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tabloidtoc · 3 years ago

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Us, May 3

You can buy a brand new copy of this issue without the mailing label for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Pregnant Meghan Markle: My Baby, My Way

Page 2: Red Carpet -- rufflemania -- Hollywood style stars are tier-ing it up in this flattering design with feminine flair -- Tracee Ellis Ross, Kaitlyn Dever, Margot Robbie, Logan Browning, Nicola Coughlan

Page 3: Lizzo, Maude Apatow, Lucy Boynton, Jessica Alba, Lily Collins

Page 4: Who Wore It Best? Anya Taylor-Joy vs. Isla Fisher vs. Regina King in Stuart Weitzman Nudist sandal

Page 6: Loose Talk -- Shonda Rhimes on the intense backlash she received over Rege-Jean Page's exit from Bridgerton, Kelly Ripa on her most embarrassing interview, Luke Bryan on his mother LeClaire's Instagram fame, Blake Shelton on The Voice's new coach Ariana Grande, Reese Witherspoon joking about wearing bottoms that aren't sweatpants

Page 8: Contents

Page 10: A Final Farewell to Prince Philip, his four children Prince Charles and Princess Anne and Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were among the loved ones who participated in the emotional ceremony, feuding brothers Prince Harry and Prince William (and his wife Duchess Kate) put their differences aside after the intimate service, due to Covid-19 protocols the grieving Queen Elizabeth stayed socially distant from the other 29 people who attended the funeral for her husband of 73 years

Page 11: ACM Awards 2021 -- Maren Morris teamed up with her husband Ryan Hurd and won Female Artist of the Year, Thomas Rhett won Male Artist of the Year, Carrie Underwood took the stage

Page 12: Hot Pics -- Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wore an orange coat during a visit to NYC, John Stamos plays a coach on the TV show Big Shot, Zach Braff goofed around on the set of Cheaper by the Dozen in L.A.

Page 13: Eva Longoria on her trampoline while aboard a yacht in Miami, Howie Mandel arrived to the set of America's Got Talent dressed as a bug in Pasadena

Page 14: Jon Hamm and his rescue dog Splash strolled around the neighborhood in L.A., Heidi Klum in all white in Pasadena, Sara Gilbert and Linda Perry take a stroll in L.A.

Page 15: Eddie Cibrian and LeAnn Rimes held hands after dinner at Il Segreto in L.A., Patrick Dempsey shot a scene for his show Devils in Rome

Page 16: Rachel Brosnahan in a blue dress and carrying a clear umbrella on the set of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in NYC, Lin-Manuel Miranda at the opening of a vaccination center for Broadway workers in Times Square, Trisha Yearwood feeds one of her rescue pups

Page 18: Gen Z Has Spoken -- these celebs are making the young kids proud -- Baggy Jeans -- Hailey Bieber, Tracee Ellis Ross, Bella Hadid

Page 19: Middle Parts -- Busy Philipps, Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Kourtney Kardashian, baguette bags -- Dua Lipa, Elsa Hosk, Irina Shayk, Kendall Jenner

Page 20: Seeing Double -- stars bear a striking resemblance to their famous counterparts -- Elizabeth Banks and Chelsea Handler, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Nina Dobrev, Betty Gilpin and Jodie Comer

Page 21: Rob Lowe and Ian Somerhalder, Jaime Pressly and Margot Robbie, Isla Fisher and Amy Adams, Rupert Grint and Ed Sheeran, Kyle Richards and Kacey Musgraves

Page 22: Clueless Crew -- stars are totally buggin' over Cher Horowitz's style in yellow plaid -- Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, Katie Holmes was rollin' with her homie beau Emilio Vitolo Jr. in NYC, Vanessa Hudgens, Dianna Agron

Page 23: Gabrielle Union

Page 24: Stars They're Not Like Us -- Jay Leno took one of his vintage automobiles out for a spin in L.A., Chrissy Teigen and John Legend took a selfie with a fan while grocery shopping in Beverly Hills, Kylie Jenner has custom vending machines

Page 25: Carrie Underwood in her massive walk-in closet, Denzel Washington signs autographs for fans in NYC, Megan Thee Stallion on a private plane, Drake and his bodyguard in Beverly Hills

Page 26: Stars They're Just Like Us -- Sarah Jessica Parker catches a yellow cab after working at her shoe store in NYC, Brad Paisley picked up five pizzas to go in Montecito

Page 27: Kelly Osbourne handed out goods at a drive-thru food distribution event at the Islamic Center of Southern California, HGTV's Egypt Sherrod transformed her closet into a meditation space in Atlanta, in between filming Law & Order: SVU's Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T take a selfie

Page 28: Hollywood Dads -- Scott Porter on parenting his two kids McCoy and Clover

Page 29: Jonathan Tucker on life with twins Hayes and India, parenthood is a lot tougher than Jovi Dufren imagined, Maksim Chmerkovskiy can't wait to show son Shai his work

Page 30: Love Lives -- Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are showing no signs of slowing down -- the pair enjoyed a night out in L.A. hotspot Delilah where they were holding hands and laughing and they're not hiding the fact that they're dating but they just don't want people in their business -- they're a good match and are each other's best friend

Page 31: Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber may look like the picture-perfect couple, but Justin admits that their first year of marriage wasn't what he expected, saying it was really tough and there was just a lack of trust and he blamed the strain on his own personal struggles and said before he didn't have someone to love or someone to pour into but now, more than two years after exchanging vows with Hailey, he has that

* Kacey Musgraves' romance with Dr. Gerald Onuoha is giving her butterflies -- the pair are so happy they found each other and while Kacey, who split from her husband Ruston Kelly last summer, is trying not to get too ahead of herself, her connection to the Nashville-based doc is off the charts and it's got the potential to go a very long way

* Today's Savannah Guthrie is thankful to have husband Michael Feldman in her life, especially given the demands of her early morning work schedule

Page 32: Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are getting serious -- all the details on their whirlwind romance

Page 33: Adapting to parenthood has been a breeze for Emma Stone and she's soaking in all the precious moments of being a mom for the first time -- she and husband Dave McCary welcomed their baby daughter in March and Emma is super protective and a very hands-on mom and Dave is also hands-on and helps with their daughter -- thanks to the little one, Emma's marriage with the comedian has also gotten stronger and having a baby has brought them closer in a way they never expected -- Emma is looking forward to getting back to work; she's taken this time off to embrace motherhood and her number one priority is to raise a healthy baby so that's what she's focused on right now

* Britney Spears is setting the record straight -- despite her ongoing conservatorship battle with her dad, Jamie Spears, she is doing totally fine, assuring fans that she's extremely happy and she has a beautiful home, beautiful children and she's taking a break right now because she's enjoying herself -- although the legal drama with her father is heating up, Britney is staying strong and she has this wonderful ability to see the positive even when the odds are against her

* Keeping Up With Us -- production for the Downton Abbey sequel is underway, Mossimo Giannulli is a free man, Chrissy Teigen returned to Twitter 23 days after announcing that she was leaving the platform, Vanessa Bryant remembered her late husband Kobe Bryant on what would have been their 20th wedding anniversary, Helen McCrory lost her battle with cancer at age 52 according to her husband Damian Lewis

Page 34: A Day in My Life -- Whitney Port

Page 35: Colton Underwood is ready to live his truth -- during an interview on Good Morning America, the former Bachelor came out as gay, saying he's run from himself for a long time and he came to terms with his sexuality earlier this year and he's the happiest and healthiest he's ever been -- now that he feels like he can finally breathe, Colton is excited for his next chapter, which fans will get to see on an upcoming reality show with Olympian Gus Kenworthy -- a huge weight has been lifted off of Colton's shoulders and he is looking forward to being his authentic self

Page 36: Moms Tell All -- Happy Mother's Day! From milestones and manners to rules and nanny-bans, celebs and insiders talk about raising kids in Hollywood

Page 37: Bindi Irwin says life at home with her daughter Grace Warrior has been positively blissful and her family with dad Chandler Powell is so full of love, adding that the newborn has already met some of the wildlife at the Australia Zoo where Bindi and Chandler live and work and of course she's seen some crocs and really lit up when she saw them -- while the Aussie conservationist is sad Grace won't get to meet her late dad Steve Irwin, Bindi's brother Robert Irwin and mom Terri Irwin have been by her side constantly and Robert is obsessed with Grace and has been helping out so much and her mom has been the biggest guiding light and she's already taught Bindi so much about being a mother, both in how she raised her and by showing her things day by day and Terri is quite the baby whisperer and she's so great a calming Grace down when she's crying -- first-time father Chandler is also a natural with Grace and he's been the most supportive and involved dad and together, he and Bindi make such a great team -- for now, Bindi, who stars with Chandler in Crikey! It's a Baby!, is hoping Grace will follow in her animal-activist footsteps, saying having three generations of strong women working as conservationists is a dream come true

