#british homes awards winner

[filmmovement]

Library - Living Room Trendy living room library photo

[yorkfactorycomplaint]

Library - Living Room

Trendy living room library photo

[beesolively]

Contemporary Living Room Trendy living room library photo

[motorsportbarbie13]

What's A Soulmate? Part 4

In which you finally come back home.

Warnings: alcohol use. angst. Pairing: Lando Norris X SainzSister!Reader Word count: 1.9k plus social media posts

- What's A Soulmate? - Part 1 - What's A Soulmate? - Part 2 - What's A Soulmate? - Part 2.5 - What's a Soulmate - Part 3 - Master List

LittlestSainzSis honey, i'm home. user433 isn't it weird she's working for McLaren and not Ferrari??? >>>user3928 nope! hope this helps! user2918 press officer job right out of school? must be nice being a nepo baby >>>user328 she literally worked for Carlos and Lando for two years before going to uni at NYU??? And she has a double degree in PR and business??? >>>usesr322 just say you're jealous next time, it'll be quicker. McLaren So glad to have you back in the paddock!!

LittlestSainzSis fast cars go vroom OscarPiastri so you're who Zak was yelling at to get behind the barrier over the radio??? >>>LittlestSainzSis oops!

LittlestSainzSis that feeling when you wake up and realize it's race day!! user3928: face card never declines user298: blah blah, proper name, place name, back story stuff LandoNorris: don't let that cute face fool you, she was yelling at Oscar and I ten seconds after I took this. >>>LittlestSainzSis neither of you were listening!!! God, this is 2019 all over again, isn't it? >>>user992 ariana what are you doing hereeeeee??? >>>user9383 seriously the first time Lando's in the comments in literal years. tf??? >>>user938 so we're all just going to ignore him calling her cute??? okay???

LittlestSainzSis the boys are ready for race day!!! McLaren best press officer award goes to you bby! >>>user382 admin is unhinged today, I see user0392 i just love seeing Lando back on her feed. >>>user3938 seriously. i feel like mom and dad are back together again. >>>user3844 i'm so glad i don't have to be a child of divorce anymore.

LittlestSainzSis caught someone being a grumpy gills today during the presser. LandoNorris i was probably hungry >>>LittlestSainzSis i think oscar had just told you he was getting sushi with Lily tonight and you got all pouty >>>user948 not her selling out Lando in the comments user938 Chaos Gremlins back to terrorizing paddock! war is over!

Miami May 2024

“Fifteen times Lando Norris has stood on the podium, but never on the top step, until now! It’s a landmark day for Lando! Lando Norris wins for the first time in Formula One! It’s victory in Miami for Norris and McLaren! The British drivers dream is realized and at the 110th attempt, he’s done it! He’s won it! Look what it means to Zak Brown! At long last, Lando is your winner!” 

Tears stream down your face as you listen to Alex Jacques call the end of the race in your headphones, his voice filled with glee and excitement that matches the feeling in the McLaren garage. After yesterday’s DNF for Lando, it had been pretty doom and gloom on his side of the garage. 

Your heart had ached when you caught sight of him that afternoon, sitting in the glass enclosed conference room that the team used to go over race data. He had been all alone, spinning aimlessly in one of the chairs, face drawn and shuttered. You had wanted to go to him then but hadn’t worked up the courage. 

Things were still…delicate between the two of you. After that first night in Australia, Lando had kept his promise to win your friendship back. You more often than not found your morning coffee order sitting at your desk waiting for you during the week with a silly note written hastily on a posit in his chicken scratch writing that only you seemed to be able to decipher. 

A few treats and free coffee weren’t going to be enough to bring back that casual intimacy that you and Lando had though, you both knew that. The walls you had built up so high around your heart designed specifically for the British driver were still solidly in place and you refused to go running back into his arms so easily. 

And then, Miami happens.

The hot sticky humidity clings to your skin as you watch Lando climb out of the car behind the black and white number 1 sign, the first time he’s been able to park his Formula 1 car right in the middle of parc fermi. You’re not entirely sure where the humidity of Florida ends and the tears still falling from your eyes begins, you’re such a mess. 

If you were to think too hard about it, the fact that you were a complete puddle of jumbled up emotion would surely scare you a little. Those walls, they couldn’t be crumbling now, could they? They couldn’t be slowly tumbling down, allowing for the while possibility of allowing Lando back into your life like he had been before? 

You don’t have time to get too lost in those dangerous kinds of thoughts though because soon after he hops off the car, he’s running straight over to the garage crew and leaping into their waiting arms. He’s waited for so long for this, so many poor performances, so many mistakes and problems with the car had sent him spiraling for so many years. There had been too many nights you had spent with him when he was barely more than a teenager, sat on the floor lamenting about how shit his car was, how shit his driving was, and if he was destined to be one of those midfield drivers that never won anything in their career. 

All of those doubts are erased now and your tears are falling again as the weight of what he’s done settles over the paddock. His engineers and mechanics eventually place him back down on the ground and he’s hugging Zak next, the CEO of McLaren more of a father figure to him by now. Will gets a hug too, his engineer since he joined the team five years ago. 

And then, icy blue green eyes snag yours and everything else falls away in a muted hush. He’s smiling at you, that megawatt grin making his eyes crinkle up at the corners. It’s one of those genuine Lando smiles that you haven’t been on the receiving end of for far too long. Your heart stutters to a stop when you realize you’re his next target. What is he doing? You think frantically, mortified that you’re about to be the center of attention if he does what you think he’s going to do. 

And he does. He throws his arms around your shoulders and buries his head deep into the crook of your neck, a move that has camera shutters clicking furiously all around you. You, of course, instantly find your arms wrapped around his shoulders, squeezing him to you despite the metal barrier between you. 

“You’re here.” He sounds surprised that you’d miss this moment. 

“Of course I am. My best friend just won his first Grand Prix.” You whisper into his ear as the crowd continues to grow louder. 

Lando pulls back then, tears shining in his eyes. The weight of your words settle on his shoulders and you don’t think you’ve ever seen him look at you the way he is now. He tucks a strand of hair that’s fallen out of your pony tail behind your ear, looking at you like you’ve hung both the moon and the stars in the sky just for him. “I’m so glad you got to be here for this, pretty girl.” 

God, that nickname. It’s the first time you’ve heard it in years and it does significant damage to those carefully constructed walls. 

You smile up at Lando, a little bashful that everyone is watching you two talk so closely together. He returns the smile before turning around to answer a question from one of the officials. He needs to take care of post race inspections, which he does but not before turning back and tossing a wink at you over his shoulder. 

LittleSainzSis It has been a pleasure and privlidge watching you grow over all these years. Life may have taken us in different directions over the last few years but when I say there is no place I would have rather been this afternoon, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. Your friendship means the entire world to me, Mr. Norris. I'm so proud of you. One win down, so many more to go. LandoNorris so glad you got to be there today, pretty girl xo >>>user948 WE GOT A PRETTY GIRL COMMENT. >>>user0383 i can die happy now user0832 i'm sorry but guys, she literally just friendzoned him so hard in that caption. >>>user9383 yeah, poor lando

LittlestSainzSis You're going to smell like champagne for weeks LandoNorris worth it user948 EXCUSE ME WHAT IS THAT FACE. explain yourself lando norris. user928 did we mean to post this on main ma'am??? user9482 @/littlestsainzsis giving us what we all crave: lando thirst traps. >>>littlestsainzsis don't say i never give you guys anything ever again ;) >>>user9482 omg hi queen

LittlestSainzSis find yourself a man that looks at you like Lan looks at that trophy user0382 LANNNN??? >>>user9484 I am unwell CarlosSainz He's sleeping with it tonight, isn't he? >>>LandoNorris who told you that??? user9383 i feel like i'm interrupting something here... user0309 this picture is...a choice...

The music of the Miami night club pulses through your body as you sink deeper and deeper into the VIP booth later that night. Lando hadn’t given you any room for arguments after all the media duties were done. You were coming out with him and the rest of the team to celebrate. You had barely tried to refuse, not giving him much of a fight because you secretly wanted nothing more. 

Now you sat in the leather booth situated high up in the dark Miami Beach night club that had invited Lando out the moment he had crossed the finish line earlier in the day. There were what felt like thousands of people, most of them were there to celebrate with Lando, hoping to get a glimpse of the driver. 

Alcohol burns at the back of your throat, blurring your vision nicely as you wait for Lando to return from the bar. You had insisted that he wasn’t the one who should be making drink runs tonight but he had insisted on getting you another one and hadn’t taken no for an answer. Carlos is sat next to you, nursing a drink while talking to Charles on his other side.

