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philicheesecake · 4 years

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(U.L.) The Last Hunt

Synopsis: Three hunters seek out the trace of an unknown monster, only for the hunt to take a dangerous turn.

Warnings: THIS STORY CONTAINS FATAL VORE. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE FATAL VORE, TURN BACK NOW.

((Phili’s note: Though Wendigos are mentioned in this story, the adaption mentioned here are not the ones from folklore. The Unseen Legion discovered creatures with similar appearance and behavior that resembles the wendigo folklore and nicknamed these creatures after them, not having a better name for them)) ((Also sorry it took forever to get this posted! I was super nervous about posting fatal, but y’all have been warned anyways, so hopefully it should be fine))

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There was a click as the magazine slid into place. The trunk of the big red van slammed shut. Footsteps tracked away from the gravel earth. A wind bristled through the canopy above, shifting the flecks of warm evening light that fell across the untrodden trail. Branches and dead foliage crunched over the three pairs of boots as the small hunting party began to search.

The mid-autumn air was crisp and chilly in contrast with the sun’s dull warm glow, and the fiery colors of the foliage that shifted at the change of season. The three figures were equipped with boots and jackets, and the tallest held a pack full of spare hunting gear to make sure all approaches to some unknown threat were covered.

“They’re more active at dawn and dusk, so we’ll have to watch our backs more as the sun sets,” the oldest of them, Josiah spoke to his trainee. He had dark baggy eyes and salt and pepper hair. While his features were much older and weathered, she was much shorter and younger, barely out of high school, with curly black hair pulled back into a big ponytail.

“How many wendigos have you killed?” The girl, Ruth pondered.

“Gah, lost count. Maybe seven?” The older man shrugged. “What about you, Rubin?” He glanced at the other hunter joining them. He was short for her age, but had a good build and curly brown hair and a goatee.

“Haven’t met one yet. This one would be my first. I tend to stick around the rowdy moon puppies mostly,” Rubin responded.

“I’ve always wanted to hunt a werewolf, I just have too unsteady hands to pierce their heart,” Ruth said. “I’m just sticking to the bigger targets until I can get a better skill with my gun handling.”

“Good idea. I don’t think it would be fun to come back from a hunt with puppy ears,” Rubin chuckled. “I bet werewolf bites don’t tickle.”

“I’ll bet,” Ruth said with a grin.

“Hey, wait here,” Josiah stopped ahead, holding out a hand as he crouched down to the forest floor, seeming to inspect a mark on the earth. The soil was unruly, but a faint mark could be made out. A footprint? But it was too large, even for a wendigo. Even then, it was difficult to make out whether it actually was a footprint, and not just some uneven ground.

“What do you think, Rubin?” Josiah glanced at the tracking expert of the hunting party.

Rubin bent down near the print, taking a good look at it as he took in a deep breath. “Don’t recognize what it came from, but it couldn’t have been here more than a day ago. This ain’t like anything I’ve seen before.”

Ruth glanced at her father pensively, taking a few steps ahead to try to see more tracks. Sure enough, about six or seven feet apart from the other print was another. “Guys, over here. There’s more.”

Josiah paced over to where she stood, glancing down at the new track. He could see it a bit more clearly. A left footprint. It was strikingly similar to a human’s own footprint, though there were indentations at the front of the toes that tore up the ground, distorting the front of the footprint by the disturbed earth. It was nearly a meter long from heel to toe.

“Rubin, is the one over there a right foot?”

Rubin glanced up from the track after a moment, nodding. “Yuuup.”

Josiah shook his head in awe. “Two meter strides. Damn. This thing must be huge.”

“Do you think we should head back?” Ruth asked. “If we don’t know what it is, it might be dangerous.”

Josiah frowned, picking at a mole on the back of his neck as he always did when he was deep in thought. Maybe nervous. Calculating their odds.

“We’ve been following these hunting patterns like a wendigo. Been twelve years since the last round of victims in this town, and three towns over, staggered at similar intervals. If we lose this chance, it might hibernate again and our chance will be lost. Chances are if it isn’t a wendigo, it’s still a close relative, and we can still kill it. We can follow the prints to at least learn about it, and if we get in over our heads, you can retreat.”

