#solveig in scotland

[celticculture]

[gayangstandshakespeare]

Day 10: Spring - Solveig, fictional daughter of King Duncan

I might need to take a break from inktober until after midterms because it has been detrimental to my sleep and also academics… But we shall see

[brookston]

Holidays 9.3

Holidays

Armed Forces Day (Taiwan)

Broadcast Day (South Korea)

Cromwell’s Day

Day of Universal Alarm

Day to Mourn All Manifestations of Sexism

Feast of Atqksak (Baffin Land)

Flag Day (Australia)

Gaura Parba (Nepal)

Levy Mwanawasa Day (Zambia)

Lost Day

Memorial Day (Tunisia)

Merchant Navy Day (UK) 

Merchant Navy Remembrance Day (Canada)

National Wilderness Day

Penny Press Day

Republic Day (San Marino)

Skyscraper Day

Tales and Tallows Day (Elder Scrolls)

That Day I’ll Always Remember (in the song “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” by The Temptations)

Tokehega Day (Tokalau, New Zealand)

U.S. Bowling League Day

V-J Day (China)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Afternoon Tea Time Day

International Rosé Day

National Baby Back Ribs Day

National Welsh Rarebit Day

1st Saturday in September

Franchise Appreciation Day [Saturday Before Labor Day]

International Bacon Day [Saturday before 1st Monday in September]

International Vulture Awareness Day [1st Saturday]

National Cowgirl Day [Saturday of Labor Day Weekend]

National Hummingbird Day [1st Saturday]

National Play Outside Day [1st Saturday of Every Month]

National Tailgating Day [1st Saturday]

National Writing Date Day [1st Saturday]

Satyr's Day (Silenus, Greek God of Beer Buddies and Drinking Companions) [1st Saturday of Each Month]

Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight begins (Scotland) [1st Saturday thru 3rd Sunday]

World Beard Day [1st Saturday]

Independence Days

Qatar (from UK, 1971)

San Marino (founded, 301 C.E.)

Feast Days

Barkley (Muppetism)

Bernard de Pailissy (Positivist; Saint)

Gregory I, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Gregory the Great (Christian; Saint)

Lawrence Welk Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Macnisius of Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Mansuetus of Toul (Christian; Saint)

Marinus (Christian; Saint)

Remaclus (Christian; Saint)

Prudence Crandall (Episcopal Church (USA))

Rock Appreciation Day (Pastafarian)

Simeon Stylites the Younger (Christian; Saint)

Wendy O. Williams Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Dismal Day (Unlucky or Evil Day; Medieval Europe; 17 of 24)

Egyptian Day (Unlucky Day; Middle Ages Europe) [17 of 24]

Fatal Day (Pagan) [17 of 24]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [49 of 71]

Unlucky Day (Grafton’s Manual of 1565) [40 of 60]

Premieres

Funf Orchesterstucke (Five Pieces for Orchestra), by Arnold Schoenberg (1912)

Machete (Film; 2010)

Never Go Back, 18th Jack Reacher book, by Lee Child (Novel; 2013)

Roll the Bones, by Rush (Album; 1991)

Search for Tomorrow (TV Soap Opera; 1951)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Film; 2021)

Tenet (Film; 2020)

The Trouble with Girls (Elvis Presley Film; 1969)

Today’s Name Days

George (Austria)

Gordana, Grga, Grgur (Croatia)

Bronislav (Czech Republic)

Seraphia (Denmark)

Solveig, Veegi (Estonia)

Soila, Soile, Soili (Finland)

Grégoire (France)

Gregor, Phoebe, Silvia, Sonja (Germany)

Anthimos, Arhontia, Arhontion, Aristea, Ariston, Phoebe, Phoebi, Phevos, Polydoros (Greece)

Hilda (Hungary)

Fausto, Felice, Gregorio, Lorenzo, Marino, Rosa, Teodoro (Italy)

Bella, Berta, Klaudija, Klaudijs, Slaida (Latvia)

Bronislova, Bronislovas, Mirga, Sirtautas (Lithuania)

Alise, Alvhild, Vilde (Norway)

Antoni, Bartłomiej, Bazylissa, Bronisław, Bronisz, Erazma, Eufemia, Eufrozyna, Izabela, Jan, Joachim, Joachima, Manswet, Mojmir, Szymon, Wincenty, Zenon, Zenona (Poland)

Belo (Slovakia)

Basilisa, Gregorio (Spain)

Alfhild, Alva (Sweden)

Page, Paige, Phebe, Phoebe, Phoebus (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 246 of 2022; 119 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of week 35 of 2022

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 1 of 28]

Chinese: Month 8 (Guìyuè), Day 8 Ji-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 7 ʼĔlūl 5782

Islamic: 6 Ṣafar 1444

J Cal: 6 Aki; Fiveday [6 of 30]

Julian: 21 August 2022

Moon: 50% 1st Quarter

Positivist: 22 Gutenberg (9th Month) [Bernard de Palissy]

Runic Half Month: Rad (Motion) [Day 9 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 74 of 90)

Zodiac: Virgo (Day 11 of 31)

Calendar Changes

Muin (Vine) [Celtic Tree Calendar; Month 9 of 13]

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 9.3

Holidays

Armed Forces Day (Taiwan)

Broadcast Day (South Korea)

Cromwell’s Day

Day of Universal Alarm

Day to Mourn All Manifestations of Sexism

Feast of Atqksak (Baffin Land)

Flag Day (Australia)

Gaura Parba (Nepal)

Levy Mwanawasa Day (Zambia)

Lost Day

Memorial Day (Tunisia)

Merchant Navy Day (UK) 

Merchant Navy Remembrance Day (Canada)

National Wilderness Day

Penny Press Day

Republic Day (San Marino)

Skyscraper Day

Tales and Tallows Day (Elder Scrolls)

That Day I’ll Always Remember (in the song “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” by The Temptations)

Tokehega Day (Tokalau, New Zealand)

U.S. Bowling League Day

V-J Day (China)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Afternoon Tea Time Day

International Rosé Day

National Baby Back Ribs Day

National Welsh Rarebit Day

1st Saturday in September

Franchise Appreciation Day [Saturday Before Labor Day]

International Bacon Day [Saturday before 1st Monday in September]

International Vulture Awareness Day [1st Saturday]

National Cowgirl Day [Saturday of Labor Day Weekend]

National Hummingbird Day [1st Saturday]

National Play Outside Day [1st Saturday of Every Month]

National Tailgating Day [1st Saturday]

National Writing Date Day [1st Saturday]

Satyr's Day (Silenus, Greek God of Beer Buddies and Drinking Companions) [1st Saturday of Each Month]

Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight begins (Scotland) [1st Saturday thru 3rd Sunday]

World Beard Day [1st Saturday]

Independence Days

Qatar (from UK, 1971)

San Marino (founded, 301 C.E.)

