#vesna talks

[purringsquid]

I made some Barbie posters :)

[lucyyashley]

Maybe i’m biased but Czechia deserved way better

[coolkraay]

I wanna get on a dancefloor with the girls from Vesna and the lads from Wild Youth to dance to Earth, Wind & Fire’s September.

[rhyperographer]

It’s officially Eurovision season. Which means if you don’t like Eurovision please block the tag haha.

Starting my season off with this absolutely banger from Czechia. The song My Sister’s Crown by Vesna is in Czech, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, and English. The band is made up of 6 women: 3 Czech, 1 Bulgarian,1 Russian and 1 Ukrainian.

This song could be a Serbia 2022 or better if the staging is good. Given how Czechia handled We Are Domi’s staging last year I’m cautiously optimistic!

[under-the-ladder]

Semi 1 thoughts, pt. 3

Disappointments:

Norway 🇳🇴 It's painful to say, but Alessandra really didn't deliver vocally. The rest was good and it was a strong opener, the vocals just overshadowed everything for me 🙈

Serbia 🇷🇸 This feels even more personal. I had (and still have...!) really high hopes as Serbia's one of my faves this year... Luke's vocals were off and to me, he both looked and sounded nervous. I hope this is something he can work on, but I just have a problem watching nervous people. It just makes me uneasy on a personal level. I can watch people sounding bad and being confident, having fun, not giving a shit but nervousness hits home way too close

Czechia 🇨🇿 Again, the biggest issue for me was that the main singer (Patricie, am I right?) was struggling with breaths. I really like her voice and for me it was a foundation, a main reason why this song appealed to me in the first place. Not to mention that the staging and outfits were a massive downgrade from the music video. The girls lost their individual personalities by being dressed and their hair being the same

[escvision]

The Vesna girls are sooo gorgeous 💗

[witchwhaat]

THAT is some girl power!!

[wangxianficfinder]

Fake/Pretend Relationship

~*~

The Simplest Way Forward by harriet_vane (E, 70k, WangXian, Modern AU, Accidental Baby Acquisition,Kid Fic, explicit in much much later chapters, green card marriage (but not really), pining for your own husband, endless pining, Slow Burn, Happy Ending, Nothing else bad or traumatic happens to the baby, [Podfic of] The Simplest Way Forward by knight_tracer) translations available in multiple languages

with you, I am home by tellthemstories (M, 47k, wangxian, Modern Cultivation, fake dating for reasons, Meeting the Family, There Was Only One Bed, Casual Domesticity, wwx is oblivious in more ways than one, 'this fic is like emotional edging’, this comment sums up the entire fic)

The Mistletoe Virgin by Vamillepudding (G, 12k, WangXian, Modern AU, Romantic Comedy, Friends to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Deaf LWH, Christmas)

Out of the Bin and Into Your Heart by Alaceron (T, 27k, WangXian, Modern AU, Fake/Pretend relationship, Oblivious WWX)

❤️ save a sword, ride a socialist by sysrae (E, 33k, wangxian, modern w magic, college/university au, fake/pretend relationship, single parent WWX, homophobia, light angst w/ happy ending, idiots to lovers, fluff)

Nothing But Trouble by brooklinegirl (E, 60k, WangXian, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Modern, JC mooning over WQ, getting wrecked sexually, WWX's single brain cell, Practice Kissing)

caught in the sugar by occultings (microcomets) (E, 13k, WangXian, Modern, Fake/Pretend Relationship, fake FWB, Workplace Retreats, Drinking Games, Humor, some blink-and-miss-it wwx-flavored comphet during the sex scene, LWJ dicking WWX down so hard he sees shrimp colors, as per usual, the hero’s journey to answer the call of being a bottom, Barebacking, First Time)

Close to the Truth by Winglesss (M, 14k, WangXian, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Ugly Holiday Sweaters, Romantic Comedy, Modern, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, Tooth-Rotting Fluff)

we don't need to talk about it by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 48k, WangXian, Modern, Fake Dating, the slimmest of premises, there was only one bedroom, There Was Only One Bed, kissing to prove you're dating, being idiots to prove you're dating, they're idiots your honor, Pining while fucking)

like a magpie and a ring by martyrsdaughter (E, 14k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, No Sunshot Campaign, Case Fic, Ghosts, Horror, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Tenderness, Feelings Realization, Demonic Cultivation, Lust Potion/Spell, the wangxian "he can't stand me" to "let's get married" speedrun, Riding, Come as Lube, Dom/sub Undertones, Dubious Consent, of the undernegotiated cnc variety, Face-Sitting, Dry Humping, Creampie, Marathon Sex)

The Epic Lie of the Yiling Laozu and His Wife by JaenysBloodcourt (T, 9k, WangXian, WWX/WQ, JGY/NMJ, WWX & WQ pretend A-Yuan is theirs, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fake Marriage, Misunderstandings, Lies, Jealousy, A really tiny bit of jealous LWJ and JC, Assisted reproduction (mentions of insemination with talismans and other things), Implied/Referenced Sex, Implied Mpreg if you squint at the end, or it could a surrogate baby, or a breastfeeding talisman, yiling wei, WWX Has a New Golden Core, More like a red core, BAMF WWX, Canon Divergence, dialogue heavy in some parts, A little angst, Switch LWJ)

Symmetry by Vir_Abelasan (M, 13k, LSZ & WWX, WangXian, One-Sided JC/WWX, One-Sided JC/LSZ, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Canon Divergence, LSZ is raised by WWX, WWX still dies sorry, Revenge, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Dark LSZ, Manipulation, Power Imbalance, Torture, Not JC Friendly, JC's Canonical 13 Years Murder Spree, BAMF LSZ, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, LSZ Gets to Go Apeshit)

Plus One by nirejseki (G, 2k, WangXian, NHS & WWX, WIP, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Canon Divergence, Scheming)