“Probably shouldn’t be relying on horror movies to predict the outcome for this, but...” Ruth looked at her father cautiously. “Going in over our heads is probably what’s going to happen if we don’t know what this is.”

The three hunters continued through the woods, finding the messy footprints leading in a rough direction deeper into the forest. The sun was beginning to set, overshadowed by the looming mountain range before them. On the mountainside, there were rocky cliffs and crevices looking over a small frothy stream that flowed noisily throughout the forest like a winding white serpent. The stream was shallow enough to wade through easily, though the mountain water must be very chilly. With a careful footing, one could cross by hopping from the slippery stones.

“I can check out the cave first and call you over if the coast is clear. Watch out for each other, ‘aight?” Josiah dug through Ruth’s backpack briefly before drawing out the flame thrower. He began to wade through the stream, shivering as the cold water soaked through his trousers and chilled him to the bone.

“Be careful, dad,” Ruth said in a low voice.

Josiah crossed over onto the opposing bank and stepped past the underbrush, making his way along the rocky wall against the bank. He passed further along towards the cave. At first, there seemed to be no trace of anything there. He began to move deeper into the dark crevice of stone, holding out his flame thrower warily. His boot bumped across a large leather sack, at first thinking it was a boulder. It was as big as he was. It had a long leather strap and leather buckles. It was weathered and looked as though it had been patched together over a dozen times.

He looked down at it, frowning slightly in thought. He crouched down to get a better look.

WHOOSH-

A massive hunched figure dashed out of the darkness. A clawed hand swept over, smothering his face to suppress the hunter’s shout of surprise. The flame thrower clattered to the ground and was quickly crunched beyond usage by an unseen force. It was completely silent and instantaneous. Josiah was dragged backward into the darkness by the cruel grip. He struggled, slipping his knife off of his belt and tried to jab it at the thing that held him. Large clawed fingers pinned his arms to his sides, rendering his attempts useless. His knife was quickly snatched and tossed aside.

He tried to shout for the others, but the pressure over his face silenced him, rendering it difficult to even breathe. A warm breath puffed on the back of his neck, making his hairs stand up. The wendigo. He felt something hot and slimy drip onto his shoulders and shuddered. What was that? He struggled harder to slip free from the grip. just hoping he could get free before this thing killed him or stored him in some dark tunnel to snack on later.

The warm air grew closer until he grew aware of a glistening thread of liquid drip down from in front of him. Something began to descend across his vision. Fangs. He choked in a startled gasp as the pressure loosened around his face, only allowing him to make a brief shout before his head was enveloped into the dark maw.

Drool soaked through his skin as the tongue roughly rubbed against his face and hair. The grip shifted around him, holding him firmly as it pushed him in deeper combined with a strong gulp. Josiah felt dread settle into his chest. This creature was going to swallow him whole?! He tried to shout for Ruth and Rubin, but that only got that disgusting slime into his mouth. The smothering tight walls of the throat made it impossible to even breathe! He felt more and more of him dragged within the suffocating passage as he heard the creature begin to gulp and swallow him the rest of the way down. The creature’s head tilted back, changing gravity to a disorienting angle as Josiah was completely upside down. He distantly felt his shoes being yanked off and let out a muffled yelp of pain, being some heavy duty hiking boots that couldn’t really be removed easily. He thought the creature must have broken his feet or something, because he definitely felt something snap in there.

His head soon pressed through a crushingly tight ring of muscle and passed into a slightly more open space. He immediately gasped for air, but the air burned his lungs immediately from the intense heat. He choked and coughed, feeling like he could never really catch his breath with how much each one hurt, and how the throat crushed his rib cage too tightly to really draw a full breath.

The rest of him soon followed into the tight chamber. At first, it seemed too tight, almost impossible for him to fit entirely, though it somehow stretched and groaned as it managed to engulf him entirely with relative ease. As soon as he was down, he could hear his captor’s loud breaths from its cleared airway. He gasped, kicking against the tight confines. He reached for his knife, only to remember the beast had taken it from him. He was trapped.

