#ekaterina fields

[sleeplesssmoll]

Things we learned about Windsong from Silver Knot

Her real name is Ekaterina

Windsong’s hands tremble when she’s nervous, which makes her wanting to hold Vila’s hand for comfort in her message all the more heartbreaking.

The town gave her a lot of cheese on her send-off which she’s nibbling on during her stay at the Foundation. It’s a source of comfort. I also think it's funny since her Udimo is a type of rodent. The mouse needs her cheese.

Windsong was the first of her classmates to recover from ley-line sickness. She was up and talking (after vomiting) while others were unconscious or being carried out on stretchers.

Windsong worked with gerbils for a project

Windsong protected a family of Critters from a pack of wolves. She jumped in to save them, which makes me think of the way she protected Avgust. She also did the same thing against Zeno when the town rebelled. It’s part of character and she’s always looked out for others.

Windsong’s ley-line research is confirmed to be involved in researching the Storm! We speculated about it before but Lucy invites her to join Laplace.

Windsong has successfully brought ley-lines back into the spotlight. She’s lost all her allies in the field, she lost Rayashki to the Storm, but she endured. Windsong’s still nervous and anxious about things after Rayashki, but you can see her determination shine through during her lecture.

She’s gone through a lot of physical hardships like freezing terrain in mountain tops, poverty, and so on. She’s very tough despite being very soft inside. The world was cruel to her but she’s still an amiable, albeit shy person. I think this says a lot about her character.

[dreamcast641]

SCP OC: Claire Ekaterina Makarova

I decided to make an actual detailed post about Claire, finally. I created her in august 2018 and I got a lot of time to develop here and I'm really, really satisfied of how she turned out to be.

--------------------------------------------------------

GENERAL INFORMATIONS:

Full Name: Claire Ekaterina Makarova

Aliases/nicknames: Stoat (callsign), shortie, shortstack

Age: 26-30 years old

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/her

Sexual orientation: Demiromantic/demisexual and pansexual

Date of birth:November 2nd

Place of birth: Unknown but it's somewhere in the USA

Current residence: site 5c

Nationality: American with slavic origins

Spoken Languages: American English (main), Russian ( ONLY with her dad) and American sign language (ASL)

Affiliations/organizations: SCP foundation

Occupation: Mobile Task force Beta-7 ''Maz hatters'' operator, virologist/biologist when not on field, ISD (internal security department) agent.

Rank: unknown

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

APPEARANCE

BUILD: A bit chubby

— Claire is a buxom woman who has curves all over her body, wide hips and a slight bit of fat in her tummy.

— She particularly cares about her image, especially when it comes to taking care of her body.She trains regularly in the small gym made available by the site 5c, focusing on arms and legs, parts of the body that are fundamental to her for work. It takes muscle to hold a rifle that weighs almost half her weight on her so as not to wobble on the recoil.

-----

SCARS: All over her body

— Claire has many, if not too many, wounds all over her body. From cuts to bruises to burns and even gunshot wounds.

— Her little patient behavior and her indifference has led her over the years to participate in many fights, whether they are initiated by her or are part of her job, when it comes to fighting she has always been in the front row. Not caring about the size and danger of whoever is in front of her. This has led Claire to have countless wounds on her body, many of them being stab wounds, a gunshot on her right shoulder, a large burn on her left shoulder and as many bruises..

------

VOICE: silvery/soft spoken

— slow spoken and not too high voice but at times decisive when needed.

— It's almost as if her voice doesn't match her body. With her character like hers, those around her expect an annoying redundant high-pitched voice to split the eardrums. Hers is an almost calm voice, not too high and maternal.

-----

EYES: Grey/blue

— blue eyes so undersaturated they look gray.

— she inherited light eyes from both parents, but the mother's gene seemed to dominate between the two. Both have blue eyes but Claire's are less saturated, almost gray as opposed to her mother's, blue as ice

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FASHION: casual

— casual, doesn't really care for fashion.

— When she's not working, claire usually wears the first thing she finds in her closet, preferring loose-fitting clothes that don't show too much of her body shapes.

