#especially when it’s being hosted BY SWEDEN

[cat-tully]

I had such high hopes for Danny and Dotter

The damn Norwegians are gonna win aren’t they

[queeranarchism]

Reading your posts, and I see you talk about, you know, creating mutual aid networks, or affinity groups. It interested me especially when you talked about relationship anarchy and building such a queer community in resistance to capitalism and exploring open love. How... how does one create such a group/community? Everything sounds great, but what are the practical steps? Especially for someone living in a rather middle big Sweden city.

If you live in a middle-big city, there's a good chance that an anarchist community and/or a radical queer community already exists and that there's a good deal of overlap between the two. Especially anarchist trans people seem like soooo abundant in the trans community. (Because they state screws us over so much.)

Anyway, communities tend to form around a space, like an anarchist cafe or a queer club house or a non-permanent space like a recurring event. When looking for an existing community I tend to frequent those spaces. When I see queer anarchists at protests I try to make friends, invite them to the spaces I know and ask what spaces they're recommend.

This takes one skill you'll need to practice: walking up to strangers and having that awkward first conversation with someone you don't know. This is an essential skill in any form of community building and the only way to learn it is to throw yourself in and to experience that being very awkward for a bit is not the end of the world. Where spaces are lacking, I try to create them. Creating a space sounds hard and if you want a permanent autonomous space then yes, it is hard. But creating a non-permanent space doesn't take a huge amount of work.

It's basically a matter of finding a venue that's okay with you hosting an event and then spreading the message "There's a queer/trans/anarchist/whatever hang out here every first monday of the month." and then just consistently show up there so there's always at least one person to warmly greet new people. (which again takes the 'talking to strangers' skill). The start of building a community can be as simple as that.

In a while, the people in that community will start to care about it and at that point you might want to talk about sharing the monday greeter shifts so you no longer have to always show up for the space to exist. Another step you might want to take is to build communication channels to announce events, like a website and social media channels. Discord is quite useful as an in-group channel to allow people to chat after the events, plan new events, etc.

The big, difficult, but super valuable step that will make your space a permanent space. I wouldn't recommend trying that alone and I don't have a lot of experience with that, so I'm going to leave that step to someone else.

[grantmentis]

2024 u18 Women's Worlds Information

What: The biggest junior tournament for women's hockey, featuring the top players from 8 of the best IIHF countries

When: January 6th to January 14th

Full schedule available here (it will even convert to your time!) Since this takes place in Switzerland, most of these games will be early morning for North American's, but there's a few afternoon starts.

Where: Zug, Switzerland

Where to watch: The following will host at least some of the games. Sadly a lot are only showing games in their country and medal games (for example, in the round robin, TSN and NHL Network are only showing USA, Canada, and Slovakia.) There are also some alternate sources to watch if you do not have access to these channels, and I'm happy to connect if you're an active account on here if you DM me

TSN

RDS

NHL Network

SVT Sweden

Discovery Finland

Swiss digital / ringier sports

Format: There is an initial round robin round among each of the two groups, group A and Group B.

Group A contains Finland, Canada, Czechia, Germany

Group B contains Sweden, United States, Slovakia, Switzerland

After that, the teams will play a cross-over Quarter-final game in the following format (via wikipedia)

Who: Below the cut is the rosters for each team, a few notable players, and what the main goals for each team will be

Switzerland

(Text version available here and here)

2023 Finish: 7th place

What to expect: Switzerland has had a rough few years in the tournament, having had to play to avoid relegation the last two years. If they can stay out of the relegation game

Players to watch: Ivana Wey had 4 assists last world juniors, and is currently playing on a beyond stacked SWHL B team where she's seen a lot of ice time and scored a lot of goals. 15 year old Norina Müller is one of the youngest forwards on the roster, and has seen some time in a SWHL A team this year, which is impressive experience especially at her age.

USA

Text version of roster available here and here

2023 finish: 3rd place/Bronze

What to expect: USA was upset by Sweden in last years semifinals, and is hoping to make it back to the medal game and upset the favorites and their rivals in Canada

Players to watch: Captain Maggie Scannell is in this tournament for a third time and was one of the best players last year, with 8 points in 5 games. 17 year old Boston College commit Ava Thomas is one of the many excited prospects coming out of the Philadelphia Jr Flyers program in recent year. She has dominated in many national tournaments before with speed that she utilizes well, and is a must watch as she makes her intentional debut.

Sweden

2023 Finish: silver

What to expect: Last year, Sweden had a huge victory over the USA to make the finals only to experience a disappointing 10-0 finish. This year, they will want revenge and a gold medal, maintaining a lot of the same group.

Players to watch: Hilda Svensson was the top scorer on the team and she has only gotten better, as one of the top scorers on SDHL team HV71. Isabelle Leijonhielm is playing in this tournament for the third time, and has taken a pretty big step at the SDHL level this year despite being on a struggling team and has a knack for getting shots through traffic

Slovakia:

Text version available here

Last year: 6th place finish

What to expect: Hope to continue to build on last year, but unlikely to move much in the standings, and show more depth

Players to watch: If you don't already know about Nela Lopusanova, you should look her up and instantly see what a sensation she is. Won best player of the tournament last year after scoring 9 goals and 3 assists in 5 games including a michigan goal, and has spent the past year at one of the best prep schools in north america. Her teammate, Ema Tothova, has also spend the past year getting better, and is one of the top scorers in the EWHL. The two will almost certainly be linemates and a must watch for this tournament

Canada

Text version can be found here and here

Last year: First/Gold

What to expect: Last year, Canada steamrolled everyone to victory, and much of the same roster is back and expecting to do it again. People have named this as one of the best u18 rosters we have seen.

Players to watch: Caitlin Kraemer had 10 goals last tournament, so eyes will be on her to repeat that great performance. Defender Chloe Primerano will be making her exciting u18 worlds debut after dominating the CSSHL U22 by having one of the best season ever recorded and becoming the highest scoring defender of all time in the league in just 45 games

Germany

Text version available here and here

Last year: Was in u18 Division I group A and was promoted!

What to expect: Germany will mainly be trying to avoid relegation and stay in the top division, a lot of the key player that helped with promotion have aged out sadly

Players to watch: Anastasia Gruß was one of the top scorers last tourament with 5 points in 5 games. Emilija Birka and Mathilda Heine will be two of the youngest playres at this tournament at only 14 year old, so it will be interesting to see how they impact the roster

Finland

Text version available here and here

Last year: Fourth Place

What to expect; This is a team that wants to medal, and has more depth than teams like Switzerland or Slovakia, but may not have the star power to fully compete for a medal. Sanni Vanhanen aging out is a huge loss, and don't have some of the elite goaltender prospects to make up for that like they have in the past. That said, it's still Finland, and there are many players poised to break out. Such as the following!

Players to watch: Emma Ekoluoma has been great both in the Finnish top League (naisten liiga) as well as in international competition this year. Nelly Anderson is a 16 year old defender who made major steps this year and was impactful as she played more games in Naisten Liiga, and I'd expect her to get some big minutes

Czechia

Text version here and here

Last Year: Fifth Place

Expectations: Medal! There's a lot of reason to believe this group can take a big step this year as Czechia has reaped the rewards of investing in their women's program the past few seasons

Players to watch: Adéla Šapovalivová was the top scorer for Czechia last year, and this year she enters as one of the top scorers in the SDHL where she plays against many senior level players. Same for Tereza Plosová, a university of minnesota commit who has already been a consistent producer in the SDHL and played on the Czech senior team. Goaltender Daniela Nováková looked good in an extremely small sample size at last years tournament, so we will see if she can build on that

[go-starry-eyed]

Some AfterVision thoughts:

Like most, I'm a little disappointed. Especially because I just remembered last year and that... that was the best of Eurovision. That was Europe standing behind Ukraine and showing them all the love that you can in a silly little dance show. I liked last year so much!

There were people being worried that it was going to be rigged last year too. And I could see why they would be worrying about that. BUT then Stefania was SO good. It was such a great piece. I heard it and I knew nobody needed to rig anything because this was by far the best song in the competition!

Now, this year. Starting with the host: UK, sweety, I like you. I really do. But what the fuck was that? Why did you make that all about yourself? That was SO uncalled for! Who made that decision? You took the spotlight from a war torn country that WON. That is just... WHAT?!?!?!? Why?!? That's basic human decency 101. That's like don't hit a toddler and don't steal from the elderly. Like, do we have to even say this?

But instead of giving the time to Ukraine - THEIR time, you know, because THEY won - you made it about people who almost won 30 years ago and all the "memorable" ESC acts of the last decades? Like. What?!? Nobody liked that, that was a dick move. Whoever is responsible for that decision: Shame on you. You did your country such a disservice by stealing Ukraine's spotlight.