The air was so hot in here. It was difficult to even breathe. It was so tight and slimy. The puddle of fluids that would soon be his demise was already a few inches deep in the pit of the stomach. He could feel a strange numb sensation from mere contact. He sucked in nervous gasps. “Ruth! Rubi--” his voice was muted as the walls seemed to clench tighter around him, additionally with a foreign pressure from the outside that pressed down harshly over him. It was impossible to shout, or even breathe! He struggled to try to fight the walls off of him just enough to battle for weak gasps of air.

***

Ruth sighed anxiously as she looked down, checking the area while keeping her gun close. Her dad wasn’t gone for long, and she trusted his level of experience, though a part of her was still nervous about how unusually large this wendigo was perceived to be.

Rubin was sitting against one of the logs, messing around with their supplies and making sure everything was ready in case of emergency. He suddenly stood up with an alert expression. “Your dad. Something happened.”

Ruth gave him a confused expression. “What? I didn’t hear any—”

“Stay here. I’ll go ahead. If I’m not back in ten, get the dickens outta here.”

Ruth’s brow furrowed and she opened her mouth to protest, but the older hunter was already heading across the stream and towards the cave. She waited behind, holding her shotgun at the ready. Although she was more of a cautious person when it came to hunting, there was no way she was leaving here without her dad and Rubin.

Rubin approached the mouth of the cave with his gun in hand. He listened out carefully. Josiah’s voice was gone, but he could hear breathing.

There was a sudden dash of movement from the side and a huge hand rammed into him, pinning him against the cave wall. The wind was knocked out of him and he gasped, looking up at the monster. It looked almost human with its features, though something was off about it. The dark markings around the eyes, slit pupils, long, pointed ears, sharp fangs and claws. It towered at easily forteen feet tall. What the hell was this thing?!

Rubin snapped out of his stupor, struggling against the grip. Until now, his eyes had been focused on the thing’s face, then he glanced down for a moment and his blood froze. There was a squirming bulge in its gut. It just ate somew--

Josiah’s voice. Josiah’s voice was coming from in there--

The hunter’s eyes widened in dread. The creature’s snarling lips were drawn back to bare its teeth as drool hungrily poured over its lips, dripping onto his face. Rubin panted and grimaced. His heart raced as the creature brought him closer… He could feel his friend past the wall of flesh, squirming for his life… trapped. “J-Josiah--” Rubin stammered. The creature bent down, opening its jaws wide and its gross slimy tongue dragged across the hunter’s face, getting a good taste. Rubin shuddered, gritting his teeth. He had to get out of here. He had to get that machete and cut his friend out of this. Things were going far too south far too quickly, and he didn’t even know how long Josiah would last in there. The thought made him nauseous with dread.

“Do you miss your friend?” The giant’s voice rumbled, vibrating to its core. It could talk? Well-- it looked human enough… “Let him go, Goliath! S-seriously, mate--” “No thanks. I have a better way of reuniting you.” The giant’s jaws opened wider, beginning to descend over Rubin’s line of sight. His breaths hissed frantically through his throat and he struggled harder.

BANG!

A deafening gunshot cracked through the echoing chamber of the cave, skittering off the rocky walls. Ruth appeared at the cave entrance with her shotgun. Her fearful eyes were narrowed, trying to mask the emotion with confidence, but there was a shakiness in her figure. She had missed.

In a swift motion, the giant’s grip readjusted around Rubin. He was now practically pinned against the squirming bulge of his friend, and a claw was held at his throat, barely pricking the skin. He froze.

“L-let them go.” Ruth stammered threateningly.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea, little treat. I think my claw might slip before you pull the trigger.” The giant’s voice was unphased by her threat. She seemed too afraid to pull the trigger with Rubin that close anyways. He was practically a meat shield. “Put the gun down and we can chat about this over lunch. Deal?”

Ruth grit her teeth, her face paling. She was shaking badly. She probably couldn’t hit the giant if she tried.

“Ruth, j-just get out of here.” Rubin pleaded. “I’m not leaving my dad.”

“I’m not giving you many options. Unless you want to join him.” The giant grinned through his fangs. “Be my guest.”