* Jennifer Garner said teaching your kids is a lifelong job, and certainly values are something you have to show them -- Jennifer, who shares kids Violet, Seraphina and Samuel with ex Ben Affleck, is staying true to her word and has led by example when it comes to things like kindness and patience and she won't let anyone in the house to judge or speak ill of people, and she enforces the same wholesome, traditional values that she was raised with and the kids have been taught to be loving, hardworking and fair -- Jennifer has always taken a kids-come-first approach to parenting, and it shows as they bake together, enjoy movie nights, read books and have very active lives and it's a very healthy, happy household filled with laughter and love

Page 38: Gwen Stefani has her hands full with her sons Kingston, Zuma and Apollo with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, but she wouldn't want it any other way -- Gwen's a tomboy, so having three boys wasn't daunting for her at all, plus she has fiance Blake Shelton by her side to pitch in with parenting duties and Gwen and the boys have a blast at Blake's ranch in Oklahoma where they enjoy riding their ATVs, and they play baseball and football -- it's not all fun and games, though because Gwen is big on boundaries and manners and she doesn't want to raise Hollywood brats and it's important to her that her sons be gentlemen

* Meghan Markle's pregnancy with Archie was no walk in the park, as she revealed during her bombshell TV interview with husband Prince Harry, the couple had concerns over whether or not the royal family would provide security for their son and claimed there were conversations about his skin color -- but this time around, as Meghan and Harry gear up for baby No. 2 at home in L.A., she's doing everything her way, without the royals and Meghan and Harry feel blessed that they're able to raise their daughter in the U.S. and can live by their own rules and make the decisions they feel are best for their children; having independence is the most important thing for Meghan and she's got free rein to be exactly the kind of mom she wants to be -- her parenting style is really like most mothers out there, and she's been craving pasta and doing yoga two times a day as her due date nears and she keeps a lot of art supplies out to foster creativity and healthy snacks around and she's a devoted mom and wants the best for her kids

Page 39: Kate Hudson has a lot on her plate, so the mom of three, who shares son Ryder with former husband Chris Robinson and son Bingham with ex Matt Bellamy and daughter Rani with boyfriend Danny Fujikawa, knows when to put her foot down as things can get a little overwhelming at times for Kate, but when she says no, it absolutely means no, and the kids respect her very much because of that

* Gigi Hadid, who shares daughter Khai with boyfriend Zayn Malik, wants to spend every waking moment with her precious little girl -- Gigi could easily afford to employ a team of nannies but chooses not to and she prefers to do everything herself and besides, she can't bear to be away from Khai for more than a few hours

* Candace Cameron Bure's three grown kids are flying the coop, but she's still super involved in their lives, despite slowly becoming an empty nester -- the mom of Natasha, Lev, and Maksim with former hockey player Valeri Bure says it's been a very transitional time and she's been trying to help them make decisions they feel good about and it's challenging, but they're figuring it out

Page 40: Oh, Baby! Meghan Markle's due date is just around the corner, and here are all the details

* Bump Brigade -- Halsey, Gal Gadot, Shawn Johnson East

Page 42: 10 Years of the Cambridges -- a look back at Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton's solid marriage for their anniversary

Page 44: Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez: What Really Happened -- cheating and lies? The truth behind J.Lo's split from fiance A-Rod

Page 45: Friendliest Exes -- these former couples managed to stay close after going their separate ways -- Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr, Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz

Page 48: Gifts for Mother's Day

Page 54: Entertainment -- Ben Barnes on Shadow and Bone

Page 58: Fashion Police -- the most daring Oscars looks -- Bjork, Whoopi Goldberg, Charlize Theron

Page 59: Rachel Weisz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lady Gaga

Page 60: 25 Things You Don't Know About Me -- Julia Michaels

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thatwierdkpopstanftbnhaandmha · 3 years ago

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Hey!! Wow uhh its been ages since ive posted <3

Honestly ive really changed and i hope everyones doing okay!!

Well so i know i havent been online in ages. So im sorry to the people i ghosted.

Really? I have alot more security, connections and happiness on other platforms and irl then i do here (like i say went from hated to liked) .

So im here to say i prolly wont be posting and i wont be online to much.

So heres a few things....

@lixiesbabyhands Aelia, im sorry. I dont know why but i feel like ive done something wrong. Your so good to me and im so grateful for you, ur loved and the 1st of my 2 aussie big sissys. Ill send u my ig youll get more of a response and conversation there if u still wonna be friends <3.

@fanfictiongrace hello mother. Thats all xD. Ur amazing and i hope i get to stay friends with u (even thou its odd, how old u r xD) Im so grateful (again) for everything you have done for me. Ill sned u my instagram if u have it. If not tell me ill just text u here its fine!!

Im sorry i dont know daisy's tumblr but she has my ig

@dead-carrot @morry-kun @shiki idk his url again @soylordrikki take note 📒📒

Ily

-Ellie <3

#goodbye </3

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artificialqueens · 4 years ago

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Down with the Recipe, Bake from the Heart, 10/10 (Taywhora) - Juno

Chapter Summary: The three finalists are just three challenges away from the end of the Bake Off, and the reunion with their fellow competitors, families, and friends at the finale garden party. The Signature and Technicals will be the hardest yet, and the Showstopper will ensure the three finalists bare a slice of their hearts to the country. But who will take the winning cake stand?

A/N: I have been utterly blown away by the support and comments I’ve had for this fic on tumblr and AO3! Huge big thank you to everyone who has cheered me on with this. For ease, the finale and epilogue are in one here (but are split on AO3). I hope to be back soon with some short stuff for rare pair challenge! xo Juno

WEEK 10: GRAND FINALE

Aurora felt like she didn’t sleep all week back in Worksop, and now, the night before she had to take the train down south to film the grand finale, the very idea seemed virtually impossible. Her body and her mind tossed and turned, every time she closed her eyes she saw cakes and breads and pastries and all sorts of things she was sure she’d never have any desire to eat again.

She had no time to think about Tayce, but Tayce had found her way in through the cracks in her mind while she had practised. Gone from the tent, but not gone from her life. And her last act in the tent had been to give Aurora five words that had rung like a melody in her head ever since.

You can win this, bitch.

She reached for her phone in the darkness, and it said it was half past one in the morning. She’d have to get up in three hours to get ready, before she headed out for the train. Lawrence would already be on the sleeper train, and Veronica was probably getting up at around the same time. But as she opened their own three-way chat, she found both Lawrence and Veronica were also messaging at silly time in the morning.

They weren’t sleeping either. Aurora understood why now.

Sure, she’d see Tayce again this weekend at the grand finale garden party. But her departure still replayed in her head.

Why did I end up this reliant on her anyway? I can bake without her. I’ve done it for years!

But this wasn’t just baking. It wasBake Off. It was surreal, intangible. It defied gravity. How many times had Aurora had to anchor herself to Tayce to keep herself from floating away?

Her phone came up with a notification from Lawrence.

Lawrence:why tf ru awake

The irony of Lawrence’s message was not lost on Aurora.

Aurora:your meant to be on the sleeper train Aurora: sleeper Aurora: clue is in the name Lawrence: yh but its stopped Lawrence: we’re in carlisle Aurora: what’s it like in Carlisle x Lawrence: dark

Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but it tickled her far more than it should, and she found herself laughing far too hard at the message.

Aurora: how much ru lookin forward to this bein over now x Lawrence: oh loads babes Lawrence: cant wait to bring that cake stand to Glasgow x Veronica:keep dreaming Lawrence Aurora: unlikely lol x

On second thoughts, the teasing and the laughter were a balm for her worried mind right now, and Aurora found she was laughing more than she had all week at their conversation.

Sleep is overrated anyway.

——

The tent looked huge and imposing, but Aurora was still not at the front to her relief. If Lawrence had gone home last week - not that Aurora had ever expected her to - Aurora thought she would have squirmed at the front under the gaze of the judges. Especially now, with just the three of them left, their voices echoing like a vast cave, all of their heartbeats just sounding amplified as they hammered against their ribs.

It’s the finale. I made it.

Aurora glanced at the two badges she’d won. The same amount as Lawrence, with Veronica having one to her name. But as they’d seen from previous series, the amount of times someone had won Star Baker was not an indicator as to who would win the whole thing. But it certainly gave both her and Lawrence a minor edge, and both of them a swell in their chests.

Everything felt new and fresh. Lawrence had re-dyed her hair, blue this time, the vibrant colour almost a distraction in itself. Veronica had new black nails which she tapped on the workbench, and her roots had been redone. Aurora hadn’t thought to do any of that, so she was pleased to still be at the back.