Now, for the winner, I feel icky about the jury votes too. Don't get me wrong, it is a nice enough song. But Sweden got so many 12 points. So many. When there were other strong songs (Norway, my queen! That was great!).

I'm also sorry for everyone who feels let down today. Last year was the best if Eurovision, this year was just... a pretty disappointing meh.

[tyranasauruslex]

I love your RomeLukas holiday stuff but don't you think Lukas would want to go to a Roy christmas?? Imagine the chaos!

Thank you, I enjoyed writing it :) In answer to your question, no, I can’t see Lukas heading to a Roy family Christmas any time soon! 

Firstly, from what we’ve seen Lukas is a very private person, especially about his family, and I doubt he’d want to spend Christmas with two of his employees - Tom and Greg. That's giving them a level of access to his personal life that he wouldn’t be comfortable with. 

There’s also a difference between hearing about how dysfunctional the Roy family is and actually witnessing it in person. Whilst I don’t doubt that the siblings love each other, they can be incredibly cruel and unkind to one another and that isn’t going to stop just because Logan is dead. When they can’t pick on each other their attention moves to the spouses, we saw that at the Shiv/Tom/Roman/Tabitha date night, who rarely if ever fight back or get involved with the sibling infighting. Also just because he’s with Lukas that doesn’t mean Roman has moved any further up the sibling pecking order; he’ll forever remain at the bottom thanks to the poison Logan dripped into the rest of the family about him being the weak link. 

Enter Lukas who will challenge every nasty comment directed at either himself or Roman and is pretty secure within himself to not get suffocated by how oppressive the Roys can be. Initially he would be quite smug about not letting them get to him, until he realises that his indifference only causes Roman to be bullied even more. Then there would inevitably be a backhanded comment about his dad which would seal the deal for Lukas to put his foot down about spending any more time with the Roys - he’s got his own trauma to deal with and he doesn’t need anyone else dredging it back up again.

It’s not like Lukas would stop Roman seeing his family or spending Christmas with them but he would make it clear how awful he thinks they all are. Why spend Christmas in misery when he could spend it in snowy Sweden with Lukas and his mama? For Roman there’s also never been any other option but to spend Christmas/every major holiday with the Roys - just look at Tom who rarely saw his own family because Logan dictated where everyone had to be. Kendall isn’t going be handing out Christmas invites to Lukas willingly either - he’d make Roman jump through hoops to get a seat at the table for him. Which Lukas would promptly turn down without really realising how this will affect Roman. 

HOWEVER! Lukas would be willing to host the Roys on home turf aka up a mountain in Sweden if Roman really wanted to be with his family over Christmas. He’d have them out chopping wood for the fire and washing up the dishes whilst Mama Matsson puts her feet up. Although they do end up with a very drunk Shiv for Christmas once her divorce is finalised and it’s Tom’s turn to have Shiv Jr. 

[ladylooch]

Willa definitely likes Luca. Maybe there’s a party and Liv went to surprise Luca and Willa try’s to kiss him but Luca pushes her away. But Liv sees and doesn’t realize he pushed her away. He sees her run off. And Liv is just a emotional reck.

The excitement around Liv’s arrival in town was a bit short lived. Luca forgot about an apartment “around the world” party he agreed to host a country with Willa the same evening.

“We are Sweden.” He tells her as he roughly chops parsley. 

“Not Switzerland? No fondue!? Why are you more Swedish sometimes than Swiss?”

“Because my dad spent a lot of time there and his teammates were all Swedish.” He stirs the parsley into the Swedish meatballs. “Don’t tell, but I got these from Ikea.” Luca chuckles. “My mom taught me putting fresh herbs on pre-made meals makes it seem homemade.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” Liv jokes. Luca comes between her legs where she is sitting on the counter, pulling her in for a smooch. “I’m sorry you have to share me.”

“I didn’t exactly give you time to prepare.” Liv murmurs, leaning into his chest. He wraps his arms around her, holding her to him. They both sigh into their embrace, thrilled and interested at each other being so close. “Babe?” Liv whispers.

“Hmmm?”

“Once wasn’t enough.”

“Not even close. Hang on!” He swoops her off the counter. Liv laughs loudly, locking her ankles around his waist as he rushes them back to his bedroom.

Liv is still floating on her high when the party begins. She is so glad she came to see him. It’s filled in all the cracks the distance had been creating. She has a new outlook, believing everything is going to be okay with them. She is particularly enjoying mingling with new people, especially when their faces light up when they see her.

“Liv! We have heard so much about you!” They tell her. Liv loves that and the way Luca smirks at her, like ‘see, I love you so much’.

Liv is talking to Veronica and Billy, Luca’s across the hall neighbors, when she sees Willa and Luca step out of his bedroom. Shock jolts Liv as she watches Willa go onto her tiptoes. She kisses his cheek. Luca looks at Willa, turning his face until their lips practically line up. Willa curls her lips into a smile, wrapping her hands around Luca’s waist. Liv looks away before she can see anything else. She abruptly excuses herself from the conversation and the apartment. 

The gray, striped walls blur together as she walks, stunned and confused about what she just witnessed. She finds herself in the communal room at the end of the hall. Still dazed, she lowers herself onto the leather couch. A numbness washes over her as she lays down completely, curling her knees up to her chest. She doesn’t have her phone, nor does she move from her spot on the couch. Liv isn’t even sure she thinks the few hours she is in there. It takes Luca a long time to find her. It’s dark out when the door opens again, flurries swirling in the lights outside the window.

“Baby, there you are! I’ve been calling you. What happened? I thought…” Luca trails off when he sees her red eyes and splotchy cheeks.

“I thought nothing was going on with you and her.” Liv whispers, sadness drenching her voice.

“Nothing’s going on.” Luca confirms, cupping her cheek. Liv flinches away. “No. Hear my words.” Luca mumbles. “Livy, nothing is going on.”

“Why were you in your bedroom with her?”

“I was grabbing my phone. She followed me in there.”

“She kissed you.”

“She tried to. I stopped her. I would never do that to you.” He leans down, kissing her cheek softly. Liv closes her eyes, bringing her hand to the back of his neck. She trembles beneath his mouth and hands. Luca curses internally, pissed as hell that Willa overstepped so openly. Embarrassed too. He knows how insecure and uncertain Liv gets when she is hurt. How could he let himself be in this position? “Everyone is gone, including her. Let’s take a shower and cuddle in bed.” 

Liv believes Luca. And she trusts him. He assures her the entire walk back to his apartment that he won’t be spending anymore time with Willa. She senses Luca is telling the truth.

But what Liv cannot forget about tonight is how easy it would be for someone to take Luca from her. In the heat of the moment. In a weak night in their relationship. On a random Thursday night in the middle of the winter. Something could happen and she would lose him. Truthfully, she’s not quite sure how she’s going to survive the rest of this long distance knowing that.

As Luca tugs her t-shirt off in the steamy bathroom, he gives her a reassuring smile, thinking they dodged a bullet. On instinct, Liv smiles back, ignoring the nagging voice in the back of her brain that reminds her losing him would kill her.

[persodiv]

going feral about eurovision was not on my 2023 bingo card

especially since this is my first time being like mildy interested in it LOL i had barely an idea of what eurovision was also have i told you how bitter ive been feeling ever since the results were announced oh my godddddd everyone i can possibly tell knows that I Am Bitter about finland not winning that the green pallet man should have won like no hate to loreen but hate to the jury actually why should these random more special people get basically the final vote instead of the actual audience who are Paying Money to vote it is genuinely unfair genuinely like käärijä was so hyped and so was everyone else like it was proving that finnish was a good language actually and it could win eurovision and also united by music you know but alas a radio song in english won like i get it the song is ok but käärijä tho :( Also i even ranted to my sister for like 5 minutes straight about Everything without stopping and she had to literally kick me in the shins to get me to stop i think that says something

when will this bitterness go away it probably won't until next year when sweden is hosting.... AAH what was it about abba 50 year anniversary something something rigged votes

all that aside croatia and france's songs slap in contrast to mama šč i haven't heard anyone talking about évidemment like bro slaps though i guess it just might not be suited for eurovision despite being good in general? or just people wanted countries like finland to win instead LOL 12 points from france

[theladyofbloodshed]

eurovision 2023 - thoughts?

