula 1992. [Tragical Ending]
▪︎ Sarah & Jareth. (Sareth) | Movie, Labyrinth 1986. [Open Ending ?]
▪︎ Dongfang Qingcang & Xiao Lanhua / Orchid. | CDrama, Love Between Fairy and Devil. [Happy Ending]
▪︎ Xiang Liu & Xiao Yao. | CDrama, Lost You Forever. / Book, by Tong Hua. [Tragical Ending]
▪︎ Tantai Jin & Li Susu. | CDrama, Till the End of the Moon. [Open Ending] / Black Moonlight is Guaranteed a Bad Ending Script, by Teng Luo Wei Ji. [Happy Ending]
▪︎ Erik & Christine. (Erikstine) | Le fantôme de l'opéra, by Gaston Leroux. / Phantom, by Susan Kay. / The Phantom of the Opera, 25th anniversary, at the Royal Albert Hall, by Andrew Lloyd Webber. [Tragical Ending]
▪︎ Raistlin & Crysania. | Trilogy, The Legends, from Dragonlance universe, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. / Musicals. [Tragical ending]
▪︎ Warner & Juliette. (Warnette) | Book series, Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi. [Happy Ending]
▪︎ Julian & Jenny. | Trilogy, Forbidden game, by L.J Smith. [Tragical ending / Open Ending]
▪︎ Addie & Luc. | Book, The Invisible life of Addie Larue, by V. E. Schwab. [Open Ending]
▪︎ Vasya & Morozko. | Winternight trilogy, by Katherine Arden. [Happy Ending]
▪︎ Marya Morevna & Koschei. | Book, Deathless, by Catherynne M. Valente. [Open Ending]
▪︎ Kasta & Zahru. (Kastaru) | Trilogy, The Kinder Poison, by Natalie Mae. [Happy Ending]
▪︎ Jude & Cardan. (Jurdan) | Trilogy, Folk of the Air, by Holly Black. [Happy Ending]
▪︎ Corien & Rielle. (Corielle) | The Empirium trilogy, by Claire Legrand. [Tragical ending]
▪︎ Ruhn & Lidia. (Ruhnlidia / Daynight) | Trilogy, Crescent City, by Sarah J. Mass. [Happy Ending]
▪︎ Feyre & Rhysand. (Feysand) | Book series, ACOTAR, by Sarah J. Maas. [Happy Ending / In progress]
▪︎ Elain & Azriel. (Elriel) | Book series, ACOTAR, by Sarah J. Maas. [In progress]
▪︎ Emilia & Dorian. | French book series, Vila Emilia, by Elodie Faiderbe. [Happy Ending]
▪︎ Laila & Darius. | Trilogy, When the Stars Alight, by Camilla Andrew. [In progress]
▪︎ Jane Eyre & Mr Rochester. | Book, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronté. / Show BBC, 2006. / Movie, 2011. [Happy Ending]
▪︎ Will & James. | Trilogy, Dark Rise, by C.S. Pacat. [In progress]
▪︎ Laurent & Damen. (Lamen) | Trilogy, Captive Prince, by C.S. Pacat. [Happy Ending]
▪︎ Evangeline & Jacks. (Evajacks) | Trilogy, Once Upon a Broken Heart, by Stephanie Garber. [Happy Ending]
▪︎ Agnieszka & Sarkan. | Book, Uprooted, by Naomi Novik. [Happy Ending]
▪︎ Auren & Rip / Slade. | Book series, The Plated Prisoner, by Raven Kennedy. [In progress]
▪︎ Ash & Mary-Lynnette. | Book series, Night World, volume 2 : Daughters of Darkness, by L.J Smith. [Hapoy Ending / In progress]
▪︎ Hades & Persephone. (Persades) | Webtoon, Lore Olympus, de Rachel Smythe. [In progress] / Greek mythology.
