#architecture jobs in London

[formula-fun]

au where charles is an architect and max is the structural engineer whos forced to deal with him and the target audience is me

[m00ngbin]

Ok I will admit that that was the most fun I've had researching something more academic ever. Ronda Spain is actually so interesting

Just so you know in the tags I meant to say halves not halfs I just don't feel like retyping everything

[cuntrytaylor]

🍳☕️

[georgeclarkewifey]

Inconvenience | g. clarke

Chapter 1 - Moving out

Word Count: 1.2K

summary: time for Noa to get out of her apartment, with the assistance of Mr Christopher Dixon

Warnings: extremely mild angst / sad undertones

noamurphy

liked by chrismd10, arthurtv and 10,373 others

noamurphy no bc why is packing the worst

comments open

chrismd10 you haven’t finished packing?

⮑ noamurphy perhaps not

arthurtv you’re moving in an hour you do realise?

⮑ noamurphy yes very aware thank you. and it’s more like in five minutes and not 1 hour

⮑ arthurtv so stop replying and get packing

fan1 omg is she moving in with the boys??

⮑ noamurphy never they’re too messy x

⮑ arthurtv I refute this comment

⮑ noamurphy okay lawyer

⮑ glambyflo god i can't wait for you to be here xx

⮑ noamurphy can't wait to see you!!

fan2 praying this means more Noa content with the boys

⮑ fan3 please!!! just having her occasionally appear in Chris’ videos isn’t enough

gkbarry_ everyone shut up my girl is moving to London

⮑ noamurphy all for you babe x

maxbalegde I need to meet you immediately as soon as you’ve moved in

⮑ noamurphy consider it done x

Noa felt on the verge of crying. On the one hand, she knew this was exactly what she wanted, moving out of her cramped apartment and away from her tormenting job, to a significantly better apartment and a small position at her dream architecture firm. Still, it was all very terrifying.

The move from Jersey to Edinburgh for university was hard enough, followed by a slightly rushed decision to do a masters in Cambridge meant that Noa never really felt settled wherever she went. So, when an apartment in the same building in which her childhood friends Arthur and Chris lived became available, she jumped at the chance. It wasn’t that her apartment was bad, it just didn’t feel like home - as hard as she tried, her room felt more like a dorm and office rolled into one, with plans and building ideas scattered around.

She rubbed her face, trying to stave of the feelings of exhaustion as more books were piled into one of the many half filled moving boxes. Regretting the four hours of sleep the night before, Noa reached to the side to grab her can of Monster, cursing when she found it empty.

"Knock knock! It's you're favourite person!" a voice called in the hallway, followed by the small pitter-patter of hobbit feet.

Noa rolled her eyes and stood up, grimacing at how her joints cracked as she stretched. "Either Arthur has dramatically shrunk, or something isn't right here."

Chris chuckled as he pulled Noa in for a hug, his eyebrows raising as he took in her state. "I see you've had an ample amount of sleep."

She chuckled, turning away from him to start closing the lids on the packing boxes. "You know I thrive off practically no sleep. That's how I did A Levels. And most of university." Noa shrugged.

"I'm aware. So how much packing have you got left to do? Because I'd preferably want to be on the road before it gets too busy." Chris asked, nervously glancing at his watch.

"Calm your tits Dixie we’ll be fine.” Noa grinned, walking into her cardboard box of a bedroom to grab her last couple of things. “But thank you though, I appreciate the help.”

Chris smiled, as he began stacking boxes in the hallway. “You’re welcome Noa, plus now that we’re living in the same building, I can just borrow all your stuff. And your food.”

“I thought the four of you were good at cooking? At least, when you have the right utensils and ingredients.”

“You weren’t the one who had to try those pizzas.” Chris shivered, trying to suppress the memories. “So it’s just these boxes yeah?”

“Sure is!” Noa called, emerging from the bedroom with a backpack and duffel bag. “One of the pros of renting a furnished place, don’t have to move all the furniture when you leave.”

“Are you gonna miss it?”

“Jesus no the mattress was horrible.”

“Not the furniture you idiot, the place in general.”

Noa shrugged as she did one last sweep of the kitchen, checking that she hadn’t left anything behind. “It was nice, but it just felt like the right time to move on.”

Chris nodded, picking up one of the lighter looking boxes, helping Noa ferry them into the hall.

As he grabbed the last box from the living room, curiosity got the better of him and he had a quick peek inside (Noa had written a note on the box telling him to specifically not look). His heart tightened at the sight of the blue football boots inside, mud streaks and grass stains still evident across soles and laces. The leather was deeply creased and the colour was worn around the eyelets of the laces, they used to be used frequently, but the small layer of dust that had collected on them proved that they’d been hidden away for a while.

Rifling around in the box more, he found the matching shin pads, as well as a collection of dog eared photos. Chris smiled fondly, holding the Polaroid up to the light so he could clearing see the people in the image.

It was himself, Noa and Arthur as kids - all grinning at each other. Noa’s hair was pulled up into a ponytail, which was once probably neat, but in the moment it was a mess, flyaways everywhere and her baby hairs sticking to her forehead. Arthur and Chris looked significantly younger, baby faces prominent, with a definitive lack of facial hair. Chris felt his eyes water with emotion, remembering the ecstasy of the moment. Even as an adult, the unbridled joy of seeing someone you cared for win their football league was contagious.

Though he couldn’t help but sigh sadly, knowing how much everything had changed.

“Christopher! I specifically wrote a note on that box for you not to rummage through that!” Noa sighed, taking it from his hands and repacking it quickly.

“Why not?”

“Because you’d get all like…this.” She replied, gesturing her arms up and down at him.

“You just gestured to all of me.” Chris said indignantly, screwing his face up in confusion.

“I’m aware.” Noa answered, pulling the front door open with a grunt, pushing some boxes with her left foot to hold it open. “Now let’s get this show on the road yeah?”

“You’re not even gonna acknowledge it?”

“Acknowledge what Chris?”

“Don’t do this Noa, c’mon.” He sighed, moving to block her view of the boxes that she was busying herself with. “You’ve still got those boots.”

“Sure do.” She replied shortly, piling a small valuables box on top of one marked ‘kitchen - don’t drop’. “Got all my football stuff in there.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Noa huffed. “What’s left to talk about? We’ve talked about it many times, I think we’ve covered everything. And it was five years ago Chris.”

Chris raised his eyebrows, not convinced. “Okay, okay, but if you want to talk, me and Arthur are here.”

“Very aware of that, thanks.”

author speaks: welcome to the first proper chapter! Hope you enjoyed it :)

[itsjustaninchident]

I feel like an interesting prompt for Lando would be being with/meeting a girl he likes who isn’t an influencer or popular, just a regular girl who stays more private. (Me for example, a girl who lives in the middle of no where Texas, with a regular business office 9-5 job) lol

You Are in Love

Lando Norris x Interior Designer!Reader

socmed au

summary: seems like mclaren's driver is not available in the market anymore but the real question is, to whom?

warning/s: none

author's note: hello! I am so sorry for taking so long to respond to this request 😭 I didn't know how I would create this and I am still quite scared to take requests but here we are and I hope you enjoy it! A little warning I'm not very knowledgeable about America so I might have overlooked some things and I am sorry for that 😭 and also lmk~ I also chose interior designer as the career for the reader I hope you don't mind >< 🫶 Please request more!

Part 2

yourusername

Texas, USA

liked by yourbestfriend, yoursibling, and 129 others

yourusername another tiring week but at least i get to be a passenger princess hehe :)

view 10 comments...

yourbestfriend tell him to watch his back i CAN take you back 😏

yourusername dont worry bae im all yours 😉

yourfriend is this the london boy 🫢

yourusername well...

yourfriend when will we meet him👀

yourusername he's a little shy😆

yoursibling mom says she miss him more than u

yourusername i guess i have been replaced in the family now

landonorris

liked by maxfewtrell, carlossainz55, and 320,478 others

landonorris another normal but lovely week

view 1,093 comments...

user1 this is so out of character of him😭

user2 fr why is this kinda lowkey of him to do though👀

user3 am i thinking what you're thinking

user4 is he yknow the d word 😭

user7 okay pack it up people he can have a life that does not concern us at all

danielricciardo 🤠

user9 what's with the emoji

maxfewtrell when will u be back here

user5 oh OH

user6 since when are you interested in architecture 🧐

user6 trying to connect shit...

user7 no you're not go get a life

user8 baes take all your delusional asses elsewhere 😭

yourusername

liked by yoursibling, yourbestfriend, and 218 others

yourusername golf isn't as bad as i thought

view 2 comments...

yourbestfriend am i really about to lose you to some guy who drives in circles???

yourusername nah still urs babe 😆😘

landonorris

liked by maxfewtrell, pierregasly, and 530,789 others

landonorris golf kinda day

view 305 comments...

maxfewtrell you got beaten up bad...

landonorris she was just lucky

maxfewtrell sure...

carlossainz55 i guess ill replace you as my golf buddy

user1 why are his pictures so boyfriend coded lately?

yourbestfriend that's really a nice pic i wonder who took it? 🫢

yourusername 🤐

user2 the comments from max and carlos😭 who's able to beat this man in golf😭 i need to pay my respect

yourusername

liked by lilymhe, yourbestfriend, and 137 others

yourusername fun week in canada :)

view 6 comments...

yourbestfriend I should've went with you!

yourusername definitely! 😭 It will be so much more fun with u around luv :'(

lilymhe hope to see you again !

yourusername looking forward as well! I miss u alr 🫶

lando.jpg

liked by danielricciardo, carlossainz55, and 834 others

lando.jpg canada you were fun 😏

view 1,456 comments...

user1 DID HE JUST HARD LAUNCH?!

user2 I AM NOT SO READY FOR THIS

user3 i genuinely think he has no idea what he posted....

user4 LANDO WHO'S THAT IN THE 3RD PHOTO

danielricciardo mate I think you're not supposed to post the 3rd photo...

carlossainz55 she will definitely kill him

maxverstappen1 im here for it

maxfewtrell so much for being lowkey

this post has been deleted

lando.jpg

liked by pierregasly, danielricciardo, and 234,598 others

lando.jpg canada you were fun 😏

view 5,405 comments...

user1 no way you're trying to gaslight us

user2 man really said nope not today

danielricciardo i saw nothing

carlossainz55 me too

maxverstappen1 me three

user3 twitter fans gonna have a field day with this 😭

to be continued...

[niko-sasaki-dbd]

So, I've seen several questions about this, so I'm gonna try to do my best to share my explanation of the:

THREE FLIGHTS AND ONE FERRY RIDE LATER

FIRST IF ALL: THE DESTINATION

Port Townsend is a city, located at the Quimper Peninsula, in the Jefferson County, Washington, USA.

There's several ways to get there, and one of them is by ferry, in the following map, you can see the geographical location, and the ferry route (Coupeville – Port Townsend).