Rubin clenched his jaw nervously, watching Ruth’s expression as she glanced around the environment, trying to find some other way or loophole, or trick she could use to get them all out of there. For a split second, her vision was directed away just long enough for Rubin to act.

It went by in a blur, but suddenly the giant’s fingers were bleeding, he was free from the giant’s grip, and he was running straight towards Ruth. Ruth gasped, lowering her shotgun to the side for a moment before his hand grabbed hers and he tried to get her to run. “No!” She jerked back, firing the shotgun. The giant leaped after them, tackling her to the floor and snapped the shotgun clean in half. The squirming bulge of her father could be seen in clear view, practically above where she was pinned. Rubin gasped, ramming himself against the giant’s arm to shove him out of the way. He drew out a knife and jammed it into the giant’s shoulder, just missing the throat. He didn’t waste another moment before grabbing Ruth’s arm again and took off running. He didn’t realize until and that she was bleeding from her head. The impact must have concussed her.

The giant roared in pain, grabbing the knife out of his shoulder and pressed his hand against the wound. He could only glare daggers at them as they fled. He didn’t need to pursue them. He already had his meal.

Ruth was out of it, swimming in and out of consciousness as she was vaguely aware of a sizzling sound in her head. Trees passed over her blackening vision. The darkened sky. Then the back seat of the car. The low rumble of the engine was lulling to her foggy mind. Tears bit at the corners of her vision. She was too tired to think though… Must sleep…

***

Josiah was faintly aware of what was going on during the fight. Feeling Rubin’s form pressed against where he was captive. It was impossible to breath. The goopy, slimy fluids that smothered him threatened to suffocate him with each pulsating clench of the living chamber. He curled up tighter, feeling a heaviness in his chest. At least Ruth had escaped.

The heat was incredible. Every bit of the harsh environment was sapping him of his energy. He couldn’t keep fighting. He had stopped struggling after the first half hour. It was too exhausting to go on. The deep puddle of fluids wasn’t stinging at least. It was numbing at most. He couldn’t feel his fingers. He didn’t even know if they were still there. He didn’t want to know.

His body fell limp against the rhythmic pulsing of the walls as the puddle grew deeper. His breaths were heavy. The burning air felt like it weighed a ton on his lungs. His consciousness grew further and further away. The loud gurgles, breathing, and heartbeat of the monster were the last sounds that met his ears before they became muffled. His head sank beneath the pool. A final breath choked out, gagging on the fluids that invaded his lungs before life fled his twitching limbs.

***

Ruth opened her eyes. Her head hurt. She could see the plain white ceiling above her. She closed her eyes again. She just wanted to sleep.

“Ruth,”

There was movement next to her. The ground she was on shifted slightly. It was a couch. Someone just sat down next to her.

“Dad…” Her voice came out quietly. She didn’t want any of that to be real.

“I’m so sorry.”

She sniffled. Her eyes opened again. Rubin was sitting next to her. He was disheveled. Blood was on his fingertips. His scarf was lopsided, barely concealing an old scar on the side of his neck. She sat up. The small movement gave her a headache. Whatever the giant did to her had really hit her bad. She could feel bandages wrapped around her head.

“N-no. We… we can still save-“

An arm wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her into a hug. She froze. Her voice choked off. She stared numbly ahead, not knowing how to believe it.

He let her take a while to process this and go through the emotions while offering what comfort he could give. “Your dad told us to watch out for each other, so that’s what I’m going to do.”

She leaned her head into his shoulder and sobbed.

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Link to the rest of the series can be found here.

#-UL series-#unseen legion #rubin husk #ruth cynders #josiah cynders #gt vore #fatal vore #tw fatal vore

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betweenthetimeandsound · 3 years

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Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (#120-111)

#120: Iveta Mukuchyan -- Lovewave (Armenia 2016)

“Without even a single warning I’m not who I was before A chain reaction with no returning Now watch me craving for more”

Lovewave is definitely experimental in more ways than one—not only in how the song builds up with the jet take off, but also with the mix of Armenian elements and artpop. A contemplation on the ecstasy of love and how much it opens up a person, the lyrics bring out the sensation too, in an unorthodox structure including a spoken word beginning and a lack of a proper chorus.

