#imagines il volo

[fcgoretzka]

Za roko te držim | Bojan Cvjetićanin

Pairing : Bojan Cvjetićanin x y/n (she/her)

Author's note : Well yeah, this is my very first Bojan fanfic, it came out shorter than what I anticipated but yeah, a first is a first. Hopefully I'll have the time and inspiration to write many many more 🦋 Infinite thanks to @rottingsun for giving me this idea and saving me (also saving you from another sad angst if you remember me from the old il volo imagines days).

Warnings: Sexual tension, slight foul language (I think?). No proofread cause we die like men.

With the way the music was blasting through the nightclub, the strobing lights electrifying the atmosphere and the excessive alcohol making everyone a little too flirty, Bojan decided to put down his gin tonic and take y/n 's hand, motioning her the way to the dance floor. She could never resist him, especially now, with the way the black fabric was hugging his body and his arms that were oh-so-protective of her were in clear sight after tearing the sleeves of his silk shirt. His hands quickly found their way to her lower back, bringing her as closer to him as he could, while she played with Bojan's hair with the tips of her fingers. Her eyes never leaving his, they were entagled into this sexual tension, but none of them wanting the night to end. The dj was playing the perfect songs, the bartender served the perfect drinks and the outcome of the night could wait until the first morning hours. Bojan kept averting his gaze between her eyes and lips, teasing his girlfriend whose lust could be spotted miles away. He moved his lips closer to hers, barely touching her, their breaths entagled. She decided to give in, hungrily tasting the sweet and bitter lips of his. Bojan never turned down the opportunity to kiss her, their lips moving in sync and their hands exploring each other's bodies.

"You know how much you have turned me on right now?" Bojan whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "I don't think we should leave yet, one drink is too little, and the way those lights glow on your face, I want to look at that a bit longer" she replied and Bojan gave her a smile, a type of smile that he keeps only for her. A smile full of adoration. "Can I buy you another drink then?" he said, trying to hide the small smirk that was forming on his lips. She nodded smiling and led him back to the bar, only to see that one of the the two stools that they were sitting was occupied by a pretty blonde woman who was overly excited to talk to the bartender, so Bojan motioned y/n to sit on the empty seat, his hand never leaving hers. "A Strawberry Daquiri baby?" he asked her and she gave him a bright smile.

She never knew two strawberry daquiris could make her so tipsy, but she was giggling like a high schooler every time Bojan told her she was pretty. So he took this as the perfect opportunity to tell her that standing for so long made his feet hurt and the only solution he could think of is sitting on her lap. Her eyes immediately sobered up and whispered "You fucking tease, you know having you this close turns me on" she said completely serious, as Bojan made himself comfortable on her lap. She leaned on his back, the intoxicating smell of his shampoo, his perfume, his aftershave among with the bitterness of the cocktails he chose making her dizzy. "You love holding me closer" he said as she simply nodded, sinking deeper into his silk shirt, holding him tighter and tighter. Bojan sensed that the sexual tension wasn't so palpable anymore and turned his head back, trying to get a better view of her face. "Hey, hey ljubezen, what's wrong?" he said as y/n looked at him dead in the eye and said "Having you on my lap reminded me of how lucky I am to have you Bojan".

Hearing his name only meant two things. Either they were making love, or she was dead serious about what she was saying. He gave her a sweet smile and gave her a soothing kiss on the top of her head. "I am also super lucky to have you in my life y/n. And I am even luckier to know that I have you in my life for good." she told her, the strobing lights lighting up his face not causing her knees to turn weak anymore, but giving her a sense of protection, of security, of warmth. There was no sexual tension, no teasing whatsoever. Just pure love. Pure, plain love.

"But that doesn't mean that the night won't end the way we imagined at the beginning ljubezen"

[sciatu]

Le api nere sono degli insetti autoctoni della Sicilia. La loro caratteristica è che non vanno mai in letargo perchè in Sicilia vi sono fiori tutto l'anno.

Non c’è un senso, in questo parlarci in differita, oggi io in una stanza vuota, domani tu in un metrò affollato, ieri lei prima di una teleconference. Non c’è un senso, nelle parole digitali che riempiono i nostri vuoti umani. C’è un senso però nella volontà di dire, di raccontare, di sognare e sognando essere nel bisogno di ascoltare osservando, leggendo, immaginando. Come il vento della primavera disperde i semi dei fiori, così ci spinge il vento della solitudine, a donare fiori ad altri cuori arsi di parole, orfani di speranze, ad altri silenzi nascosti dietro volti indifferenti, agli immensi deserti di solitudine rinchiusi nelle nostre piccole anime. Per questo come le operose api nere volo di cuore in cuore, di anima in anima, raccogliendo il polline delle parole, la dolcezza degli uomini che guerre e naufragi mortali non possono cancellare, non osano negare. Non c’è senso nel non cercarci, nel non essere legati da radici sottili che presto, insieme, ci nutriranno con l’acqua pura di quella vita che ci travolge e che ci manca.

There is no sense in this deferred talking to each other, today I in an empty room, tomorrow you in a crowded subway, yesterday her before a teleconference. There is no sense in the digital words that fill our human voids. However, there is a sense in the desire to say, to tell, to dream and to be while dreaming, there is sense in our need of listening, observing, reading, imagining. As the spring wind scatters the seeds of flowers, so the wind of solitude drives us to give flowers to other hearts, parched with words, orphans of hope, to other silences hidden behind indifferent faces, to the immense deserts of solitude enclosed in our little souls. For this, like the industrious black bees, I fly from heart to heart, from soul to soul, gathering the pollen of words, the sweetness of men, which wars and mortal shipwrecks cannot erase, they dare not deny. There is no sense in not looking for you, in not being bound by subtle roots that soon, together, they will feed us with the pure water of that life that overwhelms us, and that we miss.

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2023 PRESHOW - part 3: the Borewhores

Time for my favourite part of any ranking - the songs that make me feel absolutely nothing. Hooray! These songs aren’t bad, but I don’t care for them. There a place for their entries at ESC, and that place is NOW!!! Bask in the glory of the grotesquely average! Or as I affectionally call them: the boring cunts. 

29. ITALY Marco Mengoni - “Due vite” Autoqualifier 

Whoever reads “Borewhore slaughter” in a BorisBubbles write-up thinks there will be an Italy write-up in the mix. Your thinking is once again correct! 😁

I don’t fucking know what to say about Italy anymore. I honestly feels like they’ve achored themselves down to send male-fronted mid-range emotional ballads, each new one just as dull and insipid as the previous one. L’essenziale, Fai rumore, Brividi, what’s the fucking difference, honestly? I’d say it’s the same old, but look at their entries in the last decade, and look at ALL of their San Remo winners since 2020. There was more variation amongst any four-year Italian stretch in the 60s, 70s and 80s, the time period where Italy were consisently one of the worst countries. 

Even as i’m sitting down to review this, my first instinct was “At least Marco’s handsome?” as a punchline and that says it all really? Italy fandom honestly IS barely about their songs and more about whoever (man) performs it, and what he looks like. The fucking halo effect that white mankind projects onto Italians is omnipotent and often earned, but so worth calling out in contexts like these. At least Marco IS handsome, I guess, the first *actually* handsome and charismatic Italian lead since Il Volo. No more “Protecc The Smoll Bean” nonsense. 

So um, the song. God, I don’t care how many silly Spaniards rank it absurdly high on their lists, “Due vite” is boring. I appreciate that it’s inoffensively competent but good grief, it and I do not align. WHY DOES IT HAVE SO MANY WORDS. I know that Italians are a loqacious lot and yap about anything, but this stereotype personified in ballad form frankly exhausts me. 

At least he’s handsome the fandom isn’t annoying about Italy this time around, I guess. 

Odds at Eurovision - ITALY

Aside from the Spaniards nobody seems to care about Marco. One may think this sets up an illusive Italian male flop but I’m not quite as easily fooled. Marco WILL come top 10. Look at this field, and tell me where the jury votes are gonna go towards. Italy will receive a decent mark here. That the fans are less vocal about Italy than they normally is merely an indicator that they’ll place somewhere in the lower half of the top 10. Maybe the Mengoni special of 7th place :-) 

Projected placement: 6th-10th (specifically: 7th) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

28. CYPRUS Andrew Lambrou - “Break a broken heart” Semi 2, slot #06

You know, sometimes the broadcasters easen job. Cyprus released a teaser for Andrew’s song before release, and although it lasted for THIRTY SECONDS it told us everything we ever needed to know about “Break a broken heart”, including what the remaining two and a half minutes would sound like. Great songwriting, y’all. 😃

Upon announcement though, I harboured a faint hope Andrew would just give us another “Electrify”, fulfilling his predestined role as this year’s hapless himbot with a basic club banger. Instead Cyprus imagined some dragons and sure, if you’re going to be basic there are worse directions to go. Doesn’t take away this is some lower-end ID song here to cash out another easy low-effort qualification into the usual 21st place. 

B L E R G H. 

Odds at Eurovision - CYPRUS

Andrew is Australian and less awful than little Victor Varicose Vein. So I think it’s safe to state Cyprus do better than Greece? They’re guaranteed one twelve from Greece and another one from Australia. That by itself puts them mathematically ahead of several countries in that semi. 

Like I honestly REALLY wish “Break a broken heart” were.. you know, good, because that would ensure Greece’s NQ while making Cyprus (which is a lock on PAPER) an even more secure qualifier. Sadlty, that’s not the case. In a fully just world though, everyone recognizes the “Break a broken heart” is just boringdull baggage nobody wants to take home with them, and both Cyprus and Greece get to hold hands as they sink into a sea of flop. Sadly that’s unlikely to happen in semi 2, unless ALL the other fringe qualifiers deliver something extraordinary.  Once in the final, Cyprus will beach themselves in a 21st-ish place (with votes from Greece and Australia ONLY), and nobody will talk about them ever again. 🙂

Qualifier Tier: B+ Projected placement: 7th-10th (semi), 19th-23rd (Grand final). 