Feast Days

Barkley (Muppetism)

Bernard de Pailissy (Positivist; Saint)

Gregory I, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Gregory the Great (Christian; Saint)

Lawrence Welk Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Macnisius of Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Mansuetus of Toul (Christian; Saint)

Marinus (Christian; Saint)

Remaclus (Christian; Saint)

Prudence Crandall (Episcopal Church (USA))

Rock Appreciation Day (Pastafarian)

Simeon Stylites the Younger (Christian; Saint)

Wendy O. Williams Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Dismal Day (Unlucky or Evil Day; Medieval Europe; 17 of 24)

Egyptian Day (Unlucky Day; Middle Ages Europe) [17 of 24]

Fatal Day (Pagan) [17 of 24]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [49 of 71]

Unlucky Day (Grafton’s Manual of 1565) [40 of 60]

Premieres

Funf Orchesterstucke (Five Pieces for Orchestra), by Arnold Schoenberg (1912)

Machete (Film; 2010)

Never Go Back, 18th Jack Reacher book, by Lee Child (Novel; 2013)

Roll the Bones, by Rush (Album; 1991)

Search for Tomorrow (TV Soap Opera; 1951)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Film; 2021)

Tenet (Film; 2020)

The Trouble with Girls (Elvis Presley Film; 1969)

Today’s Name Days

George (Austria)

Gordana, Grga, Grgur (Croatia)

Bronislav (Czech Republic)

Seraphia (Denmark)

Solveig, Veegi (Estonia)

Soila, Soile, Soili (Finland)

Grégoire (France)

Gregor, Phoebe, Silvia, Sonja (Germany)

Anthimos, Arhontia, Arhontion, Aristea, Ariston, Phoebe, Phoebi, Phevos, Polydoros (Greece)

Hilda (Hungary)

Fausto, Felice, Gregorio, Lorenzo, Marino, Rosa, Teodoro (Italy)

Bella, Berta, Klaudija, Klaudijs, Slaida (Latvia)

Bronislova, Bronislovas, Mirga, Sirtautas (Lithuania)

Alise, Alvhild, Vilde (Norway)

Antoni, Bartłomiej, Bazylissa, Bronisław, Bronisz, Erazma, Eufemia, Eufrozyna, Izabela, Jan, Joachim, Joachima, Manswet, Mojmir, Szymon, Wincenty, Zenon, Zenona (Poland)

Belo (Slovakia)

Basilisa, Gregorio (Spain)

Alfhild, Alva (Sweden)

Page, Paige, Phebe, Phoebe, Phoebus (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 246 of 2022; 119 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of week 35 of 2022

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 1 of 28]

Chinese: Month 8 (Guìyuè), Day 8 Ji-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 7 ʼĔlūl 5782

Islamic: 6 Ṣafar 1444

J Cal: 6 Aki; Fiveday [6 of 30]

Julian: 21 August 2022

Moon: 50% 1st Quarter

Positivist: 22 Gutenberg (9th Month) [Bernard de Palissy]

Runic Half Month: Rad (Motion) [Day 9 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 74 of 90)

Zodiac: Virgo (Day 11 of 31)

Calendar Changes

Muin (Vine) [Celtic Tree Calendar; Month 9 of 13]

[english-country-style]

[lisinfleur]

5Crowns Weekend: Ivar - MASTERLIST

Let us speak a little about Ivar, the Boneless. The real one, who inspired the character we all love in the series Vikings.

The real Ivar is, among the supposed sons of the legendary Ragnar Lothbrok, the one with the bigger variety of sources of information about his tales; which makes really hard to elaborate an introduction about him due to the number of disconnections in between the sources of his actual history.

Many sources agree he was actually the first of the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok and his wife Aslaug - and not the younger one, as Hirst's work portrays at the series! Nevertheless, the curse that supposedly caused his condition was reproduced at the series in a situation pretty close to what would have been the real one: Ragnar was out to raid and Aslaug told him they should wait for three nights before consummating their marriage after his return following the long separation period. Ragnar ignored her prophecy and as a result, Ivar would have been born "without bones".

The condition that supposedly gave him the name "Boneless" is also controversial: some historians believe he was a flexible man; some relate his "bonelessness" would be assigned to sexual impotence; some say the name came due to the incapability of walking. But the most shared theory is that Ivar The Boneless was the carrier of a disease that gained a large divulgation after the presence of the character on the Vikings series: The Osteogenesis Imperfecta - a disease that affects the connective tissue due to lack of type I collagen, causing the bones to be week and easily breakable.

The Boneless could have easily inspired "The Many Faces God" from Game of Thrones for his name, Ivar, can also be spelled as Ivarr, Inguar or Inwaer; and through the sources of his history and registers of his existence, he was also known as Ivar inn Beinlausi (from the Old Norse); Hyngwar (in the Old English); Ivar Ragnarsson (since he’s described at the Ragnarssona þáttr – The Tales of the Ragnar’s Sons); Ivar The Ruthless (due to a possible mistake at the translation of his name from the Old Scandinavian – the words for Boneless and Ruthless are quite similar according to some historians); and some historians make the association in between him and the Scottish and Irish leader Ímar (Old Norse: Ívarr) who was also a Viking King and founder of the Ui Ímair or Dinasty of Ivar “which ruled much of the Irish Sea region, the Kingdom of Dublin, the western coast of Scotland, including the Hebrides and some part of Northern England, from the mid-9th century” (source: Ui Ímair - Wikipedia).

Uh! The boy has some names, uh? hahaha

Unlike the historical Ivar, there aren't many names in between the actors who played the Viking ruler at the series: Ivar was played by an unknown baby actor at the end of season 2 and through season 3, being passed to the talented hands of James Quinn Markey who played the young Ivar at season 4A until the episode 10 (The Last Ship) when a transition of time occurs and the character is delivered to our beloved Alex Høgh Andersen (Thanks to @ivarsrideordie for the tips! Love ya!).

Despite the juicy acting of James Quinn Markey who impressed by the incredible expressivity and description of Ivar's hard behavior, Alex H. Andersen has been giving us a literal show of acting, showing with precision the routine, mishaps and hard life of a person who carries the OI from the point of view of a complete actor who more than just dressing the character's skin, studied the condition deeply and made huge efforts to bring this reality into Ivar's daily life in details.

From dragging himself for more than a week, screaming in Old Norse into the hotel bedroom; to exploring the leader's dilemma between being loved or feared, described by Niccolò Machiavelli in his book "The Prince" - a book Alex show to have studied for the last season of Vikings - the young actor and amateur photographer conquered the fandom's heart becoming one of the most loved actors of the series' cast and turning his character into the most loved son of Ragnar Lothbrok - especially among the female public hahaha

Sister wives welcome to the new 5Crowns Weekend! 

Let us toast and celebrate in honor of Ivar, The Boneless!

All hail our new King!

5CW IVAR - MASTERLIST

LONG FICS

Curse – Chapter 08: Back to the Start

DOUBLE SHOTS

Winds of Change (requested by anon and @paper-goonie)

Part I

Part II

SHOTS AND DRABBLES

Knock-Kneed Fool’s Treasure (requested by anon)

Lover (requested by @ivarswickedqueen)

Sin (requested by anon)

Sweet Little Thing (requested by anon)

Beyond Time (requested by anon)

Do I have to say the words? (requested by @queen-see-ya-in-valhalla)

Like Me (requested by anon)

Refuge (requested by @cris101071)

The Snake in your Skull (requested by @ortali)

HEADCANONS

Falling for a dedicated woman of the gods (requested by anon)

Imagine being Ivarsdóttir (requested by anon)

Adopting an unexpected animal baby (requested by anon)

Breeding kink (requested by anon)

Being your first (requested by anon)

In love with Sigurd’s girl (requested by anon)

Touch starved (requested by anon)

Becoming a father too soon (requested by anon)

MOODBOARDS

Faces

Be Ruthless

AHA - Modern Ivar

If you want to be a part of our Guests' Section just drop your work using the tags:

5CW 

5CWIvar

and send me your link!