A small glass is set down in front of you, drawing your attention away from the DJ booth, where you had been starting. 

“Vodka sprite for my pretty girl.” Lando murmurs in your ear, the words sending a cool shiver up your spine.  

You desperately tamp down the way that being called his makes you feel. You cannot be going down that road. Not now when the friendship between the two of you is so fragile. You knew what it was like to lose him in your life and you weren’t sure if you were willing to risk losing him again. 

The same worries you had back before it all went sideways worm their way back into your consciousness. He was too important to you, too integrated into your soul that when he disappeared, it left you broken in a million pieces. You couldn’t risk that again. This had to be strictly platonic between you if it was going to work. You couldn’t afford to lose your best friend again. Those walls around your heart needed to be reinforced and brought back into working order because there was no way you could let this happen. 

“Dance with me?” The question is a husky one, whispered in your ear so no one else is privy to it. 

You know it’s dangerous. You should say no. But the vodka already in your system convinces you that it’s fine. It’s just Lando. So against your what your sober self would consider the best judgement, you feel yourself nodding, allowing Lando to tangle his fingers with yours and pull you out onto the dance floor. 

If you had been paying better attention, you would have seen the looks Carlos and Charles exchanged behind your back. They were well aware of the frosty relationship that Lando and you had over the last few years and this was a development no one had seen coming but everyone had been hoping for all the same. 

The EDM beats are strong and sensual as Lando leads you out onto the floor, hand firmly gripping yours. He finds an open spot and pulls you towards him, the heat of his body radiating off of him in waves. His hands land on your hips, fingertips gripping at your skirt a little harder than really necessary. You shouldn’t want this. Shouldn’t want his hands on your hips, his breath mingling with yours, his curls so dangerously close that you could easily rake your fingers through them. You shouldn’t and you can’t because he’s left you before and he could do it all over again. He’s abandoned you and didn’t come back and every sane thought in your body is screaming at you that this man is dangerous. He is dangerous to your heart and your head is thrashing around so loudly but it’s drowned out by the music. 

You simply can’t fight it when he pulls you impossibly closer, hands sliding from your hips lower, lower, lower until it’s almost indecent. The alcohol blurs the edges of your usually sharp judgement and it’s not helped by the fact that this man seems to have cast a spell over you. You can’t want this. Can’t love how the weight of his hands feel on your skin. Can’t adore how his lips tick up at the edges when he sees you walk into the garage during a race weekend. 

This is Lando after all. Your best friend. Your best friend who abandoned you once and had only barely just come back begging for forgiveness. You can’t allow him to knock down those walls so quickly, can you? 

His lips flutter over the damp skin at your temple, dusting the slightest kiss there, almost as if it’s a test. A test to see if you push him away or allow him in. 

A test that you fail. 

Because the moment his lips touch your skin, it feels like a bucked of ice water has been splashed over your head and you realize what the fuck you’re doing. Its too hot. Too close. Too much and you simply can’t have him touching you anymore. No, this isn’t how it’s supposed to happen. Panic races through you as you stumble back out of his arms, logic finally winning out over your own heart’s stupidity. 

The delicate balance you had struck with him shatters in an instant because you both knew there was supposed to be more between you but you’re desperately scared and Lando is so wretchedly full of regret he can’t stand it. 

“I’m sorry.” Is all you manage to choke out before fleeing. 

Tag List: @anilovessadbooks, @shelbyteller, @formulaal, @martygraciesversion381, @longhairkoo, @samantha-chicago, @stelena-klayley @dark-night-sky-99 @luckylampzonkland, @chlmtfilms , @inarabee @aykxz98 @forensicheart @cheer-bear-go-vroom @lieutenantchaos @willowsnook @sltwins @linnygirl09 @powerfulmess @technicallypleasanttree @meglouise00 @mixedstyles @strawberryy-kiwii @secret-agents-stole-my-bunnies @unknownmystery22 @mrosales16 @charlesgirl16

(Some of the tags aren't working? LMK if you want to be added/removed but I'm like 99% certain I have everyone!)

[itsgiovanna]

private but not a secret

pairing: fem!reader x lewis hamilton

type: instagram a.u

summary: you're a very famous actress and is keeping a private relationship with lewis hamilton, you've been together before but things didn't work out. although, there’s a saying that goes: what's yours will find you. maybe they find each other, maybe not. who knows? destiny makes the move.

notes: this is my first instagram a.u, i hope you love it as much as i did 🤍 :)

warnings: fluff, cursing.

face claim: jasmine tookes

liked by sydneysweeney, lewishamilton, lilycollins and 10,987 others.

swarovski as we celebrate our 128th year in the business, we’re pleased to announce that the 3x emmy award winner, y/n/l/n, as our new ambassador. 🩵

view all 4,578 comments

yourusername happy to be part of it 🤍☺️

user1 she’s so gorgeous i can’t 😭🥺

user7 LOVE OF MY LIFE

yourinstagramupdates mother is mothering 🥵

user3 wait…. is that an engagement ring?

↳ lovingyourinstagram I JUST NOTICED IT

↳ hater6 she better not be back with lewis 🙄🤮

↳ hater4 i hate her lmao

↳ user2 you don’t even know her stfu

liked by zendaya, lewishamilton, florencepugh, shaymitchell and 847,560 others

yourinstagram thank you, @BritishVogue! it was an honor to be part of the october issue 🤍

view all 88,653 comments

zendaya 😍😍😍

liked by the author

florencepugh i miss you, hottie! ❤️

↳ yourinstagram miss you, flo 🥺💖

user5 STUNNING

user10 can i be you when i grow up?

user2 please hit me in the face with a baseball bat

carmenmundt gorgeous 🤎

↳ yourinstagram see you sunday 🤍

↳ carmenmundt can't wait!

↳ yourinstagram added to their instagram stories

liked by yourinstagram, carlossainz, georgerussel, charlesleclerc and 809,687 others

lewishamilton there's no place like home. 🇬🇧

view all 56,784 comments

georgerussel looking good for the lady

↳ lewishamilton always, mate.

↳ user44 GEORGE RUSSEL WHAT IS THIS

↳ user35 did he just referred to that girl? 🤨

↳ user6 you mean his gf lol

yourinstagram the necklace would look better on me, tho. 🤍

liked by the author

↳ lewishamilton come to the gp and i’ll give it to you 😉

↳ yourinstagram we’ll see…

↳ user 32 WHAT IS GOING ON OMG

↳ user 1 i hope they got back together 😭😭❤️‍🩹

↳ roscoelovescoco missing's my mom's ❤️

liked by the author

↳ user27 get off roscoe's account lewis

↳ danielricciardo IS THIS SOFT LAUNCHING

liked by the author

liked by lewishamilton, danielricciardo, chloegracemoretz and 486,432 others

yourinstagram just got to do the hot laps with mercedes at the british grand prix! thank you @f1 💜

view all 59,543 comments

georgerussel finally, lewis wouldn't shut up about it. anyway, it was good to see you 😄

↳ yourinstagram good to see you too, george!

danielricciardo still on the soft launch...

↳ yourinstagram 🤫🤫🤫

lewishamilton 💜

liked by the author

↳ yourinstagram 🥹💜

user34 OMG IS THIS REAL

user5 i love them 😭

user8 not george exposing their relationship lmao 💀💀

mercedesamgf1 welcome to the family 🤍

liked by the author

heidiberger how can you never look ugly? ugh, i hate you.

liked by the author

user67 this is too much i'm gonna pass out

user82 she had the privilege of being the passenger princess of SIR LEWIS HAMILTON 🫠

anyataylorjoy 🩵🩵

liked by lewishamilton, charlesleclerc, pierregasly, mission44 and 647,432 others.

yourinstagram i couldn't be more proud of you, @lewishamilton. congratulations on @Almave! 🤍🥃

view all 50,435 comments

lewishamilton you're something else ❤️

liked by the author

↳ yourinstagram 😍

pierregasly this is good advertising

↳ georgerussel he probably begged her to post it

↳ lewishamilton really, mate?

↳ user58 THE OFFICIAL SOFT LAUNCH

user9 i just need one picture of them together, ONE!

user12 hope they post something together soon 😭

user87 what’s written on her necklace?