🔒 the tragic and entirely true story of the romance between the yiling patriarch and his wife, most renowned doctor of her generation by ravenditefairylights (T, 18k, WangXian, WWX & WQ, LSZ & WWX, Major Character Death, Non-Linear Narrative, Post-Canon, but also during canon, Character Study, Canon Temporary Character Death, excessive use of personal headcanons, Baby LSZ, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Oblivious WWX, Rumors, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, Heteronormativity, Fake Marriage, Chronic Pain, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining)

雙喜臨門: double happiness at your door by besanii (T, 57k, WangXian, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Fox Prince WWX, Dragon Prince LWJ, Immortals, Xianxia, Romance, Developing Relationship, Three Lives Three Worlds AU, Love Confessions, Oblivious, Weddings)

~*~

[jokeroutsubs]

[ENG SUB] Jan and Nace at Hitradio Center, 23.07.2024

Photo source: Hitradio Center FB

Jan and Nace were guests at Hitradio Center in the morning on Tuesday, the 23rd of July 2024. They talked to Vesna Ponorac and Melani Mekicar about, among other things, 'Šta bih ja' and what to expect from the new album, who snores on the tour bus, and what they like best about each other.

Translation and captions by a member of Joker Out subs, English proofreading by IG GBoleyn123, video graphics by X pastellibianchi.

Full translated transcript under the cut!

Melani: Good morning from (Radio) Center, it's 7:36 AM and Vesna Ponorac and Melani Mekicar are keeping you company, and now, we've been announcing and waiting for them for two days,and we listen to them every day anyway, and we're always happy to see them. With us in Center's studio are Joker Out, or, well, two fifths of them. Nace and Jan, welcome!

Vesna: Good morning.

Jan: Greetings.

Melani: Good morning. I know that... well, thank you for taking the time, I know you've been "on the go" recently, literally. Where were you over the weekend? Most recently, or...

Nace: Go ahead, Jan.

Jan: Oh, thank you. Most recently, we were in Germany, at the Deichbrand Festival.

Melani: Was it good?

Jan: It was good. The only bad thing was that it took us 12 hours on the plane...

Melani: Oh, great.

Vesna: A ride.

Jan: In each direction.

Vesna: Yes, this European tour of yours is pretty varied. How many cities have you already done and how many are still ahead of you?

Melani: Is anyone keeping count?

Nace: Oh, you keep count. I know that we've done most European countries.

Melani: Okay.

Nace: Or, we will, what we haven't done yet, we will.

Melani: You will.

Vesna: Such sweet problems.

Melani: Yes, nice.

Vesna: How many cities you've already done, the best. Are you tired at all? What does it look like? Jan, you are now...

Nace: Do we look tired?

Vesna: Ah, Nace. Right, you're approaching the threshold of a new decade.

Melani: You've actually crossed it already, the first one.

Vesna: Ah, you already did. Oh, okay, I didn't know yet, okay, sorry.

Nace: No, I did.

Vesna: Well, but after sleeping in the tour busand on planes, does your back hurt already? Your lower back? Any issues yet?

Nace: Sleeping on the tour bus is betterthan sleeping at home.

Melani & Vesna: Really?

Vesna: Do you have a waterbed in there?

Nace: No, I don't know what happens, but when... Like, when you're tired after a gig and lie down in your bunk and the bus starts to move...

Melani: And you're there... A baby in a stroller.

Nace: As if someone were rocking you. Noise cancelling earphones, we've already learned that. And then you just fall asleep. We've also got used to it on planes, to... Earphones and that thing for the eyes...

Melani: I was just going to ask who snores the most on the tour bus.

Nace: No one.

Melani: No one? Or do you just not hear it because you have earphones?

Nace: I mean, no one from the band. Well, that too.

Melani: No one from the band.

Nace: No one from the band, but... Usually it's so that the band is on one side of the bus, and the crew is like... It just happens to be that way.

Melani: Fair, fair. Well, enough about tiredness, no rest for the brave, or however you say, you're here to tell us a little more about your new single 'Šta bih ja'.

Vesna: An awesome song.

Melani: Do tell us,you're leaning towards the microphone.

Nace: We have to speak close to the microphone.

Vesna: That's true.

Melani: Well, Bojan, the songwriter, is not here right now, for us to ask him who he can't do without in a black night, but okay. Tell us when this song was made, because people have been singing it for a while at gigs, right, but you only released it just over ten days ago.

Jan: Yes, um... That was actually the first song that we started working on in London, where we went in January. We went to London, among other things, with the intention to have maybe a more... cosmopolitan sound and... to perhaps get new experiences, and the first song that was made turned out to be the most nostalgically Balkan.

Melani: That's right.

Jan: So yeah, you have to go somewhere to start being aware of...

Melani: Your roots.

Jan: Exactly.

Melani: Nice, nice.

Vesna: The song is very ex-Yugo, just like you were in Sarajevo, maybe... looking for inspiration. But can we then expect more like that on the new album, any similar songs, or...?

Melani: Which languages are waiting for us and so on?

Nace: I mean, the album definitely has a common thread, and there will be at least three languages.

Melani: At least three, okay.

Nace: I mean, there will be three.

Melani: Okay, nice. And speaking of the new album, come on, we want to know all the details. When will we hear it, where will we hear it live, we already said three languages, spill the tea, everything you can.

Jan: You know what, I'd like to know that too.

Melani: Really? Who does know?

Jan: Honestly, no one really does right now, but in October, it'll be out in October. I can say that.

Melani & Vesna: Okay.

Melani: Okay, nice.

Vesna: Well, we will be back, because...

Jan: Or, in September.

Vesna: In September? Okay, that's very soon. Anyway, we'll be back exactly two hits later, because there were a lot of questions submitted for you.

Melani: On our Instagram, yup.

Vesna: Exactly. And we got calls as well, so we're looking forward to it, stay with us, it'll be a good time.

(music break)

Vesna: 'The Sound of Silence', good morning, you're at (Radio) Center.

Melani: Morning!

Vesna: We are Melani Mekicar and Vesna Ponorac here with you, and Jan and Nace from Joker Out are here as well. Good morning!

