#idk this sounds like a 2016 youtube challenge

[peachesgarden]

i did the color wheel thingy but with cpu miis

[grnolan]

A Non-Exhaustive List of Stuff to Watch During the Strike

Everybody has a backlog of things to watch, but for everyone who is like me and routinely looks at that backlog and goes "but none of those hundred things sound interesting right now", here are some recommendations.

If You Have…

NETFLIX

Avatar The Last Airbender: Animated/Fantasy; 3 seasons; A teenage chosen one reawakens 100 years into the war he’s meant to stop. If you somehow are on Tumblr and haven’t seen this show, give it a try now.

Cunk on Earth: Documentary; 1 season; A very serious documentary that very seriously tells the story of the history of human progress.

Glow Up (2019): Competition; 4 seasons; Aspiring makeup artists compete for opportunities in the industry.

Nailed It! (2018): Competition; 7 seasons; Nicole Byer and Jacques Torres laugh with people who are not bakers as they try to bake extremely complicated desserts in less time than professionals could do it.

Wynonna Earp (2016): Western Horror; 4 seasons; The cursed descendant of famous lawman Wyatt Earp hunts demons in a small Canadian town alongside her (canonically bisexual) little sister, a US Marshall, an immortal Doc Holliday, and a (canonically lesbian) local cop.

HULU

Domino Masters (2022): Competition; 1 season; A competition show where teams build Rube Goldberg devices primarily focusing on dominos.

Holey Moley (2019): Competition; 3 seasons; Increasingly ridiculous mini golf holes where the ball can go into a water hazard but the people go in much more frequently.

Lego Masters (2020): Competition; 3 seasons; Teams of two build complex Lego designs based on each week’s theme.

Primeval (2007): Sci-Fi; 5 seasons; British scientists and government officials discover fluctuating portals to various time periods, which release dinosaurs and other creatures into the modern day. You’ll watch the first season and go “idk why this is considered good” and then all the other seasons will happen.

DISNEY PLUS

DuckTales (2017): Animated/Adventure Comedy; 3 seasons; A reboot of the 80s show of the same name, but with better character development and better treatment of its female characters.

The Owl House (2020): Animated/Horror Comedy; 3 seasons; An Afro Latina human girl is on her way to summer camp to be taught “normalcy” when she goes through a portal and finds herself in the Demon Realm. She decides that it’s way better than camp and stays. Friendship, family, love, and PTSD ensue.

MAX

Baking Championships: The Baking Championships (Kids Baking Championship, Halloween Baking Championship, Holiday Baking Championship, Spring Baking Champion Championship) are all a nice heartwarming fun time.

The Great Pottery Throw Down (2015): Competition; 5 seasons; You know how chill and fun GBBO is? Imagine that but with pottery.

CRUNCHYROLL

RWBY (2013): Animated/Fantasy; 9 seasons; A group of girls join a school to train for hunting monsters and fighting crime with cool weapons that are usually some sort of melee weapon and also a gun. The animation gets better with every season.

NO STREAMING SERVICES

Board Game Club: An ongoing series on the No Rolls Barred YouTube page; a bunch of people get together and play board games. This probably sounds like it would be boring but it is absolutely fantastic.

Critical Role: YouTube; 2 completed campaigns, 1 ongoing; A group of voice actor friends get together to play Dungeons and Dragons. Increasingly well-produced over time.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: 100 episodes; An adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that takes place entirely over vlogs. Very funny, handles the confines of a vlog setting fairly well, and Ashley Clements (Lizzie) is fabulous.

Video Game YouTubers: Particularly Let’s Plays, speedruns, and challenges. I personally enjoy Pokemon challenges like by FlygonHG, and Super Mario Odyssey Hide and Seek by a bunch of different Mario streamers is great fun.

[luminecho]

tell us about the wolf game wolfie

[aggressive table slam stimming] OK SO THE WOLF GAME YEA YEA YEA? prepare to get infodumped on because you just unlocked my Backstory

wolfquest was a fuckin like,,, it was very different. back in Ye Olde Days of 2015. WQ 2.7 was brand new. I had seen the game floating around before and had watched some videos on it but never really got into it. Until,,, idk, suddenly I did? I think a specific YouTuber was who got me into it but. WQ may as well have been one of my first fandoms. and for a damn wildlife simulator game it,, really did have a fandom! I don't know how much of that fandom is still around anymore cause I've kinda lost touch with it (as far as I know it was mostly deviantart, amino, and on forums). but like.

god it's just so special to me. i have felt extremely close to wolves my whole life (i know now it's bc im kin lol) and you know wolves are like. a specific Niche of content. so I took what I could get. I played every wolf simulator I could get my hands on. I did a ton of roleplay.