@ivarsrideordie​

His Prey - amazing shot for Alex from our beloved sweet queen!

It’s good to be home (intro) - to make all of us in-fucking-sane!

Angry is always better - uuuuh! What to say? She’s right!

This love is not for sale - one more from our beautiful queen!

@queen-see-ya-in-valhalla

Stormy cuddles with Ivar - Mood board and text from my sweet sis!

Tagged ones: 

@bluearchersstuff  - @ivarswickedqueen - @directionlessbuthappy - @akamaiden - @bang-kim-bap - @cris101071 - @solveigs-temple - @volvas-temple - @alicedopey - @athroatfullofglass - @captstefanbrandt - @queen-see-ya-in-valhalla - @ivarlcthbrok - @dreamingsofatraveler - @heartbeats-wildly - @lol-haha-joke - @mixedwiththemoon - @moondustmemories - @moose-squirrel-asstiel - @ms-allenbrown - @mslothbrok - @normatural - @readsalot73- @xinyourdreamsx - @shutter-bug124 - @rekdreams247 - @sassygirl25 - @slutforasoldier - @bae-kage - @naaladareia - @awishmyheartmakes - @laketaj24 - @that-goodgirl - @scumyeol - @neeadinghugs - @witchesandfairytales - @thevikingsheaux - @titty-teetee - @oddsnendsfanfics- @soapjay - @two-unbeatable-beaters - @mystruggledlife - @wish-i-was-a-mermaid - @therealcalicali - @natalie-rdr - @carbonated-beverage - @igetcarriedawaywithyou - @grungyblonde - @come-with-me-and-imagine - @themusingofagothicsoul - @arses21434 - @honestsycrets - @princessofthalia- @funmadnessandbadassvikings - @equalstrashflavoredtrash - @rabeccablake - @beyond-the-ashes - @darkkitty - @2thequietone4 - @blackspiritshake - @vikingsbifrost - @wallabieswisher

[tahpssi]

LONG-ASS TAG THINGY

(I’m just gonna steal the title from you bc I’m shameless like that)

I was tagged by @sweater-daes​ thank you so much!!

Rules: answer 80-something questions and tag 20 people. Tagging: @donutquestion @park-sungshine @lamptastical @goddessofwasteland @annaflamel @thekoreanbigbang (you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to ofc!)

last?

Drink: water

phone call: my dad 

text message: my friend wishing him a good night lmao (yes that was last night)

time you cried: I think that was last Tuesday actually, had a stressful day at work plus my period showed up the next day

kissed someone and regretted it: big Yes

been cheated on: nope

lost someone special: not due to death if that’s what’s implied here

been depressed: still am aye

gotten drunk and thrown up: nah I don’t drink

favourite colours? there’s specific shades for these but idk color names so I’ll just name the basic ones

red 

blue

green

orange

turquiose

in the last year you have?

made new friends: yes I met some amazing people here on tumblr ♥

fallen out of love: oh yes, made me realize how much of an immature lil shit I still am at the ripe old age of 24 lmao 

laughed until you cried: well I can’t really remember if I did or not but there’s a big chance I have yeah

found out someone was talking behind your back: nope, doesn’t mean they aren’t talking about me behind my back though lmao

met someone who changed your life: hmmm I think so yeah, I mean the break-up with my ex was pretty brutal and eye-opening and I’ve only met her within the past year so that counts; also I think the friends I made on here changed my life in a way.. especially Bre since she’s responsible for getting me into Monsta X and that opened a whole new world to me

found out who your true friends are: I only have like... a handful so there’s not much to find out there

general?

how many facebook friends do you have: I don’t have facebook

pets: I wish :(((

ever wanted to change your (birth)name: ...hahah good one; Yes

what you did for your last birthday: went out to dinner with my dad and sis

time you woke up today: 11am I think?

what you were doing at midnight last night: pretty sure I was playing a game on my phone

what you can’t wait for: lets go with a positive answer here and say finding a new apartment

whatcha listening to: Stand Up by Basick feat. Mamamoo

ever talked to a person named Tom: maybe.. I mean I dont actively recall it but yanno, bad memory and such

something that gets on your nerves: my one friend complaining about me never contacting her first etc. EVERY TIME WE MEET (we’ve known each other since middle school and I honestly don’t know why it’s suddenly bothering her, it’s been 10 years god dammit)

most visited site: Tumblr

hair colour: natural: dark brown; current: green + dark brown on the sides

long or short hair: short 

crush: nah 

what do you like about yourself: oh boy, I like my hair and my eyes, and I guess my face in general isn’t so bad; I like that I managed to teach myself English to the point where I’m just as fluent in it as my native language; I like my collections and am actually really proud of them and I also like my clothing style actually

any piercings: lip and eyebrow, currently thinking about getting my nose pierced as well

blood type: B positive

nicknames: Jay / crocodile (only one friend calls me that but I love it, “croc” for short, it’s the best nickname)

relationship status: single

sign: aquarius

pronouns: they/them & he/him (I’m experimenting rn)

favourite tele show: Downton Abbey, Digimon and Criminal Minds (I’m a fake fan I haven’t seen anything since season 9 please forgive me)

tattoos: "until whenever ☆” on my left wrist but I’m thinking of getting more this year hopefully

left or right handed: right handed

have you ever had a surgery: nope

do you want piercings: yessss moreeeeee

Sport: used to play soccer as a child and I even did like gymnastics (for kids obvs) but once I hit puberty that shit was all forgotten

Favourite holiday: don’t care about any of them I just enjoy having the days off work

trainers: if u mean shoes then Nike

more general?

favourite dish: pancakes

favourite drink: water, I don’t really drink anything else

i’m about to watch: nothing lmao

what i’m waiting for: a miracle lmao (nah man I’m waiting for myself to finally get my ass up and find a therapist and look into that whole transitioning shit because I’m Tired of living like this but also change is scary and uh I’ll stop here before this turns into a longer rant)

what i want: to get back into gaming, I miss it :(

get married: don’t think so but who knows what will happen

career: really don’t give a shit, I just want to keep my job and earn money so I can keep myself alive

which is better?

hugs or kisses: hugs, definitely

lips or eyes: eyes

shorter or taller: for a partner I prefer shorter bc I’m into Cute and Tiny

older or younger: I generally don’t care about age as long as we’re on the same level of maturity and stuff, which isn’t always a given though when the age difference is too big I guess 

arms or stomach: I like tummies

Troublemaker or hesitant: never been put into a situation where I had to choose so I honestly have no idea

have you ever?

