#vladimir karpov

[burlveneer-music]

x.y.r. - Aquarealm - I guess it’s just all New Age today, as x.y.r. moves toward that style after more Fourth World releases (Not Not Fun)

The tenth official full-length by St. Petersburg synth savant Vladimir Karpov aka X.Y.R. is a liquid suite of surreal tranquility, divined and designed to soundtrack the shimmering mysteries of underwater life: Aquarealm. Inspired by vintage Soviet cartoons, nature documentaries, and his own colorful aquarium fish, the album’s seven songs share a mood of contemplative depths and dizzying beauty, adrift in deepwater currents and bioluminescent tides. Hazy tones swell and swirl while crystalline keys, loops, and echoes swim in the periphery, rising like bubbles to the surface. Karpov describes these compositions as flights of fantasy, born of an oceanic muse as idyllic as it is infinite. It’s music simultaneously serene and cinematic, conjuring blue horizons of kelp forests swaying above rainbow reefs, casting shadowplay on sandy floors. A realm both real and imagined, submerged but transcendent, rippling from the mind’s eye to the great beyond.

[dark-black-dahlia]

World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov (Right) Holds Demo Game At The Sports Festival Dedicated To The XVIII Komsomol Congress. Photo By Vladimir Rodionov, USSR, 24 April 1978

[infj-zen]

Chess Kings MBTI

Here are a few top thinking type men chess players by MBTI

NT

ENTJ Viswanathan Anand, Vladislav Artemiev, Laurent Fressinet, Daniel Naroditsky, David Navara, Nihal Sarin

INTJ David Anton Guijarro, Bai Jinshi, Leinier Dominguez, Robert Hungaski, Mircea Parligras, Kenneth Rogoff, Adam Tukhaev

ENTP Nodirbek Abdusattorov,  Benjamin Bok, Daniil Dubov, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Surya Shekhar Ganguly, Anish Giri, GN Gopal, Nils Grandelius, Vladimir Kramnik, Le Quang Liem, Peter Leko, Leon Luke Mendonca, Elshan Moradiabadi, Parimarjan Negi, Ni Hua, Ruslan Ponomariov, Teimour Radjabov, Kirill Shevchenko, Loek Van Wely, Nikita Vitiugov

INTP Michael Adams, Ferenc Berkes, Gillian Bwalya, Fabiano Caruana, Bogdan-Daniel Deac, Kamil Dragun, Brewington Hardaway, Brandon Jacobson, Denis Lazavik, Marc’Andria Maurizzi, Jergus Pechac, Vahap Sanal, Samuel Sevian, Dariusz Swiercz, Nikolas Theodorou, Veselin Topalov

ST

ESTJ Dmitry Andreikin, Maurice Ashley, Magnus Carlsen, Cristian Chirila, Jan Gustafsson, Aleksandar Indjic, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Karthikeyan Murali, Thai Dai Van Nguyen, Sam Shankland, Amin Tabatabaei

ISTJ Cemil Can (JJ) Ali Marandi, Sandipan Chanda, Lance Henderson de La Fuente, David Silva, Wesley So, Lucas Van Foreest

ESTP Bobby Fischer, Baadur Jobava, Garry Kasparov, Viktor Korchnoi, Igor-Alexandre Nataf, Hans Niemann, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Boris Spassky, Eugene Torre

ISTP Kirill Alekseenko, Juan Manuel Bellon Lopez, Bobby Cheng, Gukesh Dommaraju, Alexander Grischuk, Andrew Hong, Anatoly Karpov, Javokhir Sindarov, Andrew Tang, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Jorden Van Foreest, Wei Yi

[beardedmrbean]

A Russian lawmaker and alleged Vladimir Putin loyalist was left in a coma after suffering a series of mysterious head injuries in a parliament building, RadarOnline.com has learned.

71-year-old Anatoly Karpov was hospitalized late Saturday night after allegedly “suffering a fall.” He now reportedly resides in the neurology ward of a prestigious Moscow medical institution as his “serious” condition is monitored 24/7.

According to Daily Mail, Karpov was a “Putin ultra-loyalist” before criticizing the Russian leader over his invasion of Ukraine. At one point during the invasion, Karpov reportedly called upon Putin to end the war against Ukraine “so that peaceful people will stop dying.”