and here comes WolfQuest. a game set in YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL FUCKING PARK aka That National Park That I Knew From All Those Wolf Documentaries I Watched Religiously. where you could! play as a wolf!! and CUSTOMIZE said wolf!! and raise PUPPIES!!! and people had full-on wolf pack LEGACIES where they'd play as a wolf and then play as that wolf's puppy and then play as THAT wolf's puppy and then just KEEP GOING. and that sounded SO FUN so i was like I NEED THIS GAME

so i got the mobile version on my phone and i played the demo and i was like. hmm. i wonder what i should name my wolf. and I debated between a few names, I think some were Eclipse (a long-term favorite of mine) and Whisper. but the one I ended up going with was Echo.

and I FELL IN LOVE with the game. because you know what the best thing about it was? it was a wilderness simulator that was EASY and had a PATTERN. once you master the game that's IT. you're SET. i could recite to you the exact steps you need to take and the exact order of all of the game's episodes/stages/events/etc. it got so easy that playing on the highest difficulty wasn't much of a challenge anymore once you remembered all the steps and patterns. trial and error throughout generations. i LOVED it. my autistic brain was ALL over that.

I'm going back to my notes (which I still have), and I played through TWELVE GENERATIONS of wolves. that's nothing compared to other people but it's still like. a lot. jhfwfkh. and there came a point where i grew kind of sick of the repetitiveness of singleplayer so i devoted my time to roleplaying in multiplayer instead

but like. i have this distinct memory. of just. sitting in front of a movie theatre and playing this game on my phone. whenever i had free time i would play wolfquest

and like,,,, i joined the wolfquest amino around the same time I joined the warrior cats one. back when amino was new. idek if people still use amino but. i joined it. and i met some FANTASTIC people, one of which i'm still in touch with!! but before I joined that community i didn't really have a set name I went by online. I just went by whatever my current username was. and I wasn't sure what to put as my username for that amino so I just went with the name that i called my wolf pack in the game. which was. the Echoing Sound pack.

you'll never guess what people started calling me

so i guess from then on Echoing Sound was just. my branding??? idk.

but yeah in like 2016 the WQ devs were like "we have a HOT NEW UPDATE coming in 2017 and it's gonna be Tower Fall! the next episode of the game!" and we were like "WWWOOUUWWHH" and we were so excited.

and then WQ was like "hey we have to delay this because we decided to actually uuuhhhh REMAKE THE ENTIRE GAME FROM THE GROUND UP"

and we went "holy fuck! ok! still excited tho!!!"

and now it's 2022 and the WQ only just recently finished the remake (anniversary edition) of the second episode and NOW, FINALLY, they're getting to work on Tower Fall.

and like,,,,,,,,,, I've been tracking this game's progress for as long as i've been ONLINE. so in a way it feels like i'm growing up with it??? in a way that i haven't experienced with many other games

idk idk idk i just. i just love it so much man. it's. it's a really pretty game. the graphics are fucking off the charts i mean LOOK AT IT. my poor laptop can barely run it JHSFHJGHEJK. AE isn't even out on mobile. you wanna know what the first thing i did when i got a computer was??? i bought wolfquest.

just. just. just. just. i love it.

and. and it's not the same as it used to be. ofc it's not. it's WAY WAY WAY harder and it's not as structured or formulaic and it gives you more freedom and it's,, admittedly a lottt more stressful so yeah i dont really play it much and i still haven't gotten very far in it and i probably never will because it's just. not my kind of game. anymore. but i love and adore and cherish it so much that i will always ALWAYS continue to just run around and play around with customization and just play as a wolf because it makes me so so sososososo happy. so. so happy.

uuuhhhh this infodump isnt organized at all cause im literally just. like. talking. and im not gonna edit this in the slightest but. yeah. yeah. i love it a lot ;-;

and i'm tacking this on at the end here but i was looking through the wolfquest tumblr tags and saw a couple posts tagged as wolfkin/therian and it just makes me happy to see that other ppl like me are finding the same kind of,, euphoria?? through playing this game. like. hsjfdwkjf. it really replicates something that you can't really find through anything else

and i could spout some poetic bullshit about how the game kinda represents the small joys of life as well as the tremendous hardships and like. it IS that but also tbh it really is just my gay little wolf game from my phone. Lobo From My Games if you will.... like it can be profound if you want it to be but it's just kinda special in that it doesn't really. have a plot. the plot is you're a wolf and you're living as a wolf and look!! you're going through life. you're experiencing life. as a wolf. as realistic as the devs can possibly make it whilst still being fun. haven't you always wanted that.

man.

(wolf.)