kissed a stranger: no

drank hard liquor: yes (and it was gross af)

turned someone down: yes (does it count when it was just some random creep on the internet tho)

sex on a first date: nope

broken someone’s heart: I have and I’m not proud of it

had a heart broken: yeap

been arrested: lol no

cried when someone died: yeah but idk if it was out of grief or shock or just the general mood around the whole thing? 

fallen for a friend: yes

do you believe in?

yourself: nah man I’m useless

miracles: not really? idk??? I’m not much of a believer/non-believer when it comes to supernatural and magical stuff

Love at first sight: nah man, you can crush on someone but love is a deeper thing, that doesn’t just happen from looking at a person once

santa claus: lmao nah

angels: don’t have any proof they don’t exist so  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

misc?

eye colour: blue/green

best friends name: Vivi and Roo

favourite movie:  The Lion King

favourite actor: Choi Seunghyun

favourite cartoon: Avatar: The Last Airbender (gonna steal this from u bc good choice)

favourite teachers’ name: forgot her name lmao 

[nico-nightingale]

Summary: Following an accident that involved her beloved younger sister, the crown princess of Arendelle grew to believe she was born cursed. At her eleventh birthday, however, she receives the visit of a man in strange robes, who invites her to study at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This story follows Elsa's life in Hogwarts as she discovers that magic is no curse and starts learning how to love herself.

Rating: T (ages 13 and up)

Also found on: FF.net, AO3, Wattpad

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. Frozen belongs to Disney. The cover photo belongs to Nico Benedickt and the font belongs to Naharstd.

< previous // next > • last >>

Chapter I: The Welcoming Hat

When, on her eleventh birthday, the crown princess of Arendelle walked into the throne room to discover an elderly man standing in front of her parents, she hadn't thought much of it. Although he was dressing in strange robes and wearing the longest beard Elsa had ever seen in her life, a great number of eccentric characters often came to see the King and Queen. As they had been speaking in English, the girl first regarded him as an ambassador.

However, when the man, Albus Dumbledore, turned to look at her for the first time, Elsa knew right away that she had been wrong. There was something in his eyes—something magical—and, trying to decipher it, the girl barely listened to his very first words to her, much to her parents' exasperation. “You are a witch,” he repeated, much to the princess' astonishment, and proceeded to tell her about how she got a place in his school of magic, located in Scotland.

Elsa was, perhaps, the only muggle-born in Hogwarts at that time who had tried to reject the invitation. All the stories she had heard from other students told her astonishment was a rather common feeling at the discovery of a magical world just within their grasp, but it was always followed by wonder and joy. The princess of Arendelle, however, felt only shame and disgust; ever since the accident, three years prior, she had decided she wants nothing to do with magic.

If it weren't her parents, she would have never set her feet on the castle. Upset about her response and eager to have someone teaching her how to control her magic, they were adamant about her enrollment in Hogwarts. It was the answer to their prays, her father had told her. They were lucky that Dumbledore had taken notice on her, considering that Arendelle was far from the school's territory and foreign students were rare enough in there even among magical families. 

Helpless against her parents' demand, Elsa had seen no option but to do as she was told. The girl didn't doubt that she would soon be back, however. Her parents' advisors—clueless about her magic and the nature of Hogwarts—were outraged by the notion of sending their young crown princess to a foreign school when they had very good schools and tutors within the kingdom. They were still to find a law that allowed them to interfere with Elsa's education in that particular situation, but the girl had no doubt they would soon figure out a way to bring her back.

“Why are you so against it?” Her mother asked her once with a frown; neither she nor the king could understand the reason Elsa wasn't excited about meeting boys and girls who were just as magical as she was. The girl, however, just shrugged. The thought of nurturing the exact thing that had her little sister, the person she loved more than life itself, almost killed was incomprehensible to her; she would much rather eradicate it.  

Elsa couldn't understand why her parents were in favor of the study of magic when it had brought them nothing but sorrow. She still remembered the deep concern and sorrow in her mother's eyes as the royal family stood in front of the trolls, praying that they would be able to help Anna. The crown princess had never seen her bubbly five-year-old sister so still, frail, cold. No, the only knowledge Elsa wished to acquire at that point was how to get rid of her magic.

Anna. As the girl entered the grand entrance doors of the castle, it was all she could think about. She would love it here. Because the younger princess had adored magic from the day she was born. Elsa was only three years old by then, but she would never forget the wonder in her sister's eyes when she looked at the tiny snowflakes the girl had created just for her. 

Yes, Anna would have loved studying at Hogwarts. She would have appreciated every single one of Elsa's school books; not only the content in each chapter, but its entire craft. The dim light of the candles—because there seemed to be no place for electricity in the school—wouldn't have been intimidating at all, she would have thought of them as an invitation to an adventure. And the moving and talking paintings— if Anna was indeed an art enthusiast, like her tutor and her parents had told her, Elsa was sure she would be beyond words if she set her eyes on them. 

While the other students seemed to grow unease and excited as they approached the teachers' table and stopped in front of a singing hat, Elsa was deep in her thoughts. She had to stop herself from giggling at the thought of Anna's reaction to the great hall, a place that screamed “magic” more than anything she had ever done in her life. Perhaps, the girl mused, she could send a letter to her sister telling her everything about Hogwarts. Perhaps—

“Kyrre, Elsa!” Startled, the crown princess looked at the stern-looking teacher she thought to be called Professor McGonagall. Elsa could sense in the tone of her voice that this hadn't been the first time the woman had called her, much to her embarrassment. Being a good multitasker, there weren't many occasions she had been caught not paying attention to a teacher. 

The problem, and she knew it would come back to bite her again, was the name. Technically, she had been named Elsa Iduna Solveig Kyrre, but people had always called her either “your royal highness”, “princess” or simply “Elsa”. Therefore, even though her father had warned her that would be the name they would be using, the girl couldn't help but being irresponsible when referred to as Miss Elsa Kyrre. No matter how much she rehearsed it in her head, it would be a problem.

However, as the hat covered her eyes, shielding her from the view of the giggling faces of the other students, such thoughts vanished immediately. “Ah! What do we have here?” A voice—the hat's voice—whispered in her head. This time, was she the only one listening? “Quite an interesting mind, I see—” A dreadful thought popped into Elsa's mind: if the hat could read her mind, it would be able to see and tell others about her mistake, her shame. The girl gulped, vær så snill, ikke fortell noen— jeg mener— please, don't tell anyone! God, please! “A worrier, huh?” 

A pause followed as the hat seemed to contemplate, and Elsa felt the cold slipping from the tip of her fingers to the cloth of her white gloves. She swallowed hard once again, trying to control her magic. Please, don't tell— “a hat never tells,” the girl's erratic thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the amused response; “now, where should I put you?” Once again, it seemed to be contemplating her. “What a mind! And in all these centuries— I have rarely seen such raw talent! In Ravenclaw, you shall find your equals. However— such extreme beliefs for a young mind. No, I believe—”

Another pause. Elsa wondered how long has it passed since the hat was first placed in her head. It mustn't be too long, otherwise, people would become agitated. Wouldn't they? “I can see wit, strong loyalty and the burning desire to succeed. Perhaps— you might find kinship in Slytherin.” For a reason, the hat didn't seem too sure, and the girl had a hint on the true reason. While she didn't want to attend Hogwarts, the crown princess knew better than going with no knowledge of the place. The chapter about the house of Slytherin in “Hogwarts, a History” told her about its founder's firm belief that no muggle-born should be taught magic in Hogwarts. The hat would know better than placing one there, right?