▪︎ Xibalba & La Muerte. (Xibamuerte) | Animation movie, The Book of Life. [Happy Ending]
▪︎ Beauty and the Beast. | Fairy Tale. / Animation Movie Disney. / Movie, Jean Cocteau 1946. / Show, Once Upon a Time. [Happy Ending]
▪︎ Chise & Elias. | Anime, Mahou Tsukai no Yome, 2017. / Manga, The Ancient Magus Bride, by Kore Yamazaki. [In progress]
#darklina#alarkling#pro darklina#pro alarkling#darkling x alina#alina x darkling#darkling and alina#alina and darkling#yaoliu
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"Portrait of sadness", Agnieszka Lorek
"What beauty lies in those who do not find their place among so many people; it is not loneliness, it's a privilege not to fit in."
— Alejandra Pizarnik
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Uprooted
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐; my favourite kind of fantasy - classic fairytale with a side of 'dont worry about the details' and 'you gotta believe in the heart of the cards!'
Oh?? 👌😉😏
a really sharp, quick-witted, and willful female protagonist going 'fuck it!' every few chapters or so and doing something crazy (crazy fun) to drive the plot forward, off a new exciting cliff
a soft magic system that really shows off in the best light what makes soft magic systems so valid. its all about the metaphors!! you have to measure the chocolate chips with your heart!!!
nature is so magical and beautiful and deadly. specifically if you treat trees bad they will form a sentient vengeful forest to raze your civilization to the ground and salt the earth with your bodies
kasia. i love an atomic blonde unkillable bad bitch with the strongest queerplatonic vibes with her best friend from birth
a CLASSIC grumpy 'beastly' male love interest. he seals himself away in a lonely tower, makes girls hang out with him for 10 years at a time, and unironically calls himself 'the Dragon'. he even has the audacity to be offended that everyone thinks he's creepy!!!!!!
No.. ❌🤢🤮
if you like having explanations for how magic works and any semblance of a hard magic system in your fantasy, put this book back. 'round here we operate on Vibes Only, babey!!
similarly, if your love language is words of affirmation and/or you think that fanfic-style romance plotlines should stay in fanfic, this romance is Not For You. this is not a judgment, only a warning
Summary: Agnieszka loves her home in her little village in the valley - you know, except for the evil forest simply known as the Wood that's been around as long as there have been people in the valley, with terrible creatures and sentient walking trees. And the century-old wizard known only as 'the Dragon' living in the tower overlooking their land, who takes a young woman every ten years to serve him. But what Agnieszka dreads the most is that her best friend, Kasia, will be chosen next, and that Agnieszka is helpless to save her. Until the day of the choosing, when the Dragon picks Agnieszka instead.
Concept: 💭💭💭💭 I've never gotten along that well with a book blurb, but this one does its damn job - gives me enough plot premise to get me interested without giving it all away, and doesn't make me feel like I've been lied to once I start the book! some stories really don't do what they say on the tin, or take ages to get there at all, but Uprooted starts off exactly at the spot the blurb said it would - with a girl, in a valley, scared of a terrible wizard, about to be whisked away to a tower.
Execution: 💥💥💥💥💥 This story is EXACTLY what it says it wants to be, down to the cadence of the prose - a Polish folklore-inspired fairytale. The rhythm of Novik's narration even fits right - one day I'll get the audiobook for this and get to hear it the way I read it in my head, like a grandmother's bedtime story with twists and eddies and crescendos at the all the right bits. I was in love with the aesthetic of every character, they fit perfectly into the backdrop of what this story was.