I always go in blind but the crowd seemed to know every song so it was fun to bop along but I'll need to watch again and actually hear Graham's scathing commentary. Norway was a massive hit with the crowd as was Finland. I liked Moldova. Massive cheer for Ragnar Klavan presenting Estonia's points <3 I don't think people should compete twice if they have previously won and it is tempting to believe the rigged rumours especially as it's a very nice coincidence that Sweden will host for Abba's anniversary. Need to get rid of juries because they always go against the popular vote and literally no clue who experts are or what makes them experts at judging songs. Very hypocritical to announce various sentiments about standing with Ukraine when Israel can participate and 12 points were being thrown at someone who served in the IDF and was used for propaganda for their ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

More weird songs this year which was also fun - and songs sang in their own language <3 Slovenian boy band you were beautiful.

[rabbidlover343]

A while ago, before the Rayman DLC for Mario+Rabbids Sparks of Hope was announced, I created a story set to continue the adventures of the limbless legend. One of the things I tried to somewhat start up is giving the Nymphs more of a personality, which, while I didn’t show off to its full extent in said story, I will list right now. (Constructive criticism on the Nymphs personalities is very appreciated.):

I’ll start with Edith Up. She has a stereotypical high pitched “Valley Girl” voice. She, of course, loves to eat. A connoisseur, you could call her. At the same time, she exercises a lot. She prides herself on her looks, her tan especially. She’s also a Kung Foot *fanatic!*

Annetta Fish is someone who I would consider to be easily stressed. The waters of the Sea of Serendipity are one of the few things that manage to keep her consistently calm. That, and cuddling the living stuffed animals that are Rabbids. She is generally tense when on land, unless she’s around her sisters or friends. She enjoys reading quite a bit. Before The Magician was turned to a Teensie, he used to be good friends with Annetta. When talking to others, friends or otherwise, Annetta refers to people formally in a high pitched, sheepish tone of voice.

Next up is Holly Luya. I like to think of her as the Glade’s #1 Party Planner! She constantly knows just what every setting needs for the perfect shindig! Just…make sure she has her coffee first… While she isn’t party planning, she can be seen with a surprisingly laid back demeanor at times, singing and soaring gracefully through the Desert of Didgeridoos, teaching the children of the Glade how to sing and dance, or tending to a local flock of birds! Her voice would be one with a higher pitched Australian accent!

Helena Handbasket is a woman of gossip. She has scarily good hearing. Once she hears something the slightest bit interesting, she takes the topic, and morphs it into a web of rumor insanity. She also has a tendency to fall asleep really easily (The mountain life is very calming.) Helena can also be found making an assortment of clothes and furniture at lightning speed. She’s also scared of lightning. Her voice-which is slightly deeper than most other Nymphs-sounds, as if she was from Sweden.

Now for who I like to imagine as the youngest of the sisters: Voodoo Mamma! She is what I consider to be a loner. Aside from Betilla, none of the other Nymphs like to be around her, save for an important meeting. Because of this, Mamma tends to hang around in the Land of the Livid Dead, alone.

Mamma has tried to fill the void of having little friends by taking up many hobbies. Aside from rocking out and making voodoo dolls, her hobbies include:

Stage Acting

Performing ballet in front of her stuffed animals

Being a bit of a gymnast

Her voice is that of a deeper, sultry kind of voice.

To round out the personalities, Betilla, being the oldest, is the most mature. She’s very perky, but plenty caring of her friends. She can be seen hosting meetings with her sisters in the Fairy Council, relaxing by waterfalls in Jibberish Jungle, tending to a garden, and frequently being an emotional therapist. She doesn’t really mind the last thing that much, as she really loves helping people. This also connects to her being the only Nymph who hangs around Voodoo Mamma. Her voice sounds like it does in Rayman Origins: High pitch, and happy!

Note that none of the fairies are meant to be brain dead. They know a lot about the world, and the areas of the Glade in which they reside.

Like I said before, constructive criticism is highly appreciated.

[totaldramafan-lauri]

Eurovision 2023 final thoughts

Well, it’s been a few days since the final....the post-Eurovision depression is surely hitting many people like it is me. That feeling of “......now what? We have to wait a whole year?” after the dust clears......

But, I don’t feel like it’s truly over until I give my full thoughts on the results after I’ve calmed down and rewatched, so.....here goes!

MAN this was a good year. I’m not sure I can call it one of my favorites - it wouldn’t be fair to do that since it’s still fresh in my mind - but it’s certainly up there! Not only ending with a worthy winner and a worthy runner-up, but the production was incredible! You would’ve never guessed that this contest has given the UK so much grief over the years, cuz you can TELL that they still love it. I-it’s like....an unhealthy relationship, pfffff......

B-but I’m getting ahead of myself.....so, here goes.

Just a warning: I-I may come off as a bit....harsh at times here. I’ve just....seen some things I don’t agree with, and I wanted to respond to them in my own way....None of what I say is meant as an attack on any specific people, and you don’t have to read this if you don’t wanna. I-I just think it’d feel good to....release it all at once, both my happiness and my frustrations.....

This is coming from an unbiased American perspective, keep that in mind. Also, I’m someone who loved both Sweden AND Finland, so if you expect the venting I mentioned to be about me taking a side, it’s not.

Thoughts under the cut!

O-OK......so, first of all, production-wise....I really loved the co-hosting this year. I thought it was really unique, and it worked super well! I loved how the interval acts incorporated music from both countries, how the hosts were from both countries, Eurovision alumni from both countries were brought back, etc. Super cool and heartwarming at the same time. I did look it up, and yes, this IS the first time this kinda thing has happened, so I’m surprised at how well it worked.

That being said, the intervals weren’t my favorites ever.....but I personally LOVED the Sam Ryder song (”Mountain”, I think it was called), and I liked the Liverpool Songbook (the highlight of which being Daði Freyr  FINALLY getting to sing live at this dang contest, complete with the audience singing along with him), but the covers weren’t all-time greats for me, and a similar thing already happened in 2019 with former contestants singing each others’ songs, which I thought was more entertaining. Still, I had a good time! However, I think my favorite interval was actually the drag queens in the second semifinal. (I can’t remember the last time I preferred a semifinal’s interval.....this might’ve been the first time?)

The energy in the arena was contagious throughout the whole thing, as usual (especially when they absolutely lost it whenever Finland got points and chanted “CHA CHA CHA”), and of course we also had Graham Norton just.....being himself. I loved getting to hear his comments without having to wait for cheeky fans to provide links to BBC feeds I’m geoblocked from. That was cool. Also, thank GOD they got him to host, even if just for the final. It would’ve been a huge missed opportunity if they didn’t. XD The other hosts were good too, but he stole the show.

My only real “complaint” (besides the jury vote segment being less varied and fun to watch), and I use that lightly, is more of a nitpick, and that’s.....there was WAY too much red. I have no idea why this was, like.....there’s no way the lights were THAT limited, so it had to just be a really weird coincidence, right? But this is just a nitpick. It wasn’t awful, it was just....pretty distracting in points, how we’d have multiple songs in a row where everything is just RED. I get wanting to use a striking color, but I really could’ve used more variety in places. XD

As for the results, it’s....mixed. I agree with a lot of what did well, but there were a FEW songs I think deserved better than what they got. I don’t have a LOT to complain about, especially when looking at these numbers, but there were a few results I was absolutely scratching my head at. I think this year had more of those moments than other recent years.

I-I’ll do my best to try to understand those results......but FIRST.....I have some choice words.

(This is your last chance to stop reading)

So, I’m SUPER happy Sweden won. I think it was a well-deserved win, even if a bit predictable. Their song was amazing and well-performed by Loreen. While I don’t like “Tattoo” as much as “Euphoria”, it’s still a masterpiece, and her voice is still incredible and elevates it further into greatness. Not only that, but this is one of those songs that I like more when watching the live performance. It’s such a BIG BIG BIG song, that having it boom and resonate throughout a full arena just feels so right. And finally, one thing that I cannot praise enough is the EMOTION she sings it with. Especially in the final, and especially at the end of the song, I got goosebumps cuz it legitimately sounded like she was tearing up at the slow bridge. She knows how to sell you on every emotion this song wants you to feel, and almost comes off as....unpolished, but in the best possible way. Sometimes, vulnerability helps a lot in music.....

So, yeah, even though I DID want Finland to win, since I loved them more, I literally have no complaints with Sweden winning. It was a moving performance, one of the best vocals of the night, a beautiful song, the staging was great too....yeah, it was pretty much flawless. And I think Sweden were FAR overdue for tying Ireland’s record, since they’ve given 100% effort every single year, are absolutely in love with Eurovision, they know how it works and how to send quality. Ireland clearly haven’t been the masters of this contest for a LONG TIME, and it’s pretty obvious who took over.

THAT. Being. Said.....