“That leaves us— HUFFLEPUFF!” The last word came out louder than the previous and Elsa took a few seconds to realize the other students were clapping, which meant she had been sorted. Hufflepuff— a warm feeling filled her chest at the remembrance of an excerpt in “Hogwarts, a History” about the house. 

Hufflepuff is, perhaps, the most misunderstood of the Hogwarts houses in the modern age. Designed by the Welsh witch Helga Hufflepuff during the earliest days of the school's foundation, the house acquired the reputation of forming weak and dull wizards and witches because of its overall approval of students regarding their background or personal skills. 

Helga Hufflepuff valued fairness and loyalty, which she aspired to teach the new witches or wizards. Her lessons have been passed from generation to generation of Hufflepuff students, strong enough to create a tradition of acceptance, honesty, kindness, and communion within the house. To this day, it has produced the lowest number of dark wizards and witches of all the four houses of Hogwarts.

Elsa didn't feel particularly accepting or kind at that moment, but the judgment of something—or someone—that could see the darkest corners of her mind filled her with joy like she hadn't experienced in many years. Besides, if Hufflepuff didn't bring up as many dark witches and wizards as the other houses, perhaps there was hope for her magic, for herself. Perhaps she wasn't so bad, after all.

With a smile of relief on her lips, Elsa carefully took off the hat and placed it back on the stool she had been sitting. After a glance through the hall, the girl walked towards the closest table on her left, where the applauds were coming from. For once, being at Hogwarts didn't seem too bad; too far to hurt her sister and surrounded by people who knew about her magic, things might turn out fine.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 5th May 2019 (Stormzy, Taylor Swift, bird sounds lol)

This week is really busy and crazy, so I’m going to try and keep it brief – although I have a lot to say.

Top 10

The biggest – or the first immediately notable – story is the new number-one, as “Vossi Bop” by Stormzy, reaching a peak of 12.6 million streams in its first week, the most ever for a British rapper. Its battle with our number-three spot was heavily publicised and Stormzy (And Lil Nas X) understandably won, mostly because of timing, however I don’t think Taylor Swift could have gotten the number-one spot anyway. At least pop music has gotten exciting, I guess – doesn’t mean the UK charts are any good right now, but it’s a significant improvement. This song is massive as is its video, and Stormzy’s first-ever #1 on the chart as a credited artist, and fourteenth top 40 overall (It’s his sixth top 10 hit overall). I pray to God this crosses over to the US, because, yes, I think it can.

To my surprise, Lil Nas X is still at number-two with “Old Town Road”, down a spot from last week, featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. I thought it’d be left demolished by Swift and Stormzy, but here we are, I suppose. Speaking of...

At number-three, we have another debut, Taylor Swift’s 25th (!) Top 40 hit and her 13th Top 10 hit, and Brendon Urie’s sixth Top 40 hit and first ever Top 10 hit, “ME!” credited to Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco, or as the YouTube video claimed, “(feat. Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco) ft. Brendon Urie”. I’ll talk more about this and “Vossi Bop” later, but it’s safe to say that this was even huger than Stormzy’s track, at least worldwide, yet was beaten in pure sales and streaming. I guess that’s what we get for not counting radio on the UK charts.

Now it gets less interesting. “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi is down one spot to number-four, thankfully.

“Piece of Your Heart” by MEDUZA and Goodboys is naturally down three spots to number-five thanks to the sheer power of the top three.

Billie Eilish’s “bad guy” is down two spaces to number-six.

The late Avicii’s posthumous release “SOS”, featuring Aloe Blacc, is down one position to number-seven.

Tom Walker’s “Just You and I” is holding on, down three to number-eight.

Russ (Splash) and Tion Wayne’s “Keisha & Becky” is still safe off of the remix’s longevity, down a spot to number-nine.

Finally, rounding off the top 10 at #10, is “Location” by Dave featuring Burna Boy, up a singular spot from last week.

Climbers

Okay, first of all, “All Day and Night” by Jax Jones and Martin Solveig as EUROPA featuring Madison Beer is only up two spaces so it’s not notable enough, but may I add that the official single image was used for weeks until they decided to use the thumbnail for a version uploaded via TunesToTube.com and I’m not joking, the watermark is still present and visible in the image used – how does this slip through the cracks? Anyways, “No Diet” by Digga D is up seven to #20, becoming his first ever UK Top 20 hit, “Carry On” by Kygo and Rita Ora from Detective Pikachu is up nine spaces to #30, and that’s all.

Fallers

Fallers are a different story though, there’s quite a lot to talk about here. First of all, the streaming for Jonas Brothers’ “Sucker” may or may not have been cut as it’s down six spaces to #13, whilst four consecutive early 2019 hits continue their gradual fades out of relevance, with “Giant” by Calvin Harris and Rag ‘n’ Bone Man down eight to #24 but “Don’t Feel Like Crying” by Sigrid, “i’m so tired...” by LAUV and Troye Sivan as well as “Don’t Call Me Up” by Mabel all down six positions to fill up the #25-#27 slots. I’m also unsure to why there are premature drops for George Ezra’s “Pretty Shining People” down 12 to #37 and “Let Me Down Slowly” by Alec Benjamin featuring Alessia Cara down seven to #38, although our final drop here from Post Malone with “Wow.” down six to #40 is fully expected.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

Some earlier 2019 hits are making room for the Summer it seems, perhaps due to streaming cuts as “bury a friend” by Billie Eilish is out from #15 and “Dancing with a Stranger” by Sam Smith and Normani is out from #36. Some songs that never went anywhere like “Who Do You Love” by The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds of Summer and “MONOPOLY” by Ariana Grande and Victoria Monet are also out, from #38 and #40 respectively, but the biggest story is George Ezra’s “Shotgun”, which has spent nearly all of its 58 non-consecutive weeks on the Top 75 chart in the Top 40, and is finally out from #30 – although it’s still outside of the top 40. Other than that, there are no drop-outs or returning entries to speak of, so let’s get to reviewing the new arrivals.

NEW ARRIVALS

#36 – “Sixteen” – Ellie Goulding

Produced by Mike Wise and FRED – Peaked at #19 in Scotland

Okay, so, I’ve never had to talk about Ellie Goulding all too much, and to be perfectly honest, she’s continued to sour on me the more she puts out and the less unique her material gets. Sure, her songwriting chops have always been there and hopefully always will, but she isn’t as interesting as I wish she was, especially instrumentally as while her producers carved her own lane back when she was making stuff like “Lights”, she seems just to be chasing trends in recent years. Regardless of my opinion of Ellie Goulding, she’s made some good stuff and this is her twenty-second UK Top 40 hit, so let’s see how it fares... well, this sure would be mediocre in 2016. In 2019, it sure exists. Remember tropical house? Yeah, you love that, right? Well, let’s mix it with the boring and dull vaguely-pop music of 2019, and make what isn’t a disaster at all, somehow. It starts abruptly with a looped and manipulated vocal sample that goes nowhere, before cutting to an immediately pretty interesting guitar-lead verse, which then kicks into gear for a really bouncy, fun pre-chorus. Then the chorus comes in where Goulding strains her voice talking about being 16 and wearing her significant other’s T-shirt, and all of the momentum is killed when it drops into that manipulated vocal sample. Do I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek MSN reference? Of course, I do, and the lyrics are actually very unique and I’d argue pretty great, and really invokes that youthful sense of exploration and feeling like you can do it all, you’re on top of the world... but I’m not sure if it holds up sonically, especially with that freaking drop, it really isn’t pleasant and feels like a remnant of recent past. Overall, it’s okay and I don’t really care about it enough but I understand the appeal, as with Goulding’s work overall.