“I wish [the war] would end sooner, so that peaceful people would stop dying,” he said earlier this year. “In the end ordinary people are the victims. Ordinary people fight, politicians and generals decide, and ordinary people fight, civilians die.”

“I am not even talking about soldiers and officers,” he continued. “No, I could not imagine at all that Russians and Ukrainians would go to war. I have many friends in Ukraine.”

Following the Russian lawmaker’s mysterious incident, a number of his associates spoke out and provided contradicting accounts about what happened to Karpov.

Andrey Kovalev, who serves as the head of the All-Russian Movement of Entrepreneurs, claimed Karpov was attacked and violently assaulted while leaving Moscow's State Duma building.

Kovalev also reported Karpov sustained a series of neck fractures and head injuries as a result of the assault made by “unknown assailants” – although others, such as his close friend Kirill Zangalis, called those claims “fake news.”

Karpov’s daughter also rejected Kovalev’s allegations and suggested his injuries were a result of a “domestic incident” or an “unfortunate fall.”

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Karpov is just the latest Putin ally to end up dead or seriously injured following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

[saswathacademyworld]

5 Popular Women GMs That Will Inspire Every Girl Child

Time and again women have proved that they are a force to be reckoned with in every sphere of life. And the chess world is no exception. From not being allowed to play, to having separate tournaments specially for women — it has been a long journey!

Despite facing challenges and pressure from society, women have excelled in chess and will only keep getting better from here on.

The pioneers of this change are undoubtedly the women Grandmasters all over the world. They beat stereotypes and play neck and neck with men in international tournaments.

Let us take a look at some of the popular women Grandmasters in Chess –

1. Nona Gaprindashvili

This list won’t get its deserved start if we do not mention the first woman to ever receive the International Grandmaster title from FIDE. Born in 1941, this Georgian (then Soviet) player has played in numerous international tournaments and won several of them.

She was the Women’s World Champion from 1962 to 1978! She participated in the Women’s Chess Olympiad for the Soviet Union many times between 1963 to 1990 and for Georgia in 1992. She contributed immensely to the team in these olympiads and won many gold medals along the way! She has also won the Women’s World Senior Championship several times between 1995 to 2019.

Nona Gaprindashvili has given more to the field of chess than words can express. She was the flagbearer of women’s chess and gave hope and inspiration to many young girls to work hard and achieve the Grandmaster title.

2. Judit Polgar

Popularly referred to as the strongest woman chess player of all time, Grandmaster Judit Polgar needs absolutely no introduction! She was known for her aggressive, tactical and fierce playing style. But here’s something that has cemented her fierce reputation amongst the chess world. She is the only woman to have played in the men’s candidates tournament and to have crossed the 2700 elo mark in the history of chess!

In her long and successful chess career, she has won games against fellow legends like GM Anatoly Karpov, GM Garry Kasparov, GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Viswanathan Anand, GM Vladimir Kramnik, GM Veselin Topalov and many more in either rapid or classical formats.

She is the only woman to be ranked among the top 10 of all chess players, her peak ranking being 8th in 2004.

She has been a source of inspiration for countless women chess players. And she truly has broken many gender stereotypes people have about women playing chess.

3. Koneru Humpy

The highest ranked Indian woman player and one of the finest Grandmasters of our country, Koneru Humpy has been a sensation since her childhood days. She achieved the title of Grandmaster in 2002, at the young age of 15 years and 1 month – a feat not achieved by any other Indian woman so far!

GM Koneru has won many world youth championships and in 2001 she won the coveted World Junior Girls Championship. Interestingly, she participated in the boys’ section of the World Junior Championship in 2004 and tied for 5th place which is an extremely amazing achievement!

In 2019, she won the Women’s World Rapid Championship. In 2020, she was a crucial part of the gold medal winning Indian team for the Online Chess Olympiad.

She is also the recipient of the honorable Padma Shri Award and Arjuna Award for her contribution to the field of chess. In 2020, she received the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the year award.

If Vishy Anand has influenced India to take up chess, GM Koneru Humpy has done the same for young Indian girls.

4. Alexandra Kosteniuk

Popularly known as the chess queen, Russian GM Alexandra Kosteniuk is one of the finest female Grandmasters in the history of chess. She was the Women’s World Chess Champion from 2008 to 2010. She is also the first person to win the Chess960 Women’s World Championship. In 2013, she became the first woman to win the men’s Swiss Chess Championship.