[frances048]

My 2017 Summary Of Art by Fran48

Blank meme : https://dustbunnythumper.deviantart.com/art/2017-Summary-of-Art-BLANK-718337918 ..Here we go again..Another year is nearly at it's end so I decided once again to do this meme to show how far I've come with my art this year :) Here are previous years' memes if you're interested :D 2012: https://fran48.deviantart.com/art/2012-Art-Summary-Fran48-343638908 2013: https://fran48.deviantart.com/art/2013-Art-Summary-Fran48-422621435 2014: https://fran48.deviantart.com/art/My-2014-Summary-Of-Art-Fran48-503896864 2015: https://fran48.deviantart.com/art/My-2015-Summary-of-art-578886586 2016: https://fran48.deviantart.com/art/Fran48-s-2016-Summary-Of-Art-654040723 This year, like last year has been pretty bad This year in a nutshell..but I'm hoping (and praying) that surely next year can't be nearly as stressful..maybe I'll jinx myself doing that though ^^;..I managed to fit in artwork each month though, maybe I just did it as some form of stress relief this year..idk but seeing improvements and new pieces that I was satisfied with, definitely made me feel a lot better ^^ The resources I used this year included Ms paint, Watercolour paints, coloured pencils, mechanical pencils, fine liner pens, pencils, coloured pens, chalk , charcoal ,crayons, camera, phone, video camera, felt tip pens, and much later in the year, Paint tool sai, which I also used to edit this along with Ms paint.. January That month, I did quite a few paintings using the art set my Grandad bought for me last Christmas...They included the featured picture : , a few other naruto pictures,Painting Hokage NarutoKakashi and Obito painting a gravity falls picture Bill cipher paintingand Ruby rose picturePainting of Ruby Rose RWBY. I also drew some digital pieces and created a Naruto gifNaruto Hokage Gif..I also did traditional sketches and used some charcoal.. We also went to see the comedian Graham Fellows as his character John shuttleworth this month which was so funny and I drew a sketch of him too :)John Shuttleworth sketch February: That month I got into Mirai Nikki and Star wars animated series (recommended by my dear friend :iconkoikii: ^_^ )as you can see by the featured images: I also started watching some of sgt frog and drew art from it:KururuDororo and also finished watching One Punch man and drew a few pieces from it, including a speedpaint:Painting of TornadoSaitama ok colouredSpeed o sound sonic speedpaint I also continued to draw digital pieces and paintings including a Haku and Zabuza reunion piece which I was really proud of :When a person has something they want to protect March: In March, I got into Miraculous Ladybug so drew fanart of it including the featured picture: Marinette-Ladybug I also drew a few sketches that month and Naruto shippuden ended ;w;..Noooooo so I drew this pic..;w;..Naruto uzumaki wedding day- The end of Shippuden I also was thinking of getting to Evangelion in March so I drew Shinji..Shinji Iraki.I didn't draw much around this time as I was extremely busy struggling with my honours degree coursework ;w; April During April I continued to do some paintings and sketches but also continued to create digital drawings such asIva one pieceNarusasu -each other's coloursGiroro Sgt Frog Speedpaint (youtube link)...and the featured pictureTrafalgar law time skip I watched Evangelion during April and finished the main series feeling extremely confused ...I also did a Beamish vlog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SZIAOa7X9k and took a lot of photos May In this month, I got into four different anime series as you can tell by the featured pictures: Kuro blue exorcistYuuri- Yuri on iceShiho Kimizuki They were, Danganronpa the animation, Blue exorcist, Yuri on ice and Seraph of the end (as told about by the awesome :iconrealrockandrolla1996: :D ) , because of this I drew some fanart from the series, mainly traditional pen drawings and ms paint drawings. I also continued to do photography when I could. June That month I turned 23! XD I got up to date with Attack on titan and created a couple of paintings of characters from the series.Ymir and HistoriaAnnie leonhart painting I also continued drawing Danganronpa pieces (two of which are featured :Gundam Tanaka Teruteru Hanamura) I also got up to date with Puella Magi Magica Madoka in June , as well as Kill la kill. So I drew a lot of ms paint, pen drawings and charcoal pieces. I also went to Sunnycon this year in Two cosplays..Mikasa and Konan and produced fanart for Bryce Papenbrook and Jessie and James' voice actors to sign..They loved my pieces which filled me with a lot of pride and made me so happy <33 I also took a lot of photos from Sunnycon so please feel free to check them out in my gallery ^_^ or in my sunnycon journal entry for this year ^^ Sunnycon 2017 :D July This month I finally graduated from Uni with a First Class Honours degree and published paper and not long after that I went on holiday to Scotland and lost my Grandma ...so I did most of my drawings later in the month..^^; I did a few digital pieces including my Mephisto speedpaint : Mephisto Youtube Speedpaint (link below)in July  but mainly did Photography and traditional pieces..my traditional pieces were drawn in fine liner pen and mechanical pencil and helped me practise shading techiques I also got through all the Ouran high school host club anime August Did A few speedpaints this month including the Oma one: Kokichi Ouma- Youtube speedpaint :D (link below)and started watching Magi and drew fanart from it..I also continued drawing Danganronpa artwork and a few ms paint drawings too :) and continued writing more chapters for my fanfics. September Continued drawing digital ms paint drawings including the two images featured:Haruhi speedpaint(link below)Yukio Blue exorcist youtube speedpaint(link below) Also continued drawing traditional artwork and started watching Rosario + vampire season 1 properly. I also did a Sarada Uchiha week challenge which I really enjoyed as I love Sarada so much and loved drawing her and coming up with different ideas to meet the themes :3   https://fran48.deviantart.com/gallery/64137303/Sarada-Uchiha-week-2017 Also later in September, on the recommendation of a deviant here, I started trying to use paint tool sai to produce some pieces :D : I also watched the Studio Ghibli film 'When Marnie was there' and drew a piece to show my appreciation for it ^_^ I also tried to incorporate Art deco into one of my pieces October: Through October, I worked on Inktober: https://fran48.deviantart.com/gallery/64332793/Inktober-2017 and Goretober : https://fran48.deviantart.com/gallery/64332822/Goretober-2017 Similtanously. I also did my very first drawing Livestream on instagram which was of K1-B0 from Danganronpa v3 https://fran48.deviantart.com/gallery/?catpath=%2Fflash&edit=0&q=livestream and started making song covers which I converted to Flash files. I continued to create ms paint and paint tool sai art, one piece was a Mental health awareness piece which I created as I was struggling massively with my anxiety at the time and needed to express it :Ruminiation-Mental health awareness I also did a few speedpaints including the two featured in this meme. I also went on holiday during October and made another Vlog  The suprise you guys were waiting for-VLOG! and took quite a few photos :) I also started doing Monthly polls for my watchers to decide on which speedpaints I should do first.. November: That month, I continued to create speedpaints and digital some of which were featured in this meme. Himawari speedpainting (link below).Moka speedpaint (link in description) Madoka and KyuubeyI also finished Rosario + vampire series 1..I started to create some Christmasy themed art as well as some black and white drawings and a few digital pieces. I also saw Paddington and watched Paddington 2 at the cinemas so created the piece featured due to my enjoyment of the film ^_^Paddington I also watched some of the playthrough of Ultra despair Girls and drew some art from it ^^ In addition, I also created an epilepsy awareness picture a day after having a seizure at work to make people aware of how debilitating it can be.. Even though I did a few different pictures throughout November, I started my apprenciceship then and so I drew inbetween work (though very tired) and at weekends so I wasn't as productive as previous months.. December: This month..I continued watching the current season of Rwby and drew two speedpaint fanarts from it, one that is featured in this meme Cinder fall (Youtube speedpaint :D) I drew some mechanical pencil drawings including Danganronpa, Naruto and DC comics pieces, I also saw all of the film Chicken Run all the way through for the first time and drew a picture of its main protagonist.. and finally got around to painting again after breaking up from work and managed to create this canvas piece of Rin Okumura from Blue exorcist:Rin Okumura finished Overall I feel I have got into quite a few different fandoms and series this year and tried different things with pieces such as incorporating art deco style in, using paint tool sai and livestreaming though I don't feel I have improved much this year but hope to do so in the following years.. Thank you guys for supporting me, your help has meant a lot to me ^_^ <33 Happy new year to you all

