#Georgian musical group

[theartofmany]

"- Psalm 50 A Psalm of David" From Youtube channel Trio Mandili: Trio Mandili - Psalm 50 So beautiful...

#Trio Mandili #Trio Mandili - Psalm 50 #Psalm 50 #psalm #religion #religious singing #chorus #chorus singing #choir #singer #music #Georgian musical group #Georgia #music group #folk #vocal music #polyphonic #Youtube

[lulublack90]

Prompt 20 - Lethal

@jegulus-microfic January 20 Word count 642

I think this one is going to be a few parts. I'll link the parts together so they're easy to find.

“Party? Party? Party?” Marlene asked, pointing at her friends, who were already drinking around the table in their local pub. It did not take much persuading for the others to agree to call everyone they knew and start a party back at James’s.

“Can Reggie come?” Sirius asked. “He doesn’t have many friends, and I don’t think he’s left the house for a week.”

“As long as he doesn’t bring the party down,” Mary replied, sticking her tongue out at Sirius when he stuck his out at her. 

“We need to go get some booze in and food, guys, or else the party will be a bust,” Lily told them all. Downing her drink as she stood up. 

Thirty minutes later, the group was shoving bags of shopping into the back of James’s mum’s old minivan. They had left Sirius sprawled across the back seat with all their phones, texting as many people as he could. 

“Budge up,” Remus said, giving Sirius less than a second to move, before lifting his legs into the air and sliding into the seat. He dropped Sirius's legs ungraciously. Sirius nearly fell on the floor. 

“Hey, rude!” Sirius squawked at Remus, his bottom lip pushing out into a sulky pout. He didn’t have time to complain before Mary shoved him off the other seat so she could sit down. 

“Okay, guys, let’s go!” James cried out jovially before twisting the key in the ignition. The minivan choked to life. He pressed his foot down and he sped away, causing Sirius to actually fall off the backseat and into the footwell. Remus dragged him up by the scruff of his neck and wound his seatbelt around him. 

“Buckle up, dumbass.” He growled. 

“Sorry about that,” James apologised over his shoulder as he pulled out of the car park and onto the main road.

“No worries, mate. Could we swing by mine so I can grab Reggie? I think if I don’t literally drag him there myself, he won’t come.

James hit the curb more forcefully than was probably good for his mother’s poor old van. Sirius jumped out and ran into the grand Georgian house he’d inherited when his parents had died. Two minutes later, he was dragging his brother down the front steps. Regulus was putting up quite a fight. Sirius pulled hard at him, almost yanking his hoodie from his body. Eventually, he bundled his brother into the back of the van and yelled at James to go, go, go! 

Regulus wasn’t happy. He glowered at the car’s worn carpet, not saying a word.

At the next red traffic light, James turned as far as his seatbelt would allow him to and grinned broadly at Regulus. 

“How’s it going, Reg?” He asked. Regulus looked up at him, scowling. 

“That good, huh?” James laughed as he ruffled Regulus’s short curls. Regulus yanked his head away, pulled his hood up and crossed his arms across his chest. 

“James, green light,” Lily said as she jabbed James in the arm, forcing him to pay attention. 

They got to James’s and had to hurry to set everything up. Sirius and Remus sorted out the music, bickering over which songs to put on the playlist. Lily and Mary put food into bowls and onto plates. James set out the bottles of alcohol and mixers on the kitchen counter. While Marlene was doing what Marlene does best and creating a truly lethal punch. James looked at the concoction warily. Deciding, there and then, it would probably be best if he stayed clear of Marlene’s punch. 

Regulus leant against the wall near the French windows, refusing to help with anything. He had his phone out and was endlessly scrolling. James was just about to go over to him and try to chat when the doorbell rang, signalling the arrival of their guests.  

Next part

#January 20 #jegulus #jegulus microfic #james potter #regulus black #sirius black #remus lupin #lily evans #mary macdonald #bob marley #marlene mckinnon #james fleamont potter #regulus arcturus black #james x regulus #regulus x james #regulus and james #lethal #james that poor van #marlene the liquor queen

[visorforavisor]

Sometimes a family is just an autistic ADHD stone-ager who’s obsessed with space and chess, a weird but loving friend group who are always seen together, a scary little girl, a physically disabled guy who really wants to be included in things, a bundle of autism and trauma recovering from being falsely accused of stuff, a very enthusiastic autistic ADHD Georgian who can’t get enough of romance novels and pop music, a melodramatic poet who’s very annoying but at the end of the day still important, a stuffy Edwardian mathematician whose full potential never got realised, an autistic military-fascinated man repressing his homosexuality so hard he’s through the closet and into Narnia, a youth group leader trying to organise them all together even though it’s like herding cats, an arsehole politician trying desperately to cling to some dignity, a bloody pigeon… and the couple who have to deal with them all (a wife who deals with them all, and a husband who helps her deal with them all despite the fact he can’t see or hear them).

And that’s beautiful.

#bbc ghosts #larry rickard #katy wix #lolly adefope #mat baynton #martha howe-douglas #ben willbond #jim howick #simon farnaby #charlotte ritchie #kiell smith-bynoe #ghosts bbc #history

[mrsfezziwig]

KQ - The Reason Ateez Don't Win Awards: (Pt 1)

n.b.(Good God I am actually scared of what reaction this may get from other Atiny but I feel like it is something I really need to address!)

Ateez are incredible;

as humans, as a group, as vocalists and as rappers, but their stand out ability comes in the way they perform and dance. I have never seen a group like these eight men when it comes to their star power; all of them could probably be in The Demon Line now they have matured, especially Yunho, who feels more relaxed on stage, more intense and he is most definitely not holding himself back anymore (That YunGi clothes grab in the Wonderland tour version, anyone? This Mrs Fezziwig was fanning herself like a Georgian Regency lady with a hand fan and blaming it on her age - hot flushes, you know... Oof! ). But anyone with a braincell can look at the lack of acknowledgement of their talents in terms of end of year award show nominations and wonder what the hell is going on?! It is incredibly irritating when people who deserve to have their hard work and talents celebrated are passed over again and again.

Now, this is where I just know I am going to be side-eyed, possibly bombastically, because I need to make comparisons in order to make my points as this is only about my opinion, and things I see other Atiny discussing on socials. In addition everyone knows how close the members of these two groups are as friends, hence why I am risking my sanity to say it:

The Comparison - Stray Kids

What makes Stray Kids so well awarded isn't just their agency, which has absolutely helped, with their money, organisation and longevity in the idol industry, but there's also the fact that they have practically carte blanche when it comes to the music they make. No body on this good, green Earth can ignore the sheer genius that is 3RACHA and their most common producer, Versachoi, when it comes to their abilities to write, compose and produce their songs.

Every emotion in the human pantheon of feeling is out there in a song available for fans to discover from their catalogue. Their forte is the musical freedom all the members contribute to the group.

SKZ hits harder because they are performing their own emotion out in song and dance, having three geniuses in one group is fated, no one can ever tell me otherwise... However, Ateez doesn't have that extra layer of connection even though the boys are still insanely versatile and make it work.

That's not the fault of the members, BBTrippin or even on some level the collective Edenary, they're all being told the same thing by the agency. It lies in the fact that those at the top want it to be this way.

I don't say this as a diss against Edenary, and I have yet to find a skip song on their albums. It is all impactful, musically, there is nothing but hit after hit on those but the lyrics just aren't up to par. Guerilla was about a fictional revolution, Halazia was about a fictional revolution from the outsider perspective, Bouncy was about an, um... fictional revolution and Crazy For-... Yeah, I am going to stop here.

KQ CEO-nim, I respectfully say:

Holy Fuck... Drop the fucking storyline into the b-side! Yep, you heard me right - Drop. The. Fucking. Storyline. From. The. Title. Tracks! Plllleeeeaaaaasssseee?

I am pretty sure all the inhabitants of Dimensions A and Z, and how ever many other of these buggers are hiding in the mind of the planners, shall collectively gasp dramatically 'Blasphemy!'