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More about her aspect:

-Claire has mixed vitiligo all over her body. It started when she was just 5 to 6 years old and it spreaded everywhere;

-Her vitiligo not only affected her skin but also her hair, eyelashes and eyebrow;

-She is only 5'1 ft or 154 cm in height.

FAVORITES

-Color: Black

-Food: Raw Salmon

-Drink: Chamomille with honey

-Song: Ecoute Cherie (vendredi sur Mer)

-Flower: Nightsky petunia

-Hairstyle: messy bun

------------------

PHOBIAS

-Autophobia: also called monophobia, isolophobia, or eremophobia, is the specific phobia or a morbid fear or dread of oneself or of being alone, isolated, abandoned, and ignored;

-athazagoraphobia: When a person has this condition, there is an extreme fear of being forgotten, or of not remembering someone or something. It may also include a fear of being ignored or replaced;

-Atychiphobia:is an intense fear of failure

-Arachnophobia: fear of spiders

-------------------------------------------------

PERSONALITY:

-Moral alignment: Chaotic Neutral

-Myers-Briggs: ENTJ-T

POSITIVE TRAITS

- Serious and efficient but also considerate in the role she covers inside the foundation walls: She makes everyone feel included in her squad no matter what. She is always willing to help them, no one is left behind.

-Observant...a bit too much. If there is something that her training with the ISD thought her is to be aware constantly of her sorroundings. No details is going unnoticed in her presence.

-Gentle and caring with close ones. She pours her heart with who she loves.

-Practical smart. Let's say that she is good at improvise when needed.

-Respected without using fear

NEGATIVE TRAITS

-Claire's past and experiences have led her to be inconsiderate of herself, and those closest to her tend to see it for how expressive she is, without needing her to be alone to show how she really feels. she is a woman with a thousand complexes, her self-esteem has been destroyed and under her feet. She can't be really sure about anything she does especially if it affects those around her too. She refuses any leadership position, unwilling to take responsibility for any deaths that may occur under her leadership.

-So low is her self-esteem that she can't even see the value of her life, risking it every day to protect others at the expense of her own. She has seen death right in her eyes so many times that she no longer fears it. She is not afraid to die but at the same time the idea of being forgotten and replaced, as she has already seen happen to her other deceased colleagues, puts a shiver down her spine.

-Claire gets heated pretty easily, leading her to not think straight when she is outraged.

-She tends to distance people from herself due to her trust issues. It really takes time for her to open up to someone.

-Absolute stubborn. Claire does not listen when she is convinced of something.

TRIVIA:

-She absolutely love when her friends makes hand-made stuff for her. She keep them like it's the most precious thing in the world;

-It happens that Claire goes for some days to negaseattle to visit her adopted brother Ira and helping him with the clone kids (check more on Raddagher's author page on the wiki);

-She has a yellow ringneck parrot named banana. He is her emotional support animal;

-BPD (bordeline personality disorder) that she is getting treated for and is under enough control for her to be operative;

-She loves reading almost everything especially if it's related to her job;

-One hell of a cook. She is very, very good in the kitchen;

-She smells like peaches and chocolate;

-Aggressive and very skilled in combat. Knife is her specialization;

-Uses stealth, skills and the enviroment over the strenght;

-Good swimmer, loves using water to her advantage in fights by drowning or exhausting people;

-Survivor's guilt.

SUMMARY OF HER STORY (STILL NOT SO DONE)

It is not known for certain where Claire and her twin brother Dmitry were born, it is only known that they came to light somewhere hidden in the United States of America.

Raised in the hostile environment of the foundation but with the loving care of their mother Mandy Ross, a former nurse in the US Navy. Their father? Locked in the same site where they were born, metal walls separating this potentially dangerous man due to the toxic, potentially lethal nature of his body.

In the early years of their lives, the twins immediately reveal themselves as curious troublemakers, always looking for other children like them to socialize with and will end up bonding closely with one of them in particular: Ira Watts, whom they will consider for life as a brother.

Mandy, for reasons still unknown to them, decides to leave them and the foundation to join the GOC. it was this event that unleashed in her an immense fear of abandonment. Left to their own devices, Claire was the one she had to mature early to take care of her two brothers.

At just 14, the three were separated by the foundation to be introduced to their respective careers.