Her turquoise KitchenAid still glistened like new, the workbench sparkled with the glassy varnish, and the cupboards and shelves around in their pastel colours made the summer air feel all the more fresh and clean. She glanced over at Veronica, her own green KitchenAid in the same state, and Lawrence’s Cadbury purple one too.

I wonder if I can pinch the KitchenAid after filming without the crew noticing.

——

Signature: 12 iced doughnuts - 6 ring, 6 filled

If there was one thing Aurora hated doing, it was piping filling into something as fiddly as a doughnut. They’d have to cool down, be hollowed, and then filled, a really fiddly process.

It was the hardest day in the tent by far. The morning was rainy, light rain that almost felt like it wasn’t there, and the air was sticky and humid, pushing the temperature in the tent up, especially with the deep fat fryers they’d been provided for the doughnuts.

Aurora chewed her lip so hard that it bled, piping mixture, watching them all closely in the deep fat fryer, filling up her jam piping bag and spinning it so tightly that it threatened to burst and cover her in sticky apricot jam.

In front of her, Lawrence groaned a few times as she battled against the heat and the doughnuts as they spat in the fryer, while Veronica was wringing her hands at the dough as it came out of her own fryer.

“Too soft,” she muttered, followed by “God, too hard,” at the next batch.

By the time judging came, with Prue back from her illness this week, Aurora had almost forgotten what she’d flavoured them with, but she wasn’t alone. Across from her, Veronica stuttered as she spoke about her doughnuts, while Lawrence just pushed her hair back at the question.

“Don’t know,” she’d mused to the judges, some of the old humour returning to her voice. “Started making them, had a breakdown, and here they are. Enjoy!”

The judges all laughed, but Aurora caught a glint in Lawrence’s eye, and the same thought passed between them both.

It’s not a lie!

All of them had similar critiques. Unanimously told they had good flavours, good bakes, and good designs, it was becoming virtually impossible to differentiate between them. How were they going to decide a winner?

“How are they going to do this?” Veronica said aloud to the room, as they sat in Norton Hall (not Carr Hall, Aurora said to herself) waiting for the Technical challenge to begin.

“Not a fucking clue.” Lawrence sighed.

“Are any of you thinking about today though?” Aurora asked. “Are you just thinking about the Showstopper tomorrow too?”

Lawrence and Veronica both nodded slowly, none of them looking at each other.

“Are you all … doing the same thing as I am?”

Lawrence and Veronica just continued nodding.

None of them even needed to say a word. They all knew.

——

Technical: Victoria Sponge (no recipe)

Technical sounded daunting at first glance, but Aurora tried to reason with her worried mind. Baking a Vicky sponge from scratch with no instructions? Please. Aurora baked a Vicky sponge twice a month for the local shelter. She could probably have done it in her sleep.

But the pressure cooker of the tent just made everything go up in smoke in her brain.

Her nan’s voice rang in her head for the proportions that she used to use. Two, two, two, and two eggs. But two what? Two cake tins? Two bowls? Two competitors? No, two pounds. When would her nan come into the new millennium and learn that no one talked about measurements in pounds and ounces any more?

“Lawrence?” She leaned forward.

“Alright, babes?”

“How much is two pounds in grams again?”

Lawrence was frowning. “What?”

“Please - just tell me. I know it’s a competition and all -“

“I’m not trying to stitch you up hen, I genuinely don’t know, I don’t use pounds and ounces because I entered the twenty-first century a while back.” Lawrence shook her head, holding her hands up in surrender. “What do you need it for anyway?”

“Recipe,” Aurora said, her already-hammering heart feeling like it could break her ribs.

“What’s up, love?” That was Veronica’s voice. Aurora closed her eyes, wracking her brain, but Lawrence’s voice pierced the gloom.

“How much is a pound in grams, d’you know?”

“Yeah,” came Veronica’s in response, “a pound is about four hundred and fifty grams. Y’know, you can also go the other way. A kilo is two point two pounds. What do you need that for, yours is already whisking?”

“No, Rory’s having a meltdown, and not with the butter.”

Jesus Dawn French Christ, Lawrence.

A hand met her shoulder, and Aurora was astonished to see Veronica at her side.

“You alright, love?”

She held her gaze for a long time, unflinching, but her eyes were softer than ever, and her hand was surprisingly warm and calming as she rubbed Aurora’s shoulder.

“Yeah. Just - this,” Aurora waved her hands, encompassing the whole tent. Maybe that was absurd to an outside observer, but Veronica knew. Veronica understood.

“I looked at your instagram,” Veronica said quietly, “and I know you bake cakes loads, so I know you can knock this one right out of the park, alright? And you know that too. I mean, I can’t remember a thing about making jam now! And I’m probably going overboard with my sugar. But hey, it’s the finale! I can’t be sent home now!”

Veronica shrugged, her face split in a grin that bordered on maniacal, and Aurora had to admit that she had a point. She took a shaky inhale, then let it out.

“Look, I know you miss Tayce,” Veronica dropped her voice even lower, her hand squeezing her shoulder now, “because I’ve missed Tia since alt week. And we know Lawrence is missing Ellie, even though she’d probably rather move to London and take up Morris dancing than admit that.”

“You say that, but I can do that accent, I’ve watched Eastenders,” Lawrence called over her shoulder. “And I won’t be any worse than Dick Van Dyke.”

“We’re all missing everyone,” Veronica said, and Aurora knew she didn’t mean everyone, “but you don’t need Tayce to be able to bake. You can do it on your own. You’ve done it loads before this show, and you’ll do it again!”

“I can’t,” Aurora heard her fear contradict her in a whisper.

“You can,” Veronica said firmly, her gaze now stern. “You can do this.”

Aurora took a deep breath, held for four, and let it out for five.

“I can.”

“That’s it, love,” Veronica said, nodding and starting to walk away.

——

“Here’s to the last time we’re here as a three,” Aurora said, raising her glass along with Lawrence and Veronica. One of the producers had brought in a bottle of champagne, and even though Aurora didn’t really like the bubbles very much - they tickled her nose - she accepted the glass that was poured for her.

“How much does everyone remember about today?” Veronica asked, her arms and legs crossed on the sofa. “Because I can’t remember a bloody thing. I can’t even remember what the judges said about that piece of crap that my Vicky sponge turned out to be. Did I come last?”

“Yeah,” Aurora nodded. “Was nothing in it, though. We were all shit.”

“Speak for yourselves,” Lawrence muttered, a hint of her old mischievous glint back in her eye.

“And tomorrow we’re recording the finale,” Aurora sighed, swirling the champagne. “Five hours in a tent, followed by half an hour break, followed by presenting the Showstoppers, followed by the garden party, followed by our speeches. And then filming three endings. Where one of us wins each time.”

“It’s gonna be worth it by the end, though,” Veronica said brightly.

“Who’s gonna come from your family, Lawrence?” Aurora asked.

“My parents, my cousin Chloe, and my best pal Stinky Pete.” Lawrence grinned. “Can’t wait to see them. And who have you two got?”

“Uhm,” Aurora frowned. “I know Blake’s coming, and my nan, but I thought you could only invite two people?”

“Mine said four,” Lawrence replied. “God, you really can’t count, can you?”

“What about you?” Aurora asked, motioning to Veronica with her glass.

“My mum’s coming and my brother.” She twitched her shoulders. “None of my friends could get time off. Shame, really.”

Aurora nodded, sipping her champagne, trying to hold off on sneezing through the bubbles. “And the others.”

“Can’t wait,” Veronica smiled her usual pinched, nervous smile, her leg jogging. “I’ve missed them all. Tia especially, but I’ve missed them all. I wonder who they all think will win?”

“And Ellie still owes me a tenner for that Puff the Magic Dragon shit that she thought Tayce’s biccies were,” Lawrence mused.

Aurora pursed her lips at Tayce’s name, but pushed it to the back of her mind. What mattered now was not Tayce, but the fact that her eyes were drooping after not having slept the previous night, and the champagne making her head throb.

“Early one?” Veronica’s sigh must have read been a telepathic projection, because they all stood in unison and trailed each other up the stairs to their respective rooms, ready to pass out and begin everything again in the morning.

——

Showstopper: A picnic for a fellow contestant - to include one celebration cake, 12 savoury pastries, and 12 patisserie.

When the three of them had seen the Showstopper for the weekend, right after Tayce’s elimination, they’d all nodded knowingly to each other.

This one has been just …made for us all.

It was obvious. It was blatantly obvious that everything that had happened had been noticed by the producers, and the staff, and everyone with eyes and without them too, that all three of the finalists were missing someone.

