[IC] WorldVision 88 in Flavezztowland City

by **Rhim Flavezztowland** » Tue Mar 02, 2021 6:39 am

Erica: And now, we've yet to name 8 of the contest's participating nations in the televote reveal, so let me say that we've spotted three nations that've tied in the televote with 90 points each. Those three nations' names are...

by **Rhim Flavezztowland** » Tue Mar 02, 2021 6:47 am

Marilyn: And now, with 27 nations having had their televoting scores revealed, and with 5 yet to have theirs revealed, we'd like to get to the two nations that got 94 points in the televote. Their names are...

by **Rhim Flavezztowland** » Tue Mar 02, 2021 6:50 am

Derek: And now, we're getting into the nations that got the 3 highest televoting scores in this contest. First of all, onto the nation that got 95 points in the televote. It's...

by **Rhim Flavezztowland** » Tue Mar 02, 2021 7:01 am

Derek: And now onto... Wait! There's something wrong with Konglich Wasserstein's and North Alezia's scores on the scoreboard! Could someone please fix the mistake?

The scoreboard was then updated to fix the errors with Konglich Wasserstein's and North Alezia's scores.

Derek: ...and there you go. Sorry for that mistake, but anyway, let's get back to the televote reveal! With a televoting score of 97 points, the nation that came 2nd in the televote is...

by **Rhim Flavezztowland** » Tue Mar 02, 2021 7:12 am

Marilyn: And now, onto the winner of the televote that could end up being the winner of this entire contest. WIth 130 points in the televote, the televote winner is...

by **Izmedu** » Tue Mar 02, 2021 1:17 pm

WINNER'S REPRISE
IZMEDU
Walk With Me - Sine maj
Translation: My Son
Tune: First Aid Kit - Emmylou

This was a confluence of serendipity, a set of circumstances that neither Hana or Ksenija honestly expected as they trudged through the hours of rehearsals in Rhim Flavezztowland.

The air in the Eastin Millennium Arena was tinged with an electric surreality. As the two sisters learned of their win, hearing '130 points' blare through the venue's speakers, they heard the words as if spoken in some bizarre dream or fancy. The thought of winning never crossed Walk With Me's minds, with both having thought the song couldn't quite stand the chance or make some sort of impact in ways that past WorldVision winners did. In truth, both just simply wanted a chance to tell the story so embedded within Sine maj's mournful melodies; to leave on the stage and bare the earnest longing that weaved through every single note and word they sung and wrote. The thought of trying to participate with the intent of engendering Izmedu's legacy or putting the country back in the international consciousness was a pressure almost too much... The two women that still reminisced over their earliest days, flashing through their minds the very memory of Ljubomir telling his story in those overcast Kaspari days where they were but street singers that were at the precipice of transforming a passionate hobby into a career.

They wondered if he was still alive even. If he was somewhere out there, Hana and Ksenija hoped that Ljubomir would see the story take a second life of its own.

Hana and Ksenija stuck close together as they were shepherded to the stage, knowing the attention would be upon the two usually camera-shy sisters. Being within the WorldVision bubble was already overwhelming enough, but sans the occasional interview, the smaller state of the Izmeduan delegation meant they were allowed to exist within the shadows of the song contest's fandom discourse. They were simply but two souls that waited for their chance to sing, awaiting a result they hoped they'd be proud of, and would continue on their merry way. They did not expect for every single camera to be trained upon as they sauntered over to the stage, lights flashing to the point of pandemonium in the Eastin Millennium Arena, no less facing the previous Britonish winner. The two sisters that constituted Walk With Me gingerly accepted the trophy, an almost overwhelmed look in their faces as a lucky photographer caught a candid shot of the first moments of their being crowned as the WorldVision winner. The symbol of their win was held with both of their hands, the trophy being a touch heavier than expected.

They were at a loss for words as they tried to answer the question of how they felt about their win. Were there any graceful words outside of a blubbering train of thanks and gratitude they could say to their voters? As the votes were recorded on the scoreboard, Hana and Ksenija never expected their entry to garner such a reaction in this scale, expecting some sort of twist in the middle that would hand the trophy to another country. They knew that RTI would have plenty to stew over in the channel's excitement at this sudden success, but for Hana and Ksenija... did the result really matter to them? If they were being truthful, the win was never really quite in their sights, with no star crossed dream of hoisting the WorldVision trophy into the air for national glory. What they happened upon was a dream for so many, not just for their home country, but for so many in the multiverse that lived their dreams through music and song. Maybe it was never their intention, but they knew the significance of this moment. However much they could ride the success of circumstances born out of profound luck, they would use it to keep doing what both loved so passionately.