While Dmitry continued his medical and psychiatric studies, Claire had to stay on that site with Ira to begin her training to join one of the mobile task forces.

''Mobile Task Forces (MTFs) are elite units comprised of personnel drawn from across the Foundation and are mobilized to deal with specific threats or situations that sometimes exceed the operational capacity or expertise of regular field personnel and — as their name suggests — may be relocated between facilities or locations as they are needed. Mobile Task Force personnel represent the "best of the best" of the Foundation.''

And with this clarification, let's say that the training Claire had to undergo was hard and exhausting. She pushed to her limits so many times by her serious and rigid mentor that she was assigned to reach high, real high expectations.

To be ''the best of the best'' she had to shed all of her blood and her will. She failed many times but thanks to this she also managed to learn from her mistakes and correct herself, perhaps becoming probably one of the best students on the site...if not for her rebelious behavior.

Training wasn't Claire's only focus in those years: she was studying biology and virology because of the task force she decided to join, the beta-7. Her knowledge will prove to be fundamental in the future.

Her training and studies ended as soon as they began. At just 22, claire was already serving as a member of mobile task force beta-7 at a different site.

During her years at the site, now with her brother Dmitry, the two were approached by a man from the Internal Security Department (ISD) who was determined to recruit them as they were loyal members of the foundation. The two naively accepted and it was that meeting and that assignment that led them to site 5c where they still reside nowdays.

SITE 5C STORY LINE

(coming soon)

[na-bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: Western Spindalis

Photo: Ekaterina Chernetsova

"Apparently specialized for life on islands, the Western Spindalis is widespread in the Caribbean, but it seldom visits the mainland. In our area it is a rare visitor to southern Florida. Most records have been of single birds in winter, but reports of small groups present in spring suggest the possibility that the bird may nest in Florida occasionally. It was formerly called Stripe-headed Tanager."

- Audubon Field Guide

[pwlanier]

Kachura-Falileeva Ekaterina Nikolaevna (1886–1948) "Interior". 1920s - 1930s.

Paper, watercolor

In the lower right corner, the author's signature with a graphite pencil.

Graphic artist, painter. She studied at the Higher Art School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture at the IAH (1907-1914) with D.N. Kardovsky and N.N. Dubovsky, mastered engraving techniques under the guidance of V.V. Mate. In early 1909, she married the artist V.D. Falileeva. She worked in the field of easel painting and graphics; she was engaged in pastel, watercolor, monotype, etching, lithography. She created landscapes, still lifes, genre compositions. In 1911 and 1912, she traveled with her husband around Italy; she visited the island of Capri, where she painted a portrait of M. Gorky. Since 1910, she has been a participant of exhibitions. In 1924, she and her husband went to Stockholm in connection with the organization of the exhibition. The spouses did not return to the Soviet Union. The artist's works continued to appear at Soviet exhibitions, in particular at the anniversary exhibition "Engraving of the USSR in 10 years" in Moscow (1927). The works are in many museum collections, including the State Russian Museum, the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin and others.

Litfund

[beardedmrbean]

Two nightclub employees have been arrested under new laws in Russia as Vladimir Putin launches a crackdown on the LGBT community.

Diana Kamilyanova and Alexander Klimov face 10 years in prison after being detained by masked police officers and accused of ‘aiding and abetting extremist activity’.

Russia’s supreme court has branded the “international LGBTQ public movement” as an extremist organisation.

Critics say the move is aimed at providing Russians with an “enemy within” to consolidate President Putin’s rule, as well as distract from economic and social problems.

Although same-sex relations are not against the law in Russia, the Kremlin has intensified its crackdown on LGBTQ citizens since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Exiled Russian opposition journalist and LGBTQ rights activist Elena Kostyuchenko told Russian-language news outlet Current Time: “The main characteristic of fascism is a mobilised society, that is, a society that is either in a state of war or in a state of preparation for war. And in order to keep society mobilised, external and internal enemies are needed.

“LGBT people are ideal for the role of internal enemies, because we are everywhere, we are just like you, there are enough of us, and at the same time we are different.”

The number of Russians who believe that homosexuals should not have equal rights has risen to 60 per cent, from 19 per cent since 2013, according to a recent survey by the independent Russian Field pollster. Other polls, however, have shown consistently hostile attitudes.

