#I think Sweden is basic and didn’t deserve that many points

[missanathea]

You know I could understand that for years the audience didn’t vote for the non-English songs. It’s harder to get into a song you don’t understand or in a language that’s just gibberish to your brain. But I’ve always considered that the jury was here to restore that balance. But the fact that they never do, and this year that they have actually ruined this, this celebration of diversity, by promoting two basic pop songs, that really shows that they don’t serve any purpose.

#Eurovision #Eurovision 2023 #I think Sweden is basic and didn’t deserve that many points #but most of all I’m angry they gave so many points to Israel #the song was the most unimaginative thing ever #just ask the US to join and give them the trophee every year if that’s all you care about #bland music that is force fed to us by the giant across the pond #I mean I don’t hate american pop songs they are nice #they just don’t belong at Eurovision??? #can’t we just escape them for one night and celebrate our diversity and cultures? #our silly boys bands and our not that silly dictature denouncing groups? #our Norwegian queens and Finish kings and Czech sestras? #our beautiful Portuguese and Italian and Spanish singers? #and all the other deserving acts that I can’t think of because I didn’t get enough sleep #anyway abolish the jury #they don’t know what they’re talking about

[darling-i-read-it]

May Queen

Pelle x reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: being indoctored into a cult, murder, suicide, basically the plot of midsommar

Author’s Note: This can be seen as a sequel to ‘Hug’ or it can be read on it’s own!

yeah i was a little excited that you guys wanted this one lol I don’t know if you can tell. I’ve seen this movie enough, it was about time I did something within the events of the film. I also referred to the script so some of the lines will be familiar! I hope you all enjoy!

Requested: by anon, omg your pelle fic wow; would you consider doing a sequel to it that either takes place during the events of the film or just before they arrive at Pelle's commune?

Requested: by anon, I would LOVEEE to see a sequel with pelle cause that was a pretty good fix and I think he deserves a bit more attention, I personally would like to see something happen during the events of the movie just because I think it would be interesting to see but that's just me

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

“You think that Pelle asked you to go just because I’m going?” Dani asked, messing with her fingers. You were standing beside your bed, packing your suitcase slowly. Dani had already packed; she didn’t like to be unprepared.

“I don’t know...maybe he thought you would enjoy yourself more.”

“You’re acting like I’m the one who’s been dating him for these couple of months,” she told you. She was sitting on the bed, looking up at you. You nodded a bit, putting another pile of clothes inside.

“I know. I guess I’m just nervous. Meeting his whole group, going to where he grew up. I mean. I really like him. What if I fuck it up?” She shook her head and reached over to grab your arm. You looked her in the eyes.

“He really likes you. I can’t remember the last time Christian looked at me the way that Pelle looks at you.” Her eyes were honest. It made you feel bad. You should have gotten her to break up with Christian when you got the chance. But it was too late now; you were all going to Sweden.

“I suppose you’re right. Per usual.” She smiled weakly.

“Finish packing.”

=======

Pelle almost wanted to tell you about the whole thing. When he was on the plane, it crossed his mind to let you in on the whole scheme of things. The May Queen, the festival, all of it.

But he bit his tongue. That was tradition.

You arrived in Sweden well and took the trek up to where the first stop was. It was beautiful. Truly, it was stunning.

Pelle held your hand the whole way until you arrived at the first spot. There were people around the grassy hills, scattered around. Pelle got out of the car.

“These are other people from America that my friends have brought!” he exclaimed. He gestured to the many people around. You looked around, gazing at the nice afternoon. He grabbed your arm and started to drag you along.

“Hey, don’t rip it off!” you joked and he eased up.

“Sorry, I’m quite excited!” You smiled sweetly at his happiness.

“Me too!” He approached some people and started to introduce them when a man behind you started to yell. You turned around quickly, surprised at the loud noise. Pelle turned around too and his smile only grew.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he said and then ran over to the approaching man. They embraced each other, hugging tightly.

“Everyone, this is my brother Ingemar. Ingemar this is Christian, Dani, Mark, Josh and my girlfriend, Y/N,” Pelle said. Ingemar followed where Pelle pointed, shaking hands with everyone. He paid special attention to you, his smile getting wider. You could tell that he and Pelle were related.

“Nice to meet you all. This is Simon and Connie from London,” he said, gesturing to the others behind him. “Simon and Connie this is Pelle and...all the names I just remembered two seconds ago,” Ingemar said laughing. Simon and Connie said hello. “Perfect timing by the way.”

Ingemar pulled out a bag of mushrooms from his pocket. Your eyes went wide.

“We just took these five minutes ago. Haven’t even started feeling the effects yet,” he explained.

“Oh shit!” Mark said, happily.

“Do you all want to take it now or should we get settled in?” Pelle asked.

“Fuck it, let’s take it now!” Mark said. You weren’t too sure about that. You trusted Pelle and everyone of course but in the new environment...it rubbed you the wrong way. Thankfully, Dani turned to speak to Christian about it.

“I think I want to get settled in first.” Christian was about to speak but you cut him off.

“Me too. You guys go and have fun, we’ll keep each other company,” you said. Pelle turned to you.

“Are you sure? I assure you it’s safe,” he said in a soft voice. You smiled kindly and put a gentle hand on his arm.

“I know! I just wanna get settled. Dani and I can handle ourselves, I promise.” He gave you a longer look, just to check that you were alright and then nodded. You turned back to Dani who grabbed your arm desperately.

“Thank you,” she whispered. You nodded.

“No thank you.”

=====

It wasn’t until the next day, Dani’s birthday, that you were able to get on further. You and Dani played some card games that you had brought with you while you waited for the effects to wear off for everyone else.

Christian came over to sleep beside Dani, still high. Pelle came over to you and braided your hair and then unbraided your hair, making very long sentences that didn’t make sense to whisper in your ear.

But when you arrived at the commune it was bright and sunny. Pelle rushed around, hugging people and introducing you and the group to everyone. You were able to get some blankets to sit on the grass, while everyone got their things together.

There was a group of girls dancing around in circles, wearing all white.

“You should go join,” Pelle suggested, gesturing to you and Dani. She shook her head a bit.

“Oh no, I’m too scared,” Dani said sheepishly. You nodded in agreement.

“Maybe another time.” Christian stood up.

“Hey can I join…” he started turning to Pelle.

“You’re American. Just jam yourself in,” he said. Christian nodded and walked away. “I think I’ll join him,” Simon said and was quickly followed by the rest of the group except you, Pelle and Dani. There was a moment of silence as you watched them go.

“Hey, just real quick,” Pelle said, digging for something in his pocket. He took out two pieces of paper and handed them to you and Dani. You both opened them to reveal gorgeously drawn pictures of yourselves wearing flower crowns. “For you Dani, think of it as a birthday present. For you Y/N, I imagine it’s a thank you present.”

“Oh Pelle,” Dani said. “It’s beautiful, thank you.”

“Thank you for what?” you asked, brushing your finger over it. He smiled and shrugged.

“Just a thank you.”

“Well thank you for it,” you said. “I got Dani a new sweater. Christian forgot.” Pelle raised his eyebrow and you shared a look.

“I forgot to tell him...it’s my fault,” Dani explained. You shook your head.

“I tend to disagree,” you muttered. You folded the picture back up and put it in your pocket. You put your head on Pelle’s shoulders “But I think Christian is rude.”

“Perhaps you are too judgemental,” Pelle mused. “But I tend to agree with you regardless.” You and Dani laughed a bit. “We should probably go and catch up with them in case they get lost.”

=====

You got settled in in one of the large buildings, plenty of beds against the walls. Pelle was on the bed to your right while Dani slept on the one to your left.

“All right, beauty rest! Tomorrow’s a big day!” Pelle announced. You had one of the books you had brought open on your lap but you looked up at him.

“What’s tomorrow?” you asked.

“First of the big cerinomines,” he said mysteriously.

“So you’re just going to be weird and cryptic?” Josh asked, laughing a bit. Pelle pauses and then took Josh's notebook, writing something inside. You made an attempt to look but it was not a word that you recognized.

“What’s that?” Christian questioned. Pelle shrugged and laid down in his bed. You faced him, on the bed beside him.

“What is it?” you whispered to him. He gave you a teasing smile.

“It’s hard to explain.”

“I will come over there and tickle it out of you,” you threatened. He chuckled and turned around so he wasn’t facing you. But he put his arm back behind him, reaching across the space between your two beds.

You grabbed it and rubbed his knuckles anxiously.

=====

There was a very odd breakfast the next day but you tried not to judge. You wanted to really appreciate Pelle’s culture and understand it. He had admired you for your understanding and he knew you would make an effort.

That’s why he chose to love you.

You were the obvious choice.

After that you walked out to a cliffside where most of the people were already out and lined up. You were curious to find complete silence. Everyone was silent as it happened and you were able to do nothing but watch as these two elderly people stood up on top of the cliff.

When the first person, a woman, jumped, you grabbed Pelle, putting your hand in front of your mouth. He grabbed you and wrapped his arms around you but it didn’t change the look of serenity on his face.

Simon was standing next to Ingemar yelling as the man approached the cliffside.

You had your face in Pelle’s arms. You were shaking.

“It is the way of life,” he whispered to you. Simon was still screaming. Another elder was talking to him and you could feel Pelle want to move toward them but he stayed beside you. “It is our way of recycling them and their gifts.”

You pulled away from him and shook your head a bit. You met Dani’s eyes. She wasn’t showing much emotion other than shock. You didn’t blame her.

“They’re dead,” you whispered. He nodded and put his hands on your upper arms.

“And it is an honor to have died that way.” You weren’t sure how to feel. You wanted to be understanding, to try and understand him and his ways. You would want that from him. But he should have prepared you more for that.

You walked over to Dani and walked beside her on the way back to the houses.

=====

“I’m leaving,” Dani said.

“I don’t blame you.” She was already packing a bag. You sat down on your bed, head in your hands. You took a deep breath and leaned back on the bed.

“Are you coming with me?” she asked. Her voice was shaking. She was clearly shaken up by all of this.

“No,” you muttered. “I’m not leaving Pelle yet.”

“Not even after that?” Her voice was quiet but it was urgent. You shook your head a bit.

“I just have to talk to him. He should have warned us more, of course but....it’s what he’s been raised to believe is normal. I don’t think I should think of it as a bad thing.”

“We just watched people die!” You stood up off the bed and put your hands on your upper arms, steading her.

“You can go home and I will not blame you. In the slightest. I just think I should stay longer,” you told her. She nodded solemnly. She took a deep breath in through her nostrils and nodded again.

=====

Before bed that night Pelle approached you. You were standing outside of the bed house, leaning against it to try and clear your thoughts. You almost completely ignored him but in the end you locked eyes with him as he approached.

“I’m sorry I didn’t give you adequate warning,” he said sympathetically. He grabbed your hand and held it. “I thought you would understand but I know now that it was wrong of me to assume.” You shook your head quickly.

“I understand it was just...a shock,” you muttered. He nodded and kissed your forehead softly.

“You are completely safe here. I want you to know that.” He looked you in the eyes when he said it. You believed him. You nodded back and gestured to the house.

“Let’s get some shut eye huh? And maybe warn me if we see another person...you know.” You made a slicing gesture across your neck. He laughed gently and nodded, placing a hand on the small of your back and leading you inside.

=====

Dani walked up to you, still distraught but less so. You were standing beside Pelle the next day as he kneeled in front of the ground picking some vegetables. You turned to her as she walked up, ready to handle whatever she was about to throw at you.

“Hey,” you said, taking the step away from Pelle and toward her.

“Hi. Did you see Simon left without Connie?” she asked. You raised an eyebrow and shook your head.

“Seriously? What a dick.” She clearly felt a little bit off put by it so you lowered your voice. “You think it’s weird?” Dani nodded a bit.

“I don’t know...it’s a little weird. They seemed so close.” You nodded. They did seem close.

“I don’t know...something to keep in mind I suppose.” She nodded quickly in agreement.

======

Dinner that night was simple pastries. You were pleased. The last food they had given you wasn’t your kind of taste. You sat between Pelle and Dani again.

“Have you seen Connie?” Dani asked you quietly. You shook your head.

“Excuse me but I know what happened,” a man sitting beside Mark said. “Her boyfriend called the landline from the train station. She begged us to drive her so we took her down to the station.” You nodded slowly, glancing at Pelle. He shrugged, seemingly in agreement.

“Why would Simon leave without her?” you asked quietly.

“I can see you doing that,” Dani muttered at Christian. You wanted to laugh so you turned to Pelle, sneaking a smile. He shrugged with a smile on his face also.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Christian asked.

“Nevermind.”

“You wouldn’t do that,” Pelle said quietly, so only you could hear. You ate a bite of the pastry proudly.

“You’re damn right.”

======

One of the important books was stolen that night. They announced it at breakfast.

“Where is your friend Josh?” one of the elders asked, after breakfast. You, Christian, Dani and Pelle all stood in front of the two elders, caught like a deer in headlights.

“I know. We have no idea,” Christian said.

“He and your other friend disappear in the same day. You understand how that looks.”

“Yes obviously, but we swear to you we are not a part of this,” Christian said. Dani shuffled a bit.

“We did see Mark go off with one of the girls last night,” she said.

“Which girl?”

“Inga,” Pelle said.

“But Mark wouldn’t have done this. Josh, though, he came to bed with us, and when we woke up, he was gone. And if he did take that book, I just pray you understand we do not identify as friends of his, or collaborators, or anything. I certainly don't vouch for him and we'd be so embarrassed to be connected to this in any way,” Christian explained.

“I feel responsible,” Pelle said. The elders nodded a bit.

“Well you and Odd can go looking. Perhaps you can redeem them,” one of the elders said. You didn’t want Pelle to leave. You didn’t like it when you were separated here. You believed him when he said you were safe but...it was still a little odd. “You two will be going with the women for the day’s activity,” he said to you and Dani. “And Siv asks to see you in her house,” she said to Christian.

You glanced at Pelle as he left. He grabbed your hand and squeezed it, almost saying ‘do well!’.

=====

You and Dani got dressed in white shirts with flower crowns. It made you a tad bit nervous but at least you had her.