Now, let's go back to the start!

FROM LONDON TO WASHINGTON (THREE FLIGHTS, I GUESS)

Here, the questions are not about the route, but the money. For a lot of people, the logical and immediate answer is that Crystal used her powers to get into an airplane, but I think is plausible that she didn't use them exactly to avoid paying, and if she did, she felt very guilty about it (I'm gonna explain this later).

What is certain is that she used her powers to avoid security and registration at the airport (all the airports), because there was no way a minor was leaving the country, or jumping from one jurisdiction to another without documentation, a passport or an ID.

About the route, there's a lot of options here, but if I believe Crystal didn't use her powers to avoid paying for the tickets, is simply because there were better options than taking three flights, and if she was going to stole the tickets anyway, why no choosing a direct flight? Or at least, a faster one?

I mean that could have saved her a lot of trouble, because going from one airport to another with Charles and Edwin quarreling around her is not exactly the definition of a holiday vacation.

I'm sure she would have chosen any flight that could take her to Washington the fastest, the thing is that she didn't.

She got into a flight with two connections, and secured herself a headache too, so I guess she used the money she had on her, or most logically, her money + the money from the agency (let's give the boys some credit, at the end of the day, they're good at their job, and they care about getting paid).

Now, the route could have been something like this (based on a real flight itinerary):

London, GB -> Frankfurt International, DE

Frankfurt International, DE -> Calgary Intl Airport, CA

Calgary Intl Airport, CA -> Seattle Tacoma Airport, US

[I'm using ISO 3166 country codes, instead of the airports abbreviations]

Which translates into:

First flight: 1 hour and 30 minutes (+1h 30min)

First layover: 2 hours (+2h)

Second flight: 10 hours (+10h)

Second layover: 5 hours (+5h)

Third flight: 2 hours (+2h)

All of these sums up 20 hours and 30 minutes of dealing with Bert and Ernie, without a possible escape.

But the point is, that there are faster routes; a direct flight, or even a flight with only one connection, has a duration of 14 hours or less and is only €100 more than the journey of nightmares I just described, so why did she pick the longer flight if she wasn't going to pay anyway? quality time with the boys? weren't they supposed to be in a hurry?

Obviously, is possible that the flight they took was the first available, or even that they took a flight to a different state, and then travelled within the US, but in either case, I'm sure they didn't pick the fastest route available and the only reason for that is the price of the plane tickets.

Additionally to that, Crystal didn't have much money left to pay for rent when they arrived, and she was the most worried about getting money out of the cases all the season.

FROM SEATTLE TO PORT TOWNSEND: WE'RE ALMOST THERE.

There's no direct way to get from the airport to Port Townsend, they need to get to the ferry terminal in Coupeville first.

Don't worry, is not that hard to get from Seattle to Coupeville, is a two-hour bus ride and the buses leave relatively often, and you can take one from the airport.

So, here we are, back at the beginning. Welcome to Port Townsend, you will surely be enchanted by its beautiful Victorian architecture and the witch kidnapping little girls.

Isn't it the coolest small town ever?

FINAL NOTE:

Clearly, I just did this for fun, but if it is helpful for some of you, that's great!

Doing this also made me think about some headcanons, and I'm gonna be analysing them for the next three business days.

[starzioo]

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓. 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐅𝐎𝐘.

Hiii! This is a DracoxFem!Reader one-shot! In this story you are a ballerina. I saw this post of the Slytherin boys x a ballerina and I could just imagine Draco being absolutely in love with her. So here it is I hope you like!

WARNINGS: NONE <3

You sit on the stage of the Royal Opera House in London. Tightly wrapping the dusty pink ribbons around your ankles. Today was your rehearsal day for the production of The Nutcracker. You had been casted as the Sugar Plum Fairy. Most people would take this role as being easy and simple. But oh no, they would be terribly wrong. The movements you made had to be fluid and effortless, while also being regal. You sigh before standing back up and fixing your rehearsal tutu. You head over to your starting mark and give the signal to the director to start the music.

=

DRACO POV

I get out of the muggle-car behind my father. 'Muggles really think that this is the peak of transportation?' I think to myself as I look back at the black car behind me. "Good morning Mr. Malfoy. It's a pleasure to have you here again! Mr. Evan's is in a meeting right now and told me to tell you that he'll meet with you as soon as possible." A woman who I assume is Mr. Evan's assistant spoke to my father. "M'Alright." My father says obviously annoyed with the muggles tardiness. "Right this way then." The woman says with her smile not faltering. She walks a couple paces ahead of my father while I linger behind him. We step inside of the building. The interior looks to be made for royals. The architecture being elegant. She leads us down a couple hallways before stopping at a big door. "You may sit and wait here. Mr. Evan's will be here shortly. If you would like any refreshments or if you have any questions just head down the hallway and my desk is right there." My father only nods in response. She flashes her smile once more before heading down the hallway. Me and my father sit down on the waiting chairs. "Why are we here? Better question why am I here?" I turn and ask my father who's reading a muggle newspaper. He doesn't even look at me, "Because Draco. We are here on important business. It's about time you start learning what lies ahead for you." His tone still cold as ever. I can't even speak back, I know i'll be silenced. All I can do is huff. I stand up and just walk the opposite direction of him. I don't hate my father but sometimes I just can't stand how he seems to have my entire future in the palm of his hand.

Walking down the large hallway I can start to hear the elegant music that I can only recognize as music from The Nutcracker. When I was little my mother used to take me to a muggle theater around Christmas time. Although my father urged that we don't celebrate muggle holidays. She would always sneak us out and take me to see the Nutcracker. Not only did she love ballet but I loved to see the story play out through the graceful dancing. Of course as I grew older the tradition stopped but I never forgot.

I continue down the hallway and I can hear the music growing louder. I turn one more corner to see a double door way with a sign above the entrance that says 'MAIN THEATER' in gold lettering. The doors were slightly cracked open. I slightly peek into the theater to see a girl dancing on the stage doing the sugar plum fairies variation. I quietly slip into the room and sit down in the farthest back row to watch.

Y/N POV:

I had already rehearsed my routine twice but my director kept critiquing every little thing I did. I mean of course that's his job but I swear he was acting as if everything I did was wrong. I was in the in the middle of my third pirouette when my coach suddenly stood up and started walking to the back of the theater. I continued my pirouettes until I heard my coach speak. "I'm sorry sir but you aren't allowed in here while rehearsals are going on. I must ask you to leave." He said as he ushered someone who was sitting in the back of the theater out of the room. The man stood and I caught a glimpse of him. He was tall and had icy blonde hair. I paused my variation and stood to watch. The blonde man then spoke, "I'm sorry for interrupting sir. I had no clue." He said before then exiting the theater. My manager turned back around after closing the doors to the theater. "Alright Y/n from the top!" He said as he gave the tech people the signal to restart the music. I didn't complain. I rushed back to my starting mark and started my routine from the beginning.

DRACO POV:

As I sat in the back row I admired the ballerina on stage. Her movements were so elegant, mesmerizing even. With every turn and step she took her tutu bounced. Her arms stretched out with grace. I'm instantly snapped out of my daze when an official looking man comes up to me. "I'm sorry sir but you aren't allowed in here while rehearsals are going on. I must ask you to leave." He said as he turned to open the door for me. "I'm sorry for interrupting sir. I had no idea." I said as I stood from my seat. I walked to the door and took once last glance at the ballerina.

Y/N POV:

After the man had left the theater I ran through my routine nearly a half a dozen more times. Each time my coach giving me more pointers and critiques. As the music stopped and I finished my last variation my coach stood from his seat, "Y/n you need to keep your back straight and your knees pointed on that last part!" My coach shouted clearly tired of me not being able to perfect my solo. I just huffed and wiped my forehead with the back of my wrist. "Can I go get some water?" I said with my hands on my hips. My director sighed, "Yeah, be back in five." He said as he wrote something down on his clipboard. I hurriedly sped walked down the stairs that were on the far end of the stage and headed towards the theater entrance. I took a turn then walked down the long hallway. I stop at the end of the hallway when I see that man who got kicked out of the theater and another man who has long icy blonde hair, they're both sitting down on the waiting chairs outside Mr. Evan's office. I shake my head of any curiosity about the two and hurriedly walk past them to go to Adeline's desk. I notice the short haired boy look up at me as I walked but I continued. "Hey Adeline, could you please get me a water?" I asked to the woman. "Yeah just give me a second." She said with her usual smile, as she stood and went to another room. A couple seconds later she reappeared and had a water bottle in hand. The water bottle had a custom logo on it that said The Royal Opera House in gold letters on a dark red paper. "Thank you Ade, I'll most likely be back soon." I said as I turned around while simultaneously taking a drink of my water. As I turned I practically bump straight into a brick wall.

But it wasn't a wall it was that same blonde boy. And I had now just spilt water all over him. "Oh, i'm sorry! That was my bad!" I said frantically as I tried to wipe the water off of his black button down. "No, no, no, don't worry about it." He said laughing lightly as he grabbed hand to calm me, after a few seconds you let go. "I was just coming to compliment you. I saw you back in the theater and your dancing was truly beautiful." He said as his ice blue eyes practically pierced yours. "Oh...thank you." —I laughed softly—"But my director would say other wise." I said as I began to walk past him, I turned back around to look at him once more to find him with his eyebrows furrowed. "Well it's basically his job to tell me what I'm doing wrong, but it feels impossible to get my routine perfect." I sighed. "Well...regardless of what that oaf thinks I think you dance nothing short of perfection." He said slightly playfully. I let out a small laugh. "Well, I've got to get back to rehearsing. It was nice meeting you...?" I questioned having never learned his name. "Draco." "Draco?" "Draco." He confirmed. "Well it was nice meeting you Draco." I said nodding my head before turning to go back to the theater. "Wait what's your name?" He calls out to me as I was walking away. I turned around once more then gestured to a poster on the wall, then finally walked away.

As I gestured to the poster Draco immediately examined it. It was a picture of you in your sugar plum fairy costume and a title below it. It said, 'Y/n L/n as The Sugar Plum Fairy' Draco let out an airy laugh as he admired the poster when Lucius appeared behind him. "Draco I would like to not have to come look for you as if you were a lost puppy. Mr.Evan's is ready to see us now." He said coldly then turned Draco following behind.

=

You had went back to the theater thoughts of Draco lingering in the back of your head. Draco had went to sit in on the meeting between Lucius and Mr. Evan's. To Lucius that meeting was very important to the future of his shares in the theater, but to Draco it was merely an hour wasted listening to rubbish. You had finally wrapped up your rehearsals for the day and it was time for you to go get food and go home.

DRACO POV:

"Draco you can sit outside while me and Mr. Evan's wrap this up. Don't wander." Lucius spat. I didn't respond he simply just got up and left the room. I sat outside on the chairs until I heard a voice. "Yeah, I'll see you on Thursday?" She said as she walked out of the theater. There she was, Y/n. All of my attention was on her. She was no longer wearing the tutu and leotard. She was now wearing a baby pink off the shoulder knit sweater with grey flared leggings. She has a white knit scarf around her neck and she carried grey bag, what I assume was her ballet stuff. Her hair was in a low bun making her headphones she had in visible.