What a cardinal sin to suggest such a thing!!! Pre-debut Atiny are clutching their pearls and Diary Version albums as I speak such foul utterances, wondering how I could possibly have the very cheek of it to say such a thing! Do you think the boys will be proud of the dramatic delivery here? 😂

Yes, there are some moving and heart-wrenching b-sides on Ateez albums that are ignored for the scale of interdimensional time Pirates, which makes it increasingly, painfully obvious that those emotions are rare in their title tracks. So, I will make the point I've been moving up to with the comparison:

KQ need to let loose the reins

I first encountered Ateez in my initial journey with kpop in 2021 and I was in my 'BTS got me hooked, Stray Kids toppled them with Hellevator from my focus, and Ateez seems interesting...' era

Being 38 I felt kinda like some sort of sicko for finding guys I could have birthed attractive and I still have twinges of this feeling occasionally. Thankfully, none of the 5th Gen children are anything other than cute little babies to me, ones that I want to tut at, throwing appropriate clothing their way and ground them for going out in such tiny skirts and dresses. As you can imagine, finding Deja Vu as my first Ateez song sent me screeching dramatically away from the group, hands flapping and looking for a man my age to hide behind [thank you, Rain; you were extremely helpful during my mid-life-ish crisis].

So I continued on my way along up the endurance hike that is the Stray Kids path, again feeling slightly creeped out at myself for buying Oddinary, but also in absolute awe at the music these eight guys made. I still don't have a fucking clue what their storyline is, although it is coming more into focus thanks to the most recent SKZFLIX but that's kinda positive as it allows for their flexibility in terms of what they say and how it's performed and perceived.

At the core, I like their lyrical content better than Ateez, purely due to the fact it's visceral in its emotional impact. With a leader like Bang Chan, I haven't been surprised to find so many amazing fans out there too. Older STAYs I chat with on Discord have been my rock and support as I admitted my feelings of discomfort at the age thing and we figured out it was my STBX husband and his reaction to my new found hobby and likes that left me feeling so icky.

With their help, I finally got the courage up to accept that we were done after 20 years and I haven't missed him except for one occasion [I was facing a general anaesthetic to have a massive abscess on my jaw drained, all alone in a hospital about an hour from home with nobody at all to hold my hand] since he left in March. Every time I faced a backwards step emotionally because of my Ehler-Danlos Syndrome and my limitations, they were there to check on me.

This community is what makes Kpop the best rabbit hole I ever plunged into - stay away from Twitter (No, Elon, it isn't called 'X', it's called Twitter!) and the fans are such magnificently, genuine hearted people who just get me! For the first time in my life my sense of humour wasn't misinterpreted and rather slotted into place like this was where I was meant to be all along. When I found this tribe I was so lonely it was frightful, and it's only by being who I am today with their love and support I can look back at that version of myself and cry for her desperation and black-fog draped soul.

99% of the people in that chat are actually StayTiny, and they were discussing Halazia, insisting I really need to watch the MV. So I did, and as thankful I am for BTS getting me into Kpop and Stray Kids for finding me at my lowest then giving me my coping song in Voices, Ateez overtook them all in one MV. There is something about these guys that I connected with. That began my twisted path in April 2023 in learning names, songs and personality types that lead me to December and the drop of Crazy Form. Yet they may now be my Ult group, Stray Kids are my foundation in the world of idols. And no, I still can't handle Deja Vu no matter how many times I have tried to make it happen. So far I can get to the end of Yunho's opening but I can't take San with that haircut and eyebrows without cringing and backing out, which means I've progressed beyond the sexual feel of the song and am now firmly entrenched in 'Second-hand Embarrassment Station'.

Ateez could be much bigger if...

Despite the connection I found with these seven crackheads plus Jongho, instantly was thrown off by the incessant focus on the story of Ateez and dimension hopping, wondering where they were, as in where were the personal stories; the freedom of expression and grounding focus of reliving your experience in music?

If the story came in the form of a novel, I would be pre-ordering that shit off Amazon faster than I pre-order SKZ and Ateez albums. And I am not alone in this sentiment. After five years in the industry, these guys aren't newbies, they have the experience to handle the responsibilities of writing their own songs with guidance from Edenary and creating their own choreo alongside BBTrippin.

Hearing how the agency weaves the lore into every single MV and title track, I felt angry. I still am and am likely to always be, because if they let up and allowed the boys to display their joy, sorrow, happiness and agony in their songs and choreo, Ateez would be even greater, they'd be a force to be reckoned with particularly in the international market where they just work already. This is where BTS and Stray Kids have Ateez beat.

international fans have come to expect that the music is written and produced by the members of a group. Sure this could be argued as being a side effect of BTS getting so big, it's also a factor no one should discount.

Now, I shall move onto the part I love most: 'saying shit 'people who don't have a genetic pain disorder and who still have two flying fucks to give' won't...

The agency is responsible for the lack of mainstream recognition in terms of awards and fans because that oomph 3RACHA pour into their music is where the disparity lies.

With performers like the eight men in Ateez imagine them being up there on the VMAs stage getting all the praise... And the viral Taylor Swift reaction to match... Her reaction to Chan was just so relatable after all (be still my Swiftie/STAY/Atiny manic heart). I can't lie, the thought of them never being recognised in the mainstream before it's too late and they disband to focus on solo careers makes me tear up. Oh, that's so dramatic of me is what people who don't know Ateez will think,

'Ewwww... it's not that deep 🙄! Go touch some fucking grass and stop being so saesang coded' { Bitch, if I could go outside without dislocating my hip, I'd still be an Archaeologist! Is that enough grass and mud for you all?}

With a massive 'Wooyoung-thicc, baby-girl-twerking' ass BUT(t):

The thing is, it actually is that deep.

I am sick of spending comeback day piecing together the story point instead of looking at the video and lyrics and it's meaning. Which invariably is about the destruction of the dystopian universe. Don't Stop did the story telling in a way that made sense for what the video portrays and it works real fucking well (plus Mingi? Oooh, damn boyyy!). We understood it because it was all there to be found!

Imagine having that every comeback day, the 'falling out of bed at 5am to match KST' would be so much more enjoyable because there isn't any depth to plunder, it would be a {most definitely not} straight shooting banger or bopper or tear-mopper of a track, ALMOST ENTIRELY written and produced by the members for us to enjoy on repeat. Then a few days later the Edenary b-side/s with all the storyline desired would drop and we would be mentally prepared to disect every second of it because our thirst would have diminished to the 'reasonably manageable when those eight beautiful men plus San's chocolate bar abs are in the world' level.

Whilst I intended to make all my points in one post, I will split it up because of the length it's going to be... To be continued...

#ateez #hongjoong #seonghwa #yunho #yeosang #choi san #mingi #wooyoung #jongho #kq entertainment #crazy form #comeback #edenary #don't stop #music #AtoZ #dystopia #music video #opinion #Atiny #8 makes 1 team #kpop #Spotify

[spacenintendogs]

Okay okay

Here's a question you probably can answer lol

What songs are the gang listening to on repeat in your modern au :)

ksxjsodkwkkd i have had a post abt their music tastes sitting in my drafts for months so i will just share that!! my own music is kind of limited bc i just listen to the same stuff over & over (bc neurodivergent™️) so!! my apolocheese for this not being as super in depth for some of the gang vs others. i am also open to suggestions ;_; a couple of these were from me talking with a pal, mainly astrid & fishlegs (@despiteherself hiiiii!!!!)

hiccup: lots of indie stuff, leaning more towards indie folk!! he likes anything rlly with strings involved. he's a dragonboy horsegirl at heart & wants to imagine riding through the air with winds blowing through his hair & wistfully wishing he could have a different life. he does listen to indie pop, too. he liked glass animals before they were popular & wants everyone to know it. also loves woodkid.

astrid: she has 5 songs she listens to & they were just songs ppl recommended to her. she only goes out of her way to listen to music if she's at the gym & doesn't want to talk to anyone (if snotlout is there it does not work </3) tuffnut told her "you should listen to mac miller" & she picked a single song & just made it a song she listens to. every single other song she's ever heard is inflicted upon her when she's in the car, at work, etc & her friends have their stuff. she's content with that

fishlegs: everything & anything u could possibly think of. it's all put together on one giant playlist. u will hear 1940s jazz followed by georgian chants followed by sam smith followed by power metal followed by edm & it just keeps going. knows the words to every song he ever hears. any genre, any language!! collects vinyl, tapes, cds, YOU NAME IT!!! very passionate abt music!!!!!!