#34 – “Don’t Worry Bout Me” – Zara Larsson, not featuring Alessia Cara

Produced by The Struts – Peaked at #7 in Sweden

I say NOT featuring Alessia Cara, mostly because BBC seems to think it does. Sigh, there’s an insane amount of mistakes on this week’s entry. Anyway, this is Zara Larsson’s new single and like all of her singles it has a massive singles push, and by that I mean an incredible amount of pretty pointless remixes, whilst the original is just a cloudy pop single that doesn’t stand out at all from the rest. This particular single, co-written with goddess Tove Lo, is her ninth UK Top 40 single and only slightly more recognisable, mostly because it takes an 80s/early 2010s fusion of dance-pop that was pretty interesting but the build-up feels a bit drawn-out, with the lack of percussion making the way-too-obvious autotune stick out like a sore thumb, but once the strings and 808s hit, it’s not much but it does add a lot of drama and that cinematic feel is immediately killed by the drop, but the chorus is a catchy kiss-off, and the fast-paced percussion and house music-influenced bass does add a lot of bounce to the hook, and it is pretty fun. There’s a really nasal, eerie synth sound in the bridge that was irritating at first but did grow on me, but then it disappears for the entirety of the last chorus and outro, which doesn’t add any sense of climax or finality at all. The rest of the song doesn’t exist. Next.

#18 – “Let Nature Sing” – The RSPB

Produced by literal birds

So, this is the confusing one I think I might have to explain a bit. “Let Nature Sing” is a campaign more than it is a hit single, as The RSPB isn’t a band, rather it’s one of the largest wildlife charities in Europe, specifically the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Now this isn’t a pandering charity single with a bunch of celebrities singing vague lyrics about we love the Earth, it is our planet, we love the Earth, it is our home, no, it’s literal birdsong – for two minutes and thirty-two seconds. Now, initially, I had no idea how to rank this in the top 20 so I invented a new “???” tier just for this single and any other bizarre picks that ended up in the top half of the charts... but I think I love this. There are 165 critically endangered species within Britain’s environment, as RSPB claims in their promotional website for the single, and that is 56% of the wildlife in decline. So they’re raising money a la Band Aid and/or Lil Dicky, for preservation of British wildlife, and trying to spread the word about this single, which eventually did get enough downloads and sales, as well as 58,000 streams to chart. Now, I hope this money is used well and that the birds who are sampled in this song are paid songwriting royalties because this is great. This is beautiful. Now it’s not like this has any specific structure, and I haven’t researched to see what species of birds are singing here, but this is pure serenity and almost works as ASMR wave sounds to fall asleep to. Sure, there are a bunch of reverb effects that make the woodpecker sound jarring, and some non-bird sounds that kind of sound like an artificial bass being added, as well as a synth but that may just be my complete lack of knowledge about birds in general. It’s all chopped up and it definitely is not pure recorded birdsong, which I’d be inclined to check out, but for what it is, the sounds here are quirky, fun and sound natural, and since it’s helping a cause, I’d say stream it. It’s not unpleasant and isn’t a 7-minute joke about small penises featuring Lil Yachty as a sexually-transmitted illness, so I’d argue it’s a better alternative to actual charity SONGS... so, yeah, stream this, it’s short, it’s calming, but I doubt this will stay longer than two weeks if that.

#3 – “ME!” – Taylor Swift featuring Panic! at the Disco

Produced by Joel Little and Taylor Swift – Peaked at #1 in Hungary, Nicaragua and Scotland

There’s a lot to hate about this new lead bubblegum pop single from Taylor Swift’s upcoming seventh studio album, featuring vocals from Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco fame. There really is a lot to hate, from the factory-settings production that feels like such an abrupt shift from the mechanical albeit jagged electronic production from the last album, Taylor’s aggravating inflections from her verse AND the pre-chorus, the nonsensical chorus which rips hard from “Sit Next to Me” by Emeli Sande, the marching band percussion that reminds me all too much of “Shake it Off” as well as Urie’s work on Panic!’s most recent album especially with the rattling hi-hats covered up by a blast of overproduced trumpets, and the cringeworthy bridge, where two grown adults in their early 30s starting their middle-eight with, “Hey, kids, spelling is fun!” – seriously, this was written only by the producers and the artists, how is it this unfitting and odd for Taylor to be singing? Surely, Taylor should be able to come naturally with great songwriting like she has before, even on reputation, and this shouldn’t be as awfully-written as it is. The “Spelling is fun” tangent doesn’t even fit the time signature, for God’s sake. Oh, and this trainwreck of a line:

Girl, there ain’t no “I” in “Team” / But you know, there is a “Me”

No, there isn’t. There isn’t a “Me” in “Team” unless you rearrange it, and in that case, it’d be misspelled, hence your bridge’s message, which is, as I recall, spelling is fun, is undercut by the fact you can’t spell. What does that even mean in this case, since it would otherwise be a cheesy lyric about how they’re a team or whatever, because it’s been rearranged and manipulated? Is there no “Me” in “Team” anymore? Are Taylor and Brendon breaking up in the middle of their spelling bee? Are they saying their relationship is as complicated and infuriating as this one lyric? Let’s see Taylor’s reasoning here:

“We wanted it to be playful, we didn’t want it to take itself seriously at all.” That, by the way, is why I love this song to death and despite everything I can nag about it, it’s actually really fun and one of Taylor’s best songs to date. It screams colour even without the expensive music video, and every little annoying misstep counts towards the hilarity of the song and how carefree it is, from Taylor’s “UHH” ad-libs to them both belting distant lyrics about how there’s a lot of lame guys out theeeeeere, it all comes together and makes a really cool song that doesn’t care about your judgement. Yes, I had a lot to say about that one, but I’ve been building it up for nearly two weeks now. You can’t spell awesome without “ME!”, I guess.