[troymango]

Defying Definitions: Tyler, the Creator

Tyler, the Creator is an artist that actively avoids labels, refusing to be confined or restrained in his creative pursuit by those who don’t understand him or limited by expectations of his fans.

His career always existed as a middle finger to any establishment, be it of genre or identity, the new age rebel just happened to be a young skatepark punk who likes to wear pink and he connects with a generation of kids that grew up in the bloom of internet comedy and social media.

“Fuck what everyone thinks. I’m gonna do my thing.”

Tyler and the Odd Future (OF) collective (the full name being Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All Don’t Give A Fuck Litter Life Bacon Boys Loiter Squad Butt Fuck Bitch Niggas, or OFWGKTADGAFLLBBLSBFBN) started online, posting immature prank videos and shock-comedy much in the style of Jackass to media sites like YouTube. Today, he manages a sprawling Golf Wang fashion brand, which includes the Converse and Lacoste “Golf le Fleur” line, and produces entertainment ventures such as Camp Flog Gnaw music festival and shows on Adult Swim and VICELAND.

The entrepreneurship of Tyler Okonma is inherently memetic, his self-described “empire” was established in 2007 and has grown through a series of inside references, a distinct sense of irreverent humor, and bold and unabashedly eccentric tastes that capitalize on meme culture when meme culture was still an underground group of internet dwelling teenagers.

Behind the OF body of work are some incredibly talented artists, as the group spawned off careers that far out-shadow the now-defunct ragtag gang of pranksters (although the brand OFWGKTA lives on in your local Zumiez). In addition to Tyler, OF gave us Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt, and the Internet.

While at a glance, it may seem counterintuitive that Tyler has found such significant success, that his extreme sense of humor from his adolescence should be in the way of him prospering in the public eye due to just how abrasive and unsavory it comes off to those on the outside. Many of the cultural or social establishment have carried that line of attack, smearing his character and associating him with terrorism and suggesting that he incites violence against women and homosexuals.

