justacynicalromantic - Tumblr blog

[justacynicalromantic]

My next post in support of Ukraine is:

Next site, the city of Kamianets-Podilskyi (Кам'янець-Подільський) in Khmelnytskyi Oblast. Its name is derived from an Old Slavic word, kamin, which means 'stone' and from the historic region known as Podilia. The literal meaning of the name is 'The Stones of Podilia.' It's believed by some historians that there was an earlier city built on the same spot by the Dacians, an ancient people from what is now Romania, Moldova, and parts of Ukraine. The earliest mention of the current city is from 1062. In 1241, it was destroyed by the Mongols. In 1352, it came under Polish rule. The castle in the city (which I posted about earlier in the🧵) was expanded by the Polish kings to guard against the Ottoman & Tatar invasions. Though, in 1672, the city did become part of the Ottoman Empire for a short while. It was returned to Polish rule in 1699. In 1793, after the Second Partition of Poland, the city became part of the "russian" empire. During WWI, it was occupied by Austria-Hungary in 1915. When the "russian" empire collapsed in 1917, it came under the control of the Ukrainian People's Republic and was chosen as its capital when Kyiv was captured by the Bolsheviks. In 1921, it came under the control of the soviet union until 1991, when Ukraine declared its independence.

#StandWithUkraine

#СлаваУкраїні 🇺🇦🌻

[justacynicalromantic]

[justacynicalromantic]

[justacynicalromantic]

"20 Days In Mariupol" is finally on Netflix!

https://www.netflix.com/us/title/81771289?s=a&trkid=13747225&trg=cp&vlang=en&clip=81771482

Please everyone go watch this first-person POV journalist footage of the blockade of Mariupol that was compiled into the format of a movie.

[justacynicalromantic]

Hot take but we should treat people who fill their blogs with pictures of Stalin and Mao with the same level of suspicion we treat people who fill their blogs with portraits of Hitler and Mussolini.

[justacynicalromantic]

This is art tbh.

The moment when on the word "teki" (enemy) in "no one has any enemies" the camera shifts to Askeladd falling dead in Thorfinn's arms.... Pure kino.

[justacynicalromantic]

THIS.

This guy from Romania put everything down splendidly.

I understand, most "woke" US teens want to push "US bad" narrative nowadays to look cool, but for those of you guys who feel depressed - because your media has been constantly telling you about America's many failures in foreign politics in the last 50 years as if it was all a failure.... But guys. Guys. My guys. Americans.

YOU LITERALLY FREED A DOZEN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

FREED. Do you understand me?

People here in Eastern Europe CELEBRATED it like they celebrated the end of WWII. People CRIED and hugged and went to the streets when the fucking empire fell.

People created human chains that SPANNED COUNTRIES to tell the world they do not want to be part of USSR (Google "The Baltic Way").

In Ukraine, the all-country vote for leaving USSR got the overwhelming ~90% in favor support throughout all the country (YES, IN RUSSIAN-SPEAKING DONBAS TOO)

The propaganda (fed by Russian spies in the West) has warped your own impression of yourselves, so I am putting it all in perspective so you would know - you did some incredible good too, guys. You helped a dozen of previously military occupied countries free themselves.

And now you are helping the same countries protect their Independence when the same regime that had occupied them previously have now recovered its strength and have started trying to re-collect them all again.

[justacynicalromantic]

This was the boy he had grown up with, he thought; this was the Robert Baratheon he’d known and loved. If he could prove that the Lannisters were behind the attack on Bran, prove that they had murdered Jon Arryn, this man would listen. Then Cersei would fall, and the Kingslayer with her, and if Lord Tywin dared to rouse the west, Robert would smash him as he had smashed Rhaegar Targaryen on the Trident. He could see it all so clearly. That breakfast tasted better than anything Eddard Stark had eaten in a long time, and afterward his smiles came easier and more often, until it was time for the tournament to resume.

oh yes, Sansa Stark is in fact, her fathers daughter.

[justacynicalromantic]

The trees will tell you where the front line is.

Damage to the environment of Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression amounts to 60 billion USD. A total of 4,200 instances of environmental crimes committed by Russia have been documented in Ukraine.

[justacynicalromantic]

You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else.

Winston Churchill

[justacynicalromantic]

- Where are all Ukrainian writers? Why there are so few of them?