Personal Enjoyment: ❤❤❤❤❤ This book aligns to my tastes much the same way An Enchantment of Ravens does, and shares of lot of the same elements without ever feeling derivative - smart girl meets magic boy, causes all kinds of irreversible political upheaval, and lives happily ever after being just as they are - a Girl with The Audacity. its a tale as old as time, and i'll hear it told just as often
Favourite Moment: you know its a good book when you really can't choose a favourite moment - one that comes to mind is agniezska choosing to save sarkan from being grafted onto the heart-tree in the Wood instead of setting fire to it. the 'fuck it!' energy agniezska brings to her moments of crisis is SO good, plus the motif of her always reaching out to sarkan to cast magic together - 'hey real quick, cast a spell with me while you're being pulled into an evil magic tree trying to twist your magic and life force against us. couldn't hurt, eh?' and then it WORKS
Favourite Character: now yall know i love a sarkan-esque character - pathetic wet cat men who are so offended by their own squishy feelings are a great time! and kasia is SO bad bitch extraordinaire, her and agnieszka's love for each other literally makes the plot go - every time, every time without hesitation she puts herself as the last thing standing between agnieszka and the Wood. but agniezska herself is really Something. the way she uses magic, her connection with nature and her refusal to be anything else than what she is - a grubby young woman who wields kindness as her weapon against the world, who holds onto her humanity with both hands and teeth - she shapes this fairytale to be the story she wants it to be, one of connection and empathy. and im still thinking about her introducing the lord of the whole valley to her mother 🤣 power move!!
#uprooted#naomi novik#books#book review#booklover#bookblr#reading#sarkan's refusal to bind himself to the valley is SO. one day agnieszka will stop for breath mid-bickering and really come to grips with#unpacking why he was so unokay with tying himself to the land. an orphan with incredible magical ability growing up surrounded by#power-hungry nobles? yeah that guy has trust and commitment issues. need agnieszka to fuck that out of him#i mean OF COURSE teach him that the valley is a home and not a cage (that no one will ever force him to stay not even her#that he can come and go as he pleases and still be theirs) and its ok to be tied to the people that love you and vice versa etc etc etc.#but also like. he deserves to be dommed into feeling safe enough to put down roots. as a treat.#anyway kasia x agnieszka x sarkan throuple with agnieszka as the homing beacon and kasia + sarkan as the migrating birds always circling#always knowing the way back home
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“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.” Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her. But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.
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Books I want to read in 2024
I was inspired by @fluencylevelfrench to write this post, so here are the 50 books I want to read in 2024, which is my provisional Goodreads goal. (I always set a lowish number and adjust it throughout the year depending on how my goal progresses.) Last year, I read 121 books, so I'm hoping to be able to read at least 100, but I have no idea what my year is going to look like.
1Q84 Book 1 by Haruki Murakami (currently reading)
1Q84 Book 2 by Haruki Murakami
1Q84 Book 3 by Haruki Murakami
Hamburg – hin und zurück by Felix & Theo
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Die Verwandlung by Franz Kafka
Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language by Steven Pinker
Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
International Relations Theory by Stephen McGlinchey
You Are What You Speak: Grammar Grouches, Language Laws and the Power of Words by Robert Lane Greene
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt
Meditations on Diplomacy: Comparative Cases in Diplomatic Practice and Foreign Policy by Stephen Chan
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Reflections on the Posthuman in International Relations: The Anthropocene, Security and Ecology by Clara Eroukhmanoff
In Cold Blood: A True Account of Multiple Murder and Its Consequences by Truman Capote
Haus ohne Hoffnung by Felix & Theo
Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer
Migration and the Ukraine Crisis: A Two-Country Perspective by Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska and Greta Uehling (eds.)