She gestured to the drink they were handing out. Cups had been given to both of you to drink it.

“Can I ask what’s in this?” Dani asked one of the girls.

“It’s...tea for the dancing competition.” You raised an eyebrow but took a glass anyway. Dani looked back at you and you shrugged.

“I’ll beat you,” you muttered.

“Try me.”

You both took drinks of the tea.

Your head became fuzzy the second it hit your throat. You hadn’t taken those drugs before hand and you almost didn’t want to do it now but it was already done. Your feet were moving along with the girls, tossing bodies left and right it felt like.

You lost sight of Dani very quickly.

You were running and jumping and laughing until the elder lady yelled to stop then you kept dancing.

Dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing.

Dancing.

It seemed to go on forever. Your mind was hazed, your head hurt, your glances were so quick they gave you whiplash. You were smiling brightly when they announced they were down to the final eight. You finally saw Dani again, in the eight with you.

All of the fallen dancers had sat off on the side. You saw Christian, looking hilariously out of place. And Pelle.

Your heart swelled with love for Pelle. You could barely know anything else for a moment as you stared at him.

You couldn’t see it but in that moment, Dani believed she learned how much she hated Christian.

Then more dancing.

People were speaking and then it was just you and Dani, holding hands, dancing around in a circle, tired and out of breath. She stared at you and a smile went over her face as she held your hand.

And then she tripped. You stopped dancing and someone ran up to you, putting their hands on your shoulder.

“It’s over?” you asked.

“You are our May Queen!” they yelled. You were still hazzed. Each face looked the same. The people running up to you were strangers but you felt nothing but warmth for them. They placed a different flower crown atop your head.

Pelle ran up to you smiling brightly.

“Wow! May Queen, my love!” he said, giving you a strong kiss, both his hands resting on your cheeks. You were smiling brightly and then he was gone. You didn’t want him to go.

They carried you on a platform to a dinner table where you sat at the head, Dani beside you and Pelle on the other side as usual.

One of the elders stood at the end of the dinner.

“Now it is traditional for the May Queen to bless our crops and livestock. And after the luck you just inherited from that salt herring, we should all be doubly encouraged.” You looked around nervously.

“Can Pelle come with me?”

“No. The Queen must ride alone.”

You were starting to come to your own and realize how crazy this all was. How did you get here? How would you get out of here? You found yourself hoping you didn’t get out of here though. This felt like home. Some form of home. As you walked to the carriage you saw a glimpse of the pride on Pelle’s face.

It made you immensely happy.

======

They made you do a ritual in Swedish and you did your best with the limited knowledge of the language you knew. You went to Siv’s house, where she blessed you. You wondered where Dani was. You hoped she was alright. You should have let her become the May Queen. You should have let her win, just so you knew she was alright.

The women left you alone for only a moment where they ushered Pelle into the house with all of the beds where you were. He was still smiling that bright smile as he rushed up to you, hugging you tightly to him.

“You have no idea the amount of honor and pride you have brought to me. I am so very proud of you,” he said, cupping your cheeks. You tried not to get too flustered with your smile in return.

“So I get my picture up on that wall?” you questioned. He nodded pleasantly.

“Yes you will!” He kissed you passionately and you let him, allowing him to dip you a bit. “And you will be allowed to stay here, with the family.”

You didn’t even react. You didn’t feel the need to.

“With you?”

“Yes of course. You will be mine and I will be yours.”

You nodded happily.

“Where is Dani?” you asked.

“She is alright, she’s with the other women preparing. She is also going to stay.” You wanted to laugh of joy with that. “It is time for the final of the ceremonies,” he told you. “You will finally be able to give Christian what you think he deserves, if you wish it.”

He placed an even larger flower crown atop your head.

“And a dress as well, to fit a Queen.”

He gestured to the large flower dress in the room you hadn’t even noticed. He kissed you once more.

“It is time for the final ceremony. I’ll help you put on the dress. Are you ready?” he asked. He looked at you patiently. You nodded.

“Yes, I am.”

#pelle x reader #midsommar imagines #pelle imagines

[pucksnsticksnhockeyboys]

alone together

summary: you can’t make it home for Christmas, but neither can Elias, and suddenly you aren’t too upset about it anymore. 

warnings: mentions of alcohol, drinking

word count: 2.1k

tagging: @bqstqnbruin @laurenairay @calgarycanuck @sorryjustafangirl @tayella13 @wastedheartcth @kiedhara @writinghockey @unfoundtreasure @nolanscheeks @hockeyallthetime​ 

masterpost of my christmas fics

The holidays were supposed to be spent with family. And you had planned to do just that—except, the entirety of your family had planned vacations without you. For a week and a half you moped around about your ruined holiday plans. You would be alone, in Vancouver, while all of your friends were back home. You thought you’d be all alone, except—

“I’m staying in Vancouver for Christmas, too.”

Apparently, not all of your friends would be gone. Though, Elias wasn’t quite just your friend. With him, it always felt like there was just something under the surface between you and him. You were friends with Brock and Quinn too, but your heart didn’t race the same way it did when you were with Elias.

“You should stay at my place.”

“What?” The suggestion caught you off guard. Elias said it so casually, like he wasn’t offering to house you for the holidays. He grinned at you from over the top of his takeout container, your brows tugged together in confusion.

“Come stay with me, I know you’re just going to be here alone.” He explained with a shrug. You thought about your other options, not that you had many, and quickly realized that staying with Elias was much better than spending the holidays alone.

Really, what could go wrong with spending the holiday with the guy you were half in love with.

You showed up two days before Christmas, duffel bag in hand and smile on your face. The first night was quiet, a movie and takeout before you each parted ways to sleep. It was strange, at first, to be staying in his guest room when you could have just as easily been in your own apartment across town.

You realized you could quickly get used to his presence when you woke up the next morning and found he was already in the kitchen, cooking breakfast as if he was a regular chef and not someone who had nearly the entirety of his meals made for him.

“Merry Christmas Eve.” You chimed, taking a seat at the kitchen table to watch him cook. Scrambled eggs weren’t a hard dish to make, and you knew Elias was a bit more competent than some of his teammates, but the supervision wouldn’t hurt, and you couldn’t exactly pass up the opportunity to pretend for just a moment that the domestic moment was much more than it really was.

“Merry Christmas Eve, to you too.” Elias grinned at you over his shoulder, allowing you to get a look at his messy bedhead and sleepy smile. You would have sworn your heart skipped three beats at the sight, and with a grin of your own you propped your head up and admired him as he worked.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur, filled with Christmas movies and games, and after hours of fun with Elias you slipped into the guest room to FaceTime your family. You battled the teasing from them that you were staying with a boy, and denied vehemently that there was anything going on between the two of you. By the time you got off the phone with them, it was nearing dinnetime, so you wandered into the kitchen in search of either Elias or at the very least a snack.

“What’s all this?”

You weren’t sure you had ever actually seen Elias cook anything more than the basics, but when you walked into the kitchen you were met with various pots and pans scattered across the counters. Once more, Elias was standing at the stove as he cooked, and you decided that you really could get used to the view.

“Christmas Eve dinner.” He said casually. In all honesty, you hadn’t thought about what you would be doing for dinner, since nearly every meal you had ever had with Elias was over a takeout container or at some restaurant he insisted on trying.

“You’re cooking breakfast and dinner? What did I do to deserve this?” You teased, moving to stand at his side and watch him stir. Elias shot you a grin, the playful one that only came out when he was in the company of people he knew well and loved.

“If you play your cards right, I’ll even make you pancakes tomorrow, too.” He said slyly, a teasing lilt to his tone that had you chuckling to yourself. “Grab some wine?”

“Don’t need to tell me twice.” You grinned, slipping away from your post at his side to search for the bottle of wine you had brought as a gift for him letting you stay with him. Grabbing two glasses, you perched yourself on the counter. Luckily, the bottle had already been broken into, so you were able to get the cork out with ease before pouring a generous amount into each glass.

“Cheers.” The corners of Elias’ lips curved upwards as he clinked his glass against yours. You matched his smile as you lifted the glass to your lips to take a sip. You watched as he turned back to stirring the sauce, an action that shouldn’t have been as attractive as it was.

One glass of wine turned into a bottle shared between the two of you on the couch while a variety of Christmas and action movies played on the television. Eventually you drifted into sleep in your spot, tucked into Elias’ side while listening to him mumble about the movie on the screen you hadn’t even attempted to pay attention to.

The next morning, Christmas morning, you woke up in an unfamiliar and not-totally comfortable position. But as uncomfortable as you were, you knew Elias must have been worse, because he was lying on his back on the couch while you were half on top of him and half tucked between him and the back of the couch.

“Good morning.” Elias mumbled, drawing your attention to him. You rested your chin on your arm as you looked up at him, blinking tiredly as a sleepy smile made its way onto your face as you admired him.

“Good morning.” You repeated his sentiment, smile only widening when you felt Elias’ hand start to drag up and down your back soothingly. “Sorry I fell asleep on you.”

“I don’t mind.” He said seriously, though the corners of his lips were quirked up in a tiny smile that had you reaching up to brush a few strands of his hair off of his forehead before you really knew what you were doing. He smiled at the action, quickly grabbing your wrist before you could retract your hand completely and pressing a kiss to your palm before you could really understand what was happening.

You sucked in a breath at the intimate moment, having been caught off guard. It wasn’t unwelcome, the display of affection, but it took you by surprise and without a second thought you smiled.

“I think I was promised pancakes today.” You hummed, grin on your face. Elias’ chest rumbled underneath you with his chuckles, and though you wanted nothing more than to stay cuddled up with him for as long as possible you knew you were falling harder and harder for him with each smile and every brush of his hand up and down your back. So with a sigh, you carefully pushed yourself up and retreated into the spare room to get a change of clothes.

When you returned, Elias had already started with breakfast and it was only a few moments later when the two of you were sitting at his kitchen table sharing sleepy smiles over chocolate chip pancakes.

“I like having you around.” He commented casually as you focused on pouring syrup onto your pancakes. It took you by surprise, his sweet words that made you melt, and with a teasing smile you shot him a playful look.

“Even if you’re always cooking for me?” You joked, taking a bite of your pancake as if to emphasize the point that he had made not only one, but three meals for you in the past few days you had been staying with him.

“Especially when I’m cooking for you.” He commented cheesily and you snorted at his words. You rolled your eyes, though your heart raced and in order to hide how flustered he made you, you turned your attention to the cup of orange juice you poured for yourself.

Eventually the two of you made your way into the living room in order to exchange presents, and though you settled back onto the couch there was much more space between the two of you than when you had woken up.

“Merry Christmas.” You told Elias, handing him the gift bag you had gotten for him. It was a bit of an expensive present, a nice watch you had seen him eye in the store on more than a few occasions.

“I love it.” He grinned, thanking you for the gift with a smile that made butterflies erupt in your stomach. Nerves flashed in his eyes as he handed to the small, carefully wrapped box, but you pushed the look to the side and started to pull the paper away.

Inside was a jewelry box, and when you lifted the lid you were met with a gold chain, an engraved bar necklace. You recognized the engraving as coordinates, but you had no idea as to what the location was. With furrowed brows, you looked up to Elias, only to find him only watching you with a nervous smile.

“It’s the coordinates for Ånge, Sweden.” He told you, swallowing thickly and you felt your heartbeat in your ears.

“Where you were born?” You connected the dots with an astonished sigh. Though your words came out as a question, you knew they were a fact, and he nodded once in confirmation. There was so much you wanted to say, so much you needed to know, but any and all words died on your lips in that moment. He was giving you a part of him, his hometown, to wear and to have and you knew that it just had to mean something more than a Christmas gift. “Elias, what…?” You couldn’t finish, but you didn’t have to, because he knew what you needed to hear.

“I love you.” Elias told you earnestly. You gasped, the words catching you by surprise even though they shouldn’t, not when he invited you to stay with him during Christmas and not when you were holding the necklace that held so much importance to him. Not when you felt the same.

“Say it again.” You felt breathless, setting the necklace on the couch beside you to give your full attention to him. On instinct, you stood to your feet as if you couldn’t believe him. And really, you wanted to make things completely clear, not wanting to assume anything and break your heart by a misunderstanding.

“I love you.” Elias stood to his feet, then, too.

“Are you sure?” You asked, brows tugged together and hopes rising as the corners of his lips quirked up in amusement.

“Pretty sure, yeah.” He chuckled breathily at your comment, taking a step closer so that his hands settled on your waist. Your smile grew, twice as wide as it had in as long as you could remember, and in an instant your hands moved to the back of his neck.

“I love you, too, so much.” You breathed, leaning into his touch more. At your words, Elias dropped his forehead against yours, and your eyes fluttered shut as his nose nudged against yours. “So much.”

Finally, after what felt like forever, Elias pressed his lips against yours in a long awaited kiss, one that made your head spin and knees weak. Your fingers threaded into the hair on the back of his head as his dug into the flesh of your hips to hold each other in place. You had him, finally, and you didn’t plan on letting go of him anytime soon.

After what honestly was one of the best kisses of your life, you pulled back to catch your breath with a smile that made your cheeks sore. Elias was smiling, too, and before either of you could say anything, the two of you broke into giggles that could only be brought on by happiness and feeling of total love that warmed you from your head to your toes. Elias broke the silence first, mumbling his words against your forehead before pressing a kiss there.

“Best Christmas ever.”  

#elias pettersson #Elias pettersson fic #Elias pettersson x reader #Elias pettersson imagine #vancouver canucks #vancouver canucks imagine #vancouver canucks x reader #vancouver canucks fic #hockey imagine #hockey fic #hockey x reader #nhl imagine #nhl x reader #nhl fic #12 days fics

[unibrowzz]

Mod (finally) reviews all 67 winners of the Eurovision Song Contest Part IV: The 1980s

Ah yes, the 80s. One of my favourite decades for music overall, and one of the only decades in Eurovision where I wouldn’t immediately jump at the chance to change most of the songs that won, the other decade being the 2000s. 

But at least with the 80s there was more quality songs per year, whereas the 2000s was mostly drivel.