↳ user5 it looks like two letters? “m” and “n”? idk, i’m confused 🤔

liked by yourinstagram, zendaya, danielricciardo, georgerussel, carlossainz55, and 793,567 others

lewishamilton every day in the motherland is more beautiful than the last. much love from us, kenya. 🇰🇪❤️

lewishamilton tagged yourinstagram

view all 89,567 comments

yourinstagram it was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, happy to share it with you 🤍

liked by the author

↳ lewishamilton always, love ❤️

danielricciardo hard launch 🤭

user76 I'M GONNA PASS OUT RN

fencer 😍

user1 this just made my day omg

user59 oh to be her :(

liked by lewishamilton, sebastianvettel, valtteribottas, charlesleclerc, georgerussel, zendaya, mickschumacher and 3,567,987 others.

yourinstagram one month ago, this happened… i'm the happiest woman in the world, you've stolen my heart in every possible way and i'm forever grateful for you, @lewishamilton. i can't wait to continue writing our story, my love. i love you, endlessly 🤍💍

view all 309,876 comments

lewishamilton I promise it'll be a thrilling ride, baby. i love you, forever.

liked by the author

georgerussel congratulations, guys! 💙

roscoelovescoco mom's and dad's 😍

sebastianvettel ❤️

naomi 🥰😍

serenawilliams the best couple there is ❤️

mercedesamgf1 future mr. and mrs. hamilton 🖤

user4 SHAKING CRYING THROWING UP

user67 imagine their babies 😭😭😭😭

user2 OMGGGGG

user8 the best day of my fucking life!!!!!!

valtteribottas when can i babysit your kids?

↳ danielricciardo get in line, mate

susiewolff i'm so happy for you two ❤️

mickschumacher congratulations 😇🤍

landonorris aw ❤️

liked by yourinstagram, georgerussel, mercedesamgf1, fencer, zendaya, mickschumacher, charlesleclerc and 5,897,320 others.

lewishamilton three months ago on 7.9.23 at exactly 10:34P.M we welcomed our little girl to the world, mia nancy hamilton. it's been emotional and incredible at the same time, y/n you're amazing and mia couldn't have a better momma, i love you, darling. altought we're very happy to share the news with you all, we kindly ask for privacy at this moment. ❤️

view all 765,243 comments

yourinstagram thank you for everything, love. i will always be by your side, i'm so happy that it gets to be the three of us now. mia is extremely lucky for having a caring, loving and admirable daddy like you, @lewishamilton. i love you more than my words can express, can't wait to have you home 🤍

↳ lewishamilton i love both of you, baby! calling in a few ❤️

↳ yourusername 🤍🤍

georgerussel missing little mia 💙

↳ yourursername we miss you, uncle george!

sebastianvettel beautiful family 😊❤️

zendaya omg 😍😍

mercedesamgf1 ❤️🥺

pierregasly congratulations!!!

heidiberger auntie heidi loves baby mia 🥹

danielricciardo can i babysit?

↳ yourusername maybe...

user4 OMFG SHE'S SO CUTE

user6 i fucking KNEW IT 😍😍

user1 lewis was meant to be a girl dad

user8 imagine her wearing a little mercedes suit 😭

[kingoftheclaudes]

Welcome to the King of the Claudes Tournament!

A silly little place with polls about our favorite silly little actor, Claude Rains!

Prior to the creation of this blog, we were shocked (shocked!) to find that across the Tumblrverse, time and time again, Claude Rains would be beaten by fearsome opponents in the race for the crown of various hottest/scrungliest/what-have-you titles. So, we've decided to take matters into our own hands to give some well-deserved love to this beloved character actor through various polls!

The King of the Claudes Tournament has begun! Polls will be posted once daily at 7PM EST!

We're going to be matching up all (and we mean all!) the roles Claude has played over his decades of acting to decide which one of them will be The King of Claudes! All characters(we're talking the famed Captain Louis Renault, the mad scientist Jack Griffin, as well as other lesser-known portrayals like the kindly Mr. Jordan and the cankerous Professor Benson) will be submitted by default and it's up to the voters to send in their favorite propaganda(pictures, GIFs, stories, video clips)!

Our list of active polls can be found HERE or through our #round one tag!

As of this time, we're only going to be looking at Mr. Rains' film career, so no TV, stage, or radio portrayals will be in the running this time around. This goes for propaganda, too, so please don't send in entire radio broadcasts as propaganda(we know they're great, you don't have to tell us!).

FAQs

Who's Claude Rains? Great question! William Claude Rains was a British screen/stage/radio actor who was primarily known for his character acting and there was never a role he couldn't seem to play (When asked about his versatility as an actor, he replied that he "can play the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker"). He was a frequent collaborator with stars such as Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, and Cary Grant, among others and worked with directors such as Michael Curtiz and Alfred Hitchcock. He was nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor and won a Tony Award for his role in Darkness at Noon. Oftentimes, people know him as "that guy" when talking about his roles in iconic films (such as Casablanca, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Invisible Man, and Lawrence of Arabia). He also served in WW1 (even fighting alongside individuals such as Basil Rathbone and Sir Cedric Hardwicke) and called himself a "gentleman farmer", often returning back home to tend to his farm in between shooting for films. Also, if you search up the term character actor, you see a lovely still of him in Sons of Liberty!

Why is this blog a thing? Because it has been a deeply saddening affair to watch Claude Rains get stricken down during various polls (and we mean every. single. one. [although, we had a grand Round One victory over on @vintagetvstars!]) and we feel he deserves to win something! Also, this blog hopes to bring more recognition to his great work! We'd also like to thank @hotvintagepoll for directly inspiring us to create this blog and if you haven't already, please go check them out!

Who should I vote for? We are judging the portrayal of the character here, not the characters themselves. Claude played a lot of baddies (some worse than others) but we are not judging how good or bad a character is morally, only on the portrayal. Who will be the winner? That's up to you! Which of these Claudes deserves to be crowned the King of them all? What makes them the King in your eyes?

How can I submit propaganda? Before the tournament starts, we will be accepting propaganda through a Google Form and we will be accepting written and visual propaganda(pictures, GIFs, and video clips) to go along with each character. We're also only looking for propaganda from the particular film a character is in, but we're open to headshots/professional stills from the time it was filmed! Please only submit propaganda for one character at a time and don't hesitate to send in multiple submissions! We'd like for each character to have propaganda, so go nuts in your submissions! Tell us why you think your Claude should be crowned King of the Claudes! Again, we are not looking for character submissions, only propaganda for that character! Don't fret, every Claude from a film will be submitted! Here is a list of all the possible characters to send propaganda in for!

Additional Propaganda? We encourage additional propaganda through our ask system or by tagging us @kingoftheclaudes. As previously stated, we will only be accepting/boosting propaganda from Mr. Rains' film career, so no GIFs from his various Alfred Hitchcock Presents or radio snippets from his various Lux Radio Theatre broadcasts. We also tag each film and each Claude in an effort to make things easier when searching through the taglist.

These polls are mean to be short 'n sweet (much like Mr. Rains!) and not meant to be taken seriously! We just want to have a good time enjoying the many works of Claude Rains and all views expressed in propaganda and tags are not our own!

The tournament is scheduled to kick off on Sunday, November 10th (coincidentally[or perhaps, not] Claude Rains' birthday!) and will compile of 28 matchups of 56 characters (since the character of Adam Lemp appears in three movies [Four Daughters, Four Wives, and Four Mothers], we are combining all his appearances into one and, contrary to Wikipedia's listing, Mr. Rains did not provide the voice of Jacob Marley in Scrooge. We are also opting to omit the character of Clarkis from Build Thy House, since there is limited knowledge on the film available, as well as omitting the character of The Mayor from The Pied Piper of Hamelin, since despite it later being released in theatres, it debuted as a TV special). We're tentatively planning on scheduling 5 polls a week to make this tournament last longer and each poll will run for one week!

What happens after the polls end and the crown is handed off? We may be open to doing a series of mini-polls, such as 'Best Father', 'Best Villain', 'The Battle for Science', 'King of TV Land' and 'Historical King of the Claudes' among some others. If you have some more ideas, let us know!

My question isn't answered! Feel free to send in an ask but always check the FAQ before, since your question may have already been answered!

We hope you enjoy our fun little polls and wish all the Claudes the best of luck!

(sneaky @tournament-announcer tag and a bonus Claude as a thanks for reading this far! :))

[harrysfolklore]

brits surprise - singer!yn and harry

ending kinda sucks but i hope you like it :) let me know your thoughts

MY PATREON | MASTERLIST

"Do you want me to hang up so you can get ready?"

"No. Don't," Harry replied, eyes focused on his phone where his girlfriend's face was displayed, "I still have a few minutes before I need to get dressed."

It was one of the most important days for Harry's year, the Brit Awards, it wasn't the first time he was nominated or attending, but after winning Album of The Year at the Grammys mere days before, the night felt even more special.