Melani: Morning.

Jan & Nace: Good morning.

Vesna: Well, we already spoke about the tour and the new song earlier, and now it's time for our listeners to get their turn.

Melani: Yes, if you only knew how many questions we got on our Instagram. Instagram exploded, as well as the calls, so let's start.

Vesna: Let's start with the calls.

Melani: Let's start with the calls.

Vesna: First up, a question from Mateja.

Caller: I really want to know how many girls from primary school write to you now? Like, female classmates, and maybe male classmates too, look, you never know.

Melani: Well?

Vesna: Well?

Jan: For a few years, I've been in contact with maybe...

Melani: Hey, you have to come closer, you know. Yes, yes.

Jan: For a few years, I've actually only been in contact with two female classmates.

Melani: Were you already in contact before?

Jan: Yes, regardless of the band, so...

Melani: They weren't like, "Oh, what's up, Jan?"

Vesna: Have any others piped up from before? No?

Jan: I mean, no, actually they haven't. Not much has changed, honestly.

Vesna: They don't dare to. Nace, is it any different for you?

Nace: A classmate called me if I could get her an autographed shirt.

Vesna: Your autograph or someone else's?

Nace: No, like for the whole band to sign.

Vesna: Ah, the whole band.

Nace: Everyone then always says, "Yes, you know, it's for my nephew."

Melani: Yes, the classic. For relatives.

Nace: "Which size? Ah, ah." It's always like that, always.

Vesna: Okay. The best. Great. The next question is from Petra.

Caller: Hi, boys. Going to Sziget, that is, well, how to say, an achievement, an achievement. I'd like to know if you're excited yet? And I'd like to know which other artists will you watch, listen to?

Melani: Sziget. Tell us.

Jan: Yes, we're very excited. This is... That was definitely one of our biggest goals, which... which didn't seem conceivable at all, years ago. But yes, this year we're on the main stage. I don't know if we will... Will we be able to watch anyone?

Melani: If you could.

Nace: Well, I hope so.

Melani: Who would you like to?

Nace: I don't know exactly who's on that day.

Melani: Who it is. But you'll watch someone for sure, if you have the chance, right.

Vesna: Well, you will hang out in the backstage, isn't that even better?

Melani: Yeah, they don't need to watch.

Vesna: You don't need to watch, man. You can watch from the back. Well, the next question is from Matej.

Caller: Hey. I'd like to know if you have any advice for young musicians who want to make it the way you did. Thank you for the answer!

Melani: Alright, music advice.

Nace: Music advice. Yeah...

Vesna: A little closer to the mic, Nace.

Nace: I will say it very close to the microphone. Just practise a lot, a lot, a lot, practise a lot, and practise a lot. What else do they need, to be persistent.

Vesna: What about the mindset?

Jan: And have a good mindset.

Nace: Yes.

Vesna: What does that mean, a good mindset?

Nace: Well, to have a good mindset while practising.

Vesna: To already imagine yourself at Sziget.

Melani: To not give up.

Vesna: Or?

Jan: Was that question for young musicians?

Vesna: Yes, yes.

Melani: Exactly, for those who want to... I mean, young, that's relative, but yes.

Vesna: But like, bands that are just forming and don't know what to do. What's your advice for them?

Jan: Have a charismatic and likeable frontman.

Melani: Bravo, bravo. Okay, we still have good number of questions on Instagram, which we will ask you after a few minutes, and yeah, that's it, speak to you later.

(music and news break)

Vesna: Good morning, you're listening to (Radio) Center, Vesna Ponorac in Melani Mekicar are here.

Melani: Hello.

Vesna: As well as Nace and Jan, two fifths of Joker Out. You submitted so many questions to our Instagram that the boys had to stay a little longer so we can answer everything, and let's go ahead and start.

Melani: Well, first up: what is the most Slovenian or Balkan thing that you like? Accordion, ajvar¹, I don't know.

¹Ajvar is a typical Balkan condiment made from roasted bell peppers.

Vesna: Prekmurska gibanica.²

²Prekmurska gibanica is a traditional Slovenian dessert from the Prekmurje region in the north-east of Slovenia. It's made from several layers of phyllo dough and cottage cheese filling, poppy seed filling, walnut filling and apple filling.

Jan: Clean air.

Melani: Clean a– oh, nice. Fair enough. Nace?

Nace: What do we have... No, I want to think of something that is... There must be something that, when we're out there...

Vesna: Idrija lace.

Nace: Idrija lace. I mean, we always have that with us, so I don't miss that.

Melani: Fair, fair. But like, that's a very Slovenian thing that you love a lot.

Nace: Yes, definitely.

Vesna: Exactly. That's it. Okay. Moving on, a big concert in Slovenia, when?

Melani: Again.

Jan: How big?

Vesna: Stožice big.

Melani: As big as possible.

Jan: Not this year.

Vesna: No?

Melani: Okay, but how about, let's say, something a little smaller than Stožice?

Jan: That's coming this year.

Melani: Coming this year. Okay, you heard it here. Okay, your favourite thing about each other. If you were all here right now, this would be even more fun, but alright.

Jan: What, my... Mine, about Nace?

Melani: Your favourite thing about Nace, it can be his personality, it can be that he has a really awesome hairdo, whatever, and vice versa.

Jan: Nace is a very considerate person. Like, if he feels that... that you're not feeling okay, even if you're feeling totally okay, he'll ask you and be like...

Vesna: "Are you good, man?" Awesome.

Jan: "Jan, are you okay? You don't look okay."

Vesna: Nice. What's your zodiac sign, Nace?

Nace: Cancer.

Vesna: Aw, of course.

Melani: Nice. That's a very nice trait. Nace, what about Jan?

Nace: Jan's guitar playing. I mean... I'm sorry, that's...

Melani: That's true.

Nace: When he grabs a gui– just yesterday, we were at the studio, and I didn't tell him this, but when he started messing around and making weird sounds with the guitar, I said... I'm glad he's my guitarist.