     When she turned to walk out she paused when she saw me. "Hey, you're still here?" She said softly as she walked up to me while taking out her headphone. "Yeah, i'm just waiting for my father and Mr. Evan's to get out of their meeting." "Well, I could wait with you?" She said as she rocked back and forth on her feet. "Yeah, sure. I don't mind." She sat down next to me setting her bag on her side. "So why are you here? To see Mr.Evans I mean." She said as she looked up at me. "Well I wouldn't say that i'm here to see him. My father is.  Something that has to do with his shares. I honestly don't know. The only thing i've gotten out of coming here was seeing you dance." I laughed a little, and so did she. "I didn't know I was that good." She smiled. "Whatever your director was yelling at you, he truly is wrong. I thought you danced perfect." I said avoiding eye contact with her. I could see her out of the corner of my eye just staring up at me. "Why thank you good sir. I'm glad you liked it." She giggled. "Have you ever seen The Nutcracker?" "Yeah, quite a few times actually." "Oh. Would you like to see it again maybe?" She asked this time not peering up at me, but now fiddling with the loose ends of her scarf. "When?" She stop and looked back up at me. "Uhmm,—she hummed— Opening night would be December 10th, I could get you tickets if you would like?" "Yeah, yeah, although I don't know when I'll see you again?" I asked. She laughing softly, "I guess whenever you want to see me again." She smiled.

DECEMBER TENTH

DRACO POV

Today was the day, the day I get to see her again. I don't know why I'm so...entranced? By her. Something about her just makes me fascinated. Ever since last week she's all I could think about. Of course in order to be able to go see the show I told my parents some bullshit excuse. My father would never let me go to London by myself, especially just so I could go see the ballet. Not only that a muggle girl.

I had made my way to the theatre early so I would be able to avoid all the people there for opening night. I stepped out of the taxi, it was cold the winter air crisp. I entered the building and walked up to the concierge. "One ticket for The Nutcracker, please." I said slightly rubbing my hands together trying to warm them. "I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid we are all sold out for the night." He said with pity. "What? No, I have to see the show tonight." "Like I said, I'm sorry. But I can sell you a ticket for-" "Oh! Mr. Malfoy I wasn't expecting you so early!" The concierge was interrupted by no other than Adeline. "You were expecting me?" I turned to her. "Well yes? I expected that Ms. L/n made you aware of your visit?" She said with her usual smile. "Well yeah, but- you know what never mind. Why were you expecting me?" "Of course, because she was very adamant that you got the best seat in the house!" She said ushering me down the hall, then to an elevator.

The classical music played lightly in the elevator, the ride up two floors wasn't awkward, it was actually quite pleasant. This was an elevator ride I had been on countless times before, it was nostalgic in a way. The elevator dinged before the large metal doors opened. We were on The Donald Gordon Grand Tier. It was technically the third floor of the theater. She led me to row A which was in the very middle and front. "Ms. L/n was very insisting that you get this specific seat sir. She said it was the best seat in the house and you deserve nothing less!" I stood there for a moment and blinked at the seats in front of me. That feeling of nostalgia had now been explained. I was sitting in the exact same seat my mother would always sit in when we would come to the theater. "Mr. Malfoy, are you okay?" Adeline broke my trance. "Thank you Adeline, for everything." I thanked her as I sat down. "No problem! Feel free to come down to my desk if you need anything!" She smiled before walking away.

I sat there for maybe 30 minutes before hundreds of people started sitting in the theater. Of course by courtesy of Adeline I was able to avoid the crowd. After about another 30 minutes the lights in the theater had dimmed. That's when I heard the oh so familiar tune to the mystical music. There was something about the story of The Nutcracker that always fascinated me. Maybe it was the playful but yet elegant dances that were done. They were so complex but yet so smooth and graceful. Or perhaps it was the fact that I was able to watch a story come to life in front of my very eyes. As I watched the ballet I found myself the same way I was many years ago. Only blinking every few minutes to be sure I didn't miss any parts of the show. My mind fully clear, only focusing on the ballet dancers below. I was entranced by the story all over again.

Now, we were in act II. After Clara and the Prince have slayed the Mouse King, the snowflakes have led them to the Kingdom of Sweets. As the enchanting music transitioned to a more sweet sounding melody it hit me. She was going to be dancing soon. Clara and the Prince arrived to the gates of Kingdom of Sweets. The Sugar Plum Fairy reigns over the Kingdom of Sweets. I sat up in my chair. Then there she was, graceful as ever tip-toing across stage. Her costume was beautiful a light pink bodice and tutu with gold accents. Her hair was elegant and she wore a gold tiara. She was covered in glitter, but what shined the most was her eyes. She was so passionate in the way she danced. Her moves were liquid smooth enchanting the audience. She placed a tiara on Clara's head then commenced a day of festivities in honor of Clara saving the Prince from the mouse king. First came the Chocolate from Spain, then the Arabian Coffee, the Chinese tea, and lastly the sweet French Marzipan.

But then the flowers came, and they preformed a great waltz. The Sugar Plum Fairy came back with her cavalier and did a mesmerizing duet. Although they were doing a duet me and the whole audience could only look at one of them. Her. She danced with a great passion. Not that he didn't. There was just something about her that made you believe that she was born to be on that stage. Born to shine. Even with the light shining down on her, she was the light. Soon after she and her cavalier finished their dance Clara is guided back home. She tosses and turns in her sleep, she wakes up to find out it was a dream? A fantasy. Nothing more.

And Suddenly I was pulled into reality. The audience erupted in roars. Not one person in that theater wasn't clapping. Roses were being thrown onto stage by people sitting on the lower floors. The people around me whistling and cheering. I quickly stood up and headed down to Adeline's desk. "Excuse me, Adeline. I had a delivery made here, did it arrive yet?" I said as I leaned on her desk. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy. Just wait one second while I go grab it. She disappeared into a room before coming out with the custom bouquet I had delivered. Freshly picked Frutteto's. The baby pink roses were dusted with gold glitter, they were perfect. "She's gonna love them you know?" Adeline asked snapping me out of my trance. "Yeah...yeah, I know. Do you know when she'll be out?" "I'd say maybe 30 minutes? In the mean while you're more than welcome to wait here." She said as she sat back down at her desk and started flipping through a book.

I sat there for what seemed like forever. I inspected every flower to make sure they were nothing short of perfection. Just as I was picking off a petal that was too pink to fit in with the rest I saw her. She was already on her way out of the glass doors. I quickly rushed after her, "Y/n, wait!" I yelled after her as I caught up. She turned around her nose being a light shade of pink from the brisk winter air, the soft snowflakes landing in her hair. "Draco, you came? I didn't see you come in before the show?" "I got here early, don't worry I watched the whole show. You were...amazing. Oh, I got you these." I quickly handed her the bouquet, "They're beautiful." Her face lit up, "Perfect, they're perfect." She cradled them in one arm while the other fiddled with the petals. "Thank you." She said with that sweet smile of hers. "My pleasure, I knew you'd like them." I really didn't, I was actually terrified she wouldn't like them. "Hey...would you maybe..." Her eyes glistened in the street lights as she looked up from the flowers, "...would you maybe like to go to dinner with me?" I was a bit taken aback by the sudden question. I paused, "Yeah, I would love to. But it's my treat." "You don't have to i'm the one who invited you." She said lightly laughing. "Well, I would like to treat you after your amazing performance tonight. Where do you wanna eat?" "I know a great place! It's called Bancone, it's an italian place, is that okay?" "Whatever you want is fine with me." I smile. "Okay, uhh, hold on let me call a cab!" She turned and walked to the road. She hailed us a cab.

We both sat in the back of the cab, watching the snow glitter down from the sky. "How far is the restaurant?" I asked turning to her. When I looked at her she was simply smiling down at her flowers. "Oh, we should be there any minute! Actually we're here! Thank you!" She said as she scooted out of the cab. I paid the driver then got out. I was surprised to find she took my hand and led me inside.

We stepped inside and I was taken aback by the olive tree that was planted in the middle of the restaurant. The interior was classy but casual. "Hi! Welcome in! Table for two?" A hostess came up to us. "Yeah, uhm, could we be seated at a window table?" She asked as she dusted off the small pieces of snow she had in her hair. "Of course! Right this way!" The hostess led us to a table in the front of the restaurant. I pulled out her chair for her, "Why thank you good sir." She softly laughed. I sat down. "Can I get you started with any drinks, or would you like a minute?" "Could we get a bottle of the house red? And then I would just like a glass of water." She asked the hostess. "Great choice, and as for you sir?" "I would just like a glass of water, thank you." She handed us our menus then walked away. "What do you think you're gonna get?" I looked up from my menu. "For sure the bucatini, i've been craving it all day." I laugh lightly, "I don't know what I want" I said as I studied the menu, "What do you think?" I looked up at her to find her already looking at me. "I personally think you'll like the duck ragú, I had it last time I came and it was heavenly." She laughed. "Okay I guess it's settled then, wait what about dessert?" "Oo! They have these cannolis! They're covered in hazelnuts you have to try them." Just then a waitress came to the table, "Here is your house red, and waters." She said as she set down our water and presented the bottle.

She opened the bottle with a pop, then filled our glasses. "Thank you" we both said nearly in unison. "Are you ready to order your entrees, or would you like another minute?" "We're ready. I'll have the bucatini and as for dessert we'll do two orders of the hazelnut cannolis." She said as she handed the waitress her menu. "Sure thing! And as for you sir?" She turned to me, "I'll have the duck ragú, that'll be all, thank you." I handed her my menu. "Okay, i'll be back with your food shortly." She smiled then walked away to another table. "You know what I realized?" Y/n said as she twirled the wine in her glass. "What?" "I barely know anything about you, but yet here I am at dinner with you." She tilted her head slightly. "Well, I don't know anything about you either." I laughed, "What do you wanna know?" "Anything! But skip the basic things, I just really wanna know you" She took a sip of her wine. What was I supposed to tell her? That i'm a wizard and that I went to a school to learn sorcery? "I honestly don't know where to start? Just ask me anything, anything." "Mmm, what's your favorite childhood memory?" She said as she took off her scarf.