YN was by his side for the Grammys, cheering for him and holding his hand the entire time. However, her schedule got too tight by the time the Brit Awards came, with tour rehearsals and interviews that didn't allow her to attend the ceremony.

Or that was what Harry thought, but he was completely unaware of the plan his girlfriend, team and friends were orchestrating to get her to London on time to surprise him by announcing one of his awards on stage.

"I really wish you were here," Harry said, running his hands through his dark curls, "But I know you need to rehearse for your tour, and I'm proud of you."

"I'm proud of you too, baby," YN told him, biting back the urge to tell him that she was planning on surprising him, "You're going to do amazing."

"Sue, It's time to get dressed." Lambert voice was heard through the room, and Harry knew it was his cue to hang up.

"I have to go love, but I'll make sure to call you before I go on stage, okay?"

"It's okay, H. Good luck!"

After a couple of hours had passed and Harry delivered an amazing performance, won 3 awards, thanked his former bandamates on stage, kissed Lewis Capaldi and chugged down too many tequila shots, the most important moment of the night was coming up.

Harry was going to get the Album of The Year award and his girlfriend was ready to surprise him on stage.

He was unaware of it all, still thinking that he might not get the award at the end like it happened in 2019 with his album Fine Line.

Mo Gilligan, the host of the night came on stage to introduce who was presenting the category, and when her girlfriend's name was called, Harry thought the alcohol he had chugged down was playing games with his mind.

It was safe to say that he lost his mind when he saw the girl he loved walk out clad in her navy blue suit looking absolutely stunning.

"Good evening Brit Awards!" she said into the mic, making the entire audience erupt in cheers, "You know I wouldn't miss UK's biggest night for anything in the world, and I'm here to present the award for Album of the Year, these are the nominees."

Harry was lost for words, and he didn't care if he lost the award, he just wanted to rush to the stage and kiss his girlfriend.

"And the winner is..." she said after the video showing the nominees was over, opening the envelope, "Harry Styles!"

The melodies from Late Night Talking filled the arena as Harry let out an excited scream and made his way to the stage, eager to reach his girlfriend who was holding out the award for him.

"I can't believe you're here! You sneaky shit!" Harry spoke into her ear as they hugged, placing soft pecks to her cheek, "This is so amazing!" he leaned back to look at her, not thinking twice before grabbing her face and placing a quick peck to her lips.

Remembering that he was on live television and that he had just won a major award, he let go of her and approached the mic to give his speech.

"This night has been really, really special to me and I will never forget it. Thank you so much for the welcome home, I appreciate it so much. There is no place like home. Thank you, thank you, thank you," he paused for a minute to look at his award and smile, "I’m so, so proud to be a British artist out there in the world. I’m so proud to be here tonight celebrating British artists and British music. Thank you, thank you, thank you," he turned his face to look at his girlfriend fro a minute, "I would also love to thank this stunning, sneaky woman who didn't tell me she was going to be here, you really surprised me, love. I'm so grateful you're here, I love you," he blew a quick kiss to her, and she mouthed a soft "I love you" back, "I’m gonna hand it over to Tom and Tyler. Thank you so much for this, I’m so grateful.”

After Tom and Tyler were done with their speeches and the four of them were off the stage, Harry couldn't wait much longer before he was crashing his lips to his girlfriend's again.

"I'm so happy you're here, so so happy."

"I'm always going to be here, love."

taglist: @cucciolafaerie e @eleanordaisy @sunflowersndpeaches @golden-hoax @alienorknight @daydreamingofmatilda @ivyproblems @ayeshathestyles s @stylesmygucci @gimsaysay @rosaliedepp @dontworrysunflower @milfrrynation @manifestrry @iceebabies @harrystylesrecs @pleasingrryyy @harianaswhore @noitsmebecky @abeanontoast @grapejuice-rry @vrittivsanghavi @msolbesg @tati813 @sad1esgf @eviesaurusrex @itsgabbysblog @theekyliepage @watermelonsugacry @be-with-me-so-happily @a-strange-familiar @reveriehs @musicforcinemas inemas @harrybabyyyyyyy @tinydeskwriter @noooovaaaaa @tenaciousperfectionunknown @mxltifxnd0m @rach2602 @balletdancerry @b-reads-things @juiceboxrry @lomlolivia @itsgigikay @goldensstateofgrace @missmielyhoran @fdl305 @lightsoutstyles

[bestedoesmeow]

DANCIN' QUEEN

pairing : georgerussell63 & dancer y/n

in which you come first on a dancing competition called ''strictly come dancing'' and your bf is there to support you

request :Hi love! I saw that your requests are open so…….could I possibly request an insta AU for one of the British drivers where the reader is a dancer on strictly come dancing? Thank you xx

༊*·˚ ༊*·˚ ༊*·˚ ༊*·˚ ༊

youruser has added to their story

georgerussell63 replied

: don't be too hard on yourself love

: can I take you out for a dinner 2nite?

youruser

: oh I'd love to baby :( but I just came home

: tbh can't feel any of my body parts now

: I need to rest until the big final

: you are on a summer break, why don't you come over

georgerussell63:

: well yeah I can

: I'll bring food 😘

: see you in an hour?

youruser

: see you 😚

georgerussell63 has added to their story

seen by lewishamilton, fernandoalo_oficial and other 566,492 other people

youruser replied

: oh ily so much you can't even imagine 🤧

: thanks for the support honey:)

georgerussell63

: you already are the best, you don't need a support

: ily

youruser

Strictly Come Dancing

liked by georgerussell63, carlossainz55 and other 345,212 other people

tagged: strictlytv

its been hell of a season with lots of beautiful experiences...its the final dance, final day for me now! thanks for all the support since the beginning of the show, i'd never thank you enough. See you tonight🤩

view all comments

georgerussell63: so proud of you sweetie!

fernandoalo_oficial: congrats y/n!

user: we love you y/n!!! go get that award!!!

user: so beautiful🤩

user: so proud 🥹

f1wags__

liked by 3,324 people

tagged: youruser

tonight our favorite wag is performing her last dance for the show with her partner Y/PN, don't forget to share your favorite moments from the performance with us!! Good luck @youruser

georgerussell63

liked by mercedesamgf1, landonorris and other 567,323 other people

last seconds, so proud of @youruser, y/PN go out there and show them what dance really is

view all comments

user: george being supportive is all I can ask for in this life

user: they are so beautiful

user: GOO Y/N!!!

carlossainz55: Vamos Y/N!

youruser has added to their story

2 hours ago

strictlytv

liked by georgerussell63, youruser and other 45.323 people

tagged: youruser, yourpartnersuser

THE WINNERS OF THIS SEASON ARE HERE!!! IT'S BEEN A HELL OF A SEASON. WELL DONE TO OUR BEST DANCING PARTNERS

comments are off

youruser has added to their story

[scotianostra]

On September 23rd 1880, John Boyd Orr, Nobel Peace prize winner, was born in Kilmaurs, Ayrshire.

John Boyd Orr's pioneering research led to millions of children across the UK being given free school milk from 1946 to 1971 when Margaret Thatcher, then education secretary, cut provision giving her the mick name Thatcher, "Thatcher, Thatcher, milk snatcher”

Boyd Orr was born in Ayrshire into a religious and highly literate family, and it was perhaps inevitable that he should be destined for a career in teaching after studying theology. However, his studies at Glasgow University also opened up new avenues for him. He became interested in the theories of Darwin, and this led to a fascination with zoology.

When he graduated with his MA in 1902, he was assigned to a teaching position in the Glasgow slums to fulfil the obligations required by his scholarship. He lasted only a few days before resigning and going back home to Ayrshire where he was reassigned to a school in Saltcoats. There he completed his teaching but left as soon as he could, saying: "though I liked the children, I hated teaching them”.

Boyd Orr returned to university to study biology and medicine, and he graduated with a BSc in 1910 and MB ChB two years later. He only practised for one month before returning to university to undertake nutritional research. His MD thesis in 1914 was awarded the Bellahouston Gold Medal for the most distinguished thesis of the year.

On the recommendation of his supervisor, he was asked to be the first director of a new research institute in Aberdeen, which would later become the world renowned Rowett Institute. At the time of his appointment, it did not exist, but he would spend the next twenty-five years raising both funds and the profile of nutritional research to make it a reality.

The initial work to build the institute was, however, interrupted by the outbreak of war. Boyd Orr enlisted in the RAMC and saw active service on the Western Front where he was awarded both the Military Cross and the Distinguished Service Order. Later he would never wear the medals saying that the truly brave men had all died.