Vesna: How nice, man.

Melani: Come on, stop it. Very nice.

Vesna: What a cute moment.

Melani: Okay, let's move on from this cute stuff to problems for a bit. Someone wants to know what the biggest problem you face as famous musicians is?

Vesna: And young ones.

Melani: Yes. So, I don't know, is it that girls are running after you, I don't know, is it that you can't just publish everything on the internet anymore? What's the biggest, like...

Vesna: A long deliberation, but take your time.

Melani: Well, is everything nice?

Jan: At one point, I had a bit of an... internet overdose. So... ever since I've distanced myself from scrolling Twitter every hour, I've...

Melani & Vesna: You've been much better.

Jan: I've spared myself a lot, yeah.

Vesna: I'd say so.

Melani: Okay. Nace?

Nace: Shoot... I always... maybe it's not like that here, but when we're somewhere abroad, and fans gather around our bus that we travel with, sometimes, when you're tired and because you're in a hurry to move on, it's kind of hard to go past these fans without giving them any attention.

Vesna: Especially because you're a Cancer, and so thoughtful, you'd probably like to give everyone there attention. Well, nice. Okay, this is it, boys. Everyone go listen to Joker Out's new song, 'Šta bih ja'. Thank you for being our guests and may your keep being successful.

Jan: Thank you very much for inviting us.

Vesna: Yes, gladly. Bye bye!

The subtitles in the video have a few slight differences from this transcript; they spoke very fast, so some sacrifices had to be made for the subs.

[miapcain]

Hello! I really adore your Vesna comics (got a bit emotional about them haha) and I'm really excited to see more of the game and I wondered if I could ask a few questions? -so the dogs to watch out for comic is historical fiction (but with animal people) while the game has some magical aspects like the monsters, will the comic show why those supernatural events started happening? -Is there a reason that Franzeska and her mother got to pick a wolf while her father got a deer (assuming that's the animal Hartgar is)? since all the children Franzeska could pick from where wolves and she talked about picking a puppy I assume it's always a set animal?

-Do Vesna and Snježana ever think of their old families? since you mentioned Vesna doesn't remember how to speak czech I wonder how much she remembered from her old life. Anyway wishing your luck with the comic and game I hope you have a nice day!

Hello- thank you so much for these questions! I keep saying I love getting them, but thats because I do. People engaging with it so much makes me really happy!

1- V:DTWOF will never have monsters, magic, prophecy, anything of the sort in it- I'm even trying to stay away from traditional heroic/fantasy modes of storytelling where the characters do Big Important Things, and steer more towards depicting people living their lives under specific circumstances. If any games release, the first one to come out, "Vesna's DOG NIGHTMARE," has monsters in it because it's a dream Vesna's having: She'll face monsters because her subconscious invented them, or because she thinks they're real (in which case I will try to stay close to real period folklore and bestiaries)- but she'll also face folk heroes like Dietrich von Bern or Roland, and have to endure a great deal of hardship regarding her relationship to other women, etc. I won't speak to the other game, Crypthound Vesna, yet.

2- Yes- and wow, you picked up on that very quickly, thank you! It'll be explored in the comic at some point, but it's not spectacularly interesting, so I'll just share that it's because among women, wolves are seen as the fiercest/only warriors in their culture, whereas among men it's stag and boar people; It's not super plot relevant, though.

3- excellent question! This will be explored down the line. So stay tuned :P

[ellie-the-oracle]

Freefalling From Great Heights - A Discussion & Analysis

Hey guys. So, I lied about getting off socials LOL I really need to go full on film theory here and talk about the fall. I do want to preface though and say that I am not a woman of science (I’m an art girlie), therefore I won’t be able to make any sort of proper calculations. Without further ado, I’m going to break down the whole fall and discuss how Tech could’ve and probably did survive. 

First and foremost, I want to go back and take a look at the most clear shot given to viewers of the height between the tram system and the perceived ground level. In this picture, we get a brief glimpse from Wrecker’s POV of how far down it is from the trams. 

While it looks quite high, considering they are practically in the clouds, it is important to note the amount of foliage this planet has; a vast amount large trees, specifically tall pine trees.

These types of trees are not uncommon in biomes that include bodies of water. Consider the images below.

 While it is not definitive, it can be safe to assume that there could have been a stream or body of water below in that valley. However, even if this was not the case, the trees are large enough that they can dampen a fall, even if it is from a great height. This leads me to my next point: 

How high of a fall can humans survive?

An NCBI article covers the case of a rock climber who had fallen from a total of 300 feet and survived. Though she suffered many severe injuries, she was able to recover after extensive medical care. According to this article, the way in which a person falls is imperative to survival. In particular, if a person is falling vertically, they can survive an average fall height of 23 feet and 7 inches (7.2 meters) with minor to moderate injury. Survivable injuries have a threshold of around 20-25 feet. Yet the rock climber was able to survive at even greater heights. That being said, according to an article by Arnold & Atkin Trial Lawyers, 20 feet and below can still prove to be fatal. Moreover, fatal falls usually are between 21 and 40 feet. Considering all the information thus far, it would seem that Tech is exceptionally fucked. But stay with me folks, I’m not done cooking yet.

While it is not common, humans have, in fact, survived free falls at extreme heights. Take for example Vesna Vulović, a Serbian flight attendant who holds the Guinness world record for surviving the highest freefall without a parachute: 33,330 feet (10,160 meters). She was in a coma for days and spent several months hospitalized. She suffered a fractured skull, three broken vertebrae, broken legs, broken ribs, and a fractured pelvis, leaving her temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. Despite all of this, she made a nearly complete recovery, only continuing to walk with a limp. 

In another case, Nicholas Alkemade, a British tail gunner of the Royal Air Force during World War II, survived a freefall of 18,000 feet (5, 490 meters). His fall was broken by pine trees and a soft snow cover on the ground. 