I took a breath "I would have to say...probably going to see The Nutcracker with my mother." I laughed, she looked up at me curiously. "Ironic isn't it." "Very." "See my father isn't big on...fun. Or anything really. So every year my mother would sneak us out of the house and we would go see the show. As I got older the whole tradition kind of just...stopped. But you know what's crazy?" "Hm?" "The seat that you picked out for me, was the exact same seat my mum would sit in when we would go." She looked at me like I was crazy. "She always said 'it was the best seat in the house' the whole thing felt like a dream." "That's...just...wow. That's a big coincidence huh?" "I know huh, I was so confused. But what about you? What's your favorite memory?" "My grandmother she was absolutely amazing when it came to playing piano. As a little girl she would play the Swan Lake piano arrangement while I danced. We would do this for hours and hours till my mother told us to take a break. I've always loved ballet. What I would give to re-live those memories." She looked out the window and played with the hem of her sleeves as she spoke. "That's...beautiful. So you've been dancing since you were young?" "Yeah, kinda like you my mother took me to see the ballet when I was little. But instead we saw Sleeping Beauty. I was absolutely fascinated by it. For weeks I begged my mother to put me in classes, I guess she just got annoyed of my constant begging and just gave in." She laughed softly. "Well it definitely paid off." I smiled.

We got to know each other all night long. Even though we had already finished our food long ago, we sat there and just talked. About everything. She was just so captivating. Every detail about her was intriguing. Each one of her stories just led me to wanting to know more about her. The way her eyes sparkled a little when she would talk about something she was passionate about. All of her was just perfect. I told her a lot about myself. Maybe more than I should've. Everything about me surrounded the one thing I couldn't tell her. Most of the stories I told her had gaps but I don't think she caught on. I felt almost...bad? For not being able to tell her what could possibly be the biggest detail about me. But seriously how do you just tell someone that. 'Oh yeah, by the way i'm a wizard. And there's millions of other wizards around the world.' And plus even if I wanted to tell her I couldn't. And it was killing me.

We stayed at the restaurant until the waitress told us they were closing soon. "I guess we should get going huh?" She asked as she lightly laughed. "Yeah, I guess so." I slightly frowned. I paid the bill, then we left. We stood on the side walk as the snow continued to fall from the dark sky. Street lamps lit the road, illuminating it with golden rays. She wrapped her scarf around her neck and carried her flowers with both hands. "Could I have your number by the way?" She asked. "Oh, yeah. Here just put your number in and i'll text you later." I handed her my cell. I got a muggle cell phone, specifically for this reason. My father would never approve of me having a device like that. But for her it was worth whatever trouble it could cause. In all reality the reason I asked her to put her number in my cell was because I had no clue how. "Okay, there." She smiled as she handed me back my phone. I looked down, Y/n xx , is what she put as her contact. "I should get going now, I have to be back at the theater early tomorrow." She said as she fiddled with her flowers. I took a breath, "Okay, tonight was really great. When can I see you again?" "Like I said, whenever you want." She smiled, I laughed. She turned out to the road and hailed a cab. "Goodnight!" She yelled out to me before turning back to the cab, she paused, then turned around back to me and ran back to me. She gave me a kiss on my cheek and then a small hug, "Goodnight." "Goodnight." I said a bit surprised. She ran back to the cab and got in. I watched the car disappear down the road, out of sight.

===

Mwah I hope you liked! If you did make sure to reblog and leave a note! <3

[fromthedust]

Natural History Museum - London 

The Museum first opened its doors on 18 April 1881, but its origins stretch back to 1753 and the career of Sir Hans Sloane, a doctor and collector. Sloane travelled the world as a high society physician. He collected natural history specimens and cultural artefacts along the way. After his death in 1753, Parliament  bought his extensive collection of more than 71,000  items, and then built the British Museum so these items could be displayed to the public. In 1856 Sir Richard Owen - the natural scientist who came up with the name for dinosaurs - left his role as curator of the Hunterian Museum and took charge of the British Museum’s natural history collection. Unhappy with the lack of space for its ever-growing collection of natural history specimens, Owen convinced the British Museum's board of trustees that a separate building was needed to house these national treasures. He drew-up a rough architectural plan in 1859 entitled 'Idea of a Museum of Natural History'. The plan was later referred to by architect Alfred Waterhouse in the design of the Natural History Museum. In 1864 Francis Fowke, the architect who designed the Royal Albert Hall and parts of the Victoria and Albert Museum, won a competition to design the Natural History Museum. However, when he unexpectedly died a year later, the relatively unknown Alfred Waterhouse - a Quaker architect from the north of England - took over and came up with a new plan for the Museum. Waterhouse used terracotta for the entire building as this material was more resistant to Victorian London's harsh climate. Construction began in 1873, and the result is one of Britain’s most striking examples of Romanesque architecture — considered a work of art in its own right and has become one of London's most iconic landmarks. Owen's foresight has allowed the Museum to display very large creatures such as whales, elephants and dinosaurs, including the beloved Diplodocus cast that was on display at the Museum for 100 years. He also demanded that the Museum be decorated with ornaments inspired by natural history. And he insisted that the specimens of extinct and living species kept apart at a time when Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was revealing the links between them. Along with incorporating Owen’s ideas into his plans, Waterhouse also designed an incredible series of animal and plant ornaments, statues and relief carvings throughout the entire building – with extinct species in the east wing and living species in the west. Waterhouse sketched every one of these sculptures in great detail, even asking Museum professors to check the scientific accuracy of his drawings, before creating the fantastic decorations that complement the Museum’s exhibitions.  While the building reflects Waterhouse’s characteristic architectural style, it is also a monument to Owen’s vision of what a museum should be. In the mid-nineteenth century, museums were expensive places visited only by the wealthy few, but Owen insisted the Natural History Museum should be free and be accessible to all. The Museum took nearly eight years to build, and moving the collections from the British Museum in Bloomsbury was a huge job. Relocating the zoological specimens, which included huge whale bones and taxidermy mammals, took 394 trips by horse and cart spread over 97 days. The Natural History Museum finally opened in 1881. The building’s decorative and Romanesque style by Waterhouse is reminiscent of medieval European abbeys, but it is also a monument to Owen’s vision of what a museum should be: the world’s largest and finest institution dedicated to natural history.

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/history-and-architecture.html

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/virtual-museum.html

[gentaro-kinniecom]

Yes, My Lady?

Characters: Ada Tennant x fem!reader

C/w: none, Tennant flirts with reader constantly, she/her pronouns used for both the character and to refer to the reader

A/n: Reverse: 1999 is such a good game i love it sm, and..well inspiration struck, I love Tennant so much, shes so 🤭. I usually write the readers gender neutral but, well, we all know why i did it (for the lesbians ;P) HELP This work will be divided in various parts so i hope you guys enjoy!!! This is also my first time writing for another fandom so reblogs and likes are super appreciated!!! <3

Walking through the quiet streets of London, a soft breeze being the only sound ruffling tree leaves, it felt..eerily calm for such dangerous street.

Even with no one in sight, that feeling of anyone jumping out of the shadows stayed with her…Goosebumps traveled her skin, hands trembling as she kept walking, trying to ignore the strange feeling within her. Quiet but deadly was the thing that came behind her, all sense of calmness had left Y/n, her blood turning cold when suddenly, gunshots could be heard behind her

“Sorry but I can’t let anyone get in the way of me and my lady”

The thing that held Y/n momentarily, crumbled to the floor, her eyes looking back to see an unfamiliar woman. She was now walking towards Y/n’s figure, her smile showed a sense of comfort; a small contrast to the climate surrounding the area

“I apologize, it seems I have yet to introduce myself, I’m Tennant”- As she spoke, a rose was taken from her coat, placing it behind Y/n’s ear -“However, your name is still a mystery to me”

“I’m Y/n..thank you for earlier”

Her words Made Tennant smile and chuckle at y/n’s demeanor. Her lips brushed her hand softly, looking at her eyes with such captivity

“Anything for a dashing lady like you, may I ask where you are headed?”

Tennant’s voice was but a whisper against Y/n’s ear, she couldn’t help but feel safe around the woman she just met…or..have they met before?

“I was heading home for the day, I might make a small detour..if you’re willing to share a meal with me that is”

She wasn’t expecting such an invitation out of the blue, even if she saved her life. Tennant agreed to it, eyes wandering around Y/n’s outfit while her arm wrapped around her waist. The restaurant Tennant chose was far from normal; in a way that its architecture was designed to look more regal, antique even. The interior was definitely better, Tennant chuckled softly upon seeing her face in awe.

“Order anything you want, it’s on me”

“I couldn’t possibly do that! Not after you’ve practically saved me..It should be the other way around, I don’t mind paying”

Taking her wallet out, Tennant sighed, pushing it back in Y/n’s pocket as she took hers out, a credit card appeared between her fingers as she was now sliding it towards the worker who quickly took them into a more exclusive area of the establishment

“Trust me, you’re worth any penny I spend on you, you’re my guest after all”

Defeated, Y/n took a seat in front of her. The evening was delightful, a couple of drinks and small talk was more than enough for them. Even the food was exquisite, there wasn’t anything else that could surpass the evening spent with her

“Thank you once more for the lovely evening”

Her hands remained on Y/n’s waist as she got her keys from the bag she wore. Tennant smiled one last time before letting her go; she walked back to her home, one empty with nothing to fill the silence but a coffee maker. The smell of coffee brought a smile upon Tennant’s face, yet she began to question herself, why was she so attracted to the girl she met today, although, she already knew exactly why, they were childhood friends. However it felt like they were destined to be with each other and Tennant was for sure following that gut feeling she had.

A few weeks passed, things began to get worse around her area. However, there was still that light of hope that she would meet Y/n again. Apart from her job, she had nowhere to be, always cooped up at her home after work hours, unless a friend of hers was in town. Upon entering the bar she frequented, Y/n sat on one of the barstools as she drank (beverage of choice). It seems she was drunk, asking for someone while the lovely bartender tried asking her more questions about the person she was talking about. Tennant sat nearby her, placing her hat on the counter as she listened in

“She’s just so..pretty, long blonde hair..almost like an angel in disguise, she also carries um..a red hat”- Y/n paused as she saw that the bartender pointed beside her “-she’s right beside me, isn’t she?” The person smiled and nodded, taking Tennant’s order briefly before leaving you two to talk

“I had a feeling you’d be here..are you okay?” Her voice turned soft seeing Y/n’s tears run down her cheeks. She leaned closer, wiping her tears away while smiling

“I don’t know, things have been so rough since we’ve last met..it’s crazy” Y/n sighed, spending time with her as Tennant finished her drink, eventually they ended up going to a nearby park. It was surprisingly blooming with people, taking a seat beside her in a public bench, Y/n stared at the many stars in the night sky. Feeling a heavy breeze, she trembled due to the sudden cold. Tennant saw this and grinned

“How come you’ve forgotten to bring your own coat? You’re lucky I enjoy the coldness of winter”

Warmth wrapped around Y/n as Tennant took off her coat, making sure she was comfortable

“You like the winter too? I just didn’t think it would get this cold tonight..”