---------------------------------------------------------------

27. UKRAINE TVORCHI - “Heart of steel” Autoqualifier

What a big pile of misery. Yes, YES, I am aware what country this is. Any of us would be highly delusional to believe Ukraine would go for something cheery at this present moment in time, but Krut and Finka were right there, on offer for the Ukrainians to take? We don’t have to like  Ukraine this year, surely? Yeah it’s TAKING A STAND!! AGAINST THE EVIL INVADER!!! but if it’s about resilience and overcoming odds, then why does it sound like a fucking funeral march hmm? 

For all its doom and gloom, I don’t dislike “Heart of steel” though. It is well-made and unique, which I can appreciate. But I also don’t give two fucks about it. It’s a far cry away from the usual high octane stuff Ukraine send. 

More than anything, “Heart of steel” feels like the end of success story for what is ultimately one of Eurovision’s best and most consistent participating countries. While it won’t happen this year, I’ve a feeling Ukraine will continue to send entries like these, with diminishing returns until they finally ruin their perfect qualification record.

At least they’re not winning this time around, but more on that in the next rublic:

Odds at Eurovision - UKRAINE

The expectations for Ukraine differ depending on who you’d ask, ranging from “winning back-to-back” to “they’ll flop and come bottom five”. I think the expectations are wrong.🙂  Ukraine will come top 10, but nowhere near a win. Eurovision is not a charity, but there there’s clearly going to be some sort of sympathy vote.. But I also feel like this will be limited to countries with a vested interest towards supporting Ukraine (the Baltics, Poland, Czechia). Most of the other casuals I believe will have moved on, more stingy with their money in a world where general prices have skyrocketed. 

In most countries the oro-Ukraine vote will be limited to the expats and refugees for the most part because, again, most of Europe has moved on and also because  “Heart of Steel” is kinda unvoteable oops. I can’t make a projection of how many points that’ll be, but I’d be surprised it Ukraine got more than a bunch of fives and sixes? That should still be enough for a good result overall, but not enough to come even NEAR the actual winning entries. 

Based on musical merit i would estimate a decent jury score as well, to further underline a good but not outstanding result in Liverpool. 

Projected placement: 4th-10th (prediction: 6th place) 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

26. ESTONIA Alika - “Bridges” Semi 2, slot #4

What a wild rollercoaster ride for an entry I fundamentally care very little about.  I went from not caring about Alika to lowkey stanning her to concluding that wait actually "Bridges” kinda sucks, so Estonia should be ranked lowish. Oops!

Idk, I think that *within the context of Eesti Laul* where it became immediately obvious (from the feedback I heard from actual Estonians) that Alika would win, I just... forced myself to like her?  I also had taken it upon myself that Ollie NEEDED to lose for his overrated ~emo boy with emotions~ nonsense (no, it doesn’t work better if disguised as a Linkin’ Park song.) by all means necessary. Bedwetters would be the ideal men for the job, but again since nobody in Estonia seemed to care about them (why? Were Ollie and Alika truly that more exciting? What a crazy country.), Alika was a decent alternative, or so I thought.

Once she actually beat Ollie, I gave Alika little thought until it was time for the bulk relisten. During that I concluded that “Bridges” kinda annoys me? For something supposed to be introverted, it’s loud and pungent.

The presentation at EL does NOT help it either, as it involves Alika angrily screaming about how SHE’S BUILDING UP A WORLD OF BREECHES (what does that metaphor even MEAN, btw?) with the panache of a crazy woman who was just dragged from a river. It’s like Iceland where I feel like there’s a “solid idea” but the execution is a sloppy mess. Unlike Estonia though, iceland have a very good song AND fun performer this year, so i’m willing to forgive their flaws. 🙂

So much for the ONLY female-fronted classical ballad in this year, huh?

Odds at Eurovision - ESTONIA

Estonia are one of several countries in the second semi that are on the cusp. As i’ve written before, 7 countries are very likely through to the final: those 7 are Australia, Lithuania, Austria, Belgium, Slovenia, Armenia and Cyprus (probably in that precise order). San Marino are dead, and Poland/Romania hang on by a sliver. EVERYONE ELSE has a more or less equal shot at the final three positions. Estonia’s advantages here are (1)  Alika’s powerful voice and (2) Bridges being the only classical ballad in the semi. Both of those things can help Estonia stand out and receive televotes, in a semi where their closest ally is Lithuania. 

Estonia is also disadvantaged however. The first and largest of these is that the semi has a very slow start, so someone will have to kickstart it. That will not be “Bridges” which is adding reverse alacrity to the already dull proceedings

Even worse, I believe the big kicker will be Belgium. Estonia are on DIRECTLY BEFORE them, which is a very bad spot to be in.

Also, being on fourth with a ballad is never good. 

ALSO, “Bridges” in its current state is shouty and miserable. 

There are several things Estonia need to rethink in terms of their staging and Alika’s styling, if their ambition is to do well, let alone qualify. Currently I think they’ll come close to the Q, but will narrowly miss it in 11th or 12th place. 

If they do make the final, I could see Bridges becoming one of those entries that Juries love to death and televoters don’t give two fucks about. Their result will be lower-midtable once they’ve passed the big old hurdle of “reaching the grand final with a ballad in a full televote scoreboard”. Qualifier tier: C Projected placement: 8th-14th (Semi), 14th-19th (Grand Final)

---------------------------------------------------------------

And that concludes those I find very very boring :-)  Next up are the decent entries. I’m not fully on board with them, but I understand why they’re liked. They bring something different to the table and I can appreciate that even if I’m not the target audience. 🙂

THE RANKING:

Part 1: The BAD entries (Switzerland / Croatia / Israel / Greece) Part 2: the IRRELEVANT entries  (Ireland / Albania / Netherlands / San Marino)

[the-invisible-queer]

Nah but imagine Joe goes to an Il Volo show while he's there

He's not allowed

[shinshun-chanson-show]

＠イルヴォーロの解散　Will Il volo be separated?

イルヴォーロの三人が解散するかもしれないという噂が出ている。

メンバーはピエロ、ジャンルカ、イニャツイオの三人だが、ピエロがソロとして独立したがっているのでは、と言う話だ。

ピエロは声の質や歌い方からクラシックに近く、オペラを歌う力量を持っている。

あとの二人はクラシックも歌うが、ポピュラーを歌う方が似合っている。

There is a rumor that Il volo would be separated.

The three boys, Piero, Gianluca, and Ignazio, are the members.

They say Piero wants to be a soloist of classic. His voice is very good to sing classic.

For the other two popular songs are more suitable.

逆に言うとピエロがポピュラーを歌う時、オペラ歌手が歌謡曲を歌っているような感じで、やや違和感がある。

ジャンルカは静かな歌、イニャツイオはパンチの効いた歌が最も似合う。

ジャンルカは上品な色気があり心に染みる歌を歌う。イニャツイオは多分三人のなかで一番最初から上手だった、歌の心を知っている。

三人３様の良さがあるのが特徴だ。

When Piero sings popular songs, sometimes I feel a little discomfort.

For Gianluca, the calm song is suitable and for Ignazio punchy songs.

Gianluca has sexy atmosphere and his song impresses us.

Ignazio might be the best from the first time, who knows the heart of song.

They are all different and all excellent.

ピエロがオペラ歌手を目指しているというのは聞いたことがあるので、いつかはこう言い出すのではと思っていた。今回三回目のサンレモに出場し、８位という結果に終わってしまったことも原因かもしれない。

ピエロはオペラが歌えると言うのは確かだけれど、これまではアリアを歌っただけで、本格的に一つの役を通して歌ったことはない。

いくら歌唱力があっても、彼ももう３０歳で、これまでずっとオペラを練習してきた人たちがたくさんいる中で、果たして役を勝ち取れるのだろうか？

最初は話題性で役がつくかもしれないが、その後ずっと続けることは可能だろうか？

I know Piero wanted to be an opera singer, and this time they joined in Sanremo and took 8th. The result might be one of the reasons.

Piero can sing opera, but he sang only arias and didn’t sing as one role in the opera.

He is already 30 years old, and there are many rivals of opera singers.

Can he be the best of them?

At first, he might take a role because he is a topic, but after that can he continue it all his life?

イルヴォーロはイルヴォーロだから売れているのであって、三人が別々になってしまったら、魅力は半減してしまう。三人とも力量は十分だが、同じくらいの歌手は何人もいるのだ。その中でこれだけ世界的に人気を保ってきたのは三人でいたからではないか？

Il volo is popular because they are Il volo.

If they are separated, their power to attract us would be halved.

They all are great, but there are many other great singers.

They are popular world-wide because they are three.

ピエロの気持ちもわからなくはないけれど、それならイルヴォーロの一人としてオペラにゲスト出演するなど不可能だろうか？もう一度考え直して欲しいと切に願う。

I can imagine what Piero thinks, but isn’t there a way to sing in an opera as one of Il volo?

I really wish them not to be separated.

[tempi-dispari]

New Post has been published on https://www.tempi-dispari.it/2023/06/19/rain/

Rain

Il contesto storico e culturale del 1980

Il decennio non inizia nel migliore dei modi: prendendo spunto dall’invasione russa in Afghanistan, il presidente americano Jimmy Carter comunica che gli Stati Uniti boicotteranno le prossime Olimpiadi estive di Mosca, invitando le altre Nazioni a seguire il suo esempio. 61 Paesi aderiscono al boicottaggio: l’Italia lo fà a metà, non inviando in Russia gli atleti appartenenti alle forze armate o a corpi militari.

Il 24 aprile, la prima seria crisi internazionale: finisce in tragedia il tentativo di un commando di liberare gli ostaggi americani in mano al regime di Teheran. Otto soldati muoiono nell’operazione, e il disastro sarà la causa principale della mancata rielezione di Carter l’autunno successivo. Il quarantesimo Presidente degli Stati Uniti sarà l’ex attore Ronald Reagan.