While the first case can be safely considered as a miracle, it's the second case that is interesting. The pilot survived a freefall from a height he should’ve died from. Yet, due to the large trees and the snow on the floor, his fall was cushioned and allowed for him to survive. 

Now, taking what we discussed and applying it to the Star Wars universe, the chances of Tech surviving is definitely in our favour. Firstly, we know there is a lot of foliage (bushes, grass, etc.), and there are also massive trees. But we must remember that this isn’t just some random, unprepared person that is falling. This is Tech, a highly skilled, highly intelligent, and well equipped clone trooper. It is also important to mention that he is wearing a helmet and a chest plate, which provides protection to critical body parts. Knowing him, Tech could have very well put his gear to use and used a grappling hook to attach to a tree and create momentum from his fall to swing onto the ground. He could have also gotten into the falling tram and found a way to cushion his fall. But let’s say he does neither of these things (perhaps due to the speed at which he was falling), Tech can still survive if he falls vertically into the pine trees and foliage, which will cushion his fall, just like Nicholas Alkemade and the rock climber, respectively.

Furthermore, based on all that has been discussed and considered, the chances of survival of a freefall from that height, while seemingly impossible, is in fact, possible and likely. 

Sources:

[purringsquid]

This is how I imagine every single day on Asgard before Kratos started killing them off

They all lived in one house after all.

[kaibutsushidousha]

Your commentary on information availiability in other languages on the Wandjina post was really eye opening to me. I imagine this is way more of an issue than I, or other internet randoms, really get right now. Just wanted to say thanks for chiming in on it.

Yeah, it's very easy to overlook the impact of the language barrier, especially for English monolinguals since their language is kinda the default language of the internet.

It's a commonly occurring thing, so much so that it became a central theme of this event. The story here certainly has its unfortunate choices of expression, but the spirit of it honestly couldn't be more positive. A lot of problems are caused by AA's and Wandjina's inability to communicate with each other, but instead of framing the consequences of miscommunication as a thing to be condemned, the plot frames it as a necessary middle step for mutual understanding. Something that must be tackled with patience and willingness to engage in good faith.

It's a really adorable and kind-hearted story that earnestly promotes respectful engagement with other cultures and attempts to reconnect with cultures that didn't survive colonization. The one problem with it is that the culture chosen to symbolize that is one that very much did survive colonization and practices an active faith to this day, so the narrative ends up feeling a little

I absolutely can't say that directly living the event's themes these past few days was an experience free of stress, but I ultimately agree with the game's narrative that miscommunications will happen and should not discourage us from trying to know others better. Nasu's failure to verify that the Mowanjum community is still alive is in no way comparable to Vesna Tenodi's claims that her divinely inspired purpose is to teach the Mowanjum how to practice their faith more correctly.

For better or for worse, the story of this summer event became self-demonstrating on a meta level, which makes its content much richer and more relevant to debate. I think I already gave every thought I currently have about it, but I'm very interested to see what direction the topic will take if the community becomes genuinely willing to talk about it instead of throwing stones. Most of all, I really want to say what an informed Mowanjum player has to say about the situation. Hopefully will happen soon rather than in 2 years when NA gets there.

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2024: #06 & #05

06. SWEDEN Loreen - "Tattoo" 1st place

Decade Ranking: 19/116 [above Halo, below Adrenalina]

Alright, fine, we've arrived at Loreen. There are plenty of conflicting emotions swirling around in my head, but overall, yeah, you know how I feel about her. It hasn't changed. She's very good, but I'm not obsessed with her. This is where those entries rank.

Let's tackle the elephant in the room: Tattoo is a good song and a boring, uninspiring winner. The two aren't mutually exclusive. Loreen's victory was determined the second she won Melfest, by default. It was unsatisfactory for two reasons:

(1) The moment Loreen was picked the casuals that remembered "Euphoria" immediately started praising her while ignoring everyone else, and this of course snowballed into the biggest jury coronation since Salvador. Lol that the same casuals that were obsessed with Tattoo preshow became upset when she beat Käärijä. What else did you think was going to happen? it was YOU who kept touting her as the best without giving as much as dismissive look at her competition, of course the Eye of Sauron was fixated on her and no one else.

(2) Käärijä. For better or for worse, this year will be remembered as the year Cha Cha Cha was robbed by the juries for the sake of Sweden. Käärijä was not without his own set of problems which directly led to his demise (which we'll tackle when we get to him because this post is about Loreen), but he WAS the year and it was his loss specifically that left a bad aftertaste in many mouths. It's always better when the underdog beats the overdog, and not the other way around.

Once the dust settled, everyone pledged fealty to the crazyparty Fin while "Tattoo" was quickly replaced as the basic gay anthem by "Padam Padam".

However, neither of those things are particularly Loreen's fault?

What I can ascertain is that Tattoo is not Euphoria, obviously. A lot of the love for Tattoo was spillover Euphoria nostalgia. That's fine, but I meant their thematic differences went understated - Euphoria was an ode to the eternity of love, while Tattoo specifically is about the love fracturing apart and Loreen's inabilty to move on - in other words "Euphoria" was a victory, while "Tattoo" always felt like more of a defeat. It's a subtle difference, but one that should always lead to Euphoria being ranked AHEAD of Tattoo, jesus christ ESC250 voters.

However, this is still Loreen, and a lesser Loreen is still lowkey epic. Eventhough "Tattoo" is probably the least good Loreen song, (technically because it's a Cazzi Opeia song with a Loreen sound - "You're stuck on me like a tatoo-oo-oo that is a Cazzi hook if ever there was), it is still a good song. Loreen proved although she's now at an age where her memory is starting to fail her, forgetting essentials such as clipping her fingernails and paying her taxes, she still has the attitude and flat stomach of a cougar ready to pounce. All credits for Tattoo's successes belong to her, SJB and no one else.