She has won numerous gold medals while playing for team Russia in the Women’s Chess Olympiad, Women’s World Chess Team Championship and Women’s European Chess Team Championship.

GM Kosteniuk is known to play aggressively and quickly, often creating pressure over her opponent with her speed. She has been one of the top women grandmasters in Russia for many years and has even won the Women’s World Cup in 2021.

5. Hou Yifan

A chess prodigy, GM Hou Yifan has taken the chess world by storm since her debut. She is the youngest female to achieve the Grandmaster title and the second highest rated female chess player after GM Judit Polgar.

Between 2010 to 2017, she has won the Women’s World Chess Championship 4 times!

Currently ranked no.1 in active players, she has held that streak since September 2015!

Many regard her as the best active female chess player and her track record only proves her capabilities.

Apart from being a successful chess player, she’s also given equal importance to academics and completed her degree from University of Oxford. She is now working as a professor at Shenzhen University.

WGMs - a humble gratitude

Women have had to face many obstacles in their respective careers over the years. Despite that, they have strongly overcome these hurdles and established themselves firmly.

The female Grandmasters mentioned in this article and many others have done the same in the field of chess. They have broken barriers and set new records and fought neck and neck with their male competitors. They are a constant source of inspiration for many young girls to take up chess professionally.

To such exceptional female personalities, we extend our humble gratitude!

[zimnaresztkasnu]

World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov (right) in demonstration game at 24 April 1978. Photo Vladimir Rodionov.

[indefinite-pitch]

Selected Works. Series 3

Tracklist

01 Rainsoft - Immersive

02 Artos Eleven - Visions

03 Aiôn Lazura - Fractal Conscientia

04 Ocram Orchestra - Toucheng

05 Conflation Port - Ahti

06 Beyond Humans - Ritualistic Light

07 Andrea Zapata - 777

08 Baal - Kanou

09 Federico Corrado - Field I

10 Garber - Las Guerras Mienten

11 Sub Accent - Nuit Silencieuse

12 Ronny Pinazza - Vista Con Delfino

13 Darris Hopper - Unlock

14 Sam Wilson & John Plaza - Potencial De Indiferencia

15 Kato De Vidts - Anthesis

16 Night Garden - Dance Of The Moon's Envoy (feat. Francis Moore)

17 Paul Rêve - Haiku

18 Ryefield Society - Another Escape

19 Alts Förgänglighet - Fleeting Bloom

20 X.Y.R. - Forest Dive

Credits

This digital release is cut from the 24bit Master Source. ‘Immersive’ produced by Yurou Yang aka Rainsoft

‘Visions’ produced by Arthur Bohl aka Artos Eleven

‘Fractal Conscientia' produced by Aiôn Lazura

‘Toucheng’ produced by Marco Wollenberg aka Ocram Orchestra

‘Ahti’ produced by Conflation Port

‘Ritualistic Light’ produced by Beyond Humans

‘777’ produced by Andrea Zapata

'Kanou’ produced by Baal

‘Field I’ produced by Federico Corrado

‘Las Guerras Mienten’ produced by Pablo Mauricio Garber aka Garber

‘Nuit Silencieuse’ produced by Johan Bonnefoy aka Sub Accent

‘Vista Con Delfino’ produced by Ronny Pinazza

‘Unlock’ produced by Darris Hopper

‘Potencial De Indiferencia’ produced by Samuel Wilson and John Plaza

‘Anthesis’ produced by Kato de Vidts

'Dance Of The Moon's Envoy (feat. Francis Moore)’ produced by James Laing aka Night Garden Shakuhachi by Francis Moore

‘Haiku’ produced by Paul Rêve

‘Another Escape’ produced by Fantin M. aka Ryefield Society

‘Fleeting Bloom’ produced by Alts Förgänglighet

‘Forest Dive’ produced by Vladimir Karpov aka X.Y.R.

Compiled by MRWG Mastered by J. David Lucio S. Artwork by Mark Wagner

Selected Works. Series 3 This is PITCHVA07.

[dan6085]

Top 20 of the greatest chess players of all time:

1. **Garry Kasparov (1963-)**: Considered one of the greatest players, he held the World Chess Championship title from 1985 to 2000.

