#yes i know im one of THOSE les mis fans

[legobatjoker]

btw okay i think i shld finish rereading the first hunger games book first at least if not the series lol (shldnt take me too long tho bc im a little over half way thru it after like starting this afternoon, one thing abt me is i finish books pretty fast (at least over like a stretch of time i think yk?) bc i get rly invested so like if i start a book ill be basically reading it every chance i get throughought my day yk) but like. okay idk if this is the best idea since yk im not a les mis girlie at least not directly like. i am to a degree via u but i rly dont know much abt like. havent listened to any of the musical havent read any of the book so but like. i am getting rly intrigued abt it nd obvs u r a huge fan of it so. shld i read w.a.r. (if i do one thing i prommy rn is if i do ur getting my live reactions to everything ofc dw) (also did just check and its like. double the length of the first hunger games which i think is funny tbh. if this is like smth in the middle of me going thru all the books i have to read im counting it as one of them. its a novel to me)

ITS A NOVEL TO ME TOOO..... and also omg literally nooo pressure at all only if you want to of course but if you do want to then !!!!!!!!! YES U SHLD READ W.A.R. !!!!!! like the thing about it is its sooo good altho also like definitely gonna be a big shift from the hunger games LMAO like idk that it can live up to those standards but. it can live up to teen fake dating romance expectations i think<33

[enjolrasofficial]

hey :3 idk if you've talked abt this before but what are your Amis first name headcanons?? I've been asking a few people bc I think its kinda funny how in one same fandom we all have such different ideas on such basic things :))

hey there!! no i havent talked about this before but i do have some thoughts even tho (disclaimer) i dont know shit about french, french names, french culture or historically and culturally accurate french names. so now in no particular order:

firstly somewhere out there is a post about all the amis first names being jean and thats why they all call each other by their last names except for jehan bc hugo states in the brick that "jean prouvaire called himself 'jehan' as young people do" and that works as a nickname of sorts . i LOVE this headcanon and i usually go with it for all of the amis BUT

i also love Grantaire being called René and they all call him R bc that's how he signs his paintings and it started as a joke (as most nicknames do) but got out of hand and now only joly bossuet and bahorel know what his actual name is (joly and lesgles bc they were the ones who came up with it and bahorel bc they practice boxing together and R always has to sign in with his actual name. (I am a fan of Italian!R in modern aus too so for that i LOVE him being called Rafael and being pissy bc Rafael is one of the great maters and he will never be that good so he only signs his paintings with R)

as for enjolras... for me theres only two reasons for him to go by his last name: 1. (and this is my canon era brick headcanon) hes trans and didnt bother to figure out a first name bC THERES MORE IMPORTANT THINGS, FERRE (also the masc version of jeanne is jean and... well 90% of his friends are called that so. last name it is) and 2. his name is some royalist bs like Louis-Phillipe or Charles Louis and he HATES IT (this is my usual modern au headcanons aND DONT ASK WHY also i think theres a similar post somewhere)

same goes for combeferre and courfeyrac. since they're the og trio i usually go with both of them being called jean and using last names for convenience and/or courfeyrac also having a hideously royalist name (Jean Louis ?) curtesy to him being aristocratic and using his last name bc of that.

since i headcanon feuilly as half irish for some reason (esp in modern aus) while still staying true to the scheme i am tempted to say his first name is john bc his mother insisted on the spelling.

with bossuet and joly its both jean again (once again theyre childhood sweethearts and its weird for everyone involved to not call them by their last names. but sometimes i also want to change it up and then they're both called Pierre and still go by their last names bc of the aforementioned reason)

now bahorel. hes different. somehow i always imagine him having some very obscure very old french name in some dialect that basically only his great granny still speaks (that lady is 104 and still very healthy knock on wood) and that no one can pronounce so they all stay safe by calling them bahorel. (since i have absolutely no knowledge of french names and much less of obscure dialects i have no idea what this name might look like so i'm just glad to stay with bahorel in this case but if anyone knows something about the topic pls hmu)

[melancholyarchivist]

Hello! If you feel like rambling about Javert to another Javert fan, I'd like to know who's your favorite and least favorite (s) Javert from any adaptations!

Aahh yes!! God, ramble icoming then. I'd love to hear yours, too.

Brick Javert is forever my light but to be honest I have very few standards for Javert, he’s such a fun archetype and great character that he tends to shine through even with poor writing. He’s also already a pretty horrible person so he’s easier to get right even when they make him worse. That being said I hate the “not all cops” route most les mis adaptations go where hes literally the only problem in the whole system and its all because he’s uniquely evil or sadisti, or breaks the law. Smarter minds have probably said stuff about it but his problem is not being a bad cop, his problem is that he is a “good cop” but cops are bad, so, he’s bad. (pet peeve but also hate post seine stuff where hes still a cop please my man died for acab let him keep that single W in life</3) Another aside is that all of these are whitewashed but as no lm adaptation has ever casted this role right. So we have to keep making noise about it til someone with half a rain picks up the reigns. But yeah.