Veronica was setting her alarms up, all five of them as usual, before dragging her ingredients from the bag she kept. On her workbench, she’d gently placed a photo Tia had taken of some landscape or other. Lawrence had laid all her ingredients out on a baby pink tablecloth that complimented the purple of her own KitchenAid.

Aurora only had one thing to remind her of Tayce. She’d gone into a charity shop in the week with Blake, looking for something he’d seen in the window, and had found something that Blake had gasped at.

“It’s a Welsh love spoon!” He’d thrust the small wooden spoon into Aurora’s hand, and she’d turned it over and over silently in her fingers, marvelling at the twisting pattern on the handle, curling into a heart shape at the top.

“That’s fate, that is,” Blake had nodded. “You’ve got to get that.”

Aurora set the spoon now on the counter top, resting against her own KitchenAid for now, as she ran back through the timings again in her head, and what she was planning.

The twelve savoury pastries were easy. Puff pastry sausage rolls with added baked beans and cheese. Even if Prue didn’t like baked beans, that was all Tayce seemed to be eating every breakfast time.

Screw what Prue likes. This isn’t for her.

The cake? It had taken some thought. Black Forest gateau with a mirror glaze to top it off, not something she knew if Tayce liked, but something that felt sophisticated and stylish. And the deep purple of the blackberries was a colour that Tayce loved.

The patisserie was the hardest one, but she’d settled on millefeuille, similar to some that she made before for her nan’s seventy-fifth birthday, delicate and decorative, fragile-looking but built to stand tall. Not to mention they tasted so good that the world ceased to exist when someone bit into one.

“It’s like they’re all back here, isn’t it?”

Veronica’s voice was quiet, but happy. Lawrence’s intake of breath was shaky, but she didn’t turn to face her, focusing on her bake.

“You’ve got a tin of baked beans on your workbench, Aurora, it’s so surreal! And Lawrence, you’ve got so much pink on your workbench today.” Veronica motioned to the pink fondant she’d made, pink icing, pink glaze, pink cake filling. Pink and white marshmallows, pink jam … every shade of pink imaginable. Lawrence just gave a snort and shook her head.

It was meant to be the hardest challenge yet, but it definitely didn’t feel that way. The tent heated up with the warm sunshine outside and the combination of ovens and bakers and inside, but as soon as nerves started manifesting, the three of them were all there to diffuse them all for each other.

When Lawrence started dropping her utensils, both Aurora and Veronica were at her side in an instant to grab her hands and calm her down before she started panicking. When Veronica clung to the edge of her workbench, motionless, Lawrence and Aurora were both there beside her to talk her down.

But when the last ten minutes were called …

Shit.

Aurora felt cold fear creep back up her chest. She still had the millefeuille to assemble. She’d done three, but nine remained. And the puff pastry had to come out of the oven. And the glaze needed to be poured over the cake for it to set into a mirror in time -

“Aurora?” That was Lawrence, with Veronica on her heels. “You’re making a squeaky whiny noise like a balloon letting out air. What d’you need?”

“But - ten minutes - your own bakes -“

As Aurora flapped, the other two simply ran round her side and started doing it without needing her to tell them. Soon all her pastries were on the tray, and the cake was out the fridge, the glaze ready to go.

“You pipe, I’ll load,” Veronica muttered, and she did just that, while Lawrence put the cake onto the metal tray, jogging back from her own workbench where she’d had to finish off one of her own patisseries, and as Aurora finished piping the last millefeuille …

“Bakers! You have five minutes on your final Showstopper!”

They were all pulling out the stops, dashing between all three of their benches. Veronica was throwing gold leaf around like it was confetti. Lawrence was covered in icing sugar, the sweet scent filling the air. Aurora poured the deep purple onto the cake, praying to the Monster gods that it would set into a mirror glaze in time …

“Time is up! The final Showstopper has finished! Congratulations, bakers!”

The whole world seemed to crumble at Noel’s words.

Aurora looked at the mountain of food she’d produced, everything that reminded her of Tayce, and she knew then that serving this would mean serving a slice of her heart to the nation. And that was the plan all along.

Everything in her body ached, her bones were hollow, her breathing felt too loud alongside the deafening roar of blood in her ears. But as she leaned on the workbench, surveying the amount of work she’d done, she felt a tickle at the back of her throat, and suddenly she was laughing, so hard that she felt like she’d never stop. And then so was Veronica. Then Lawrence began too.

They were all cackling, all three of them, delirious with delight. Noel and Matt came to congratulate them, clapping as they did so, and then Veronica came out from her bench to hug Lawrence, and Aurora ran to join in, and the three of them were suddenly hugging, laughing, sobbing, cheering into each others’ ears.

Until they were all too weak to speak.

——

Aurora, first alphabetically, was going to be the first out of the tent with her final Showstopper, to make her way to the garden party that was always put on for friends and family for the grand finale.

All her bakes were on an enormous tray and she carried it, with Noel on her left and Matt on her right, all three of them bearing the load. Aurora was flabbergasted that nothing was moving, nothing was falling, but everything was still and settled.

As soon as she stepped outside the tent for the first time, she was met by a blast of noise like heat from a furnace.

Clapping, cheers, whoops, laughter. The crowd at the garden party was friends, family, co-workers, film crew, all the staff of Norton Hall, and of course Blu and Cheryl. She caught sight and sound of her nan - her nan! - her accent and her distinctive nasal voice above the rest of the crowd, bless. And Blake, waving his hands in the air and cupping them to his mouth to howl at the sky.

And the rest of the contestants, waiting with the biggest smiles, with applause, with cheers and shouts that drowned out everything else that was happening.

Tayce was in the centre. And Aurora had never seen her look so happy.

She rested the tray at the table outside the tent behind her name, and stopped, stunned, blinking so many times at the noise and her senses overloading. How green the grass was, how vibrant the gingham pattern on the table, how blue the sky was above her head, how bright and hot the sun felt on her bare arms.

“Go on, Aurora,” Matt muttered, pointing to the crowd. “You can go and see them!”

Aurora walked slowly, the dream she was in making her legs shake. Her feet were resting on air, two inches above the ground, just above the blades of grass. But she somehow made the walk, the whole twenty-foot walk, away from the tent towards them all, dazed by their overflowing love, their cheers and their applause.

Tayce was beaten in the first hug by Hurricane Ellie, swamping Aurora in her arms; and by the time she’d disentangled herself, Bimini was there, leaping forward and rubbing her arms and beaming at her; followed by a grinning Pip, followed by Joe, still cackling. In fact, everyone seemed to get a turn before Aurora was left with just Tayce, waiting patiently, the grin she wore showing all her teeth, her eyes crinkling in happiness.

“Told you you could do it, bitch!”

——

“I made this spread for Tayce,” Aurora began, still cursing that her name was first alphabetically and she was first up on the podium.

Part of the Showstopper this year was a little speech to the crowd at the garden party. It was meant to be a tear-jerker, obviously, for the viewers to have an emotional finale, but it had just served to make all the bakers pull their hair out while writing a speech about which contestant they were baking for, and why.

“I made it for her because Tayce has been my rock throughout the competition. We were on the back row together, we got through all the first challenges together … she corrected me on the name of the hall for God’s sake, I was calling it Carr Hall for ages!”

The polite laughter tinkled around the grounds.

“Tayce has been an inspiration in so many ways. She’s taught me that … that I can channel my worries into the energy that I use to make a cake or a bread or whatever - and that can be fuel for me, to push me forwards. Tayce showed me that they were just a source of power like anything else. She always told me to relax. Well, chillax. And when I did, I rediscovered that I loved baking.”

Aurora couldn’t look at Tayce, even from this distance. Couldn’t see her eyes. If she did she might burst.

Lawrence and Veronica sat on the chairs next to the tent, next to the judges, waiting their turns, while everyone else sat or stood on the grass; but Aurora’s position on the podium, towering over them all, kept eyes trained on her as she gave her speech about her Showstopper, before everyone would come and eat.

“Me and Tayce,” Aurora’s voice cracked. “Well, we didn’t always get along. It’s a competition, and we all have our eyes on the prize, and that pressure of wanting to be the best got on top of us both at times.”

The silence was only broken by birdsong.

“But Tayce taught me that I do my best when I’m relaxed. When I’m loving what I’m doing. She taught me that my thoughts can be my own worst enemy, especially when I’m thinking about other people.” She paused, glancing back at her cue card, the words jumbling before her eyes. “And most of all she taught me that - that I ama great baker. That …”

The lump in her throat was back, the fear creeping up her windpipe to strangle her words. She shook her head defiantly.

“That I am more than capable, that I’m skilled, and that I’m … loveable. She held up a mirror for me. So I made one for her too. Thanks, Tayce.”

More polite laughter, followed by applause, as she indicated the mirror glaze cake.

