Given By Blood

In the heart of an empty room, you watch a circle of people huddle together with their heads bowed low. Beneath them, a woman’s body lies still. 

Too still.

Given by Blood is an interactive graphic novel that centers the Ukrainian body—both literal and figurative—as archive and witness, confronting the ongoing violence of invasion and the longer legacies of imperial domination in (wartime) Ukraine. In an age of rapid, surface-level media consumption, Given by Blood disrupts passive viewing and invites audiences into a slower, more critical engagement with the realities of war. To resist the aestheticization of war and the pull of spectacle, this project foregrounds memory to make visible the enduring structures of power that shape identity and resistance in Ukraine.

Through immersive visual storytelling and interactive design, this novel insists that war cannot be understood in isolation, nor can neutrality be an ethical response. While every scene draws a line from the present to the deeper, incomplete history of empire and extraction in Ukraine, the narratives collected here are only a small part of the many displaced, forgotten, and (un)grieved Ukrainian voices that underwrite this history. A history which, at its core, demands to be countered, re-/membered, and re-/told. On a fundamental level, Given by Blood stands as both an invitation and an imperative: urging users to resist complacency and to recognize that solidarity—rooted in memory and active engagement—is our most powerful tool against erasure and state violence.

Game Play:

• Navigation: Point-and-click mechanics; click to advance text and to interact with visible hotspots/objects. 

• Controls: No reflex-based mechanics or time-limited choices, so the user can proceed entirely at their own pace. 

• Audio: Ambient sound is used sparingly; the experience can be completed without audio. 

• Languages: English and Ukrainian. 

A Note on Digitization:

Though our artistic and humanitarian efforts with this project were primarily driven by research-based advocacy, Given by Blood is also a contribution to a public, digital-humanities practice. We have digitized this project to make it portable across classrooms, libraries, online platforms, and community spaces. The graphic novel form allows us to combine visual narrative with interactive reader-driven choices (i.e. to click, choose, linger, return) so that the encounter feels embodied rather than detached. The downloadable and browser-based formats are designed for both individual and collective reading. We welcome educators and facilitators to incorporate the game and its assets into their syllabi; we are also happy to share any materials that would support contextualization and dialogue. 

Content Warnings: 

War; state violence; mass death and graves; displacement; civilian injury; hunger; grief; ruined homes; separation of families; allusions to sexual violence. While we avoid graphic gore and voyeuristic framing, the material is emotionally intense and may be difficult to engage with. Please read responsibly, take breaks, and exercise self-care.  If you are facilitating a group activity, consider building in time to decompress and discuss.  

Credits: 

• Art, design, and code by Ielyzaveta (Lisa) Usanova 

• Script and storyboard by Ayra Alex Thomas 

• Translation (EN ⇄ UKR) by Olena Usanova 

We are grateful to the cultural workers, archivists, journalists, librarians, elders, grassroots communities, and to all others who, despite all odds and impediments, carry witness forward and whose labor makes responsible storytelling possible. If this work resonates with you, please consider supporting Ukrainian relief efforts, artists, and independent journalists; amplify Ukrainian voices where you live; organize acts of solidarity with your community; exercise vigilance against disinformation; and above all, practice an ethics of care. 

We have also made the script available online, allowing you to read it independently from the visual novel. To read, please CLICK HERE

Contact Us: 

thomasusanova@gmail.com

Every day, every meter is given by blood.

— Valery Zaluzhny, 2023