Okay. Loveislove for all Javerts, but I’m personally less drawn to those that emphasize his poise+power and make him seem cool and am interested in the ones where he’s absolutely neurotic. I think he should be an insane guy trying to keep it together. Okay, so my faves:

1964′s TINO CARRANO *is* Javert. absolute unmatched king. I love how much of a intensely weird but still capable guy he is. You really get the sense he has his own life outaide of the plot, he keeps to himself just cause he feels like it but he can speak with people fine-- just hates ‘em.I like how much he laughs and makes impressions when he talks. absolute 1-1 brickvert, no doubt in my mimd your honor. There’s a clip of him talking about champmathieu(no subs im sorry, just, his energy, Gah.) that’s just the best. Here:

Shared fave spot is Anthony Perkins’s unbeated old nerotic queen energy. Absolutely fantastic inspired performance and wow, his insane line reads! My God. Him aging through the years and becoming more pathetic and behind the times as he follows Valjean ending up alone in the chase is not particularly unique, but damn is it done best here. Peak gayvert. I do like when a Javert isn’t necessarily obsessed with Valjean but finds him incredibly annoying á la brick BUT who am I to disagree with a good psychosexual chase. Love it.

1925′s Jean Toulout is another super fave. I love this guy! He rocks. His energy and physicality is so fun and he just has the perfect Javert posture and mannerisms on lock. He made me laugh out loud many times at how funny and brick-esque he acts. Plus lipstick! Absolute queen.

Other faves are shojo Cosette Javert, gah. One of the best adaptations out there real ones know! I love his design, his voice, aura, all of it. Plus fix it end for our guy<3 1948′s Hans Hinrich’s Javert is also real fun. Suffers from bad adaptation, but he’s so smug and fun look at him making fun of Madeleine!

Ulhas in 1955′s Kundan is also particularly great. Amazing Javert physicality and energy, and his face is super close to how imagine Javert. He nails that sweet spot between fanatic devotee, authoratative monster and confused really sad guy. 

I will say I also like Oyelowo, Rush and Malkovich, but they all suffer greatly from their adaptations being especially awful too. Particularly Rush and Oyelowo bring the heat with their performances! I love Rush’s wet greasy sad envy and Oyelowo’s righteous arch angel radiance coupled with how petty he is.

As for my sadgirl Javerts. Gah, crazy about them! Not how I see the character in the brick, but as I said, I just love all Javerts so much. This version rocks too.

Russel Crowe can’t sing these notes, yeah, but God it does not matter to me in the slightest in fact it enhances it. Genius performance. He revolutionized the meta. His javert balancing on the roof during stars being like “teehee oh, I’m gonna jump<33 ahh I’ll do it one day watch me<3″ was absolutely lethally good. Him having a crush on Madeleine may be less fun than the Brick’s 2 year spying campaign but god, the drama. This girl is a Mess.

1935′s Charles Laughton has to be seen to be believed, just a sobbing mess from his first scene where he explains about his parents to his superiors. Is it very Javert, who is repressed to hell and back? No, but see, it kind of owns. Where else will you get a Javert patting down Madeleine and complimenting his physique? Where will you get him gritting out “The law. It is the law that wants you, not I.” Greatness. (Terrible Hayes code wash of a film though, not worth it. Cameron Mitchell’s Chadius Pontmercy is hilarious however.) -> (said first scene)

My favorite musical Javert is Terrence Mann!!! I’m also a drunk stars truther. Javert is psychotic #girl representation and he GETS it. He brings the cats energy that Brick Javert has and more. My next musical fave is Norm Lewis,  I love that he has this just under the surfance bubbling emotions that are almost constantly overflowing, but he keeps them in check with a stiff dignity closer and closer to cracking under pressure that I associate w Javert. Flawless.

I also adore Earl Carpenter, I have a real soft spot for Hayden Tee.Tam Mutu is ugh next level too👌👌👌Kunio Murai makes me see red he’s so good as well... I like Bradley Jaden too though I’m not 100 on him cause he sounds so tiny, but I really like the fanatic vibe he brings out. You really do get the feeling he’s a brainwashed insane person.

I don’t think i have any Javert I hate.... maybe dallasvert. I’m not a fan of LMDallas in general apart from having one of the best Marius and Cosettes of all time(not cause of the modern concept it’s just... not good I don’t think) but Wattsvert in particular produces an emotion in me i can only compare to being repeatedly stabbed in the stomach and then contracting anthrax from the wound. I think a lot has to do with his visual presentation(his glasses make me so sick), but his entire presence is just too much wayyy too bad. I mean that’s part of the point but damn take him away from me I don’t wanna see him!

Far, far from hate but I’m not crazy about Quast, perhaps from over-exposure. I think he’s an amazing singer and performer but he just doesn’t embody the part to me as he does for a lot of people. Usually I tend to find him too monotone, and kind of an authorative mask without any of the tasty emotion underneath except for rage. Like all I get from him is poise and anger. I know Javert in the books is a stone wall who doesnt show when he’s upset— but I think the medium of musical exists to externalise that huge emotion inside! It’s silly and cheesy and big! And he doesnt bring that energy for me, just anger and pettiness. Carpenter and Lewis both serve that brand too, but with more nuance added to it…. in my opinion they perfected his formula, so Quast to me is going back to just cake without frosting. That being said, man is that basic cake the groundwork for the rest, and it is great.

I actually made a fancam of sorts for some of my fave javerts haha (mostly musical-- I made this about my favorites from way back, so it’s not very updated either. Anyway:)

ALL OF THIS TO SAY AHH I’d love to hear your takes as well:) Javert fans unite.