One of the most vocal supporters of the LGBT crackdown is Ekaterina Mizulina, the head of the pro-Putin Safe Internet League, whose activists inform on gay clubs and scour the internet for offending posts.

Mizulina, whose own social media accounts are full of images of hearts and cheery “good morning, everyone!” posts, has called anti-LGBT laws “a serious barrier against the values that are destroying Russia and destroying our identity”.

The Kremlin has previously used the extremist label to prosecute human rights groups, independent media and political opposition, including allies of the now deceased Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

[minerali-list]

Stilbite

Kazakhstan, Sokolovskoye field

Photo:  Ekaterina  Pakhneva

[hedwig-dordt]

It's hard to believe this is the seventh – seventh! – World SF bundle I've had the privilege to put together. It's been a trip, collecting novels and stories from around the world, both here with StoryBundle and with the early Apex Book of World SF anthologies and the more recent Best of World SF hardbacks from Head of Zeus. It's a constant joy to see how much more international the science fiction and fantasy fields become year after year, more accessible, more diverse and more interesting.

Just a few years ago books from outside the Anglophone world, let alone books in translation, seemed rarer than gold dust. That much of the work is still done in the small and independent press is telling – but things are definitely getting better, and it's always interesting when I come round to look for this year's titles, unearthing new treasures and bringing some back that may have been unjustly left behind.

I hope you enjoy this year's crop, and find something you like in the selection. Remember that the bundles not only support the authors and their publishers directly, but also our partner charity. At a time when the world seems ever more strained and polarised, literature joins us together, and speculative fiction offers us that rarest of things, hope. So dive in, and I hope you enjoy these stories!

–Lavie Tidhar

* * *

For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you're feeling generous), you'll get the basic bundle of four books in .epub format—WORLDWIDE.

The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan

Under Pressure by Fabio Fernandes

Freetaly - Italian Science Fiction edited by Francesco Verso

Moscow But Dreaming by Ekaterina Sedia

If you pay at least the bonus price of just $20, you get all four of the regular books, plus six more books for a total of 10!

The Hidden Legion by Snorri Kristjansson

Nordic Visions by Margrét Helgadóttir

An Occupation of Angels by Lavie Tidhar

Danged Black Thing by Eugen Bacon

Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances by Aliette de Bodard

Imago Mortis by Samuel Marolla

This bundle is available only for a limited time via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get a DRM-free .epub for all books!

[mindfulwrath]

Books of 2023

"You Look Like a Thing and I Love You" by Janelle Shane - AI is even weirder when you know how it works. Interesting read. Recommended.

"The Spare Man" by Mary Robinette Kowal - Cozy mystery, IN SPACE! Good mystery, fun characters, ACAB. Recommended.

"Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Vol. 4" by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu - Oh they FUCKIN. Recommended.

"Meddling Kids" by Edgar Cantero - Scooby-Doo meets Lovecraft. Scarier than I expected. Recommended.

"Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days" vols. 1-5 by Shiro Amano - Break my heart all over again why don't you. Surprisingly humorous. Recommended.

"Every Heart a Doorway" by Seanan McGuire - Boarding school/group therapy for young adults who have just returned from portal fantasies. "Piranesi" vibes. Recommended.

"Down Among the Sticks and Bones" by Seanan McGuire - Prequel "A" to 'Every Heart a Doorway.' Vampires, mad scientists, and the greatest horror: suburbia. Recommended.

"Beneath the Sugar Sky" by Seanan McGuire - Sequel "A" to 'Every Heart a Doorway.' A group of portal-fantasy survivors quest to resurrect a friend. Recommended.

"In an Absent Dream" by Seanan McGuire - Prequel "B" to 'Every Heart a Doorway.' Fae bargains and the consequences of brinksmanship. Recommended.

"Peter Pan" by James Barry - Charmingly written, alarming subtext. At times appallingly racist. An interesting read.

"Come Tumbling Down" by Seanan McGuire - Sequel "B" to 'Every Heart a Doorway.' A portal-fantasy survivor seeks aid to unswap her body. Recommended.

"The Roman Empire" by Don Nardo - Nice overview of the time period, accessible, with good references. At times gratingly Christianity-positive.

"Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village" by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper - What it says on the tin. Amusing.

"Across the Green Grass Fields" by Seanan McGuire - Prequel "C" to 'Every Heart a Doorway.' Horse girl goes to horse world. Frankly, missable.

"Everyday Life in Ancient Rome" by Lionel Casson - Fascinating, and has my favorite quality in a historian: petty snark. Recommended.

"Where the Drowned Girls Go" by Seanan McGuire - Sequel "C" to 'Every Heart a Doorway.' Portal Fantasy survivor escapes institutionalization. Recommended.

"T. Rex and the Crater of Doom" by Walter Alvarez - How we figured out what killed the dinosaurs. Recommended.

"Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist" by Ben Barres - Life, science, and activism from a trans neuroscientist. Recommended if you like neuro jargon.

"The Eternal Darkness" by Robert Ballard - A brief history of deep-sea exploration told by someone who's been there. Recommended.

"Lost in the Moment and Found" by Seanan McGuire - Prequel "D" to 'Every Heart a Doorway.' Abused child escapes to a cosmic Lost & Found. Recommended.

"The Writing in the Stone" by Irving Finkel - A mysterious stone drives a Babylonian exorcist to a killing spree. Cool concept, unpleasant execution.

"The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett - Docu-drama about the building of a cathedral. Like if Game of Thrones loved its characters. Recommended.

"The Secret History of Moscow" by Ekaterina Sedia - People are turning into birds and folktale creatures live underground. Not my cup of tea, but Gaiman fans will like it.

"Wild" by Cheryl Strayed - A woman hikes the Pacific Crest Trail alone to grieve her mother's death. An interesting read.

"House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski - An imaginary film ruins a guy's life. Disturbing. Recommended.

"The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson - The true story of the 1893 World's Fair and the serial killer who hunted there. Fair bits way more interesting than killer bits. Recommended.

"Piranesi" by Susanna Clark (reread) - The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite. Recommended.

[music-art-sport-and-more]

The media and fans brainwashed people into believing that the Russian skaters ( aka Eteri skaters) are the only thing that matters and that other skaters are not worthy to watch, but it's such a blessing that the Russians are gone, now we can pay attention to those with better skills, technique, artistry and programs.

We can enjoy diverse talents, we have the strong Japanese field, each skater with quality skating, the Korean add a new talent to their list every season, we have queen Loena from Belgium, princess Ekaterina for Poland, we have the firecracker Isabeau from the USA.

Let the games begin

[linguist-breakaribecca]

After tidal surges and high winds from the remnants of a rare typhoon caused extensive damage to homes along Alaska’s western coast in September, the U.S. government stepped in to help residents — largely Alaska Natives — repair property damage.

Residents who opened Federal Emergency Management Agency paperwork expecting to find instructions on how to file for aid in Alaska Native languages like Yup’ik or Inupiaq instead were reading bizarre phrases.

“Tomorrow he will go hunting very early, and will (bring) nothing,” read one passage. The translator randomly added the word “Alaska” in the middle of the sentence.

“Your husband is a polar bear, skinny,” another said.

…

It appears the words and phrases used in the translated documents were taken from Nikolai Vakhtin’s 2011 edition of “Yupik Eskimo Texts from the 1940s,” said John DiCandeloro, the language center’s archivist.

The book is the written record of field notes collected on Russia’s Chukotka Peninsula across the Bering Strait from Alaska in the 1940s by Ekaterina Rubtsova, who interviewed residents about their daily life and culture for a historical account.

The works were later translated and made available on the language center’s website, which Holton used to investigate the origin of the mistranslated texts.

Many of the languages from the area are related but with differences, just as English is related to French or German but is not the same language, Holton said.

Holton, who has about three decades experience in Alaska Native language documentation and revitalization, searched the online archive and found “hit after hit,” words pulled right out of the Russian work and randomly placed into FEMA documents.

“They clearly just grabbed the words from the document and then just put them in some random order and gave something that looked like Yup’ik but made no sense,” he said, calling the final product a “word salad.”