I also count the 80s as being somewhat of a turning point in the contest’s history, and by that I mean it always seemed to me like it was the decade where the UK really began to stop caring. Most people know the song that won in 1985, but nobody knows what won in 1986. Everyone knows Johnny Logan won twice, but couldn’t name his second song. Everyone knows Celine Dion competed, but can’t remember if she won or what she sang. 

That and countries also started experimenting with more modern sounds and outfits towards the end. The early 80s is just an extension of the 70s I swear. 

But that’s enough of all that, how do I find the winning songs?

1980- What’s Another Year?

Country: Ireland

Artist: Johnny Logan 

Language: English

Thoughts: Ah yes, the song that makes every 50something woman in the UK and Ireland all doey-eyed and rosy cheeked as they remember back to when they were a teenager watching this on TV and drooling at the lovely looking sad Irishman singing his sorrows into the microphone.  Or that’s my experience with this song anyway. Another experience is that most vintage fans I know tend to dislike this song on the grounds of it beating out [insert song here] Everyone has their favourite from 1980 since it was honestly a pretty strong year, but even though this song isn’t my first place for that year I can still clearly see why it won. See, 1980 had a lot of pop songs, so a slow, sad song like this one was bound to stand out, whether it was popular or not. Luckily for this one, it turned out to be a popular choice. Other songs wouldn’t be so lucky… Back on track though. Like I said, this is a very sad and melancholy song with sad and melancholy lyrics, which not only made it stand out in its year, but also made it stand out amongst other Eurovision songs of its time. It’s strange to think, but at this point in the contest’s history there hadn’t been a winner with lyrics so solemn and personal. See, in modern Eurovision, every other song is the artist baring their soul about their horrible ex-boyfriend, or their depression, or past abuse, or whatever, so knowing there was a period where songs like that were so rare is just… surreal to me.

Is this my personal winner for this year? This or Greece tbh, I don’t mind this one

If no, what is? Greece- Anna Vissi- “Autostop”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 23rd

1981: Making Your Mind Up

Country: United Kingdom

Artist: Bucks Fizz

Language: English

Thoughts: Ah yes, the UK winner that nobody really likes, but the BBC still forces at us anyway because they’re proud they came up with a gimmick that everybody remembers. Or maybe it’s not that well remembered, but nobody would know that because we’re reminded of it every year. This song is… alright. Just alright. The first listen of this one is always the best, because after a while it just gets kind of annoying. The singing ESPECIALLY starts to grate you for a while. Even in the studio version the two girls sound unbearably shrill and whiny, and I’m not sure if that’s their fault or the songwriter’s (since if I remember correctly only one of them was a professional singer). I’m seriously convinced there’s no way for a female vocalist to pull this off without sounding terrible.  Again, this one’s perfectly fine and serviceable, but that doesn’t mask the fact it’s still the worst UK winner and the worst winner of the 1980s too. 

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? Portugal- Carlos Paião- “Playback”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 58th

1982: Ein Bißchen Frieden

Country: West Germany

Artist: Nicole

Language: German (Translation: “A little peace”)

Thoughts: This song gives me a really warm, nostalgic feeling, and I don’t know why. I mean, I know this one did well internationally, so it’s possible I just heard it as a kid, but given how I grew up in the early 2000s, “Eurovision is a shitty freak show full of weirdos from the USSR who gang up on the UK and don't vote for us on purpose” era Britain, that’s highly unlikely. Anyways, this is such a warm, fuzzy kind of song. It has a lovely… round-the-campfire, singalong kind of vibe, like this is meant to be sung by a load of long haired hippies with flowers in their hair and CND symbols drawn on their cheeks. And it’s… … Also kind of bland. If you’ve been reading my personal winners so far, you’ll have noticed I definitely have a soft spot for old German entries, so it’s a shame I find the one song they actually won with to be so… generic. It’s like they got tired of being unique so decided to send the same saccharine fluff everyone else was sending, and guess what, it paid off majorly, because this song was a huge hit at the time. Something about that kind of bothers me, like, out of all the entries they sent, it’s the one that’s the most “Eurovision-y” that ended up winning. And there’s something depressing in that.

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? United Kingdom- Bardo- “One Step Further”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 50th

1983: Si la vie est Cadeau

Country: Luxembourg

Artist: Corinne Hermés

Language: French (Translation: “If life were a gift”)

Thoughts: You want a tip on how to stand out amongst Eurovision fans? Say you like this song. Probably won’t make you very popular, but you’ll stand out at least. I will confess, I, too, was part of the hate-wagon for this song. Like most fans I knew, I’d complain about how boring and uninteresting it was and how it, ahem, “robbed” so many other entries, and how basic it was, et cetera, et cetera. But… honestly? It’s not even that bad. Sure I had other favourites from 1983 (the ones I could stand watching anyway, the host that year was so unimaginably terrible I gave up watching halfway through. I DARE you to watch the whole thing without wanting to neck yourself), but this song gets way more hate than it deserves. I honestly don’t think this song is half as bad as I made it out to be myself, or as bad as the fandom makes it out to be. It’s got a decent melody, some solid vocals, some appealingly 80s instrumental, like there’s a lot I like here. …Until you read the lyrics and realise they’re almost as half-assed and lazy as All Kinds of Everything’s, but I digress. Did I prefer other songs from that year? Of course. Am I going to complain about this one winning? Nah. It’s alright. 

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? Sweden- Carola Häggkvist- “Främling”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 41st

1984- Diggiloo, Diggiley

Country: Sweden

Artist: Herreys

Language: Swedish

Thoughts: Whenever I was a younger fan I used to describe this song as being drunk-dad-at-a-wedding-music performed by three sentient Ken dolls, and I still stand by that statement. And I don’t really know how else to describe this one. It certainly has its charm, and it’s still a likeable song, but it also feels very… vapid. Like if this song were a person, they’d be a bit of a bimbo. And I mean, the song’s about how the singer’s oh-so-happy and prancing down the street in his brand new shoes, so that’s probably a fair description. Part of me wonders if that’s down to old Eurovision songs being vapid in general or if it’s down to the schlager genre itself requiring songs to be kinda neutered and happy-go-lucky, but even though I do like this song, it does come off as being a bit bland. A bit by-the-numbers and playing-it-safe. And I don’t mind songs like that, but I’d rather they didn’t win, y’know?

Is this my personal winner for this year? Not really

If no, what is? Italy- Alice & Franco- “Il Treni di Tozeur”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 15th

1985- La det Swinge

Country: Norway

Artist: Bobbysocks

Language: Norwegian

Thoughts: Ah yes, the song which finally hauled Norway into first place after years of being a regular last-placer. Maybe the UK should take some notes instead of blaming Brexit. Or Russia. Or Iraq. Or anything other than their own apathy, for that matter. But this is about La det Swinge and not the UK, so what are my thoughts on it? Well it’s… It’s the kind of song I imagine my mom and aunt would sing at a wedding if they ever attended one. It’s a very fun song, a little cheesy, sure, but it’s hard to not like a song that’s this upbeat and cheery.  And yeah I know it’s because it’s schlager and that’s generally a really cheerful genre by default, I touched on that in the review above, 

Is this my personal winner for this year? This or Israel

If no, what is? Israel- Yizhar Cohen- “Olé Olé”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 14th

1986- J’aime la Vie

Country: Belgium

Artist: Sandra Kim

Language: French

Thoughts: This song is an enigma because I’m an absolute slut for 80s pop, yet, for some reason, I find this song painfully average and uninteresting. Now, I’ll get it off my chest and say that 1986 was also a painfully average and uninteresting year, and most of the time I just felt myself remembering the singer more than the song, and even then I struggle to remember what some of the acts even were. It was just such a boring blur of a year I’m surprised the juries even managed to stay awake to pick a winner. And I GUESS you could argue that this song is so upbeat and peppy that it woke them up, but that doesn’t excuse how bloody generic it is. Like, this is the most generic 80s song you can imagine, and not in a good way. It feels more like stock music than an actual publicly released pop song. Had it not won, I doubt it would’ve stood out to me at all; it would’ve just faded into the background with all the other muted, 80s-coloured mush from this year. Basically, there’s a reason the singer’s age is the only thing noteworthy about this song.

Is this my personal winner for this year? Not really

If no, what is? Luxembourg- Sherisse Laurence- “L’amour de ma vie”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 49th

1987- Hold me Now

Country: Ireland

Artist: Johnny Logan 

Language: English

Thoughts: Ah yes, the superior Johnny Logan winner.  And I’m not sure why everyone forgets this one because Mother of Mercy this song is in another league entirely compared to the other schlock Ireland’s won with. Like this is their best winner, no competition. One of their best songs overall as well. One of the best entries from the 80s, one of the best winners of the 80s, one of the best winners… Yeah, I really like this song.  I’ll admit to sleeping on this one for too long myself, always dismissing it as some boring Irish ballad to go with all the other boring Irish ballads they somehow managed to win with (we’ll get to that later), and always agreeing with people who said XYZ country (always Yugolslavia) should have won instead.  Basically I learnt the hard way to never judge a song on its country and genre. But one day I found myself in the midst of a revisiting trip, going back to winners I didn't pay much attention to, just to see if there was anything I’d missed the first time round. And something about the lyrics in this song resonated with me a lot more than I thought they would. In a strange way, it made me feel older; like I’d grown up and was able to relate to the words in a song and appreciate it more than I could when I was younger. The line “what do you say when words are not enough?” especially hits harder than it should; as someone with autism I tend to find showing emotions difficult, even in virtual conversation where I’m not using my voice or face, because… Well, what do you say when your words aren’t enough?

Is this my personal winner for this year? Yes

If no, what is? N/A

Personal ranking (out of 67): 2nd

1988- Ne Partez pas Sans Moi

Country: Switzerland 

Artist: Céline Dion 

Language: French

Thoughts: Telling people Céline Dion won this thing is a new favourite hobby of mine, just to see the confused reaction. And that’s the most interesting thing about this song because it’s… fine, I guess? It’s a perfectly serviceable 80s power ballad, but there’s no bells and whistles to make me sit up and declare it any better than just “okay”. It’s basically the ballad equivalent of J’aime la Vie from 1986, in that it’s extremely 80s and also in French, but there’s nothing to make it that memorable aside from the singer herself. And even then this isn’t the song that made her famous anyway. Even her singing doesn't make this one stand out, partially because the song doesn't do anything special with it, and partially because she just blends in with all the other good singers of this era. And that’s kinda sad to think about.

Is this my personal winner for this year? Hmmm....

If no, what is? Greece- Afroditi Frida- “Clown”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 22nd

1989- Rock Me

Country: Yugoslavia

Artist: Riva

Language: Croatian

Thoughts: So this is another song it really took me a while to get into (there’s lots of those, trust me) and one that was very briefly in my top three overall favourites. It’s slid down a few slots since then, though I would still say it’s… Somewhere in the top 15.  I don’t really have a lot to say about this one, if I’m honest. It’s just a good, fun, solid song which stood out in a very dull and ballad-saturated year, nothing more, nothing less. The lyrics are nice too, being about a bored musician who learns to love music again by teaching himself how to play pop songs to entertain his friends. That’s a unique subject and I can imagine it resonating with a lot of people who’ve fallen out with a hobby they used to love because they took it too seriously (providing they either speak Croatian or have looked up the lyrics, of course). I mean, it resonates with me at least. All in all, I just like this song for its message more than anything else.

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? Portugal- Da Vinci- “Conquistador”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 9th

#Eurovision #mod's winner reviews #posting now because the tag will be CHAOS come 7 lmao #esc winners

[king-a-queen]

Eurovision 2021 -  part one

It’s the season of me constantly talking about Eurovision again. And because no one wants to listen to me, I’ll post my opinion on this year’s songs here.

First semi-final, second semi-final, Big-5 + The Netherlands.

Obviously, there’s no hate, it’s just my personal opinion on the songs.

Let’s go.

First semi-final

Lithuania (The Roop – Discoteque) – One of my favs this year. Since the first listening, I couldn’t get it out of my head and stop listening to it. It has everything – relatable lyrics, quirky dance moves, catchy tune. If they won’t be in the final, then what would be the point of it..

Slovenia (Ana Soklič – Amen) – Even though I don’t like ballads, I like that Ana has a unique, strong voice that stands out. And definitely a gospel choir is a great addition, that makes the song much more interesting.

Russia (Manizha – Russian Woman) – I don’t understand the amount of dislikes under the video on ESC YouTube channel. It’s a great, powerful performance. I love the message, the mix of different genres and Manizha’s energy on stage. Seriously, it’s an outstanding performance and I can’t wait to see it on Eurovision stage.

Sweden (Tusse – Voices) – Maybe I haven’t listen to it enough, but it still didn’t grow one me. It’s a typical Swedish entry - nice, radio-friendly song, but I still don’t have any strong feelings about it.

Australia (Montaigne – Technicolour) – Definitely a unique performance, plus Montaigne has a really strong voice, however the song itself is extremely hard to sing live and a little mistake can disturb the whole performance. But if she’ll hit all of the notes, then it’ll definitely score well.

North Macedonia (Vasil – Here I Stand) – Not what I expected after ‘You’, but it’s great that Vasil tried something different this year. I can’t say that I’m a fan of this song, as I’m basically not a huge fan of ballads on ESC, but I like a little Disneyish vibe at the end.

Ireland (Lesley Roy – Maps) – Nice, pop tune. I prefer it than last year’s, but still it’s not my cup of tea. Maybe I’ll change my mind after live performance.

Cyprus (Elena Tsagrinou – El Diablo) – Please, tell me, I’m not the only one, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve already heard that chorus in some different song. Other than that, it’s a nice, pop song. Won’t be surprised if I’ll be hearing it in radio stations after Eurovision.

Norway (TIX - Fallen Angel) – I’m not a huge fan of it and I find it a little bit boring. And no, it’s not because I wanted KEiiNO to win. Similarly to Cyprus, I have a feeling that I’ve already heard it somewhere else. But I have to admit, it gets stuck in my head and I think that it slowly starting to grow on me.

Croatia (Albina – Tick-Tock) – Great, energetic performance. Albina has a really great voice. I don’t see it as a winning material, but it’s definitely a strong entry. Good job, Croatia.