Finally, she met Tayce’s eyes, and as soon as she did, her own burned with unshed tears, emotion swelling in her like a tidal wave.

But Tayce too, her lip quivered, not even noticing the others around her or their applause. She opened her mouth, and her lips moved, but only for Aurora.

“Love you, bitch.”

Aurora managed to mouth back to her while applause rang in the air.

“Love you, too.”

——

“Ellie’s gonna hate me for this,” Lawrence muttered into the microphone, and Aurora looked over at the crowd, Ellie already shaking with silent laughter with her hands over her mouth. “I made a spread for her. She probably wasn’t expecting it, it rains too much to ever have a picnic outside in Dundee, poor bitch has probably never seen the sun -“

“Lawrence,” Matt Lucas piped up, “just a reminder that this will air before the 9pm watershed.”

“So I can’t say bitch? Fuck’s sake!” Lawrence put her hands on her hips.

Aurora put a hand to her mouth to stop herself from making too much noise, but laughing this much was making tears stream down her face; and Veronica, sat next to her, leaned into her arm, also shaking, stuffing her fist into her mouth to silence herself.

“Anyway, I made all this pink stuff for Ellie. And not just because Team Scotland has to stick together,” she added, as Ellie whooped in the crowd, “but because she really has been the best friend I could have made here.”

Veronica let out a cough that sounded a great deal like ‘sexual tension’ and she and Aurora spluttered with laughter.

“And ignore the peanut gallery over there,” Lawrence motioned to Veronica without even looking. “Because first and foremost, Ellie has been a great friend to me. She sat with me when I was upset when I did something wrong, and she was the first to celebrate anything I got right - even if it was at her expense.”

“Aww,” Veronica murmured next to Aurora.

“I take everything really seriously. I take baking to heart. If I’m not good at something, it freaks me out, because I’m usedto being good at everything I try. Gifted kid syndrome, if you know you know.” Lawrence thumped her chest. “But Ellie just has fun with it all. She taught me that you can have fun with something without necessarily needing to be perfect at it. There isn’t a yardstick of quality to having fun. And even if I’m not good at something, it doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth the time.”

Ellie was now quiet, as the others turned to watch her, but she was only looking at Lawrence, oblivious to everyone around her as the grin on her face quivered with emotion.

“Ellie is fun. And I wanted to make something that would be fun, and also her. That’s why there’s a lot more pink than I’m used to,” Lawrence continued, motioning to the huge pink cake and the pink icing on the choux buns she’d made.

“When I was unsure of myself, Ellie reminded me of what I could do. But she also reminded me that I should be having fun. That’s the reason I made this for her. Because baking should be fun, and should be something you don’t take too seriously. And once I got that, I loved it.”

As everyone applauded again, Lawrence gave the crowd a thumbs up, pushing her hair out of her eyes, looking as if she wanted to get off the podium as fast as possible.

——

“Come on Veronica,” Aurora muttered under her breath.

Veronica looked very short, smaller than usual, even on the podium, the microphone somewhere at her forehead before she adjusted it to her mouth. She licked her lips; her eyes darted to the crowd, to Aurora and Lawrence sat separate to them all, to the judges, and then down to her note paper again.

“Well,” Veronica said for what felt like the fortieth time, another giggle escaping her lips. “Hello, everyone.”

“She’s bombing,” Lawrence muttered.

“She’s just too nervous,” Aurora nodded.

“Right. So. I made this spread for Tia, you know this now, because there’s a sign saying Tea or Coffee on it, I thought that was a nice - erm, a nice touch.”

“God.” Lawrence put a hand to her chest.

Aurora watched as Veronica took a deep breath, held it for a second, and let it out slowly, the silence only interrupted by birdsong.

“I - I’m a perfectionist. If it’s not perfect, I don’t want it. If something is out, even by ten grams, even by a centimetre, I just want to throw it out and never look at it again.”

Veronica repeated the deep breath, clenching the podium, her knuckles white.

“Me and Tia just clicked. We’re quite similar, me and her. We have the same humour, we like the same police dramas and murder mystery documentaries, we both like art and drawing and stuff -”

“Since when does Veronica like drawing?”

“You need to check her instagram page,” Lawrence muttered back, “it’s all artwork.”

“- but the one thing me and Tia didn’t have in common was baking. Tia’s an amazing baker. But something about that tent - as soon as she was in it, she kept making a mess of everything, she won’t mind my saying that; and I know she got really frustrated, but she never wanted to quit. She just always wanted to get better.”

Veronica was tearing up, it was evident even from this distance, her white knuckles shaking. Tia, in the crowd, squirmed for her, clutching Pip’s hand as Veronica fought to get some more words out.

“Tia taught me that it’s fine to make mistakes.”

Another long pause.

“Not that - I don’t mean that Tia is always making mistakes! She does a lot of stuff really great! But she taught me that being perfect is basically impossible. And that I can trust myself if something goes wrong, that I can trust myself to be able to fix it, and not just give up.”

Tia dabbed her eyes with her free hand, shuffling nearer to Pip, who had a hand on her own chest in sympathy.

“Because she doesn’t give up. She just wants to do better. And I love that about her. I wish I’d put less pressure on myself when I first got in there, trying to be perfect at everything, instead of trying to be my best, and getting better by making mistakes.”

Veronica finally seemed to be settling, the rare smile appearing.

“She showed me that making mistakes is fine, and it doesn’t mean I’m a failure, it means I’m a person. And she - her bakes were amazing, and lovely, and she’s such a genuine person that everyone in the tent fell in love with her. Well,” she paused, looking up, “I did.”

Tia’s jaw dropped as she clutched at her chest, leaning into Pip at her side, tears falling freely down her face now as the rest of them clapped, while Veronica’s smile widened, her own tears falling too.

“That’s so …” Aurora murmured, not realising she was holding Lawrence’s hand.

“… cheesy,” Lawrence muttered, but her voice had a crack in it.

——

Aurora’s nan got the first hug when she went over to her family. Her best friend Blake had the second, patting her heavily on the back.

“So which one is the one you made all the cake for then?” Her nan motioned to the crowd of contestants, who had been mostly all mingling together, now breaking off to sit with the crew and each other.

“Tayce is - oh, she’s here.”

Tayce, appearing from somewhere, plonked herself on the grass by the picnic blanket and helped herself to a sausage roll. “Oi oi, saveloy! Oh, these look nice! You put baked beans in them?” Tayce grinned. “You know me like the back of your hand, Rory!”

“Beans on toast was your go-to breakfast, wasn’t it?”

“Oh god, yeah,” Tayce nodded. “Breakfast of kings! The only breakfast! If I could have beans on toast for the rest of my life, I’d die happy. A bit flatulent, but happy.”

She looped her arm through Aurora’s waist, planting a kiss on her lips, before picking up a pastry, leaving Aurora floating just a little from the contact.

“So are you two dating now?” Blake asked, his eyes wide as saucers, hoping for gossip as usual.

Aurora met Tayce’s gaze; they hadn’t really discussed anything official yet. Tayce’s smile was strangely shy, and her eyes earnest, a thousand questions behind them; but as they both nodded simultaneously, it felt like they could work out the details a little bit later.

“Yep!” They both exclaimed at the same time.

Tayce reached down and grasped Aurora’s hand. “And you’re the first to hear about it - not the tabloids, not Hello magazine!”

“You’re not just putting it on for the cameras, are you?” Aurora’s nan teased, wagging her finger at the pair of them.

Tayce turned to glance at Aurora, the same thought passing between them both.

“No way,” they both said at the same time, to a snort of laughter from Blake.

There had been a time, not too long ago, that Aurora might have taken the question as a cue to overthink, overanalyse - but that thought didn’t even exist any more. Instead of being like ducks, kicking to stay on the surface, they now just floated effortlessly.

Aurora just squeezed Tayce’s hand.

Everything was falling into place.

——

“Taking into account your final bakes, and your performances throughout the series, we’ve made our final decision.”

Aurora’s left hand was numb; Lawrence was cutting off the circulation to it.

They all stood before the judges, filming the first of the three endings to keep the actual winner a secret from everyone. This would be Aurora’s win; they’d then film Lawrence’s and finally Veronica’s. For now, they all stood in line; Aurora at Lawrence’s right and Veronica at her left.

Prue held the cake stand, the Bake Off emblem engraved in the glass, all of them in a line waiting for the decision, while the crowd stood impatient, ready to put on a show to congratulate them all.

“You’re all incredible bakers, the best in the UK,” Prue continued from Paul’s speech, “and this was the most difficult season by a long way to judge. You’re all so skilled, imaginative, and clever, and I know you’ll all go on to amazing things after this is over.”

Lawrence’s hand was shaking in Aurora’s; and she could hear Veronica’s breathing on her other side.

This is it.