[fahye]

I too am stuck in skating hell and up watching the gp rn... dare I ask who your faves are??

my favourite men tend to be those who COMMIT to PUTTING ON A SHOW so keegan messing & kevin aymoz & adam siao him fa are up there, and I think junhwan cha and camden pulkinen are lovely skaters to watch. jason brown remains my forever fave.

I have no favourite teams in the current pairs field, every time I think I have one I get another one, I LOVE THEM ALL!! but gun to my head I will say stellato-duduk/deschamps based on this year's GP events.

ditto I love ALL THE LADIES but kaori sakamoto remains queen of my heart, and I am so happy for loena hendrickx. others I love watching: ekaterina kurakova, amber glenn, starr andrews.

my secret wish in ice dance is for lilah fear and lewis gibson to win everything, but I have adored gilles/poirier for years and I'm so pleased to see them winning things now. hawayek/baker are also favourites of mine, and I am a new huge fan of taschler/taschlerova and their INCREDIBLE SPEED. and also guignard/fabbri!I okay it looks like I love all the dance teams as well.

[ananightingalecosplay]

Last picture from this shooting in a field. More Witcher content is in progress and will come soon))) Stay with me on the Path!

fem!Geralt of Rivia Cosplay by me

Photo by Yana Gallis

Make Up Ekaterina D.

[dreamcast641]

Thank you @islandtarochips for the tag!

A little list to showcase your OC's favorite things

-Name: Claire Ekaterina Makarova

-Universe: SCP foundation(she is in others but those are AUs)

-Favorite book(and why): 1984 by George Orwell. Generally Claire's reading is limited on scientific books, biology ones in particular as she loves to expand her knowledge on her field but she finds old readings rather interesting and she took a particular liking in Orwell's writings, animal farm is also one of these.

-Favorite song: Dark beach by pastel ghost. She finds a somewhat sense of peace in this kind of electronic music. She loves the muffled singing.

-Favorite piece of clothing they own: It wasn't like this at the start, but when she gained a bit of confidence she started to love the elegant dress she uses to go clubbing. She would look at herself in the mirror, sometimes admiring how it brings up her features and how her untie hair match it so well;

-Favorite "little treat": Claire is a sweet lover. She is a chocolate and strawberry fan for sure and those two mixed together is the end for her. Id say then the strawberries deep in any kind of chocolate are her favorite in absolutely;

-Favorite person in their lives: Claire does not hold preference for anyone. She gets affectionate to who she loves in the same way;

-Dream home: a cottage in a isolate area in the mountains;

-Dream life: A life of freedom where she isn't tie to anything or anyone again. She wants to explore the world without pressures, without fear of dying.

-Name: Dmitry Vasilij Makarov

-Universe: SCP foundation (others as well but those are AUs)

-Favorite book (and why): the interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud. Despite Dmitry finding Freud methods outdated and often telling that we advanced a lot when it comes to psychoanalisis, he also find some of his readings interesting such as the dream related ones. He doesn't take seriously the book tho, but rather a start to continue his studies and finding new discoveries about the oniric that others would not know.

-Favorite song: Dmitry does not have a favorite song, however he listen to ambient sounds when he's working. The beach waves one being his favorite.

-Favorite piece of clothing they own: a black sweater with turtleneck that you can often see under his labcoat. There is no particular reason for him to like it, he just comfortable with anything that covers his skin completely.

-Favorite "little treat": He sometimes find himself to buy the buldak ramen when he has nothing else to make for lunch or dinner, not that he eats that often tho. The ramen thing has probably become a dependence and also he can handle spice well.

-Favorite person in their lives: It might sound like a joke because at first glance it would be impossible to know that this man has a favorite person but instead there is and is Maria, the mother that took him when his biological one left for the GOC.

-Dream home: Something small near the beach. It's gonna be climatized tho as he can't handle the heat at all. But he would just be there for the sound of the waves crashing on the sand.

-Dream life: He never thought of what life could be outside the foundation walls but he would have loved to raise a terrarium with snakes.

-Name: Evelyn "Mandy" Ross.

-Universe: SCP foundation

-Favorite book (and why): The book thief by Markus Zusak. Being a veteran of WW2 who served as a nurse for the US army at the time, she often find herself to read about what happened in the past, as some sort of closure to the trauma that she went through. She has read them all, her guts wrenching everytime at what she never saw and that was under her nose all this time. She took a particular liking in the book thief as somewhat she relates to Lesiel, the protagonist.