And, not unimportantly in a audio-visual medium such as Eurovision, Tattoo also looked really good on the stage. It had A Vision, which is what every winner needs nowadays. Again, the staging is great but also... not that grat lol - it's not the best staging ever. It's not better than Euphoria's or even Vesna's that we'll talk about later. Nevertheless, the song was beautifully framed under the confined space of that impromptu photocopier and Loreen's choreography. The staging was dynamic, artistic and gave the impression real stakes were involved. It Understood The Assignment. It made the song *pop*.

I specifically really LOVE the wide shot during the bridge that really anchors the devastation and desolation she sings about.

It's one of those money shots linger in your mind after the song has ended.

So overall, yeah, Loreen is not my winner or even a top fiver for me, but oh well, whatever? She was a dull winner compared to Käärijä but not an undeserving one. She's still a solid eight-and-a-half out of ten. She alone provided the triple threat of Good composition, Stunning Act and Killer Execution, so ofc juries flocked to her if they're instructed to assess the overal package. If you still think they robbed Käärijä (they did not.) remember that Loreen was solidly second in nearly every televote behind him. If he were destined to always lose Eurovision 2023 like I now believe he was, it's definitely only Loreen who should have taken the W here.

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05. AUSTRALIA Voyager - "Promise" 9th place

Decade Ranking: 17/116 [Above Adrenalina, below Manizha]

Sometimes the reason is "I like music." Many were surprised Voyager came top 10, but not I. To repeat a common question one final time:

HAVE YOU HEARD THE SONG?!?

Well-executed ProgMetal, at Eurovision! By a charismatic lead! Of course it was going to get a good chunk of jury votes from a group of people that know more music beyond what gets radio airplay. As Danny sings, if you haven't done anything like this before, you haven't been alive, sillies!

Going into the contest though, I wasn't fully sure Australia would grab the top 10 I envisioned for them. Like sure, I saw the vision. But my predictions come from Antwerp, not Delphi and the visions I see don't always come to pass. Voyager were hit the hardest by the fandom's latent misandry for daring to be men (+ Simone). Then again, if the fandom got their way, "Padam Padam" would win every year (lol can you imagine what a nightmare that meta would be? especially because "Padam Padam" isn't even that good to begin with) and not songs that are effectively Synthwave with Metal instrumentation. This is a combo that leads to immersive moodpieces, and not the high energy spikes you might expect from metal.

But what this blog if not for its appreciation for moodpieces and what was "Promise" if not A Mood immortalized by Voyager into An Experience. Danny playing the keytar on the bonnet of his delorean, or nearly choking on a chicken sandwich while getting 12 Portuguese points, THOSE are MY little joys in life.

Everything on stage suits a wholesome song about ~promising your loved ones you're in this life's adventure together, ride or die~, which as a message hits home even harder since Danny's cancer diagonosis (not like this affected their placement here - Australia were coming 5th on this ranking since the beginning).

And let's be honest, "Promise" is a just really good song that doesn't need frills or embellishments, but it got those anyway with everyone's fun adlibs.

It's like S10 or MARO, not the flashiest entry nor the most iconic staging, but never the less, the personality came through well enough to merit revisitations when I have a craving for it. Besides, we need a diverse array of genres at Eurovision, to ensure the bar remains high and we don't get a year full of Liars and Firefighters. "Promise" defo fit that bill well. It was good to have A Real Song into the mix, and one that was very deservedly was rewarded with a top ten placement.

If you think that a bad result, then that's fine. I agree with you, but mostly because I think Australia should have come top five and were robbed by the televote. 🙂

THE RANKING

[bolithesenate]

Boli I saw your wip game post and my god that's a lot of wips lol, I'm mostly curios about this ones:

anti anarchist royalists

no witches

the heart of a star is home

cache lineage

true sith padme (tale the l palpy)

fuck it all

come ooooon, tell me what your brewing!

*cracks knuckles* Okay, here we go

anti anarchist royalists - this one is a original fiction writing exercise for the fantasy writing course I am in. I got the prompt "a young and inexperienced king tries to stop his kingdom from falling into anarchy" and the main purpose of the exercise is to figure out how to describe characters

this is everything I have so far and I'm not sure if I'll add some more bc I'm actually quite happy with it even though I am miles away from the recommended word count lol

Augustin folded his hand in front of his face and observed the chaos that lay before him. Noblemen screaming their lungs out left, right and center, none really getting the point across they would liked to have made. Maybe that wasn’t the worst thing though, he thought. He’d seen what their ‘points’ had done to his mother’s reign – as well to the short time his dear sister had claimed the crown that was slowly and steadily making its way down the back of his head. It was technically his sister’s crown and thus made for a woman two heads taller than him and with the thick hair befitting her heritage and station. They hadn’t had time to fashion one for him properly, the people who’d led him to his crowning had said – but Augustin knew that was not true. His sister’s guard, those that had stayed, hadn’t even bothered to hide their whispers.  Everyone expected him to last a week at the utmost on this damn throne. His nanny-turned-head-maid had even told him so straight to the face, just this morning. She’d been braiding his hair in an attempt at providing some support for the crown and tried to talk him into slipping some sharp hairpins in. You know, just in case a would-be-assassin came into stabbing distance. Which was unlikely, from everything Augustin knew of their ilk. Assassins tended to stay in the shadows and way out of reach of their intended marks. Those that didn’t, didn’t stay assassins for long. At least that’s what he had gathered from the fact that the head of the palace guard and the spymaster were still looking for the man – or woman – that had taken his sister’s life. Only barely suppressing a sigh, he reached up, pulled the crown back into position and winced. The ominous mass of gems and gold immediately had jabbed one of the sharp pins into his scalp. Great. Heavy crown, heavy mantle, heavy heart – Augustin was just fourteen, palace-pale and definitely not made to be king. Least of all king of a nation that was so dedicated to tearing itself apart as Vesna.

no witches - this one is a future part of the mud fic universe, centered around Sheev's (mis)adventures on Dathomir and the weird situationship he strikes up with Talzin during it.