In the interwar years, he travelled widely and published extensively, emerging as one of the country’s leading experts in nutrition. He first came to national attention in 1936 with the publication of Food, Health and Income, a report of a dietary survey by income group, which revealed that the cost of a diet meeting basic nutritional needs was beyond the means of half the British population.

This led to similar studies being conducted in nineteen other countries and prompted the creation of a Commission of the League of Nations, which tried to formulate a global food policy. It became the forerunner of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Boyd Orr would become the Director General of the FAO from 1945-48. These were important years because the predicted European post-war famine was averted in part by policies put forward by the organisation.

Boyd Orr was no stranger to the challenges of developing and implementing food policies, many of which are still with us today. He spent his later career trying to persuade governments and presidents, organisations and companies to rethink the way they did things. However, he would often bemoan the fact that while he could persuade farmers of the importance of the nutrition of their animals, he could not stir their interest “in the food of their ain bairns, far less in the bairns of ither folks”.

His was a life filled with honours and awards, from Gold medals at University to military decorations to honorary degrees and more. He was elected Rector of Glasgow University and subsequently became its Chancellor. He was briefly a British Member of Parliament, and in 1935 he was knighted for his services to agriculture. In 1949, after he was awarded the Nobel Prize, Prime Minister Clement Attlee ennobled him as Baron Boyd Orr of Brechin Mearns.

Reading of Boyd Orr’s long career it seems he had a series of false starts and perhaps even failures. But he was no dilettante. He combined a powerful intellect with an admirable work ethic to achieve a mastery in everything he tried. That he chose to move from a career in teaching to medical practice, to research, to politics and then to governance and policy making was not evidence of mere restlessness but of a constant desire to do meaningful work.

Boyd Orr was at heart a man with an ambitious vision for the world, and he firmly believed that real peace and prosperity would only ever be achieved when no one was hungry.

The citation for the 1949 Nobel Peace Prize read: “for his lifelong effort to conquer hunger and want, thereby helping to remove a major cause of military conflict and war”.

[queer-cinephile]

30 Days of Classic Queer Hollywood

Day 19: Roddy McDowall (1928 - 1998)

Roddy McDowall was a British-American actor whose career spanned 60 years and over 270 screen and stage roles. He was known for his starring roles in How Green Was My Valley (1941), My Friend Flicka (1943), Lassie Come Home (1943), and The Planet of the Apes film series. He was a Tony and Emmy award winner, and was nominated for a Golden Globe.

McDowall was a gay man who never married. He was in a relationship with actor Montgomery Clift in the 1950s.

[newmusickarl]

Mercury Music Prize 2024: Ranking The Contenders

My favourite time of year has arrived – the season of the Mercury Music Prize. Back in July, the twelve albums nominated for the 2024 prize were revealed and, as ever, served up a highly diverse and eclectic list of some of the best British and Irish music released over the last 12 months. Each of these nominated records is now vying for the prestigious title of Album of the Year, the overriding criteria for which has greatly deviated throughout the award’s history.

In terms of the competition, last year felt like a big watershed moment. With myself and many others previously writing off the jazz nomination as soon as the annual shortlist is announced, Ezra Collective’s pleasantly surprising victory set a new precedence for the prize – any album can win. Not only that, but this year’s Mercury Prize shortlist presents arguably the most open contest for some years, making it almost impossible to predict. But hey – let’s try and predict it anyway!

As I do each year, I’ve now listened to all 12 albums and tried to rank them based on what I think are their chances of winning. To be clear, this is not a “Worst-to-Best” countdown – this ranking is based solely on how likely I think they are to win the overall prize.

To determine this, I’ve considered:

The impact and artistic achievement attained by the album

The popularity of the artist

The level of critical acclaim the album has received

How similar albums have fared over the years

All clear? Good!

Without further ado, here’s my final thoughts and analysis on this year’s nominees.

12. Lives Outgrown by Beth Gibbons

The debut solo album from the Portishead frontwoman is an absorbing work, a heavy listen that can be tricky to love at first but will eventually win you over. It’s certainly won the critics over too, becoming one of the most positively reviewed albums of the year thus far.

So why bottom of the list? Well for me, Beth has several factors working against her. Firstly, she’s a well-established artist who wouldn’t gain much from earning Mercury Prize recognition this late into her career. Secondly, and most importantly, she’s a former Mercury Prize winner, having lifted the trophy with Portishead’s Dummy back in 1995.

There’s only ever been one two-time winner in the prize’s history (PJ Harvey for those wondering) and at this juncture in her career, I personally don’t see Beth becoming the second person to achieve this feat – particularly given the strength of some of the debutants on this year’s shortlist.

11. Bad With Names by Corto.alto

Having already been so familiar with a lot of the records on this year’s shortlist, this debut from Glaswegian multi-instrumentalist Liam Shortall has been my favourite discovery through this year's prize. Recorded in his bedroom, it’s a mesmerising collision of jazz and electronic music that is genuinely unique and pulls you back in for repeated listens.

However, why it is so far down on my list is mainly due to Ezra Collective winning the prize last year. Whilst this album from Corto.alto isn’t solely a jazz project, of all the records on the list it is the one that falls the most into that genre. While Ezra Collective historically bucked the trend last year of jazz records never prevailing and winning the overall prize, another longstanding trend is that Mercury Prize wins rarely come from the same genre in back-to-back years. So, with a jazz record taking home the trophy last year, it makes me think the judges will go in a different direction in 2024.

10. On Purpose, With Purpose by Ghetts

The fourth studio album from the acclaimed, MOBO-award winning rapper, On Purpose, With Purpose is an ambitious project that showcases Ghetts' prowess for strong storytelling and cutting social commentary. It also features a stacked list of collaborators, including Mercury Prize alumni Kano and Sampha.

Now Ghetts is one of the few artists on this year’s shortlist who has been nominated for the Mercury Prize previously, having been shortlisted for the 2021 prize with Conflict of Interest. While recent history would suggest this could work in his favour (Little Simz and Michael Kiwanuka both won on their second and third times of trying), I feel this is a weaker effort compared to Conflict of Interest. Not only that but it seems fans and critics agree, with this album one of the lowest scoring on review aggregate site albumoftheyear.org. With this being the case, this is one I am filing under unlikely to win.

9. Early Twenties by Cat Burns

Talk about sneaking in there – this debut album from British singer-songwriter Cat Burns was released on the 12th of July this year, the final day for eligible entries into the 2024 prize. Obviously the judges would have listened to it before that date though, and they were clearly taken in by the record’s uplifting pop melodies and soul-baring lyricism.

Now, there actually isn’t too much working against Cat Burns when it comes to winning the overall prize. It is a debut album which always fair well and she’s also had good success in recent years with critic-led awards, having come fourth in the BBC Sound of 2023 and earning three Brit Award nominations just last year.

However, with the late release date you do wonder if the album would have had chance to make an impact on the judging panel in the same way as some of the other records on this list. Additionally, the album hasn’t had too long to make an impact culturally on the wider music world either, which leads me to think this is another album that is unlikely to prevail.

8. Who Am I by BERWYN

Like Ghetts, British rapper, producer and songwriter BERWYN is another artist who has been on the shortlist before, having also been nominated in 2021 for his impressively raw mixtape, Demotape/Vega. Now back with what is being billed as his debut studio album, WHO AM I is a powerful force that is as lyrically spellbinding as it is emotionally impactful.

However unlike Ghetts, BERWYN for me actually has a lot pulling for him. Again it’s another debut, he’s a previous nominee and rap records have typically done well in recent years (see wins from Little Simz, Dave and Skepta). So why is it only 8th on the list I hear you ask? Well, I think it simply boils down to there being some stronger records on this list that you can argue are more deserving. Whilst a BERWYN win (or a BER-WIN if you want to be cheesy) is certainly possible, my gut tells me its also improbable given the strength of the field.

7. Black Rainbows by Corinne Bailey Rae

A record that made my own year-end list back in December finishing an impressive 16th, Black Rainbows is one of the most acclaimed albums on this year’s shortlist. Inspired by an exhibition on Black history by artist Theaster Gates at the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago, the album is a mesmerising collage of eclectic sounds that range from soul and R&B to frantic garage rock and sprawling electronica.

Corinne is also a previous nominee, having had her sophomore record The Sea shortlisted for the 2010 prize. Given the love and acclaim Black Rainbows has received too, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Corinne announced as the winner on the night.

However given the other nominees, my gut instinct says the judges may favour a newer artist, with Corinne almost in the same category as Beth Gibbons as already being too well established at this point. Whilst a Mercury win would certainly be deserving, my instincts are telling me this likely won’t be Corinne’s year.