Writing Systems: An Introduction to Their Linguistic Analysis by Florian Coulmas
Nations under God: The Geopolitics of Faith in the Twenty-First Century by Luke M. Herrington
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
Herr der Diebe by Cornelia Funke
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser
Park Statue Politics: World War II Comfort Women Memorials in the United States by Thomas J. Ward
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Restoring Indigenous Self-Determination: Theoretical and Practical Approaches by Marc Woons
Veronikas Geheimnis by Friedhelm Strack
The Sacred and the Sovereign by Özgür Taşkaya
1984 by George Orwell
Sounds of War: Aesthetics, Emotions and Chechnya by Susanna Hast
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Feminists Don't Wear Pink (And Other Lies): Amazing Women on What the F-Word Means to Them by Scarlett Curtis
Into the Eleventh Hour: R2P, Syria and Humanitarianism in Crisis by Robert W. Murray
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams
Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams
The Sources of Russia's Great Power Politics: Ukraine and the Challenge to the European Order by Taras Kuzio
Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams
Women, Race & Class by Angela Y. Davis
Feminism without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity by Chandra Talpade Mohanty
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
The “Clash of Civilizations” 25 Years On: A Multidisciplinary Appraisal by Davide Orsi
Making Space for Indigenous Feminism by Joyce Green
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
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Spring Fling - Movies For Sakura Season
Nothing puts you in mind for spring quite like these quintessential Japanese sakura and the warm, fresh breezes of April.
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) directed by Rob Marshall and starring Zhang Ziyi, Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeo, and Gong Li. Memoirs leaves an undeniable impression that will carry you through the upheaval of spring. Despite some controversy associated with the film, the bittersweet life of Sayuri and the stunning filmography have created legions of fans. This enchanting film continually reflects the change and growth associated with springtime. Gorgeous scenes of blooming cherry blossoms only add to the theme of renewal through struggle.
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring (2003) directed by Kim Ki-duk. This South Korean drama explores the cyclical nature of life and the passage of time through the story of a Buddhist monk and his young apprentice, who live in a temple on a floating monastery in the middle of a lake. The film features stunning cinematography and breathtaking natural scenery, including cherry blossoms and other flora that change with the seasons.
Lost in Translation (2003) directed by Sofia Coppola, starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. This romantic comedy-drama follows a middle-aged actor and a young college graduate who meet in Tokyo during the sakura season and develop an unlikely bond. As they navigate the language and cultural barriers, they discover a newfound appreciation for each other and the world around them. Lost in Translation" captures the transformative power of travel and the magic of springtime romance, as the sakura blooms symbolize the fleeting nature of life and the beauty of living in the moment.
The Secret Garden (1993) directed by Agnieszka Holland. This British-American family film follows a young girl who discovers a magical garden on her uncle's estate, and the transformative power of nature and friendship. The film features lush English gardens, including colorful springtime flowers and blossoming trees, and an enchanting score by Zbigniew Preisner. You'll recognise actors Kate Maberly, Maggie Smith, and Andrew Knott.
Only Yesterday (1991) directed by Isao Takahata, starring Miki Imai and Toshirō Yanagiba. This Japanese animated film tells the story of a 27-year-old woman who takes a break from her busy city life to visit the countryside during the sakura season. Through her memories of her childhood, she reflects on the choices she has made and the person she has become. The film does a lovely job of showing the beauty of the sakura season and the renewal of spring.
Midnight in Paris (2011) directed by Woody Allen. This American romantic comedy follows a disillusioned writer who travels back in time to 1920s Paris and encounters famous artists and writers of the era. The cast includes Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, and Marion Cotillard. The film features charming Parisian scenery, including gardens and parks filled with springtime flowers and greenery, and a whimsical soundtrack featuring French classics.
A Little Chaos (2014) directed by Alan Rickman. The movie stars Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Alan Rickman. This British period drama follows a talented and independent landscape gardener who is hired to design a garden at Versailles for King Louis XIV. The film features stunning gardens and landscaping, including an array of colorful springtime flowers and topiary, and a lush orchestral score by Peter Gregson.
The Last Samurai (2003) directed by Edward Zwick, starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe. This American epic war drama follows a disillusioned American soldier who becomes a samurai in late 19th century Japan, and the clashes and alliances he forms with Japanese warriors during the sakura season. As he grapples with his identity and his loyalties, he finds inspiration and solace in the beauty of the cherry blossoms. This sweeping and epic film combines thrilling action and gorgeous visuals, while exploring complex themes of cultural identity and honor, all set against the stunning backdrop of the sakura season.