“The winner of the Great British Bake Off is …”

Complete silence.

Even the birdsong had waned in the background.

A silence that seemed to last an eternity.

Aurora watched Prue’s mouth, wondering when she would open it again, put them all out of their misery, Veronica’s breath audible through the silence and Lawrence’s hand sweating in hers and Aurora’s heart must be the loudest thing in the whole country right now at the rate it hammered her ribs -

——

EPILOGUE

October 2021

Tayce had had to let Aurora go for Blu to wield the camera at the three finalists on the smallest of the neverending number of sofas in Pip’s sister’s house. Lawrence in the middle of the three, all squashed together on what was really a two-person sofa, but they’d all linked arms and interlocked their fingers, staring at the screen, watching themselves.

“I’m never gonna get used to being on screen,” Tia mused, shaking her head. “I swear I don’t sound like that.”

“You do, you definitely do.”

But Tia was only half paying attention to Tayce’s words, her attention on Veronica, who was ignoring her, staring enraptured at the screen. Lawrence, on the other hand, kept glancing over to see Ellie, both of them doing that strange thing they did in filming yet again, just able to know when the other was looking over at them to make sure they were alright.

Tayce tried to relax, hands in her lap, but her chest fluttered every time she met Aurora’s gaze.

The finale had been Tayce’s favourite episode to watch, simply because she hadn’t been in it. The element of surprise was there as she watched it, although it was there for all of them, because there the finalists were, on the screen, still waiting for the winner to be announced.

It must be between Aurora and Lawrence. Veronica only has one badge; it probably won’t be her.

“The winner of the Great British Bake Off is …”

The painful zoom of the camera on everyone’s faces. Aurora’s nervous smile, pure yet heartbreaking. Lawrence looking at the sky to stop herself from crying, both her hands occupied by another finalist. Veronica, her stare intent with anticipation, chewing her bottom lip.

“Aurora!”

The room erupted.

Cheryl was jumping up and down, the first at the sofa to hug Aurora as she sat still as a statue, hands at her mouth and eyes agape in shock, as Lawrence pulled her tightly to herself, planting a delighted kiss in her hair.

“It’s you!” Veronica shrieked, shaking her knee, “it’s you! You won! You won the whole thing!”

And then everyone else streamed in to hug her. Pip was first - Pip was always the first to lay a comforting hand - Tia was close on her heels - Ginny’s hands looped round her neck from behind and their eyes crinkled in joy - but Aurora still sat frozen, only her rapid blinking suggesting anyone was home at all.

Tayce felt time stop again, but this time in a moment of perfection and not defeat.

The contest environment evaporated, she couldn’t fathom feeling anything but pure elation for Aurora’s win, couldn’t fathom having felt any other way for this wonderful woman who she was lucky enough to now call her girlfriend, sat with her hands at her mouth and silent tears coursing down her face as Blu pointed a camera at it.

“Aurora! It’s you! It’s you!” Blu was patting her knee while the rest of them excitedly hugged and squeezed at her. “Do you have any words for us right now, or is it a bit overwhelming?”

“It’s - what - I can’t believe it!”

Aurora’s phone was buzzing on the dining room table, undoubtedly hundreds of friends and family calling and texting and tagging her in Instagram posts and tweets, congratulations spilling over from every direction, an outpouring of love and support and adoration.

The programme was still running, footage of Prue and Paul giving their final summaries of Aurora, and the other two finalists - other contestants giving sound bites - Aurora’s finalist speech as her face was red with tears - the where are they now segment starting to play for all the contestants.

Pip back at her day job, giving the camera a thumbs up, followed by a snap of her with Ginny at Blackpool Tower and a video of them both on the Big One. Joe reliving that Instagram video again, and clips of Cherry, Ellie and Asttina all trying to recreate it too. Cherry back at the dog-grooming business she worked for, and walking her own dog. Asttina back at the gym, followed by a photo of her and Bimini on a boat on the Thames. Bimini at their laptop, followed by pictures of them holding the childrens’ book they’d written since the show. Ellie’s move to Glasgow, a clip of her dyeing Lawrence’s hair back to the bright purple it was now. Tia and Veronica somewhere in the Lake District, windswept but with smiles a mile wide.

But Tayce didn’t see or hear any of it. Aurora was the only thing she could see.

And as she stumbled towards Tayce, draping herself into her arms and laughing in delight, Tayce held her as tightly as she could, crushing her eyes shut but not stopping her own tears, her heart bursting for Aurora as she was privileged to share this moment of exhilarated happiness with her …

She’s already a Star Baker. She doesn’t need a badge or a title.

But she’s got both now! And hopefully she can know that she’s a Star Baker as much as we all do!

——

THE END

#rpdr fanfiction #down with the recipe #rpdr uk #juno #uk2 #baking au #gbbo au #taywhora #tayce #a'whora #bimini bon boulash #veronica green #lawrence chaney #ellie diamond #ginny lemon #asttina mandella #tia kofi #fluff #lesbian au

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alberttrilogyinc · 4 years ago

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I had my first text interview recently and it's finally available to read!! Check it out...

Q1. Hello Sir, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you. Well, hi there. I’m Dino Jones and ‘Born From A Wish’ is my debut novel. It was a dream of mine to write a novel and I accomplished that dream! Follow your dreams, readers. At times I didn’t think I could do it but now look at me.

Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Born From A Wish’ book?I’d say the biggest challenge was motivating myself to write sometimes. I didn’t know if anyone would enjoy what I’d written. Other challenges I suppose I had were at the very beginning of the novel with deciding how things would begin. What’s interesting is the prologue I wrote came much later in the writing process. It came towards the end, actually!

Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing? I have been influenced by a fair number of people. All of them aren’t authors. I was influenced heavily by music and various other mediums throughout my writing process. The music of Droid Bishop, a synthwave artist, influenced me a great deal. I was also influenced quite heavily by the Genesis album ‘Duke’. If you want to know more of my influences in depth I’ve created an entire series devoted to that featured upon my Instagram!

Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you? There’s this walking track not far from my home that I quite like to visit. I tend to walk around the track four or five times, losing myself in my thoughts. That’s where I go to think about various upcoming scenes in my writing. It’s a pretty tranquil place on the edge of the woods so it offers a great place to think.

Q5. Is there lots to do before you drive in and start writing a book? I tend to create an outline in my mind of what I want to do first. Once I’ve done that I usually just sit down and start typing and the words come to me. Sometimes it surprises me how things just flow. Of course another thing you must do is decide what the overall message of your story will be. What kind of lessons will your character learn and how will they grow, etc.

Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘Born From A Wish’ book? It took me about ten months. I wrote it between early January – late October 2019. I did have some breaks scattered about in that time where I didn’t write and I also wrote during my free time from my job. It’s physically/emotionally draining for me to write so I tended to only write about once or twice a week.

Q7. On what all platforms readers can find ‘Born From A Wish’ book to buy? You can find ‘Born From A Wish’ for sale on Amazon via Kindle/eBook ($7) or paperback ($10). I hope you’ll snag yourself a copy and please leave a review!

Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Born From A Wish’? I collaborated on the cover with a very talented local artist named Jalen Morris, (@osoamazingart). He was a co-worker of mine and I would see him on his breaks creating these awesome pieces of art. I got with him about the possibility of him creating the cover for my novel. I basically described to him what I wanted for the cover but allowed him artistic freedom to add elements he felt would add to it. The main elements I wanted were the three palms along with Albert & Elly on the beach at sunset. He came up with the rest and didn’t disappoint. I’m planning to work with him again on the next one. As for the title, I got it from a sub-scenario within the game Silent Hill 2. I loved the title and I felt it fit rather well with what occurs within the novel.

Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself? I keep things fresh I suppose by taking characters to places they hadn’t been before or expanding upon characters back stories. I also want to write in a way that the reader wouldn’t be able to guess how things would play out. That’s precisely what I’m doing now with my next novel. The next story will delve into a supporting character featured within ‘Born From A Wish’. It will be about their struggles and take the reader places they’d never see coming. I can guarantee that.

Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers? Secrets? I suppose the biggest secret of ‘Born From A Wish’ is whether or not Elly truly exists or not. The answer to that question is…I can’t reveal that! Haha! You’ll have to read the novel and find out yourself. I promise you’re in for a wild ride though!!https://infoespresso.data.blog/.../interview-with-author.../

#Dino Jones #born from a wish #2020 #interview #Novel #Book

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siandvisualdiary · 4 years ago

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friday 16/10/2020

the history of publishing with David

task 1

i chose this book for the pre 2000

Info from the V&A Search the Collections website

Book - The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Newly Imprinted ...