And then we have that staging—if we're judging these only on presentation, this is one of the, if not the, best ones ever. A mix of fire, camera angles (which actually makes it more enjoyable for the audience at home, as it adds to the sensation which the live audience wouldn't otherwise get) and holograms bring up the intensity with Iveta at the center—she owns the stage as an absolute showstopper.

Personal ranking: 3rd/42 Actual ranking: 7th/26 GF in Stockholm

#119: Gina G -- Ooh, Aah, Just a Little Bit (United Kingdom 1996)

“Like a child, but it's more than a phase Could act the angel, but it wouldn't be true”

When the eighth-place song does better commercially than the winner of its year, then things have gotten really wrong in Eurovision. By the 1996 contest, most of the songs were low-energy, with some New Age and/or Celtic influences in between. While it doesn't mean it was bad, it did mean it didn't configure well with the pop charts.

And Ooh, Aah, Just a Little Bit was that song; it stormed through the charts and got nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance Recording. While it's an ordinary dance track, it still induces a jolt of energy and it's just so bubbly and fun. The harp and strings, while very slight, add some nice touches to the song too. Sure, Gina misses a few notes here and there, but I was too busy dancing to notice it, as well as staring at that pretty dress (which was supposed to be for Cher, but it was scrapped!)

However, those vocals also cost the UK a bit, as they placed 3rd in the pre-qualifying round, but dropped to eighth on the night. Considering the state of Eurovision during the time, this might be the song that triggered the televote.

Personal ranking: 4th/23 Actual ranking: 8th/23 in Oslo

#118: Şebnem Paker - Beşinci Mevsim (Turkey 1996)

"Kapandı son kapım, vuruldum bilmeden, Sakın o sen misin giden, Soyundu dallarım, delindi gökyüzü, Kaçıncı sonbahar bugün,”

“My last door has closed, I have been hit without knowing, Are you leaving me My branches are naked, my sky is darker Which autumn is today?”

The opening lines, along with the violin solo, set the stage for this gloomy, melancholic song from Sebnem Paker (the first of two, actually!) I like the autumnal feeling of this, as if one could walk across a boulevard on an overcast day, thinking about what has gone wrong in a relationship. The accordion especially helps here; I keep thinking of a street scene in Paris here. I also like humming this on my spare time; it could work out as an "on hold" tone for the telephone. It's actually quite relaxing.

An interesting thing is despite getting a better result ten years earlier, Beşinci Mevsim scored more points for Turkey in the 100% jury era, with 59 points. And Sebnem would go on to improve on that the following year. While I do look highly on that one like others (and it will eventually come soon) I’d like to think of her first entry as an underrated masterpiece.

Personal ranking: 3rd/23 Actual ranking: 12th/23 in Oslo

#117: Danijela Martinovic -- Neka mi ne Svane (Croatia 1998)

“Neka mi ne svane Nek’ me nema, nek’ me ne bude Neka me bez tebe ne probude”

“May the dawn never rise May I disappear, may I cease to exist May I not wake up without you”

One eccentricity about 1998 is that it begins and ends on a similar note--they can't stop the dawn! Ne zori, zoro (#163) does so through a dim, melancholic note by going through the struggles of a man on the edge, whereas Neka mi ne svane does so through a dainty, yet no less sad, melody about loss.

The way Daniejla sings this line is a highlight with the song, as she vocalizes each syllable with her sweet voice. She mourns for a lost love, desiring for him to come back and refusing to live on. I also love the orchestration; it adds to the magical feel and creates a sense of grandeur. And with a single swipe of hand, one of the most effective gimmicks in Eurovision history as she removes her dark cloak to reveal a white gown.

Apparently, to some commenters, this is the best Balkan Ballad ever. While I find it really beautiful, considering none of Zejlko Joksimovic's compositions are on this list yet, it's doesn't hold much of a candle for what is too come.