Il monte St.Helen distrutto nell’eruzione Il 18 maggio, dopo un sonno di oltre un secolo, il Monte St.Helen erutta in modo disastroso, lanciando cenere nel cielo fino a 5 chilometri di altezza. La montagna viene rasa al suolo dal disastro.

John Lennon Al termine di un anno che ha visto tra l’altro la morte del Maresciallo Tito, che nel bene o nel male aveva retto le sorti della Jugoslavia per 40 anni, muore ucciso da un fan pazzo anche John Lennon, il leader dei Beatles e una delle figure più importanti della vita culturale dell���epoca. Ci lascia i suoi indimenticabili capolavori e un messaggio di pace universale, “Imagine”.

Il premio Nobel per la chimica va a Berg, Gilbert e Sanger, per i loro studi sulla struttura del DNA, “Time” nomina uomo dell’anno il neopresidente americano Ronald Reagan. La popolazione del mondo tocca quota 4.434.682.000, un milione di lire del 1980 varrebbe oggi circa 2.300 euro.

“Canadian caper” è il nome in codice dell’operazione segreta orchestrata dall’agente della CIA Tony Mendez con l’aiuto determinante dell’ambasciatore canadese a Teheran, Ken Taylor, grazie alla quale sei diplomatici statunitensi, sfuggiti ai raid degli studenti di khomeini all’ambasciata dell’anno primo, riuscirono a tornare sani e salvi in patria, spacciandosi per la troupe di un film di fantascienza che non sarebbe mai stato girato.

“Argo”, questo il titolo (e che poi sarebbe stato fatto oltre 30 anni dopo proprio per raccontarne la storia). In una drammatica corsa sul filo del rasoio, Mendez e i sei riuscirono a imbarcarsi su un volo Swissair e a prendere letteralmente il volo verso la libertà, proprio quando il cerchio delle ricerche intorno a loro si stava stringendo.

IN ITALIA

È un anno triste anche in Italia: nel giorno della befana viene assassinato Piersanti Mattarella, presidente della regione Sicilia che stava cercando di riformare con criteri di meritocrazia, evidentemente invisi ai mandanti dell’omicidio.

A febbraio le brigate rosse uccidono in un attentato all’università La Sapienza Vittorio Bachelet, vicepresidente del CSM, mentre a giugno un DC9 dell’Itavia esplode sopra i cieli di Ustica, per cause che 40 anni dopo non sono ancora state chiarite.

Muoiono i 77 passeggeri e i 4 membri dell’equipaggio, in una delle pagine più buie della mala politica italiana. Il 2 agosto, l’attentato più vigliacco della storia della Repubblica italiana provoca la morte di 85 persone alla stazione di Bologna, quando una bomba fà crollare un’intera ala della stazione.

Il 23 novembre un fortissimo terremoto investe un’ area di 17.000 Kmq. tra Irpinia e Basilicata: le cifre della tragedia sono pesantissime: 3.000 morti, oltre 10.000 feriti, quasi 300.000 senzatetto.

Arte e spettacolo

“Kramer contro Kramer” sbanca la notte degli Oscar, vincendo 5 statuette: miglior film, regia, attore protagonista (Dustin Hoffmann), attrice non protagonista (Meryl Streep) e sceneggiatura.

L’allucinato “Apocalypse now” si ferma all’Oscar per la fotografia (all’italiano Storaro) e per il suono. “Alien” vince gli effetti speciali, “All that jazz” vince 4 Oscar e la Palma d’oro a Cannes.

Esce nelle sale il secondo episodio della saga di Guerre Stellari: “L’impero colpisce ancora”, che guadagnerà oltre 500 milioni di dollari in tutto il mondo. In campo televisivo, il 1° giugno un’emittente di Atlanta comincia le trasmissioni: nasce la CNN, che rivoluzionerà il modo di fare giornalismo negli anni a seguire.

Le Olimpiadi di Mosca, segnate dal pesante boicottaggio dei Paesi occidentali, portano all’Italia 8 medaglie d’oro: su tutte, quella di Mennea nei 200 metri e di Sara Simeoni nel salto in alto. Intanto, alle Olimpiadi invernali di Lake Placid si era registrata la clamorosa vittoria della squadra americana di hockey, formata da studenti universitari, sul colosso russo: “The miracle on ice”.

La Germania vince gli Europei di calcio, organizzati in Italia: i giornali cominciano a scrivere il “de profundis” di Bearzot. Il Nottingham Forest di Shilton vince la coppa dei campioni. Interrompendo un digiuno di 9 anni, l’Inter di Bersellini e Beccalossi è Campione d’Italia.

I Blondie sbancano le top-ten con “Call me”, mentre “The wall” dei Pink Floyd è l’album dell’anno. Esce nelle sale un filmetto francese senza tante pretese: “Il tempo delle mele”.

Diventerà film generazionale, con la zuccherosa “Reality” ad imperversare in tutte le feste di compleanno. Arriva anche in Italia la geniale invenzione di un matematico ungherese: il cubo di Rubik, che toglierà il sonno a un’intera generazione.

Ma quanto poteva essere difficile, diranno gli scafati figli del 2000? Un cubo di 6 lati, ogni lato 9 quadratini colorati? Beh, figli della playstation, sappiate che le combinazioni possibili in cui il malefico cubo poteva trovarsi sono 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 (!!), una sola quella giusta, con tutti i lati colorati! E c’era chi lo risolveva tutto in meno di 25 secondi!!

In questo contesto nascevano i Rain

I RAIN sono nati nel 1980, quando l’unica descrizione possibile per la loro musica era semplicemente “heavy metal”. La loro carriera artistica ha attraversato diversi cambi di stile, ma la passione per l’hard rock più fisico, lascivo e metallico ha finalmente trovato la strada di casa.

Nonostante il loro ultimo album Spacepirates risale al 2016 e la band abbia affrontato un doppio cambio di formazione l’anno successivo, i RAIN non hanno mai rallentato la loro attività sul fronte live, affermandosi come una delle band più intramontabili e coerenti dell’heavy metal italiano ed europeo scena.

Oggi il gruppo bolognese è tornato in sella, affidandosi all’instancabile determinazione del veterano chitarrista Amos The Snake, a cui nell’ultimo decennio si sono aggiunti il ​​bassista King Gabry, il batterista Gunner, il cantante Evil Mala e il chitarrista solista Freddy V.

Nonostante abbia vissuto diverse fasi creative in una carriera così lunga, lo stile dei RAIN si è evoluto anno dopo anno in un hard’n’heavy energico, irriverente e orientato alla strada, nel senso più genuino e rock’n’roll del termine. Un sound classico, ma mai nostalgico, che ha sempre saputo trarre ispirazione dalle più recenti evoluzioni della musica contemporanea.

La volontà della band di rimanere costantemente aggiornata in termini di produzione e influenze, infatti, ha permesso ai RAIN di spaziare con naturalezza dal power metal all’hard rock, incorporando i rami più pesanti del suono alternativo e focalizzando il processo creativo sull’eredità dei capisaldi della musica pesante.

Nel corso degli anni, punti di riferimento obbligatori come Motörhead, Judas Priest e Accept sono stati aggiornati sulla scia di un suono sempre più personale e versatile. I RAIN sono quindi diventati la band ideale per aprire concerti di artisti iconici (Paul Di’ Anno, Michael Schenker, Udo Dirkschneider e Yngwie Malmsteen), ma anche perfetti animali da festival, come chiaramente affermato dalle straordinarie esibizioni al Metal Camp nel 2005 e al Metalitalia Festival del 2019 (con Slayer, Anthrax, Children of Bodom, Gotthard, Hardcore Superstar e Phil Campbell).

Un percorso artistico spalancato a contaminazioni groove metal e street/glam rock fin dall’album Bigditch 4707 (1998, Eternal Shadows Records), che RAIN sviluppò ancora meglio nel successivo Headshaker (2002, Deadsun Records) e nel modern classic Dad Is Dead (2008, Aural Music). I tour europei e americani, a supporto rispettivamente di Blaze Bayley e dei mitici WASP, diventano l’ovvia conseguenza di questa crescita.

L’album Mexican Way (2013, Aural Music) ha soddisfatto l’esigenza di sperimentare con i suoni acustici, aprendo la strada alla partecipazione dei RAIN al Pistoia Blues 2015 (con The Darkness e Black Label Society). Quello era solo un episodio, comunque, perché il richiamo della musica pesante è troppo selvaggio e rinvigorisce i celebri Spacepirates (2016, Aural Music), come sempre supportati da intensi tour italiani ed europei con la band di Jeff Scott Soto.

Insieme alla produzione dell’attesissimo nuovo album, nel 2017 l’ultima formazione RAIN ha pubblicato il singolo Good Morning Texas (featuring Alessandro Del Vecchio e il produttore americano Beau Hill) e la cover di Disperato Erotico Stomp del concittadino Lucio Dalla, in partenza subito per un nuovo tour europeo sempre con i maestri W.A.S.P.

La recente ristampa per il decimo anniversario di Dad Is Dead, con il disco bonus Live In Russi, ha contribuito a indicare la futura direzione stilistica. Durante il 2019 e il 2020 la band ha lavorato duramente su una serie di nuove canzoni, insieme alla pre-produzione e al mix di Giuseppe “Dualized” Bassi (Fear Factory e altro), che ha dato una nuova e fresca spinta al suono e agli arrangiamenti, insistendo ancora di più su soluzioni moderne e groovy, che però non ne pregiudicheranno il marchio cruento e concreto.

Nell’ottobre 2021 RAIN ha pubblicato Come back A-Live, il primo libro mai realizzato dalla band, pubblicato da Arcana Edizioni e basato sull’esperienza del tour on-the-road del 2010 negli Stati Uniti con i WASP, scritto da Dave Tonioni (che ha preso parte a quel tour come merchandiser, fotografo, tour manager e molto altro) e acclamato dalla stampa italiana.