#1 – “Vossi Bop” – Stormzy

Produced by Chris Andoh

Speaking of awesome people, welcome back, Stormzy, one of my favourite British rappers and one of the most unique, with Gang Signs & Prayer holding up as one of my favourite hip-hop albums ever. Merky Academy’s founder has decided to strip it down a bit for this minimalistic return to form after a gospel-tinged and R&B-influenced debut studio album. This is “Vossi Bop”, and it bangs. We have that lo-fi yet menacing synth line looping in the back of the mix before the thumping bass kicks in with a catchy and eerie piano melody which really adds a lot of grit to Stormzy’s bars, mostly just about living life of luxury and celebrating his rags to riches story. While the 808s are admittedly mixed a tad oddly, as is the trap percussion, the rattling hi-hats give an otherwise pretty slow-paced rap flow some bounce and quick-paced energy. The multi-tracked hook is catchy and anthemic, although Stormzy’s refusal to dab is a bit more EB the Original Master than I would prefer, and I personally like the Mondegreen, “my brothers don’t die, we just Vossi bop” better, but the verses are pretty great. In this context, Vossi bopping means a laidback dance popularised by a guy named Vossi that went viral a few years ago – in fact, this song was made ages before its release. In the bluntly-delivered verses with some smooth flow switches, Stormzy discusses how he looks at his girl and thanks God. How wholesome. Also F Boris Johnson and he’s Chuck Norris? It’s not exactly the most poetic Stormzy’s been, but he does have multisyllabic rhyme schemes and his lyrics are at least coherent, which isn’t really what I can say for most UK rap that debuts on the charts nowadays. He also refers to jet lag as “f***ing up my body clock”, and we have a censored word that we don’t know yet, and have yet to have had any explanation for? We’ll see, I guess. Anyways, this is an absolute banger and I’m ecstatic Stormzy has a #1.

Conclusion

This was actually a cool week in retrospect. Best of the Week is going to The RSPB for “Let Nature Sing” because it’s two and a half minutes of birdsong in the top 20 and that’s impressive enough. The Honourable Mention is tied, going to both Stormzy for “Vossi Bop” and Taylor Swift with Brendon Urie for “ME!”, whilst Worst of the Week goes that Zara Larsson song. Blech. Follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank for more pop music ramblings and Top 20 rankings, and I’ll see you next week!

I could never die, I’m Chuck Norris (Chuck Norris) / F*** the government and f*** Boris (Yeah)

[celticculture]

[solvcigs-blog]

fun fact: i’ve been proofreading this for ten minutes, shows you how sure of myself i am lmao

i’m so !! excited !!! ok hey guys, i’m jules, i live in the gmt-3:30 timezone ( a confusing one tbh ) and i’m a 19 year old uni student always undergoing some kind of existential crisis, kid you not there aren’t many breaks from them. anyways, this is my super soft child sol, and i’m just gonna break down her life and all that stuff!!

i just saw JOSEFINE FRIDA PETTERSEN boarding the plane…or maybe it was SOLVEIG HAMMOND. yeah, it was probably just SOL. the TWENTY ONE year-old FEMALE from TRONDHEIM, NORWAY and is on the plane as a WINNER. SHE seems very CREATIVE and BLITHE but also MISGUIDED and DESIROUS, guess that’s why they’ve been dubbed the AESTHETE.

sol's father is canadian ( specifically acadian js ) and her mother is norwegian, so she was born and raised in trondheim and visited her dad’s family in nova scotia every summer

she has a younger brother, about ten years old, who she A D O R E S despite hardly seeing him over the past three years or so

she’s very big on family and close relationships in general, ridiculously loving and loyal 

solveig has always been a super positive girl, not exactly seeing things through a rose coloured glass but remaining optimistic and kind to a lot of the people she’s met. she took her mother’s advice when it comes to being kind a little too seriously, at least that’s what she’d always hear her overprotective dad say 

growing up, she was often seen as naive and passive, some of her ( former ) friends taking advantage of her for being non-argumentative and polite. that hasn’t really changed, ngl hahaha

she was smart, not really a brain, but she was intelligent in writing and design, but especially so in socialization and emotion

she was also seen as being a bit air-headed, which i’ll get to later, and it led her to being teased sometimes

nevertheless, she was something of a popular figure at her high school because she was pleasant and kind to everyone, even though some still took advantage of this or bashed her for it

she loves fashion, blame it on her mom for always taking her shopping, buying vogue or teaching her how to sew from an early age. so when she decided to attend the university of edinburgh to get a b.a in fashion, it came as no surprise

despite being fearful and a bit heartbroken about moving away from home, sol was ecstatic to study her passion and hopefully make a name for herself one day

since then, she’s been content living in scotland and getting her undergrad, she’s made plenty of friends and hasn’t regretted her decision, save for not seeing her family and friends back in trondheim as often after she left

basically, solveig hasn’t gone through much trauma in her life besides her pets and grandparents passing away, but if she had, it honestly wouldn’t change her too much

she’s always trying to make new friends or to brighten someone’s day, to the point that some would probably get annoyed with her lmao

she’s easily confused, like i mean she tends to be distracted by her thoughts and zones out of conversations a bit, mistakes tomato emojis for pumpkins ( @that one text i reblogged yesterday bc h onestly ) and might need a joke explained to her in full every now and again

can be a tad emotional, i mean who isn’t ?? .. i have half a mind to retract that statement, bc that’s kind of bullshit lbr

literally a stereotypical pisces.. which i didn’t mean to make her, it just happened

she desires sm, is super eager, just wants all of the pretty things in the world and positivity, it would rot your teeth out if you knew the extent of it

she’s often called a dreamer or an airhead by some people, because she’s confused quite a bit and what not, but she’s practical and understanding of most of the things she hears or sees, so y’know

she knows that the world isn’t that great of a place at times, but she has hope for that to change, accepts that it is what it is and merely refuses to let the negativity get to her. she acknowledges this to anyone that confronts her on it

can be political at times bc she legit cares about every living thing on the face of the earth, kid you n o t

just wants her gentle soul to be seen as a good thing and not as a weakness

also, hUGE lover of makeup and parks and rec.. bc leslie is a slightly more serious version of sol, i mean...

and lastly, she wanted to see the world without being too broke by the fifth destination, so she entered the contest and was the happiest lil bean when she won. she decided to take along her best friend lina from back home bc she missed her dearly and wanted to restrengthen their bond !! 

so yeah!! clearly this is all over the place and kinda messy with details, but i’ve never been in such a rush to get something typed in my life so this’ll do hahaha. if you wanna plot with this borderline angel, IM me or like this !!

[scottishdreams]

Glasgow > | Mike & Solveig, Jim McAteer plus Katherine Priddy Tickets | Hare And...

...tradition.' Celtic Music Radio, GlasgowJim McAteer (Scotland)Jim McAteer is a guitarist and singer from the musical city of Glasgow in Scotland. Previous gigs include support slots for – Martin... https://ift.tt/2uzGgbI

[cars4starters]

The Hyundai Ioniq (pictured) has been named 2017 Women’s World Car of the Year.

The Ioniq is a five-door hatch manufactured and marketed by Hyundai in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric form – you could say Hyundai’s take on the Prius.

Due for release here late this year or early next year it emerged the clear “supreme” winner, ahead of runner up the Mazda CX-5.

For the purposes of judging all three models in the Ioniq range were considered and treated as one car for voting purposes.

The Ioniq also won the Green Car category.

The CEO of the Women’s World Car of the Year is Sandy Myhre of New Zealand.

“The car that wins the Supreme award has gone through a rigorous test by 25 judges from 20 different countries who are on the panel of Women’s World Car of the Year,” Myhre said.