Book - The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Newly Imprinted ... Object: Book

Place of origin: Hammersmith (published) Date: 1896 (published)

Artist/Maker: Morris, William, born 1834 - died 1896 (printer) Riley, Dominic (binder) Burne-Jones, Edward Coley (Sir), born 1833 - died 1898 (illustrator) Kelmscott Press (published)

Materials and Techniques: 'The boards of the book were made of laminates of millboard, card and hand made paper, stuck together with rabbit skin glue. [. The book was covered in black Harmatan goatskin, with the same leather for the joints and doublure, black suede for the first flyleaf, and red and black Fab cut-away areas were painted with red acrylic paint. The gold tooling and board edges was done by Trevor Lloyd, and I tooled both the title panels and the lines on the front and back cover. The binding is sig The book is housed in a double-walled, reinforced clamshell box lined with double red-and-white suede pads, and with a title label on the spine.' Dominic R

Credit Line: Given/Loaned by the American Friends of the V&A through the generosity of: Paul Chrzanowski. Museum number: LOAN:AMERICANFRIENDS.716-2016 Gallery location: National Art Library

Public access description

The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer published by the Kelmscott Press was the last great work of William Morris, and the icon of the private press movement, the printing revival he inspired. The volume contains 87 wood-cut illustrations by Edward Burne-Jones, who was a close friend of Morris. The Gothic-inspired type was specially designed by William Morris and named 'Chaucer' after this book. The book brought together Morris's passion for the medieval period and his commitment to beautiful hand-crafted productions and was published shortly before he died. 425 copies were printed, sold at £20 each.

This Kelmscott Chaucer had an undistinguished binding when acquired by the present owner, so that he felt justified in altering its condition. He selected Dominic Riley, a distinguished British designer bookbinder for the commission. Riley studied at the London College of Printing. He has won several major bookbinding awards, and was elected a Fellow of the Designer Bookbinders in 2008. He now works and teaches in Britain and the US.

The binder conceived the work as an overt homage to Morris, basing the design upon the mirror forms of his initials: ‘W M’. Several techniques were used (including modern digital methods to produce the stamps). The final work is grand and dignified, its geometric exactness relieved with touches of naturalistic ornamentation based on the book’s border decoration, and its use of the colour red echoes the red used for the rubrics in the text (based on medieval and Renaissance practice of highlighting headings in red ink).

Descriptive line

The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Newly Imprinted ... (Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, 1896), newly bound by British designer bookbinder Dominic Riley.

Physical description

Hand-printed book on paper with goatskin binding.

Dimensions

Height: 44 cm

Museum number

LOAN:AMERICANFRIENDS.716-2016

Object history note

Given/Loaned by the American Friends of the V&A through the generosity of: Paul Chrzanowski, 2016.

URL

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1407076/the-works-of-geoffrey-chaucer-book-morris-william/

2. info from https://collections.artsmia.org/art/80115/the-works-of-geoffrey-chaucer-now-newly-imprinted-william-morris

Details

Title The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, now Newly Imprinted

Dated1896

Artist William Morris;

Author: Geoffrey Chaucer;

Illustrator: Edward Coley Burne-Jones;

Engraver: Wood engravings by William Harcourt Hooper;

Editor: Frederick S. Ellis;

Printer: William Morris at Kelmscott Press, Hammersmith, England;

Publisher: Kelmscott Press, Hammersmith, England

Nationality British

Artist Life 1834 - 1896

Role Designer

Gallery Not on View

Department Prints and Drawings

Dimension 17 x 12 x 2 5/8 in. (43.18 x 30.48 x 6.67 cm)

(closed)30.5 cm 43.2 cm 6.7 cm

CreditThe Frank P. Leslie Collection, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frank P. Leslie in memory of Mr. and Mrs. John Leslie Accession Number B.67.1dup Medium Wood engravings, letterpress in black and red ink; bound volume Country England Century 19th century

Provenance (Sold to Leslie by unknown vendor, London, England, c. 1952); Frank P. Leslie, Wayzata, Minn., c. 1952-67; given to MIA, 1967.Rights

Public Domain Classification

Prints; Books

Object Name Illustrated book Catalogue Raisonne Franklin, p.192; Sparling 40; Tomkinson 40; PMM 367; Huntington Library (Great Books in Great Editions) 24; Needham 101A; Peterson A40; Ransom (Private Presses) 40; Garvey 45; Ray 258; Walsdorf 40; V & A 9

2nd book I chose was the 2018 sketch book ( 2018 Sketch Collection) by South Korean Artist Kim Jung Gi I discovered his work on instagram a couple days ago and I loved the variety simplicity and the different style of his work so when i thought of an artist for this task I selected him :) https://www.kimjunggi.net/biography-v2/ https://www.kimjunggius.com/pages/about-artist

Korean artist Kim Jung Gi was born in 1975 in the town of Goyang-Si, located in the province of Kyongki-Do South Korea. At 19, this budding artist enrolled at a Fine Arts School, majoring in Art and Design. He attended Dong-Eui University in Busan for three years and did his two years in the South Korean army as a part of the Special Forces Unit. Here, he was able to memorize the array of different weapons and vehicles.

Kim’s most notable creative asset is his memory, something he has developed over a number of years. His ability to render extremely complicated scenes near-perfectly from memory, without the aid of references, has stretched the boundaries of what many artists believed was possible.

Kim Jung Gi’s first publication – Funny Funny – was published in Young Jump magazine. He wrote a number of short stories and held exhibitions for his work that led to his teaching manhwa (Korean comic book) to various private schools and universities. Kim collaborated with Seung-Jin Park, the writer of Tiger the Long Tail, to draw six volumes for his comic. Kim also worked alongside French author Bernard Werber, illustrating two novels he had written – “Paradise” in 2010 and “Third Humanity” in 2013.

In 2011, Kim Jung Gi partook in the Comic Festival held in Bucheon where, for the first time ever, he drew live. In most cases, artists showcase a framed drawing or painting, but KJG decided to do something different. He placed paper up on three walls around his table and began drawing.

Superani CEO Hyun Jin Kim videoed and posted the entire process on YouTube and, as some videos tend to do, went viral. This led to the invitation to different worldwide events. In recent years, he has accepted invitations to perform in France, America, all around Asia and now in Japan for his first show simply titled “Drawing Exhibition”.

Kim has six sketchbooks in print, which equate to about 4,500 pages’ worth of drawings in a span of 12 years. He also collaborated with the legendary Japanese artist Katsuya Terada in 2017. The pair put together an amazing sketchbook of various drawings, showing off their talents.

He’s worked in various industries – movies, music, and government. Kim put together a feature exhibition in Cheongwadae” the Republic of Korea’s president’s official workplace and residence. He was also hired by Korean Hip-Hop artist Drunken Tiger to create the album cover.

He holds the record for “Longest drawing by an individual” in the Guinness World Records book.

https://www.kimjunggius.com/collections/frontpage/products/2018-sketch-collection

I like both works because to me they are quite similar william morris working on Chaucer is legendary in itself the level of attention to detail is extraordinary and the colour pallette is simple and the typography is grand and archaic in nature a level of excellence rarely seen nowadays.Kim’s work is highly skilled and varied a comic book style but still unique to him I love black and white simplicity as well as colour however I love the detail and excellence shown in both works.To me skill is important to do one’s best and show originality whilst doing so.Clarity,skill and originality are demonstrated here and that is why I was drawn to both artists.

#art #uni #studentlife

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personinthepalace · 3 months ago

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from Bryony Corrigan's The Other Palace instagram takeover

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personinthepalace · 2 years ago

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OMIGOD HE DID 😆

This absolute nerd on Ellie’s Peter Pan Goes Wrong Instagram take over. Pretty sure that’s her coat 😂😂😂

#i didn’t even notice it at first until you pointed it out LOL #couple goals haha #shields wearing ellie’s coat #henry shields #ellie morris #ppgw on broadway #peter pan goes wrong #mischief theatre #mischief comedy #ppgw broadway instagram takeover #ellie morris instagram takeover

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tasksweekly · 5 years ago

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[TASK 194: MONTSERRAT]

There’s a masterlist below compiled of over 130+ Montserratian faceclaims categorised by gender with their occupation and ethnicity denoted if there was a reliable source. If you want an extra challenge use random.org to pick a random number! Of course everything listed below are just suggestions and you can pick whichever faceclaim or whichever project you desire.

Any questions can be sent here and all tutorials have been linked below the cut for ease of access! REMEMBER to tag your resources with #TASKSWEEKLY and we will reblog them onto the main! This task can be tagged with whatever you want but if you want us to see it please be sure that our tag is the first five tags, @ mention us or send us a messaging linking us to your post!

THE TASK - scroll down for FC’s!

STEP 1: Decide on a FC you wish to create resources for! You can always do more than one but who are you starting with? There are links to masterlists you can use in order to find them and if you want help, just send us a message and we can pick one for you at random!