Contemporaneamente all’uscita del libro, RAIN pubblicava un nuovo singolo come logica colonna sonora, chiamato Come back A-Live. Per una band già abituata a farsi acclamare dal vivo, il prossimo album A New Tomorrow, la cui uscita è prevista per la fine del 2022, rappresenta una grande sfida soprattutto a livello creativo. Se i RAIN si sono sempre dimostrati capaci di infiammare i palchi di mezzo mondo, questa volta hanno nel mirino il tuo impianto stereo. Quindi, è meglio che tu sia pronto.

Anno per anno:

La storia dei Rain inizia nel 1980 a Bologna. Tre generazioni di musicisti si sono alternate apportando le proprie influenze e contribuendo alla creazione del sound della band, partendo dall’Heavy Metal puro delle origini fino alla sperimentazione di nuove atmosfere nell’album acustico “Mexican Way”, per tornare a elementi hard ‘n’ heavy con l’ultimo lavoro in studio “Spacepirates”.

Tra il 1998 e il 2007 la band ha pubblicato due album: “Bigditch 4704”, distribuito dalla label greca Eternal Shadows, e “Headshaker”, registrato per l’etichetta francese Deadsun Records. I lunghi tour promozionali dei due album hanno portato i Rain sia in Italia che in Europa, grazie anche alle date a supporto di Paul Di Anno, Michael Shenker, Udo, Iron Savior e Helstar, tra i tanti.

Nel 2008 la band pubblica il disco “Dad is Dead”, che contiene 12 tracce inedite e una cover del classico “Rain” dei The Cult, che vede la partecipazione di Steve Sylvester (Death SS) alla voce. Il disco è stato prodotto e distribuito da Aural Music in tutto il mondo, mentre la distribuzione italiana è stata curata da Audioglobe.

Il tour promozionale di “Dad is Dead” ha portato i Rain in Finlandia, Germania, Polonia, Olanda, Belgio, Francia, Svizzera, Danimarca a supporto di Blaze Bayley (cantante degli Iron Maiden dal 1994 al 1999), e negli Stati Uniti per un tour di un mese a supporto di W.A.S.P. nel 2010.

La produzione in studio è continuata nel 2011 con l’album “XXX”, un’antologia dei 30 anni di carriera del gruppo, in cui alcune delle canzoni più significative della carriera dei Rain sono state riarrangiate e reinterpretate. La collaborazione con Aural Music è continuata anche per questo album, e il 15 ottobre 2011 è iniziato a Tilburg, in Olanda, il “XXX Tour”, che ha portato la band ancora una volta ad attraversare Italia ed Europa.

Nell’ottobre 2013 il desiderio di sperimentare e realizzare un progetto parzialmente diverso ha portato alla pubblicazione di “Mexican Way”, un album acustico. Il disco ha ricevuto ampi consensi sia dal pubblico che dalla critica. Aural Music ancora una volta è stata partner fedele della band occupandosi della distribuzione del prodotto in tutto il mondo. All’interno delle 12 tracce sono presenti anche due canzoni cantate in lingua spagnola.

La band è partita per il tour di supporto di “Mexican Way” attraversando l’Italia partendo in marzo 2014 da Roma, eseguendo il repertorio classico unito a brani estratti da “Mexican Way”, unendo quindi il sound heavy con una componente acustica.

Il 2014 vede l’ingresso in formazione del nuovo cantante Mantis le Sin, di un nuovo chitarrista solista, Amedeo Mongiorgi, e del un nuovo batterista, Andrew Gunner.

Durante il 2014 e il 2015 la band, al lavoro sul nuovo album in studio, ha comunque tenuto numerosi concerti sia in Italia che in Europa (da menzionare la partecipazione a Pistoia Blues nel 2015 a supporto di The Darkness e Black Label Society).

L’album “Spacepirates” viene pubblicato la luce nel 2016, contiene 9 tracce inedite e vede I Rain ritornare a un sound decisamente Hard ‘n’ Heavy. La band inizia immediatamente il tour a supporto del disco accompagnando la band di Jeff Scott Soto in alcune date europee, e battendo l’Italia da nord a sud.

Nell’estate 2016 Mantis le Sin e Amedeo Mongiorgi salutano la band e vengono rimpiazzati rispettivamente da Maurizio “Evil Mala” Malaguti alla voce e da Freddy “V” Veratti alla chitarra solista.

Nel gennaio 2017 i Rain pubblicano un nuovo singolo “Good Morning Texas”, frutto della collaborazione con produttore americano Beau Hill (Alice Cooper, Winger, Ratt) e con Alessandro Del Vecchio alle voci. Il brano oltre che pubblicato come singolo, viene inserito come bonus track nell’edizione speciale in vinile di “Spacepirates”, uscita nell’aprile 2017.

Nel marzo 2017 la band, come tributo a Lucio Dalla, il cantante e artista bolognese scomparso anni prima, realizza una cover del brano “Disperato Erotico Stomp”, che viene anche pubblicato digitalmente e per il quale viene rilasciato un video ufficiale.

Il 31 ottobre I Rain pubblicano una edizione limitata in vinile a 45 giri della cover di “Disperato Erotico Stomp”, e pochi giorni dopo si imbarcano in un tour europeo di 10 date in Italia, Svizzera, Olanda e Germania a supporto di W.A.S.P. per il loro Re-Idolized “The Crimson Idol” 25th Anniversary World Tour.

Dopo un 2018 caratterizzato da impegni live la band ha pubblicato il 26 ottobre 2018 una edizione speciale del classico del 2008 “Dad is Dead” pensata per il decimo anniversario dell’uscita dell’album, edizione completamente rimasterizzata, con una nuova copertina e un bonus disc di materiale live estratto dal “Live in Russi” del 2018.

Durante il 2019 e il 2020 la band ha lavorato su un gruppo di nuove canzoni, con la pre-produzione ed il mix di Giuseppe “Dualized” Bassi (Fear Factory e altri), che ha conferito al suono una nuova freschezza, insistendo ancora di più su soluzioni moderne e cariche di groove, che tuttavia non andranno a rivoluzionare il marchio di fabbrica della band.

Nell’ottobre 2021 i Rain hanno pubblicato “Come back A-Live”, il loro primo libro, pubblicato da Arcana Edizioni e basato sull’esperienza on the road del tour del 2010 in U.S.A. con W.A.S.P. Il libro è stato scritto da Dave Tonioni (che in quel tour fu fotografo, merchandiser, tour manager e molto altro). Contemporaneamente all’uscita del libro i Rain hanno pubblicato un singolo inedito che ne fa da colonna sonora, intitolato appunto Come back A-Live.

Il 2022 ha visto la pubblicazione dei singoli inediti “A New Tomorrow”, “Peace Sells”, cover del brano dei Megadeth, e “Down in Hell”, che hanno aperto la strada all’uscita di un nuovo album, dopo 6 anni di attesa dal precedente lavoro, dal titolo “A New Tomorrow”, pubblicato il 23 settembre. L’album è stato registrato ai Fear Studios (RA – IT), pre-prodotto e mixato da Giuseppe “Dualized” Bassi, e masterizzato da Dan Korneff al Sonic Debris Studio (NY).

[simonaruggeri]

PAL 432 n. 30 I miss you Con grande gioia da parte mia il piccolo draghetto ha spiccato il volo e ha trovato una nuova casa accogliente. Mai un titolo, come in questo caso, è stato più appropriato. I miss you! . With great joy on my part, the little dragon took off and found a new welcoming home. Never has a title, as in this case, been more appropriate. I miss you! . #artefiera #ArtCityWhiteNight #surrealismworld #microgallery #immaginario #imagination #fantasyart #fantasy #fantastico #dragon #artgallery #arte #ADNG #art #simona_ruggeri_ #simonaruggeri #studioeraarte #popsurrealism #lowbrow #lowbrowpopsurrealists #painting #creature #mistery #love #magic #protection #_artedanonguardare_ (presso Studio eraarte) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjpkBdZNMKw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[captainjulliets]

Camellia Falco: 100 Anni di Sviluppi a Nuove Altezze

...in celebration of the new Soaring: Fantastic Flight opening at Tokyo DisneySEA.

[ilvolo-writings]

Chapter X- Paradiso

You could feel your pulse constantly elevating, as your heart beat faster and faster as the words of Ignazio's letter made their way through your brain and into your soul, filling it with that warmness that you thought you had lost forever.

Your hands unconsciously allowed the letter to drop to the floor, your fingers left almost grasping the ticket that was enclosed within the envelope. You brought it closer to your eyes, firstly in order to actually believe that the moment was real, and secondly to find out what time your flight was leaving.

Your brain, however, didn't bother registering that; the movement's sole purpose was to force yourself out of a dream, if that situation had been a dream; you smiled as you understood it wasn't.

Without caring about the hours you'd have to wait at the airport, you took your suitcase out, throwing in most of your stuff, or at least the part that you felt was necessary to you. Tears were running down your cheeks constantly, but those were certainly not like the tears you'd shed the previous days; the ones making their way down your cheeks then, crashing down on semi-folded shirts and dresses, resembled rivers of bliss.

Packing your stuff took you about half an hour. After that, you wasted no time and immediately called a cab to the airport. You almost laughed at the way you sounded to the person at the other end of the line, recognizing your tone was almost too cheerful, as if you'd just won the lottery.

The taxi arrived precisely 3 minutes after your call. You sighed loudly as you closed the door of the house behind you, leaving the key underneath the doormat. Lucas should be arriving home soon, you thought, and almost smirked as you realized that he now belonged to your past, and Ignazio was your future.

The hours seemed to fly from then on. It felt to you as if only 10 minutes had passed since the moment you'd left the house when the voice informed you:

" Attention, ladies and gentlemen. In approximately five minutes, we are landing in Rome.".

Everything went smoothly, and you exited the airport, holding your suitcase, a huge smile spread on your face.

You checked the time, and frowned a bit as you realized it was still midday. You tried finding the letter from Ignazio, to verify what you remembered; seeing him again would happen at noon. However, you failed to retrieve it, it wasn't in either one of your pockets. You shrugged it off, deciding that the letter probably was in your suitcase, and that it didn't matter anyway; you've always had a good memory.