2. **Magnus Carlsen (1990-)**: Current World Chess Champion (as of my last update in September 2021) and one of the strongest players in history.

3. **Bobby Fischer (1943-2008)**: World Chess Champion from 1972 to 1975; renowned for his match against Boris Spassky during the Cold War era.

4. **Anatoly Karpov (1951-)**: Held the World Chess Championship title from 1975 to 1985 and was a dominant force in chess during his time.

5. **Emanuel Lasker (1868-1941)**: World Chess Champion from 1894 to 1921, he had the longest reign of any official World Chess Champion.

6. **Mikhail Tal (1936-1992)**: Known for his aggressive and imaginative style of play; World Chess Champion from 1960 to 1961.

7. **Jose Capablanca (1888-1942)**: World Chess Champion from 1921 to 1927; renowned for his exceptional endgame skill.

8. **Vladimir Kramnik (1975-)**: World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2007; known for his deep understanding of chess positions.

9. **Viswanathan Anand (1969-)**: World Chess Champion from 2007 to 2013; India's first grandmaster and a chess legend.

10. **Mikhail Botvinnik (1911-1995)**: World Chess Champion for several non-consecutive terms between 1948 and 1963.

11. **Tigran Petrosian (1929-1984)**: World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969; known for his defensive and strategic prowess.

12. **Boris Spassky (1937-)**: World Chess Champion from 1969 to 1972; faced Bobby Fischer in the famous 1972 World Championship match.

13. **Akiba Rubinstein (1882-1961)**: An outstanding player from the early 20th century, known for his endgame skill and openings.

14. **Paul Morphy (1837-1884)**: A chess prodigy of the 19th century; his games are still studied and admired today.

15. **Viktor Korchnoi (1931-2016)**: A strong contender for the World Chess Championship in the 1970s and 1980s; known for his resilience.

16. **Siegbert Tarrasch (1862-1934)**: One of the strongest players of his time; made significant contributions to chess theory.

17. **Max Euwe (1901-1981)**: World Chess Champion from 1935 to 1937; also a respected mathematician and chess administrator.

18. **Boris Gelfand (1968-)**: A top-level player for several decades, he contested the World Chess Championship in 2012.

19. **Rashid Nezhmetdinov (1912-1974)**: A highly creative player known for his brilliant combinations and sacrifices.

20. **Vassily Ivanchuk (1969-)**: Considered one of the most versatile and imaginative players in modern chess.

Please note that the information provided here is brief and there is much more to learn about each of these players if you are interested in their specific games, strategies, and contributions to chess theory.

[teritelnirbenothing]

En ce jour, il y a 23 ans, lors des élections générales, les citoyens russes ont élu Vladimir Poutine pour la première fois à la présidence du pays. « Je considère qu'il est de mon devoir sacré de rallier le peuple russe, de rassembler les citoyens autour de buts et d'objectifs clairs. Et rappelez-vous chaque jour et chaque minute que nous avons une patrie, un peuple, nous avons un avenir commun », a déclaré Vladimir Poutine lors de la cérémonie d'inauguration. Et il l'a fait avec succès !

[leontiucmarius]

Un deputat rus, în comă în urma unei „căzături nefericite” după ce a cerut încetarea războiului lui Putin

Un deputat rus, în comă în urma unei „căzături nefericite” după ce a cerut încetarea războiului lui Putin

Un important deputat rus care l-a sfidat pe Vladimir Putin pentru a cere încetarea invaziei brutale din Ucraina se află în spital, după ce s-a raportat că a suferit o „cădere nefericită”. Anatoli Karpov a declarat că dorea ca „oamenii pașnici să nu mai moară” înainte de a suferi presupusul accident tragic. În vârstă de 71 de ani se află în prezent într-o stare „gravă” după ce a fost plasat într-o…

[burlveneer-music]

x.y.r. - Anciente - a pair of 20-minute Fourth World tracks (Possible Motive)