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The location of the chapel-shrines and crosses is not haphazard. Since they embody, represent and manifest the sphere of the sacred, they are placed in such spaces where the intervention of supernatural power is expected or wanted. They are assumed to be places marked with divine presence, epiphanic in fact, where it is possible for a human being and the absolute to meet directly. In traditional folk culture wayside crosses and chapel-shrines served to separate the known and unknown worlds, were islands of order in an overwhelming chaos. I think that in many cases these structures may be considered “information points” that indicate that the un- tamed world lies behind them; a world over which humans have no full control and that should be somewhat feared. Such a hypothesis well complements the notion that a border is an especially ambivalent place because it is there that worlds interpenetrate and supernatural forces act. For this reason it should be protected in a special way by, for instance, entrusting it to divine care. Entrances to the forest (and the roads that lead to it) are very interesting in this context. It was at a chapel-shrine in a place like that that the forest worker met a wandering soul of a dead person to whom he “gave a lifts” on his bicycle in the story I have recounted above. It is precisely when crossing the wall of the forest that protective measures are taken: making the sing of the cross and saying prayers. These are not only sanctifying gestures, but also ones that close off and protect. By making the sign of the cross or putting oneself in the care of the Virgin Mary, by praying at a chapel-shrine, a person entering the forest marks out, as it were, a protective circle around themselves. Like in the magic of Alcmene, through actions that mimic closing, a person concentrates the sacred in themselves, isolating them and themselves from the ambivalent forces in the forest.
“What is Hidden in the Forest? Tuchola Forest, its chapel-shrines and crosses’ by Agata Agnieszka Koncza
#christianity#catholicism#wayside shrine#forest shrine#ethnography#anthropology#folk christianity#forest#sacrum#liminality#virgin mary#eastern europe#poland#my readings#my upl
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Fanfic Recs February 2024
Here are some fanfics I enjoyed reading this past month.
Baru Cormorant
Truth at Death's Edge by Aondeug
A poignant poem about Tain Hu’s thoughts as she dies, reflecting on Baru’s truth and lies.
Chronicles of Narnia
thus do we covenant by Elizabeth Culmer (edenfalling)
Helen and Frank think about how to worship in Narnia.
Howl’s Moving Castle
in which sophie's secretly quite fond of silver by orthogonals
Sophie wakes up next to Howl and gets annoyed at his hair.
Howl's Moving Clothesswap by Eiiri
Howl and Sophie dress up as and re-enact their first impressions of each other.
An Overdue Talk by Lisa_Telramor
Sophie Hatter talks with Jane Farrier about the enchanted hat.
Butter Me Up, Love by sugarby
Howl badly wants his new hair colour complimented.
Kraken
Walk It Back by DesertScribe
Dane comes back to life and back to Billy.
The Locked Tomb
Citation Needed by tangomarine
Kiriona comes to Ianthe with a problem. They are helpful and nice to each other.
maybe we don't have to die by gayestcatra
Gideon is now one of the living dead. She thinks about that and Harrow.
Murderbot Diaries
break by Lies_Unfurl
Murderbot is forced to hurt someone. (Pre-Canon)
Uprooted
Dragon Born by meretricula
Kasia prepares to be chosen by the Dragon and thinks about Agnieszka.
Witch King
Compromised by misura
Ziede and Tahren don't want to invite her family to the wedding. Unfortunately, they have to.
A Wizard’s Guide To Defensive Baking
Pay the Piper by misura
Molly thinks about her job and putting a price on souls
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A prize-winning film sharply critical of the Polish government’s attitude to refugees has opened at cinemas across the country, after being attacked in the run-up to its release by members of the Polish government.
Green Border, a feature film by the celebrated director Agnieszka Holland, won the special jury prize in Venice last month. It tells the story of a Syrian family trying to get to Europe via the Belarus-Poland border in 2021, and the brutal treatment they receive at the hands of Polish border guards.
The justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, compared the film to a Nazi propaganda movie “showing Poles as bandits and murderers”, despite admitting he had not watched it. The deputy interior minister, Błażej Poboży, called the film a “disgusting libel” that is “harmful to the Polish state and Poles”.