While she HAS gotten a lot of love, I’m not gonna act like it’s all sunshine and rainbows. And the way some of Käärijä’s fans have been taking Loreen’s win, particularly on Twitter and even YouTube comments, has been just downright toxic. I can’t even read it after a while. Not saying they’re ALL like that, far from it......I’m just talking about the ones who say things like:

“The contest was RIGGED!” “The juries are ALWAYS biased towards Sweden, no matter what they send!” (they aren’t, but OK) “The result was predetermined from the start!”

Um.......did you miss the part where she came SECOND IN THE TELEVOTE!?!?

With Sweden’s highest televote score in....probably close to a decade!?

She did win the jury vote, yes, but jury winners have lost before. Heck, that exact thing happened to SWEDEN before. And Sweden have gotten poor televote results before, and they ARE able to finish on the right side of the scoreboard, which happened in 2021. The system is NOT rigged towards them at all, from what I can tell. And heck....I’ve been watching this contest since the votes were split, and literally the ONLY TIME the juries have piled votes on Sweden that they didn’t deserve was 2018 with “Dance You Off”. That’s it. (And before anyone says “well what about 2019?” THAT song was INCREDIBLE and it DESERVED its jury score and should’ve had more love from the televote, FIGHT ME) Yes, “Dance You Off” wasn’t that good a song, and didn’t deserve finishing in the top five. But it was elevated by its staging, so I can somewhat rationalize it? But that was literally the ONE TIME.....

From an unbiased point of view, I can say that Sweden ARE just that good at Eurovision, and people just LIKE their entries that much. This one, they brought back not only a former winner, but a near-universally-loved one, with an honest-to-god emotional powerbomb of a song. You shouldn’t immediately shout “RIGGED” when the juries love that, OK?

And AGAIN, even though their lead in the jury was by a wide margin, it wasn’t an insurmountable lead by any means! Finland would’ve won...

....if YOU PEOPLE didn’t vote for her so much, too!

You liked her. You loved her, even. Stop acting like you suddenly don’t love her anymore, just cuz she wasn’t the winner you personally wanted. Shouldn’t you be happy that A song you liked won, even if it isn’t your number one? C’mon....it should go without saying, right?

I myself would’ve LOST IT if Finland won, don’t get me wrong. Finland were my number two this year, and Sweden were my number eight (six in the final). So, yes, I WAS rooting for Finland. But I do love them both, and either would’ve been a worthy winner. Even though Loreen wasn’t my ideal winner, I still celebrated when she won, cuz hey, a song I loved still won! A good song, that deserved its acclaim! Even if it wasn’t the one I wanted more.

......I-I probably shouldn’t dwell too much on this.....There’s barely ever a winner that doesn’t have discourse around them in recent years....It’s in a Eurofan’s nature to be competitive....so, I-I’m sorry for going on about this. I-I just....got really bothered by the people claiming this win wasn’t legitimate in some way. I think it’s gross. This was a clear fan-favorite song, people loved it, and it got a lot of votes!

If there ARE people who actually didn’t like the song, and NEVER liked the song, and didn’t contribute to its win, then......I can’t, and won’t, force you to like it. And I get being salty when something you didn’t like won. I would be a hypocrite if I called you out on that, cuz I was in that exact position in 2017. I still remember how disappointed I was. But do you know how I dealt with that in 2017?

I kept my complaining to my personal bubble (this blog) and didn’t attempt to shove my opinions in people’s faces. I didn’t try to directly insult the artist or his fans when I did. I didn’t try to claim that he cheated! I just let off some steam, and talked about how I hated the song and didn’t agree with the win, and once I got it all out, I moved on. I got over it. No matter how I felt, he won fair and square.

And Loreen won fair and square. If you wanna cry about it, go ahead, but don’t claim the system is rigged just cuz you couldn’t handle it. The system is fine. She came first in the jury vote and second in the televote. That means she won. If you can’t deal with that, then cry about it where we who support her can’t see you....

Also, while a lot of people do agree with me on this, I still feel like there are some people who don’t realize how amazing a second place is for Finland. Normally such an underdog in Eurovision, this is literally their FIRST second place and only their SECOND TIME in the top ten after their win in 2006. Heck, it’s their FIRST time in the top FIVE since their win in 2006. All other years, either DNQ or towards the bottom in the final, no matter what they send. Good song after good song, overlooked. This is AMAZING for them. I don’t think anyone over there is complaining about this result. Even if they go back to the status quo next year, they can be proud of this one runner-up for a looooong time.

Not to mention that runners-up can be winners in their own right! Look at how iconic “Dancing Lasha Tumbai” has become! Heck, I even made a comment on Twitter saying something like “Why do I get the feeling that ‘Cha Cha Cha’ will be to ‘Tattoo’ what ‘Dancing Lasha Tumbai’ was to ‘Molitva’“. I was partly joking when I said that, pffffff...but I did make that parallel. The goofy, fun runner-up that was a huge fan-favorite, and the emotional winner that won people over come the contest proper. Which one of those two songs is the one that keeps showing up and has been kept alive as a symbol of the Eurovision spirit? That’s right....And there’ve been plenty of other songs that didn’t win, yet still became iconic. Ooh, ah, just a little bit~! Heh, so yeah, I really do think that Käärijä could easily become a Eurovision icon. You don’t have to win to become one of those~

Actually, since I’ve said all I wanted to about Sweden and am moving on to Finland.....Even if they didn’t get that win, they actually.....still did BETTER than I was expecting? I was legit worried about their jury score. I didn’t know how much the juries would like such a strange song, especially the live performance when the music kinda swallows him in the second half. But Finland actually got fourth with the juries, which made me super happy! They DO know how to have fun!

In my rankings post before the contest, I called “Tattoo” a masterpiece, but now that I think about it, I think “Cha Cha Cha” is a masterpiece too. I loved the song from first listen, but I mainly loved it for its catchiness, its wild energy, and how intense yet fun it was. But when I really listen to it hard, it’s kinda....INSANE how well it works? The two halves are so distinct from each other, yet they transition into one another so seamlessly, it’s crazy! If I tried to tell past me that I’d be in love with a song like this, and tried to describe it in text, I wouldn’t believe myself. On paper, this sounds like it’d be super disjointed and messy. “So, the first half is an intense nu-metal rap, and it turns into a happy party song in the second half“. WHAT? The fact that this works so well just means it was put together expertly and I HAVE to get credit where it’s due. I guess that could be part of what the juries saw in it too.

This might not be my overall favorite Finnish entry (that’s “Jezebel”), but it’s definitely in my top five favorite Finnish entries now. Could not be happier that it did so well and got Finland their second-best result ever. This song deserved to be the one to do that. They might’ve not beat Sweden, but they were the true underdog story this year. Finland CAN DO WELL IN EUROVISION, they can send bangers of songs, and people have FINALLY put respect on their name. WOO!

So.....I-I think that’s all I have to say about the top two......So, on to how I feel about the rest of the results. I-I’ll try to go a bit faster now.....

So, Israel in third......I-I didn’t totally call this at first, but after watching the performance, I realized how badly I underestimated them. Their song is normally only one that I can enjoy when I’m not thinking too hard, cuz the lyrics bug me and are, uh, hard to take seriously.....but as a spectacle, I enjoyed it a lot more, and I totally got swept up in it. It got the crowd energized in the similar way Finland did, and the dance break was the best one this year. It’s still far from a favorite of mine, but I get what people saw in it. I will admit that, once I figured out that they were gonna do a lot better in the jury vote than I expected (and Sweden weren’t super far ahead yet), I was briefly scared. I-I think I’ll always be scared of Israel winning in the upcoming years, cuz it’s.....it’s not worth the....everything that a win from them would cause, even if their song is good, so.....Yeah, I was briefly worried, but there was nothing to be worried about in the long run, so that was on me for having my mind jump to that, pffffff.

Italy did a LOT better than I expected in both votes. I did think the juries would like it, but I didn’t see this as a top five song, and I especially didn’t see it doing so well in the televote. This was definitely one of the best vocals of the final, hands down, and the song itself is gorgeous, yet I still underestimated it.....This is probably because I was comparing Marco’s result in 2013 with a similar ballad, and was like “this is of the same quality as that, so it’ll probably do about as well”. I....I have to stop underestimating Italy. They clearly know what they’re doing. Their streak of top five finishes does indeed continue....Do I agree with this result? Hmmmm.....um, not sure. I think I do. Like I said, one of the best vocals in the final. Definitely the best male vocal.