To sing. To weave the tales they so wished to express to the world.

As the time for their reprise approached its inevitable beginning, Hana and Ksenija knew that the glitz and glamour could wait. What mattered to them most of all was the story they wished to tell.

With the trophy by their feet, they flashed back to their earliest days of performing for the first time.

It was in the stage was where they felt at home.

Winners or not, that was what mattered to them end.

Simplicity is what 'Walk With Me' wanted to strive for as they planned their stage performance, feeling the electric air surrounding the Eastin Millennium Arena and the crowd that waited for the Izmeduan performnace in bated breath. Hana and Ksenija glanced at each other as they were situated squarely at the center of the stage, primarily at the most central platform. They stood together, with Hana holding an acoustic guitar to play along with the live track, while Ksenija would be standing without an instrument. They glanced at the crowd, wondering what kind of fortune or circumstances graced them with the fortune of facing a crowd this large. It was a stark contrast to the days where they performed on the streets, towards passing strangers and fleeting crowds that were so much more temporary than the ones they faced at this moment. They took a breath as the arena lights billowed downwards to their direction, seeing the lights glare against the face and flashing a brilliant white before darkening down to a total darkness, only lit up by the phone lights that some in the audience would be using. Some things never truly changed within RTI's WorldVision team, even if it was differenct faces and styles now at the helm of flying the Izmeduan flag in Rhim Flavezztowland.

The entry then began in earnest. A backing track would be played, heralding a kind of instrumental that would not sound out of place in a rural setting. There was a light twang in the instrumental proceedings, the song primarily driven by drums, acoustic guitar, and a pedal steel guitar that produced those smooth and sharp-sounding guitar-esque notes that drove the first few seconds of the instrumentation. The cameras would float lightly around Hana and Ksenija as the former was seen strumming along to the guitar track. The staging seemed sparse, no images being played on the screens behind them nor even some light arrangements on the stage itself. Scant white lights would shine down on the duo, illuminating them and the lightly eccentric if somewhat casual clothing they wore. The camera would fade to a closer view of Ksenija, looking downwards before inching up her eyes to where the camera was positioned, beginning the first verse in earnest.

Do you hear the cries beget by loss
He's weeping against the old, broken cross
Leave him be, he will not sleep
For he's lost to the desolation of grief
He cannot return to a state of pure grace
His ghosts roam so free; he's lost with a tear-streaked face

Ksenija sang with a careful cadence, hands caressing the microphone carefully as her eyes were lightly tinged with a melancholy. Her voice resonated with a sense of experience as she carefully enunciated each word, moving through each word with deftness. The camera would subtly change different angles as Ksenija moved through each line, her voice at points lingering at each word to the point where it seemed like as if she was running slightly behind the song's relatively quick mid-tempo beat. It befit Ksenija's almost lurching vocal pace, matching the melancholic and bittersweet mood of the song. At the last line of the verse, she would take a step back as she nodded towards Hana, the lights beginning to shine a bit brighter as the camera view would fade to both of them together.

Death won't tear us apart, even if we part
I'll keep you safe within my memories
What we had together was art
Just stay, dragi sine, stay with me

If Ksenija sang the first verse akin to a storyteller, the chorus was almost a yearning cry. The switch from singing about the protagonist from a third person vantage point would shift to one where the sisters would seeming to be singing about themselves, even though the very subject of the song was not about them explicitly. The camera would catch their more emotional expressions, eyes etched with regret, despair, and remembrance. Their vocals soared just a bit higher, Hana and Ksenija harmonizing as an almost melodramatic sorrow was resonating through each word they belted out. The lights that surrounded them was almost ghostly, giving them a bare illumination that was just enough for their faces to be seen to the people watching from home.