6. When Will We Land? by Barry Can’t Swim

An album I’m personally a massive fan of and would love to see win tomorrow night. When Will We Land, the debut from Scottish musician and producer Joshua Mainnie AKA Barry Can’t Swim, is a vibrant and joyous experience like no other. Filled with a globe-trotting mix of sonic influences and textures, it is an incredible debut that has cemented Barry Can’t Swim as a household name in the electronic music world over the last year.

Now much like jazz albums, electronic records are good at getting nominated, but rarely do they win. In fact, you have to go all the way back to James Blake’s win in 2013 for Overgrown to find the last triumph from the popular genre. So not only is an electronic record long overdue a win, Barry’s debut has had such an impact in the space, not just for him but for the genre on the whole, it would be a well-received victory.

That said, as much as I would love Barry to walk away the overall prize winner, I think his chances are sadly fewer than some of the others on this year’s shortlist.

5. Silence Is Loud by Nia Archives

We’re into the real contenders now and this debut from record producer, DJ and singer-songwriter Nia Archives is certainly in with a chance. Heralded for its groundbreaking fusion of Jungle and Britpop with sincere lyricism at the heart, it’s an album that is truly unlike any other released in 2024.

With Nia such a trailblazer and pioneer for this Jungle revival that British music is now seeing, not just bringing the genre back to the fore but moving it forward as well, you have to wonder if Nia will get the nod in the same way Skepta won in 2016 for Konnichiwa. While that was arguably not the best record on the shortlist that year, it seemed like the judges were keen to recognise Skepta’s impact on the British rap and grime scene, helping to really bring it to a worldwide audience. I could easily see this reasoning repeated and with Nia’s record a debut too, it’s definitely one of the frontrunners in this very open contest.

Again, the only thing working against a Silence Is Loud win is the impact and quality of the others on the shortlist.

4. Brat by Charli XCX

An album that needs no introduction at this point. Let’s face it, has there been a British record in the last five years – or even decade - that has had as big of a cultural impact, in such a short space of time too, than Charli XCX’s Brat?

Although only released in June, the album has already cemented itself as one of the defining albums of 2024, and indeed the 2020s. From the iconic green artwork that has inspired festival fashion to instantly iconic lyrics entering the internet zeitgeist, to even politicians using the album’s lore in their political campaigns - the last few months have truly been a “brat summer”.

As we look ahead to tomorrow, Brat is currently the bookie’s favourite to take home the prize. In any other year, I would discount Charli simply for being too commercially successful and the judges tending to favour lesser-known artists when it comes to granting the overall prize. While I still ultimately think that will be the case, there is also a part of me that thinks the judges may see the impact of Brat and think it would be crazy to not award it the title of Album of the Year. In addition to this, Brat has received extreme acclaim too from critics, so it would be an incredibly popular win.

Back in 2006, Arctic Monkeys had the fastest-selling debut album ever at that time and as a result, would go on to win the Mercury Prize that year. Commercially successful albums winning when they’ve achieved cultural significance isn’t unheard of throughout the history of the Mercury Prize, so don’t be surprised if Charli walks away with it tomorrow - despite being one of the biggest popstars on the planet right now.

3. Prelude To Ecstasy by The Last Dinner Party

Speaking of fast-selling debuts, upon it’s release back in February, Prelude To Ecstasy became the UK's biggest first week-selling debut album in nine years. Considering the buzz surrounding it, this came as no surprise as there are few bands as vehemently discussed as The Last Dinner Party. Yet in many ways they still feel slightly underappreciated, often criticised for the wrong reasons. When you focus on the musicianship of the record itself, there are few debut albums as anthemic, as dazzling and as accomplished as Prelude To Ecstasy.

Much like Brat, The Last Dinner Party’s debut feels like one of the defining records of the last 12 months and although also commercially successful, you could see the critic darlings crowned the overall winners for that reason. They are also less established than Charli, so may feel like a compromise as they are still technically a “new” artist. However, you also feel the judges may recognise awarding the London quintet the overall prize may sadly have an adverse effect, leaving them prone to more criticism and intense scrutiny from their naysayers.

This again makes me think the judges will ultimately go in a different direction, but personally I think this record deserves all the praise and awards in the world. Without a doubt, one of the year’s finest albums.

2. This Could Be Texas by English Teacher

Into the top two then and now we have arrived at the two albums I think have the best chance of winning the overall prize tomorrow. One is a choice of head, the other is a choice of heart. 

If I’m going with my head, everything points me in the direction of this debut album from rock quartet, English Teacher. Hugely acclaimed, particularly by the British music press, it’s an album that has captivated due to it’s soaring originality, poetic lyrics and broad eclecticism. In fact, when you look at the genres that typically make up the Mercury Prize shortlist each year – rock, jazz, electronic, pop, soul, R&B, folk, punk and post-punk – This Could Be Texas has a little bit of all of that.

This for me is a record tailor-made to win the Mercury Prize. It is a debut album, from a band that is still up-and-coming, that would benefit massively from the greater exposure, and an album which will surely tick a lot of boxes for the diverse music tastes on the judging panel.

It’s also interesting to note that there is a strong Leeds/Bradford contingent on this year’s shortlist, with a quarter of the artists nominated heralding from the area – which makes me think the winner is likely to come from one of those three albums. So, if you’re a betting person and are still trying to decide where to put your money, my head says English Teacher’s debut is the album to back.

1. Crazymad, For Me by CMAT

But that is what my head says, my heart says something different. While a good part of me thinks English Teacher is the one to prevail tomorrow, the one I am really rooting for is Crazymad For Me by Irish singer-songwriter, Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson – AKA, CMAT.

Having finished as my 12th favourite Album of 2023, it’s a record that I still find myself frequently returning to almost a year later. In fact, if I was to redo that list today, it would be in the Top 5. This is because with each new spin it feels more and more like a modern classic, with songs like California, Rent, Where Are Your Kids Tonight and, of course, Stay For Something, all timeless in nature.

It’s not just me with a great affection for this record either. It’s another album that has seen huge love and acclaim over the last year, even getting nominated for the Irish Choice Prize back in March. Which brings me onto another important point regarding CMAT’s album within wider Mercury Prize folklore, and that is the fact that an Irish artist is still yet to win the overall prize. That’s right, despite plenty of nominations throughout the 30+ years it has been granted, an Irish artist is still yet to take home the coveted Album of the Year title.

So, with a jazz record finally winning in 2023 and bucking the long-standing trend, surely it is time for an Irish artist to be recognised as the overall winner. At a time as well where Irish music is thriving – just look at recent albums from the likes of Fontaines D.C., Kneecap, Sprints, NewDad and The Murder Capital, to name just a few – it feels like the right time. With CMAT’s incredibly infectious and warm personality, as well as her clear love for music, performing and mastering her songcraft, I couldn’t think of a more deserving person and artist to make this little piece of history.

That’s my thoughts anyway ahead of the annual ceremony tomorrow night; I guess we’ll soon find out as always just how close – or not close – I was with my predictions. Best of luck to all the artists and as ever, I look forward to watching!

Watch the 2024 Mercury Prize be presented on BBC Four tomorrow night from 8pm.

[hccn-overseer]

Issure 34, 2/29/24

Welcome, one and all, to the second season of the Hermitcitizen Overseer and the tenth of Hermitcraft itself! There are scenanigans aplenty waiting for us in the upcoming season, so let's not hesitate to get going!

Bookwatch

Written by AzureClouds 

This season, in an attempt to not use trading systems, Grian has decided to try and fish up a book of mending to use for enchanting. 

Until recently, he has had little luck catching the elusive mending books, although he had caught several other enchanted books. Additionally, (as of writing) Grian has managed to catch roughly 6500 fish-the majority of which have been cod-, Nautilus shells, fishing rods and bows with various enchantments, and saddles, all to various degrees of usefulness.

Statistically, there is generally a 1.9% chance of catching an Enchanted book while fishing, with a 0.015% chance of catching a mending book! Meaning that, supposedly for every 100 times Grian casts his line, he should catch 2 books, and if he catches 127 books, he should be able to find two mending books. 

In addition, Grian built a Cod Dungeon, complete with a secret entrance, and statues decorating the walls, even a special painting by Hoffen in an attempt to raise his chances of catching a mending book, officially named the Chamber of Sea Critters. 

Finally, after over nine thousand attempts, Grian was able to fish up a mending book, specifically with Piercing 3 and mending, and he has decided to instead trade for the rest of the books he needs.

Now on to other news below the cut!

Hermit Permits

By AzureClouds

This season, shops, and what you will be selling has been decided by various permits, distributed randomly. Each hermit has received six permits, of various value. The three tiers are iron, gold, and diamond, with each hermit receiving three iron permits, two gold, and one diamond permit. This means that only one Hermit is able to sell any given item (that there is an existing permit for).