Belgium (Hooverphonic – The Wrong Place) – I really like the mysterious/villain’s vibe the song gives.  However, I really hope that it’ll have a great staging, because without it, it may stay a hidden gem and not qualify, as this year has many great songs.

Israel (Eden Alene – Set Me Free) – The original version was a bit boring Revamped one is a little bit better, especially with that amazing high notes at the end. I think that with great staging it’ll do great.

Romania (ROXEN – Amnesia) – The song itself is a little bit boring, but I like Roxen’s voice and it has a nice vibe.

Azerbaijan (Efendi – Mata Hari) – While most of 2020 artists decided to do something different this year, Efendi sticked to the same sounds as in ‘Cleopatra’. I enjoy both songs. Again, not my favorites, but great songs nonetheless.

Ukraine (Go_A – SHUM) – At first I didn’t enjoy the revamped version that much, but that was only because I got used to listening to the original one. Now I enjoy it just as much, such a pleasure to listen to and it makes me wanna jump like a maniac around the room.

Malta (Destiny – Je Me Casse) – I fell in love after the first time I’ve listened to. Catchy, unique, great message. A really strong entry from Malta.

Who would I send to the Grand Final: Lithuania, Russia, Australia, Cyprus, Norway, Croatia, Belgium, Israel, Ukraine, Malta.

However, it’s a really strong year, so the choice was extremely hard as everybody deserves to be in the Final. I wish all the artists good luck in May!

#eurovision #eurovision 2021 #rotterdam 2021 #esc #esc 2021 #lithuania #Slovenia #Russia #sweden #australia #north macedonia #Ireland #Cyprus #norway #Croatia #belgium #Israel #romania #azerabaijan #ukraine #malta

[madegeeky]

Geeky’s Eurovision 2020 Playlist

What it says on the can! These are the songs that I have on my phone and have survived (many) multiple listens during the phase where I was paring things down.

They’re in alphabetical order by country because I’m too lazy to rank them. There are three exceptions to this. One, the first song on the list, Russia’s Uno, is absolutely hands down my favorite. Nothing even comes close to how fucking much I love this song. Two, the last two songs on the list are not what I would call good but there simply because of pure nostalgia; I am a product of my times and so I love them. 

Edit: Now under a cut read more to save your dash!

Full playlist here! Now, links to individual songs with a few notes about each one:

Uno (Russia) - I cannot properly express how much I love Russia’s entry. It is pure joyful chaos and I’ve literally turned this video on several times to cheer myself up. I can’t not smile when watching. (I’m smiling now.)

Chains on You (Armenia) -The costumes in this are top notch and I hope the costume designer gets all the props they rightly deserve. The lighting in this video is either most interesting thing to watch or worst thing to watch and there is no in-between. 

Don’t Break Me (Australia) - Australia continues to give absolutely no fucks about what anyone thinks and I love them for it.

Alive (Austria) - This was really close to making it on my nostalgia list and the only reason it didn’t was because I’ve never been into Micheal Jackson. 

Cleopatra (Azerbaijan) - What isn’t there to love about this video? Everything about this is amazing. The song, the costumes, the video, there’s nothing about this video that I don’t love.

Release Me (Belgium) - This is basically a weird cross between a crooner song and a James Bond song and it really works.

YES (Denmark) - Okay, so first off I would never have expected a country song at Eurovision. Second, even if I had I would never have thought I’d love it as much as I love this one. I am incapable of hearing this song and not singing along.

Violent Thing (Germany) - Inexplicably there are two songs in Eurovision that are very influenced by Micheal Jackson because sometimes the world is a weird fucking place. No one is more surprised than I by the fact that I liked both of them. 

SUPERG!RL (Greece) - The song and video to this are so unapologetically corny and I love them for it. I mean, just look at that title. Just look at that completely unapologetic exclamation point. It’s beautiful.

Think About Things (Iceland) - This is a weirdass song sung by a weirdass group and it’s amazing. Their fucking dance will never not bring a smile to my face.

Still Breathing (Latvia) - A really insanely weird video to go along with a great song. The imagery in video is amazing and it immediately caught me attention. One of the most interesting videos, in my opinion.

On Fire (Lithuania) - Another one I love singling along with, this time because the way the singer sings his words is just so much fun to sing along with.

All of My Love (Malta) - I would never have though to get a gospel-style song, especially not one sung by an actual black woman, in Eurovision but I would have been wrong. An absolutely beautiful song.

Alcohol You (Romania) - The music in this is so haunting to me and it caught my attention the second it started. I love her voice and the way she sings the song. And none of that is even going into the lyrics which I adore.

Freaky! (San Marino) - As far as I can tell, San Marino’s sole goal with Eurovision contests is just to make you happy and they have exceeded that goal two years in a row. A ton of bonus points for how fucking queer this video is.

Move (Sweden) - Remember how I said I didn’t expect to get a gospel-style song? I definitely would never have expected to get two, both by black women. I fucking adore this song and it’s yet another one I always sing along with. And the women singing it look so fucking excited to be on stage, I love them.

Story of My Life (Ireland) - My first nostalgia pick! If you had told me that this was a song sung by one of those teeny bopper singers that were suddenly everywhere in the mid-2000s, I would have absolutely believed you. This is a song makes me inner preteen self smile.

Hasta La Vista (Serbia) - My second nostalgia pick! If you’d told me that this was a Christina Aguilera song from the early 2000s, I would have just nodded and been like, “Oh, never heard this one.” Ironically enough, the video is a fucking mess but also reminds me of early 2000s pop star music videos. Overhaul, this entire thing is a trip. 

#geeky talks #geeky talks eurovision 2020 #geeky's eurovision picks

[deadinsidedressage]

Have you watched the great? How "sometimes true" is it?

Hi so first of all I took a muscle relaxer because I've pulled a muscle in my back so this might loose coherence.

Most of what I saw of it in trailers was inaccurate.

It seems they're trying to model Peter III more like the infamous very "Russian" antics of Peter I (Peter the Great) instead of having any accurate portrayal of him.

Peter III did not speak Russian as a first language or even with any fluency at the time Catherine was married to him. His mother was the daughter of Peter the Great but his father was a German duke whose family was ruling Denmark at the time. As such, Peter III was very non-Russian. He self-identified as German and his mother was part of the wave of "Western educated" nobles that greatly destabilized Russia. For one, many Russian nobles such as Catherine Petronova (Peter III's mom) spoke French as a first language, German as a second, and then finally maybe Russian as a third. Peter the Great had sought to bring Western innovations to make Russia a stronger nation but instead the royal families of Western Europe took this invitation to engage with Russia (and literally engage Russian nobles) as a way in which to slowly break the nation down. If you can marry their royals with your royals... well suddenly everyone is a German noble and you can successfully consolidate power under one European empire. Do make note that Peter the Great would have absolutely loathed Peter III and his father Charles Frederick. The entire reason we got Peter III in power in the first place was because while Peter the Great fucked (2 wives, 14 kids) he didn't successfully fuck enough to have a son outlive him to rule--- and precisely that he wasn't dying fast enough was why his eldest son Alexei briefly fucked off to Austria (so I mean no throne for you) before dying (mmmm dying from torture basically at the hands of his dad lol).

Peter the Great's immediate successor was Catherine I (his wife) as Russian has generally always operated under Tsar & Tsarina "co-rule"--- debatable how involves most tsarinas are while their husband lives but does set the precedent that should the Tsar die his wife will rule until the next in succession is old enough to take over. Catherine's death then put into power Empress Elizabeth (Peter I's eldest daughter) who by all historical accounts was a pretty solid Tsarina. Well though some stupid people will tell you Elizabeth had to stage a coup to gain power from 2 month old Ivan VI, son of her uncle Ivan V who had once upon a time co-ruled with Peter the Great before dying (possibly purposefully assassinated by his brother). Ivan V was entirely blind and senile by age 27... It was assumed that either Ivan VI would inherent these traits OR was actually illigitimate--- Ivan V was... Perhaps never all there enough to consummate his marriage. At any rate, Elizabeth had Ivan VI moved to a secure palace where he'd be allowed to live out his life under strict orders for him to be killed should anyone ever try and use him as a tool in a coup. It was the 1700s what do you want from me.

Elizabeth was Peter the Great's eldest daughter and was assumed even before Alexei's death to have some potential as a successor--- as such her education reflected it. It wasn't uncommon at all for the Russian throne to go to the eldest sister of a Tsar if he was childless, so eldest daughters were often given special tutors. She successfully navigated the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War. Unfortunately, her fiancé died before her marriage AND as she was unmarried & at the time childless she could not gain a husband before her mother died and she took the throne. Yeah dudes in 1727 sucked ass and were like lmao an UNMARRIED, CHILDLESS EMPRESS OF RUSSIA??? 0/10 unfuckable her nephew is the heir apparent & there's not a high change to knock her up with a boy before he'd be able to claim the throne. 🙃

WHO WAS ELIZABETH'S NEPHEW? PETER THE FUCKING THIRD! Son of Mr. Exiled to Russia for Trying to Overthrow His Uncle as King of Sweden and Mrs. I Was Never Assumed to Have Any Political Worth By My Father So He Didn't Really Care What I Did.

As I said before, Peter III identified as a German and didn't speak fuck all Russian. He acted like a German prince and really wanted to BE a German prince. Enter Catherine II (Catherine the Great) a Prussian (is she more technically Austrian than German? who fucking remembers) princess. Empress Elizabeth actually was responsible for the matching of Catherine to Peter III. She knew that Russian needed a strong Austrian alliance since Peter III's reign would be highly scrutinized (and exploited) by the still pissed off Swedes. Catherine (then Sophie, nicknamed Fike) came from a reportedly abusive and cold mother to Russian to be wed to a drunken baby bitch boy who played with toys. Princess Joanna (Catherine's mother) immediately became a huge pain in the ass when she recognized that according to Russian custom her daughter could become Empress. Joanna was actually BANNED FROM RUSSIA FOR SPYING IN BEHALF OF THE AUSTRIAN EMPEROR by Empress Elizabeth following Catherine's arrival there. Catherine also was famously deathly ill upon her arrival to Russia and would have continued to worsen if she'd followed the medical advise prescribed by Joanna (who was anti-bloodlettting). Joanna sent a Lutheran pastor to hold a final confession for Catherine assuming she'd die and Catherine famously turned him away in favor of the Orthodox father attending to her. Empress Elizabeth fucking loved that shit. Upon getting well, Caterine converted to Orthodoxy (both her parents where BIG MAD) at which point she took the name Екатерина Алексеевна (Ekaterina Alekseyvna/ Catherine "daughter of Alexei")--- now when non-Russians take fake patronymics it's usually the russified version of their father's name or a variant of Vladimir but I've seen theorized Alexei may have been the Orthodox Father's name and I think that's more fun anyway.

Catherine hated Peter but she loved Elizabeth (mostly because of the fuck your mom be a strong woman like me) and immediately threw herself into becoming deserving of the Russian throne. She practiced her Russian lessons so long and with such frequency that she actually gave herself pneumonia. Peter though did not make the moves to he deserving off the Russian throne. He was a Lutheran, he hardly spoke Russian, and insisted on spending as much time with Germans as possible. Once his rule began he was even devising a way to give as much Russian terrority to the German royal family as possible.

Can you even believe?

Catherine had won the favor of the advisors around her husband quickly as no one loves a weak Tsar and was able to stage a coup and froce Peter III to abdicate about 6 months into Peter's actual reign. Peter III died later... Potentially in an assassination potentially not. Catherine also potentially had Ivan VI assassinated or maybe he died in a failed coup attempt by people who wanted a controllable Tsar who knows 🤷🏻‍♀️.

At any rate, no the show doesn't look accurate. I appreciate that they've taken the stance that it's not supposed to be either. There's a lot about the ways Catherine has been portrayed in media & by historians that smacks of sexism--- you often see her touted as being a huge slut who fucked her way into power but that entirely ignores that fact that she was an extremely well educated woman who got into and held power for so long by her OWN MERITS. She also was extremely dedicated to following in Peter the Great's footsteps in bringing positive aspects of Westernization to Russia without degrading the Russian culture as lesser. She never lost her Austrian accent when she spoken Russian, she was always more comfortable reading in French, and French was often the first language of her children BUT she is essentially responsible for the creation of Russia's art culture and Russian nobility actually being Russian in culture if not through ethnicity/nationality. She also did some of the largest expansions of the empire in her time which you know is good or bad depending which point you're arguing from.

[elizabethsharmon]

skamfr + eurovision headcanons

on Tuesday Lucas went to Eliott after school and came home just as the first semi final was about to start. Mika asked him if he wants to watch it with him and Lisa and Lucas just laughed and said he doesn’t care about eurovision and then Mika gave him a small lecture about the importance of the show and how music is a universal language of love and it’s a show about tolerance and love and understanding of other people and their cultures and blah blah blah so Lucas agreed just to shut him up. Besides they had pizza

he ended up enjoying it more than he thought. the san marino’s say na na na nanananananananana kept killing him for the next 24 hours even though he absolutely hated the song

Mika didn’t have to convince Lucas to watch with them the second semi final. He was already ready half an hour before the show, telling Mika he watched all the iconic performances he has sent him (“Kitten, you absolutely have to watch it”). Mika was disappointed he didn’t like Slavko Kalezić’s Space (”Lucas, but you didn’t pay attention to the lyrics!!! Just listen to this: I have my suit on, no need to worry // Give me your body, let’s write a story // Our body language // Rocket to the stars How can you not like this song, Kitten?? It’s a gay anthem!!” Lucas just rolled his eyes) but he liked Lordi, Verka Serduchka and The Most Iconic Eurovision Performance aka Love, Love, Peace, Peace (which reminded him of Corentin’s hit Amour, Love, Amour, Love) so he forgave him

Lucas didn’t like any performances from the second semi final (except Azerbaijan and Norway) but he enjoyed trash talking every other song

he invited Eliott and le gang to the coloc to watch the final with him, Mika and Lisa. Boys weren’t sure if they want to spend their Saturday evening like that, but Lucas managed to convince them

Mika is wearing his silver outfit from kiffance party and he asked the boys to come one hour earlier because he needed to lecture them about eurovision’s history. They were annoyed and looked at Lucas to help them but he just shrugged and said that he had to listen to it, so they have to do that too

Lisa gets annoyed by too many people in the apparment so she watches the live stream in her room. From time to time she shouts at them to shut up

Lucas despises Czech Republic’s song with every fiber of his being. “Seriously dude, we get it, you were 13, you had a neighbour, she moved out, you stayed, jfc, get over it!” Basile is annoyed cause he genuinely likes the song.