After some thinking, you decided that you should rest for a couple of hours, 'till noon came. With that in mind, you checked into the first hotel you found, mentioning that you'd only be using the room for some hours. Eventually, however, instead of resting, you ended up spending those hours on getting ready. You wanted to look absolutely stunning, as beautiful as you could possibly look, not in order to provoke him or anything like that, but because he was worthy of all the beauty in the world and you wanted to offer him as much of that as you could.

And you didn't feel tired, not even a single bit, as you walked out of the hotel, when the sun had begun going down and noon was taking place. As your steps got you closer to the Fontana, you felt your heart swelling in your chest, your breath getting caught in your throat and your mind forced you to take smaller steps, while your soul insisted on longer strides.

You recognized the scenery, the sun had almost set, giving everything a sense of nostalgia, of that absolute beauty that only Rome can give to you. You took a deep breath and moved even closer to the monument, now being able to see almost every single person that stood in front of it.

It didn't take you long to spot him. He stood there, wearing a pair of black pants and a white shirt, hands in his pockets, his look cast down. You smiled as you stepped closer to him, even though you felt like running to him.

He raised his eyes, his eyes staring right at yours as you approached, and he wasted no time doing the same. By then, only a few centimeters separated you. You paused, and smiled at him even more. He did the same.

" I... I was afraid you wouldn't come after all...", Ignazio said, and you slightly giggled as you looked down for some seconds.

" I wasn't exactly sure what noon meant.. So I improvised ", you said, and he laughed, which lit those familiar fireworks in your heart.

" I guess that's my fault, but when I wrote that letter I wasn't exactly... calm.", he said, but the moment he noticed you frowning he rushed to explain.

" No, no... I mean I only then realized that the letter would be my only chance to have you back, and I wanted to write so many, so many things (Y/n), but I had to somehow find the most important ones... And use the correct words to make you understand exactly how I feel...", he said softly, and you smiled as you touched his cheek and saw him leaning to your touch, like he always used to.

" Igna, I... I can't tell you just how much I've missed you... This whole story, this huge misunderstanding has been absolute hell for me, I-", you started saying, but his soft voice interrupted you, as he brought your hand to his lips and placed a velvety kiss on it.

" It's been the same for me too, (Y/n). And I'm sorry, I'm terribly sorry that I let all this time sleep away from our hands, that I wasted all those moments we could've had together... But I promise you, I promise that I will never let you go, from now on I will always be here for  you. I just want one favor from you.", he said, his warm eyes gazing at you. You slightly furrowed your eyebrows.

" What do you mean?", you questioned, and he sighed with a grin.

" Make me the happiest man on this earth. Tell me the words you wrote to that letter...", he said gently. You beamed as you threw your arms around his neck, and lovingly whispered in his ear.

" I love you, I love you, I l-".

You didn't manage to complete your words as you felt Ignazio sharply turning you around, a faint "no" escaping from his lips. The next sound you heard was that of a loud bang, and you felt his body slightly pushing itself to yours. You only realized what had happened when you heard the carabinieris shouting, and felt Ignazio's body trembling against yours.

" I-Igna, wh-", you tried saying, and only then you heard his silent grunting.

" No, no, it's okay, it's o-kay (Y/n), I'm fine, don't be afr-aid", he said in between gasps, but you felt tears running down your face as you noticed that his white shirt had turned into a bright red, a bit lower than his heart.

" Igna, don't, don't speak, I know you're going to b-e okay, let's lay d-own for a minute, until the ambulance arrives, okay?", you said, and he softly nodded. You held his head in your lap, your one hand softly caressing his hair while the other held his own tightly. Your eyes scanned the perimeter, and you saw Lucas screaming at the four people that were holding him down, the gun visible some meters away from him.

" I- I s-aw him raising the gun at y-ou, (Y/n)... Lucas, he was going to shoot you, and you know I would never let that h-appen. But it seems that he got me g-ood...", he said, and you shook your head rapidly.

" N-o, Igna, this is nothing, you s-aid it, you're going to b-e okay. Just be patient, they'll come...", you whispered, and your grip only became stronger as you saw his shivering even more.

" B-ut, (Y/n), just in case something happens and I don't get the chance to t-ell you again, I love you with everything in me. And I don't regret anything th-at happened, because right now I have you, and I love you and you love m-e...", he said confidently, before pausing for a bit and then whispering.

" It was all worth it... Our love was worth it.".

" Y-es, Ignazio, it was... We were, w-e are... That's why you need to promise me that you'll be okay, that we're going to live together, grow old together...", you said, and to your amusement he chuckled lightly.

" A-re you asking me to m-arry you?", he asked, and you smiled sadly as you wiped your tears.

" Wh-at if I am?", you said, and he smiled as a tear escaped.

" Of course I want to marry y-ou... I w-ill marry you.", he whispered before letting out another grunt, this time louder, and shivering even more. You saw his face had acquired an expression of fear, so your hands found the side of his face as you spoke to him.

" Shh, don't be afraid, Igna... I l-ove you, you're going to be okay and we're going to have the life we dreamed together.. I promise y-ou, they are coming, they are going to be here in no time, I can almost hear the sirens...", you tried comforting him, and you noticed a long tear escaping his eye.

" I'm s-o ang-...Damn it it's so unfair to lose y-ou just when I found you, it's n-ot fair, (Y/n). And I'm afraid, I'm too af-raid to leave you alone, I don't want to d-..", he said, clearly terrified at the possibility of death.

" So you're not going to leave me, and I'm not going to leave you, okay? Promise me th-at...", you said, failing to contain your tears as he, for the second time that evening raised your hand to his lips and kissed it, this time however you could tell he was putting as much power as he physically could.

" I pr-omise...", he said, and you saw his eyes slowly closing, the moment you heard the ambulance arriving.

    You opened your eyes, understanding you were facing the sea. The sound of its' waves arriving at the shore and then retrieving back always filled your head with memories.

Since that noon at the Fontana, four whole years had passed. You closed your eyes again, and the pictures resurfaced, almost flooding your brain.

You felt almost too afraid to close them again. However, a hand rested on your shoulder, and you smiled as you reached and caressed it, stopping only when the two wedding rings touched. Your eyes met his; his lips met yours.

Aaaand, after all this time, this is the end of the story, the final chapter. Again my apologies for the delay, but I really hope this chapter makes up for it a bit :3.

I would like to thank EVERYONE who commented/liked/reblogged/messaged me on this, honestly it meant the WORLD to me, it was practically the force that kept me updating this :3. So thankyouthankyouthankyou to ALL of you :D

As always, I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts on this, it’s my first story and I feel as if it’s some sort of a digital “baby” of mine or sth :3. So please let me know, and ofcourse any suggestions for imagines are always welcome.

Again, thank you for reading this, I feel I cannot stress enough just how massive your role has been for this story’s existance :D

‘Till the next time,

[ignaziobosco]

I need to read Il Volo or Westlife Imagines

If you write one, or if you have any recommendation, please dm me the link or simply drop them below... Been feeling so stressed out lately, I need something to read. Thank you in advance

[jezebeel]

My babies have to WIN in San Remo this year!!!!

you Italians better choose well. They gotta COME BACK 

[ificanwriteiscannon]

IL VOLO MONARCHY AU AESTHETIC 

Like I said, I’m obsessed with them, i’m prob gonna write something about this but for now is just this. 

(pictures are not mine just put them together)

[jesuschristwhatsgoingon]

Since Battison is tall (6’1”) and me,being short(5’0.5” and yes that half matters), just imagined how difficult it would be just to give him a peck him on the cheek.

Imagine being another detective or a civilian that’s helping him or has helped on a case.

Then for whatever reason,you tapped on his shoulder and made the motion that you needed to whisper in his ear about something.

He leaned down obligingly(because even though Alfred is raising his emo son,he still taught him how to be a gentleman) expecting your voice in his ear.

What he did not expect is to feel your lips on his cheek as a quick peck with his brain short circuiting(Batman.exe has stopped working).

And then you smiling cutely and slightly flustered at him saying that you wanted to do that for awhile as a thank you but he was too tall.

Definitely and 100% was flustered underneath that mask and when he got to the tower,Alfred found him on the floor over dramatically clutching his chest(in his suit,mind you) with probably Still Into You by Paramore in the back or something.

Or just imagine being a close friend of his and inviting you to go to an event because he doesn’t want to be alone.

Then because it cold,rainy,or both,he just gives you his coat with no hesitation.

Then using that same technique on him 🥺

Alfred still finds him on the floor being a drama queen but with some operatic love song like Grande Amore by Il Volo and is kind of over his shit ngl.

OR BOTH THINGS HAPPEN BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW HIM AND BATMAN ARE THE SAME BUT YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON BOTH(He’s having a Hannah Montana moment ✨😌💅)

I couldn’t help but share about how cute this was!If any of y’all want to use this idea as a fic,I highly encourage it!All I ask in return is that you credit and tag me in your work since I’ll love it please!I hope y’all enjoyed this👍

[ignaziosearring]

I have a request that isn't xmas or new year's eve themed (it can be tho) it's about the song El Reloj, it is a beautiful song that I love so much from the boys. It is in Spanish so I don't know if it is possible. I like your imagines very much!! Specially the Ignazio ones🙈

This is not where i explain why i have been so silent over the past few months. This is where i announce that I’VE MISSED YOU GUYS SO MUCH AND I’VE MISSED WRITING SOOO MUCH! Hopefully, I’ll be much more active from now on as i try to balance everything with uni.

I have been writing this story for about 4 months, going on and off, deleting and starting again. It’s *too* long, like 1600ish long, but i think it needed this length. The topic is a *bit* dramatic (trigger warning), bc you know me😇. Also please allow me to dedicate it to my uncle who passed away on Sunday bc of cancer.

I’M BACK PEOPLE PASS IT ON! LIKE/REBLOG/COMMENT!