For some items, such as wood, glass or wool, hermits are required to build a shop with those who received a permit in the same category as them (for example, all hermits who received a permit for wood will be building a shop together), with these shops being either collaborative, competitive or anything in between!

Additionally, as the winner of demise, False Symmetry was awarded a Joker permit, giving her the ability to pick an item to sell at any time. This special permit can only be used once, and has not yet been put into play. 

A Small(Ishbeans) Introduction! By Roo

This season, we welcomed another two hermits- Skizzleman, and Smallishbeans. While an article for Skizz is anticipated and hoped for, this one is about none other than Joel Smallishbeans. 

First, let’s get you acquainted, shall we? Joel Smallishbeans- often called Joel Beans, Bean, Big Man, or just plain Joel- is a British YouTuber who, other than the green streak in the hair of his minecraft skin, can be recognized as “That One Guy Who Used To Be Shrek”*. A former member of both of the seasons of Empires SMP, as well as other servers such as the life series (he won Last Life in our hearts), or KingdomCraft, way back when, Joel is renowned for making buildings and areas that take immense amounts of time, effort, and skill, as well as the absolute beast he is at PVP. (Yes, we are aware this article would boost his ego immensely. That’s alright.) From the giant spires of the Mazalean Palace to the looming castles of his hardcore world, to the beginnings of his Hermitcraft base, it’s easy to say that Joel is a legendary builder that’ll be at home on Hermitcraft. 

As for how his Hermitcraft is going- other than the multitude of failed attempts to kill XBCrafted, and the one successful attempt (yes, that took 74 TNT), everything seems to be going well for our favorite bean man. He already has a glow squid farm that works- well, it works- in addition to a lovely road, four buildings, and his first Hermitcraft diamond hanging proudly on the wall. His build style, a mixture of traditional Japanese architecture and a modern-cyberpunk-ish-vibe, seems to involve an astounding level of detail, which is impressive in and of itself, and also in the lag that is generated. Those glowing signs may have to decrease sometime through the season.

Of course, seeing as it’s Hermitcraft, shenanigans are bound to ensue, and from the past, we know Joel is one who will never back down from a good shenanigan. Those twelve kills in Last Life didn’t get themselves, after all. His neighbors, whom he has dubbed the Magic Mountaineers- Grian, Mumbo, Scar, Gem, Impulse, Skizz, and himself- are all settled around one big cherry blossom mountain (hence the name), and with Hermits that close together, we know that mischief is already brewing, pranks are being planned, and friendly rivalries formed.

No matter where the season goes for him, Joel seems to have an amazing start to this season, and for any of you who are considering giving him a watch, we would highly recommend- his sarcasm, skill, and hatred for Minecraft chickens and horses are hard to forget, and many a good time is had over on the Smallishbeans channel. 

Look out, Hermitcraft Season 10!

Skizzleman, the man, the myth the legend. 

By Winter. 

Skizzleman is one of the new members of Hermitcraft Season 10. As you saw Mr Beans introduced in another article it is now Skizzleman’s turn. Now most people may not know what Skizzleman has done before Hermitcraft, so here is a run down. 

Skizzleman is part of the Z.I.T.S, aka Zedaph. Impulse. Tango. Skizzleman. These four have been creating videos together for a while. The first series that Impulse and Skizzleman created together is “Naked and Scared” which was and continues to be a unique spin on the genre of Hardcore. 

 For the wider audience, you may know Skizzleman from the hit series “The Life Series”. While Skizzleman has never won any series he has always left a resounding echo within each character he has portrayed. This often creates a very emotional ending to each series. He always commits to the bit, even to the character's demise. 

Another place you may know Skizzleman from is the GIGS Phasmophobia streams, or the 2020 Assorted Hermits(and Skizzleman) Among Us Streams. Both of the streams are different in the dynamics that they invoke. The streams are memorable and cemented in the viewer's hearts that Skizzleman was already a Hermit way before his invite. 

In other endeavours he runs a podcast with ImpulseSV called the “Imp and Skizz podcast”. Within this podcast, they discuss a variety of topics such as: how they became friends, parenting, what makes a great leader, and other big philosophical topics. They also have special guests such as Geminitay, Xisumavoid, Evan and Kate, and others. On this podcast, Impulse also proposed to Skizzleman about joining Hermitcraft. 

They now have started the season and with that new connections are being formed. As of current Skizzleman has a starter base which is lovingly called “Skizz’s Crack”. He is staying in the area with fellow hermits  Grian, SmallishBeans, GoodTimesWithScar, ImpulseSV, Mumbo Jumbo, and GeminiTay. He is currently creating a pyramid. We at the Overseer wish him well on his journey to creating joy within people's hearts. 

Lost + Found Collected by Roo

-

lost item:

a blue crochet squid on a crochet piece of sushi.

it has large eyes and is wrapped around the crochet sushi.

-

lost item(s)

5 boxes of cod.

i doubt whoever lost it actually wants to find it again.

...but i dont really want this either.

-

lost item:

ive found another one. the cursed enchanted items.

a luck of the sea, lure,unbreaking, and.

multishot...

fishing rod.

you can. assume what it does.

That's all for this week! Tune in next time to hear about the endeavors of the Citizens and the Hermits themselves!

[itsasainz]

hello, you could make a fluff with Trent that he has a foreign girlfriend and that she has problems with her self-esteem and does not think she is enough when seeing the beautiful and hot girlfriends of his teammates.

moving to Liverpool for Uni had been a big decision, especially considering that the English you'd learnt in school was hardly enough to get by with when everyone had such strong accents, but you'd never regretted it -- sure, it was tough, but you'd made good friends and, near the end of your second year, met Trent. At the time, you'd not known who he was, confused about why people were so excited that you'd met him and why, on your first date, he'd gotten stopped three times for photos. Nevertheless, you'd held off googling him until you knew who he was -- a footballer.

You went to his matches and met all his friends from inside and outside of work, his parents and brothers, and soon were fully integrated into his life -- and he into yours, once you'd taken him back to your home country for the second half of your Christmas break after you got together officially. Trent, despite his gentle teasing about your accent and your confusion at his slang, loved visiting your family, loved hearing you talk in your native tongue -- even trying to learn some himself, though you quickly realised languages weren't exactly his forte -- and loved when you got excited about finally managing to pronounce a difficult word correctly. Most of all, he enjoyed hearing his little Scouse-isms worm their way into your vocabulary.

Nevertheless, it was safe to say you didn't always feel like you completely fitted in -- not when all his mates were dating tall, gorgeous, blonde models and, in the case of one of his colleagues, a literal MTV awards winner. You weren't like that -- you were a student, a foreigner, and definitely not worthy of spending time with these people. You didn't feel pretty enough for him, or like you could engage in his work and lifestyle the same way the other girls could, not that he ever accepts your concerns -- in his eyes, you were the prettiest, smartest, kindest person in the world.

But he notices your insecurity without you telling him, or even making it remotely obvious, and soon understands that no matter how taken he is with your accent and culture, there’s always a part of you that is convinced he’d rather have British or Scouse girlfriend, who doesn’t get confused at his slang or accent. So he starts to remind you of how much he loves it more often — telling you how pretty you sound moaning and gasping your language’s expletives while he fucks you, or how impressive it is that you’re bilingual whenever you get off the phone to your parents. Perhaps one day you’ll see it with as much love as he does.

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

Cabaret

BROADWAY MUSICAL REVIVAL

AUGUST WILSON THEATRE

245 W. 52ND ST., NEW YORK, NY

Eddie Redmayne

PERFORMER

BORN: JAN 06, 1982 IN LONDON, ENGLAND.

In here, life is beautiful.

Willkommen. Bienvenue. Welcome to the Kit Kat Club. Home to an intimate and electrifying new production of CABARET.Experience this groundbreaking musical like never before. The denizens of the Kit Kat Club have created a decadent sanctuary inside Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre, where artists and performers, misfits and outsiders rule the night. Step inside their world. This is Berlin. Relax. Loosen up. Be yourself.

London’s hottest ticket arrives on Broadway this Spring with Academy® and Tony Award® winner Eddie Redmayne reprising his Olivier Award-winning performance as the Emcee, and introducing Gayle Rankin as the Toast of Mayfair, Sally Bowles.