[bringmoreknives]

tagged by @awsugar and @iero to do this!! i’ve never done this one so ty :’)

1. Why did you chose your url

when i REALLY got into mcr in like january 2020 (i’d been a fan before but pretty much only listened to about half of revenge and then tbp and dd) sorrows was one of the very first songs of bullets i got into specifically the knives/sorrow demo on mdnsy. i was checking for canon mcr urls and i saw that this one was taken and i was DESPERATE to have it (also because it’s a bit more ~niche~ reference to our lady) so on the off chance i dm’ed the blog and its owner just happened to check tumblr for the first time in years a few days later and let me have it :) akdjfhksdjhf that was so long

2. Any sideblogs?

technically THIS is a sideblog because @wakemeupbeforeyouvangogh is my main (i didn’t understand how accounts work when i made this blog) but i also run @seaborns (tv, mostly criminal minds and the west wing), @njolras (les mis), i used to run @vsuvia (the arcana) but it’s inactive now, and i also make gifs and content for @daily-cm

3. How long have you been on Tumblr?

it was my ninth anniversary on my birthday ;____;

4. Do you have a queue tag?

yeah, it used to be #still into queue but now i don’t wanna use that bc ch*d so it’s #drain the fantasy of queue which is from pool by paramore aka THEEEEE song. i try to keep a pretty active queue but i forget a lot

5. Why did you start your blog in the first place?

my friend sarah had a blog in sixth grade and it was all about superwholock (of course) i can still so clearly picture the photo of the eleventh doctor she had in her sidebar. but my parents were super strict on the internet (and also i had just recently had someone creep on me on instagram) so they didn’t let me get a blog until i was 13 and it had to be about something educational (hence the van gogh theme for my main). until then i checked a few blogs like the morning paper. and i made this blog because my dad didn’t know how tumblr worked and i was getting into bandom and bored of not posting about it

6. Why did you chose your icon/pfp?

love of my life

7. Why did you choose your header?

it’s not the best picture of it but i really love the brand new eyes stage setup with the picture frames and it goes with my icon

8. What’s your post with the most notes?

it’s this hayley edit with almost 40k which is so embarrassing because i didn’t properly source either of the pictures and i think the second one is actually someone else’s edited pic that i just slapped a sepia filter over...... i was 14 i didn’t know better

9. How many mutuals do you have?

it’s really hard to tell bc mutual checker doesn’t work since this is my sideblog

10. How many followers do yo have?

3,160 <333

11. How many people do you follow?

okay please don’t lose your minds but 2,308..... a ton of them are inactive it’s just genuinely too many to unfollow with inactivity checker

12. Have you ever made a shitpost?

yeah lasjfhlaskdjfhh a ton i think my best shitpost is the compilation of star wars actors trashing kylo ren

13. How often do yo use tumblr a day?

it really depends and it’s kind of less rn because i work a lot but i’m assuming i’ll be more active when im home in a few days with nothing to do but i tend to try to at least queue some stuff before i go to bed

14. Have you ever had an argument/fight with another blog?

yeah jdfhdkjfh multiple times. when i was younger it was dramatic but now it just tends to be arguing with reposters

15. How do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?

if it’s like political or about something going on in the world then i’ll probably reblog it, if it’s one of those old-fashioned “LISTEN HERE FUCKERS LET ME EXPLAIN U A THING” then i will ignore it. unfortunately reblog bait (i.e. reblog this for good luck or you’ll have the worst day of your life) gets me because i have ocd

16. Do you like tag games?

yeah i love them i’m just so bad at remembering to do them

17. Do you like ask games?

YES i absolutely adore them but for some reason like EVERY time i post one i have to go do something else but i want to do more

18. Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

i honestly have no idea. mack and kay both have a lot of followers but idk if that counts as tumblr famous... is tumblr famous even a thing anymore

19. Do you have a crush on a mutual?

i am in a healthy loving relationship with my polycule the bandom creators server <3

20. Tags

hm i tag: @dangersday @smileandasong @raytorosaurus @lolalovesu @girlfriend-frank @adamlazzara and @mikeywayinc! sorry if any of you have been tagged before i cannot read <3

[vampanic]

okay here’s what i remember from THE CON

i can’t remember if the ticket was cheap or pricey. i don’t know why. i wanna say it was more expensive or of equal value to a bigger con and i justified it to my parents and myself because it was the first one. but i went because i thought the idea of a con that was centered on the various fandoms popular on this site at the time was a genuinely neat idea. i also thought, okay let me just go because it’s another one to attend.

i should note: that have been to a lot conventions in my time. i’ve been to acen twice i think? i’ve been to nebkon twice. sadly i have never been to c2e2 or flashback chicago (which i may never get to go to now whoops) and i’ve been to wizard world chicago i wanna say 4 times?

now at these cons (mostly wizard world) these fandoms aren’t as present. in fact, the main demo of that con was adult to middle age to older visitors as well as families, so usually teens and young adults would find each other at this con (whether planned ahead or by accident there) and freak the fuck out over our cosplays or mutual love of whatever.

so because of this again the idea of a t.umblr con was exciting to me, even though i was already at the end of being interested in those fandoms (as i’m sure most people were at the time)

okay so first, this con was far. wizard world and acen are held at the rosemont convention center which while kind of far from where i live, is accessible by train via downtown or via one of chicago’s big airports. i always got a ride though which with summer traffic, took forever. so much like that this con was a journey away.

the hotel the con choose i remember thinking it seemed new, but it was far from where i lived which inpacted the amount of time i spent at the con and the decision to only go two days (i didn’t return the last day because it was a shit show)

i went to this con by myself because i think at this point i had already had a falling out with my friend who i went to cons in the area with (she did not attend that i know of). i wore two cosplays that i had made already for other things, gwen stacy and america chavez. this would have been the ideal place for me to cosplay something more niche, but i just didn’t care that much about it. maybe i didn’t think it was worth it at the time since it wasn’t going to be a big con.