In a telephone interview, Holland said the venom of the government reaction has taken her by surprise.
“I expected waves of hate and propaganda and denial, but instead of waves we have a tsunami. I didn’t expect that within a few days, three or four times, the ministers of justice, interior, president of the country and numerous others would be attacking me on such a level of hate and aggression,” she said.
Holland said she felt the issue of migration “is one of the most important challenges for the future of Europe and the world”, and she was motivated to make the film by anger over how the government responded to Poland becoming a migration route two years ago.
“I saw that the authorities tried to organise a laboratory of lies and violence, and take political advantage of the misery of people,” she said. She casted for the refugee characters in France and Belgium, among actors who had become refugees.
The film has become a key talking point in an increasingly vitriolic campaign ahead of a parliamentary elections next month. The nationalist ruling coalition, led by the Law and Justice (PiS) party, has focused its campaign on migration, and on the wall it constructed on the border with Belarus to keep out refugees.
Speaking of the film’s positive reception among some Poles, the prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said: “This red carpet is only a preview of the red carpet that PO [the main opposition party] is rolling out for illegal immigrants, a red carpet that threatens to destabilise our homeland.”
Holland said it was not deliberate that the film opened in the weeks before the election, but said she hoped that after watching it viewers would reconsider their views about people stranded at the border.
“It’s different you know, you see some interviews and documentary clips, and then if you see everything with your own eyes and identify with full characters,” she said.
Activist groups say at least 49 people have died and 200 are missing since the crisis began at the border in 2021, and people continue to die at the border even now.
One character in the film is a border guard who is horrified and traumatised by the things he is forced to do and attitudes of his colleagues. “I consider the border guards also as victims, they have been forced to break the law and do things they are not trained for,” said Holland.
Poboży said the government had commissioned “a specially prepared clip that shows the elements that were missing in this film”, praising the work of border guards, and would ask cinemas to show it before screenings of the film. It is not clear whether cinemas will comply with the request.
President Andrzej Duda also criticised the film, suggesting it would have been better to make a film about the Polish response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. He said: “Millions of Poles opened their hearts and welcomed Ukrainians into their homes. How do those people feel today when they see that a renowned director, instead of making a film about Poles opening their hearts … is making a film slandering Poles and Poland?”
The end of the film makes the explicit comparison between the two refugee crises, and the different receptions granted to Ukrainians and to the much smaller number of darker-skinned refugees from Africa and the Middle East received at the border.
The film shows the hellish reality of so-called “pushbacks” in the forest, where Belarusian soldiers force people to keep trying to get into Poland, and Polish border guards ignore their asylum applications and dump them back across the border into Belarus. The Belarusian dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, has been widely accused of facilitating the refugee route through his country in order to put pressure on Poland and the EU.
Green Border is not a subtle film, and it subjects the viewer to numerous scenes of violence that are shown in detail rather than merely implied.
“I decided not to be discreet and to make some kind of parabolic stylistic choices, I wanted people to experience what those people are experiencing who are going though it, both the victims and the soldiers,” said Holland.
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“Uprooted” by Naomi Novik
“Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.
Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.
The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.
But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.”
Okay guys it's time.... Recommend me books??? I usually don't like recommendations because I'm so damn picky... so I will write a little about what I'm looking for. Don't bother reading this if you don't want to recommend books to a very picky person because this is about to get boring as hell. so lets start.
Fantasy. Old timey setting or dystopian setting both very nice, but I'm not very interested in space travel or high tech stuff.
Woman author, can look past this if the man author managed to write a good female protagonist.
I like adventure and mysteries, and character driven stories. I just really love getting to know a bunch of characters and see how their relationships with eachother go.