Personal ranking: 3rd/25 Actual ranking: 5th/25 in Birmingham

Final Impressions on Croatia: A comment on all their entries describes Croatia at Eurovision as the "reverse of character development"; in the 1990s, they were quite strong, with a number of entries that could've won in their year. They had a good streak in the 2000s, though their last top-ten was in 2001, before basically torpedoing in the 2010s. It's quite sad to see a potential powerhouse withering like that.

But weren't those really good entries, really good? And if it weren't for the Slovak jury giving those points in Kvalificacija za Millstreet...

#116: Pierre Rapsat -- Judy et cie (Belgium 1976)

"Sous ton rimmel et tes bijoux Tu pries Sainte Marilyn Monroe D’être une poupée, un beau joujou Tout feu, tout flamme Enfin la femme”

“Under your mascara and jewelry, You pray to saint Marilyn Monroe To become a doll, a beautiful toy. All fire, all flames, A woman at last...”

Have you ever been one of those kids who was rejected from everything in school and had no friends? Reading the lyrics to “Judy et cie” reminds me of that, as everyone else was so cool with their friends and status, and Judy just wants to feel accepted . With my spin, it feels like it get dark at the end, because Judy becomes so desperate to get attention, she turns to either selling herself to others or doing drugs.

Combined with Pierre’s composition, it just works so well. Not unlike with Somewhere in Europe (#126), it feels like a Billy Joel song with its instrumentation and depth. Relistening to the orchestration, it really works in conveying the overall feeling. We feel that loneliness and hope for better things for Judy, though we know that won’t ever come to light for her.

Personal ranking: 1st/18 Actual ranking: 8th/18 in Den Haag

Final Impressions on 1976: 1976 feels like a filler year, and at the same time, it's quite good song-wise. The production feels a bit bland; we don't have anything interesting, though the changing stage was definitely a neat innovation. The songs are solid; the top two are among the highest-scoring songs by percentage, but there's a mix of boppy and dark. More of the sullen songs makes my top 250.

#115: Anna Maria Jopek -- Ale Jestem (Poland 1997)

“Trzeba żyć naprawdę, żeby oszukać czas, Trzeba żyć najpiękniej, żyje się tylko raz, Trzeba żyć w zachwycie: marzyć, kochać i śnić, Trzeba czas oszukać, żeby naprawdę żyć,”

“You must truly live, to fool the time, You must beautifully live, you live only once You must live in admiration: love, imagine and dream You must fool the time, to save true life”

Around 100 entries ago, I told you about Sama, one of Poland's most eccentric entries. And now we have another Polish entry here, though this is the end of their journey.

Watching Ale Jestem's live performance, one first is immersed into the orchestration, with the variant colors springs to life on the Point Theatre stage. The following three minutes remains folkloric but a bit delicate, the pre-chorus (shown in the lyrics) build up to quite the crescendos as it feels like dancing through a meadow of flowers. Anna Maria keeps up with the sweet vocals, and she has a bit of a mischievous gaze towards the audience!

Both poetic and strong, Ale Jestem relishes in one’s existence, while imploring us we have to make the most of what we’ve got. The instrumentation makes this the ultimate spring song; the strings add a wall of sound that pulls you in (if it's a bit "messy", it's because it's in 12/8 time, though it gets easy to adjust!). It inspires joy and life, and it’s just all kinds of beautiful.

Personal ranking: 7th/25 Actual ranking: 11th/25 in Dublin

#114: Evridiki -- Teriazoume (Cyprus 1992)

“Σου δίνω τα χείλη μου, και μέσα στην ύλη μου Με κάθε κύτταρο μου σε τυλίγω”

“I give you my lips, and into my existence With every cell of mine I wrap you”

Terry Wogan famously warned the audience that Evridiki's performance will "smolder your television set". While it may not have made your TV (or these days, laptop or phone) melt until it functions with a melted screen, Teriazoume is so sensual!

It definitely lit a spark in the dull 1992 field, which didn’t exactly translate to points, though it has won my heart. From the way Evridiki moves to the way the microphone stand shakes, you’re on a wire as she tries to seduce you. (I've actually spent quite a bit of time trying to learn the handography in the bridge) The strings also add to that feeling with their sudden starts and stops--at one point, the audience clapped before the song was over!