The Russian producer Vladimir Karpov is well on his way towards a lasting legacy as a modern synthesizer wizard in the grandiose vein of Vangelis and Jarre. With a propensity for concept albums he has built a sturdy discography during this past decade that echoes the progressive ideas of the psychedelic generation as it moved into adulthood with Moog in hand. While equally a part of the postmodern generation; Karpov's ouvre also embraces the utopian daydreaming of the new age, the environmental concerns embodied in field recording, and the holistic approach of Jon Hassels 4th world concept. While the esoteric fantasies of previous works linger on, the conceptual aspect of Anciente is rendered more abstract. And instead of dividing ideas into tracks that form an album, here Karpov is pushing the boundaries of his compositions further into longer forms. Like trails into humid forest landscapes, they run deep enough for one to get lost along the way. Clocking in at a neat 20 minutes per side, the two tracks that make up Anciente weaves soft brushes of undefinable sounds and tropical field recordings that almost create ASMR-inducing vibrations in the minds of the listener. Eventually they might open a doorway to a twilight-lit wilderness and the possible secrets of the first civilised men. As Carlos Castaneda once wrote, relaying the wisdom of the Yaqui; "twilight is the crack between worlds. It is the door to the unknown". Or, as in this case, the door to the ancient. Words by Simon Eliasson Written, Produced and Recorded by Vladimir Karpov using Formanta-mini and Korg M1, pedal effect, Boss RC-20, mic and field recordings. Mastered by Antony Ryan (ISAN) at RedRedPaw Artwork by Henrik Stelzer/Possible Motive

[flamingo-queen-writes]

Can I have Bucky and Polina + an (not so horrible) obscure AU?😁😊 Please.

Laughing so hard that you (rightly) needed to specify “not so horrible,” haha!

So here you go: Have a post-apocalyptic, Hydra-won, Pierce-rules-the-world, nearly-everyone’s-dead-or-in-hiding, melted-ice-caps waterworld AU, complete with mysterious Soldier from the time Before (as in, before the ice caps melted).

(You said “not so horrible,” not “not horrible,” so this is a fair response. ^_^ It definitely counts as an obscure AU, too, I should say.)

~*~ 

Polina takes a moment to hook an elbow in the rigging for stability before wiping an arm across her forehead. It really wouldn’t do to drop her harpoon in the water, or to fall in the water herself. Not when she’s expecting, and not when she’s on watch for sharks and worse.

No matter how delightful a brief dip in the waves might feel on a blisteringly bright day like this, with the sun reflecting off the surface and lighting up the whole horizon, she’s got a job to do while her beloved Vovochka gathers aquatic greens, and so she can have that swim later.

In the past hour or so, there have been no sightings of hydra polyps or of anything larger and more capable of reporting their location back to the enemy. There is a little sharklet off at the edge of the shade their sail throws over the water and the kelp forest under the surface, but so far, it hasn’t decided that her husband with his dagger and his woven mesh basket of harvested kelp is worth a toothy investigation. And that’s good.

The Soldier might have taught her how to throw the harpoon with enough force to stick, and how to jerk it back by the rope so that her target is caught on its barbs. And he might have taught her how to judge that broken angle caused by the line between surface and water so that she can aim true. But they have plenty of jerky in the hold and more meat drying in the netting. They don’t need a shark now, and she’d far rather her Vovochka not be threatened by a shark in any case, even if it is still more a pup than a fully grown threat.

Vladimir bobs to the surface some minutes later, flicking his hair out of his face as he orients himself to the hexagonal platform between two hulls that is their floating home in this secret exile, and then makes his way through the rippling surface toward her, his limbs swift in the water and powerful. He tosses the mesh-wrapped kelp on board and then pulls himself up after it with minimal effort and only a slight rocking of their boat.

“Not a bad haul,” he says. “But I’m going back in for another round once we get this bit hung up.”

Polina spends a happy moment trailing her eyes along his well-tanned skin and smoothly muscled torso, the curve of his biceps as the water dribbles down from his hair, the right shoulder as sun-dark as ever and the left with its inked red star--the mark worn by all the home guard, however many of them still survive out here after the stirring of the beast from the deep and the rise of its namesake organization, Hydra, at the hands of the traitor Pierce.

She leans forward to kiss him, careful of her balance, and hands him the harpoon before snatching up the netting with the kelp. “I’ll add this to the other, then.” They’ve nearly got enough for a meal, and after only two dives. They’ll want to mark this down on their sea map as an excellent location to revisit when they next search this stretch of water for survivors and allies.

~*~

She has the kelp properly strung up to dry alongside their strips of eel--all three batches her Vovochka had brought up before calling it a day--by the time the Soldier returns from the dark island with the children.