snotlout: 2000s & 2010s pop & edm, duchess by fergie is one of his fave albums ever. loves lady gaga. everything else is dad rock. 80s thrash metal, nu metal, & 90s grunge, mostly. he wants to be cool so so bad, he wants to be a rockstar. learns to play guitar & is annoying abt it (can shred p well tho). is the reason everyone in the friend group has at least ONE slipknot song on their individual playlists

ruffnut: grunge, hip hop, rap, & house music. lots of in this moment & garbage. big kendrick lamar fan. lots of late 80s to early 00s for rap & hip hop. she likes to groove & vibe, occasionally headbang. i think she'd love mary j blige too. i think she, outside of everything listed, has a soft spot for p!nk & listens to her when she's having a hard time (her & snotlout sometimes listen together). i think she'd also enjoy billie holiday on a quiet day & no one is around. (she is not embarrassed by it ay all, she just likes having things for herself)

tuffnut: grunge, 70s soft rock, hip hop, & rap!!! lots of overlap with ruff but obv there's also a lot of differences!! the 70s soft rock is the main outlier. he enjoys cruising around & being wistful as he listens to america, doobie brothers, seals & croft, etc. he puts pop country on his playlists as a joke but it ends up stuck in everyone's heads & smth they all jam to to have fun.

there is a massive group playlist (fishlegs is the one who puts it together but will add a song if suggested) & it is a cacophony of so much shit. they all have their tastes but by the time they're adults they all know each other's songs & sing/jam along & have a fucking blast, esp in the car or at the sanctuary. the playlist is always on shuffle & there is the chance for a rickroll. always

songs that tend to get repeated by the group are psychosocial (slipknot), custer (slipknot), anything by pitbull, fire water burn (bloodhound gang), bbc (jaboukie), anything by woodkid, somebody i used to know (gotye), & anything by they might be giants & other assorted meme songs they love torturing each other with. (they are the most obnoxious group alive)

#httyd #hiccup haddock #astrid hofferson #fishlegs ingerman #snotlout jorgenson #ruffnut thorston #tuffnut thorston #httyd modern au #rose answers #cloverofhope #thank u!!!!!! #dragons off the coast au #honestly i rlly struggled with the twins bc it's like... were the 'obvious' answers actually the answers???

[lostinfic]

Aflutter

Ten x Rose | 790 words | silly fluffy historical AU

I listened to a podcast about Georgian courtships and here we are.

The original Language of the Fan leaflet

*

1828

“I’m telling you, Jack, there’s this whole secret language every woman knows about,” the Doctor said, brandishing The Language of the Fan.

“Let me see that.” Jack plucked the leaflet from the Doctor’s hands and read out loud, “Touching tip with fingers means I wish to speak to you. Carrying in the right hand means you are too willing.” He scoffed. “You don’t need that.”

Easy for him to say, just walking down Main Street in his uniform girls and boys alike sighed dreamily, their longing gazes following him. The Doctor was good looking, if he said so himself, but paled in comparison to his American friend.

“Where are we going anyway?” the Doctor asked.

“Right here.”

Jack stopped in front of Lillington's, the modiste. He opened the door, gesturing for his friend to enter first.

“Here? Why?”

“I need to buy a gift for a special friend.”

As soon as they entered, the gazes of a dozen women turned to them and muted gossips filled the room. The Doctor blushed, but Jack perused the shop confidently. He stroked silk ribbons, fine cotton gloves and straw bonnets, before settling on a pair of mauve garters. He had Mr. Lillington wrap the present with indications to deliver at the provided address. Jack added a note: “Think of me, when this you see.”

“It’s as easy as that. Why don’t you pick something for Miss Tyler?”

“I wouldn’t presume…” the Doctor sputtered.

“No, you’d rather wait for her to place her fan by her left ear.” Jack rolled his eyes.

“No! That means ‘I wish to get rid of you’. Or does it mean ‘wait for me’?” He read through the leaflet again, walking behind Jack.

Of course, this whole fan language business was probably a load of rubbish. The leaflet was published by Duvellroy, a fan maker, with a vested interest in seeing the accessory rise in popularity again. But there was a dance tonight at Kelmscott Hall, and the Doctor was desperate to have an edge over other suitors, especially Miss Tyler’s suitors.

He’d treated her father after a carriage accident. She would come in the room while the Doctor bandaged Sir Tyler’s leg, inquiring about biology and medicine. Her curiosity and sparkling smile won him over. Unfortunately, he’d not had a chance to talk to her again since then. On every social occasion, her attention was monopolized by Messrs. Smith, Stone, Mitchell and many more. But if she were to carry her open fan in her left hand— or was it the right hand?—he would know she wanted him to come talk to her.

*

Kelmscott Hall brimmed with music and cheer. Under the rafters, a group of men and women danced a Scotch Reel, their energy fogged the windows.  The Doctor adjusted his cravat and brushed down his waistcoat.

As if he had a whole sixth sense devoted to her, the Doctor immediately spotted Rose in the crowd. A lovely bundle of petal-pink taffeta and dance-warm cheeks. The song ended, and she fanned herself, sending blond curls in a halo around her pretty face. She met his gaze across the crowd and smiled, wide and happy. She touched her fan to her chin— bloody hell, what did that mean? He pulled the leaflet from the inner pocket of his coat, unfolded it with sweaty hands.

“She’s smiling at you, just go,” Jack said.

He pushed him with two hands, propelling the Doctor to the middle of the dance floor, right in front of Rose.

“The Language of the Fan,” she read from the paper he was holding the wrong way.

“Ah, yes, you see, there are several excellent and important reasons why one must… one must…” He was too distracted by her tongue-touched smile to finish his sentence.

“Do you know there’s a whole flirtatious glove language too?”

Just his luck he’d learned the wrong one.

On the stage, the musicians picked up their instruments again. The violinist tested a few quick notes which promised a vigorous quadrille.

Rose touched her gloves to his hand.

“What does that mean?” he asked, enthralled by this indirect caress.

“It means: run!”

#ficandchips #ten x rose #timepetals #lostinfic writes stuff #reblogs are more than welcome #I know the dress on the photo is not a Georgian style

[triptychgrip]

New chapter - Ch 12 - of my post-canon Yuri!!! on Ice Olympics fic uploaded

If you're a Yuri!!! on Ice fan wishing the fandom had more Olympics content, I hope you'll consider checking out my fic/series, which revolves around both the 2018 PyeongChang and 2022 Beijing Olympic Games. The fic itself takes place at the Beijing Winter Olympics, but switches back and forth between the two, in large part due to a sports politics scandal (not doping) that significantly affects Yuuri/Viktor/others in elite figure skating at the 2018 Games.

It's fluffy, rooted in lots of research, and is my attempt to delve into the world of post-canon, married Victuuri/Viktuuri, as well as Yuuri's impending retirement. The main fic "Gold's On The Inside, Elevated My Feet" will close out at 20 chapters, but I've got other side-stories in this fic universe that flesh out Yuuri/Viktor/Yurio's lives and friendships, as well as Yuuri and Viktor's decision to leave Russia and move to Fukuoka, Japan, about 2.5 years post-canon.

Below is an excerpt from the chapter I just uploaded, which covers the Beijing 2022 Team Skate

--------

When Kapanadze had chosen to make things personal, attacking Team France’s Alex Alouda – who he claimed was ‘stealing’ Russia’s spot – Viktor had released a very frank video via their SkateHusbands YouTube channel, utterly excoriating him. 

Yuuri still remembered the quiet, glacial fury in his husband’s azure eyes, and the trenchant, methodical manner in which he’d made the case for upholding (and even strengthening) the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) ruling. 

It had been undeniably hot.

Unfortunately, it had also made their group’s 6-minute warmup, which had finished just ten minutes ago, unbearably tense. 

Though he’d tried to give Levan a wide berth, it had seemed like the Georgian skater had been going out of his way to openly glare at Viktor and Alex, and had even begun circling close to where he had been practicing his quad lutz entries. 

The few times Yuuri had gone over to the boards to consult with his coach around something, they could each feel eyeballs laser-focused on their backs, branding them with rancor. About half-way through the warm-up, he noticed that Mickey had literally put himself in between them both, a gesture he’d been incredibly thankful for. 