-Favorite song: Over the rainbow by Judy Garland/Glenn Miller. One of the most beloved cinema music and also one beloved to her as well as she listened to it once before drafting herself for the war. It holds so much memories for her both bad and good and often find herself playing it for her children when those cried as babies.

-Favorite piece of clothing they own: Mandy still has the blue cape that nurses used during ww2. She still keeps it on her shoulders.

-Favorite "little treat": snickers!

-Favorite person in their lives: even tho she holds no contact with any of them, Mandy is still fond of her two children, Claire and Dmitry.

-Dream home: A little home in a rural area, where the town is small and there is no much people.

-Dream life: Mandy holds so much regret for her decisions, she would love to go back in the past and change it all. She would love to become a doctor and help people without being forced to a life in prison. She wish she was never born with her anomaly.

-Name: Lilja Järvinen

-Universe: Rainbow Six Siege

-Favorite book (and why): Anything related to k9 training. Ofc, as a dog trainer who is hyperfixated on anything related to that, she has a vast collection of books that point at dogs and their training for the forces.

-Favorite song: Killer by Mareux

-Favorite piece of clothing they own: Any baggy clothes in her drawer. There is no particular reason for it, just that she is more comfortable with them on. The only problem is that she often stumbles on her own pants while walking.

-Favorite "little treat": She concede herself a trail of cinnamon rolls at least once every week. She usually takes them from her local bakery, nowadays they even prepare so before so she could be served immediately, not that she ever complains of course, shes a usual customer after all.

-Favorite person in their lives: at the moment she feels that she has no favorite in her life. She isn't that much close to any of the other operators and she finds herself often overthinking that somehow she is annoying to them.

-Dream home: her own childhood home is her dream home. It's was a farm with livestock and shepherd dogs not so far from a small town. That's where she gained passion for training dogs and improving that with the use of her knowledge in robotics.

-Dream life: She never really thinks about that, at the moment she is content with what she has.

[na-bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: White Wagtail

Photo: Ekaterina Chernetsova

"One of the most common birds of open country across Europe and Asia, the White Wagtail enters North America only as a scarce and local summer resident of western Alaska. There it seems to favor the vicinity of manmade structures: most of the nests found in Alaska have been in abandoned fishing huts, old gold dredges, empty fuel tanks, or piles of debris on the beach. Birders are likely to spot this wagtail first as it flies past, giving a metallic call, trailing its long tail in undulating flight."

- Audubon Field Guide

[lenniharrisonsims]

Empire Goes to War

This morning, at a press conference in front of the Imperial Palace, HIM Tsarina Ekaterina, accompanied by Prince Matthew, discussed the most recent developments regarding the unrest on the Simsdom Continent.

“It is with a heavy heart that I must inform the people of the Simsdom Empire, That we are at war with Windenburg." Her Imperial Majesty started the conference.

"Over the past few weeks, Windenburg’s navy has shut off trade routes between the Empire and her allies, as well as crossed maritime borders into the sovereign waters of Selvadorada, Tartosa, and Sulani in attempts to invade. We had been prepared to offer aid to our allies as our treaties are not taken lightly, and the Empire holds true to her word. However, recent events have forced our hand to move further."

"A few days ago, Windenburg launched a full-scale invasion of Newcrest, forcing thousands to go on the run for safety, and holding hundreds of thousands more Newcrest citizens hostage in their own country. Not only is Newcrest our ally, and our family, but an invasion of this magnitude cannot go unchallenged this close to our own borders. As we speak, Windenburg is already amassing troops on the Newcrest borders with San Myshuno, Copperdale, and Britechester. Such tyranny cannot go unpunished, such cruelty cannot go unchecked. That is why, after thoughtful and careful deliberation with the members of the Privy Council, as well as the parliamentary houses of Lords and Commons, I have decided to announce war on Windenburg.”

Her Imperial Majesty went on to field questions from the reporters present. She stated transparency with her subjects, especially on a matter such as this that will affect everyone, is what matters the most.