Polina spies the bit of fabric fluttering at the top of the catamaran in the distance--white, or the off-white that is as much as can be managed with sunshine for bleach--and indulges in a sigh of relief as she rests a hand across her belly. Neither of the children are hurt, she now knows, or the Soldier would have switched that signal out for another.

As for the Soldier himself, she will have to wait to inspect him when he and the children board the larger platform boat because, try as she might, he stubbornly refuses to consider any injuries to himself as meriting any such signal. She suspects he is fine or at least only mildly injured, though. He can handle himself better than most, with that metal arm of his, and neither she nor Vladimir would have allowed the children to join him that morning if there was any question of his being able to keep them safe while defending himself.

Vladimir catches the rope their son throws him, and sets about tethering the smaller boat for the night. It’s too late in the afternoon to set out on another trip, and it’s unlikely even the Soldier will risk such a thing at night until the moon rises to light a path into the depths. With the hydra lurking in the shadows, all writhing tentacles and multiple toothy maws, it’s unsafe to dive at night, unsafe to sail at night, unsafe even for him.

Instead, after they’ve all bundled safely off of the little double-hull and onto the larger platform, the Soldier sits still for her and allows her to patch up the latest of his injuries without complaint while Vasily and Maria help Vladimir spread the soil from the dark island between the driftwood planters that form their precious floating garden and provide a good deal of their nutrition.

“How did they do?” Polina ties off a stitch and begins the next.

She means both ‘how did they do with the sails, the maneuvering of the catamaran, the handling of the ropes and rigging,’ and also ‘how did they do on the island, with the creatures there, the stillness of the solid ground, the need to keep you from setting off on an expedition of revenge doomed to failure.’

Whether he hears all of what she’s asking is anyone’s guess. She suspects he does.

“Well,” he answers, voice soft and slightly despondent. The Soldier looks over her shoulder to where the other three are tending the crops that keep their little family alive here on the outskirts of the known world, with its open oceans and rare, waterlogged islands populated by monsters and occasionally pirates and worse.

“They should stay here next time.”

Polina raises an eyebrow at him and clips the thread off near the knot. “If they did so well, then they are improving, surely. And they should experience dry land when it’s available.”

She purses her lips and takes another look at him, at the network of scars crisscrossing his chest and trailing down his right arm. Reckless man so speedy to throw himself into danger’s path for the sake of others. She imagines that’s how he lost his left arm in the first place, back before everything fell apart, even before she was born.

No one knows quite how old he is, or where he came from, or even his name. A legend even before the ice caps melted. Obtained from somewhere, by someone, and part of the home guard since its founding days, when the planet was still dry and had winters. Only recently learning to be a person instead of a legend, and only because she has insisted.

“You should take them with you again,” she says. “When you have someone to protect, you take so much better care of yourself.”

His lips form a bitter frown, though she knows full well he knows the truth of her words. And he doesn’t deny that truth, or even mutter an objection. After all--she’d win any argument about that based solely on evidence they’ve all seen.

When the Soldier slips off to sea on his lonesome, it’s almost always in pursuit of some fleeting glimpse of a severed and replicating tentacle slipping under the surface, a little hydra sprout drifting in the current and slowly coming into its own. Or some clue left behind in the loam of a dark island, skulls and tentacles etched into rocks and barren trees, weapons or the remains of a base. Some flicker of neon blue in the night, a low but energetic hum of power that doesn’t belong in this world.

Any sign of the hydra or one of its many offspring... or of the group bearing its name and wielding its power to rule.

All of the home guard, with their red stars, their dedication, their vows to protect, have a tendency toward that. A calling, still, even after the crushing loss at Pierce’s traitorous hands and the rise of the beast from the depths, ushered in under the guise of Insight. Even out here, where the survivors and rebels dare not gather in too many numbers lest they attract attention from the depths, word reaches them by lone traveler every few months of another doomed attempt by a lone agent to topple that empire.

The home guard does not give up, does not surrender. The home guard goes to ground only to plot and plan and resurface, rising like a battered, bloody star on the horizon to defend the people at whatever cost. It is their strength, and it is their downfall.

It is only by some miracle she has kept her own husband from answering that silent, internal call. From sailing away one morning to launch a one-person war on the enemy and never returning to her. Some miracle, and also the Soldier, she suspects. The hope that two will succeed where one could not. That three or four, that a dozen, might win the day and drag Pierce from his mountain, slaughter the hydra and its spawn, return what land is left in this world to the people.