so i get there and there’s no long line to get my badge in fact i don’t even remember a line at all. which, for me, was bizarre. every con i’ve been to before had huge lines even on off hours to get badges. but whatever. i cant remember if where i got my badge was in the the same room as where the ball pit was or not. but yes, i did go into the ball pit and i was silly in it with some other people because

idk you see a ball pit you go in the ball pit? in hindsight i know it’s not acceptable to have this at a con, but shit i guess i was high on life at the time. someone took a pic of me in the pit, but i have never seen it.

i remember seeing some very impressive cosplays at this con. i also bought some really great art in the dealers room which was small. (here’s the artist. also this was nonfandom art. i don’t remember buying anything else from anyone because i don’t think i saw anything i liked/could afford) there was no unlicensed night vale merch sold here that i remember, but i do remember receiving free unlicsenced night vale like pamphlets from a random vendor and also  there was a vendor who was giving away a large piece of night vale fan art with a purchase of over something dollars i dont remember.

panels: i don’t remember there being many panels or even very interesting panels. panels i remember going to include: bisexuality in media/bisexuality representation (which was put on by the bisexualbooks tumblr), ask an avenger (which was put on by various marvel cosplayers), and a panel that was about female characters in supernatural (i was a spn stan back in the day jsyk).

the bi one was good. i remember it being the most like a panel that you’d go to at a larger convention. they had slides and info and they took questions and had several speakers.

the avengers one was what we’d call today “cringey” but it was cute. it was exactly what it sounds like. avengers cosplayers sat up on a stage answering questions in character. i believe that all the cosplayers had rp and/or ask blogs which is why they were chosen.

the supernatural panel was, like the bi one, complete with slides and various speakers, but from what i remember it was mostly going down the list of female characters in the show. i remember from the fandom that there a good chunk of people who love the characters, but they’re often killed off or abandoned and this is something a lot of fans did have gripes with. this is gonna sound fake when i say it, but this did happen, we got to charlie and someone said “yeah i like charlie she’s cool because she’s a lesbian but she doesn’t act like one like she’s still feminine” and i spoke up and said “well yeah it’s cool she’s a lesbian, but what do you mean she doesn’t act like one. like queer female character shouldn’t have to be feminine to be seen as good rep.” and people clapped. i know that sounds fake, but please believe me because this is a setting where people are inclined to clap when they agree with statements. people clapped at others too.

i also attended the costume contest, the night vale panel, and the meet and greet with doug jones.

the contest was fine. there was one individual at this con who i can’t name because i didnt know their name, but they cosplayed as ed from edd ed and eddy and they were in character the whole time to the point of discomfort. it wasn’t just for the contest i found myself in a cards against humanity game that they were in and it was even there and it was weird.

then the night vale panel happened and ooooooooohhhh boy

this was the most filled room in the whole con. a main reason i went to this con was to see them and im pretty sure this was everyone’s main reason to go. i known someone from other cons who came from florida to see this. (fun fact: we were mutuals on various platforms and had hung out at various cons and i knew their name, but they could not remember mine and i thought that was bogus so i ghosted them. dont know if i was justified in that but whatever)

so here we all were waiting. for over an hour. during this time people talked and i remember someone cosplaying the glow cloud went up and down the isle with a little glow cloud baby in a stroller and we all laughed and cheered. people started playing card games. we kept busy. for me though.

this was one of the most boring cons i’ve been to honestly. i’m having trouble remember a lot of it and that’s because i went solo. i had no friends there. i cosplayed gwen from like the 60s and this was before spidey joined the mcu and before itsv was a thing so spidey was basically an niche fandom (i was active in the tasm and dane deha.an fandoms at this time and the latter became toxic as fuck but that’s a whole other story) or something older comic fans liked.

my other cosplay was america chavez from young avengers which never got that popular either (though kate bishop and kid loki where more recognized, but for their connection to bigger marvel names). so it wasn’t like other cons where my cosplay was an ice breaker and i could join groups. i was alone.

so a lot of the con for that reason was awkward and waiting for night vale was like being the person texting in the corner at a distant relative’s party because they know no one.

so they finally come on stage to say that night vale will not be performing and people went ballistic people were shouting and the person said “we have doug jones in the next hall you should go over to that” and someone yelled “WE DON’T WANT TO SEE HIM”

i went to see doug jones and i was previously unaware of what his name was but i knew who he was. he talked about his work and acting process and did a meet and greet after. mr. jones was a delight and i’m wondering how they even got him there in the first place. he was leagues above this. 

i had to leave the con early that day to go to my brother’s football game, but i believe that was the night they “protested” at the con and i kept seeing on tumblr that it was cancelled. i decided not to go back the next day because i was unsure of what was happening and because it was too far.

and the rest is history. i’m sure i went to other panels, but i can’t remember them. i do remember going into the room where they were watching pacific rim, but it was on a shitty projection screen and i wanted to go to a panel instead.

it’s shitty what happened with the con. and a lot of the unrest came from literal teens who were cheated from money who didn’t know how to act, but all the responsibility goes to the people who organized it poorly. The concept of a tu.mblr con i don’t think should have been inherently bad. i think it would have been cool to have a con that focused on more niche interests. but shouldn’t have been as big as they wanted it to be for the first go.

anyway that’s most of what i can remember. it’s kind of blur because i spent most of it by myself and there wasn’t much to do so i didn’t even spend the whole day there.

quite frankly, i’m glad i wasn’t there when they started singing les mis because i have no idea how i would have acted.

[betweenthetimeandsound]

Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (#200-191)

#200: Alice Babs -- Lilla stjärna (Sweden 1958)

“Lilla stjärna i det höga, svara mig, svara mig, Kommer han som jag ska få så kär?”