It's also the fic I have started coming up with the dathomiri conlang for, so there's that

(Ig this makes little sense if you haven't read the mud fic, but the tldr is that Sheev was kidnadopted away from his og family by Jaster and so is about 50% more stable in his life choices down the road)

Well after the sun had gone back down again, the little witchling returned. Only this time, she carried a thick, leather-bound (Sheev hoped it was leather) honest-to-the-Stars book with her. By the Manda, Jaster should never be allowed to know of this, lest Silas reconsidered his stance on expansive politics. Conquering worlds over rare books was not something that had been done before in Manda'yaim's history, but if his buir had shown anything so far then it was his neverending willingness to pave new ways. Her yellow eyes flitted towards him, then to the book and she let the thing plop down on the dirty floor. The wince that went through Sheev at that sight was entirely the fault of the rigorous conditioning Jaster had put him through in regards to proper handling of precious artifacts. Nothing more. He didn't care for old books, after all. The witchling's grubby little hands pawed over the pages of the thing, flipping back and forth until she seemed to have found what she was looking for. Hopefully not some sort of crazy witchcraft magic spell. That green fire everywhere was really starting to give Sheev eye strain. If he got myopic during his stay here they were going to pay for his contact lenses, that Sheev swore to himself. Then his attention was drawn back to the witch-child, who started sounding out words. "Ssah-," she tried, but broke off with a frown. "Ssuh," her face did weird things as she sounded out the words - at least Sheev assumed that's what those were trying to be, "Zuh-ee…kar?" Yellow eyes wandered up at Sheev, seeming almost hopeful? Which was weird. Sheev scowled. For good measure.

the heart of the star is home - now this i am excited to talk abut, because it's my ghiblification origin story for Feemor! We all know and love him as the one normal guy in the disaster lineage, but I say what if that is all very hard work on his side!

His father might be a farmer (and proud o that) but his mother is the spirit of the desert their family cultivates XD

It also gives me the opportunity to smol Feemor, which is a joy in and of itself

He moved through the field of glowing lights, Feemor in his arms. With every step Audunn took, the glowing, hovering points closest to them shifted, parting and making way. Then, the man raised his voice and a smile was plastered on his face, the burnt skin around his eyes and cheeks crinkling in delight. “Najm,” he called out, “Look who has returned!” And while Feemor’s mind was preoccupied with following the implications of those words, the lights all around started to move. As if someone had dropped a loadstone in a bucket of magnets, all the individual points of light coalesced into a rising, writhing flame in the sand before them.  Audunn’s milky eyes reflected the multicolored fire like mirrors, shadows deepening the laugh lines around his mouth and the mottled skin above. It would have been scary if Feemor hadn’t felt the genuine love and joy radiating off the man. Yet he couldn’t look directly at the flame. He tried to and the Force screamed in warning – and with the Force rang a second, lower warning, like a woman whistling in the night.

now for cache lineage - this one is all about Jocasta and her padawans! Listen, the moment I learned she had three whole students in (eu) canon, I knew I HAD to do something with it. The thing that popped out eventually was the start of my first ever chatfic, so....

('cache lineage' is the name I have given their lineage because I think it fits nicely) (Ole Bole is Olee Starstone, Mr.Galaxywide is Jerec and Grandstand is Jocasta Nu. Jin-Lo is self-explanatory)

Box Office Hit Ole Bole: who tf changed the chat name? Ole Bole: rude Mr. Galaxywide: guess Mr. Galaxywide: also, Master whi is this traitor still in the chat? exile her now Ole Bole: TRAITOR?! Ole Bole: I’ll show you traitor you ******* ******* *** *********** Ole Bole: wtf what’s that Ole Bole: what is happening Mr. Galaxywide: guess you got censured, Ol. ***** ** **** Mr. Galaxywide: D:?! Mr. Galaxywide: really? suck is censured?! Mr. Galaxywide: OH NOW IT WORKS?!?!! Mr. Galaxywide: ***!?!?! Mr. Galaxywide: ******* ********* ***?? Ole Bole: @ Grandstand what is going on??? Ole Bole: @ Grandstand Ole Bole: @ Grandstand Ole Bole: @ Grandstand Mr. Galaxywide: @ Grandstand Mr. Galaxywide: @ Grandstand Mr. Galaxywide: @ Grandstand Mr. Galaxywide: @ Grandstand Mr. Galaxywide: @ Grandstand Grandstand: Preemptive safety measures. Grandstand: Children, behave. @ Grandstand has added @83365299 to the Chat @ Grandstand changed @83365299 to @ Padawan Learner Rayce Padawan Learner Rayce: Thank you, Master Nu Padawan Learner Rayce: :D Ole Bole: A BABY?!?!?! Padawan Learner Rayce: Hi, I’m Jin-Lo Rayce, happy to be here. Padawan Learner Rayce: I’m not a baby, I’m 12? Mr. Galaxywide: A BABY!!!!!!

true sith padme - that one was my very impulsive 'a sith is just nine handmaidens and a queen in the same trenchcoat' fic where Padme and company get to be the unhinged teens they were meant to be. They also cause enormous psychological damage to Palpatine because in true naboo fashion they all chose very similar sith names and also switch places willy-nilly to cause more confusion

This actually had one chapter already published, but I've been very lazy with working on the next one. nonetheless, here, have a snippet of a later thing

<Pretender, you do not know what Forces you play with. My wrath will- > "I'm sorry," Eirtaé interrupted the cloaked figure, "I think you have the wrong comm number. Who are you?" <What?!,> the cloaked stranger spat, <I am DARTH SIDIOUS, and you, 'Darth' Akako, are a pretender to the Line of Bane and I–" "Ah, yes, I see now," Eirtaé interrupted him once again, "No, I am not Darth Akako, I am Darth Shirogo. Darth Akako is my cousin thrice removed." Then, after a very brief moment of consideration, she added, "She is known for her rogue actions, if you have an official complaint, please direct it to the High Council. I will transmit their contact right now." She sent the guy Dormé's private comm. The older Handmaiden would know how to stall for time better than her. <You–!> "Thank you for your time and have a good day, good bye!," she cheered and then cut the line, the fake smile that had split her face immediately falling. Grumbling, Eirtaé rubbed her cheeks. Just what the kark were Padmé and Sabé doing out there? And who the fuck had given this old creep her comm number?!

and last but not least

fuck it all - the one and only crossover i'll likely ever write. That's my witcher/lotr crossover where Thranduil and some guard ocs get transported into the witcherverse and proceed to adopt their way through the ranks of protagonists

Another already published thing i should fix up a new chapter for at some point, but after the latest weirdnesses with how the witcher series was treated by netflix it kinda lost its shine. i'll return to it one day though.