Lucas complains all the time how dramatic is that guy from Russia. Everyone just looks at him with a “are you really saying HE is dramatic???” look. Lucas gets annoyed. Sometimes he really hates them.

Lucas lipsyncs to San Marino’s na na na na na na na na na and when they call him out for liking it he says that it’s so bad that it’s even good

When Sweden’s song comes up, Eliott ends up liking it more than he thought. He starts singing along and Lucas is slightly embarrassed by this but hey. that’s the man of his dreams. he films him for his ig story

Lucas is trash talking every single song until some cheesy ballad like Netherlands’ song comes up. He starts tearing up and Eliott asks concerned “baby, what’s wrong??” and Lucas says “nothing… it’s just… this song reminds me of us.” Everyone rolls their eyes (except Eliott who is very moved by this declaration even though the song was shitty)

When Iceland starts performing everyone goes crazy. Absolutely. Crazy.

Mika stans Bilal. He’s been singing Roi all the time since he got qualified to represent France in January. Lucas and Eliott at first roll their eyes but when he comes on stage they suddenly feel it and want to sing with him. Mika tells them to shut up so he can appreciate this moment but he quickly gaves in and they all sing together

le gang likes Mahmood’s Soldi and they find the lyrics and sing the second half of the song with him. they butcher italian, but who cares. Mika and Lucas talk all the time how they’re so proud of Mahmood because he is an openly gay living in Salvini’s Italy and his song is amazing. They might even tear up because of that but no one says a word

Lucas is bragging how Luca from Switzerland qualified to the final and Eliot from Belgium did not. Eliott is sad. Lucas says he loves him anyway and that they can’t be together in every parallel universe. Secretly, he’s really annoyed with Luca from Switzerland and his basic fuckboyish song and he thinks he doesn’t deserve his name.

at first boys thought it would all be lame but then they give in and actually like the show - or more like they like Lucas’ reactions. At one point, during Australia’s performance, he starts jumping on the couch (because there’s nothing holding him down) and Yann stares at him lovingly, thinking “that’s my best friend”. He gets emotional. Eliott sees that and also gets emo

they all trash talk inviting Madonna to perform. Mika tries to be positive and tells them to shut up but he quickly agrees cause let’s be real, the only icons they care about are Conchita, Måns and one and only Verka Serduchka (boys are confused at first but afterwards they decide to stan forever)

when they’re waiting for 12 points from all the countries, Lucas gets bored and decides to mute the tv and he lipsyncs all the spokespersons. Le gang and Eliott cheer him, but Mika is clearly not amused (”What did I do in another life to deserve this Kitten ruining my Eurovision night, Eliott please collect your boyfriend”)

they all cheer when their favourite wins. they all shout in anger when someone with awful song wins. Mika blames the new voting systems. The old one was much better

#skam france #skamfr #lucas lallemant #mika #the boy squad #eliott demaury #elu #eurovision #yann cazas #arthur #basile #this is canon okay #no one can convince me otherwise #mika would definitely host eurovision themed party #and he would be extremely proud of his kitten #lucas would become esc stan number 1 cause he enjoys trash songs and trashing people

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 12 - DET

One day my children will ask me what it was like to watch Jake McCabe in his prime. They’ll ask me: Daddy, how did our hero block shots so much and still have the strength to score goals and wreck fools? I’ll tell them it was the enduring power of the crossed swords crest and they’ll be Sabres fans forever. I’ll also tell them the Buffalo Sabres really turned the page from the dark days when they started responding. Responding to what, daddy? Losses, child: when they decided to start following losses, ugly losses, with shutout wins every single time, that was when they really turned the page. Speaking of the pages of history: I’ve been diving into the Buffalo Sabres 50Years Special Section of the Buffalo News for a couple weeks looking at their most historic games. I was prepared to default to that list for my reoccurring segment “Greatest Game Against” after each divisional matchup. When I put it out on twitter however I got some real beauties including a submission from @RegalMoustachio (Dan Ball) that is… for lack of better phrasing: Very 1980s. Allow me to paint you a picture: it’s December 23rd, 1987. Christmas is only a couple days away. Ted Sator is Head Coach and Phil Housley is the top defenseman (mind you Lindy Ruff is the Captain of this team) for a Sabres club mired in mediocrity for closing in on a decade. Sabre Kevin Maguire takes a run at Red Wings goalie Zach Stefan after Sabres goalie Tom Barrasso had apparently taken a fist in the shnoz earlier in the game. Here’s the link () go watch it, I can’t do it justice. For the next five minutes after the hit on Stefan it just escalates and escalates. Eventually Bob Probert fights Maguire and it got ugly. I don’t mean to glorify fighting but dear lord, watch that highlight and tell me that doesn’t color the history between these two teams. Last night’s game was Jake McCabe’s revenge game. He was taking revenge on all us nerds who said he’s not an absolute G. Sure he’s no Rasmus Dahlin, but he puts the Buff in Buffalo Sabres. And he did it in a game we really needed it. For the third time this season they responded to a loss with a win. For the second time this season they responded to a loss with a shutout win. For the first time this season my man Linus Ullmark has a shutout!

I was at Frightworld in Tonawanda for the entirety of this game, but the early returns clearly tended toward a snooze-fest. It appeared the Red Wings were dominating that telling statistical categories like 5 on 5 scoring chances and expected goals. They dominated the most basic statistic that is shots for the first period as they got doubled up 12-6. Luckily there were no goals against. You see a period like that and you kinda expect the worst. I went on record before this game and said if they don’t demolish the Red Wings then the first rant of the season from yours truly was coming. That rant was being prepared as I walked through the Storm Area 51 house fearing the Sabres would lose to two bad teams two nights in a row more than the face-panted acting students jumping out at me. Unfortunately we got another Rasmus Dahlin stinker this first period. I feel like I said everything I needed to say about Dahlin’s sketchy play lately after the Rangers game, but I didn’t say what I wanted to change other than don’t give over turnovers, bud. What I probably would’ve asked for occurred: Henri Jokiharju was moved up to Dahlin’s pairing and they had quite a bit more chemistry than Dahlin and Colin Miller had. In spite of that roster move, Dahlin was trying to move the puck out of the defensive zone and somehow yielded it right to Andreas Athanasiou. Athanasiou took a shot, got in back and passed it to another guy who almost out maneuvered a stick-less Ullmark. Luckily that was the worst it got in the first… well other than that Valtteri Filppula breakaway in the first five minutes… ugh, we were really lucky to survive that period scoreless weren’t we? Yikes.

The Red Wings are a team you’re not allowed to lose to. They’re like the Ottawa Senators, they’re biggest goal right now is to get a high-first round draft pick. They have real NHLers in the minors. Detroit has a team caught between then and now. You got the ghost of Niklas Kronwall on one line and USA Hockey Magazine poster boy Dylan Larkin on another. Evidently they’re taking one more dip in the tank in this year’s spicy good draft and so you have to beat them because frankly they want you to! Both the lines of REO Speedwagon and the Roaring Twenties had their chances through the first half of this game but how are you being out-chanced by the Red Wings! How? I very well could go on a rant but kinda like the night before I just have too many early good feels about this team right now to rant at em after a win. To their credit they actually got more shots and high-danger chances in the second period. All the while Jake McCabe is blocking shots like and absolute hero. And so it was his time to be the star before any of the big names that have found their way onto this club: Eichel gets knocked to the ice after laying a hit on Tyler Bertuzzi and Jake McCabe gets the puck near the Wings blueline and thinks for a moment. He decides to take the shot and it zings right past Jimmy Howard into the net for the first goal of the game. 1-0 Sabres with 8:20 left in the second. Buffalo finally had some good play for the remainder of the period including almost another goal from McCabe. Almost. Either way Jake McCabe became my Hard-Working again this game. He’s one of those phenomenons in cities like Buffalo where the populace just canonizes players they deem tough and diligent. I understand he’s not actually that good as anything more than a role player. That’s fine. Let’s celebrate the role players too because we’re winning games we don’t look so hot in because of them right now.

The third period was rowdy. So we’ve established Dylan Larkin is hot stuff. Evidently on a tanking team he takes on the role of penalty drawer. He gets Kyle Okposo for interference; he gets Colin Miller for tripping; watch the replays that data wasn’t all that convincing to me. No amount of powerplay time could save his team now though. The Sabres got a powerplay after Trevor Daley high-sticked Kyle Okposo and the mercenary unit that is this team’s powerplay that we fell in love with in the first six games came back with a vengeance. With all the video replay powers of modern technology I still don’t think I have enough angles on the absolute gem of a goal Sam Reinhart tapped in. It went from Jeff Skinner to Jack Eichel to Victor Olofsson to Sam Reinhart parked in front of the net and in. It was a thing of splendor and maybe one of those goals we look back on months from now. I mean… Jimmy Howard definitely botched that one hard but nonetheless the 2-0 goal here for the Sabres was just beyond magnificent. Unfortunately that goal deserved better than this game. For the remaining 18+ minutes Larkin went on drawing penalties, getting shots and Detroit never looked out of it. You look at 2-0 box score and think that may have not required a herculean effort from a goalie, this one did. Linus got his pad or a stick or a blocker on so many shots this game. He earned his first shutout of the season blocking 41 shots! That’s only 6 shy of the shots blocked Hutton got in his shutout Tuesday that earned him an NHL star of the week honor. I love Ullmark but he shouldn’t have had to do that much work against Detroit. This is a game the Sabres should have dominated a bit more than they did. They could not manage the clean zone exits and entries they did in the very early going of this season and had Detroit not skated around wasting minutes on end on offense then this game could’ve turned out differently. Nonetheless this one ended 2-0 Sabres and our squad improved to 9-2-1 leaving only one game left in October against a very hot Coyotes squad. Isn’t it nice to think at the absolute worst they’ll end this month 9-3-1? Crazy times we live in, eh?

A couple notes before we turn wholeheartedly into Buffalo Bills mode tomorrow: Sabres Stats tweeted in his 164 games as Sabres coach Phil Housley got them 5 shutouts while in 12 games as Head Coach Ralph Krueger has already gotten them 3. That’s a stat that one might call almost worthless, the Robin Lehner years were fraught but there is a grain of something telling in there. I also share the sentiment of many Sabres fans that a Skinner-Eichel reunion feels necessary at this point. “Skinhel” as I’ll call that combo because I’m feeling spooky, is something that can be unleashed like the blue shell powerup in Mario Cart. You use it when you really need to save your ass. We’re not to that point yet but I too feel that temptation. Before we warp this up your reply guy tweet of the game goes to none other than NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman who when asked about the efficacy of the current playoff format responded: “We think the format works well… unless you’re a Leafs fan.” BURN! That burn was so hot it just ensured it’s going to be a mild winter in southern Ontario! I can say for myself that such a comment is immediately my favorite Gary Bettman quote of all-time. There’s no beating that. Like, share and comment this blog as you go about your Saturday fun. I have nothing to say about the Coyotes Monday night other than maybe don’t let em get every shot they want like Detroit did last night. They will probably make you pay more often than not. Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. What are you looking to about the trip to Sweden for the Global Series? I am so not used to my sports teams getting fun opportunities like that. I don’t know how to get pumped for it.

#buffalo sabres #hockey #blog #NHL #detroit red wings

[eurovosion]

 some thoughts on this year’s entries

or i guess just a ranking with comments tacked on

albania - this year’s nf season was a let down for me, partly because a lot of the winning songs weren’t the best on offer, and partly because albania picked first and nothing could live up to it. i love the depth this has, the dark, almost tribal vibes, and most of all i love how they didn’t fuck up the revamp like they usually do. if this is staged correctly, i think this could do really well. 10/10

greece - i feel like this has been overlooked in the wider fandom, which is odd because greek entries are usually pretty polarising, for better or for worse. regardless, i really like this. it’s atmospheric, powerful as hell, and katerine is more than capable of nailing it live. don’t count greece out just yet! 9.5/10

portugal - festival da canção was easily the best nf this year and the portuguese public picked wisely. telemóveis is such an intriguing song with a really curious sound, so traditional yet so modern at the same time. i’m not 100% on the staging, but they have time to figure it out. 9.5/10

spain - la venda wasn’t the song i was rooting for in the selection (rip todo bien, never forgotten) but i’m fully on board with it now. this works so well with a big audience, and you just know that the crowd will be on his side. if this doesn’t go top 10 at the very least i’ll be stunned. 9/10

cyprus - this is just as instant as fuego for me. not sure if tamta will do as well as eleni, but the cypriot delegation has definitely found their winning formula. 9/10

malta - malta is not fucking around this year. this is a verified banger, and their best entry in years, perhaps their best ever. take as many youtube ads as you want, michela, you deserve them. 8.5/10

azerbaijan - without a doubt, azerbaijan is back with a vengeance. you can tell they’re determined to set the record straight and prove that last year was just a blip, because this is great and hopefully the live performance reflects that. 8.5/10

denmark - i really should hate this, but i can’t. it’s so innocent and cheerily optimistic in a way that i can only be jealous of whilst humming along to the chorus. this deserves to do well. 8/10

italy - it took me a little while to warm up to soldi, but once i finally got there i really started to appreciate it. i don’t think it’s a winner, but it’s a very good song, and in the end that’s all that matters. 8/10

san marino - yes, serhat is in my top 10, and what of it? you only wish your fave could write a song in ten minutes and have it go off like this. and yes, if he doesn’t qualify you’ll catch me openly sobbing in the streets for weeks. 8/10

switzerland - an unabashed bop with some actual choreography, but lacking lyrically. then again, so was fuego and that popped off live. he’s also working with the same stage director as eleni, which can only be good news for him. 7.5/10

the netherlands - don’t get me wrong, it’s a very polished song and i’m sure duncan’s great but like... is that it? this is the big fan favourite? i’m very whelmed. 7.5/10