Xx

~•~

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The transparent liquid was falling in drops from the IV bag to a small cylinder. The drops were synchronized with the shrill beeping sound coming from the heart monitor. The door opened and let a cold breeze sweep inside the room. It took a worryingly high amount of energy to lift my hands and rub my arms. It took more time too. The bones felt heavy and numb. The side effects of morphine. At least the pain was bearable, even for the ultimate hours.

“Are you cold?”

Gianluca had come inside. The glass window reflected his tired figure. His eyes were red and swollen, a sign he had been crying again. Before reaching this stage I would have thought this as an oxymoron. Gianluca was healthy, young and beautiful. He would live a long and happy life. He wasn’t dependent on anyone or anything. He wasn’t in constant and unstoppable pain. He wasn’t counting down the remaining months, days, hours. He didn’t see the last glimmers of hope wash away in one frown of a doctor. Yet he was the one crying.

“Let me cover you.”

His moves were careful and balanced, as always.

“They’re trying to tackle the heat wave with the air conditioning.”

Smalltalk. He was poorly attempting -and failing- to avoid the issue that had risen a barrier between us the past two weeks. He wouldn’t even look me in the eyes. I observed him carefully in silence. His body was tense as he sat down on the chair beside me.

Then, I turned my head to the window again and were confronted with my miserable reality. A body that was fighting itself. Flesh ashen, paler than a ghost, lanced here and there for various medical exams, hanging on bones. A red scarf was covering the bald head. Soul and mind twisted by a sickness that had come all too quickly to end a life in its blooming days. I couldn’t recognize myself in that reflection. I was long gone. The word “terminal” had been vibrating in my ears and hunting me in my nightmares every night.

“There’s no moon tonight. Only the stars.”

He too had turned his gaze to the window. I glanced at the sky and realized that stars would start falling soon. That special night of every year. The magnificent phenomenon that ten years ago had become the reason we had met.

“Gian.”

Our eyes met momentarily for the first time in a long while.

“Don’t do it.”

“Do what?”

“Wish that the medicine won’t work.”

His initial surprise was replaced by guilt.

“You haven’t made peace with my decision, Gian.”

I wasn’t angry, on the contrary I was smiling understandingly at him.

“Wha- why do you say that?”

He was stuttering and nervously running his fingers through his hair, like a young boy caught doing a mischief.

“You were crying, you can’t stand looking at me for more than two seconds and you’re trying to avoid talking about it by making damn smalltalk. You are angry.”

The outburst that followed was exactly what I was hoping for. I knew him better than anyone, he always bottled up his feelings and let them torment him. I didn’t want to leave him in anger along with everything else.

He jumped up and kicked his chair hard, fresh tears already visible.

“Of course I’m angry! Tonight I have to say goodbye to the love of my life! I’m angry at God, the universe or whatever it is that is out there. How can they be so cruel? Who gave them the right to do this to you? To us? It shouldn’t have been like that. We should have been old, very old, with grandchildren or even great grandchildren. You are too young to die.”

The raised voice and rapid flow of speech, the spitting of words gave their place to a sorrowful whisper.

“It’s too soon to say goodbye.”

He had slid down the door and had folded his body, his face buried in his hands.

“Gian, I know it’s not only that you are angry with. Say it. It will liberate you. It will liberate me.”

He raised his face slowly and gazed at me. His look was filled with regret, wrath, sorrow, pain. His lips were pouted.

“No.”

His answer was firm now.

“I don’t want to fight in our last day.”

“And I don’t want to go without making things right between us.”

A piercing look was enough to convince him to sit again beside me.

“What do you want me to say? That I’m angry at you? Yes, (y/n), I am angry at you, here, you have it. You, you gave up. On yourself, on our relationship, on me.”

“I didn’t. I am not giving up right now. This medicine is not giving up”, I pointed at the IV.

“If I had given up we would have been having this conversation 6 months ago. I didn’t give up when the doctor said terminal, nor when he said that all I had left was eight painful, excruciating, humiliating, inhumane months. I didn’t give up when the first clinical trial you managed to get me on failed. Nor the second, the third, the forth. I didn’t give up even though the only thing I gained from those trials was more pain, all while losing my mind cell by cell. I did it for you. I saw the determination in your expression to prove the doctors wrong, the sleep deprived eyes that had spent innumerable nights going through research by research, the contacts with pioneer oncologists from all around the world to get me on their trials or suggest a different, more promising medical plan.”

Speaking for that long was exhausting and made me burst into coughs. His look softened and became worried as he gave me some water.

“Then why are you doing this now? Even if we couldn’t get you on another clinical trial, we would still have two months, just the two of us. We would go home, spend those two months together. We would have more time!”

His voice came out as an exasperated whisper. One last hopeless beg.

“We wouldn’t.”

I was firm. I looked him in the eyes and finally spoke my truth.

“You need to understand Gian. This is not me. This is not the (y/n) you met, fell in love with and married.”

He tried to stop me but I raised my palm firmly and continued decisively.

“I can’t even bear to look at my reflection on the window. And when I do, when I do I can barely recognize myself in there. Do you think it’s easy for me? Don’t you think I want more time? I wanted to grow old with you and bear your children. I wanted to achieve all the dreams I had ever since I can remember myself. God knows how hard I wish for more time. Even when I signed that paper. Even now. But not like this. This is something I can’t keep going through.”

“(Y/n)…”

He burst iinto tears. The body mechanism to get one’s pain roll down and wipe away. I started crying too. He understood. I knew he understood, otherwise he wouldn’t have let himself pull apart in front of me. He knew I had to do it.

“It’s better this way Gian. I know it’s already painful enough for you to see me wash away all these months. This will save you at least some pain. You’ll see me go down sane enough. A good comander knows when they’ve lost the war, isn’t this what they’re saying?”

He chuckled and took a deep breath to gain his composure.

“Come here lay beside me.”

We laid on our sides and hungrily looked each other in the eyes. Our sobs were quieting down.

“Gian”, i began, “I want you to promise me something.”

His expression darkened again.

“Don’t say it.”

“Listen to me. I know it hurts but you need to. After tonight you’ll be alone. I don’t want grief to blind you. Take your time to cry, to unleash the emotions that are meddling with your mind. But don’t waste this gift you were so graciously given. Don’t let your life perish. Live Gian. Do you remember my favourite movie?”

“Dead poets’ society…”

“Professor Keating fought to teach those children to seize the day, Gian. All the nights I couldn’t sleep because of the pain I’d go back in time and realise that i let so many days go by in vain. Our worst sin is that we think we are immortal. We always think there will be enough time to do everything we want, someday. But there comes a time that you are faced with the fact that you can’t. It’s too late. The clock is running out of battery and will stop ticking soon. All you have accomplished seems too little, all your dreams become missed opportunities, just because you thought you would achieve them later. There is no «later», Gian, only «now».”

I touched his cheek where a tear was rolling down.

“Don’t let my memory hunt you. Remember me with love, treasure our moments, but move on.”

“I… I can’t,” he mumbled, looking away, “you are the one for me.”

“I can’t be, Gian. You are the one for me, but I’m not. Otherwise this wouldn’t be happening. Somewhere out there is a very lucky girl that will capture your heart. And I will be more than happy when you meet her.”

He closed his eyes tightly to fight his tears.

“Don’t die with me tonight, Gian. Just promise me this.”

He didn’t say anything. He just nodded with his eyes still closed.

For me, it was enough.

He hugged me and helped me turn around. Like the past 10 years, we looked at the exploding stars leaving their last mark on the universe. I made one wish. I felt free. And then…

Salvation.

[beauty-and-passion]

Eurovision 2022: the unexpected, the expected and everything in between

Hi, people.

Another Eurovision ended and I will soon come back to my regular scheduling. But before that, I will give you all my Unrequested Opinions. Yes, this will be an annual thing, I just decided it.

Every year we have a wild ride and this year did not disappoint us. Sure, we knew some things from the start, but the way they happened was so completely unexpected to left us shook. Like, you know, the winner. We can fool ourselves into thinking we didn’t know, but we actually all knew who was going to win. And yet, it happened in such a fantastic way, to deserve everything.

But let’s start from the beginning.

___________________

Cyprus, San Marino, Latvia: the fallen ones

There is one huge element that determines if a song is worthy of the grand final and this element is the live performance. You can have a great recorded version of a song, with limpid, strong vocals and then, while performing live, your voice is not able to reach the same power and the same notes.

It happened in the past and, every time, it hurts. I still remember Equinox from Bulgaria, who presented a wonderful song with a pitiful performance. Of course, they did not pass to the final.

This year, it happened again with Cyprus. I still love that song, but since Andromache started to sing, it was clear her voice was not as good and strong as the recorded version.

Same goes for Ireland: her voice wasn’t this powerful either. It’s a shame, because she did her best and she really wanted to bring Ireland to the final. But I have faith in her: she’s still young, so she can learn more, improve and try again in the future.

Something similar happened with San Marino’s entry. Achille Lauro wasn′t very in tune and his voice wasn’t as strong as it should’ve been, considering how powerful the rhythm was.

But even if I understand the decision to not let him pass, it’s still a shame. I mean, have you seen what a fantastic show he put on?! That’s Achille Lauro’s biggest problem: he is not a great singer, but he is a majestic artist. He’s perfect, he gave us everything we wanted, his performance was peak Eurovision, everything was on point. Except for the song itself.

Look at the performance HERE and judge by yourself: personally, I could watch it 200 times and not get tired of it. But the song is nothing. What a shame.

And now, Latvia: even though I can still understand and even justify the jury’s decisions for Cyprus and San Marino, I cannot understand why Latvia did not pass. The vocals were on point, the singer was in tune, everything was okay. I really think the jury didn’t allow Citi Zeni to access the final, just because of the pussy line. What a buzzkill.

Despite that, I know they will remember. Even just for making the entire European crowd scream “PUSSY” in their place. Absolute kings.

___________________

An okay hosting

Deep down, we all know that, if we have a fantastic Eurovision, the following years will be a lot weaker. It happened after Mans and Petra, it happened after Rotterdam.