SYNOPSIS:

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome to Cabaret! It’s 1931 Berlin, and inside the Kit Kat Klub, British nightclub singer Sally Bowles keeps the delirious party raging. But no amount of booze, music, and dancing can slow the ominous march of a changing Germany as it draws ever closer. Featuring an iconic score from Kander and Ebb—including “Maybe This Time,” “Mein Herr,” “Don’t Tell Mama,” and, of course, the title song—this Tony Award–winning musical is reimagined in a visionary new staging by Globe favorite Josh Rhodes (Guys and Dolls, Bright Star).

BroadwayWorld calls this production, “Hands down the most cohesive, well-rounded, fully conceptualized staging of this musical that I have seen to date. My friends, this is how you do Cabaret.”

[cleverwordsandotherstuffilike]

Ethel “Sunny” Lowry was born in Longsight in 1911. Her dad was a fish wholesaler and she was a 2nd cousin of the artist, LS Lowry.

From an early age, she loved swimming. She would swim regularly at Victoria Baths and Levenshulme Baths. She went to Manchester High School for Girls. The school thought that Sunny was rather too much focused on swimming. Sunny later said: "The headmistress was a rather stern woman and she looked at me from over her half-moon glasses and said 'Lowry, what is your ambition?' I replied immediately, 'To swim the Channel' and she said, without another word, 'Dismissed!'."

By her late teens, Sunny had developed into a strong distance swimmer. She took advantage of family holidays to swim the length of Windermere and along stretches of the North Wales coast. She often liked to wear a two-piece costume, which was very daring for those days.  On more than one occasion she said she was "branded a harlot for daring to bare her knees".

She entered an X-Factor style competition in which the winner got to be trained by a top team for a cross-Channel swim. Out of 300 applicants, Sunny was chosen. So, in 1933, at the age of 22, she caught a train from Manchester down to the south coast to begin rigorous training. Her trainer was tough - the first thing he said to her was "'If you say the water's cold, you may as well get off home".

On her first attempt to swim the Channel, she was defeated by strong currents. She tried again the next day, and got to within sight of the French coast. But then a storm blew up. It grew so wild and dark, the team boat completely lost sight of her. She was only spotted when one of the crew caught a glimpse of her swimming cap during a flash of lightning.  So that attempt was abandoned as well. After two failed attempts, the team considered giving up, but Sunny said she really wanted to give it one last go.

She set off again, this time from the French side. It was in the small hours of the morning and was still dark. As usual, she had to be covered in grease to protect from the cold. In preparation, she'd been eating up to 40 eggs a week (mostly in omelettes) and pushed up her weight to 14st 7lb, because it was predicted that she would lose a pound for every hour in the sea.

During the swim, she ate nothing, but paused now and again to drink coffee, cocoa and beef tea,  which she swigged from a medicine bottle dangled over the side of the escort boat.

After swimming for 15 hours 41 minutes, she finally emerged from a rough sea, and crawled up the beach at St Margaret's Bay, near Dover.  Her face and neck were swollen with jellyfish bites, and her lips were cracked and blue. She was exhausted. But she'd made it.

She thus became the 6th woman to swim the Channel and the 3rd British woman ever to do so.

After her successful swim, Sunny returned to Manchester and was she greeted by cheering crowds at Central Station. She accepted that her moment in the limelight would not last and she dedicated her life to teaching swimming. She later married and her husband, Bill, was also a swimming teacher.

She was later awarded an MBE. Sunny was described as a wonderful, gentle, kind lady. Her great niece said: "She was as fit as a fiddle, as sharp as ninepence, and she kept on swimming well into her 90s".

Sunny died, aged 97, in 2008.

[armchairfootballer]

It’s been a rollercoaster 10 years since James Rodríguez wowed the world

It's been 10 years since James Rodríguez scored *that* goal. Yes, that one. You remember it well, surely.

The setting: Brazil's historic Maracanã stadium. In the 28th minute of their Round of 16 contest against Uruguay, Colombia's Abel Aguilar lobbed a header to James, who played it off his chest and volley-kicked it into the top of his opponents' net, near the corner, well beyond a diving Fernando Muslera. In a post-match summary of the goal, the poetic British commentator Peter Drury declared, "First touch, sumptuous. Second touch, magical. That's not a left foot. That is a wand." Uruguayan defender José María Giménez could do nothing more than stand with his hands on his hips, staring at the net in disbelief.

"My word, this boy's a star!" Drury proclaimed in the moment. James did not disappoint. He added another goal that game, taking his tally to five in the tournament after just four games. He'd add another in a quarterfinal loss to Brazil. Though Colombia would bow out at that point, James would go on to win the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer and, later, the Puskas Award for the year's most beautiful goal.

But it hasn't been a bed of roses for James in the ten years since Rio. Today, on his 33rd birthday, we take a look at the rise, fall, and revival of the Colombian midfielder.

The rising star

James had been building a strong career for himself in advance of the 2014 World Cup with productive seasons at Porto (32 goals in 107 appearances; 6 trophies) followed by a high-profile move to Monaco — a 5-year contract with a €45 million transfer fee. But in a post-World Cup interview, James said the magic words: that it would be his "life's dream" to play for Real Madrid. Ten days later, and with 4 years still left on his contract, James had signed with Carlo Ancelotti's band of superstars, a roster that included the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos, Kareem Benzema, and Sergio Ramos to name just a few. (Casillas, Pepe, Bale, Marcelo, Navas to name just a few more.)

Things started well at Madrid. Even amidst a team rich in talent, and despite being out for two months with injury, James contributed 17 goals in his first season. But later injuries and diminishing returns in successive seasons meant that James could no longer keep a regular place on the squad. New Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane also didn't seem to favor James' playing style, leading the Colombian to request a loan to Bayern Munich, where we would be reunited with Ancelotti.

Internationally, James was still making waves. At 25, he was named Colombia team captain for the 2016 Copa América, leading them to third place, losing only to eventual winners, Chile.

Fading away

Injuries plagued James for quite some time, keeping him from action for both club and country. After such a dazzling display in 2014, James sat on the bench at the 2018 World Cup and watched as his team went out to England in penalties in the Round of 16.

Despite scoring some key goals to help Bayern Munich win two league titles and a Pokal, James had netted only 15 goals in his 67 appearances with the club, and the owners opted not to pick up the option to purchase him. With no home in Munich or Madrid, he moved to Merseyside for a short stint with Everton (again, reuniting him with Ancelotti).

But failing to impress in England, and with no other clubs willing to take him on, James found himself playing for Qatar's Al Rayyan and didn't contribute much to their mediocre season. The Qatari team let him go just one game into his second season. He moved to Greece where he again lasted only one season after poor results with Olympiacos.

And James wouldn't get to return to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup as Colombia failed to qualify, finishing three points behind Ecuador for the last guaranteed spot. How did the World Cup star fade so fast for James?

Fast forward to summer 2023: James once again finds himself in South America. He now plays for São Paolo in Brazil, 13 years after he had left Argentina's Banfield, where he began built the reputation that catapulted him to European football. A name that had once dominated discussions among pundits — that had been proclaimed as "the next great thing" — had now faded into near oblivion. People weren't talking about James Rodríguez anymore.

Renaissance

After their failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, James expressed uncertainty as to whether he would ever again play for his country. That may have lit a fire under the team and perhaps even under him. Something started to happen...

Colombia started to pile up the wins, or at least had avoided losing. They had racked up victories against Mexico, Germany, and Brazil, among other countries. And before you knew it, they entered Copa América 2024 on a 23-game unbeaten run.

Enter James.

The attacking midfield has been a stalwart for Colombia all tournament and has been one of the keys to their success. In Colombia's five games so far, he has netted one goal and contributed six assists, surpassing Messi's tournament assist record. He's been man of the match for four of Colombia's five games of the tournament so far.

And when Colombia face off against Messi's Argentina in Sunday's final, James will need to play a pivotal role. Will his remarkable revival culminate in extending Colombia's historic unbeaten run and winning their first Copa América since 2001?

In addition to reinvigorating this Colombia team and resurrecting his career, James may also be accomplishing something even more outlandish — he may have some neutrals paying closer attention to him and Colombia than to Messi and Argentina. Colombia has arguably been the Copa's best team. Argentina has yet to come up against substantial competition and have had two victories over Canada.

Meanwhile, Colombia have had already had to battle both Brazil and Uruguay, defeating the latter while down a player for an entire half. The talented superstars of La Albiceleste, the world's #1 ranked team for the last 18 months now, can always dazzle and can outplay any team on their best day. But we've yet to see their best at this tournament, and it's feasible Colombia's passionate, fiery play could be a game-changer.

The bookies may have already made their prediction, but Sunday's eventual outcome is anything but clear. What is clear is that James Rodríguez will have a key role to play in whatever the result.

He's hoping it's a role for the better.