“Little star up above, answer me, answer me, Is he coming, the man that I will love?”

And so we begin the top 200 with an innocent and sweet number, and which resembles the best of 1950s Eurovision. I'm not a fan of the decade, because most of the songs are a bit too old-fashioned for my taste (especially since we have the beginnings of rock-n-roll outside the contest), but Lilla stjarna is one of the better soundtrack-like songs.

Before Sweden became the superpower in Eurovision we all know and love (or love to hate), they debuted with this dainty, beautiful song that was selected internally. There's a sense of longing in the lyrics, with the narrator hoping that their loved one would return. It’s definitely a fairytale, with that classical instrumentation and Alice’s innocent voice.

Personal ranking: 2nd/10 Actual ranking: 4th/10 in Hilversum

#199: Domenico Modugno -- Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (Italy 1958)

“Penso che un sogno così non ritorni mai più Mi dipingevo le mani e la faccia di blu Poi d’improvviso venivo dal vento rapito E incominciavo a volare nel cielo infinito”

“I think such a dream will never come back I painted my hands and my face blue Then suddenly I was ravished by the wind And I started flying in the infinite sky”

The original classic from Eurovision, and the biggest hit of them all. It topped the Billboard charts in 1959, won two Grammys in the first-ever ceremony in 1959 (and still the only Italian-language song to do so), and is covered and over again to this day.

Considering the lack of attention most of the songs got in the first two contests, it's possible without Nel blu dipinto di blu's commercial success, we wouldn't have a Eurovision Song Contest to speak of. Or it would've been done for by 1960, haha.

Sometimes, I forget about this song when thinking about favorites, but when I listen to the intro, it starts bringing you into its little world, where I’m actually flying! The lyrics are quite cool and imaginative, adding to that feeling.

And of course, that "Volare..." is enough to keep people singing along!

Personal ranking: 1st/10 Actual ranking: 3rd/10 in Hilversum #Italywasrobbed

#198: Korni -- Moja Generacjia (Yugoslavia 1974)

“Mene majka moja rodi da sanjam o slobodi, U prvoj noći da čujem zveket, Da plačem sa rukom na usnama,”

“My mother gave me life to dream of freedom, The first night to hear gun sounds To cry with my hand on my lips”

World War II in Yugoslavia is not something I've learned about in depth. What I do know is that the Axis powers were able to take the whole country, and two major groups arose to collaborate with them. The Ustashas (Croatian nationalists) and Chetniks (Serbian nationalists) also both sought to destroy the other ethnic group and there was a bit of a mess all around.

(If you have any more information on this topic, let me know as I do want to learn)

Moja Generacija is a harrowing but powerful progressive rock song about those born during the Second World War, and their lives as a whole. I like the dark soundscape along with the instruments that accompanied it too. The orchestration at the chorus is especially noteworthy, because of the sweeping strings and the brass which highlight the times as a whole.

(And apparently, there's a seven-minute English-language cut, which makes it even more of a progressive rock song.)

Personal ranking: 3rd/17 Actual ranking: 12th/17 in Brighton

#197: Shiri Maimon -- HaSheket Shenishar (Israel 2005)

המבט אחר והקור חודר אתה מסתתר, את גופי שובר

“The glance is different and the cold is piercing You’re hiding, breaking my body”

Israel in the 2000s wasn't the best song-wise. I can only think of two songs that were really good in that period--of which this was one of them, which held Israel's best placing this century until Toy won three years ago. And it couldn't be anymore different from the song Israel would eventually win with.

Initially, I didn't get it, as it felt a bit derivative. Even now, it has offgrown me a bit because of pop ballad structure. But what I really liked was the smooth transition between Hebrew and English, along with how well Shiri sings it. She has a really sweet tone to her voice, which really helps in conveying the sorrow of being in love with a cheating partner and having to let go of it for her own happiness.

And that dress--it has to be one of my favorite performance outfits of all time!

Personal ranking: 4th/39 Actual ranking: 4th/24 GF in Kyiv

#196: Inga and Anush -- Jan Jan (Armenia 2009)

“Can't ya see, we aren't free?, Fixed like a tree to the holy ground, With my sound, gotta be always around, I wanna dance, don't ya stand, sister give your hand,”

"Sister, here we go!"

For a dance song, it's actually quite sedate--there isn't many moments of true boppiness, but there was something more "psychadelic" about the production and how it was put together. Either way, it works well all the same.

The sisters do a good job singing together, and I like the mix of ethno and dance music. Plus, their costumes are absolutely expensive and glamourous--I would like to wear them if I ever got the chance.

Also, for some reason, Azeris like to spam the comments on this song and claim that the Armenians "stole" their traditional clothing and music. Considering the two countries' proximity, I'm not so shocked about their similarities, but if Azeris would like to share a bit more of their ethnic music, it's always welcome!

Personal ranking: 8th/42 Actual ranking: 10th/25 GF in Moscow

#195: Sabina Babayeva -- When the Music Dies (Azerbaijan 2012)

“You, you are the best of me The reason that I believe, so don't leave me now...”

(Yes, Azerbaijan can send ethnic-influenced music. Hehe.)

Azerbaijan’s host entry when they brought the contest to Baku is a bit of a standard ballad, but with an ethnic twist. The use of balaban really highlights the melancholy of the song, and the mughum vocals pierces one's soul when performed.