The distaste for Tyler, surprisingly, comes from both sides of the political spectrum, from the conservative right that abhors such values and lifestyle choices and the left which is horrified by his politically incorrect language and vulgar sense of humor against protected classes.

Ironically, perhaps, that is precisely what makes Tyler such a prominent figure to so many of us, his ability to voice a sensitive and genuine personality behind the hubris, his guise of explicit mischief. If you know, you know (or so I think it goes).

Of course, OF does not come into being in a social vacuum, the cultural environment of the 2000s and preceding decades shaped the Tyler we know and laid the groundwork for him to found such a group at the age of 16. Eminem specifically was a direct influence on the lyrical content and aggressive style of the group (and also Goblin, Tyler’s first solo album, and to a lesser extent, Wolf and Cherry Bomb).

This is my way of saying that without gangsta rap, there really could not be a OF. In other words, “Gangsta Rap Made [Tyler] Do It.”

Simply, Marshall Mathers is not the Real Slim Shady, it’s a character he played to launch his career. And while Pusha T characterizes himself as essentially Pablo Escobar, he really didn’t deal drugs for very long. H*ck, Ethan and Hila Klein of H3H3 Productions dealt drugs briefly to make ends meet when they were a young couple trying to make it on their own.

Really, it is not even a debate over concepts of “street credit,” which is an important discussion to have, but rather one about the entertainment industry and how to out-do your competition, or more generally as a means of survival.

The first time I heard Odd Future (circa 2010, I believe it was) I was actually a little off-put, if I am going to be honest. I had a very sheltered sense of humor and socially conservative values that the OF group really challenged. As I entered middle school, that was due to change, and by the time I was a freshman in high school, I was becoming more involved in the periphery of online meme culture, just steps away from the likes of Bo Burnham, Filthy Frank, and OF.

“My music got better. I asked myself, ‘Why do Kanye and Pharrell and Jay-Z respect me, but the people that respect them don’t fuck with my music?’ Well, maybe if I stop being funny on the internet, people will focus on my talent.”

I find that Tyler’s frustration in finding success without respect or perceived legitimacy or outward acceptance, despite the approval and support of his idols and inspirations (Kanye West, Dave Chappell, Eminem, Jay-Z, and Pharrell, to name a few) is a pathetic double-standard that lesser-talented or less-experimental artists never have to work against because they don’t challenge antiquated beliefs or social attitudes. The fact that Tyler has not only held his own but achieved his success in spite of these institutions (and Theresa May) really, in my view, only cements his legitimacy as an artist and businessman and cultural icon, and those who don’t respect him will fall to the wayside.

With the release of IGOR, Tyler’s latest album that tells a narrative of love had and lost, conversation reignited in establishment publications such as the Guardian (the most insufferable newspaper) and in the SocJus blogosphere about his past use of slurs and whether he should be “redeemed” or “accepted” into queer culture or just the culture at large (which of course is dominated and owned by institutions that percieve him as a threat, a rogue artist that undermines their influence). And I guess, in fairness, the “controversy” surrounding him never really ends, as these media sites seek web traffic and publish hot takes to rake in advertiser money.

Tyler is aware of this baggage as a roadblock to his aspirations, and as such he preemptively sought to distance himself from his adolescence. In 2016, Tyler changed his Twitter handle from @fucktyler to @tylerthecreator, and tweeted “RIP FUCKTYLER, WILL MISS YOU, ITS BEEN GREAT, BUT NOW ITS TIME FOR ME TO......IDK WHAT EXACTLY, BUT ITS TIME, IM OK WITH THAT. LOVE YOU.”

His sound and persona have matured and mellowed, and he has grown to be an adult (who is still characteristically irreverent). But who is Tyler? A troll? The creator? Let him tell you.

“I’m Tyler. My favorite color is kelly green. I love Baduizm, by Erykah Badu. And I’m not anybody’s fucking poster boy.”

Quotes came from the Wall Street Journal Magazine feature on Tyler: https://www.wsj.com/articles/tyler-the-creator-is-a-singular-talent-11572960622

[while-my-tardis-gently-weeps]

Eurovision 2017 - Thoughts (04/09/17)

sSome time has passed since my last big post about this year’s entries, and my opinions have changed somewhat regarding some of the songs. I also did a post about the chances for each country’s entry to advance out of the semis elsewhere, so now with the running order revealed, I figure it’s time for an update.

Semifinal 1:

Sweden  - Robin Bengtsson - "I Can't Go On" -  I’m sorry Sweden, I love you, and I would give anything for another great show hosted by Mans and Petra, but this song still grates on my nerves. The tune is generic, I find the lyrics abhorrent, and repeat listening does not make it better. At all. That said, I think barring accidents, this will definitely make it to the finals. 

Georgia - Tamara Gachechiladze - "Keep the Faith" - You know what they say about being second in the running order? Well I’m glad they chose this song for the slot, if you know what I mean. I will also bet my money on it not advancing. 