As he now met Viktor’s gaze, Yuuri nodded as he saw how he was holding his phone and earbuds out to him. 

Though the IOC didn’t appear to be done with their ice inspection, it was time to start getting into the right headspace, which meant doing visualization exercises and listening to his program music. 

As the synthy, electro-pop beat of the song that had been written just for this occasion blanketed Yuuri’s eardrums, he lost himself to the enthralling melody. 

The experience of getting one of his favorite singers to co-write a song with him dedicated to Viktor, and for his exclusive use this season had been nothing short of surreal. 

#yuri on ice #post canon #victuuri #viktuuri #victor nikiforov #katsuki yuuri #fanfic #ao3 fanfic #yoi olympics

[papillon82fluttersby]

Eurovision 2023 - My ranking

Phew, I had to rush to whip up this ranking before @docholligay ’s two-day event. (Starting tomorrow! Don’t miss it!!)

I based my ranking on the stage performances when available, as I think they are closer to the final products. Let's do this!

37. Denmark - Reiley - Breaking My Heart

Are 12-year-olds allowed in the adults’ competition now? Baby-faced cutie pie got his heart broken by his meanie girlfriend. Never mind the kid’s heart, the excessive use of autotune and choppy chorus is breaking my brain 😖. Last place due to sheer auditory discomfort.

36. Ireland - Wild Youth - We Are One

We’re all different but we all live together and ain’t that beautiful blah blah blah. So trite. A snoozefest. (But we're wearing masks! Isn't that cool? No. Not nearly as cool as last year's space wolves.)

35. Romania - Theodor Andrei - D.G.T. (Off and On)

Skin on stage. I think if you feel the need to put largely-naked dancers on stage as ‘entertainment’ for the audience, it doesn’t speak well of the quality of your song.

34. San Marino - Piqued Jacks - Like an Animal

Menagerie on the dancefloor, or man woos his ladylove with such enticing lyrics as “I can smell you like an animal” – classy. C’mon, baby, let’s romp in the zoo. 🐍🦋🐒🐘🐫🦌🐙🦤

33. Poland - Blanka - Solo

High school girl clique strives to imitate trendy American pop idols – and fails spectacularly due to lack of vocal or dancing talent (the national final performance is particularly painful to watch and listen to).

32. Georgia - Iru - Echo

I have two working theories here: either the song actually means something in Georgian and they used a machine translator that turned it into nonsensical English; or they picked random words in a dictionary and vaguely connected them in a semblance of sentences.

31. Serbia - Luke Black - Samo mi se spava

A tormented lock-in gamer’s anguish about the scary world outside. The staging is just as jumbled and jarring as the electro sounds.

30. Israel - Noa Kirel - Unicorn

This song is about harnessing the power of a unicorn, which apparently entails heavy use of autotune, acrobatic dance moves, and transformation into a centaur (the music video producers really need to shape up on their mythical creatures).

29. Lithuania - Monika Linkyté - Stay

This song about overcoming difficulties doesn’t have much for itself. The mantra repeated during the chorus gets quickly annoying. The lady singer looks very sweet and earnest, though.

28. Switzerland - Remo Forrer - Watergun

Young man has a grand realization and acknowledges that real war is nothing like playing pretend as a kid. Well duh.

27. Cyprus - Andrew Lambrou - Break a Broken Heart

Poor guy got dumped by mean girlfriend and is sad 😢. But worry not, he will overcome this hardship because “you can’t break a broken heart.” That’s about as deep as the lyrics go.

26. Greece - Victor Vernicos - What They Say

Self-pitying guy hates everything and himself. Don’t listen to this one if you’re already feeling low. There’s a real tonal shift between the downright depressing lyrics and the rather upbeat tempo. Also, throughout the music video, my main thought is that I want to give the guy an umbrella and a plumber’s contact details to save his flooded sitting room. ☔

25. Latvia - Sudden Lights - Aija

Indie rock band aims to soothe his weary listeners’ hearts who ache from being confronted to the big bad world out there. (And apparently, based on the music video, the main singer gets drowned by his followers for his efforts.) Sleep-inducing, which, admittedly, is the whole point of the song.

24. Slovenia - Joker Out - Carpe Diem

Group of young people dances all night long to forget about their everyday’s boring routine. The song does a good job translating daytime dreariness into music, but the chorus is too one-tone to convey night-time exuberance. Generally boring.

23. Netherlands - Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper - Burning Daylight

Existential angst about screwing up and rising again. Since this is a male and female duo, I think they could have done something much more interesting with both of their voices by giving them different melodic lines that would complement each other instead of having them sing either individually or in unison. A missed opportunity.

22. Iceland - Diljà - Power

If ESC 2022 was the year of heartbreak, 2023 is the year of toxic relationships – this is the third song on this theme (after Denmark and Cyprus, and we can also add the UK). This one is kind of underwhelming at first, but does pick up power over time. Singer is cute as a button and has a nice energy on stage.

21. Armenia - Brunette - Future Lover

Sweet little girl makes a wishlist about what she’d like in a future boyfriend. The song starts off sweet and cute, then picks up pace in the middle, but the chorus is incredibly repetitive.

20. Azerbaijan - TuralTuranX - Tell Me More

A song about the importance of communication in a relationship. Evidently a worthy aim. For which we needed to resurrect the Beatles, interspersed with rap segments. The trouble is that the resurrected Beatle keeps asking his BF to share his feelings while saying nothing about his own, and though his rapper boyfriend does express himself, I fail to understand what his actual feelings are. Not so great communication after all.

19. Austria - Teya & Salena - Who the Hell is Edgar?

Satiric critique of the music industry. The chaotic energy is strong in this one. Fun, though.

18. Albania - Albina & Familja Kelmendi - Duje

Distraught daughter laments the loss of family time caused by the vagaries of modern life. Said daughter’s family perform as backup singers on stage. Heavens, Albina is SO dramatic, she would rip her heart out on stage and offer it to us still pulsing and bleeding if she could. Meanwhile, some of the accompanying family members look vaguely uncomfortable, like they’re wondering what they’re doing there. Rather hilarious on the whole.

17. Croatia - Let 3 - Mama ŠČ!

PUTIN EAT MY A** TRAAAKKKTOOORRRRR. Charlie Chaplin’s The Dictator meets the Village People. It’s a whole thing.

16. Czechia - Vesna - My Sister’s Crown

Woman empowerment anthem. I’m really curious what the staging will be like for this one.

15. Belgium - Gustaph - Because of You

LGBTQ+ inspirational anthem put to 1990s retro sounds.

14. Malta - The Busker - Dance (Our Own Party)

Kid who’s uncomfortable with noise and crowds leaves large venue to continue the party with a select few friends in a more comfortable setting (honestly, that’s me). Sax-heavy jazzy/funky tunes. They’re doing some interesting stuff with the staging, using props a little bit like a theatre play.

13. Moldova - Pasha Parfeny - Soarele și luna

Local shaman is planning his wedding to his destined bride, blessed by the sun and moon – all very mystical. Between the chanting women and the ethnic flute, it’s difficult not to see this as a mix of France’s and Ukraine’s entries from last year, although this is hardly the only number inspired by folklore over the years.

12. United Kingdom - Mae Muller - I Wrote a Song

Young woman who was wronged by a dirty cheater redirects her energy towards a creative outlet instead of giving in to her negative and destructive feelings. Fun and peppy britpop.

11. Finland - Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha

Crazy person on a boxing ring invites you to a night of boozing and getting smashed. Did I mention the crazy? This song is a terrible influence: the more I listen to it, THE MORE IT GROWS ON ME, SEND HELP!

10. Germany - Lord of the Lost - Blood & Glitter

Glam metal rock band sings about the multifaceted nature of humankind. Or something. This is absolutely not the kind of music that appeals to me, and yet I can recognise that the song has its merits – it’s not all one-tone loudness, and the singer has a nice voice when he deigns to sing rather than screech.