armenia - i was expecting something like yete karogh es from srbuk, so this came completely out of left field in the best way possible. i thought we’d lost our token edgy pop song when ukraine dropped out, but armenia saved us at the last minute. the only thing i’m worried about are her vocals, because, from what i’ve seen, she isn’t the most confident performer. 7/10

serbia - another respectable but ultimately pretty safe pick from serbia this year. nevena has a really strong voice and she sells the song well, so i think she’ll avoid another moje 3 style placement. 7/10

germany - first of all, aly ryan was robbed. secondly, thank god the surprise song didn’t win. thirdly, this is alright. nothing spectacular, but it’s cute and the spinning stage was a great stylistic choice. 7/10

latvia - thank you latvia for letting this win and rejecting markus riva’s basic ass for the sixth year in a row WHEW i really love the whole atmosphere that surrounds this. barring a miracle, however, i don’t think it’ll qualify, but it’s still a good attempt. 6.5/10

sweden - i don’t think it’s john’s most solid composition, but it’s a decent entry nevertheless and it’s nice to see sweden picking an entry that isn’t generic pop again. 6.5/10

united kingdom - my only faint glimmer of national pride so far this year is that we managed to pick the only good song from the flaming garbage pile that was our nf. yeah, the lyrics are redundant and it’s a ballad by numbers, but michael gives it his all and it really pays off. 6.5/10

ireland - this will absolutely not do well but who cares, it’s fun and harmless. super chill and easy to listen, and i think sarah’s a big eurovision fan already which is nice. also i’d just like to take this opportunity to thank her for ditching the ylva and linda song she originally applied with. 6.5/10

iceland - hm. this is one where you need to listen a few times to get a full impression of what the fuck you’re hearing/seeing. i really did not like this when i first heard it alongside all the other söngvakeppnin songs (and most of them sucked lbr), but now i’m kind of ambivalent towards it. i still don’t like the screaming or the key change, but it’s something different and i can admire that. 6/10

slovenia - fine, but forgettable. she has a nice voice, but there’s a distinct lack of stage presence from the two of them and i fear that this might get lost in the semi final. 6/10

israel - i’m conflicted here. i definitely don’t think home is as bad as the fan polls and reviews imply, but it’s not great either. a verse or two in hebrew would have really elevated this and i’m a little baffled as to why the writers didn’t include even a little bit considering the contest is on home turf this year. still, kobi’s a very convincing performer and israel probably didn’t want to win again anyway. 6/10

poland - this is an odd one, which isn’t a bad thing at all in a year full of safe entries. not sure if using the bilingual version was the best shout, but it’s clearly still very polish and i’m glad to hear that they’ll be wearing the traditional clothing on stage in tel aviv. 6/10

czech republic - the chorus absolutely slaps, and if i was judging by music alone this’d probably be in my top ten. unfortunately, though, the rest of the song exists. the lyrics are truly abysmal, with some of the lines ending awkwardly and without proper rhymes where they’re needed, and the spoken-word section is genuinely unbearable. 5.5/10

austria - i honestly don’t know where to place this one. very underwhelming when it was first released, but now i feel like there’s potential here. most of austria’s recent entries have been very under the radar only to end up doing quite well. i’m not as optimistic about this as some of those, but only time will tell. 5.5/10

hungary - not a patch on his previous entry, but pleasant enough. he’s a good performer and unless the staging really sucks, he’ll do fine. 5.5/10

north macedonia - it’s a nice ballad? i guess? and, unlike a lot of their recent entrants, tamara is an established singer who we all know can sing live. there are also rumours that the delegation has been planning the performance for a while, so who knows, perhaps this’ll qualify. 5/10

georgia - this has been growing on me lately. the song itself is a bit of a bust, although the revamp helped, but oto really brings it to life on stage. even if you don’t understand what he’s saying, you can tell by the emotion in his voice that he really means it. 5/10

russia - the nightmare dream team hasn’t produced a good song in over a decade at this point, this included. kirkorov needs to quit fooling himself and let someone else have a go. 4.5/10

belgium - belgium’s had quite the glow up since 2014, but i fear they’ve gone for style over substance this year. wake up is very polished, but it doesn’t go anywhere and eliot’s live performances haven’t been convincing as of yet. 4/10

lithuania - i don’t know what was more shocking, him winning the selection or me finding out that he was lolita zero’s real voice in 2017. this isn’t awful, just very repetitive and strangely put together. 3.5/10

norway - sue me, i don’t like this. the bald guy feels out of place and out of tune, it sounds like it was written by a child, and oh my god it’s so unbearably cheap. 3/10 

estonia - eesti laul was such a let down this year. usually there’s a good mix of mainstream and alternative genres, but the new producer doesn’t seem to give a shit about variety, which is a real shame. anyway, victor’s performance is slick, but he can barely sing and the song itself is nothing to write home about. 3/10

romania - when this was first selected i didn’t mind it, probably because i just really didn’t want laura bretan to win, but as the season drags on i’ve really soured to it. it feels like it lasts for a minute longer than it actually does, and the whole ay-ay-ay part was not a good choice. 2.5/10

australia - as someone who was a big fan of estonia last year, this is honestly the furthest thing from that. it comes across as quite cheap (even without the questionable staging), and the chorus really grates on me. 2.5/10

belarus - i didn’t watch the entirety of the belarusian auditions for them to reject the potato monks in favour of lidl’s own brand zara larsson. 2/10

france - this is why delegations should be wary of selecting social media stars for their national selections. yes, they might get the viewing figures up a little, but they’ll probably win and the song will be Bad. i respect his message, but holy shit is this hamfisted as hell. 1/10

finland - if anyone was wondering how darude only ever had one hit two decades ago, here is your answer. 1/10

moldova - they really don’t want to qualify this year, huh. could’ve had ca adriano celentano, but nope. basic tune, painfully simple lyrics, but i guess her voice is nice enough 1/10

croatia - this... is awful. upsettingly so. at least jacques’ last entry had a novelty factor, but he’s doomed this poor kid to failure. 0.5/10

montenegro - i have absolutely nothing positive to say here. honest to god one of the worst songs i’ve ever heard, and no amount of clumsily shoehorned in folk instrumentation was ever going to save this. i can only pray that they’re spending their preparation time wisely and taking singing lessons, but considering that they probably blew half the budget on the music video, it’s unlikely. 0/10

as for potential winners,  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

a lot of the big fan favourites don’t have a winning vibe about them, so we might be in for a shock this year. please let it be albania or greece

also feel free to drop me an ask if you want to chat about last year’s entries since i kind of ditched tumblr for a year or two lmao

#god that's a straight up wall of text i'm sorry #i tried to format it as best i could i promise #but i am Very rusty #eurovision

[janiedean]

So many people angry about Israel winning. People are either saying it was a victory for racists and that Israel doesn't deserve to win because of Palestine or they're complaining that Netta culturally appropriated Asian culture in her performance.

okay listen CULTURAL APPROPRIATION for israel is a joke I mean seriously she obviously was inspired by the style and she obv likes kpop/jpop/whatever which is btw 80% of the reason I don’t even like that song but people saying that she was culturally appropriating when it was a song with its lyrics/meaning/conception/style/identity and she wasn’t speaking random copypasted japanese/korean fucking with the pronunciation when THE ESTONIAN SONG WAS A BLATANT COPYPASTE OF FAMOUS OPERA ARIA TITLES AND SHIT AF LYRICS THAT WERE ALSO GRAMMATICALLY WRONG and she was singing it wrong - sorry I listen to enough opera to recognize it when someone has the skills and the romanian vampire from 2012 beat her hands down - and she was basically cashing in on italian sounding GOOD and the juries actually picked her over our singers is like the most fucking ridiculous thing anyone could conceive

and like…. netherlands guy was obviously skilled in his craft and could play and wasn’t *culturally appropriating* but that song was basically lifted out of nashville and the refrain sounded like cat’s in the cradle come on XDDD I mean I know that according to tumblr people can’t appropriate US american music but in between him and israel she was way more original than he was??? and I actually liked his song more than hers like it could be on my ipod hers wouldn’t be but come on let’s be objective

ANYWAY if anything was cultural appropriation it was that dumbass estonian song except that PEOPLE NEED TO STOP WITH CALLING BEING INSPIRED BY A GENRE CULTURAL APPROPRIATION MUSIC EXISTS BECAUSE PEOPLE INSPIRE EACH OTHER AND DIFFERENT GENRES INFLUENCE EACH OTHER GOOD FUCKING GRIEF according to these ppl mozart writing opera in italian would be cultural appropriation are we serious

now with that put out of the discussion

listen, you can dislike israel and its politics - as far as I’m concerned I do not like israel’s politics especially their current PM - and we can discuss to hell and back what they should change and most of all that they need to find an agreement already (also because I don’t think you can solve the situation by canceling either israeli or palestinians from the map), but fuck’s sake this is a dumb music with glitter and fireworks competition and if people could vote for russia in spades every damned year when they didn’t deserve it when russia is also hardly politically great these days then people can vote for israel’s song or singer without it being tied to politics, or we’d be all be voting for I dunno ICELAND at this point. also **deserving** to win in a competition with rigged juries 90% of the time is like, what, but seriously, she won because people liked her song and like her, not for political reasons, and I’m saying it as someone who didn’t even like the song period. but she looks very sweet and tbh she deserved it more than fucking SWEDEN pls are we serious, let her have her moment and let’s discuss politics in, uh, relevant spaces ie, POLITICS, and not fucking eurovision. like, ukraine won two years ago for politics and it was obvious, but it was a POLITICALLY CHARGED SONG. and if anyone got the politics vote here it was us and the french. israel’s song wasn’t about politics, don’t make it about politics and let *her* as a person have her moment like fuck’s sake you wanna criticize israel’s politics INSULT NETANYAHU AND THE CURRENT RIGHT WING ISRAELI GOVERNMENT rather than a poor entertainer/singer born in the year of the lord 1993 who isn’t doing politics in her life nor makes politically-charged music, thank you very much

#eurovision shitposting #janie watches eurovision #christ are we srs #Anonymous #ask post

[thefamilyineverknew]

Turning 47: pt. XV

“Ch-ch-ch-changes”

26 May 2018

“You know, in Sweden they make these perfectly shaped butter knives. They’re just ideal for spreading butter on pancakes,” I say as I wolf down a hot stack. It’s a bright Sunday morning in Evergreen, Colorado at Benny & Kathleen’s. Thankfully, they were home last night and were willing to put me up for the night (kicking their middle child out of his room for me...extra thanks to him). I woke to a family of deer peering in my window from the surrounding forest and the smell of breakfast coming from the kitchen upstairs. How did I deserve all of this? Again, I am overcome by the generosity and warm hospitality of people who I haven’t seen in forever.

“So, how did the meeting at Barnes & Noble go?,” they ask with baited breath. “Well, wow...,” I reply, and proceed to reiterate the details of the story that I have laid down in the previous parts of this tale, showing them the photo of Arla and me in the park. “Oh wow! It’s really undeniable,” they marvel. I am here and present, but also in a bit of a daze. That just happened, and here I am in the home of old college friends on a Sunday morning, eating breakfast before they go off to church. Time is playing ALL KINDS of tricks. Now is then is now is then. Waxing and waning. Kathleen is buzzing around the kitchen, whipping up pancakes in her Sunday best, while Benny and I commisurate over coffee. It’s as if I walked through a wormhole from 1993 to 2018. I feel the same way in their presence as I did when I was 22.

“So, are you going to the reunion?,” Kathleen asks, effervescently as she does. ”I think I have to, seeing as I was professoring there this last term. If I can cobble the funds together; definitely,” I say, and we commence to listing all of our old classmates who we should pester to be there. “Do you think Dan Rauter would come?,” zips Kathleen. ”I’m not sure. I’d love to see him. Just the whole gang. That was one of the best things about being back at Wheaton, being able to see so many people who I hadn’t in so long. It was crazy. Yes, I really need to be there,” I say. Declarations are made, and names dropped. It’s so good. So bizarre. It was crazy to see so many people over the Spring term, slipping in from a faded memory to LIVE, flesh and blood reality, just like sitting here at Kathleen & Benny’s dinner table.

The house is bustling with activity as Kathleen and the kids are bolting out the door to make it to the Episcopal church. Benny and I are engrossed in a light theological conversation, and he asks Kathy to save him a seat as he will catch up soon. Benny has already been to one early morning service this morning, a Catholic mass, and he is explaining to me his slow conversion to Catholicism.

Unbeknownst to me, Benny had grown up in the Evangelical Free Church (a merger of the Norwegian and Swedish Free Churches in America from 1950), just as I had. It turns out we were both at the same Youth National Conference in Denver in 1988. “Did you know Big John?,” he asks. “Wow....there’s someone who I haven’t thought of in decades. Yeah, I even drew a cartoon picture of him,” I confirmed. Neither of us knew much of who Big John was or where he came from, but he was definitely memorable; a man in his 50’s or 60’s, who must have been on the spectrum. Who or which group was he connected with? If it raised any eyebrows at the time, I didn’t hear of it, nor did I hear anything ever happening. Today, I don’t think his presence would be acceptable, just cause, well, you know. But again, it didn’t cross my mind then and there was nothing untoward that happened to my knowledge.

Going to the National Conference was the hilt of summers for me back in high school; 2500 teenagers converging in one place for a week. Half of those were girls, and my hormones were racing around like atoms in the particle accelarator at FermiLab. It was a perfect stage on which to try out all my extroverted show off tricks; breakdancing, skateboarding, or just being able to make people laugh. It was heaven, and the fact that all of these kids were coming from a similar place in the church community meant that I didn’t have to feel awkward or edgy about being a pastor’s kid. And I remember, there was this one person at this very National Conference in Denver who left a massive and lasting impact on me, one which solidified the course I’ve been on to this day. His name was Fred.

Fred was a part of the youth group that came down from Rochester, Minnesota, and, in my opinion, that group was THE coolest bunch of kids I’d ever met in person. They were punk and New Wave, and while I had dabbled in the style a bit, this was the first time I had ever been around people actually like that. I mean, I had seen that style in John Hughes films and on MTV, but never in real life. Where we came from on the Eastside of Des Moines, it was all Classic Rock (when it was just known as Rock); feathered hair, Van Halen, combs in back pockets, and muscle cars. These kids from Rochester were all laid back skaters. There were so many firsts I witnessed coming from that group. I just wanted to hang with them. And in right there in the middle of all of them was this guy Fred.