Australia - Isaiah - "Don't Come Easy" - I still haven’t seen his live performance yet, but the song itself is good, so I’d say that like Sweden, he’s also almost guaranteed a spot in the final as long as his live performance is on point. 

Albania - Lindita - "World" - Still a forgettable song for me. I did check out her live performance in Amsterdam though, and even over medium quality video, damn that girl has got a powerful voice. As long as she keeps on doing what she’s been doing so far with the vocals, I’d say her chances are pretty good. 

Belgium - Blanche - "City Lights" - This song has got a lot of early hype, and I quite liked it too even if I did think it was a bit overrated. After watching videos of her performance in London though, I’m beginning to doubt her chances. Granted, it was a smallish venue and didn’t have the full staging that will be there during the actual show, but the performance just seems to lack energy and confidence, and the audience reaction also seemed mixed. It’s still early days, so with more live performances she can hit her stride, but even with that problem fixed the song still feels very low-energy and lacks variation, and that can be fatal when you’re expected to win over a live and TV audience in about 3 minutes. Also, coming right after a vocal powerhouse like Lindita doesn’t quite do Blanche any favors, and it’s early enough in the running order that it will also not come off as a pleasant break. Still, things might change with the full staging.

Montenegro - Slavko Kalezić - "Space" - Still no, personally and objectively in terms of odds. 

Finland - Norma John - "Blackbird" - Similar problems as Belgium in terms of energy. It’s a good song from a good singer though, so I suppose it’ll depend on whether the staging uplifts it and makes it memorable.

Azerbaijan - Dihaj - "Skeletons" - Song didn’t impress me, but since Azerbaijan always seems to do well, I’d say chances are fair to good.

Portugal - Salvador Sobral - "Amar Pelos Dois" - It’s hard to be objective on your personal favorites isn’t it? I’ve only fell in love with the song more and more with each performance I’ve seen. Salvador himself is also quite charming with the awkward but adorable way he carries himself. I still stand by my opinion that he needs a great stylist ASAP though because that outfit he wore to the Portuguese national final was a eyesore. I’m extremely eager to see it advance to the finals, and I do worry about it being another low-energy ballad (especially with Belgium and Finland both in this semi and pretty close in the running order), but I think the song is just the kind that speaks to your soul and will connect with the audience despite it not being a party song or a power ballad. 

Greece - Demy - "This Is Love" - I like the song, especially after more times listening to it. It’s not remarkably so, however, so I’d say it can go either way for Greece. 

Poland - Kasia Moś - "Flashlight" - I already like the song after watching the MV for the first time, and the live performances I’ve seen definitely do not disappoint! I think this will do well with the juries, so combined with Poland’s record of good performance in the televotes I’d say its chances are pretty good. 

Moldova - SunStroke Project - "Hey, Mamma!" - A simple song, sure, but a fun one for sure. I enjoyed their live performances (on video) as well. That said, I think it can go either way for them. 

Iceland - Svala - "Paper" - I probably root for this song the most out of the Nordic countries’ selections, so I’m biased in that I want it to do ver y well. I want to think that objectively, it has a very good chance even if it’s not one of the ones almost guaranteed to qualify, but I’m not sure how much of it is objective analysis and how much of it is my bias for the song and the Nordic countries coming out in full force.

Czech Republic - Martina Bárta - "My Turn" - Not much to say here really. Good singer, song that doesn’t stand out in any way, and not enough of a vocal powerhouse to pull a Dami Im. 

Cyprus - Hovig - "Gravity" - My opinion of this song hasn’t changed much since the beginning, and I think that it can do very well with the right staging. Not sure Cyprus can pull it off like Sweden did in 2015 or Russia did in 2016 though.

Armenia -  Artsvik - "Fly with Me" - I’m ambivalent about the song, but Armenia always does pretty well so I think it will this year too. It’s not a bad song either, even if it does nothing for me. 

Slovenia - Omar Naber - "On My Way" - Sorry Slovenia, but I still think your song should be on its way back home. Thankfully most of the buzz everywhere seem to also be of a negative tinge. 

Latvia - Triana Park - "Line" - Not quite Aminata, but still pretty great! Loved her live performance in Israel too (even though the same cannot be said about her fashion choices that day). I’d say this can do very well, especially with the full staging and all the effects. 

My Picks (in no particular order):

Sweden, Australia, Portugal, Latvia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Poland, Iceland, Belgium

Potential Challengers:

Moldova, Cyprus, Finland

Semifinal 2:

Serbia - Tijana Bogićević - "In Too Deep" - I don’t much care for the song, to be honest. She carried herself well during the performance in Amsterdam, but still the song just does nothing for me. If I were to make a bet I will say it will more likely not qualify.