I could feel how Sabina sings every word, pleading with her lover to stay with her despite it all. And that doesn’t begin to add with the beautiful LED dress, adding to the drama of the song as we see it in white, but it gets overlaid with sparks, shades of turquoise, and its final form with reds and oranges. That was a particularly beautiful moment.

A lot of fans believe this was the song that should've won it for Azerbaijan, and I can't disagree! This is a gem indeed.

Personal ranking: 6th/42 (a bit awkward here because I left out my runner-up of 2012 in this ranking, so amongst the songs here it's 5th/42) Actual ranking: 4th/26 GF in Baku

#194: Milestones -- Falter im Wind (Austria 1972)

“Tanz um die Lichter, Schmetterling, Deine Farben flammen auf, Tot ist die Nacht, in deinem Tanz, Ist das Leben hell wie Tag”,

“Dance around the lights, butterfly Your colours flame up The night is dead, in your dance Life is bright like the day”

My first forays on pre-1990s Eurovision was with the British blog, Lovelovepeacepeace. She would recap every year between 1968 and 2000, and 1972 was one of the years I went through the songs because of her. Coincidentally, I got to like Falter im Wind as much as she does.

It definitely fits with the hippy era, in terms of folk music and the general aesthetic. There's even a prominent (weird little) flute motif throughout. The lyrics talk about the life or a butterfly and how it shouldn't go to far into the sun. A bit strange, considering what most other songs are about, but it's a nice and gentle sentiment (with a message not unlike that of "Waterfalls", how strange).

Austria is not usually known for their highlights, but this is definitely one of their best (and a personal favorite of mine). Feel free to go an a road-trip playing this (though not with the studio cut--that's a bit slower)!

Personal ranking: 1st/18 Actual ranking: 5th/18 in Edinburgh

#193: Roger Bens -- Femme dans ses rêves aussi (France 1985)

“Mélodie, mélodrame, sourire et puis larmes Amoureuse ou sans âme, elle est d’abord femme...”

“Melody, melodrama, smile and then tears In love or without soul, first of all she’s woman”

ESC 1985 is notable not only because of a certain ripped-skirt incident, but also because they have a live album with the first eleven songs of the contest. Among these is the French entry, which has one of the best orchestrations of all-time, thanks to Michel Bernholc's arrangemnt.

(And because of that, it is my most-listened to song on Spotify)

The violins primarily make this song what it is—there are synths in the studio track, but don’t pack the same punch. The bass really provides some depth, and the brass at the bridge really sells the whole thing home.

The sense of drama in the song also includes the lyrics about being a woman and embracing her in all the ways. Despite the occasional eyebrow-raising and lip licking, Roger sings this with gusto.

To add to this, where is Roger Bens? This was the last known sighting of him and he is presumed to be dead.

Personal ranking: 3rd/19 Actual ranking: 10th/19 in Gothenburg

#192: Nina Zilli -- L'Amore È Femmina (Out Of Love) (Italy 2012)

“If you were my king, would I be your queen?, Stop breaking up my heart, you kill me – boom boom boom”

No, she's not Amy Winehouse resurrected for one night, but Nina Zilli! She also competed in Sanremo that year, and Emma (see #223) won it with the harsh but determined "Non è l'inferno".

Beyond the retro music and Nina's bouffant on the night, I didn't notice any similarities to Amy Winehouse. This doesn't mean "L'amore e femmina" have its own charms--it falls into the jazz theme that "Madness of Love" (#232) continues, but is the opposite in more than one way.

The English-Italian mix is a but clunky at times, especially in the choruses but it doesn’t take away from the attitude this song brings. I love the jazzy vibes and how Nina sings it with a sense of sassiness and charm. Her backing vocalists really help with conveying the mood, and don't do a bad job when the song goes back to Italian!

(As for the two Sanremo songs in question, I prefer Non è l'inferno to Per Sempre--the former is quite determined, and I really like the lyrics. Though I think the latter would have more appeal in terms of themes, even it's a bit more derivative musically)

Personal ranking: 5th/42 Actual ranking: 9th/26 GF in Baku

#191: Hovi Star -- Made of Stars (Israel 2016)

“Dance with me like we are made of stars...”

This is one of the first songs which got me into Eurovision. I would put this on repeat over and over again, because it's just so beautiful. (Or it was because it's Israeli, haha. Another country bias of mine will appear later.)

The first version of Made of Stars was a trashy and dull dance song, but the rework into a ballad makes it more magical. It’s serene yet touching, with a calming piano motif and a dramatic crescendo at the end.

The staging of Made of Stars also helps; while I'm still put off by the LED face when the backing vocalists sing "you hypontize me", everything else just works. The otherwise starry LEDs, the hoop dancers, and Hovi's glowing presence make this into a sweet, albeit overlooked package.

Personal ranking: 6th/42 Actual ranking: 14th/26 GF in Stockholm

[mysplaced-pen]

Ah, yay, I'm happy your requests are open! I love your writing so much, you're very talented! How would the RFA (+Saeran, if you don't mind, he's a cutie) react to MC being super into musical theater? Like, all of her music is Broadway and musical soundtracks, she sings show tunes all the time, follows theater groups and performers on social media, get super excited about news and merch, knows choreography of scenes by heart. Thank you! Hope you have a nice day!

wowie wow, thank you so much anon! /( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ I’m glad you like what I write❤  and I hope you like this, too! 

especially because i lO VE MUSICALS HAHAH YE SSS

throwing v in too hehe. also im gonna focus on one musical for each of them, but mc is theater trash dw these are just the ones that popped in my head;; 

zen [in the heights]

ok so remember that time when he asks if mc’s into musicals and you say yes and jaehee says she’s never seen you talk about them?

well zen found out just how much mc likes them when she comes over to visit 

he’s cooking dinner in his cast and mc decides to put on some tunes

zen is honestly so curious about her taste in music so he asks to just put all her songs on shuffle 

guess what comes first. 