STEP 2: Pick what you want to create! You can obviously do more than one thing, but what do you want to start off with? Screencaps, RP icons, GIF packs, masterlists, PNG’s, fancasts, alternative FC’s - LITERALLY anything you desire!

STEP 3: Look back on tasks that we have created previously for tutorials on the thing you are creating unless you have whatever it is you are doing mastered - then of course feel free to just get on and do it. :)

STEP 4: Upload and tag with #TASKSWEEKLY! If you didn’t use your own screencaps/images make sure to credit where you got them from as we will not reblog packs which do not credit caps or original gifs from the original maker.

THINGS YOU CAN MAKE FOR THIS TASK - examples are linked!

Stumped for ideas? Maybe make a masterlist or graphic of your favourite faceclaims. A masterlist of names. Plot ideas or screencaps from a music video preformed by an artist. Masterlist of quotes and lyrics that can be used for starters, thread titles or tags. Guides on culture and customs.

Screencaps

RP icons [of all sizes]

Gif Pack [maybe gif icons if you wish]

PNG packs

Manips

Dash Icons

Character Aesthetics

PSD’s

XCF’s

Graphic Templates - can be chara header, promo, border or background PSD’s!

FC Masterlists - underused, with resources, without resources!

FC Help - could be related, family templates, alternatives.

Written Guides.

and whatever else you can think of / make!

MASTERLIST!

Maizie Williams (1951) Afro-Montserratian - singer and model

Michelle Gomez (1966) Montserratian [Portuguese] / Scottish - actress.

Diane Parish (1969) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Dominiquais - actress.

Heidi D'Amelio (1972) Montserratian [Irish, French], Kaskaskia, Haitian [Cajun, French], Basque, Breton, Italian, Swiss, German, French, Spanish, Irish, English - instagrammer (heididamelio).

Angela Yee (1976) Afro-Montserratian / Cantonese Chinese - actress, model, tv personality, and radio personality.

Pippa Bennett-Warner (1988) Afro-Montserratian - actress.

Dixie D'Amelio (2001) Montserratian [Irish, French], Kaskaskia, Haitian [Cajun, French], Basque, Breton, Italian, Swiss, German, French, Spanish, Irish, English / Italian - tiktoker (dixiedamelio) and dancer.

Charli D’Amelio (2004) Montserratian [Irish, French], Kaskaskia, Haitian [Cajun, French], Basque, Breton, Italian, Swiss, German, French, Spanish, Irish, English / Italian - tiktoker (charlidamelio) and dancer.

Emari Dyer (?) Afro-Montserratian - model (instagram: westindiandolly)

Gabrielle Graham (?) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Jamaican - actress, singer, and dancer.

Samorezworld (?) Afro-Montserratian, Afro-Haitian - youtuber.

Sharissa Ryan (?) Afro-Montserratian - model, Miss Montserrat 2014-2015, and Miss Jaycees Caribbean Queen 2015.

F - Athletes:

Rechelle Meade (?) Afro-Montserratian - sprinter.

Q-Tip / Kamaal Ibn John Fareed (1970) Afro-Montserratian / African-American [including Bissau-Guinean] - actor, DJ, rapper, singer, bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, drummer, and producer.

Wil Wheaton (1972) Montserratian, Portuguese Jewish, Dutch Jewish, Irish, Welsh, French, Dutch, German, English - actor, tv personality, blogger, and writer.

David Jordan (1985) Afro-Montserratian / Bengali Indian - singer-songwriter.

Kadiff Kirwan (1989) Afro-Montserratian - actor.

Layton Williams (1994) Afro-Montserratian, Afro-Jamaican / English - actor, singer, and dancer.

M - Athletes:

William Duberry (1944) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Alford Corriette (1948) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Fred Sowerby (1948) Afro-Montserratian - hurdler.

Jim Allen (1951) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Austin White (1959) Montserratian - cricketer.

Fitzroy Buffonge (1960) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Livingstone Bramble (1960) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Kittian - boxer.

Kenny Dyer (1964) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Mark Stephney (1965) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Cecil Lake (1965) Montserratian - footballer.

David Lane (1965) Montserratian - cricketer.

Ottley Laborde (1967) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Ruel Fox (1968) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Paul Furlong (1968) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Richard Dyer (1968) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Keith Piper (1969) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Daren Sweeney (1970) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Trevor Semper (1970) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Lesroy Weekes (1971) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Davon Williams (1972) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Lesroy Irish (1972) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Elton Williams (1973) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Guyanese - footballer.

Peter Phyll (1974) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Michael Duberry (1975) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Bruce Dyer (1975) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Junior Mendes (1976) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Wayne Dyer (1977) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Stanford Jarrett (1977) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Alex Daley (1977) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Clifford Joseph (1978) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

McPherson Meade (1979) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Zhaun Sweeney (1979) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Darren Tuitt (1980) Afro-Montserratian - sprinter.

Jaylee Hodgson (1980) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Delroy Facey (1980) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Grenadian - footballer.

Kurt Joyce (1980) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Simon Peddie (1980 or 1981) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Matt Piper (1981) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Vladimir Farrell (1981) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Sean Howson (1981) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Lloyd Dyer (1982) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Olsen Murrain (1982) Montserratian - cricketer.

Dorian Harper (1982) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Nesta Piper (1982) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Marlon Campbell (1983) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Brian Stephney (1983) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Shane Greenaway (1983) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Dean Morgan (1983) Afro-Montserratian / English - footballer.

Solomon Henry (1983) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Calvin Petrie (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Ellis Remy (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Jaafar Munroe (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Lionel Baker (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Andrew Julius (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Jermaine Sweeney (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Darryl Roach (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Rowan Taylor (1984) Montserratian - footballer.

Alexander Bramble (1984) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Nathan Pond (1985) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Kelvin Ponde (1985) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Micah Hilton (1985) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Spencer Weir-Daley (1985) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Big E / Ettore Ewen (1986) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Jamaican - wrestler and powerlifter.

Anthony Griffith (1986) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Bradley Woods-Garness (1986) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Dolston Tuit (1986) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Michael Henry (1986) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Benjamin Manning (1986) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Leovan O'Garro (1987) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Corrin Brooks-Meade (1988) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Shabazz Baidoo (1988) Afro-Montserratian / Ghanaian - footballer.

Michael Williams (1988) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Craig Braham-Barrett (1988) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Jamaican - footballer.

Adrian Clifton (1989) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Dean Mason (1989) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

P. K. Subban (1989) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Jamaican - ice hockey player.

Nyron Dyer (1989) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Jaison Peters (1989) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Lyle Taylor (1990) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Quinton Boatswain (1990) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Julian Wade (1990) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Dominiquais - footballer.

Omari Allen (1990) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Marvin Farrell (1990) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Alex Dyer (1990) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Massiah McDonald (1990 or 1991) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Shernyl Burns (1991) Afro-Montserratian - sprinter and cricketer.

Matthew Whichelow (1991) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

James Comley (1991) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Nic Taylor (1991) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Dale Lee (1991) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Ellary White (1991) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Ronsford Beaton (1992) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Kendall Allen (1992) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Lester Ryan (1993) Afro-Montserratian - sprinter.

Malcolm Subban (1993) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Jamaican - ice hockey player.

Donervon Daniels (1993) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Julius Morris (1994) Afro-Montserratian - sprinter.

Terrell Miller (1994) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Jamal Willer (1994) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Brandon Comley (1995) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Jordan Subban (1995) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Jamaican - ice hockey player.

Clifford Newby-Harris (1995) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Darnell Furlong (1995) Afro-Montserratian / English - footballer.

Jamie Allen (1995) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Dajour Buffonge (1996) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Antiguan - footballer.

Matty Willock (1996) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Joey Taylor (1997) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

DJ Buffonge (1998) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Antiguan - footballer.

Chris Willock (1998) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Joe Willock (1999) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Marshall Willock (2000) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Danny Facey (?) Afro-Montserratian / Afro-Grenadian - footballer.

Michael Bramble (?) Afro-Montserratian - footballer.

Vendol Moore (?) Afro-Montserratian - cricketer.

Lennox Cooper (?) Montserratian - footballer.

Oris Fergus (?) Montserratian - cricketer.

Non-Binary:

Billy Dee Williams (1937) Afro-Montserratian / African-American - Genderfluid (He/Him/His, She/Her/Her’s) - actor, singer, and artist.

Problematic:

Tesfaye Bramble (1980) Afro-Montserratian - footballer. - Convicted of rape.

Titus Bramble (1981) Afro-Montserratian - footballer. - Accused of rape.

#montserratian fc #poc fc #fc list #rph #underused fc #task: 194 #task: montserrat

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