9. Ukraine - Tvorchi - Heart of Steel

Unsurprisingly, Ukraine sings about resisting in the face of adversity. Honestly I would have been happier with Ukraine winning last year with this song instead of Stefania. The Ukrainian lyrics look like they’ve been thrown in like an afterthought though. The staging uses some interesting visuals, although the crossed-out nuclear symbols are very much on the nose; I’m sure there would be a way to convey the same idea more elegantly.

8. Australia - Voyager - Promise

Australia invites you to go out and explore the world. They’re not trying to out-eurovision everyone else with grandiose performances this year and it’s working out for them.

7. Estonia - Alika - Bridges

The lady can sing. Self-reflexion is good for the soul, says the lady. The song starts soft and ends up strong, with some changes in pacing in-between. I like the melodic line, particularly in the lower registers, as well as the “round and round” effect of the chorus, like a carousel.

6. Sweden - Loreen - Tattoo

This is SO formatted for Eurovision. It’s not like it’s a bad song but I feel like I’m being spoonfed pre-packed expected winner material. Also, the melody of the opening lines reminds me very much of ABBA’s The Winner Takes It All. Coincidence? Homage? Poaching?

5. France - La Zarra - Evidemment

La grande glam queen. I’m still bitter that she was just nominated by the French Eurovision organisation, robbing us of an evening’s fun and the opportunity to vote. O the irony of going to Canada to pick an artist who claims to sing, quote, “la Grande France” (as if that is even a thing). But, okay, I’ll admit that she has a great voice. And the song is a good mix of oldie tunes and modern sounds.

4. Spain - Blanca Paloma - Eaea

Poetry on stage. Haunting in the best possible way. And they're doing interesting stuff with the staging. Love it.

3. Portugal - Mimicat - Ai coração

Woman falls into madness waiting for her lover. The successively increasing and lowering pace gives a lot of dynamic to this number that looks like it could belong to a musical. The staging and dancing is laid out like clockwork. Very engaging and entertaining. (How did this rank so high? I liked the song okay when I first listened to it, but to make it to the top three…)

2. Norway - Alessandra - Queen of Kings

A banger. I dare you to listen to this song and not be ready to run to battle with a cutlass between your teeth. A rousing anthem that takes its roots in sea shanties and female empowerment. For some reason, the music video took inspiration from the flurry of dystopian YA books and movies from a few years ago. Go figure.

1. Italy - Marco Mengoni - Due vite

When I started listening to the songs to do this ranking, I fully expected that the struggle for top place would be a battle of queens between Norway, Spain, France and Estonia (Portugal sneaked up on me). And yet here comes Italy. Damn it, Mengoni could sing whatever he likes with this dulcet voice full of emotion and this luscious language – I would follow. The Pied Piper of San Remo! One remark though: the video from the national performance is 4 minutes long whereas the Eurovision piece will have to be cut down to 3 minutes – what will that do the flow of the song? We'll have to wait and see.

So there you go, that’s my ranking! Happy Eurovision season, everyone!

#eurovision #eurovision 2023

[worboysanna]

Day 3 8/7/23 Dublin

Drive around town with Globus tour. Met tour group then off on an adventure having learnt how to get around on our own. Stopped at Trinity college donated to the town by a queen but at the time only allowed to be used by English students. Then st Patrick cathedral patron saint of Ireland and off to 14 Henrietta st Georgian home built for a wealthy family but later divided into flats to house growing Dublin population. Irelands population was affected years ago by the great Potato famine where a million died a million left to places like New York and America whilst many were left to struggle with the poverty left behind.

In the evening we spent the night being entertained in Europes largest thatch cottage Taylors three rock by local musicians dancers and Irish music. The main musician having starred in les miserables london was worth the visit. Food pretty average as most food has been here in Ireland coming from a city where dining is one of the best I shouldn’t complain.

[this-is-a-dystopian-parable]

"the thing is, its clowns, were all clowns, and how do clowns sing? its a hard queston. clown training has been pretty eye open amazing; ive got a lot of freinds who have done the physical theater school thing, and they all went on about how clown training is the most intense theater traning there is. its not about bending balloons. its not about polka dots. the true clown, the classic clown, is serious business: man at his most exposed, vulnerable, innocent. all the world against him and yet he perserveres in spite of/through his foolishness. an open heart, the holy fool. the holy fool again! the unnumbered card, outside the deck.

honestly a lot of the training seems real similar to buddhist meditation training to me. theres a lot of stop the mind, stop doing things, stop performing and just BE. mind wants to tick tick tick and when you let it youre not so beautiful up there! you can really see it, you can. you can see when someone is not seeing. when they are thinking too much…

the mind running is not so beautiful as the heart beating is.

za told me once about some college basketball coach of hers who viewed coaching as a meditative art, because he was mindless while doing it. lost in the moment. i can dig that…i can dig that my best piano playing happens when i turn it all off too. i dont know where my clown is headed…i feel like ive got my mind off and i can be real honest and true, but whats going to happen when i have to start doing things? its one thing to look someone clean in the eye and see them and be seen, but its another to do that while palming an egg. and another to do it while singing…what a non self conscious thing singing so often is!

but: friday night went to see some lovely georgian singing groups. the trio of men, what an example in performance they were: two of them smiling, and moving their heads with the music, and indicating, and gesturing. subtle, but there. and a bit fake. not that they werent really feeling it, but that insistence on letting us know…this is actually an issue for me, this trust, you have to trust that the audience will get it, you dont have to show them. trust, they are smart and deep. they are…they are? they are. not smart, thats not even the point, its instinctual, theyll know, if youre honest theyll know and feel it with their gut. no mind, just nerves. you cant let someone know that youre seducing them until theyre already seduced. you have to trust thatll happen.

the first two didnt trust it. they were fine, and certainly wonderful singers, but they faked it a little. and maybe people liked them. but for me, it was the third, ah the third.

he stood, he sang. thats all. and he was beautiful.

stand and sing, its the heart not the mind.

i want this first song to be all that, effortless and vulnerable and beautiful exposed joy and terror in the face of god, all of the human heart staring deep into the void and letting us see that fear and wonder. and also with a good backbeat so we can have some cartwheeling.

ok i have an idea!!!!!!"

Dave Malloy, Pointless, 30 January 2007

#aaaah i love clown bible #dave malloy #malloysicals #pointless dave malloy #clown bible #clown bible dave malloy

[nightsidewrestling]

M.L.B Bios: Krystal / Kristine Beau Cobb

M.L.B's Guitarist and Third Vocalist Krystal (Jan 1989)

The guitarist and third vocalist of the M.L.B (Mega Level Bitches), Kris is the only white member of the group, and the only member of the group born in Honolulu, she's also the only member born in Hawaii. She moved to Compton in March 1988, and has had to quickly get used to the chaos of the neighbourhood. Kris met all four of the other girls soon after moving into the neighbourhood

"I was gonna give you something if you came by the store."

Name

Full Legal Name: Kristine Beau Cobb

First Name: Kristine

Meaning: Scandinavian and Georgian form of 'Christina' (From 'Christiana', the Latin feminine form of 'Christian', which comes from the medieval Latin name 'Christianus' meaning 'A Christian'.) as well as an English and German variant of 'Christine' (which is the French form of 'Christina')

Pronunciation: kris-TEEN

Origin: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Georgian, English, German

Middle Name: Beau

Meaning: Means 'Beautiful, Handsome' in French

Pronunciation: BO

Origin: English, Dutch

Surname: Cobb

Meaning: From a medieval English byname meaning 'Lump'

Pronunciation: KAHB

Origin: English

Alias: Krystal

Reason: Stage Name

Nicknames: Kris, Krissy/Krissie, Kristi/Kristie/Kristy, Private, Soldier, Army Barbie

Titles: Miss, Private

Characteristics

Age: (As of Jan 1989) 18 (As of Jan 20 1989) 19

Gender: Female. She/Her Pronouns

Race: Human

Nationality: American

Ethnicity: White (Irish-Italian. 2nd Generation American)

Birth Date: January 15th 1970

Sexuality: Bisexual

Religion: Christian

Native Language: English

Spoken Languages: English, Hawaiian, Irish, Italian, Spanish, French

Relationship Status: Single / Dating (After 02 Jan 1989)

Astrological Sign: Capricorn

Voice Actor: Kate Bosworth (Speaking), P!nk (Singing)

Geographical Characteristics

Birthplace: Honolulu, Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawai'i, USA