B L ACK OUT BLACK OUT 

zen is so surprised and mc isn’t even phased she just breaks into character 

he joins in while as Kevin and Benny and Vanessa while she’s doing Sonny’s part 

both of them: “AND I CAN’T FIND USNAVI”

the kitchen turns into a stage and suddenly they’re moving everywhere

yes they do the Benny and Nina kiss at the end yes they do ‘Sunrise’ right after 

but even more musicals pop up on mc’s shuffle and dinner turns into a production

zen is so happy mc is theater trash, and that she’s his fan too! a few of his soundtracks are there!! 

they speak to each other in musical references, the rfa is sick of them

what a dork couple 

yoosung [fun home] 

it’s cleaning day! mc, put on some tunes! 

‘welcome to our house on maple avenue’ starts

she starts there cause it’s a very in the mood cleaning song

and at first all yoosung could do was just watch her

like wowie wow his gf can sing!!!

totally gets interested in the story and such, especially when he hears the kids singing

so they stop cleaning and she tells him the story of the musical while they listen

he’s all ‘!!!’ and is so into it

when he looks through mc’s music, it’s literally all musicals and so is her lockscreen and such

now she got him into it

they like to sing ‘come to the fun home’ together the rfa is slightly concerned tbh

both of them cry over musicals too its a mess

you should’ve seen him on his first listen to ‘edges of the world’ 

and both of them cry at ‘days and days’ so do i

yoosung has a good voice too, it’s so cute

jaehee [rent]

yooooo jaehee is all about this

their music taste is literally identical

but mc has to introduce her to Rent

jaehee is so focused on the screen and the characters

she falls in love with it!!

imagine jaehee singing ‘over the moon’ god bless

they sing ‘tango: maureen’ together it’s amazing

zen is lowkey their biggest fan 

when the three of them are together, it’s non-stop ;))) 

there has to be a designated space in their apartment to dance

and there are numbers they always have to dance to no matter what 

guess who shares merch?? they do

they get matching coffee mugs and shirts and even socks

sometimes they serenade each other too!!!

jumin [les mis]

mc drags him to the movie first

and at the end of it, he’s very interested

the asks driver kim to play the soundtrack in the car 

literally swoons when mc sings ‘on my own’

he likes to sing ‘empty chairs at empty tables’

they’re both a mess when they watch it tbh 

now mc can get him into even more musicals

and he’s into it!

also he buys her a ton of merch

anything she wants, he’ll get it

one more thing!

one day, a birthday probably, he surprises her with plane tickets

“where are we going, honey?” “america”

thEY’RE GOING TO BROADWAY FOLKS wow juju take me with you

mc is so happy, super duper happy, and so is jumin!

he’s almost as excited as she is tbh

707 / luciel / saeyoung [merrily we roll along]

it was her latest obsession and she wanted to show saeyoung

and he listened, because he likes musicals

but he really likes this one, wow

it goes backwards?!!? woaah

his favorite is ‘now you know’, ‘opening doors’ is a close second 

they both of them cried at ‘not a day goes by(reprise)’ so did I

part of him identifies with Frank, to be honest

without, all the cheating and stuff 

when ‘that frank’ comes on, the bunker turns into a stage 

it’s amazing, really

let’s also get one thing straight here

saeyoung is the Bootleg King

he’s only partially ashamed of it 

he and mc can watch broadway from the comfort of home, if they wanted

mc thinks its cheating

he thinks that they’re on korea and Not America, so it’s fair

v [phantom of the opera]

v loves this one 

mc is so happy about that tbh 

it takes a while for him to learn the routines, but they love dancing to it more than singing 

he also loves all the emotion! 

when he gives it a listen for the first time, he does little gasps every now and then, it’s adorable 

but yes, they are more of a dancing couple

also, V is all about the aesthetic of this

takes pictures of mc and him sometimes in her favorite musicals’ styles

i know i said they don’t really sing it, but when they do

V has an amazing voice

mc could just listen to him tbh 

he sings so good

she persuaded him to cover a few songs

everyone is amazed

mc is proud

they do duets too! those make v even happier

saeran [heathers]

ohohohoho listen

his favorite song here is actually ‘seventeen’

ya’ll thought it was ‘freeze your brain’ but listen

he loves ‘seventeen’

he imagines doing everything veronica says with mc 

mc did persuade him to sing ‘freeze your brain’, though

and it was, amazing

‘damaged’ really hurt, they both cried there

criticizes it, though. “veronica should have known jd was trouble, come on. at least at ‘our love is god’’ 

mc made him and saeyoung sing ‘candy store’ with her

saeran only agreed if saeyoung was heather duke

he would be chandler 

and mc was mcnamara 

they got it on video

it was, amazing 

one time he sang the line ‘i worship you, i’d trade my life for yours’ before they fell asleep

mc was so touched

[vanillabeanniall]

91 Questions Tag

thank you 2 ryan @selkatha for tagging me, i love to talk abt myself

(under the cut bc you guys dont want to see this on ur dash)

THE LAST – 


1. Drink: water
 2. Phone call: 
i think it was my friend asking me where i was bc we got separated in cvs 3. Text message: i praised my roommate for having a baguette 4. Song I listened to: ...i just watched a very potter sequel 5. Time you cried: first night i spent alone here