And Norway round out the top five! This was one of my favorite songs, and the favorite of so many other people to. I think that this is one result this year that literally no one will have a problem with. Even on Twitter, I have seen NO hate for this song. Everyone loves it. It’s the perfect example of a great, solid entry that doesn’t take huge risks or anything, but instead aims to just be a good dang song, and it succeeded at that. Everything about this song works and comes together perfectly. A top five finish feels so RIGHT for this cuz it just does its job so flipping well. Do I wish they did better with the juries? Of course, but I wasn’t worried about them for a second. I knew this would be in the top three in the televote. Again, everyone loves this song, or at least, no one dislikes it.

Ukraine came sixth. I did originally call them finishing in the top five, but Italy doing much better than I expected pushed them down. XD I was actually really impressed with their staging! I thought it was really creative, and probably one of the best of the final. And no, I’m not saying this cuz it was one of the few that didn’t use nothing but red. XD I thought the screens were cool, and there was always something interesting to look at. The song’s still not one of the best, but I saw their 100+ televote score coming, so I didn’t mind it. They didn’t do nearly as well as last year, that’s the important part. Don’t wanna open that can of worms again....

I’m really happy Belgium finished in the top ten! I thought that was definitely a top ten-worthy performance! It was cool to see them get multiple 12s from the juries, too! I expected their televote score to be, ehhhh, a BIT higher? Cuz it really felt like the arena really got into the song, so I thought people at home would too. But I cannot complain with this result, cuz it’s still Belgium’s best in a few years. The song’s fun and was performed well. And I gotta remember that Sweden, Finland, Norway, Italy, and Israel stole a looooooot of the televotes this time around, so songs like this probably suffered from it.

If you ask me, probably the one song I underestimated the most was Estonia’s. This was the only song I was indifferent to. I liked the vocals and the lyrics, but thought it was too boring music-wise to keep my attention. And that opinion does stay true, but I can see why others would like it. I can especially see why Estonia did so well with the juries. This is the kinda song the juries eat up every year. Even with 100% televoting in the semifinal, at least one of these songs still got through, heh....But I can’t say I’m surprised. They did well in the semi, but in the final, they were stuck between Italy and Finland. Their televote score surely suffered from that.

Coming in ninth are my semifinal-winning, best-of-the-worst kings, Australia! Look, I’m not even gonna front, I adored Finland, but my actual favorite song was this one. I ADORE this song and I’ve been quoting it constantly all week. It’s just such a perfect song to me with how it captures an emotion I feel all the time, and to have a song I can listen to when I’m in that mood is SO nice. I’m gonna be listening to this song many times in the future whenever I wanna be told everything’s gonna be alright, while also in the mood to shout at the top of my lungs at same time.....Not every comfort song has to be happy and cheerful, or soft and sweet, right? It’s perfect. And I literally cannot complain with their result either. Do I wish they got more televotes after that kinda performance? Yes. 21 points is way way waaaaaaayyyy too low. (And yet it’s Australia’s best televote since 2019, so blegh) The only real justification I can come up was that Finland took votes from them, or Belgium took votes from them (Belgium performed right after them) But at the same time....they broke even, like I said before. I expected a higher televote score, but I also expected a WORSE jury score, by like, a LOT.....but the juries had them so firmly in the top ten that they stayed there after the poor televote score! That’s nothing to complain about, not to mention that this is the best result a number one favorite of mine has gotten since.....really? 2016? Gosh, my luck with favorite songs hasn’t been the best since my lightning-in-a-bottle year....So yeah, ninth! Solid ninth! Considering Australia’s luck AND my luck, that’s awesome!

I read that this might’ve been Australia’s last Eurovision. Took long enough, honestly.....but, y’know? They finished well. Part of me still thinks they overstayed their welcome, but this song made it worth it. I also think it’s kinda funny that, if this ends up being true......then, the only Australian entries that’ve been in my top five were their first one and their last one. Pure poetry, huh? XD

Rounding out the top ten is Czechia, one of their best results! Another country who didn’t do super well in the televote, and for good reason - they were stuck between Finland and Australia. It was EASY for them to get overshadowed (and yet, I think they still got more points than Australia? I think?) Still, tenth place for a normally underdog country is solid, and I think they deserve it.

Right outside the top ten is Lithuania, who also did better than I expected with the juries, but the televote....Look, songs that qualified from the second semi, even that semi’s winner, didn’t do well in the televote in the final (Estonia were carried so high by the juries). The two semifinals were SO lopsided this year, to the point where it was a slight problem. NONE of the songs from the second had any winning power when put up against the ones from the first, and I’m pretty sure everyone knew this. The only possible exceptions were Australia (who I already talked about) and Austria (who I’ll get to soon). I really hope that next year, this isn’t that bad of a problem, cuz seriously, having ALL the hard-hitters in one semi makes that one semi overly stressful and the other feels like it has barely anything going on, or it gets your hopes up for some songs doing better than they end up in the final once they have stronger competition. Lithuania did well with this, eleventh is a great result, better than I expected, and her vocals were great which was definitely the reason, but the same can’t be said for the other second semi songs (except Estonia and Australia cuz, again, juries).

Another song I majorly underestimated was Cyprus. While I don’t agree with them doing better than Austria, I will freely admit that they made me eat my words. Before the contest, I wrote them off as a non-qualifier, cuz, and I quote “It’s not catchy enough, or emotional enough, or punchy enough. It’s just....there, and I say that as someone who likes it” (I’ve always liked the song, but cuz of slight bias reasons). Come the live performance, I was VERY impressed. It was staged well, and he sounded great. I couldn’t complain with being proven wrong. I do think they deserved to be in the final. I don’t think they quite deserve twelfth in the final, but it’s still a song I like. It’s not their fault, it’s just that I believe multiple songs below them should’ve done better. XD

Then we have Croatia at the bottom of the left half, and aside from the top two being the top two, this was easily the most predictable result of the final. I called it a MILE away. Of COURSE this would rank toward the bottom with the juries, and of COURSE they’d be saved by a 100+ televote score. Especially since they performed second-to-last. Have you heard this song!? The result writes itself! This isn’t so much of a song as it is...an experience. And it wasn’t an experience the music professionals wanted anything to do with, but for the audience? I could hear them singing along. There was no way this was gonna do any worse.

Now we move to the right side of the board, which is where the problem results are for me.....Armenia’s fine. It’s whatever. I know a lot of people loved them, and their staging was really good, but for me, there were plenty of better songs than this one. They were still good, but this was still about as well as I thought they’d place in the final.

No, the problem results for me start with Austria and France. What the heck- O-OK, I don’t really have THAT many complaints with the top ten we got, but that doesn’t change the fact that I really believe these two should’ve been up there. And yes, they still scored more than a hundred points each, so they weren’t flops. But come ON! What happened!? These were fan-favorite songs! Consistently both in the top ten in the betting odds, too! And both of them had great performances!

With Austria....you CANNOT convince me that they were penalized THAT HARD just by opening the show. Songs that’ve performed first can still do well in the televote and score highly! Ukraine 2014, Belgium 2016! This song should’ve done as well as those! It had it in the bag! Everyone I know loves this song! So.....what happened? I can think of two things: one is that the staging didn’t make them stand out well enough (I do agree that their staging should’ve been better), and the other is that the people who would normally vote for them voted for Croatia instead, who was fresher in their memory. But still, even if those things happened, it’s not much of an excuse!

But at the very least, Austria did get one set of 12 points from a jury. We got to see them celebrate that. France didn’t even get that much. Again, this wasn’t a flop like last year, so I guess my prediction of “justice will be served” was....true? But more like “justice will be technically served”.....Still disappointing for such a good song that was seen as a darkhorse for so long. And I can’t even think of a reason for this one other than just “it’s France”! Being performed so early is not an excuse when SWEDEN also performed early, and the staging was pretty, and the live voice was great....My brain hurts trying to think of what happened.....Maybe I can just chalk it up to “there were just songs people liked more”, but that still doesn’t excuse that the juries also mostly overlooked them, so.....I-I’ll just move on....

After those two is Spain.......Look, I don’t like their song. I’ve never liked their song. But I still respect it, and I respect Spain for taking a risk with it this year. And I was still surprised by this. Coming last in the televote.....Even if it was my least-favorite song, I still respect it enough to kinda think it was unfair? I mean, it was unique, and the live performance sounded just like the studio version! Shouldn’t it have...stood out more? Then again, maybe it stood out in a bad way.....I-I didn’t expect that many people to be on the same page as me....I thought this was an unpopular opinion.....but no! How should I feel about this.....? I dunno....I guess I’m happy I don’t look like an uncultured idiot for not liking the song? But I’m also kinda stunned....? I-I’m not used to feeling these kinda....mixed emotions....