“It’s a democratic process and cars that have won categories and the supreme winner really have to stand out.

“It must be mentioned that Mazda did very well to have three cars nominated, and score so highly, in all three categories.”

This year 420 cars were on the first nomination list, whittled down to the top 60.

Judges then vote on those cars by allocating points.

Voting is by secret ballot and audited by international accountancy company Grant Thornton from their Auckland (NZ) office.

Director, Paul Kane, said voting is not always predictable.

“This year, the Hyundai Ioniq was a standout.  It’s always a tight competition but there were a couple of cars that were ahead of the others in their category, notably, the Ford Fiesta and the BMW 5 Series,” he said.

  FAMILY CAR: Mazda CX5

This was an exceptionally close vote between the Mazda CX5 and the Hyundai i30. Right until the last votes were received the result could have gone either way. In fact, the Mazda CX-5 was nominated consistently in two categories – this Family Car category and the SUV/Crossover category.

  BUDGET CAR: Ford Fiesta

This segment was very clear with the Ford Fiesta ahead of the Kia Rio by several points with the Citroen C3 coming in at third place.

  GREEN CAR: Hyundai Ioniq – EV, Hybrid, PHEV

The Korean car was a clear winner ahead of the Toyota Prius Pug-in Hybrid. The Toyota Prius and the Kia Niro were almost equal until the last votes were in.  

  SUV/CROSSOVER: Peugeot 3008

The Peugeot 3008 convincingly won over the Mazda CX-5 which, in fact, did well to rate so highly in three categories.  Third was the Volvo XC60.

  LUXURY CAR: BMW 5 Series

No question here, the BMW 5 Series scored consistently highly and ahead of the Volvo S90 with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class in third place.

  PERFORMANCE CAR: Honda Civic Type R

This segment was fairly closely-fought between the Honda and the Mazda MX5 RF which was runner-up. Third was the BMW M2 Coupe.  

  DREAM CAR: McLaren 720S

Judges are asked to nominate one car only for this award, their dream car, the one they’d like to own. For 2016 and 2017 McLaren was a clear winner over other contenders that included the likes of Aston Martin Rapide S, Aston Martin DB11, Maserati Levante, Ferrari Portofino and Ferrari GTC4 Russo.

  HOLLY REICH DREAM CAR AWARD

This award is dedicated to the memory of Holly Reich, one of our judges from New York, who passed away in October 2016.

Scotland’s Maggie Barry, Motoring Editor for Media Scotland, and England’s Sue Baker, Vice President, UK Guild of Motoring Writers, presented two certificates to McLaren Cars in Woking, UK, on November 13 – one for the McLaren as the 2016 Dream Car Award and for the McLaren 720S winning this year’s award.

It’s the first time one car company has won back-to-back awards in this category or, indeed, any other category in the eight-year history of Women’s World Car of the Year.

  PREVIOUS WINNERS

2016: Jaguar F-Pace

2015: Volvo XC90

2014: Mercedes-Benz S-Class

2013: Ford Fiesta Ecoboost

2012 Range Rover Evoque

2011: BMW 5 Series and Citroën DS3 (tie)

2010: Jaguar XF

  JUDGES 2017

All 25 judges from 20 different countries are established motoring writers.

Women’s World Car of the Year is the only car awards in the world voted entirely by women.

NAME COUNTRY NAME COUNTRY Alicia Ryzewski Argentina Anat Daniel Israel Carla Ribeiro Portugal Caroline Duval France Charlene Clarke South Africa Fran Muñoz Matus Chile Geraldine Herbert Ireland Isabel del Angel Negrete Mexico Jacqui Madelin New Zealand Jil McIntosh Canada Liz Swanton Australia Maggie Barry Scotland Marta Garcia Spain Nadine Armstrong Australia Nguyen Hoa Vietnam Odiel Mennink Netherlands Regina Chan Canada Renuka Kirpalani India Rita Cook USA Sandy Myhre New Zealand Sara Soria Spain Sevil Okumus Turkey Solveig Grewe Germany Sue Baker England Ylle Rajasaar Estonia

The Hyundai Ioniq

The Hyundai Ioniq

The Hyundai Ioniq

Hyundai named Women’s World Car of the Year The Hyundai Ioniq (pictured) has been named 2017 Women's World Car of the Year. The Ioniq is a five-door hatch manufactured and marketed by Hyundai in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric form - you could say Hyundai's take on the Prius.

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[dstrachan]

‘LUNCHTIME REVIEW’++ - 10th April 2017

APPETISER

The Bluebells / Young At Heart

Brandon Flowers / I Can Change

The Damned / New Rose

Paul Weller / Sunflower

Mike Flowers Pops / Wonderwall

Nirvana / In Bloom

Roxette / Fading Like A Flower

KP Barrett / Daffodil

Poco / Rose Of Cimarron

Rose Royce / Is It Love That You’re After?

Ward Thomas / Guilty Flowers

Ace Of Bass / Life Is A Flower

Hothouse Flowers / Don’t Go

Glasvegas / Flowers & Football Tops

The Stone Roses / Love Spreads

Guns ‘n’ Roses / Welcome To The Jungle

The Move / Flowers In The Rain

Scott MacKenzie / San Franciso (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)

The Flower Pot Men / Let’s Go To San Francisco

Marie Osmond / Paper Roses

The Corries / The Bluebells Of Scotland

Travis / Flowers In The Window

Bette Midler / The Rose

KD Lang / Rose Garden

Ceilidh Minogue / Red Red Rose

Karen Matheson / All The Flowers Of The Bough

Wildflowers / Chemistry

LUNCHTIME REVIEW

Nazareth / My White Bicycle

Amerie / Gotta Work

Durga McBroom / Oblivion

Pink Pinky / Ram Jam

Ram Jam / Black Betty

Tiger Lilly / Chocolate Button Kisses

Mathilde Santing / Blue Monday

Be Like Pablo / There She Is

James Brown Is Annie / Ask Your Doctor

Alexa Goddard / We Broke The Sky

Gorillaz / Saturnz Barz

Goodbye Blue Monday / Take Your Pills

Mount Kimbie ft. James Blake / We Go Home Together

Tallia Storm / Still In Love

Saraswati / Sweet Little Bassline (Funky Thorah remix)

Feritta / Karma

King Hammond Hammond / Protest Song

Principal Edward’s Magic Theatre / Freef (R) All

Tenek / Another Day

Gloria Garcia / Puppet Show

Natalie McCool / Pins

Mary Kiani / I Give It All To You

EXTRA COURSE

Tom Jones / You Can Leave Your Hat On

Aqua / Cartoon Heroes

The Fabulous Red Diesel / Fine Wine

Elkie Brooks / Lilac Wine

The Soup Dragons / I’m Free

Martin Solveig ft. Dragonette / Hello

Ilse de lange / Beautiful Distraction

David Bowie / Modern Love

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy / You & Me & the Bottle Makes Three

Gina G / Ooh ...... Aah Just A Little Bit More

The Cheeky Girls / Take Your Shoes Off

Beth Prior / Green Tea

Giorgio Moroder ft. Britney Spears / Tom’s Diner

[celticculture]