A sense of deja vu rushed through Y/n’s veins as they went towards her home, it felt like that same night when she was saved and brought home, without thinking twice, she held Tennant’s hand, preventing her from leaving before speaking

“Why don’t you come in? I promise it’s cozy”

Y/n added, a smile of satisfaction upon her features as Tennant entered gracefully in her home; she was right, it was indeed cozy, the area of the living room felt comforting somehow. Her eyes trailed over the medium sized radio that played some music, meanwhile Y/n sat down on the sofa, her body accompanying hers as she sighed.

“Do you live alone? Must be sad for a lady like you to have no company during the night”

Leaning on her shoulder, Y/n sighed, hands intertwined with Tennant’s as she answered her question

“Mn, yeah, I’m afraid I haven’t gotten the chance to live with someone, it’s been lonely for the past years..”

“Would you like to move in with me then?”

Pt 2 | Pt 3 (coming soon)

[octuscle]

My latino boyfriend is always making fun of me about how uncultured I am and I'll admit, I come from a pretty basic white family. But while my boyfriend seems playful about it, I think his family judges me a lot for it. And from the little spanish I know, I could pick up that they don't really seem to like me too much. So I was pretty surprised when his mother invited me to their family gathering. But when I got there, my boyfriend wasn't there, but everyone has been treating me really nice- saying I'll fit right into the family. Seems odd to me though, maybe I misread them?

Even though everyone is very nice to you, you feel extremely uncomfortable. Yes, compared to your friend's family, pretty much everyone is uncultured. The townhouse looks like it was just photographed in Architectural Digest. Whereas your friend's Argentine mother would never allow such vulgarity. Incredibly, the family is only here a few weeks a year…. But such a luxury….

They all speak English as if they were born in Oxford. Okay, most of them studied there. But as soon as they want you to miss something, they immediately switch to French. That you understand and speak a little Spanish, they have already noticed. The risk that you could understand them when they speak Spanish is too great.

The mother asks you to take a seat at the coffee table. You sit down and take a cupcake. The butler asks you what he can bring you to drink. You actually want to say, "A tea, please". But without being able to control it, you reply, "A beer, mate." What the hell was that? You didn't say that. You look around in fear. But instead of looking reprimanded, everyone smiles at each other in satisfaction. Fuck, how are you sitting here at the table? You've slid down with your legs wide apart and are lying on the Louis Quinze sofa more than you're sitting. The butler brings a bottle of beer and a crystal glass. You take the bottle, drink a big gulp and burp. "Hehehe, that was a good one" you say laughing with your mouth full after eating half a cupcake in one sitting.

"Tell me Steven, are you a native of London?" asks your friend's brother. "You be' your ass, pal," comes out of your mouth. "Bawn an' raised in Tottenham. An' call me Steve, mate" Fuck, you're from a village in Sussex. Why would you say something like that? "Interesting. But tell me Steve, how do you know my son?" asks the father. You'd like to say that he should actually know that you two play soccer together. But instead you say that you take care of the lawn mowing and stuff like that on their son's soccer team. "How interesting, we are looking for a new gardener for our house in the country. Would you be interested?" "You bet I would, ma'am. Anything's better than this crappy job. I'm getting sick and tired of this damn town, too." The brother of the guy who plays in the soccer club pulls out a piece of paper. "Here's our proposal. Could you start tomorrow?". All you see is the salary. Fuck, that's a lot of fucking money for a little lawn mowing and weeding. You don't think twice and sign it with your scrawly handwriting.

Can you remember that yesterday you were 22 years old, a hard-working student and a promising soccer player? Now you're tending the vegetable garden in a run-down country house in the middle of nowhere. None of the staff has ever seen the gentry here. And somehow no one here can really remember what they did before they started working here as a game warden, mechanic or janitor. Fuck, never mind. All hot men here with an irrepressible urge for hard, good and honest sex. Whatever you were doing before you came here, it must have been worse by far.

[bargainoriley]

Here’s something I’ve been translating on and off for the past week or so! I was looking at old German youth magazines in order to find interesting articles about classic rock bands (specifically Pink Floyd) and came across this in the 01/1978 issue of BRAVO magazine (One of the most famous teen/young adult magazines in Germany that’s been there since 1958 and is still going strong today!) A lot of youth magazines back in the day had articles and posters about rock bands because, well, that’s the people who were celebrities at that time! This page includes both short descriptions of the band members and a short history of the band up until that point when the issue came out! Enjoy ;)

Here’s the original picture

And here is the translation! (Italized text are context comments added by me to add to the understanding of this text!)

Warning: Some of the information here is obviously incorrect!

Pink Floyd: Their profiles

Nick Mason:

Born on the 27th of January 1945 in London, plays drums, has black hair, brown eyes, is 1,72 m tall (for non metric peeps it’s approximately 5 foot 8), is married to Lindy, has two daughters, owns a vineyard and collects old cars (old timers in German means old/vintage cars)

Rick Wright:

Born on the 28th of July 1945 in London, plays the organ/keyboard, piano, cello, and Moog-synthesizer; has blonde hair, blue eyes, is 1, 74 m tall (approximately 5 foot 9), is married to Juliette, has a son named Jamie, and a daughter named Gaia, loves football (or soccer for American peeps)

Roger Waters:

Born on the 6th of September 1944 in Great Bookham near Cambridge, plays bass, Moog-synthesizer, and sings as well; has blonde hair, grey eyes, is 1,83 m tall (approximately 6 feet), is married to Caroline, and has a 15 month old son named Harry.

David Gilmour:

Born on the 6th of March 1946 in Cambridge, plays lead guitar and sings; has brown hair, blue eyes, is 1,78 m tall (approximately 5 foot 10), is married to Ginger, and has a 2 year old daughter named Alice.

The diary/summary of their career; All their albums

1965

The three architecture students Roger Waters, Rick Wright, and Nick Mason meet and get to know each other, establishing the band Sigma 6.

1966

February: Sigma 6 gets their first fee for a performance in the London Marquee Club and mostly cover popular rock and blues songs. During this time they meet art student Syd Barrett. He writes songs and joins the band as a guitarist and singer. Under his influence Sigma 6 evolve into their own music style: The group does electronic experiments and uses spotlights, reversal film, and recorded footage as part of their stage shows. Thus psychedelic music is born. Syd Barrett is as well (psychedelic), who now comes up with new names for the band almost every month — they call themselves “T-Set,“ “Abdabs” — and in this group a girl sings as well from time to time: Juliette Gale. She later marries keyboardist Rick Wright.

June: The group could pay for a band bus for approximately 200 Mark (the German currency at the time of this article), but decide to separate for the time instead. No one is interested in performing, since the boys want to enjoy the semester holidays as well as after them improve and work harder on their studies; music is fun but a real job is more important. Syd Barrett then has a new idea for a band name: The Pink Floyd Sound. He comes up with his idea through combining the names of two American blues singers: Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. The owner of an artist agency, Peter Jenner, sees a performance from The Pink Floyd Sound in the Marquee, and then from there on decides to manage the band, not knowing the band wanted to break up.

July: Peter Jenner gets the band gigs, and thus Pink Floyd stays together.

October: Pink Floyd are now the stars of the London Underground. They perform in the Roundhouse to 2000 fans, with even Paul McCartney being there to see them.

December: On the 23rd of December the UFO club opens, with Pink Floyd performing there daily henceforth.

1967

January: The English music magazine “Melody Maker” write an article about Pink Floyd, which makes record companies curious about the band. The band accepts the best offer, and as they sign the record label contract, they cash in an advance payment of 40 000 Mark.

February: The first single “Arnold Layne” gets recorded.

March: Arnold Layne goes to the English hit charts.

April: The single is on number 20 in the charts and then falls off. But this beginning success gives them the push they needed to record their first album “The Pipers at the Gates of Dawn.“ Norman “Hurricane” Smith serves as producer for this album, and began his career as a recording engineer for the Beatles. While Pink Floyd work on their album in studio 3 of Abbey Road studios, the Beatles work on their album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” at the same time in studio 2; two decade defining groups working next door.

June: Pink Floyd join as a supporting act along with Jimi Hendrix and the Move (runner up band to Electric Light Orchestra) for an England tour, but only get to play 17 minutes.

July: The second single “See Emily Play,“ becomes part of the English hit charts, coming in at number 6, and the first album “The Pipers at the Gates of Dawn” releases.

September: See Emily Play also goes into the German hit charts and reaches number 28. Syd Barrett at this time also creates a speaker system which is still useful today, where the speaker boxes are placed all around the room.

1968

At this time, it is practically impossible for Pink Floyd to continue performing with Syd Barrett. He is more and more off in his own world and mind, often not knowing where he is. Out of necessity, the band thus searches for a second guitarist who could join the band.

February: David Gilmour joins Pink Floyd. Syd is still part of the band, but during concerts his amps are often not even turned on, so that the audience doesn’t know any better about his mistakes.

April: On the 6th of April Syd definitively leaves the band, with manager Peter Jenner going with him. Pink Floyd begin working on their second album “A Saucerful of Secrets.“

June: At a free open air concert on the 29th in the London Hyde Park the band officially announces and debuts David Gilmour as their new lead (and only) guitarist. On the same day the new album releases as well.

1969

July: The soundtrack album Pink Floyd worked on for the film “More,” releases.

October: Pink Floyd have their first concert in Germany on the 11th of October at the Pop and Blues Festival in the Essen Grugahalle venue. On this day, Deep Purple celebrate their first concert in Germany as well.

November: The double album “Ummagumma” releases and makes the group successful worldwide for the first time.

1970

March: The soundtrack album Pink Floyd worked on for the film “Zabriskie Point” releases.

June: Pink Floyd perform the title track of their upcoming new album “Atom Heart Mother” worldwide at open air festivals with recorded footage, dry ice fog, and light bombs as part of their special effects on stage.

October: The album “Atom Heart Mother” releases and leads the album charts in England and America.

1971

The album “Meddle” comes out. This year Pink Floyd is particularly busy; they go from one concert to the next and have multiple tours worldwide.

1972

The soundtrack album Pink Floyd worked on for the film “La Vallée” releases under the title “Obscured by Clouds” as their new album. The rest of the year the band spends inside the studio.

1973

March: The album “Dark Side of the Moon” releases and is on the English and American album charts for over two years, and also goes gold in Germany. It is to this day the band’s most sold album.

October: Pink Floyd perform their last German concert for a long time on the 12th of October at the Olympiahalle in Munich, and it becomes the sensation of the year. Pink Floyd also make their way into the English and German single charts again with the single “Money.”

1974

Pink Floyd are tired of success and go back to their private family lives, with rumors appearing that the group will break up. In autumn, the double album “A nice pair” comes out, which is a rerelease of their first two albums.

1975

September: The album “Wish You Were Here” releases.

1976

This year, Pink Floyd doesn’t appear publicly that much as well, except for some performances at festivals.

1977

January: In Dortmund Pink Floyd start their first German tour since 3 years ago on the 23rd. They have 2 concerts each for Dortmund, Frankfurt, and Berlin, with Munich having 3. All concerts were sold out 2 months before the tour started. Simultaneously the 11th album of the band, “Animals” releases. Even before the album released, “Animals” goes gold, with 250 000 records being preordered. This German tour is also the starting point of a months long worldwide tour — the most comprehensive one that Pink Floyd have undertaken yet.