So, yes, this year wasn’t as great, but it wasn’t a complete disaster either. It wasn’t as scary as the Ukrainian one or boring as the Portuguese one. It was okay.

Of course, there were problems. The fucking sun was supposed to move, but the genius who made it, didn’t realize that, oh, it should do it a bit faster, to be properly used for the artists. And so, they kept it still. A great waste of time and space, good job.

We also witnessed some very questionable decisions, like making Il Volo sing in English. Why? Who told them it could've been good? We're Italians, goddammit, English is banned from our songs.

But we saw some good things too. The opening act from the first semifinal was very good, the one for the final was good too. The light effects were nice and the stage was nice too, even with the sun being still (just imagine how good it could've been, with a moving one).

The intermissions were not all great. Some were too slow, others were very nice. The dance medley from the first semifinal was good and Mika's performance was the top of the grand finale. Even Gigliola Cinquetti on the stage was a nice, short moment. So, well, in general it was okay.

The hosts were okay too. Cattelan was the cringe token, Laura had the most questionable fashion choices ever and Mika was just vibing and being nice all the time.

Speaking of fashion, I think someone should definitely be fired, starting from Laura Pausini's stylist. In the first semifinal, she wore blinding fuchsia dresses only. In the second semifinal, someone forgot to dry her hair and she looked either like a sick vampire with that burgundy dress, or an evil meringue with the black one.

Luckily, she had something good to wear in the grand final: I really liked the purple dress and the gold one. The cyan one? Too overcomplicated, I spent too much time trying to understand how the shiny stuff was connecting the whole thing.

Speaking of men's fashion, Cattelan just wore black dresses. Nice, elegants, maybe a bit too bland. But I suppose it was to balance Mika, who had one single outfit in all tones of the rainbow. He literally showed us he can be brown, he can be blue, he can be violet sky. It was a fun game. Also, his outfit for the medley is very nice too, I liked it a lot.

In general, I am satisfied. Italy managed to do something elegant and nice, by balancing good and bad decisions. It could've been much better, but also much much worse. Being okay is the best outcome.

_________________

Absent Maneskin

I read some people complaining about the absence of Maneskin, asking why they did not sing Zitti e buoni and other stuff.

By now, I think you all probably know that Damiano was not okay. He walked on crutches and had a badly sprained ankle. Despite that, he still performed. And if you look at his face during the small interview segment, you can clearly see that, every time he’s not talking, he has an expression of absolute pain. The poor guy was literally dying inside and outside.

So just imagine him trying to perform Zitti e buoni, which is a song a lot more upbeat than Supermodel. He should’ve walked around, but he was barely able to stand up by himself. It was impossible to do it, at least in his actual conditions. I really hope he’s now lying in bed and resting.

He tried his best and put his whole self into it, so let’s appreciate what we got.

(Also, what a petty king. The “don’t get too close to the table” will go down in history)

_________________

France: the biggest robbery in history

As I said in my first impression of the 40 songs, I truly liked the French entry. And how could I not? It was a celtic rave party sung in breton! It was interesting and cool, it definitely deserved a good place.

Of course, since it was too cool, I already knew the jury would not have liked it. Have they ever had any taste at all? Of course not. My hopes were all in the public vote.

And the public... did not like it. The public liked that forgettable song from Armenia and Sweden’s generic pop song, but not the celtic rave. Why? How can the public’s taste fail this much? Do you really prefer oui oui baguettes Tour Eiffel instead of THIS?

I will blame Covid for this sudden lack of taste, the Vatican because it probably didn’t like France trying to summon the devil and the jury because they didn’t like Shum either, so they are just the worst.

To all the French people here: please, do not think that one bad place means we don't like your sounds. We need more celtic rave parties in our lives. We need more folk French music. Do not limit yourself to the same baguette-croissant-tour eiffel formula. You have a lot more to offer and you proved it.

So, in order for Europe to repent from their sins, I think we should all enjoy the celtic rave party once more.

_________________

We are still not ready for space wolves

This is the public's second, big failure: to give just 146 points to the space alien wolves. The treachery. The ignominy. How dare you not appreciate them. They are beauty, they are grace, they are coming from outer space.

And they are saving our grandmas! I mean, the message was clear: if a wolf wants to eat your grandma, give it a banana. Potassium > grandmas. Simple as that.

Also, they are two big cuties. The way they hugged Mika? Perfect, wonderful, amazing, 10/10. The way they danced with Citi Zeni? So wholesome, in pure Eurovision spirit. Their song about Turin? Precious, I want to pet them and feed them bananas. They deserved a lot more than 10th place.

Well, it looks like the world isn't ready for them yet. They are too much for us, we still cannot fully appreciate them. Just like the world is still not ready for rap yodeling, which we all know is the future of rap. But have we ever seen any more rap yodeling since Romania gifted it to us in 2017? Exactly.

Also, a zero has no value, right? So a zero next to 1 is like nothing, so it’s like they came first, right? XD

_________________

Spain: Chanel vs Tanxugueiras

During this magical week, I found out there were a lot of Spanish people complaining about Chanel, saying she was not a public’s favorite and that Spain should’ve sent Tanxugueiras instead.

It reminded me of several years ago, when Greece sent an awful song, while the public’s favorite was very good. Chanel’s entry isn’t as bad as that Greek song, but it is kinda generic. So I decided to listen to this Spanish band and especially to the song Terra people kept mentioning.

Well, I love it. It’s Galician, so it has a lot of Portuguese sounds. Still, it sounds very familiar (some words remind me of Italian dialects). It's interesting. It's powerful. It's beautiful.

But also, it speaks to me on a more subconscious level. I am Italian and I am from the center-south part of Italy. This kind of rhythm strongly reminds me of the folk music from southern Italy, which has the same vibes and sounds (especially the tambourine).

Needless to say, Terra is one of my favorites now and I can perfectly understand why the public wanted it on the Eurovision. I doubt it would’ve ever won or that all of Europe would’ve loved it, but I think it deserves to be listened to, at least once.

(You can do it HERE)

However, even though I personally prefer this song over Slowmo, I still can’t say Slowmo was bad. And this is mostly thanks to Chanel.

Why? Because her performance was a-ma-zing. The song might be just the umpteenth dance/pop song, but she put on a great show: lights, dancers, effects, her moves, her sparkly outfit: everything was stunning. And her voice never faltered, despite all the physical effort! I can understand why the public gave her so many points: I can't deny she is good, because she really is.

Last but not least, she has a very remarkable booty. And, since Europe is all horny, I think some points were given specifically for that reason XD

So, if you want to enjoy her show (and yes, her booty too) once more, have it HERE.

_________________

Serbia: taste with meaning

Even though the public robbed France, at least there was enough taste left to properly appreciate Serbia and Moldova and make them do that magnificent jump we are experiencing in the last years, when a country the jury doesn’t like suddenly goes from 20th place to 2nd thanks to the public’s will.

It has happened since the first time this voting system was introduced and it’s beautiful every single time. It speaks loudly of what the public wants and, since the public is sovereign, the public should be able to always get its winner. ALWAYS.

As expected, the jury didn’t understand anything of the Serbia performance. I will blame them being shitty as always and preferring something as bland as Sweden instead.

Serbia wasn’t just a funny weird handwashing cult. There was something. There was a lot. And I would like to thank @k-ru-h post HERE who explained the whole song, @foreveranevilregal who added more infos with THIS other post and THIS video from Overthinking it, that added even more information.

To put it simply, the Serbian song is a critique to Serbia’s healthcare system, to toxic beauty standards and to the fear of artists who live without certainties: their bodies might be healthy for now, but their minds are definitely not.

Not all people knew all of this. Some thought the song was just a funny, creepy song. And this makes the song even better, because Konstrakta has been able to convey a very powerful message in a catchy way. Even though you don't know the language, the song still sticks to you.

Also, the use of Latin is *chef's kiss*. Scary, powerful, it goes hand in hand with the religious subtext. Love it. They even used it backwards - maybe in a secondary attempt to summon the devil? Who knows. Still, more credits to Konstrakta because she didn’t use any English.

_________________

Moldova and Romania: a story of love and friendship

Just like the Serbian entry, the Moldovan one had a deeper meaning too. It is not just fun and games and let's party woo-hoo, but it's basically an ode of friendship towards their neighbor country.

And what's more beautiful and wholesome (especially in this period) than seeing a demonstration of love towards a country you consider your brother/sister?

The Moldovan song was AMAZING. There are videos everywhere of how the public danced to it, of the Romanian delegation dancing with the Portuguese one. Even the press room did a conga line! What an absolute KING you should be, to make the entire Europe dance to your song?

And if you read the English translation HERE, you will also find some of the most beautiful, lovable verses ever:

When the train reaches destination Seems, it never left the station. As if coming back at home From a place we calling home.

This is a pure hymn of friendship and love, I want more countries to be like Moldova is to Romania <3

And, of course, the Romanians loved it! And they wanted to give Moldova their 12 points because of course.

But then, something stood in their way. During the grand finale evening, the European Broadcasting Union noted some irregularities in the voting patterns and suspected attempts to manipulate the voting system. And so, they removed the jury votes from six countries and made an "aggregated result", calculated based on the results of other countries with "similar voting records".

Now. I don't know what happened. I am not part of the commission. And if there was truly an attempt to manipulate the voting system, of course they had to intervene (some people suspect there could be Russia involved and, considering their reaction to Ukraine's victory, it could be).

Still, making an aggregated result with similar voting is absolute bullshit. Why voting, then? Let's make one single country vote and all others will just get similar ones. Easy!

By doing this, Romania ended up giving 12 points to Ukraine, while they wanted to give them to Moldova. And this angered them a lot.

The commission will have a lot to explain and if I were in some high position, I would definitely fire someone. If there are some suspected sabotages, then use another way to get these points. Do not decide what a nation wants, by basing it on what you want or what kind of political agenda you're pushing. It's not that hard to understand.