“Soldier.” Polina rests a gentle hand on his left shoulder, over the shining red and silver, the star and the layered metal plates that form his prosthetic. “You are one man. The enemy is thousands strong. If you throw yourself away, who will help the rest of us carry on?”

She sighs and lets her hand fall back to her lap at his silence. “There are others out there,” she insists. “We found you. We will find them. But until we can strike with success, please, stay with us. And stay in one piece. If usefulness is all you value in yourself, then remember that you’re of no use to anyone dead.”

He gets to his feet without a sound, and she expected nothing less, so she lets him slip past her without trying to stop him. Watches him climb the rigging and settle into the lookout nest at the top, searching the waves as he does most nights. Looking for another red star to join them, or another tentacle to hunt down.

~*~

Rather than launching a whole fic that would inevitably become a series, I’ll welcome you to imagine that eventually, their little band does happen across, say, Nat and Sam, both home guard from a different part of the world with the stars on their left shoulders, and both eager to return the fight to Pierce. 

And that Steve (but only knowing himself as the Captain [not the Captain from Hazy]) drifts into the mix, possibly having been stranded on a dark island without contact for ages, being all enhanced and undying like the Soldier. And probably the Soldier and the Captain know one another, being from that time Before. 

And the merry band is just small enough and careful enough to float into town and fuck up Pierce’s shit, and Hydra falls, and the resistance comes to light and goes hunting down and torching all the actual hydra polyps in the ocean, and then the beast itself, and the planet is still largely underwater, but at least it’s safe for people to inhabit again, and Polina has her baby safely, and yay, happily ever after. ^_^

Such fun! Thank you for your ask, @sunshineailin !

[danceoftheday]

Performed by: Michelle Abiltrup, Maria Arces, Uliana Fomenko, Vladimir Karpov, Sergiu Luca, Saverio Loria, Anna Ludwig, Daniele Sargenti, Mariya Tzaptashvilli, Zeudi Zanetti, Martino Zanibellato, and Zufar Zaripov

Number: “Single Ladies”/”La Bamba” World Latin Professional Division

Style: Jive

From: 2013 World Dancesport Federation Championship

[gacougnol]

Vladimir Rodionov World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov (right at the table) holds demo game at the sports festival to the XVIII Komsomol Congress USSR, 24 April 1978

[doomedandstoned]

Russia’s ИЛ Share Their Stark Vision in Startling New Video

~By Billy Goate~

This week, we take a closer look at one of the bands featured in our new compilation, 'Doomed & Stoned in Russia (Vol. 1)' (2021), which was released in February. This is ИЛ from Moscow. Sometime after we reviewed their recent album 'Ересь' (2020), we received news that the band had a music video in the works to accompany it. It seemed high time for us to get to know this fascinating four-piece doom collective better.

What is ИЛ's origin story? In other words, how did the band start?

The band was founded in the summer of 2013 by the members of several Moscow doom/sludge metal bands, Predicted and Magnetic TarTrap, which subsequently disbanded. ИЛ ("IL") in English is silt – mud from the swamp. The name gave us the original theme for our first releases, which were much like sounds from the swamps. From the original line-up, vocalist/guitarist Vlad and bassist Nikolay are still in the band.

It is interesting to note that the drummers in ИЛ changed and we have a funny story connected with the fact that instead of one Sergey Vinogradov, an artist from Tula, came another Sergey Vinogradov. With the second Sergey, by the way, we recorded our best albums Нечисть (“Nechist”) and Ересь (“Heresy”), and now he is again in our lineup.

Initially, the chosen direction was sludge-doom with an admixture of drone and noise, but later the band changed its sound to the side of doom metal with death and black metal influences. It is because we grew musically with ИЛ, as if ИЛ was a living organism telling us what to do.

Our current line-up has a second guitarist, Stas from a black metal band ТУГА ("Tuga"), which is very close to us in spirit and theme and shares our rehearsal space, too. Some of our past members played in grindcore bands and others organized drone festivals. It’s classic for ИЛ that everyone listens to different music, yet are connected together by some unusual forces.

What kind of instruments, pedals, amps, and other gear did you use on your most recent album?