George Theopanous (the songwriter as well as the conductor) does a good job in using imagery in the lyrics to accompany the melody, and the result is akin to a strip tease with beautiful silk clothes and lacy underwear. And in my opinion, this has more sex appeal in two seconds than Fuego has in three minutes. You can't change my mind.

Personal ranking: 3rd/23 Actual ranking: 11th/23 in Malmo

#113: Monica Aspelund -- Lapponia (Finland 1977)

“Tuo neito noita on, hän luo voimalla kohtalon Hän vailla on seuraa ja lohduttamaton Ja siksi loihtii hän noituen, hän luo voimalla loitsujen Hän tavalla Seidan näin miehen kutsua saa”

“That girl is a witch, she creates with the power of destiny She’s without company and consolation And that’s why she conjures witching, she creates with the power of spells In the way of Seita she can beckon a man”

Apparently, Monica disowned the Finnish lyrics of Lapponia because they mentioned witches, which is a pity because it tells a fantastic story! (And in other linguistic fun, the song was meant to be performed in Swedish, but the language rule prevented Monica from doing so. It would take another thirteen years for a Finnish entry to be performed in Swedish. In addition, there was a Dutch version only used for a commercial)

The instrumental is bright and enjoyable despite the cold land of Lapponia, and Monica’s vocals sings clearly and with joy. The clapping is enough to get one up and going, and it nullifies the repetitiveness of the "nananas". And of course, her high note at the bridge absolutely nailed it!

Along with a solid result, Lapponia got Finland’s first top score (and only one until 2006--see #140 for that), but it certainly deserved more. (Why did It's Nice to Be in Love Again have to complete the top three?)

Personal ranking: 3rd/18 Actual ranking: 10th/18 in London

#112: Anna Vissi -- Everything (Greece 2006)

“I can hear my heart breaking as I open the door I can feel the tears on my face burn like fire...”

I've honestly wavered between this and another Greek personal runner-up for this one. Both of them are fantastic, but neither would've challenged my winners of their respective years. After watching both of their performances, I turned to my gut, and this lost out.

The contrast between Anna’s questioning of the relationship and desire to get back together plays well into the lyrics, even though they don’t necessarily stand out. That doesn’t compare with the music and Anna’s performance on the night, which was an intense experience. Compared to Mono i agapi (#239) twenty-four years earlier, Anna is a but rougher on the edges, but still gives her all on the stage.

Everything about her makes her look like a rock-star; the Jean-Paul Gaultier ensemble goes down as one of my all-time favorite performance outfits, and the crowd singing along is a highlight of the 2006 contest. The climax featured an awesome knee-drop at the end, and you could see how much vocal control she had. That’s how you do a minimally-staged performance!

Personal ranking: 2nd/37 Actual ranking: 9th/24 GF in Athens

#111: Boaz Maauda -- The Fire in Your Eyes (Israel 2008)

“נפשי מייחלת לתפילת הלב החם”

“My soul is longing for the warm heart's prayer”

Also known as the other good Israeli Eurovision entry from the 2000s, The Fire in Your Eyes stands out as one of the more serious, yet beautiful songs from the class of 2008, which goes up and down in terms of quality.

Who would've thought that Dana International could write such a song? It’s so beautiful, with good use of Eastern elements to add a sense of mysticism and melancholy to it. I also like the clear vocal lines from Boaz (albeit with a crack at the end); his talent show pedigree really shows here. And the staging was quite pretty, though the backing vocalists' dancing does feel a bit jarring compared to the minimalistic lighting.

Ultimately, the lyrics stand out the most to me. They're really sweet and calm, with a serenity in the longing. I like the added touches of Yemenite Hebrew in the introduction, which adds more substance to the song.

Personal ranking: 5th/43 Actual ranking: 9th/25 GF in Belgrade

#eurovision #eurovision song contest #esc top 250 #esc 250 #esc armenia #esc united kingdom #esc turkey #esc croatia #esc belgium #esc poland #esc cyprus #esc finland #esc greece #esc israel #vintage eurovision #three minutes to eternity

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