Until then, have this. I like to think I am hilarious.

Thranduil looked at the young edain with the rather garish red doublet (the scale-like detailing of the fabric woke unpleasant memories and seemed a bit distasteful). The man was currently drinking what must be the fourth or fifth tankard of beer since Thranduil had entered the dimly lit establishment and he was still holding up pretty well. This, coupled with the fine lute leaning on the side of his chair sealed the deal. ‘He certainly looks like a sensible young man’, the Elvenking thought. “Young man.” There was a benevolent smile on his face as Thranduil tapped the edain’s shoulder to gain his attention. The man reared back, startled, and stared at him with big brown eyes that were red and swollen, as if he had cried not long ago. ‘Oh dear’, Thought the Elvenking now, but it was too late. His smile took a tad of a strained note. Hopefully it wasn’t recognizable. “Young man, I may have a business opportunity for you.”

[frostyyyroyalmilktea]

Why Vesna’s “My sister’s crown” in no feminist anthem but a Trojan horse filled with pro-russian messaging

My thoughts as a Ukrainian with a poli-sci degree.

I was debating whether to write this post but as the discourse around this song grows, I want to give people from other countries some context on the messaging used in the song and why Ukrainians are grossed out by it.

While I was writing it this post grew a mind of its own and I even ended up adding pictures so I'll fold the post here in case you don't care and just want to scroll through quickly.

First of all, it’s worth mentioning that this song attracted so much attention from Ukrainians because they use UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE in the chorus. It’s an important detail seeing how one of the singers is russian. A lot of Ukrainians share the opinion that letting a russian woman sing in our language is a completely vile thing to do to our culture. I agree with it too. But the abuse of our culture doesn’t stop there.

See this shot? This is supposed to be Borsch, a traditional Ukrainian dish. It’s worth mentioning that russia tried to appropriate this dish and in 2022 we fought tooth and nail to have UNESCO protect it as part of Ukrainian heritage. But back to the shot. The letters around it are supposed to symbolize russian propaganda. Great start🙄

But it gets better, lads. They start “feeding the propaganda” to the girl that —judging by stylistic choices as well as matryoshka makeup—  is supposed to represent russian people.

Right, so they *checks notes* use Ukrainian cultural dish —that russians almost succeeded in stealing from us— to show… what exactly? “Poor russians🥺 uwu” getting brainwashed? Oh, then let me grab my handkerchief. This is so so sad I think I’m about to cry😶😶😶

I mean, just a thought but if they wanted to show how shitty russian government treats its people, they could’ve recreated the historically accurate moment when russian tzar Ivan the Terrible shoved his underling’s face into a boiling soup. What does Ukraine and our long-suffering dish has to do with all this bs???

Now let’s talk about that “Crown”, that is supposed to belong to the sister (aka Ukraine). To me, as a poli-sci major, this is so stupid I don’t even know whether to laugh or cry. From the words of the band themself, where they explain —quite poorly might I say— the meaning of their song, we learn that “Crown” symbolizes the sovereignty of the 13 Eastern-European countries. Sounds perfectly valid. Here's a few random countries that I can remember from the top of my head in no particular order that have crowns in their symbols:

Coat of arms of the Czech Republic, Coat of arms of Serbia, Flag of Poland and Flag of Croatia

I actually decided that I don't want to have russian flag and emblem in this post because I don't want to look at it every time I scroll through, but you can go google it if you want, they have not one but two crowns on their emblem actually.

So what am I leading up to with all this flag-talk, you might ask. Well, the kicker is that THIS ⬇️ is Ukrainian emblem:

Not a crown in sight as you can see. I guess as a nation that was constantly fighting against imperial colonisation we’re not very fond of those. Who could’ve guessed🤷‍♀️

But the aforementioned two points are pretty circumstantial and in the grand scheme of things are not particularly significant. I felt compelled to point them out first to give people from other countries a bit of insight into the music video's visual. You are free to disagree with me on those. The main problem that triggers the majority of Ukrainians is the use of the word "sister". Listen, I know you don’t want to read a lecture on the nuance of Slav politics and I don’t really want to write it, I know you know how to google. So here’s the gist:

One of the BIGGEST narratives that russia is pushing in its export propaganda (aside from their go-to claim that all ukrainians are nazis) is that Slavs are all a family. Talk about shitty relatives, eh? But basically, it’s a lingering thing from USSR where russia exploited a bunch of neighboring countries and called this shit a “Union” (while convincing the rest of the world that those countries entered that union willingly and not under threats —or as a result of— hostile invasions, but I digress). So the way russia frames it is that russia is this big brother that "takes care of other little siblings”. Even writing it down made me want to barf🤢🤢🤢. This narrative was specifically very actively weaponized against Ukraine before the 2022 invasion. Its goal is to infantilize Ukraine as if we're not a whole-ass independent country, but a little sibling that doesn't know how to wipe their own ass. And that we just need good ol’ russia to come and save us from our own stupidity. I hope I shed some light on why this word specifically triggers us so much and why I think that this song has 0 to do with solidarity and overall is complete populistic bs with a generous dash of russian propaganda.

I want to emphasize that I didn’t make this post to fight or argue with anyone  but to give people another perspective if you’re interested in it from my pov as a Ukrainian. If you have other takes on it, I’d love to read them in the comments. Just please be respectful or I won’t interact.

This is all I have to say for today. Love, love, peace, peace, my dudes.