Current Location: Compton, Los Angeles County, California, USA / On Tour

Hometown: Compton, Los Angeles County, California, USA

Appearance

Height: 6'6" / 198 cm

Weight: 214 lbs / 97 kg

Eye Colour: Blue

Hair Colour: Blonde

Hair Dye: None

Body Hair: N/A

Facial Hair: N/A

Tattoos: (As of Jan 1989) 3

Piercings: Ear Lobe (Both), Double Lobe (Left), Helix (Right), Navel

Scars: None

Health and Fitness

Allergies: None

Alcoholic, Smoker, Drug User: Clean

Illnesses/Disorders: Autistic, Gigantism

Medications: None

Any Specific Diet: None

Relationships

Friends: Azahar Gutiérrez, Deja Dickson, Dolores Park, Esther Hutchinson, Nālani Kekoa, O'Shea Jackson

Colleagues: Azahar Gutiérrez, Deja Dickson, Dolores Park, Esther Hutchinson, Nālani Kekoa, Ikaika Kekoa, James Kelly, JoshuaPrice, Amanda Sanders, Dae-Seong Kim, Luis Pérez, Michael Coleman, Jessica Henderson

'Rivals': Andre Young, Antoine Carraby, Eric Wright, Lorenzo Patterson, O'Shea Jackson

Closest Confidant: Nālani Kekoa

Mentor(s): Gwen Cobb, Roberto Cobb, Ikaika Kekoa

Significant Other: None / (As of Jan 2 1989) O'Shea Jackson

Previous Partners: None of Note

Parents: Roberto Cobb (49, Father), Gwen Cobb (50, Mother, Née Mac an Bhaird)

Parents-In-Law: None

Siblings: None

Siblings-In-Law: None

Nieces & Nephews: None

Children: None

Children-In-Law: None

Grandkids: None

Great Grandkids: None

Music Career

Debut: 1988

Retired: N/A

Genre: Rap / Hip-Hop

(Fictional) Records, Albums & Singles: 'Mega Level = Major Label' (Album, October 1988), Untitled Work in Progress (Due To Be Released Late 1989)

Songs (Record/Album/Single - Song Title - Track Length): 'Mega Level = Major Label' - 'Fighting Words' - 2:52 'Mega Level = Major Label' - 'In My Feelings' - 2:24 'Mega Level = Major Label' - 'Twins' - 3:32 'Mega Level = Major Label' - 'Strong Female Leader' - 3:05 'Mega Level = Major Label' - 'Use Your Voice' - 3:58 'Mega Level = Major Label' - 'Booty' - 3:22 'Mega Level = Major Label' - 'Silence, Please' - 2:27 'Mega Level = Major Label' - 'Go Away (Come Back)' - 3:18 'Mega Level = Major Label' - 'Broken Dreams' - 4:20 'Mega Level = Major Label' - 'Touching You' - 3:20 'Mega Level = Major Label' - 'No Other' - 3:48 'Mega Level = Major Label' - 'My Man' - 2:50 'Mega Level = Major Label' - 'Mind Melting' - 3:28 'Mega Level = Major Label' - 'Go My Way' - 3:32

#M.L.B #original character #Cobb #Krystal #Mega Level Bitches #Music Fanfiction #N.W.A Fanfiction #AO3 Fanfiction #My other fanfiction I'm currently working on

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day. Welcome to Too Much Information Tuesday.

In 2007, Iran arrested 14 squirrels for spying.

Psychologically, that ‘what if’ feeling can literally be painful.

People now are 50% heavier and 4 inches taller than they were in 1900.

92% of people type things into Google to see if they spelled them correctly.

A 'moment' is officially defined as 90 seconds. (Remind you of your husband?)

The largest millipede in Tanzania is known as ‘the wandering leg sausage’.

In the middle ages, erect penises were thought to be full of pressurised air.

In the music industry, for every $1,000 of music sold, the average musician gets $23.40.

In Sweden, it is legal to be a prostitute, but it is illegal to be a customer of a prostitute.

Over 90% of mental diseases are either caused or complicated by the stressful act of overthinking.

Men don't generally finish maturing until around the age of 43. With women, it's around the age of 32.

Psychology says, the longer you hide your feelings for someone, the harder you fall for that individual.

When Wilfred R. Welsh discovered a new mineral, it was subsequently named after him, Welshite.

Psychologically, one of the most devastating things in life is when someone you care about gives up on you.

Diana Ross, who sang ‘Ain't No Mountain High Enough’, lost her ex-husband to a mountain climbing accident.

Herbert Spencer, who coined the phrase 'survival of the fittest', was the only one of eight siblings to reach adulthood.

Marijuana is the oldest natural, purest, and healthiest pain relief medication in the world. Its use dates back to 10 B.C.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was paid $15 million for his role in 'Terminator 2', which averaged out to $21,429 per word.

If you want to quit smoking, go to a sauna for 3 days in a row and you'll sweat out the nicotine which will make it easier to quit.

Female fish will fake orgasms to trick males into thinking they've successfully mated. Then they’ll swim off to find a better partner

In 2011, a Georgian woman, digging for copper to sell as scrap, sliced through a cable and cut off the whole of Armenia from the internet.

People that smell good behave more confidently, which makes them more attractive, even if others can't smell their perfume or cologne.

Following his grilling by US Congress members, TikTok CEO Shou Chew gained over 400,000 new followers in 24 hours.

World's shortest horror story consists of only two sentences: "The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door."

In Quito, Ecuador, there is a group of vigilantes that wander the streets at night and correct any incorrect grammar in graffiti around the city.

The slowest chess player of all time was probably Elijah Williams (1809-1854): nicknamed ‘The Bristol Sloth’. He averaged two and a half hours per move.

Female dragonflies avoid unwanted males by faking their own deaths, instantly crashing to the ground and lying motionless until the undesired male has passed by.

The first mobile phone call took place on 3rd April 1973. Motorola's general manager called their rivals AT&T to let them know they'd got there first.

Jesse James, the notorious outlaw from the 1800s, once gave a widow who housed him enough money to pay off her debt collector and then robbed the debt collector as the man left the widow's home.

For the 15th anniversary of the film Titanic, James Cameron changed the positions of stars in the sky in the final scenes, because Neil deGrasse Tyson had written to him to point out that they would be in a different position in the North Atlantic, April 1912.

A stray dog followed a Swedish racing team throughout their 430 mile endurance race in Ecuador. He went through jungles in the Amazon and swam across a river with them. All because one of the team had given him a meatball.

In the 1880s, the Harvard Observatory director was frustrated with his staff, and would say "My Scottish maid could do better!" So, he hired his Scottish maid, Williamina Fleming, who discovered tens of thousands of stars and more.

Okay, that’s enough information for one day. Have a tremendous and tumultuous Tuesday! I love you all.

#mixcloud #mi soul #dj #music #new blog #lockdown #coronavirus #books #democracy #brexit #cronyism #election #tuesdaymotivation #radio

[yourstrulymagickghost]

Nikita Kiosse

The delightful MBAND guys, Anatoly Tsoi, Artyom Pindyura and the gorgeous Nikita Kiosse poses for a shoot. The group was established on November 22, 2014 after the grand finale of the singing contest 'I want to Meladze" the brainchild of Konstantin Meladze the Georgian composer and producer of the show. The band's first single 'She will be back", has become one of the most played songs in Russia. The MBAND additionally won many prestigious awards during the active years such as the Gramophone Award, Song of the Year, RU. TV Award, MTV Europe Music Award for Best Russian Act and was awarded 'Discovery of the Year in Popular Music" at the Russian Music Awards. The band sadly disbanded in 2020 that the members can pursue their own solo careers. Today still my favorite Russian boyband ever and again for obvious reasons 🔥

via Instagram

#russian singer #boy bands #my mood always #group mband

[ausetkmt]

Young Black Voters Motivated By Issues, Not Candidates - Capital B Atlanta

It’s a late Saturday morning at Fort Valley State University, and Jayden Williams is sounding the alarm like Dap Dunlap in “School Daze.”

“Knock knock! It’s time to vote!” the 19-year-old shouted inside a residence hall just before noon in mid-September. Williams serves as the youth and college division president for the Georgia NAACP. He and his team members spent about 20 minutes venturing through the building’s third-floor corridor, knocking on every door.