HAVE YOU EVER –
 6. Dated someone twice: nope 7. Been cheated on: nope 8. Kissed someone and regretted it: yep (i dont like the two of them)
 9. Lost someone special: yep 10. Been depressed: not diagnosed but a bit for a while a few years ago 11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: no

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS –
 12. spring green 13. warm yellow 14. orange/red (like neon peach)

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU –
 15. Made new friends: yes!! even just this summer ive made a ton and im so scared abt never seeing them again after the program ends next week
 16. Fallen out of love: i’ve fallen out of a crush
 17. Laughed until you cried: nope 18. Found out someone was talking about you: yeah that BITCH
 19. Met someone who changed you: not really. just me
 20. Found out who your true friends were: yeah those BITCHES

MORE – 
 21. Kissed someone on your facebook? do i even still have that?
 22. How many of your facebook friends do you know in real life? probably most of them? i dont remember who im friend with on there 23. Do you have any pets? nope 24. Do you want to change your name? not anymore 25. What did you do on your last birthday? got my drivers license and got the flu
 26. What time did you wake up? 12:30 and even then only bc i had a date at 12:45 27. What were you doing at midnight? watching a very potter musical 28. Name something you can’t wait for: seeing julia again
 29. When was the last time you saw your mother? a few weeks ago
 30. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life? i want independence
 31. What are you listening to right now? nothing bc its finally cold enough to not have that GODDAMN FAN ON
 32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom? yeah a few
 33. Something that is getting on your nerves? my sleep schedule & my final 34. Most visited site: this bitch right here

SCHOOL – 
 35. Elementary: it was fine. i was the smartest one i knew and i had no friends but it was fine. catherine and i watched les mis its the strongest memory i have 36. Middle: ha let’s not 37. High: i love high school tbh theres a lot to get into here but i wont 38. College: i love harvard university where i am right now its a dream tbh

ME – 
 39. Hair color: brown
 40. Long or short hair? masculine long feminine short 41. Do you have a crush on someone? not right now. i got broken up with today tho 42. What do you like about yourself? im smart af
 43. Piercings? ears & nothing else 44. Blood type: why is this one of the questions????
 45. Nickname: vas, a few things, idk
 46. Relationship status: again,,, broken up with today 47. Zodiac sign: aquarius
 48. Pronouns: she/her but i really don’t care much bc genders not really real anyway 49. Favorite TV show(s): BROOKLYN 99 50. Tattoos: i will!!!!! but as of now, no
 51. Right, ambidextrous, or left-handed? right handed but i play wii sports left handed

FIRST – 
 52. Surgery: adenoids out as a child
 53. Piercing: ears
 54. Sport: b!a!s!k!e!t!b!a!l!l!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 55. Vacation: i do not remember
 56. Pair of trainers: i dont know u british fuck

CURRENT – 
 57. Eating: nothing but i just ate so many goldfish crackers goddamn
 58. Drinking: nothing but good reminder to stay hydrated hold on.
 ok water 59. I’m about to: sleep
 60. Listening to: nothing its totally quiet right now

FUTURE – 
 61. Waiting for: college 62. Want: to find my soulmate 63. Married: for damn sure
 64. Career: product designer

YOUR TYPE – 
 65. Hugs or kisses? neither mostly but hugs
 66. Lips or eyes? eyes? i guess? i dont have much of a preference 67. Shorter or taller? taller pls but thats hard bc im tall so like does it matter 68. Older or younger? dont really care but ive mostly been into older people (not old people. not much older. fuck this answer didnt come out right) 69. Nice arms or nice stomach? both i love muscles (not like wild muscles like soft ones u know wht i mean) i wanna get ripped
 70. Sensitive or loud? sensitive i HATE loud
 71. Hook-up or relationship? relationship. 100% 72. Troublemaker or hesitant? really depends 73. Kissed a stranger? nope 74. Drank hard liquor? just sips 75. Lost contact lenses/glasses? yes too many times rip
 76. Turned someone down? nope im no hot commodity 77. Sex on first date? nope not now thanks 78. Broken someone’s heart? not that i know of 79. Had your heart broken? yeah but not romantically 80. Been arrested? no
 81. Cried when someone died? yeah. ive been to too many funerals 82. Fallen for a friend? only once (not again thanks)

DO YOU BELIEVE IN – 
 83. Yourself? yes, i have a strong conviction that i am capable of anything (which is bad bc like im smart but it leads me down dangerous paths both of things i cant do and the path of narcissism for example i tend to think im automatically smarter than everyone and i get competitive af but to be fair ive never lost them) 84. Miracles? yeah sure 85. Love at first sight? no but infatuation tho (thanks harry styles i stole that answer from u)
 86. Santa Claus? no but i like that
 87. Kiss on first date? really depends 88. Angels? yeah im actually really religious

OTHER – 
 89. Current best friend’s name: J U L I A 90. Eye color: hazel but mostly green unless it doesnt feel like it
 91. Favorite movie: WONDER WOMAN

k thanks yall ill tag (basically half of who ryan tagged rip i need more friends) @uswntinharmony @spnife @kaisder unless ur too cool 4 that

[butts-of-the-barricade]

you know those shitpost generator blogs? those who create totally nonsensical sentences combining memes and random words? there's a star wars one and it's hilarious. is there a les mis one too? if not, I want it! I need more les mis nonsense in my life. I would do it myself but I don't know anything about coding so if there's a computer nerd out there who's also a les mis fan PLEASE HELP US

yes i do know those blogs but im actually not sure if there is a les mis one??? can anyone help this anon out???