The thing about Fred that blew me away was that he was plain, and at least physically, NOT cool, but every one of the other cooler-than-Alaska kids deferred to him with respect. Fred was fairly overweight, which where I came from was an instant social death sentence, but if it was something that he ever felt insecure about, it didn’t show. No, he was solid, sitting in their midst like a Buddha, normal as could be; the sun in a solar system set-up. And I thought....if this guy, who by all appearances should be a cast aside (in my limited, teenaged prejudiced opinion), is able to just be, cool with himself as he is and command the respect he does...then...why should I ever give a second thought to what other people think about me? And that set a tone for me, going forward. My early leanings toward non-conformity were absolutely crystalized meeting Fred. I think I may have written him once after that conference, but there was never a correspondence kept up. I don’t even remember his last name, but I do remember the impact he had on me. Thank you, Fred.

So, Benny comes out of the same soil that I did, which is just wild to me. Wilder still, is that his train has switched tracks toward Catholicism. As he explains it to me, it all comes down to doctrine. The Catholic church is less emphasis on one’s individual personal responsibility in attaining and keeping up one’s salvation. It’s already a done deal. Its all in the doctrine and the sacraments , allowing him to just go and worship, without having to strain and stretch to try to receive God’s favor. It’s already been done, he just needs to be present. Kinda like Fred, just being there, content in this space. He makes an appealing argument, and I am very far from being dogmatic about the different flavors of Christendom. “Do you think it’s the Protestant appointment to continually fracture into smaller and smaller shards of belief until it stops meaning anything?;” I ask. How many denominations can there be, each one believing their way and vision is the RIGHT way? Benny says this is part of why he started investigating Catholicism.

I remember back when I was in undergrad at Wheaton, one of the best parts was trying out these different flavors of Christian worship. There was the hippie church, Jesus People (JPUSA), in Chicago. Then there was the generic, big box non-denominational variety, like Wheaton Bible or College Church. And the Presbyterian churches. And the Episcopal churches, like Church of the Resurrection and St. Mark’s (where I had my first communion with REAL wine, not Welch’s Grape Juice). It was a blizzard of experimentation, investigation, and research into the style, views, and formats. Now, at Wheaton, being a college firmly rooted in evangelicalism, going to church was basically expected, which meant that Sunday lunch in the cafeteria was a natural place for assessments on whether or not others had gone to church, based on the clothing people wore. I am more than certain that several stressed out about this to the point where they would dress up for lunch if they hadn’t made it to church. I couldn’t be bothered with that. If there were ever a snide comment like, “Where’d you go to church, Kurt?”, I’d just say I had spent some time in The Word. Not only did it cut the snark, it was 100% true. I called my bed “The Word”, with a big sign on it stating its name. This became a problem for at least one of the underclassmen on my floor when I was an RA, borderline heretical. I do remember, Brendan. 😉

It is easy for me to listen to Benny describe his journey and thinking. We come out of the same place, and I can understand transformation and maturation far more than I can stagnation and samey-sameness. I live in Sweden now, have been for 16 years. True belief in Jesus, or any deity, is highly out of place and foreign; viewed with eye-narrowing suspicion. While Christianity is solidly a part of Sweden’s history and heritage, it has also always been lock and step with the government. For hundreds of years, it was mandatory for the people of Sweden to attend church. The church was in charge of keeping people in line, as well as for the country’s census and population control. It was not optional. Therefore, church in Sweden is not viewed as a place to receive any kind of true belief, but an institutional organism where tradition is upheld; in infant baptism, weddings, and funerals. This underlines my conviction that church and state should always remain separate. Belief should always be a choice, not compusory.

So, I don’t blame Swedes for being narrow-eyed, at all (I half-expect my Swedish friends to be reading this side-eyed, all this church talk, but I’m cool with that. This is my story, this is my song). Moving here was a cultural womp on a multitude of levels, including spiritually. I share this with the Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews and anyone else I’ve encountered who has moved here with a spiritual belief system from outside. It is a spiritual desert, with a fixation on the sensory and material here-and-now. Belief is dead wood, relegated to tradition or the sole domain of the sciences. But it is good to know, life still does thrive in the desert (if you’ve ever watched David Attenborough), it just looks and behaves differently than, say, a jungle or forest. I have adapted and I feel good about where I am, and I feel good about the people around me. I reject “us vs. them”. It’s just us. If I am viewed as a “them”, whether it’s true or not, so be it.

Benny and I wrap up. I go downstairs to pack, and do a couple “idiot checks” to make sure I am not leaving anything behind. And then we’re out the door, headed to our cars. “Benny! It’s so great to see you. Send me your address. I will send you some Swedish butter knives. You’ll see,” I bark in parting. And we head out, up the drive and onto the winding roads of Evergreen; Benny to join his family at the Episcopal church, and I, through the soaring cathedral of the Rockies and up to Boulder to see if I can meet up with Jolly Northrup.

I text Jolly... “Jolly!”

[melekseev]

alright, so here’s my final top 43 with minor commentaries that no one asked for. also this is probably... not common, bUT WE LOVE SOME DIVERSITY. this is obviously personal taste, but im just gonna say i would die for all the songs in my top 10

43. Russia - alright, so this wasn’t originally this low on my list at all, but after hearing it live... holy shit. i feel really bad for her, but her vocals were tragic, to the point where i don’t even understand how this happened. sh00k

42. Georgia - okay see, this is just not working for me. this is the only song this year that i can never listen to all the way through, and for some reason it depresses me. it honestly gives me funeral vibes.

41. Iceland - oh, Ari. honestly i just find it all too cheesy, especially when you add his personality, given he’s a bundle of sunshine, too, and then it’s an overdose of sugar. the song is rather dated, and this is another one that kind of makes me feel... hhh. just, must we?

40. Germany - okay, look, this one i don’t have a great excuse for other than tthe fact it doesn’t do anything for me personally. i tried to like this song so much though, i swear i did, but the more i hear it, the more i dislike it. this is the one where i usually go out to grab a snack or a drink while it plays, because i just... i don’t like it, i’m sorry.

39. San Marino - *rubs at temple* listen originally i gave them the benefit of the doubt but the way they are suffering live makes me suffer, too. the awkward rapping, that mess of lyrics, the weak vocals.... it’s not great.

38. Israel - plot twist. this was originally my last, so compared to that this is still better. but i just reeeally don’t like this song. it annoys me, actually. makes me laugh, but when i see the odds it makes me cry. also, honestly, her live performances did nothing for me - other than the high notes in the very end, it was... whatever it was. i really can’t comprehend why everyone’s eating this up, but you do you guys.

37. Romania - i swear i sort of keep forgetting this song exists, oh my god. it’s just kind of a mess..? i don’t really know what it wants to be, maybe they also don’t know what it wants to be. in the very least she sounds good live.

36. Latvia - so this song... is also something that’s just sort of there, but i don’t feel a single thing. i’m not too fond of her stage presence when it comes to it, either, with all the dramatic hairflips. am i the only one who thinks she’s like jessica rabbit?

35. Lithuania - aww, Lithuania... puts me to sleep ;;; she has a nice, unique voice but i find myself incredibly bored during her performances. i was watching the amsterdam live and i didn’t even notice she switched to Lithuanian at one point, only when i saw the recap. probably not a great sign.

34. Belgium - she kept dropping on my list anyway, and after hearing her live, she just somehow got down here. first of all, honestly it has great quality - doesn’t grab me the slightest, though. i find the chorus disappointing...? “echoes echoes and goes...” i always keep expecting a bigger, powerful drop and i’m somehow let down every time. and her vocals live, just... oooooh no.

33. Sweden - *buries face in hands* Justin Bieber...? this song is something that we’ve all heard like 1000000 times before. furthermore, i can’t be the only one who’s annoyed that he doesn’t sing his chorus live, he just whispers over it? like...

32. Czech Republic - okay, this kind of goes hand in hand with Sweden for me. i like Miki, but this is very, very... i don’t wanna say outright cheap, so let’s just say basic. basically talk dirty to me. honestly, it’s basically the exact same thing. one of the many. next!

31. Estonia - she actually went quite up on my list, because i appreciate her talent, and couldn’t question that even if i tried. i mean yes, i’m honestly not into opera... but it’s not horrible. although in the end it becomes a bit too much for me personally.

30. United Kingdom - SuRie is amazing, i honestly love her so much for her personality?? icon. buuuut the song is still not great and it’s just an inch away from tipping towards annoying - but, i can enjoy this one.

29. Poland - it’s okay for what it is. they are having fun. but i don’t want to give it more credit than that, it’s something you can hear every day in a club, on the beach, on the radio... been there done that. also... *whispers* okay JOWST did it much better, i’m soRRY

28. Australia - fun, up tempo, catchy BOP. do i feel more than that? no, not really. Jessica is adorable, though ;;; i wish this was... more.

27. Finland - her NF performance did not convince me one bit, but the studio cut and her Amsterdam performance elevated her a bit on my list. but still not... enough? it’s... it’s okay.

26. F.Y.R. Macedonia - this grew on me, to be honest. i still don’t know if i really like the three-songs-at-once thing, but i learned to enjoy it.

25. The Netherlands  - okay, so country is not my type of music at all, and he’s only here because i think it’s a decent entry, and he's really good live.

24. Slovenia - i really dig her voice, and i like the verses, and LOVE the pre-chorus. she’s great on stage. the only reason she’s not higher is because the chorus itself is... sigh, it leaves me a bit disappointed.

23. Moldova - they literally jumped 17 places ahead on my list, and i regret nothing. i woke up on them, even if it took a while. once that tacky performance from the NF was out of the way, i was into it. THIS MAKES ME WANT TO HAVE FUN WITH THEM, OKAY

22. Malta - another BOP, but it just works better for me than Australia, personally. i was worried about her live but i think she delivers. it’s often stuck in my head.

21. Cyprus - BOP after BOP. it’s good, catchy and fun, definitely works for what it is, and i always jam to it.

20. Croatia - okay, i really really like her voice?? there’s something about this specific female vocal that i love, and tbh the song isn’t bad at all.

19. Spain - i prefer the studio cut with them, honestly. i find it to be a really lovely song, but when they do it live i just don’t feel connected with them, because they are busy connecting with each other. there’s nothing wrong with that, they are adorable, but it’s just as high as it will go for me.

18. Ireland - listen, i love his voice. it’s so sweet... the melody stayed with me from the very first listen. i am well aware he will get lost in the semi, but i appreciate him. this is really good.

17. Austria - so here’s the thing, this was originally in my top 10, but i just kind of got over it? he is also good live, but that’s about it. the song is good, i dig the hozier vibes it has, it’s a radio friendly tune... i just like 16 other songs more.

16. Azerbaijan - okay this song gets a lot of hate, and i GET that this is just esc pop, but a good one? i really like her voice?? and the power the song has in it? i don’t know, i was so sceptical about this but i replayed it right after the first listen - it makes me feel good.

15. Norway - listen i love Alexander Rybak, but i was also so sceptical about his comeback, because why, you already won? but the live performance was honestly so good, like listen, this guy’s charisma is ON POINT. i still love the violin. i still love him. i won’t rate him higher, because yes, the lyrics could be better, but i still enjoy it a whole lot.

14. France - oh, i love them. very easy to get into, it’s lovely. not something that makes me catch my breath, but i really appreciate it still because i honestly love listening to it.

13. Armenia - Sevak is so on point vocally, um...? this song is a huge grower for me, and at this point i seriously just... it’s so good.

12. Albania - I’M STILL MOURNING THE PRE-REVAMP VERSION HHHHH.... but i still love it, and love Eugent aswell. he has amazing vocals, and he would definitely deserve a good place.

11. Serbia - okay okAY OKAY I LOVE THIS SO MUCH??? the ethnic vibes, the whole... composition, their voices, it’s one big massive yes.

10. Switzerland - *cries softly* listen i fucking love them? Corinne’s vocals are EPIC. this song is just really good, although people are sleeping on it like they are knocked out. but they are doing great and i’m very proud of these Zibblingz. damn.

9. Ukraine - wELL I LOVE MÉLOVIN, WHO WOULD’VE THOUGHT. he is a Performer™. his voice is amazing, and this song just doesn’t leave my head, i don’t even care about his ‘aghdshfdfzgz’, he’s that good.

8. Denmark - talk about epic? this whole song just raises me to a whole another spiritual level tbh. i can just close my eyes and see the sea and... hear the soundtrack of a fantasy movie, and i’m all for it. also, he’s REALLY good every time.

7. Bulgaria - i loved this song to begin with, but their live performance really gave it the last push. they harmonize their vocals in such a beautiful way, and i was afraid it wouldn’t work so much live, but it does. it really does, and i’m loving it.

6. Hungary - i can’t believe my country makes it to my top ten like... the 3rd time in a row, considering i never liked our entries before. but honestly AWS is.. wow, i was shook from the moment i first heard the song, and i LOVE how daring we’re being lately. i’m incredibly proud of them. they have so much energy, and in Amsterdam, they were definitely my favorite - i’m shocked. they deliver, they are an explosion. Örs’ vocals are AMAZING, and they never falter, even if this song is so demanding in that aspect? fucking... respect.

5. Montenegro - i aggressively love this song, maybe even love it more the more people ditch it. this is so dramatic and epic?? he is another singer who delivers vocally whenever it’s live? this song is... i LOVE the balkan sound, the musical-esque melodies, the power in his voice, just... i personally love it more than Adio from Knez, come fight me.

4. Portugal - i feel entranced every time. she grabs me, and doesn’t let go. this whole song is like a sweet dream, to be honest, and i love it sooooo much. i adore when isaura joins in. i just... it goes straight to my heart, god bless. beautiful.

3. Greece - this song... is so magical? like, pure magic. i’m so happy greece is finally doing it right, i’m... yianna is an actual greek goddess, and her voice... dude. this is art.