The biggest question on everyone's minds was in regards to the draft. HIM stated that along with the bill granting her permission and funds to announce war on Windenburg, another bill was passed through Parliament- an amendment to the old War Time Draft Bill passed by her Great Grandfather. The old bill required all adult male citizens of the Empire to be drafted into military service during War times, and offered pensions to the soldier's families should they die in service. The new amendment removes the draft altogether, and instead states that all adults of the Empire, regardless of gender presentation, are allowed to volunteer for Armed Service, as well as adding addition pay and benefits to the soldiers and their families, regardless of length of service or whether or not they passed away. It also adds full ride scholarships to Britechester University and Foxbury Institute for soldiers and veterans.

Her Imperial Majesty ended the conference by apologizing to her subjects for plunging them into a war they had not asked for, and hoped the additional benefits for those volunteering for service were enough to prove the Crown's gratefulness for their sacrifice.

[mariacallous]

M. E. Sarotte, a leading expert on foreign policy, has won the annual Pushkin House Book Prize of £10,000 for Not One Inch: America, Russia, and The Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate (YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS).

Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate is a revealing account of America’s relations with the new post-Cold War democracies of East and Central Europe, with its older European allies, and, in particular with Russia – a relationship that went so badly awry and sowed the seeds of the tensions that shape today's world. 

The judges praised all the shortlisted works and especially highly commended Maria Stepanova, author of In Memory of Memory, a beautifully written reflection on the Soviet experience of individual families, powerfully translated by Sasha Dugdale.

The tenth anniversary year of the Pushkin House Book Prize takes place at a time of seismic shifts that have changed attitudes in and towards Russia. The Prize was created to highlight, reward and encourage public understanding and intelligent writing about history, societal developments and culture within and beyond Russia. 

Pushkin House feels that it is our responsibility to support all thinkers and creatives who are able to contribute to our shared understanding of the world in which we have found ourselves after 24 February 2022. 

To mark the Prize this year, and recognising the importance of the valuable insights that research and academics offer to study Russia at this pivotal moment in history, the judges exceptionally shortlisted ten books rather than the usual six. The decision reflects on the importance of discussion around all the complexities and contradictions of Russia’s complicated history and culture. 

The 2022 shortlisted titles were: 

In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova, translated by Sasha Dugdale  

On the Edge: Life Along the Russia-China Border by Franck Billé and Caroline Humphrey 

Navalny: Putin’s Nemesis, Russia’s Future? by Jan Matti Dollbaum, Morvan Lallouet and Ben Noble 

Weak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putin’s Russia by Timothy Frye 

Klimat: Russia in the Age of Climate Change by Thane Gustafson

Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate by M. E. Sarotte

Stalin’s Architect: Power and Survival in Moscow by Deyan Sudjic

The Empress and the English Doctor: How Catherine the Great Defied a Deadly Virus by Lucy Ward 

Playing with Fire: The Story of Maria Yudina, Pianist in Stalin’s Russia by Elizabeth Wilson 

Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union by Vladislav Zubok

Ekaterina Schulmann, spokesperson for the 2022 judges, said: "Mary Sarotte's book presents an in-depth documentation and compelling narrative of East-West diplomacy and relationships. The story that she tells is at once historically significant and uncomfortably near. In 2022, it sometimes reads like one of those works that describe the events preceding World War I. Sarotte bravely underlines possible key historical figures and moments when history might have evolved towards another reality. The significance of Sarotte's voice and her careful analysis gives us, readers, an opportunity to at least begin to understand how we got to where we find ourselves now."

Marc Polonsky, managing trustee of The Polonsky Foundation, co-funder of the prize, said: “At this time, a deep understanding and proper analysis of Russia in all its complexity – both its past and present – are more crucial than ever. The Pushkin House Book Prize has again brought to the fore books that shed important light on this. Congratulations to the worthy winner selected from such a competitive field."

Douglas Smith, who with his wife Stephanie Ellis-Smith, helps fund the prize, said: “Mary Sarotte’s Not One Inch is not only the book for our turbulent times, but will be long read by everyone seeking to understand the origins of the post-Cold War world. It's irreplaceable work.”

Andrew Jack, founder of the prize, said “Never in the history of the prize has high quality writing to understand Russia been more important – or better supplied than in this year’s offerings.”