Several drowsy students wearing scarfs, bonnets, and du rags cracked open their doors and poked their heads out. FVSU freshman class president Kennedy McIntyre was there to greet some of them. Moments later, dozens of students flooded a first-floor common area before making their way outside and across the lush, freshly landscaped campus during the hot and sunny day. Williams, McIntyre, and campus NAACP president Aniya Warfield led the way.

Their destination was a grassy field across the street from Wildcat Stadium where voter engagement activists from the Black Voters Matter Fund, the NAACP, the ACLU, Represent Georgia and Georgia Stand-Up, among other groups, had set up tents and tables to catch the attention of people who came to watch the school’s undefeated football team take on the Allen University Yellow Jackets.

A DJ blasted southern rap music while some students stood in line for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Others couldn’t resist snapping selfies in front of the eye-catching Black Voters Matter charter bus parked nearby. FVSU’s Blue Machine Marching Band and drill team members strolled down a nearby street as volunteers passed out Black Voters Matter T-shirts, drawstring backpacks, bracelets, and other swag to students and alumni.

This was day two of the Black Youth Renaissance Tour, a collaborative, nonpartisan, get-out-the-vote effort organized by Black Voters Matter and several of its local grassroots partners.

The goal of the five-day caravan and charter bus trek to six HBCU campuses across the state — beginning a day prior at Albany State University on Sept. 16 and ending at the Atlanta University Center on Sept. 20 — was to register and energize as many Black students as possible before Nov. 8.

All of the fanfare — the fancy bus, the music, the ice cream, and the free apparel — is designed to attract crowds, particularly young, Black potential voters.

Georgia’s last gubernatorial matchup in 2018 was decided by fewer than 55,000 votes. Since then, at least 1.6 million more people have registered to vote across the state. An additional crop of potential new voters resides at the state’s HBCU campuses. FVSU alone has a population of more than 3,000 students, most of whom are adults between the ages of 18 and 34.

That demographic group of young voters cast ballots in record numbers in 2020 and last year, helping Democrats in Georgia secure landmark victories in the process. Young and rural Black voters are expected to play pivotal roles in the outcome of this year’s midterm contests as well, despite being among the least motivated groups.

Violent crime, COVID, monkeypox, lack of affordable housing, low-wage employment, hospital closures, student loans, higher utility bills, and overall inflation are some of the major issues disproportionately impacting Black Georgians this midterm election season.

BVM’s Georgia state organizing manager Melinee Calhoun is one of the activists who’ve worked tirelessly in recent years to mobilize the state’s rural Black population. She acknowledged that Black voters she’s encountered this year aren’t as energized as they were during the past two election cycles.

“People aren’t as motivated right now, but that’s why we’re pushing hard,” Calhoun said.

Represent Georgia Executive Director Kimberlyn Carter also recognized the frustrations that Black voters she’s encountered this year have expressed. Many voters in rural parts of the state voted for the first time ever during previous election cycles, only to have problems plaguing their communities get worse during the pandemic economy.

“Every presidential year, we go, ‘This is the election of the lifetime,’” Carter said. “We have gotten voters to the point where, ‘OK, we’re tired of hearing that.’”

Focused on issues, not candidates

Many students who participated in the voter engagement festivities said they don’t usually follow politics closely. Some were only vaguely familiar with household names like Gov. Brian Kemp, Stacey Abrams, Raphael Warnock, and Herschel Walker.

But most were aware of and concerned about the issues affecting their state and local communities. One major issue was the recent reinstatement of Georgia’s 2019 abortion restriction law following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade, which had a galvanizing effect on young voters this summer.

“Once those rights have been taken away from you, it kind of makes it harder on you,” said Albany State University sophomore Chasely Sellers. 

Some time before Election Day, BVM will mail those pledge forms back to those who signed them to remind them of their promise and the campaign issues they said they care about the most.

BVM also works with volunteer residence hall captains on campus to ensure students have what they need to vote on or before Election Day.

“If they need a ride to the polls, their hall captain is going to ensure that,” Miller said. “If they need to vote by mail, their hall captain ensures that they get that vote by mail application.”

Freshman BreAnna Mitchell, 18, was one of the FVSU students who registered to vote for the first time. The nursing major said addressing gun violence is her top issue this year following the fatal shooting of her cousin in Atlanta three years ago.

Mitchell recalled Kemp enacting a law earlier this year that made it legal for “lawful weapons carriers” to carry concealed handguns without a permit.

“It should be illegal to carry a gun,” she said. “Even if you have a license, you just shouldn’t have it.”

Addressing gun violence was a recurring desire for students and activists throughout the five-day tour. One of those people was FVSU freshman Tynika Howell, 18, whose family moved from Buffalo, New York, to nearby Warner Robins, Georgia, about five years ago.

Howell recalled a 13-year-old boy being arrested and charged in Warner Robins last year in the fatal shooting of his own mother.

“When I was in high school, there were 15-year-olds with guns,” she said. “There is no reason anybody 13, 14, 15 should have a gun in my opinion.”

‘We have no jobs’

Catholine Walton, 31, was more focused on getting her new podcast idea up and running than who’s running for office when BVM activists did some door-to-door canvassing in her Buena Vista neighborhood on Sept. 18.

The Blessed Crown Beauty Supply store she opened in March 2020 recently closed due to slow business caused by the pandemic, she said. Walton suggested financial literacy and entrepreneurship are better paths to empowering Black folks than politics.

“If we are not out here being a part of the system making money, putting jobs into the community, I mean, what do we really benefit from whoever is in [office]?” she said.

Like many Black residents in Buena Vista, Jade Kendrick sees the poor local job market as a major concern. The 26-year-old is a stay-at-home mother of two who said she’s been unemployed for about a year after dropping out of nursing school at Valdosta Tech to take care of her children amid the pandemic.

“We have no jobs for moms down here who don’t have help,” she said. “We need more babysitting. We need more income, period, for moms who don’t get it.”

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll from September showed Abrams receiving about 80% support from Black voters who were surveyed. Black voters tend to favor Democrats by an overwhelming margin in most elections. Abrams received 93% of the Black vote during her first matchup against Kemp in 2018. 

Georgia and beyond

The largest crowds on the bus tour occurred at the AUC in Atlanta on Sept. 20, where hundreds of students from Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College participated in National Voter Registration Day festivities. 

Members of a local Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. chapter led a step show in front of CAU’s student center during the early afternoon.

Louisiana native Rayven Bryant, 19, is a sophomore at Spelman who said she plans to vote absentee in her home state’s midterm elections this year. She’s most concerned about abortion rights after a Louisiana judge blocked a trigger law from taking effect in July following the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade.

“Just being on campus with women, it’s always very hard to continuously see us be oppressed,” Bryant said. “My heart is still in Louisiana. … I want to be an active part of those politics and changing those issues as well.”

Several of the students who showed up for the fun were already registered to vote in other states, which Miller said is common at HBCU campuses.

“They don’t have to change their voter registration because they still are impacted by issues in their home state, but what we do is we give them a plan and a pledge to vote wherever they are,” she said. “Hopefully, a majority will choose to register here. Most college students stay in the state where they went to school or graduated from college.”

Morehouse senior Jalen Curry is a Rock Hill, South Carolina, native who plans to vote absentee in his home state.

“I think right now it’s very hard just to live,” he said. “It’s hard to go to school. It’s hard to get a job. It’s hard to find somewhere to stay. It’s just hard to exist.”

#Young Black Voters Motivated By Issues #Not Candidates #ATL #Black Voters Matter #Black Votes Matter

[deep-hearts-core]

2015 - semifinal 1

originally posted 5/22/20

Thoughts before watching Confession time: I've watched this show just recently. After finishing my finals, I binged all the finals from 2015 to 2009, and I've been watching the semifinals with a friend over cytube. So this isn't, like, a fresh rewatch or anything, with this show more than any of the others the songs are still very much in my head and my opinions are for the most part solid. I'm also back to watching the German archive again, and thank god - the Georgian commentators never stopped talking. They talked through the beginnings of the songs at some point. They really just never shut up and I couldn't concentrate on anything. Peter Urban is 1) brief and 2) speaking a language I actually understand. Moldova This is not necessarily a bad song, but it's also not great. Eduard is an OK vocalist and I actually liked the jungle gym set piece and the dance routine, but thought that the sexy police dancers were a bit... much.