Written originally by: K. E. Siegfried

Translated from German to English by: me! (Vik)

(Btw my source to where I found this is the Internet archive, love that place!)

also here are some pictures that were included in the magazine of the band!

[sashaasreads]

Love n' London

Harry Styles x Fem Reader

A/N Apologies for the delay! I’ve been busy, but I’m finally getting to upload again. Still no smut—I’m working on finding the right approach to write it without it feeling awkward. Thanks for your patience!

_______________________________________

Y/n grew up dreaming of living in London. Ever since she was a child, the city had fascinated her its vibrant art scene, the music, the historic architecture, and the countless little cafes. So, after graduating from art school, she packed her things and moved to the city, full of ambition and excitement.

She found a job as a curator’s assistant in a small gallery in Soho. It was the perfect job, really she spent her days surrounded by paintings and sculptures, getting to know local artists, and learning how to put together exhibitions. It wasn’t glamorous, but Lena loved it.

One grey October afternoon, y/n was at her usual spot in the gallery. She had just finished adjusting a painting, making sure it was perfectly aligned, when the bell over the door chimed, signaling a visitor. She glanced up to see a figure in the doorway, his frame silhouetted against the dim light outside. He was tall, with a tousled head of curls peeking out from under a beanie, a coat draped over his shoulders.

As he stepped inside, Y/n’s heart skipped a beat. The face beneath those curls was unmistakable Harry Styles, the singer she had admired for years. She had seen him in interviews, photos, and music videos, but nothing compared to seeing him in person.

Harry caught her looking and gave a small, shy smile. She blushed, quickly looking away, pretending to adjust her clipboard. But Harry approached her, offering a charming, friendly "Hello."

Y/n stammered out a greeting, her cheeks flushed as she tried to act calm. "Can I help you with something?"

“Actually,” he said with a little laugh, “I’m here to see some art, but I’d love a guide if you’re available.”

It turned out Harry was in town with a few days off between tour stops and had been wandering through London, exploring its art scene. Y/n walked him through the gallery, explaining each piece. She was passionate about her work, and he seemed genuinely interested, asking her thoughtful questions. They talked about art, music, and their favorite places in London.

After their tour, Harry surprised her by inviting her to a late lunch at a small café nearby. Still in shock, she accepted, and they spent the afternoon laughing and talking as though they’d known each other for years. Y/n found herself opening up to him in a way she rarely did, talking about her dreams, her childhood, and the strange mix of fear and excitement she felt about living in London.

Over the next few weeks, they continued to meet. Harry would drop by the gallery whenever he was free, sometimes bringing coffee or flowers. They would spend hours talking, sharing stories, and discovering new corners of the city together. Y/n soon realized that Harry, for all his fame and glamour, was remarkably down to earth. He seemed genuinely fascinated by her, by her art, by her life. And she, in turn, found herself falling deeper each day.

One crisp evening in November, after a quiet dinner in a little Italian restaurant tucked away in a side street, they found themselves walking along the Thames. The lights of London sparkled on the water, casting soft, dancing reflections. They walked in comfortable silence, fingers occasionally brushing against each other’s.

Harry stopped, turning to face her. His green eyes held a softness that took her breath away.

“y/n ,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “This might sound crazy, but I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

Y/n felt her heart pounding. She wanted to say something, but words seemed too small to capture what she felt. So she simply reached out, taking his hand in hers, and they stood there, the world fading away around them.

As the weeks turned into months, Harry’s tours took him to different cities, but he and y/n stayed in touch, talking late into the night, sharing stories, and sending each other songs and sketches. The distance was hard, but their bond only seemed to grow stronger with time.

Whenever he was back in London, they would pick up right where they left off. They explored every hidden gem in the city together, from art galleries and vintage bookstores to secret gardens and rooftop views. Harry introduced her to his world, taking her backstage at his concerts, letting her experience the thrill and energy of his performances. y/n introduced him to hers, taking him to underground art shows and showing him her latest work.

Their love story was a quiet, steady thing, like the pulse of the city itself. They were each other’s inspiration. Y/n's paintings became infused with new colors and emotions, and Harry’s songs took on a deeper, more soulful tone. She was his muse, and he was hers.

One rainy evening, a few years after they’d first met, Harry surprised her with a visit to the gallery. He was holding an umbrella and looked every bit as dashing as the day she’d first seen him. She was setting up a new exhibit and hadn’t expected him to come. But there he was, standing there with that familiar smile, his eyes shining.

“Harry!” She ran over, and he pulled her into his arms, holding her close.

“I’ve got a surprise for you,” he said, his voice warm and full of excitement. He led her outside and down the street, and before she knew it, they were at a small, empty theater. Inside, a grand piano stood on the dimly lit stage.

He sat down at the piano, motioning for her to sit beside him. Then, he began to play. It was a song she’d never heard before, gentle, heartfelt, each note weaving a story of love, devotion, and all the golden moments they’d shared.

When he finished, he looked at her, his face softened with vulnerability. “I wrote this for you, y/n. You’ve changed my life in ways I can’t put into words.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she took his hand, squeezing it. They didn’t need to say anything; the silence between them spoke louder than words ever could.

That night, in that quiet, empty theater, with only the faint glow of city lights around them, they knew they had found something rare, something lasting. The kind of love that was more than a moment it was a lifetime, etched in songs and sketches, laughter and quiet glances, memories, and dreams.

In each other, they had found a piece of themselves they never knew was missing a love that was as deep as the city they both called home.

[sidraofthewildflowers]

The Story of Alicent and Criston

~ Alicent Hightower and Criston Cole were both students at NYU. Alicent had a passion for design and was majoring in architecture, while Criston, known for his ability to remember even the most obscure historical trivia, was pursuing a degree in history.

~ The two of them met in their freshman year in a communications course where they had the world’s worst professor. Alicent wasn’t completely sold on a friendship with Criston at first, but his sense of humor grew on her. They bonded over their shared hatred of their teacher, their passion for their areas of study, and the fact that they were both English students attending school in the states.

~ After realizing they were both failing the class, they formed a two person study group, and constantly helped each other out in class. Fortunately, after many all nighters they both ended up passing and they never had to take another class with that professor again.

~ As time went on, they’d often be found studying/procrastinating together at one of the coffee shops on campus, where they agreed the coffee was terrible but never stopped going.

~ Criston had an annoying roommate during his freshman year and so he would spend most of his time at Alicent’s (and her strange but kind roommate’s) apartment.

~ Without thinking about it, the two of them began doing everyday tasks together like grocery shopping, cleaning their apartments, and studying (even though by junior year they didn’t share any classes anymore).

~ Criston smoked since before Alicent met him, and refused to quit even when she’d nag him and tell him how terrible it was for him! She smoked on and off throughout college though (mostly during stressful periods).

~ Their roommates, were convinced they were in love, and teased them constantly. They always denied having feelings for one another and both of them dated other people on and off through college.

~ In their senior year, Criston began dating a girl named Rhaenyra, and Alicent was introduced by her father to a man named Viserys, which caused some rifts in their friendship.

~ Upon graduating, Criston was offered a job in the states, which he took, while Alicent returned home to be closer to her dad. Though they told each other they’d keep in touch it became more and more difficult, especially after Alicent told Criston that Viserys proposed and that she was expecting her first child.

.

.

.

~ 10 long years have gone by and Criston has moved back to London. He missed his family and he, luckily, found a teaching position at Oxford as a History professor. He’s excited to be back, to be home.

~ After a messy divorce, Alicent feels like she is finally free to live the life she’s always wanted. She can finally peruse a job within her field of study. Even if she’s constantly busy with her four children. They never seem to stop growing and they always have something for school due the next day. Aegon, her eldest, is 8. Helaena, her only girl, is 6. Aemond is 4 and Daeron had just turned 2 years old.

~ There was nothing she tried harder to do than to get herself and her children far away from her ex-husband. She needed to keep them safe, to let them live a normal life. It also helps that she was able to get a good amount of money from the divorce. Enough to buy a home in the city and get the uniforms her two eldest children need for school.

~ One day, after picking up the kids from school, she and her herd of children could be found shopping for groceries. Aegon was begging for a certain dinner, Helaena and Aemond wanted to buy a toy, and Daeron was busy chewing on his blanket. It was chaos, but the best kind. The one she loved.

~ She was listening to Aegon tell her about his day at school when her cart crashed into another’s. What she didn’t expect that day, was to look up and see her best friend, Criston Cole, standing there after 10 years of thinking she would never see him again.

~ The world seemed to stop when she saw him, and with the way that Criston was standing still, it was the same for him. The only thing that brought her back down to earth was Aegon pulling on her sleeve. “Mummy? Mummy?”

~ And so the next hour was spent with Criston helping her shop as they caught up with each other. She introduced him to the kids and while Daeron liked him, the others looked skeptical. He told her about his breakup with Rhaenyra, how hard he took it. She told him about her divorce and what she was doing now. He told her that he was back for good and that he had a teaching job at Oxford.

~ When he noticed just how many bags of groceries she had, he helped her bring all of them back to her house. Her house is only a short walk away and the both of them kept an eye on the kids whenever they crossed a street.

~ And so life went on. Criston was over all the time, he would take the kids out for fun activists. Alicent would take the kids to visit him at work. Aegon, Helaena, and Aemond became attached to Criston as time went on.

~ Alicent found an architecture job and before she knew it, she was finally letting her feelings for Criston come to light. After years of keeping quite, one night after the kids had gone to sleep, she told him that she had always loved him. And, luckily, he had said the same.

~ It was only a year or two after that when Criston moved in, and it wasn’t long before he was proposing. They were at Aegon’s soccer practice and Daeron was asleep between them. Criston turned to Alicent and said “Ali… would you wanna marry me?”. It didn’t take much convincing for her to say yes.

~ The wedding was a small one, full of friends and family members. The kids had fun on the dance floor and Alicent and Criston took as many pictures as they could.

~ The life that they had always wanted was finally theirs, after so many years, it was theirs.

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With LOTS of writing help from @fatherforgivethem 🤍🤍🤍🤓

[livingdreams97]

Kylie Jenner -- "The Babysitter" (Part 1)

Kylie Jenner x fem reader/oc

Summary: Who would have thought that anwering to a babysitter job offer for the summer to a unknown family would let to meeting someone that would move your world.

Words: 4007

NEXT

Masterlist

(It´s not really well written but it´s something)

POV You

Relax Y/n, this is just a job interview. Just a job interview, just a job interview, just a job interview. I repeat myself over and over again inside my head. I pull up my metallic blue 2021 Jeep Wrangler two-door in front of the security fence and roll down the window.