Austria - Nathan Trent - "Running on Air" - Wow. Him and his song has got to be the biggest grower for me. Just, wow. He’s got charisma in spades, and judging from the videos and interviews I’ve seen of him he just comes across as a genuinely nice guy, and people are definitely responding to that. Also, check out the video from London where he sings a cappella because there seemed to have been some technical problems with the sound. Live performance is definitely not going to be a weak point with this one. I’m becoming biased with him, but I’d say even with the dreaded #2 slot there’s a more than fair chance of him advancing, especially if Austria brings that elements of that scenery porn of a video to their live staging. 

Russia - Yulia Samoylova - "Flame Is Burning" - Provided that something between now and May allows her to actually compete, her chances are pretty good, with Russia’s track record and everything. I still don’t like the song at all, though.

Macedonia - Jana Burčeska - "Dance Alone" - I still don’t care much about the song, and the odds should be a toss-up. Though this does sound like a crowd-pleaser so...

Malta - Claudia Faniello - "Breathlessly" - I still keep forgetting anything and everything about the song minutes after listening to it. Doesn’t bode well for Malta I think.

Romania - Ilinca and Alex Florea - "Yodel It!" - Fun tune that will do better in the televotes than the jury I think. I liked it from the start, but their live performance in London does make me a little bit worried. I don’t know if it’s the quality of the recording I found on youtube, but the song came out a bit reedy and shrill at certain points. The audience responded well to it though, it seemed, so maybe it was just the sound recording of the video and not the actual performance that was a bit problematic. Can qualify with high televotes and fair jury votes. 

Netherlands - O'G3NE - "Lights and Shadows" - This song really speaks to the choir geek and musical nerd in me, especially upon repeat listening and live performance viewing. They will do pretty well, I think, both in this semi and the final. 

Hungary - Joci Pápai - "Origo" - Another personal favorite of mine, so it’s hard to think objectively of its chances. I honestly thought the dancing girl in ethnic costume and the rap section in the middle were both a bit awkward, but the live audience seemed have responded well to it so idk. I really like the song, sans the rap bit (though for me liking any rap at all is an extremely rare occurrence), so I hope it qualify for the final and does well. 

Denmark - Anja Nissen - "Where I Am" - The “OMG This Girl Can SING” Entry #2 of this year. Just watch that girl go. The song is average, and a bit too loud and shout-y throughout, but that voice man. Might not place high but it will most likely make it to the final, even if it doesn’t end up placing high in the final itself. 

Ireland - Brendan Murray - "Dying to Try" - It’s an okay song, and his voice is pretty adorable in that sweet, slightly pubescent, Disney Channel kind of way. In terms of live performances, I’ve only seen the video from Israel Calling, but his voice during certain high notes that are suppose to showcase the vocals seemed to lack support, though it’s early days yet so he might hit his stride later. It’s a long shot judging from what I’ve seen so far though, especially with the UK voting in the first semi. 

San Marino Valentina Monetta and Jimmie Wilson "Spirit of the Night"

Croatia - Jacques Houdek - "My Friend" - My opinion of this song hasn’t changed from the start, really. It’s a perfectly okay song but there really wasn’t anything that really gripped me. In terms of odds, I would hedge my bet on a “no.”

Norway - JOWST feat. Aleksander Walmann - "Grab the Moment"- This one is another grower for me, though not to the same extent as Austria’s entry. There’s a certain charm about his performance that pulls me in more and more every time I listen to it. Not to mention I’ve always had a soft spot for Norway in Eurovision (Rybak’s win in 2009 and my Norwegian professor’s celebration afterwards being the whole reason I found out about Eurovision in the first place, after all). All things give, I guess I’ll just say I definitely hope he qualifies for the final, and leave it at that. 

Switzerland - Timebelle - "Apollo" - I liked the song since the start, and repeat listening has not changed that. Haven’t seen that many live performances of it yet, but I didn’t notice anything about her vocals that might make me worry. I’d say she has a fair chance, though a lot will depend on how the night goes. 

Belarus - NAVI - "Story of My Life" - This song is just full of so much joy that it always brings a smile to my face whenever I listen to it. Definitely hope it does well, and I think it will at least make it out of this semi. 

Bulgaria - Kristian Kostov - "Beautiful Mess" - It’s an okay song, and his voice carries it really well for the most part, but I did notice some problems with the transition to higher notes during his performance in Israel. Shouldn’t be that much of a problem though, especially since the climax moments mostly stays in the lower register and he does a smashing job there. I’d bet on it qualifying. 

Lithuania - Fusedmarc - "Rain of Revolution" - Didn’t like it, didn’t grow on me, got worse after each listen if anything. You’re a lovely country Lithuania and I’m so sorry that I’m saying this, but I’m really hoping that I don’t have to listen to it again for the finals. 

Estonia - Koit Toome and Laura - "Verona" - I like it, it’s got a way of worming itself into your head with its repetitive chorus. Their vocals are solid from what I’ve seen so far too. It’s got a fair chance I think. 