Armenia Mary-Jean absolutely ruins this. Genealogy, while a good concept, failed in its execution because the six singers had such wildly different vocal styles. Tamar and Essai had more pop vocals, Vahe had a rough voice, Inga's was strong and thick, Stephanie's thin, typical of Japanese music, and Mary-Jean... well. She is an opera singer. It just didn't mix well together. I think it's a good song and I think about half the group were pretty good vocalists, and it also had AMAZING staging, which I think redeems the song for me to some degree. Belgium I can't watch this anymore without thinking of SuRie telling the press that at one of the performances, Loic missed his mark and she had her foot on his crotch instead of his chest for the second verse... ok, this aside, Loic is an amazing singer and both the song and staging here are good, and original, albeit a little weird. Sometimes weird is okay, you know? I think that's Loic's whole schtick, especially with his later releases. Netherlands This was only deserving of Barbara Dex for the backup singers' costumes with the googly eyes. Trijntje's getup herself wasn't actually that bad. TBH I think this one doesn't suck as much as everyone thinks it does. The song is nice (I like the guitar bits) and the "why, why-y-y-y" part is pretty catchy. Trijntje does look a little desperate onstage though.

Finland I respect what Finland is trying to do here, but it doesn't work for me mostly because I just hate punk music. Greece One Last Breath is among my favorites of the 2015 contest. I always forget how much I love it, but between Maria Elena's graceful voice, the dramatic song, and the really cool staging with the background lights, this is probably one of my favorite numbers of this semifinal. Estonia Classy, this one. I really like the way they staged this with the silhouettes and the image of a door closing. I do like this song and it's certainly very different from a number of the other offerings this year, but it's not a standout for me in terms of how much I enjoy it. I acknowledge that it's good but I don't super love it. I think this doesn't suit Elina's voice as much as some of her solo work does, which might be part of the problem.

FYR Macedonia I have a soft spot for this one, don't know why. I think I just like the composition. Daniel seems somehow trustworthy, and while he can't seem to stay in key for longer than ten seconds he does have a very strong voice. Serbia Campy, but fun. Has a lot of energy - both the song and the performance. Bojana goes HARD and she's such a strong vocalist and fun performer that the completely whack stage performance turns meaningful.

Hungary Staging saved this one. Beautiful staging that really overbalanced the rest of this, because you know what, I love Boggie but Wars For Nothing is one of her worst songs. It's just so weak in comparison to her other songs off of that second album like Egbolt or Szines Minden that I would have enjoyed so much better. Belarus This so absolutely deserved to qualify. Staging was a little weird, sure, but god this song is so well written and all around good to listen to.

Russia Polina absolutely did not deserve the hate that she got. I think Russia has a bad (or calculated...) habit of sending absolute angel singers who then have to take the fall for their national politics. Polina's got a great voice, the song was good, and the staging here was EXCELLENT. That dress was beautiful and the performance really utilized the stage well too.

Denmark This is cute. The Danish boys have a lot of energy and I like the retro concept, even if it does feel like something out of Teen Beach Movie.

Albania I can't seem to get behind this song as much as every single other Eurofan can. Elhaida's live vocals are just so bad on the night and the song itself doesn't do anything for me. Sorry, Albania, but it's a no from me.

Romania I enjoy this! Very pretty song, especially the parts of it sung in Romanian. It's well-performed, you can tell that Mr. Voltaj sincerely believes in his message. Not the biggest fan of his voice but it's whatever.

Georgia Staging here is badass. The song is pretty good, but that staging really brings it above and beyond. My personal qualifiers Greece Belgium Russia Georgia Belarus Estonia Denmark Serbia Romania Armenia Miscellaneous thoughts The hosts are so... awkward, especially Arabella. Makes the interval portions of the 2015 contest painful to watch. The "pets explore Vienna" skit was kinda cute. It was cringe, but not as cringe as Pilou Asbaek's continual China gags the year before. Another thing I like in this year's hosting is the use of other 2014 songs in the background, it's a little nod to everyone else.

#esc reviews

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (31 Jul-6 Aug 2022)

'ʰᵉ'ˢ…ᶠᶦⁿᵉ'

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🙂 👂‍ Evil Under The Sun (Hercule Poirot #24) (Agatha Christie, author; David Suchet, narrator) - once again a decent enough mystery but kind of one dimensional characters with so much misogyny

😊 The Useful Uncle (The Adventures of Nick & Carter #5) (Frank W Butterfield, author) - I just genuinely love that this series has taken Nick from basically a sort of gay Sam Spade to someone who gets a personal call from the queen of England asking him to deal with a rogue former CIA agent on a murder binge.

😊 The Seductive Sellout (The Adventures of Nick & Carter #6) (Frank W Butterfield, author)

🥰 👂‍ The Hollow (Hercule Poirot #26) (Agatha Christie, author; Hugh Fraser, narrator) - some really excellent character work in this one; one of those times where AC really gets the complexity of humans. plus Lucy Angkatell, my ADHD queen.

🥰 👂‍ Five Little Pigs (Hercule Poirot #25) (Agatha Christie, author; Hugh Fraser, narrator) - another really excellent bit of character and structure and plotting - definitely one of my faves, even with the whole 'a man should be allowed to behave as badly as he wants because he's a genius' thing

🙂 Rookie Mistake (On the Board #1) (Anna Zabo & L.A. Witt, authors) - honestly, this was kind of meh for me but definitely bc plot choices etc didn't click with me, not because it was bad

💖💖 +202K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

I'd Burn the Castle for You (AidaRonan) - Stranger Things: Steddie, 3K - HOW does aida put so much emotional weight into so few words????

Ring 'Round My Finger, Ringing My Phone (fandomfluffandfuck) - MCU: Stucky, 10K - no powers daddy kink AU, hot hot hot af

More than the Sum of our Faults (Oh_i_swear) - MCU: shrunkyclunks, 15K - bonding over dogs! 😊🥰

The Prettiest Boy in Hawkins, Indiana (AidaRonan) - Stranger Things: Steddie, 11K - vamp!eddie + subby steve = 🔥🔥🔥

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

The Brokenwood Mysteries - s8, e6 - and now I gotta wait another year for more 😢

Only Murders In The Building - s2, e7

What We Do In The Shadows - s4, e5

Harley Quinn - s3, e1-4

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Desert Island Discs - Adele, singer and songwriter

Decoder Ring - The Most Famous Poet No One Remembers - this was absolutely fascinating and I loved it but also: excuse me, my friend group & I have been loving Rod McKuen for over 30 years now!

Switched on Pop - "It's About Damn Time" for Another Lizzo #1

99% Invisible #502 - 99% Vernacular: Volume 3

Twenty Thousand Hertz+ - MicroHertz #4: Ask Dallas

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Concrete Animals of Mexico

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Underwater Places

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Ottoman Bird Palaces

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Blue Whale of Catoosa

You're Dead To Me - Black Georgian England

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

'70s Mellow Gold

Luscious Jackson

Presenting The Prodigy

Presenting Phil Collins

Presenting Crosby, Stills & Nash

Presenting Kenny Loggins

The B-52's

Journey

Carly Rae Jepsen

#sunday reading recap #bookgeekgrrl's reading habits #bookgeekgrrl's soundtracks #of course i had to make the image the 'oral sex substitution' scene #i really just love this show so much #i'm gonna miss it #harley quinn animated series #agatha christie #hercule poirot #the adventures of nick and carter #disappointingly had to nope tf out of a fic that i was otherwise enjoying bc cigarette smoking is a huge squick for me #and it was like a major focus of the literally *all* the sexy times in this fic #that's one of those things i wish authors tagged for tbh #ah well them's the breaks #fanfic ftw #the brokenwood mysteries #only murders in the building #what we do in the shadows #decoder ring podcast #rod mckuen #switched on pop podcast #20k hz podcast #99% invisible podcast #atlas obscura podcast #you're dead to me podcast #carly rae jepsen #the b 52's #the prodigy #luscious jackson