I think I want to try a book that's not YA, but my problem with non-ya is that they're often so boring and some/most of them focus so much on blood, death, sorrow, gore, rape and sex. I don't mind sex in books but I'm not looking for a porn book like fifty shades or any of the other with a problematic male love interest. So there might not be a book for me that's not ya and that's fine but ya also tends to be a little bit childish sometimes idk.
I don't mind american authors at all, but I'm not super interested in books that are blatantly about usa. I read Legend by Marie Lue some years ago and it was a very well written book and all but all the focus on the lost civilization of usa was a bit jarring to me, I've never even been in usa.
I would prefer a woman or a girl to be the protagonist cause I'm bored of reading about men, but if it has a woman author maybe it can still be good.
I hate "it was all a dream" and "it was all in his head because he's mentally ill" "it was all in a childs imagination"
I like hopeful books. I don't want to wallow in despair, that's not my thing.
Some books that I've previously liked
The hunger games, catching fire and mockingjay. Amazing books
The graceling series. My favourite was bitterblue back when I read them because it had so many mysteries, but most recently I read seasparrow and it was very good however it was kind of stressing me out in the middle when a bunch of horrific things happened one after another. I know, I'm soft.
Ronja rövardotter, I really liked this one and I've been trying to read other books by Astrid Lindgren but her writing style is a little bit boring at times so I keep putting them away and not continuing I'm sorry Astrid I love you anyway 😭
I gotta be honest, when I read the divergent series as a teenager I did really like it. When you have a contained world it has a stronger chance to feel alive as you can focus on certain aspects instead of getting lost in the vastness of an entire world. I guess that's why I liked bitterblue too, because it's set in and around the same city the whole time, while the other books on the graceling series they travel all the time and I start getting restless until they finally reach a castle where they're going to stay a while. A confined location just has more things to describe I guess, and I like imagining what things look like. I loved the dauntless idk training center or whatever it was in divergent, with the stream running below it, very atmospheric. If things don't have atmosphere then they quickly grow boring to me
I actually read the first three books of The legend of the ice people when I was very young (I know, they have a lot of sex, yes my parents let me read anything. It was actually my older sister who recommended them to me) and I really liked them and the fourth one was so boring I couldn't continue. Maybe I should pick them up again.
Idk I feel like a hopeless case
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#agnieszka lis#córka rabina#powieść historyczna#skarpa warszawska#wydawnictwo skarpa warszawska#książka#recenzja#books coffee and i
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Listopad 2021 - wywiady dla POP Radia / Radia Płońsk / Wasze Radio FM
Listopad 2021 – wywiady dla POP Radia / Radia Płońsk / Wasze Radio FM
Ostatnie miesiące każdego roku są dla mnie najbardziej intensywne. Listopad upłynął pod masą rozmów i był najbardziej zróżnicowanym ze wszystkich. Nareszcie mogłem porozmawiać z Viki Gabor czy bryską. Spotkał mnie także zaszczyt móc porozmawiać z legendarnymi muzykami polskiej sceny muzycznej: Mietkiem Jureckim(Budka Suflera) i Dariuszem Kozakiewiczem(Perfect). Debiutu fonograficznego doczekała…
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#Agata Radziszewska#Agnieszka Lis#bryska#Dariusz Kozakiewicz#Hela#Interview#Julian Lesiński#Kasia Dereń#Kawartet AMOK#Mandee#Marcin Nowakowski#Małgorzata Czyńska#Mietek Jurecki#Music#News#NoVela#Pop#Radio#Rock#Viki Gabor
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Lustra - Agnieszka Lis
Lustra – Agnieszka Lis
Od tygodnia myślę co Wam powiedzieć o tej książce. Nadal nie do końca jestem pewna czy jestem zawiedziona, czy jednak nie tak bardzo. Bo może to tylko moje wysokie oczekiwania spowodowały, że dostałam nie do końca to, czego się spodziewałam. Chociaż… Dostałam postaci nieperfekcyjne, historię nieprzesłodzoną, błędy, porażki, szczęścia, miłość, zazdrość, życie w komforcie finansowym, ale też…
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