Israel - Imri - "I Feel Alive" - I felt bored by the song, and still do. Wonder why they decided the close with this one? The press release on the official site says the order was decided by the producers but I would have thought this ended up being the last one because of a random draw...

My Picks:

Russia (if they are able/willing to compete), Netherlands, Romania, Denmark, Bulgaria, Norway, Belarus, Austria, Switzerland, Estonia

Potential Challengers:

Macedonia (my pick to replace Russia if they don’t appear)

Big Five + Ukraine (alphabetical order):

France - Alma - "Requiem" - My top picks seem to come out of the big five this year, which is a surprise. This is one of them. I’ve got it on my phone and listen to it on repeat sometimes. Her live vocal isn’t always solid, though it does look like she’s improving with each performance, and despite worries about the added English lyrics it seems to be woven in the song pretty well. Out of the live versions I’ve heard though, I’d say the two acoustic sessions she did with Amir and Mans are my favorites. I hope she does well in the finals, and if her vocals continues to improve I think she will. 

Germany - Levina - "Perfect Life" - I actually liked it the very first time I heard it but with each listen, my opinion veered more and more towards the “meh” side. I’m still quite taken with that particular section of the lyrics though. 

Italy - Francesco Gabbani - "Occidentali's Karma" - Okay, let not write a novel-length entry filled with gushing praise for this one. It’s hard though. Have I mentioned this is my absolute favorite this year, by far? I wasn’t sure how reducing the length will play out, and I honestly wasn’t that impressed when the official video with the edit came out, but after watching his performance in Amsterdam I think he should be fine (more than fun really, he really connected with the crowd and it was an absolute joy to watch). I wouldn’t say it’s his to lose just yet, but I’m still rooting for #Italy2018 wholeheartedly!

Spain - Manel Navarro - "Do It for Your Lover" - And now, from my absolute favorite to one of my least favorite. Sorry Spain. 

Ukraine - O.Torvald - "Time" - Not really my cup of tea, but it will be a welcoming change of pace I think. 

United Kingdom - Lucie Jones - "Never Give Up on You" - My opinion of it has certainly improved a lot after watching her live performances of it, but with the song being average and with a couple more female vocal powerhouses from other countries, I don’t think she will be the next Dami Im. Even so, It might still be the UK’s best shot at the left side of the ranking board in years. 

[valuhreeee]

Review of NYR 2016 for 2017

Didn't realise that there was no NYR for 2017?! But nevertheless let's just do a review for 2016 and see what's been done and what's left to do ◡̈ 1) Sundown 2016 I survived a half marathon at sundown in 2015. Fitness deproved a hell lot over the past few months, but i hope to come back stronger in 2016 to complete another half marathon. // would a full marathon be possible? HAHA ok fine shall not be too ambitious. Won't be doing this in 2017, but if my work stabilises in 2018 and I get my fitness up I'd try 2) ABS & Volleyball BBG? Time to get things started huh. & Volleyball - I want to continue to make these weekly sessions a constant in my life. It may sound easy considering the fact that I got it going, but to maintain this lifestyle over time still requires a considerable amount of dedication and commitment. This is definitely checked ;) despite leaving GSP, I've been really active in Volleyball (about twice a week at least), and grabbing every opportunity to play other sports like bball. Everything has been great for me, tho not regularly but I try to make a point to do some core exercises in the weekdays as well. So hopefully I can keep all of these going and be fitter even as I age :/ 3) Driving Getting a license in 2016 may be overly-ambitious, after all i would probably only be starting in the second half of the year. Furthermore, it’s gonna cost money and 2016 is gonna be a costly year if im planning a #4 Family Trip to Korea. Finally proud to say that this is in progress in 2017! Passed my FTT this year and into my 6th lesson of driving alr. Still a long way to go but let's do thisssss 4) Family Trip - Korea / Japan / Both it’s mum’s dream to travel to Korea & Japan. Not sure if it’s financially advisable to plan both together, but let’s make at least one happen :) YESSS CHECKED to Hokkaido, Japan. My next trip shall be Australia 💪🏼 5) Bangkok Trip - EOY I wanna go shop for cheap clothing, eat thai milk tea crepe and after you shibuya toast, coconut ice-cream.. :3 Oh I didn't do this in 2016 but done in 2017, after I left deloitte and decided to take a short break to refresh and recharge 6) Perform at a gig This is not impossible, but INSANELY CHALLENGING for me. mm. again to not be unrealistic, i’ll simplify it to: posting a decent, confident youtube cover OR at least to find like-minded people working towards the same goals in music. YES simplified version achieved on Instagram! It's been really encouraging hearing ppl tell me that my voice sounds nice and I should go pursue smth more. Maybe I shouldn't set walls for myself since I have very little to lose? 🤷🏻‍♀️ idk but I'll try to post more covers on IG for now ☺️ So I guess it's a 4.5/6 achievement which seems great and I shall continue to work and focus before sleeping ^^ 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