After THAT are the last of my top five favorites, Moldova and Poland in 18th and 19th, doing worse and better than I expected respectfully. I thought Moldova would be in the top 15, but this wasn’t that far off, and their televote score was respectful (I think it was over 60), so I can’t complain. I’m glad there are people who loved their beautiful song as much as I did. And while Poland tanked with the juries like I called, getting over 80 points in the televote blew my mind! I remember when I was told how HATED their song was....I believed it. I believed it, cuz of the stories I heard, and how it really is just a catchy, mindless song that doesn’t make you think too hard. That’s why I love it, but that could also be why others hated it.....but now.....geez! You played them dirty, but now who’s laughing? Sure, 19th is 19th still, but for a song I was surprised even qualified for the final? Again, no complaints! Poland really went all out with their staging, too, so I could tell how much effort was put in to make people like this song. And surprisingly, they succeeded.

Switzerland....I find that I can only slightly enjoy their entry when I’m trying not to pay attention to the lyrics and just focus on his great voice, but it’s hard, especially when part of the staging resembles.....y’know what...raining down....I still don’t like this one at all, but the staging is disgustingly good, and his voice is great, so I actually did expect it to do better. I predicted this’d be in the top ten with the juries, actually. But again, like with Spain, more people were on the same page with me than I expected. Good. Stay down there. Send something fun next year, or if you’re gonna send a singer that good again, give them a song that doesn’t leave the listener feeling depressed. I couldn’t be happier that this was performed third. Got it outta the way. XD

Slovenia, I expected better from, since they were so late and also sounded good live. Can’t think of what happened to them other than they just got overshadowed, perhaps due to going right after Israel. Still, the people who loved Slovenia, REALLY loved Slovenia.....I guess they were just fewer in number than I thought. Albania and Portugal did about as well as I expected, so not much to say about them.

Serbia, tho....I do feel bad for them, but I also get it. After learning that they were only three points away from not qualifying for the final, I’m just happy to have them there at all. I really do like the song, it was in my top ten, but let’s be real, it was always a guilty-pleasure type song. It’s.....OUT THERE, and not everyone’s thing. The whispery vocals were hard to hear in places live, too. I didn’t mind since the vocals aren’t my fav part of the song (I love the instrumentals), but that might’ve cost them a bit. They’re LUCKY. If the semifinals still had a jury vote, they definitely wouldn’t have qualified and we would’ve had Latvia instead (whether that’s an improvement is up to you).

Every few years, there’s an entry where the song isn’t the best, but the live performance is a spectacle, having creative and fun staging, and/or the artist having a great stage presence, and when that entry doesn’t qualify, fans online fly into a rage, crying out “Why didn’t they qualify? They were so fun! They know what Eurovision spirit is!” and maybe pin the blame on a ballad that got in over them. Off the top of my head, there’s “Igranka”, “Space”, and last year had two of these in “Eat Your Salad” and “Stripper”. “Samo mi se spava” was SO CLOSE to being one of these. It just BARELY made it to the final, getting the respect it deserved. If it had lost to Latvia, the fan outrage would’ve been massive. And I’m so happy for that, cuz I really do like this song (and its staging) a lot. I really hope Serbia keep sending out there and experimental stuff. Their entries have been so interesting the last couple years.

And finally, at the bottom of the board once again, are the UK and Germany. These are the other two songs I 100% believed deserved better, especially Germany’s. The UK’s song was a lot of fun and had cute staging (that WASN’T RED), but I can.....kiiiiiinda see how it’d be overshadowed? Germany, not so much. That song should NOT have been overshadowed. If that kinda music isn’t everyone’s thing, that’s fine, but that can’t be the whole story, right? Rock music has done well in recent years....I know rock and metal aren’t the same, but there’s overlap! What happened? They performed toward the end, and they sounded great! The audience really got into it too! I guess that’s the kinda song that probably goes over better in the arena than at home, since, like I said before, it’s the kinda song that was MEANT to boom throughout an arena, filling every corner.....At the very least, Germany actually got points from BOTH votes this time, but still, I feel awful for them. I REALLY want them to do well again. It’s been years. This should’ve been the song to break their streak, and people just weren’t feeling it for whatever reason. =/

And......I can’t believe I’m saying this, but.....that’s it for this Eu-red-vision! Overall, good results, with only four songs I think were either slightly (Austria, France) or majorly (Germany, UK) robbed, but up top, I have little to no complaints! I’m happy for both Sweden and Finland, and MAN I can’t wait for next year. Sweden KNOW how to host Eurovision. There were a lot of different factors that added up to 2016 being my favorite contest (I can’t list them all right now), and their production was one of them. “Love Love Peace Peace” part two, anyone? XD Also super excited for the return of Luxembourg! I never watched any contest they participated in (they dropped out before 1997), so this’ll be a first! I hope they send a good song, or else that’ll be a major anticlimax....if they DO send a good song, their return will definitely be a highlight of the year. We’ll see how it goes!

(Also, one final note: I’ve been watching......SOOOOO many reaction videos on YouTube over the week, and it got me a bit motivated to.....maybe....KEYWORD: MAYBE.....t-try to.....record some audio next year? Like....instead of my normal text rambling for my rankings, I could try that? Again, I DUNNO if it’ll happen....it’s too early....but I’m kinda in the mood to try it right now, so maybe....? O-one of my new year’s resolutions this year was to be nicer to myself, and one of the things I’ve always hated is my voice, so I’ve posted videos on Instagram with my voice in them to start....maybe I can try working my way up to something more elaborate....? I-it really depends on how I’m feeling next year tho, and how reception is, so maybe I’ll try some small things first)

See you next year! Cross my heart till the sky turns red in the sunrise!!

Promise me it’s gonna be alright! (BE - AL - RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT) ALRIGHT!!!

And a final “thank you” if you were one of the people who contributed to Malta’s three points in the first semifinal. You were doing god’s work. XD

[swedethings]

Hej Hej Allihopa!

Meet Agnetha "Agnes" Lindqvist

ꕀ ᐝ 𖠳   amalia holm bjelke, cis woman, she/her 𖠳 ᐝ ꕀ  ‷ heads up ; if you hear 17 ÅR by VERONICA MAGGIO blaring, it’s most likely AGNETHA "AGNES" LINDQVIST making their way down the shore ! they’re 24 years old and celebrate their birthday on 7 NOVEMBER - i knew they were a SCORPIO ! especially since they’re very CHARISMATIC and HEADSTRONG. they are from FALUN, DALARNA, SWEDEN, staying in WEST CAPE MAY and are currently working as a CONSULTANT AT SWEDE THINGS/GRAD SCHOOL STUDENT, here at the cape. they always did remind me of wearing earbuds even when no music is playing in order to keep people from talking to you, constantly complaining that the weather is far too hot & humid, and baggies filled with more candy than one can eat in a sitting.‷

So how does a girl from Sweden end up in Cape May, New Jersey of all places?

During her second year of Gymnasium (equivalent to Junior year of High School), Agnes had the opportunity to be an exchange student at Lower Cape May Regional High School located in Lower Township, Cape May County, New Jersey. New Jersey wasn't her first choice for a location when she looked into being an exchange student in the USA; but the universe had other plans for her. Her first placement with a host family in Minnesota fell through only weeks before the start of the school year; and by the time she went to look for a new host family, there was only one left: a family living in Cape May, New Jersey. Despite not knowing much about New Jersey other than what she'd overheard from some show called Jersey Shore (and being less-than-impressed at the time) as well as being less-than-enthused to be going to a beach town (due to her dislike of the ocean thanks to an irksome little water allergy), she accepted the placement with this new host family and packed her bags for New Jersey instead of Minnesota.

Agnes quickly came to adore her host family; and by the time the school year ended and she was set to head home to Sweden, she had come to see her host family as a second set of parents and siblings; and they had come to see her as an honorary daughter. The bonds formed during that school year were bonds that would never break. Even though there was now an ocean separating them, the beauty of technology kept them together. There were constant video chats and emails being sent. There were care packages sent back and forth. And her host family even came to visit her in her homeland at one point. They came over Midsommar; and it was the best Midsommar the brunette ever had.

After graduating from Lund University, Agnes felt it was time to finally go back to New Jersey to visit her former host family, especially since she wanted to introduce them to her young son in person instead of via video chat. She hadn't been in America since being part of the exchange program; and part of her missed it dearly. She missed the charm of Cape May as well as all the friends she had made as a teen. Plus she missed the banter she'd have with the owners of a little shop on Washington Street called Swede Things in America. At first, she only planned on staying for the summer and getting a part-time position as a "Swedish Consultant" at her favorite shop in town until she would return home to Sweden and begin graduate school; but now that she's here, she doesn't actually want to leave.

There might be a particular individual responsible for this desire to stay...

click here for full biography click here for wanted connections

[eurovision-del]

Having finished posting my rankings yesterday, here’s my thoughts on this year overall!