XY: Good morning.- the guy from the booth greets me, with a tablet in his hand and stands next to the window. -Your name and the name of the person you are coming to visit please.- he asks me and I give it to him quickly.

Y/n: Y/n Brown Davis and I don't know who I come to see honestly.- I answer a little embarrassed. -They called me for an interview and they only told me to come here and to go to house number 2432.- I explain watching him nod and type on the screen.

XY: You're on the list.- he confirms and takes a weight off my shoulders. -See if you turn right at the second exit and continue straight for about five minutes, You will find the house right away.- he explains to me and I thank him enormously.

He gets away from the car and opens the fence for me, letting me pass into the urbanization. I follow the instructions he has given me, seeing the mansions on both sides of the street and thinking about which celebrities will live in those houses. 

I know that some of the Kardashian Jenner family live in this neighborhood, but I don't know where their houses are and I don't really care much either. I'm not a big fan of them, I only watch the reality show when it happens to be on and little else. But my older sister is the opposite, she loves the reality and everything that has to do with that family.

I come from a family that has money, enough to live comfortably with some luxury; but not because of an inheritance or something like that. 

My mother is one of the best surgeons in all of England, working both publicly and privately; so she earns good money. My father is an architect and engineer, so he also earns well, but less than my mother. My parents have always told me that I have to win my money, that I can't be depending on them and that I have to start having work experience.

My parents are both English, my mother was born in Manchester and my father in Surrey. Both my older sister Olivia and I were born in the London Hospital. My sister is 25 years old and she is 6 years older than me, since I am just going to turn 19 in two months.

But now I live in Los Angeles, because I won a soccer scholarship at UCLA and I couldn't turn it down. But my first year in architecture is about to end, the summer holidays were approaching and I had decided to get my first summer job. 

I had spent three weeks looking for some job news or something that was appropriate to what I can do and in which I had a minimum of experience.

But since it was my first job, I didn't have much experience in anything. But I saw an offer about being a babysitter and I had experience in that. Maybe not officially through a contract, but when I was 15, 16 and 17 years old I worked to take care of the children of some neighbors for almost three years. So I had some experience, so I sent an email with my resume and information and a week ago they contacted me.

In that email only the date and time of the interview appeared, along with the address and house number. My parents were somewhat insecure when I told them about it, since they usually put a reference name and there was none in mine. 

So they were not very sure and they were a little nervous. But I assured them that because of the area it was in, it would surely be because it was someone important and they didn't wanted to give the address to anyone.

When I get to the house, I stop and look out the window at the beautiful mansion in front of me. I park the car on the sidewalk and get out of it, locking it. Although it's probably not really necessary takin acount the money that tis mansions costs. 

I walk nervously up the long driveway, noticing the flowers and decorations on the driveway.

I stop in front of the door, taking a deep breath and making sure my clothes are okay. I had decided on something simple and casual for the interview. 

Black and white checkered pants, with a black short-sleeved bodysuit and white platform All-stars, with a small black bag for the car, house, wallet and mobile keys.

I take another deep breath and ring the doorbell of the house. I quickly run my hands through my hair, making sure my light brown hair is neat and not completely tousled. The door opens, letting me see a woman in her 30s or so with a friendly smile on her face.

XX: Do you want something? - she asks me kindly.

Y/n: I have an interview here. - I answer a little nervous. -My name is Y/n Brown and I come for the babysitter interview.- I inform and I see how she nods in understanding.

XX: Come in and wait here for a moment please.- she tells me letting me enter the house and closing the door to disappear around the house.

I just look at the marble stairs in front of me, looking at the entire entrance with fascination and taking in the architectural details. 

I get out of my impression, when the same woman comes back and asks me to follow her. I quickly do so and walk almost on his heels and playing with my hands nervously.

XX: Come in.- she says opening a door for me and giving me another smile.

Y/n: Thank you.- I thank you and enter the room, seeing immediately that it is an office.

Kris: Good morning.- she greets me and I am surprised by the person in front of me, but I prevent the surprise from being external. "Please sit down." she offers me, pointing to one of the seats on the other side of where she is sitting at her table.

Y/n: Good morning.- I greet with a kind smile; sitting where she just pointed me out.

Kris: First of all I want to ask you some personal questions, okay? - she asks seriously, but with some kindness and I nod. -In your curriculum it says that you are from London, that you are 18 years old and that you are here for your studies, right? - she asks and I nod again.

Y/n: I was born in London and I study at UCLA with a full scholarship for my sports skills.- I inform her, watching her nod and write something on a piece of paper.

Kris: And what are you studying and why did they give you the scholarship? - she asks me looking at me over her glasses.

Y/n: I study architecture and I have a sports scholarship for soccer.- I answer with a small smile.

Kris: Being English, I need to know if there was any problem with the student visa or something like that.- she tells me and I swallow a bit nervously.

Y/n: There would be no problem, since before coming I studied and got dual nationality: so I have English and American nationality. - I explain, seeing how she points something again and reads something else.

Kris: In your resume you say you've worked three years as a babysitter.- read and I nod. -Because of that do you think you are more qualified than another person to take care of four children? - I wonder and I almost open my eyes surprised; I thought it would be one or two children.

Y/n: I don't think it's so much about being more qualified than someone else, with all the respect in the world. I think it's more of something vocational, if you don't like children, no matter how qualified you are, you will never give everything at work and that is something very important from my point of view. - I begin to answer her. -It is very likely that there are many other people more qualified than a girl of almost 19 years, who has only cared for two children for three years and who does not have an experience of 10 years as surely many other people will.- I say seeing how she stares at me. -But I love children, I enjoy taking care of them and it is a job in which it is never the same every day.- I commented and I see how she writes something more. - In addition to the fact that the number is not so important, if you are able to handle two; You can handle more and in a very effective way with some tricks. - I finish telling her and I see how she nods.

Kris: The vacancy would be for specific dates and on weekdays during the summer.- she informs me and I simply nod. -What availability do you have? - she asks me, bringing the pen closer to the paper.

Y/n: All?- I ask more than I answer. -In a week I finish the semester, the university league ended a week ago and I have the rest of the summer completely free.- I explain and she notes something.

Kris: If we went on vacation, would you be available to come and take care of the children wherever we went?- she ask me and I nod immediately, work and paid holidays? Who would say no to that.

Y/n: If the contract stipulates that then yes,of course I will.- I answer as professionally as I can.

Kris: If that was the case, we would pay for both the flight and the accommodation and more.- she informs me and I just nod without taking my eyes off her. -Okay, I'll discuss it with my daughter and I'll let you know the answer.- she comments getting up and I do too.

Y/n: I'll be attentive to the phone.- I inform her with a smile and shaking the hand that she offers me. -By the way, you have a completely impressive hall from an architectural point of view and it's beautifull.- I praise and she smiles hugely at me.

Kris: Thank you very much.- she thanks me walking towards the main door with me behind. -Thank you for coming and pay attention to the phone.- she tells me as a farewell, once I am at the entrance and out of the house.

Y/n: Thank you, Mrs. Jenner, it has been a pleasure and I'm glad I was able to have this interview. - I say gratefully and say goodbye walking back to my car.

As I walk to my car, I just wait for them to call me so I can call my parents to tell them I've gotten my first job. I'm sure they will be incredibly proud of me as it opens my first job alone and without any connection; like taking care of the neighbours' children.

...................................................................

I had been working as a babysitter for Kim Kardashian for a month, Kris called me the next day and asked me to come to her house again. When I returned the next day, she was waiting for me with Kim in her office and a contract ready for me to sign.

The kids are amazing, North has moments where she acts a bit like a diva and is usually a bit difficult. But you just have to let her have a little tantrum and she immediately listens to you. 

In addition to the fact that the three little ones stick to me, they listen to me right away and are very calm. So I don't have many problems with them.

I'm usually with them from 8 in the morning, while Kim works from her office or goes out to work; until 6,7 or 8 in the afternoon. There are also a few days, when I stay over and Kim can go out or relax with the family without worrying about her children.

I knew everyone in the family except for Kylie, Rob, Kanye, and Caitlyn; since when I have been with the family they had not been and we had not coincided.

But from those I knew, I could tell that many of the things they say about them are completely untrue and that they are incredible people. Today was Saturday and I had the day off, since Kanye has the children this weekend and since they are separated I don't have to work.

I was lying on the bed completely exhausted, because last night after coming home from work I went out with some college friends and I had had a little to drink.

I had come home around 7 in the morning, drunk and with a slice of pizza in my hand. So I had not planned to wake up early or at least not before 4 in the afternoon. 

But my rest is interrupted by my phone. I groan pulling my head out from under the pillow and reach over to pick up my phone from my nightstand. I put it to my ear and it's Kim.

She calls me to inform me that there has been a change in the holidays, the plane would take off on Monday at 8 in the morning and we would go to Mykonos for 1 week. But apparently the trip is early, so the plane takes off in two hours and I have a half hour drive to the airport. I thank her and quickly get out of bed.

I shower, leaving my wet brown hair to air dry and have a quick breakfast in twenty minutes. I put on a set of black underwear, a white Reebok tracksuit, with a short-sleeved top by Ralph Lauren and white Nike air force ones.

I put the clothes and the things I was missing in the suitcase and close it. I pick up the black Vans backpack, putting some tissues, a bottle of water, a headache pill, disinfectant wipes, my glasses, my sunglasses, my wallet, my passport, and a sweatshirt just in case.

I close everything and with my cell phone and house keys I run to my car. I dump all my stuff in the passenger seat, climbing in on the driver's side and putting it into gear right away. I drive as responsibly as possible, but trying to arrive as soon as possible so as not to be late.

When I make it to the airport, I park the car and put on my sunglasses so that my head doesn't hurt even more. I walk as fast as possible to where Kim had told me to, repositioning the strap of my backpack every two seconds and dragging the four-wheeled suitcase.

In the distance I see one of Kim's bodyguards, who signals to me and as soon as I stop next to him, he asks for my suitcase. I give it to him and he asks me to follow him to the private plane that Kim and the kids are on. I climb the stairs to the plane, immediately hearing the screams of the children and making my head hurt.

North: Y/n! - I hear her scream and how she hugs me by the waist.

Y/n: Good morning North.- I greet her, returning the hug as best I can due to the height.

North: Come play with us.- she says pulling my hand down the aisle of the plane.

Kim: Northie leaves Y/n alone for a few seconds and sit down, the plane will take off right away.- she tells her daughter, who immediately complains and starts a tantrum.

Y/n: Pay attention to your mother, the sooner you sit down the sooner we'll take off and the sooner we can get up to play.- I tell her and like lightning she sits in one of the seats.

I help Kim by getting the kids into the seats and making sure they're strapped in. I sit to the right of Chicago and Saint, while North sits across from Kim and Pslam sits on her mother's lap.

Kim: I'm sorry I called you and that you won't have yuor free weekend.- she comments and as I pay attention to her.

Y/n: It's okay, last-minute changes happen and it's common.- I answer with a smile, taking a pill from my backpack and drinking it with water.