Do you hear the song of endless mourning
He reckons with regret and yearning
He can't run from the past for it haunts him so
All told, he pays penance in the cold
He cries for the past he wishes to forget
But he cannot confess to his tragic distress
Leave him be in his pain, for he is still seething
From sorrow that breaks his breathing

This longer second verse would see Hana and Ksenija singing the verse together, calming down their voices from the more desperate and powerful tone. They returned to a more contemplative style of singing, their harmonies once more moving and lingering at each word. It once more served as a contrast to the song's beat, remaining steady while the two sisters played with the melody with their vocal choices. They would pause with extended notes on words in the middle of the line; the cameras would also catch these moments as they would begin to sing to each other during the song. Hana continued to strum on her guitar, helping carry Ksenija through the verse as the latter acted as the more neutral force aiding the storytelling, while the former was displaying the sorrow so inherent within the sung lines. For the last two lines, Ksenija would begin to put her hands to her chest, drawing them away from the microphone and closing her eyes. The camera would fade to a wider view of the stage, surveying the large arena as the second verse would find its conclusion.

Death won't tear us apart, even if we part
I'll keep you safe within my memories
What we had together was art
Just stay, dragi sine, stay with me

Once more, the chorus would be sung. The lights brightened to a greater extent as the arena would begin to be illuminated in full, though not enough where the haunting atmosphere of the lighting arrangement would be sacrificed. Once more, they returned to singing with a heightened drama, their vocals soaring beyond the more controlled, storytelling tone of the verse. They both sung with equal force, though Ksenija's movements were more free as she reached out towards the crowd through a few of the lines. Her eyes occasionally closed from the overflow emotion that went beyond playing, the raw guttural relation that both sisters held for this song now being apparent through their vocals as the song reached its latter half. The camera would remain close to both sisters throughout the chorus, almost faithful in its display of the both of them as they navigated each line with heightened emotion. Of course, the song would not relent as there was only a few seconds between the chorus and the bridge.

I know, I did not do enough
To be the one you needed, to be your shoulder
I was too lost to be someone
And now I know it's over

The song headed towards a slightly different tenor, becoming more personal with its emotion and intonatin instead of remaining distanced. Hana carried the first two lines, playing along with the guitar track but singing the song with a heaviness in her tone. In comparison to Ksenija's lighter tone, there was a solemnity to Hana's tone that befit the burden of confession and feeling within her eyes. The yearning felt almost too palpable and earnest in her singing and tone, the camera lingering rather close to her face in full display of her expression. For the last half of the bridge, she would be joined by her sister, Ksenija aiding in diffusing the emotion and feeling. They closed out the bridge together, the lights darkening as the camera faded to Ksenija looking downwards with her eyes closed, clasping the microphone gently. The lights would darken just as the song softened, leaving the song primed for its final minute...

Death won't tear us apart, even if we part
I'll keep you safe within my memories
What we had together was art
Just stay, dragi sine, stay with me

Ksenija sang this chorus on her lonesome, taking it to a more quieter direction than the more melodramatic air that it was sung in earlier. Her eyes opened to catch the cameras, yet there was a wistful expression in her eyes as she sang the words, the storyteller finding a personal resonance within the words rather than trying to craft a simulacrum of the emotions necessary to truly express the story. She leaned forwards to the microphone, yet was careful to maintain a distance to prevent some sort of sudden feedback or noise. With one hand on the microphone, her eyes would angle towards Hana, both preparing to close out the song together.

Death won't tear us apart, even if we part
I'll keep you safe within my memories
What we had together was art
Just stay, dragi sine, stay with me
Just stay, dragi sine, stay with me

There it was, the ending of the entry. Hana and Ksenija sang the chorus as they would, letting out their most emotional vocals, but never once treading the line of adding too many vocal techniques or adding some final flourish. They sang it as they did in the past, the lights shining down on them to their brightest configuration for the show. They relished the moment of the song nearing its conclusion, singing the last set of lines with reminiscence and a mournful longing. With that last note, they would bow their heads down, finding a moment to thank the crowd through hushed words to their microphones.

Hana and Ksenija reached for each other through the chaos and electricity flowing through the air, knowing that the next few hours would be a neverending barrage of interviews and press conferences. They just needed a moment to be just as themselves, and perhaps basking in the glow of their win would be their chance to do so. They weren't sure if the cameras would catch it, yet they would forget that the eyes of the multiverse would be upon them. The two sisters were overcome with emotion, hugging each other tight as the show was nearing its close. It was there that whatever walls of performance or of being professional finally broke down, Hana and Ksenija's thoughts filled with what mattered to them the most, that they had each other through both the highs and the lows.

They were a long way from home. Of course, they couldn't wait to come back.

For this one moment, the constant toil and struggle of slowly working their way through the maze of their industry finally paid off.

Wherever they performed, they were already home, to a place where they felt belonged and safe.

[IC] WorldVision 88 in Flavezztowland City

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