My general feeling after hearing all the songs but before starting my ranking was that this was a reasonable year, not particularly weak, but not especially strong either, so I was a little surprised to see just how many songs I actually loved when it came time to put them in order! There’s so many rock songs this year, all in completely different sub-genres from metal to punk to indie, and I love pretty much all of them – back on form for me after last year where a lot of the rock we had failed to connect with me. Outside of rock, there’s plenty of other exciting, brilliant entries. I said the same thing the last couple of years, but I am very impressed with the entire big 5 and maybe, for real this time, this might be the year where they all avoid the bottom five? I’m still not ruling out one flopping on the night (like Fulenn last year, I’m still not over it) and ending at the bottom of the scoreboard, though I’d hate to see it happen. We've got fewer ballads than normal this year, but in general I think we've got a good range of genres. The language diversity is also decent too – 14 songs are currently listed on Wikipedia as being in at least partially Not English, with several more containing small phrases of other languages – not quite as many as last year but at least we're a long way from the dearth of different languages of the mid-2010s.

I think part of the reason I didn’t think this year was too strong despite having so many songs I enjoy is because of the lack of competition this year, with only two potential winners. Personally, I’m sure Sweden are winning. I can’t see anyone else winning the jury vote, and I also reckon she’ll get plenty of televote support – Tattoo is still a great song and the vast majority of people won’t know or care that her light box is smaller than it was in MelFest. However, I do still hold hope that Finland could pull off a Måneskin/Kalush Orchestra style victory by winning the televote, although that will still require the juries putting Käärijä in their top five at minimum, and I worry that might be too much to ask. I also don’t think him winning the televote is guaranteed, I’m sure Finland will do well there, but I think the song could be very divisive among the general public. I reckon the new voting rules are actually going to bias the final results towards the jury – all the qualifiers from the semis will have proven televote appeal, with fewer jury-friendly entries getting through, which might result in the jury votes being more concentrated on certain entries, and since I'm sure they'll go for Loreen I'm confident she'll most likley win in the end. I would love it if Finland do win though, or even if someone else manages to pull off an upset victory!

Way, way back when the semi finals were announced, since semi one had only fifteen songs compared to semi two’s sixteen, I’d assumed that semi one would be the easier one. That did not turn out to be the case! Fandom consensus is that it is much harder, and that's definitely how I feel too, as my rankings show – in fact, my entire top three comes from there! It’s going to be a very tense voting sequence, that’s for sure. I think there’s five clear qualifiers (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Moldova, Israel), but the fight for those final five places will be a tough one. However, there’s still plenty of songs I love in semi 2, – I feel especially strongly for Romania and San Marino since they’re such underdogs, I’ll be cheering them on on the night! Semi 2 may be less tense, but it should be even more interesting seeing who qualifies because it feels so open right now. I only feel confident saying that Austria and Australia are through for certain – after that it’s anyone’s game.

I also want to say that I love how the BBC have handled hosting so far! I like the designs we’ve got this year, very bold and striking, and the stage seems perfect for accommodating everyone (unless you wanted to hang any heavy equipment from the ceiling). I cannot speak on behalf of Ukrainians – although I do think maybe more could have been done to make it clear that it’s their party, we’re just the hosts – but on the whole I’m proud of how the contest here is shaping up. There’s such an excitement in the UK for Eurovision unlike anything we’ve had since long before I started following the contest! Liverpool seem to have really thrown themselves into it – I’m excited to see what it’s like on the ground next week!

Overall, I think this is on course to be a great year! It may not be the most competitive one, but hey, Finland currently have all the momentum, we could be in for a tight battle between them and Sweden next Saturday! I’m so excited for everything, I cannot wait to get started!   

[haru-kuneko]

🌟 2024 BOOK PROMOS 🌟

Hope you guys don't mind seeing such a long post. I thought it would be best to keep it on a single post than doing so one-by-one for each promo.

TCOTRB (The Case of The Red Bubble)

Inspired by classic horror movie titles and current events in the Philippines, this huge lore-driven novel with its colorful illustrations will surely have you glued to your seats and wanting more.

Set in the year 2050 when the archipelago has been rebuilt into a series of dome islands, follow fourteen-year-old Milo Sidaris, a young Filipino-Greek boy, and his friends as they eventually uncover one of the country's deadliest mysteries. Why does the government forbid anyone from venturing into The Capital/Red Dome island? How do you explain the mysterious disappearances going around the country?

TCOTRB: The Case of The Red Bubble - Haru Nikko (日光春) - Wattpad

Believe it or not, this was a rushed project where I had to challenge myself to write a 50K novel in preparation for the annual Wattys in 2022. I did it almost every day and would mostly write on my phone. I wasn't able to make it and when I did get to join the following year, I didn't make the cut. Still, I am somehow proud of it!

AMANDI: The Secret Messenger

Now, here's a fun fact: I wasn't expecting to make this sequel. I thought TCOTRB was supposed to be a single series but it turns out there is more to write about this story. If I were to describe it, it's Liam Vickers meets Detective Conan.

"Amandi." A name that means 'trust no one' in Nigerian. While is unknown who they really are, this anonymous host has a reputation for being controversial in terms of questioning the status quo and serving as the voice of the underdogs. How can anyone ever trust someone like Amandi especially when this person just showed up out of nowhere and already has a huge platform? What could he or she possibly be hiding? Join Milo and his friends as they deal with college, new faces and a huge mystery that could ultimately break their friendship.

It's gonna be released on July 21st, 2024. Only on Wattpad.

SYNTHETIC BLUE

Another graphic novel I've made back in 2021. What makes it unique is this was entirely drawn on an iPhone. I was going for that rough chalk-pastel art style while also incorporating sci-fi elements. The premise is this:

Year 2126 in Jokkmokk, Sweden. Twelve-year-old Jane teams up with her only two friends - Oz and Lukas - to know why her father, Prime Minister Oskar Sandberg, established Blue City (a place for social outcasts) in a remote town up north and moved the entire family there. For some reason, the people outside of the city seems to avoid the Sandbergs.

I have it published both on Webtoon and Wattpad as part of cross-promotion. You can read it on either platforms, by the way. (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

[rabbitcruiser]

Buffet Day

Everybody loves a buffet, so imagine having a whole day dedicated to one! Buffet Day is about hosting or attending a buffet of epic proportions—enjoy a table spread with enough food to keep you full for a whole day, and interesting enough to make eating all day fun and exciting!

The History of Buffet Day

The buffet table has its origins in brännvinsbord—a type of schnapps made in 16th century Sweden. The smörgåsbord was a type of “meal” during which guests gathered for a pre-dinner drink and small talk. The smörgåsbord buffet was often held in separate rooms for men and women before the dinner was served. The Smörgåsbord became internationally known as “smorgasbord” at the 1939 New York World’s Fair exhibition when the Swedes taking part in the exhibition had to invent a new way of showcasing the best dishes of the Swedish cuisine to large numbers of visitors. The term “buffet” itself originally referred to a type of French sideboard furniture where the food was served but became popular in the English-speaking world in the second half of the 20th century after the Swedes had popularized the smorgasbord in New York, probably because it was considerably easier to pronounce and remember.

How to Celebrate Buffet Day

The way you celebrate Buffet Day depends on where you are and what your preferences are. If you happen to be anywhere near Nevada, it would be an unforgettable experience to visit one of Las Vegas’ famous all-you-can-eat buffets. The Carnival World Buffet offers more than 300 dishes (!) and more than 70 varieties of homemade pies, cakes, and pastries all made from scratch. For $24, you can get into Carnival World and stay all day, tasting the extremely wide variety of foods on offer all throughout it. If you’re a fan of seafood, you could visit The Village Seafood Buffet, that features all of your seafood favorites such as lobster, snow crab legs, shrimp, freshly shucked oysters, sushi and many other mouthwatering seafood dishes. Lago Buffet at Caesars Palace is another absolute must for anyone who truly loves food, especially in such enormous quantities. Featuring fresh ingredients and many made-to-order specialties, the Lago Buffet offers a world-class selection of Asian fare, herb-roasted poultry and sauteed pasta.

If you’re not anywhere near Nevada, or crowded places are just not your thing, consider preparing your own buffet at home to celebrate Buffet Day. You can make anything you want, of course, but seeing as how the buffet has Swedish origins, why not try some Swedish or Scandinavian specialties? Start buy seeking out a high-quality schnapps. Many different kinds of flavored schnapps are available today, and they range from exotic, summery flavors such as watermelon or coconut to root beer or others like it. The world over, cinnamon schnapps is perhaps the most popular kind of schnapps. However, if you’re wanting to keep your smorgasbord/buffet as traditional as possible, buy some Akvavit, a flavored spirit that has been produced in Scandinavia since the 15th century. Akvavit, like vodka, is distilled from either grain or potatoes. After distillation, it is flavored with herbs, spices, or fruit oil, with caraway, cardamom, cumin, anise, fennel, and lemon or orange peel being the most popular choices. Traditionally, different types of pickled herring are served with the drink.