But aside from that absolute bullshit that makes the jury votes even more of a farce than they already are, I truly want Moldovan and Romanian people to love and appreciate each other. The song was great, so no one of them should let a stupid vote get in the way of all the countless videos and proofs of how much this song was loved and enjoyed.

And of course it was, you have to be brain dead to not like it! If we look at The Only Chart That Matters (aka the one with the public's votes), Moldova is SECOND. Moldova's entry is the second most loved song of all Europe. I don't give a damn about the UK in second place: the public wanted Moldova. Europe wanted Moldova.

Moldova taught us a wonderful story of love and friendship, with the happiest song of all Eurovision. If someone didn't like it, it's their loss. For all Europe and for all the people with a good taste, all we need is folklore and rock and roll.

_________________

FUCK YOU JURY

Here I am, once again, begging for Eurovision to ban the jury or to reduce their power to less than 50% of the total voting.

The jury is completely useless. The jury is a fucking joke. The public might be political, but the jury is the quintessential of the political vote. Greece and Cyprus are the perfect proof of that: they could bring the shittiest song ever, they would still give 12 points to each other.

The jury cares about technicalities and performances. But if you present them wrapped in hard rock or techno folk they don't give a shit about you. They care for vocals, but a great ass is better than a meaningful song.

According to the jury, the best songs of this year were Uk, Sweden and Spain. Three English songs. Three pop songs. This is what the jury thinks was the best Europe has to offer. The first interesting song is only fourth (Ukraine) and I bet my ass it was out of pity, not because they had some fucking taste. They liked Switzerland, which presented the most awful song of 2022. They liked Azerbaijan more than Serbia.

How the fuck are you supposed to give decision-making power to these people? They have dull, predictable tastes. They are boring. They don't deserve the power to decide the winner.

Just look of how beautiful the public's top five was instead:

Ukraine folk music, Moldova folk music, Spain's pop, Serbia's catchy song. And the UK too, but as fifth. The top of the chart was mostly dominated by eastern European countries with their rhythms, not by the usual pop stuff.

The public is much more open to new sounds than the jury. The public is kind with the artists who deserve it, like Serbia and Moldova. The public pushed Greece down, because that song wasn't good. The public was kind with Italy, despite Mahmood and Blanco not singing at their best (they weren't in tune either. What a shame).

And, most importantly, the public is ruthless. If you have a bad song, you deserve zero points. No matter how much the jury loves you: if you bring shit, you will get nothing. And so the public castigated Switzerland for that lame ballad. I feel vindicated for the torture of listening to it twice.

Sure, there are a lot of things we have to improve, like the taste for celtic rave parties because France deserved a lot more. And we must learn to push Sweden down when they bring the same generic stuff.

Okay, two words about Sweden: Cornelia was good and the song wasn't terrible. My problem with Sweden is that everything it brings (with rare exceptions) sounds like 20 thousand other songs. If I turn on the radio, I would listen to the same sounds over and over. Same goes for the Uk: the song wasn't so bad, it was nice and Sam Ryder was a nice guy too. But those are sounds I already listened to countless times.

But Moldova? Serbia? France? I know I won't find these sounds so easily. They are new and interesting. They take from tradition, so they feel familiar, but they also have a modern twist you do not expect. They are much more interesting than any generic pop song. And I like pop songs!

Last but not least: Germany. They gave a try and the public recognized it, by awarding Germany six points. In the public's rank, Germany isn't even the last country! That's definitely an improvement! The song was boring, sure, but I still trust Germany. You can do good! Don't lose hope!

(Also, how wholesome it was, so see Sam Ryder consoling the German singer Malik? Awww, such a cute moment! Eurovision should always be like that: love, friendship, some friendly banter, a gay festival, glitters and fire <3)

_________________

The great evil has been vanquished, aka a novelized recap of the rise and fall of the UK

We are in the final part of the evening. No more happiness, peace was never an option, time to bring back centuries old rivalries.

The jury votes are coming. Surprisingly, the first votes are for the UK. No one expected that, especially the Brits. They got some points, maybe this time they won’t end at the bottom of the chart!

More points are coming to the UK. Europe is confused. The song was good and Sam Ryder is an adorable human golden retriever, but all these points? What happened? Why is the UK this loved? Is it because of politics? Of course, but why so many points?

Europe is worried, the Brits are even more worried. Germany is very sad, because it’s still at the bottom of the chart and it’s cold down there. I check the weather: everything looks fine, but the apocalypse is definitely coming.

It’s France’s turn. And France gives 12 points to the UK.

The apocalypse is upon us. The Brits are freaking out - but still in their very polite way. Did we all just end up in a parallel universe? What happened to France? Was it because they summoned the devil? Italy seems to be the only country with some taste left (maybe the Vatican protected us?), because the jury gives 12 points to Serbia. But what happened to the rest of the world?

The jury vote is over. The UK is still in first place. The world is ending. Europe is extremely confused. I am even more confused. The Brits are dead, some injured. I check the weather again: it’s not raining fire yet.

The terrible awareness takes over: the UK might win Eurovision. Even worse, it might win in Italy. A barbarian might win in the land of caesars.

Italians are even more worried now. All Latin countries quiver in fear. The entire Europe has the same collective vision: the UK rubbing this victory in our faces for the next 200 years, while being even more insufferable than it already is.

As a continent (and Australia), we cannot let this happen. We must  keep the UK humble. See what happened last time they became too cocky? They left and now they’re paying for it.

And so, a hero rose from the public vote. A hero with so many fucking point to break everything and make a new record. A hero who said FUCK YOU to the jury, pushed the UK in second place and got the crown.

With an astonishing, jaw-dropping result of 439 points, Ukraine won. The UK is still the UK, but it’s also a bit more humble. The order has been restored, Europe is saved once again. We have a winner.

_________________

A deserved victory?

Okay, we joked enough: time to talk about the elephant in the room, better known as Ukraine.

You will never guess it, but Ukraine won Eurovision. What a shocker, I bet you are all surprised - especially if you lived under a rock until now or if you never watched Eurovision.

But if you've watched it, this isn't the first time you witnessed Ukraine win because of politics. It happened in 2016 too. There were some tensions between Russia and Ukraine and, despite Russia bringing one of the best songs, Ukraine still won.

So, well, I already knew Ukraine was going to win. We all knew. You can lie to yourself, but everyone knew.

So, I listened to Stefania for the first time. And I had mixed feelings.

Stefania isn't a bad song. Ukraine learned from last year and brought, once again, their wonderful folk rhythm. The chorus is catchy, the flutes are awesome and these people are amazing. Flute Guy and Man Carpet are two living icons, I can only hope to be as cool as they are.

Still, I do not like the rapping parts. I listened to this song a lot more times, but I still do not like it. However, I understand why it was used: it blends in a very interesting way and it works from a rhythmic point of view. It makes sense.

And the message is great too. In other words, Ukraine nailed everything: good message, bop, catchy rhythm, folk vibes, funky people.

So okay, maybe it’s not my most favorite song of all time, but it’s good. It’s very good. It’s in the “good part” of my personal chart and I am 200% sure that most of the people who voted for it, did it because the song is a bop.

However, I am also sure that part of those votes were given out of pity. And something didn’t sit right with me about it. Still, I couldn’t name it. I had no problem if this song won - it’s good enough to win. But those pity votes...

And then, the Kalush Orchestra released this video. And I watched it. And, halfway through it, without any anticipation, I started crying.

And I finally realized what was sitting so wrong with me about the votes.

I am not sad for these votes. I am angry. Because these people are fighters. They didn't come to Eurovision to beg for votes, nor to win the contest. They didn’t come here to be treated like poor little things by us. They came to Europe with one mission only: peace and victory in their own country. They do not give a shit about our issues and they are not our little pets.

And I hate that people gave them votes out of pity. I hate that some Europeans looked at these artists, who brought their rhythm, their instruments, their cool dresses, their wonderful message and thought oh, just look at these poor little boys, I pity them. The Kalush Orchestra doesn't need pity from anyone. No Ukrainian needs our pity.

So the question is: do they deserve this victory? Yes, because this song is good. Yes, because the public loved it. Yes, because the biggest part of Europe voted out of love and support, not because they pitied them. And why should they? Ukrainians already proved enough to be fighters and not fucking cowards.

Speaking of cowards, of course Russia had something to say. And they said it in the most disgusting possible ways, like writing on bombs that they’re going to deliver them as Kalush asked, that they should send a missile on Turin because yes and other bullshit. Just imagine being such a vile, pitiful, disgusting little thing. How miserable your life should be.

On the other hand, Ukrainians were happy and Zelensky even promised to hold Eurovision in Kiev - and, one day, in Mariupol. And I am looking forward to that day. I really want to witness a beautiful Eurovision edition in Mariupol. Hey, maybe there won’t be scary Urainians as hosts like last time, but only chill lads singing and dancing like mad men XD

Just a couple last words on this, because I feel I need to: I heard some people spread hate to Kalush Orchestra because their victory was “undeserved”. You’re right, they just delivered a catchy song with sick dancers and a great message, it definitely didn’t deserve to win. Maybe it was better to make a boring ass ballad win instead, right? Or the UK, because we really needed them to win, right?

If you really want to hate someone, hate the jury for putting together votes without caring of what the country wanted. Hate the people who voted out of pity and not out of support.

And if you have all this time to spread hate to these guys, just think about that: while you are laying in your comfy bed, eating your breakfast, hugging your loved ones, going to your boring job in your peaceful city, talking a walk in the park with your dog, scrolling through your phone or having a lunch or talking with your friends, the winners of Eurovision came back to fight in their country. They left their flutes and their nice dresses behind, to take up arms. They are putting their lives on the line and if they do the wrong thing, they are not careful enough, they are not quick enough, they are dead.

While you are here, reading my words in your peaceful little place while doing nothing, because you got the gift of peace and are not mature enough to realize how precious it is, these same people are risking their lives to get the same thing you have for free.

And if this, if all of this doesn’t make you feel a tiny little sliver of empathy... Well, I hope you will get what you deserve, in this life or in any other.

See you next year for Eurovision. Hopefully, in Kiev.