Just one example of hundreds similar cases:

Geo Shkurupiy was born on April 20, 1903, a Ukrainian writer of the avant-garde genre. Shot by the NKVD (the Secret Police of the USSR) on December 8, 1937, in Leningrad. His place of rest is still unknown. His wife, Varvara Bazas, was assigned the WTM category — "the Wife of a Traitor to the Motherland". Together with their son Georgiy, they - as an "enemy of the people" family - were forcibly evicted from Kyiv by the Soviet authorities.

[justacynicalromantic]

No, but seriously.

Was anyone going to tell me that Vinland Saga is an actual cinematic masterpiece that strongly condemns any sort of war glorification and violence and not, in fact, another edgy Viking raiding-pilaging-raping culture wanking fest or was I just supposed to find that out myself, accidentally, 5 years after it aired, when I was mind-numbingly bored and clicked on it because I couldn't find anything better to watch on Netflix?

[justacynicalromantic]

Local kids are collecting things that belonged to their dead friend.

A book on Chemistry for the 7th grade, children drawings, younger brother's book on Math for 1st grade, an Alphabet book, old photos...

In Synelnikove, Russian missile killed a whole family in their own house - a grandmother, her daughter and her two granddaughters - 14 and 8 years old. Doctors were able to reanimate the youngest child - a boy of 6.

[justacynicalromantic]

Fun thing to do for Americans today:

Call your congress people and demand that they vote for the Ukraine aid bill.

It's been almost 500 days since congress last approved aid to Ukraine. 🇺🇦 forces are severely lacking in ammunition there, which means they cannot protect their cities and energy infrastructure and have to leave soldiers at the frontline without cover because they need to ration their firepower. Civilians are dying, soldiers defending freedom and democracy are dying. Ukraine will lose and cease to exist if they run out of weapons.

Russia is 100% responsible for the war, but inaction makes the USA complicit and will lead to a bigger war in Europe that is very likely going to include NATO directly, meaning your fellow countrypeople will actually have to come here and fight. Don't want that? Then fucking support Ukraine NOW! It's the morally right and logical thing to do and serves your own interests!!

[justacynicalromantic]

Not gonna lie, my morale is at the lowest point it's been since the beginning of the invasion. Russians are successfully occupying more and more territories and shell frontline regions every day. People are dying, our culture and herritage is destroyed. International aid dwindled significantly because of american bullshit. Mobilization law has been signed and there is a chance that my family members get conscripted soon. Don't even get me started on internal political problems. A bunch of articles in foreign media talking about our defeat and "peace talks" (what a joke).

It feels like there were no at least moderately good news in a while. On top of that, the feeling that we are screaming into the void is stronger than ever. I'm happy when I see a foreigner online supporting us and spreading the word, because it gets rarer. Ukrainians feel like none of what's happening gets outside our info bubble. Most likely no one but Ukrainians will see this post either. Honestly don't know what to make of all of this.

[justacynicalromantic]

As for me, I lived in Chernihiv for 3 months in 2017 - my Godmother invited me to stay alone in her flat for free (she was abroad) when she learned I struggled to find a place. I had to drive 2 hours for my work in Kyiv😅 But I loved it. Very atmospheric, calm and beautiful city. It is VERY old - 9th century. I would have preferred to live there if I could. My Godmother died from cancer a year later and now Moskovites are destroying that beautiful city too

[justacynicalromantic]

"Granite Obelisks", by Vasyl Symonenko

Written in 1962 about 1917.

The original poem in Ukrainian:

PS from me, because I feel the translation does not reflect the meaning well in several lines.

1) The first 2 lines about granite obelisks crawling - is meant to describe the visual of how grave obelisks multiply before your eyes, when many people die too fast - as if those obelisks are crawling all over the land

2) I would omit the "But" in the beginning of the 3rd line. It shifts the meaning somewhat, but I can see how it was added for the verse's rhythm.

All in all, without trying to rhyme it, this would be my TL:

"Granite obelisks have been crawling and crawling over the earth - as if giant squids - until they had no more strength and stopped.

There's simply no more room for new graves in the graveyard of the murdered illusions"

3) The 2nd verse - I'd change the line like this:

"A million faiths - all buried in the ground

A million fates - all grinded into dust"

Small, but I feel like it translates better the meaning of many multicultural lives being snuffed out in this land by the people who come to subjurgate us.