2. Belarus - definitely my most played song this year, oh my god. (okay, i might play Navsegda a bit more, but Forever is amazing too) the revamp didn’t ruin it, it gave it more personality. i love his tone changes? i love his soft, beautiful voice, and how he plays with it? guys alekseev is brilliant, and i would actually probably sob if he didn’t make the cut. this song does things to me. just.. wow.

1. Italy - there is not one other song this year that makes me think ‘winner’. just... there isn’t any other. it has everything; two amazing male vocals (and that contrast between them, gOD THAT CONTRAST!), an amazing, original song, an important message, the soul... what more do you want? this is a masterpiece. makes you stop and listen. honestly, if they don’t win, i really don’t see the point.

#lmao will people get angery #oH WELL

[just0nemorepage]

Swede Dreams || Eva Apelqvist || Students Across the Seven Seas || 224 pages ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 3 Genres: Young Adult / Romance / Travel

Synopsis: Swede escape! Calista Swanson has begun her study abroad semester in Stockholm, Sweden, and she couldn’t be happier! There’s finally some distance between her and the constant piano-playing of her annoying sister Suzanne. Calista and Suzanne are twins, but the only thing they have in common is their birth date. Suzanne is a focused and gifted pianist, but a social dud. Calista isn’t at all focused, but she always has her friends, and a boyfriend, by her side. And that goes for her time in Sweden, as well. Jonas, who’d been an exchange student at her high school in Wisconsin, lives in Stockholm. He’s the main reason Calista is studying in Sweden, and she knows he’ll be in tow as she explores everything Sweden has to offer, from visiting Swedish castles to learning more about the Viking era, to sampling treats from a smörgåsbord, to strolling the cobblestone streets of Stockholm’s Gamla Stan. Calista loves Sweden from the moment she arrives, but . . . why hasn’t Jonas called?

Finished: May 3rd, 2018.

Progress: 8 / 50. 16% complete.

My Rating: ★★★★☆. [4/5]

My Review: [Under the read more - NOT SPOILER FREE]

Well I finished this like a week ago, and I’m only just now getting to write the review. Eeesh. Pre-move-in stuff apparently takes a lot of time.

But anyway. It’s been a while since I’ve read one of these Students Across the Seven Seas books, and despite the kiddish cover art and cover blurb, I forgot how much I enjoy them! They show real respect to the country each book is about, making points to destroy stereotypes and backing everything up with a lot of very real facts and research. That much is awesome, and I respect that! It makes the character’s experience as an exchange student that much more real.

I do have some criticisms though, primarily (and basically only) with how the story was delivered. So many of the characters were conveniently unabashed history nerds, none of whom had any trouble recollecting information and always spouted off perfect facts in textbook form. I appreciate the opportunity to learn about Swedish culture and history, but this is such a cliché way to do it that it put a small damper on the whole experience. A lot of the dialogue outside of the random facts felt particularly forced and unrealistic, too – especially the emails. So much of that just felt awkward, like “that’s not how people interact with each other” levels of awkward. And also, as cute as it was, I don’t know why every girl in every one of these books always needs to fall in love with a local boy. Like – always. Without fail. It’s not a bad plot point, as long as it’s not incredibly overused and doesn’t clash with the character’s personality, which in this case, it may have. Most of Calista’s entire reasoning for traveling to Sweden in the first place was to visit her Swedish then-boyfriend, who turned out to be an entire garbage can of trash, didn’t even show up to see her at any point, and finally wrote her a one-sentence email breaking it off with her. I don’t know if she’d’ve been too keen on falling for anyone else after that. I might be wrong – falling for Hakkan DID happen several months later, and that is enough time to feel better. But, at least a little bit, still.

Also, she seemed to get over Jonas pretty fast, for how obsessed she was over him in the beginning. Not that I’m complaining – she had one day of hurt, then went straight to pissed off, and didn’t spend much time at all afterwards thinking about him, instead delving headfirst into discovering and learning everything about Sweden. You go girl, he doesn’t deserve your time or your pain. But it still seemed a little unreasonably fast, for someone who had so much trouble figuring out what she wanted for the entire rest of the book.

Also also, I do have to acknowledge that this seemed to be a highly romanticized version of a semester spent studying abroad. Literally NOTHING BAD HAPPENED. The only things that might count – Jonas dumped Calista through email, Cal lost her map to school on her morning commute on her first day, and Moa actively disdained Cal throughout the entire story, which silently turned into a sort of quiet respect right at the end. THAT’S IT. No host family issues, no friend issues, no real boy issues, no stranger issues, no culture clash issues (she went from struggling with Swedish to being very good at it in about a chapter and it never impacted her school performance at all).. just about everything went about as perfectly as it could possibly go. While I appreciate and did truly enjoy the feel-good fuzzies of it, it still felt incredibly unrealistic and I’m just left thinking “there is no way anything would ever go that smoothly.”

BUT. REGARDLESS. I still mostly enjoyed the book. I recognize the flaws and the faults and I acknowledge them all, and they’re enough to dock a star from my final rating. But I STILL liked reading it, I’ll still recommend the series to anyone else who likes this sort of travel story, and I’ll still make it a point to finish all the others I haven’t read yet.

#book reviews #swede dreams #eva apelqvist #students across the seven seas #★★★★ #young adult #romance #travel #cultural #contemporary #owned #print book #series book #jomp original

[n0thing2seeh3r3]

Before I start, I have never written in detail about how I feel because it doesn’t feel like something I can tangibly communicate. I keep re-writing, editing and rephrasing so that this narrative is reflected in an honest manner. But nothing that I am writing is close to how I truly feel - I suppose it’s a start though, an idea, a vague synopsis.

When we first met, I genuinely didn’t want a relationship. You said you were leaving for Sweden in a few months, and I thought it was going to be a no-strings-attached, maybe friends kind of a thing, but even that didn’t really phase me. 

The first time I told you I think I might love you, you replied ‘I think we have 2 very different definitions of love’. Which was both fucking hurtful, and arrogant. It would have been fine if you didn’t reciprocate the feelings but why put me down?

Upon reflecting, I didn’t know and love you the way I do now, but it wasn’t any less valid. Just a smaller amount, cause loves is a spectrum... right?

For a while, I thought that maybe we could have a relationship. Things were going well between us, we had become a lot closer, we went away together for the first time. I had no interest in dating other people, the sex was good, you were basically my best friend, so why not?

It was around that time that you made it really clear that was never going to happen and that I should probably see other people. I mean, maybe not directly, but you pushed me away, again. 

So I did. The less I spoke to you, and the more time I spent with other people, the more you reached out. I knew I probably shouldn’t, but I still came to see you. You made me happy. I could talk to you. I could talk about nothing, and everything at the same time. 

I tried to fall out of love with you. I knew I would always love you, but I tried to separate myself, and my emotions from that love. At first, it didn’t work, but gradually, little by little it did. Every time you pushed me away and I got hurt, I grew a little bit more separated. 

It worked, I no longer want anything from you. I am so in love with you, but nothing you could do would hurt my feelings, because I have come to expect you to.

I don’t want to feel like that. I deserve to feel loved no matter what. I actually subscribe to your way of thinking in terms of relationships not being ever-lasting, however, I do very much enjoy being wrapped up in them while they do. 

I would rather let myself feel things deeply, learn and move on, than be stuck in purgatory. 

It would be easiest to blame you for that. Use the guise of ‘I love you’ so I couldn’t leave as an excuse. I have always prided myself on being open hearted, because what is life without love? I allowed myself to push that part aside, and have an intellectual understanding. 

I know you well enough, to know that what you say isn’t always how you feel. However, I respect how you say you feel.

I feel like I am lost at sea. I feel like if I try to express any of this it won’t come out right. I struggle to write any of it down and make sense of it. 

I want to continue to love you. I want to be in your life, and for you to be in mine. I wish it was as easy as saying I needed a break from this tangled web to get perspective and in the future things would be okay. Losing you in any capacity scares me. 

I know you love me, and you will always be my friend, but your unwillingness to be anything more whilst we still continue to act as though we are isn’t fruitful. 

I need to separate myself from you in a way that is meaningful and lasting, at least in a romantic sense. At first, it might mean separating myself completely and then when we are ready to have a real friendship, we can work at that, if that is what is to be. To do this properly means fully cutting you out, because time and time again, we end up back at this point.

Through this relationship, I have learned a lot. A lot about myself mostly. You have taught me so many things and I will be forever grateful. I am now in a place where I want something more. 

I want what we have, but without the guardedness, I want to feel secure. I want to feel loved at all times, not pushed away when it gets too much or is inconvenient. 

And as I sit here finishing up this short novel I have written about how I feel, you message me, and I feel happy and I want to talk to you & I think to myself what life would be without you, so I say nothing, and I know that that isn’t fair.

[eurenvision]

Ren “Roasts” Tmblrvision 2017

Of course I have opinions.

I don’t have the time or energy to review each entry, though, so I’ll probably just try to review a selected handful of songs, such as those I televoted for, those I almost televoted for, and the Top Ten.

I gave three televotes to Lithuania. This was my absolute favourite song of the season, and I did spend a night listening to their entire album (and will likely continue to do so, to be honest). I personally thought this was better than last year’s entry, which was an early betting odds favourite, so I was a little surprised to see it perform underwhelmingly here. I felt it was underrated and I’m glad televoting lifted it up to the left side of the table.

I gave one televote to Germany because I’m a ho for Clueso. Loved the song when I first heard it, love the song still now, end of.

I gave one televote to Andorra, and if I wanted to rig the results, I’d probably have given it even more televotes, because IMO it didn’t deserve to place as low as it did. It definitely stood out this season, and out of the “odd ducks” (I’d include Monaco and Lebanon in this category), it was my personal fave, though all three had their charms. (If I’d televoted later, I might have given Lebanon a vote as well, as it grew on me on successive listens.)

I gave one televote to Algeria. It was one of the songs that was stuck in my head, which considering I didn’t understand a single word she was singing was quite a feat. I had considered giving it two televotes instead of one, but that would have meant not giving a televote to another song. In other words, had I been a jury member, this would’ve gotten my 10 points. I’m glad it finished high on the televoting table and landed in the overall Top Ten.

I gave on televote to Bosnia and Herzegovina. There were few purely (almost kitschy) happy songs on this season so this definitely scratched an itch I had. This song never fails to make me smile and bounce so of course it was gonna get a televote.

I gave one televote to Malta. This was the feel-good vote among my televotes, the one that benefitted from me taking away a vote from Algeria. This is, as the kids say, a “bop,” and I can’t help dancing whenever I hear it.

I gave one televote to Poland. This was a song that grew on me as I listened to the playlist repeatedly and has emerged as one of my top personal faves. There’s something soaring and lovely about the song and his vocal.

I gave on televote to Luxembourg. This was one of the first songs submitted and I really enjoyed it, I was so happy to have a nice fun rock song from an unexpected country, and it’s a song I’ll gladly listen to over and over again. It had to get a vote from me. Funny how it ended on the right side of the board on both votes but finished on the left side in the combined result...

There were quite a few songs on my long list, but in the end I’d ditched them for these seven. Some didn’t quite hold up after repeated listens, some just didn’t have a special quality that really pushed me to give them one of my votes. It’s not that they weren’t good; they were just... not great (enough) IMO.

Also, I was listening to the Spotify playlist more as I was on holiday at the time, so entries that weren’t on that playlist were at a disadvantage. Latvia, Macedonia, and Serbia weren’t on that playlist and so I couldn’t remember them at all. Albania had a different version on the playlist from the official entry, so it would’ve been unfair to rate it based on that. I think the biggest casualty was France, a song which I remember loving (I even voted for it in its NF) but because it wasn’t available for me on German Spotify, I couldn’t love it enough to get a televote from me. If I’d had a Top Ten, maybe it would’ve still snuck in.

I kind of knowingly stayed away from returning and established artists, since for me the appeal of these contests is to discover something and someone new. Australia might have been the biggest casualty of the lot, as I love the song but was already familiar with it before the contest, so when it came to cutting a song from my televotes, it was a bit easier to let go. Other songs in this group I enjoyed were Italy, Spain, Belgium, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

And now to review the Top Ten....

10. United Kingdom There were a lot of strong females with strong voices in this edition, and alas, they all kind of cancelled each other out for me. It’s not that they weren’t good; it’s just that in the end, I kind of got sick of that genre and decided not to vote for any of them. (I’d throw Montenegro, Czechia, and Sweden into that group.) Plus Emeli Sande also fell into that group of songs and artists I was already familiar with, so it went down on my list.

9. Belgium I love love love Loïc, but again, it was easier to put him lower on my list because he was a returning artist, and the song was familiar to me. I’m happy he placed second among all returning artists, though.

8. Algeria Underrated in the jury vote, I’m glad this did well in the televote. I guess this was many HoDs’ 11th or 12th place.

7. Norway It’s not a bad song, and maybe in another season or time of year I would’ve enjoyed it more, but being on holiday in the tropics wasn’t the best time to listen to some rather gloomy Nordic music. (Even “worse” in this regard was Denmark. Maybe in the dead of winter I’d have ranked those songs higher, but not in the summer.)

6. Czechia Basically the same comments as United Kingdom, though it would’ve ranked higher because I wasn’t familiar with either the song or the artist. Might’ve been a contender for my Jury Top Ten.

5. Australia Was a contender for my televotes until I had to bump it off in favour of songs and artists I’d never heard of before.

4. France WHY IS THIS NOT AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY GERMANY. Could’ve gotten a televote if it were.

3. Moldova I’ll be honest - I couldn’t (and still don’t) remember this song, and was confused that this was doing so well in televote, because it just wasn’t “sticky” to me. But I guess it was sticky enough for enough people to vote for it and give it the televote win. Personally, not convinced.

2. Italy Lovely song, and I’m glad it did as well as it did. Probably would’ve been a contender for my Jury Top Ten, though of course I’d have docked points for being an artist I didn’t know. At least the song was new enough that I hadn’t overplayed it before the contest...

1. Israel This was also a contender for my televotes, but in the end it just didn’t have that “oomph” to get one from me. It’s a lovely little song and a worthy winner, but it just didn’t grab me enough. I dunno if I’d listen to it regularly now that the show is over but I wouldn’t skip past it.

#Tmblrvision #Tmblrvision 2017