Whatever you decide to do, don’t forget to celebrate Buffet Day!

Source

[dynamicsofthecity]

Architecture and Greenery in Los Angeles Koreatown

Adrienne Strand

Photo by Strand (2022). Koreatown, Los Angeles.

Located between Downtown and Central LA, Koreatown is the home to people of all ages and backgrounds. It is a popular spot for students who are looking for more affordable housing situations, but more importantly hosts a community of Korean and Korean Americans that have helped build, shape and maintain the area.

During my visit to Koreatown, I explored what the architecture could tell me about the area and its inhabitants. I also looked for public spaces to find what was accessible to people living in and visiting. My experience in Koreatown was very pleasant, and I was surprised to see how many Korean influences had been added to the area architecturally. Coming from Sweden, you do not see many prominent influences from other cultures in architecture, especially not Eastern ones. In my experience, I have rather witnessed decoration and interior influences from other cultures whereas buildings and public spaces in Stockholm generally stick to the Swedish and Scandinavian styles. It made me think about how much architecture contributes to people feeling like they belong in certain spaces, and how especially for communities where people have immigrated from across the world it can be important to have visual influences in order to feel a better sense of belonging. Especially in Los Angeles where there is a history of tension and violence against the Korean community both prior to and after the happenings in 1992. Koreatown has also had very little political power and dealt with issues of redistricting against their benefit, so having buildings that showcase the belonging of space there is important in several aspects. 94% of the people living in the area are people of color and it is the densest neighborhood in Los Angeles, yet there have been many issues with the residents getting any say in what happens in the area (Kim). This way the people are making a more permanent claim on the neighborhood. When the people in power are trying to push out the Korean community and make investments for their own benefit, it would be a lot of work remodeling every building in the area with Korean influences. The sense of belonging and cultural significance also helps to create stronger community bonds which are important both for the group and the individual. On a personal level, it is important that people feel they have a place to call home and where they fit as it contributes to people’s well-being immensely. On a group scale, it is important for communities to have strong bonds, especially as minorities in order to build political leverage. In other words, in order for exclusion and racial capitalism to succeed people need to continue being separated. Displacement and separation are key components in keeping people silenced and making sure that decisions are not made in their favor. So these spaces are important both for social and political reasons.

Photos by Strand (2022). Koreatown, Los Angeles.

The result of wealthy and politically influential individuals and corporations can be seen in Koreatown. My day in the area began in the Koreatown Galleria and ended at the Wilshire/Normandie metro station. The closer we got to the Wilshire Center area, the less Korean influences and more new buildings were housing the streets. The buildings are much more modern, minimalistic, and less colorful, and generally do not look very inviting despite being somewhat nicely designed. Where I started it really felt like I was in Koreatown, and along with the visual influences, restaurants, and language displayed it truly felt like I was stepping into another culture, whereas the further out we got it felt increasingly more American and like the LA I have seen more of. A big part of the Korean influences includes the giwa roofing that is present on many buildings. This is not at all something that is part of American culture but looks absolutely stunning on the buildings in Koreatown. Based on visuals alone I think one could draw the conclusion that there are spaces here that are for and not for certain groups. The areas with more Korean influences send the message that this is a place where Koreans are welcome and appreciated, whereas the buildings further out are very stale and impersonal. Those send the message that anyone who pays is welcome but other than that, people should keep their distance. Despite being in Koreatown, there is nothing about the buildings that make it seem like they are trying to attract or will even accept Korean tenants.

Another aspect I noticed on my visit to the neighborhood was how greenery was implemented. Although Koreatown is one of the areas with the least green spaces in Los Angeles (Hyoung Kim), I noted what types of trees were seen around. In other areas I have visited I have mostly seen palm trees and more tropical-looking plants, whereas many of the trees here felt more similar to what one might actually find in Korea. After doing some research I also found that pine trees have a lot of value in Korean culture (Gorman), and looking back at the photos I took I can see some pine trees along the streets as well as similar vegetation. There were also many trees that reminded me of Bonzai trees, and in general more leafy trees fills the neighborhood. To me this seems like a very deliberate choice of the community – although there is of course a variety of plants and trees in Los Angeles, it is the association that matters in this instance. Palm trees are not associated with Korea but they are with California, therefore having trees more similar to the ones found in Korea will assist in creating a place that looks and feels Korean despite being so far away. Furthermore, green spaces help gain that community which gets political leverage. This was reiterated in an interview where The Korean American Federation of Los Angeles President Laura Jeon argued that “We need to try to avoid making Koreatown into a neighborhood that only attracts wealthy single people… We need more parks and schools to retain the identity of Koreatown, which should be represented by families from diverse backgrounds” (Gorman).

Photos by Strand (2022). Koreatown, Los Angeles.

My favorite spot as I navigated the neighborhood was the Dawoonljung gathering spot next to the Koreatown Senior Community Center. As described on the sign outside the space, it is the first traditional Korean monument built in LA. It was created in traditional Korean ways following the style of the secret garden in Changdeok Palace in South Korea. The space is very beautiful and harmonious, a beautifully crafted spot, and while visiting we met two elderly Koreans who took care of the space and were happy to see us there. It is also conveniently placed next to the Community Center which provides a zen outdoor space that is available for relaxing and gathering with other members of the community which is great, especially for elderly individuals who might not have left Los Angeles for a long time. Despite one's ability to travel and move, there is still space where people can feel that they are in Korea and connect to their roots and community which I find to be a very beautiful thing.

Photo by Strand (2022). Koreatown, Los Angeles.

[grouptoursworld]

Popular Places That You Must Visit Guided Tours To Scandinavia

Scandinavia is one of the most beautiful and exciting countries in the world. However, if you are planning guided tours to Scandinavia, there are many things that you need to keep in mind. In this article, we will discuss some popular places in Scandinavia which are very interesting and worth visiting.

Copenhagen

A guided tour of Copenhagen is an excellent way to experience the city, especially if you’re short on time. The capital of Denmark is home to many historic buildings and monuments, but these only make up a small part of what Copenhagen has to offer.

During your visit, you can take a walk through Tivoli Gardens, which offer colourful rides and eateries as well as plenty of greenery that makes it feel like summer all year round. You may also want to check out Nyhavn Harbor or Christiania Free State—the latter being an alternative neighbourhood with colourful buildings and interesting artwork located right next door.

Oslo

Oslo is the capital of Norway and is a popular tourist destination. The city has many attractions and activities for tourists to enjoy.

Oslo is known for its museums, parks, restaurants and shopping areas. There are also plenty of hotels and hostels in Oslo where you can stay during your visit to Scandinavia.

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and the largest city in Scandinavia, with a population of about 930,000 people. It is located on the eastern coast of Sweden at the mouth of Lake Malaren, by the Stockholm archipelago and the Baltic Sea.

On this tour you can see many sights including:

Stadshuset (City Hall) - This 19th century building was designed by architect Erik Palmstedt who created it in an eclectic style combining neo-renaissance with renaissance revival elements with other contemporary features such as French Renaissance balconies;

Kungsträdgården (King's Garden)- Located close to City Hall Square this park dates from 1652 when it was laid out for King Charles X Gustav II Adolf;

Skeppsholmen Island - This island is home to several museums including Maria Magdalena Museum which focuses on Swedish art from 1550–1900; Maria Magdalena Church where Swedish kings were crowned until 1810;

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital of Finland and the largest city in the country. It is located on the southern coast of Finland, at the mouth of Lake Vantaa.

The city was founded by Swedish King Gustav I in 1550 as a trade hub to Russia, though it has been continuously inhabited since circa 1000 BC. The region has historically been part of Sweden (from which Helsinki gets its name), and later became an integral part of Russia during its annexation period.

While many cities in Scandinavia have a unique look, Helsinki's architecture is more diverse than most; it combines aspects of both medieval and modern design with an emphasis on clean lines and organic shapes that make it feel very different from its Scandinavian neighbors.

Conclusion

There are many reasons why guided tours to Scandinavia is a popular destination for tourists. The cities have beautiful architecture, they host world-class art museums and much more.

You can visit these places on your own or take a guided tour with an experienced guide who will share their knowledge about each city's history and culture with you.

Source : https://sites.google.com/view/visit-guided-tours-scandinavia