Regarding the amps, we do not have strict preferences, but our tastes stop at the classic amplifiers: Marshall, Engl, and the russian Sovtek and AMT. On such devices we recorded our best releases and with them they will sound in the original way.

In terms of drum equipment, our drummer prefers Zildjian, but also likes Masterwork or Stagg. Also, the Yamaha pedal was a pleasant discovery for him. We play in a very low tuning, so our guitars and sound are appropriate, one of the guitars is a baritone.

Usually in Russian venues, you don't have an opportunity to choose from what sound setup to play and you have to play on what is available, but we have learned to get the right sound in almost any situation. We are not “equip psychos” and we do not pray to the walls of Orange amplifiers.

Tell us about your most recent album — what are some of its themes and what inspired you to write the songs?

Many things inspired the theme of this album. First of all, it is the so-called Russian chthonic, Russian death, Russian witchcraft -- all that is characteristic of the dark side of our history, our legends, and beliefs. We have found many books related to these things and absorbed those images from there, which brought us to a deeper understanding of these things. And in many of our texts, our own mystical experiences associated with the world veiled around us: endless forests, fathomless swamps, as you know Russia is rich in such places.

Ересь by ИЛ

The album Heresy tells listeners about the path of a lyrical hero, who is lost in all this variety of horrors and nightmares accompanying Russian chthonic and implicitly striving for complete unnamed madness. As you see, his fate is depicted on the cover art of the album.

About the instrumental part, it is worth saying that we are fans of different genres of music, and each of those who compose it brings something of their own. On the one hand, we love doom metal in its stoner form, on the other hand black and death metal. The new album is closer to the last two genres, and we think it is good for us.

What are some of your other influences in the realm of music, art, literature, history, etc.?

Naturally, there were some influences here, we are inspired by Russian writers Pimen Karpov, who wrote about the terrible Russian sects (his books were actually burned by Synod of Russian orthodox church) and Kondratyev with his witchcraft novels. Collections of ancient Slavic curses and charms, which can hardly be found in paper form.

But of course we pay tribute in all of our releases, including this one, to Howard Phillips Lovecraft. We would even say that we sometimes alter his mysticism and pantheon in our own Russian way. He influenced our first band and continues to influence ИЛ, as well.

In videos and movies, we like surrealism: David Lynch, Jan Svankmajer, and Andrei Tarkovsky. Unfortunately, there are no good Lovecraft movies, but there are good board games with an atmosphere of his madness from FFG. Musically, we have been influenced by bands such as Winter, Electric Wizard, Cultes des Ghoules, Urfaust, Black Sabbath, Disembowelment, Cathedral, etc.

All of our art is drawn by one cool Russian artist: Vladimir Prokofiev. He understands as closely as possible the vision of our music and its design in visual terms, and creates his paintings under the impression of our descriptions and with all his skill. For example, five tarot cards (by the number of songs) are embedded in the vinyl of the Heresy album, each of which is drawn by him based on the text/

ИЛ — Ересь (official video)

Tell us about your new music video. Was it difficult to do? What steps did you take to make your vision a reality?

We've wanted to make a video for several years now and, to be honest, this is our second attempt. We think it is a success! All the work on filming, editing, and release was taken over by our friend Alexandr Swed. We will not describe the plot of the video for you, but if you have read this interview to the end, you will surely find echoes of the things that we described when we talked about the sources of inspiration. We would like to give the floor to Alexandr so that he could talk a little about the process and his vision of the picture, as well as his production.

Alexandr: I believe that the main thing in any business is to burn with an idea and the desire to implement it. This is exactly the case when all the people involved in the production gave themselves completely to this project.

I am extremely grateful to everyone. Thinking over an idea, shooting, and editing is half the battle, but it is teamwork to implement everything in a high quality way.

I'm just starting my way into music videos. This is the fourth music video that I've shot, but everything before that was frankly so-so, and I hope ИЛ's "Heresy" will become for me a starting point in the world of music videos.

Nowadays, it is not difficult to surprise with a beautiful picture, as there are much available film equipment, video editors, etc. And if your hands are not growing out of your ass, it is very difficult to get a bad picture. To hook with a plot, an idea, a video message -- this will be more difficult. Therefore, I try to include the maximum of any idea even in reportage videos. I also often shoot videos with a historical bias, narrative, art, and so forth. Come and see.

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