Kim: Fun night?- she questions me with some interest.

During this last month, Kim has been very kind and we have a good personal relationship. She is an incredible person and since she is divorcing Kanye spends more time alone at home and I'm there. So we talk a lot and we are quite confident.

Y/n: Quite a lot.- I answer with a little laugh. - I arrived around 7 in the morning and I had barely fallen asleep when you called me.- I commented with a small smile, looking at the little ones and then at her again.

Kim: I'm really sorry.- she apologizes again, but I make a gesture with my hand and dismiss it as important. -Kanye has canceled his weekend, so my mother thought it would be better to bring it forward so the kids don't notice it.- she tells me and I nod in understanding.

Y/n: It doesn't bother me at all.- I assure her, since she has a lot on her and I don't want to make her think that it has bothered me or something, and feel guilty about it.

A few seconds later I start to entertain Saint and Chicago who call me, so they don't start complaining and give me a terrible headache. Five minutes later, a little girl runs into the plane and approaches Chicago.

Kim: Stormi, what are you doing? - she asks the girl and I already know whose name it is.

Kylie: Mom has changed planes for us.- I hear how someone responds, but I am only able to help the girl get on with her cousins and I hear how they talk without any sense, making Saint look at me begging.

I listen as the grown girls talk quietly in the background. I stretch out my arms to Saint and sit him on my lap, watching how the little ones fit better and I help Stormi put on her seatbelt.

Kim: And this is Y/n, the babysitter we'll have in the summer.- I hear how she says and as soon as I hear my name I pay attention to the adults. -Y/n this is the youngest of all, Kylie Jenner.- she introduces us and I get up with Saint in my arms and stretch out my hand towards her.

Y/n: A pleasure.- I greet and she shakes my hand with a small smile.

Kylie: So you're the amazing new babysitter for Kim.- she says when we separate our hands and I take the opportunity to greet Kris with a little hug.

Y/n: I think so.- I say with a small smile, sitting back in the chair and tying Saint and me with my seatbelt.

Kim: It's a shame that it's only mine during the summer.- she comments and I look at her curiously.

Kylie: And why is that? - she asks sitting in front of me and tying her own belt.

Kim: Because she knows how to control the tantrums of that onw over there.- she responds pointing to her eldest daughter.

North: Hey that's very rude.- she tells his mother looking at her badly. "I don't throw tantrums and I find it ridiculous that..." she starts to shout and I clear my throat making her shut up inmediatelly.

Kim: See, not even I have achieved that since she was born.- she says pointing to what just happened.

Kris: You did well to listen to me honey.- she says to her daughter sitting on my right side, across the aisle and in front of Kim.

The adults quickly change the conversation, as soon as it is safe to remove the seat belts me and the children go to the back to play. So I start playing with everyone, being very careful with Pslam since he is still small and can do damage.

Kylie POV

I stare at the girl in the back with my nephews and daughter, as I process what just happened with my niece. About how just by clearing her throat, North has stopped complaining to her mother and immediately shut up.

Kylie: How the hell did she made it? - I ask completely impressed.

Kim: I don't even know.- she answers looking at her children with a smile. -But I don't know what I'm going to do without her when the summer ends.- she tells me and I look at her confused.

Kylie: And why is that? - I ask curiously.

Kim: Because she's covering the summer shift and Nicole and Sara will come back to work in September.- she answers me with a little grimace. -Besides that she has to go back to university.- I commented and I looked at her surprised.

Kylie: University?- I ask with surprise, since she seems young but I didn't expect her to go to college yet.

Kris: Yes, honey.- she answers me with a small laugh. -She studies architecture.- she tells me and I nod processing the information.

Kylie: But how old is she, because I thought she would be 16 or 17.- I comment and they both laugh.

Kris: She's 19 and this September she'll start her second year of architecture.- she says and I look back at the incredibly attractive girl.

Kim: In addition to the fact that she is in the women's soccer team of her college and has a full scholarship for it. - she informed me and I nod, without stopping looking at the girl and paying attention to every possible detail of her.

Kylie: I'm impressed.- I comment sincerely.

Kim: Well, you will be even more so during the trip, because when you see how she is with the kids and how they listen to her immediately.- she comments and I look at her for a few seconds.

My gaze turns to Y/n, paying attention to the clear abs of her body that the t-shirt exposes and the perfection of her face. How her wavy brown hair falls over her shoulders and back. Her sharp jawline is exposed when she pulls her hair into a high ponytail, exposing her strong, feminine jawline.

I detail her for the rest of the flight, trying to hide it as much as possible and prevent my mother and sister from noticing. I don't want my sisters to find out that i'm checking out Y/n and spend the rest of the trip laughing at me for it. 

So I try to be discreet while I look at her, feeling a certain pull in my stomach when I see her bite her lip or run her tongue over her thin but perfect and plump lips.

Those lips that call you to savor them and kiss them until your lips are sore. To kiss them until you feel like you'll faint from lack of air, until you feel like your lips will droop and you lose the feeling of reality.

I have never felt so attracted to a woman as i am right now. Yes, I am capable of appreciating the beauty of a woman, in a platonic and non-sexual or romantic way. But I have to admit that she would made me do anything for her and not complain one bit. 

In addition to my clear attraction to her, I haven't had sex for a long time and when I say a lot, I mean a lot. So just by seeing her body and some of her gestures I'm already starting to get turned on.

[mimisempai]

I'll find you at the end of the road - Chap 1/8

Summary

Professor Crowley Anthony is about to embark on a new career and a new life at the Rainbow Academy in London. His only regret: giving up the superb cottage he'd rented on the banks of a South Downs lake… 

Before he left, he left a note for the next occupant, asking him to forward his mail and pointing out that the paw prints on the path to the cottage had been there before he moved in. 

Upon taking possession of the cottage, antiquarian Aziraphale Fell immediately falls in love with it, and decides to restore it without paying any further attention to Crowley's mysterious message...

Notes

The Lakehouse AU that nobody asked for.

On Ao3

Rating G -  4869 words

Chap 1 - Chap 2 - Chap 3 - Chap 4 - Chap 5 - Chap 6 - Chap 7 - Last chapter

When two people "connect" the bond between them can be so pure and simple as to stir hearts in heaven.

When they connect in all the right places at all the wrong times, heaven weeps for broken hearts. To heal these broken hearts, heaven breaks time.

—Blithe Spiritus

Crowley took one last look at the lakeside cottage through the rear-view mirror, watching it grow smaller and smaller as he drove away.

His gaze shifted forward to the cage in the passenger seat where Harry, his pet rabbit, was resting. 

He sighed and said quietly, "I hope you like our new home, mate."

If he was honest with himself, he'd said that as much for himself as for the animal; leaving the comfort of the cottage and the quiet surroundings to face the city and a new job was a little nerve-wracking, despite the thrill of novelty and finally being able to practice his chosen profession.

Suddenly he slammed on the brakes, holding the forward sliding cage with one hand. Then he pulled back.

He said in an apologetic tone, "Sorry Harry, I just realised I forgot something."

He backed the car up to the incongruous letterbox that stood in front of the path that led to the cottage.

He'd always been amused by it, wondering what the previous owner's whim had been to put an American mailbox in front of an English cottage. But he'd got used to it, and even the postman had played along, dropping off the mail and raising the little red flag to indicate he'd delivered it.

Crowley grabbed an envelope from beside Harry's cage, then put his hand through the car window, opened the letterbox and put the envelope inside. Then he pulled up the little red flag to indicate that there was mail. All under Harry's watchful eye. 

He tapped the top of the cage and said quietly, "Come on, this time it's for good."

He drove on, accelerating, refusing to watch the sign for the tiny village where his home, Ditchling, was located disappear.  Crowley drove east, the lake behind him, then passed a sign: London - 53 miles.

The traffic increased as he approached the city, and only after maneuvering through the various streets and weaving his way through the London traffic did he finally come to a stop in front of a building on a street that looked quite busy. It was a very new building, cold and sterile. The contrast with the old-fashioned tranquility of Ditchling's cottage was striking and, most of all, a little unsettling to Crowley.

He parked, got out and took a moment to absorb the change in his surroundings. Then, with a sigh, he began to unload his belongings.

**********

The next morning, he paused on the steps at the entrance to the Rainbow Académie, whose name was a surprising contrast to its imposing architecture. He took a deep breath to give himself courage before moving forward, climbing the few steps and pushing open the heavy door. He entered and made his way to what appeared to be the reception desk where a rather busy looking secretary was sitting.

Crowley coughed and asked quietly, "Excuse me?"

"Just a minute, will you?"

She hadn't even looked up to answer him, so Crowley waited a minute, politely, then tried again to get her attention. 

"Ahem... Excuse me, I need to..."

She handed him a stack of papers and said, still not looking at him, "Fill this out and wait for me over there, okay?"

Crowley looked at the outstretched papers, shook his head and handed them back, saying gently, "No, I'm Crowley Anthony, a bit of a strange name, but I'm a new teacher. I was told to report here. I'm starting as an astronomy teacher today."

The secretary replied sheepishly, "Oh, I'm sorry, Professor. You need to find the headmistress, Mrs. Tracy, she should be here. A woman with red hair, dressed in a very... colourful suit, you can't miss her."

Crowley thanked the secretary before heading down the corridor she'd indicated. He did indeed spot the Headmistress fairly quickly, and thought with amusement that the secretary had described her perfectly.

Mrs Tracy wasn't very tall, despite her high heels, but everything about her demeanour, head carriage and posture exuded confidence and authority. After greeting Crowley, she motioned for him to follow. She walked energetically and the new teacher, though taller, found it hard to keep up. No sooner had he arrived in her office than she handed him a large stack of files and said, "You'll be in charge of the sophomores, you'll have three classes to teach this morning and three this afternoon."

Crowley repeated to be sure, "Three?" 

She nodded and replied with a half smile on her lips, "It's a quiet day, for a first day."

Crowley looked a little taken aback, he hadn't thought he'd be jumping right into the thick of things and thought he'd have a bit of time to settle in.

The Headmistress turned as if sensing his hesitation and said gently, "The teacher you replaced left without notice and it took us a while to find the right replacement, so the students lost a lot of time for their final exams. We must do our best for them to succeed."

They left the headmistress' office and, after walking through two hallways, came to another where their attention was drawn to a student sitting alone on a bench, looking sullen. Mrs. Tracy stopped and motioned to a supervisor.

"What's he doing here?"

The supervisor replied, "He's been punished for taking apart a computer to prove Professor Pulsifer wrong, and he has to do an hour's classification in the archives under Professor Device's supervision. However, I can't leave the place unattended, and I was waiting for my replacement to take him there."

Mrs. Tracy said firmly, "Adam, get up."

The boy stood up, still looking sulky, and the headmistress continued, "Professor Anthony, take him to Professor Device in the school library, and then you can begin your lessons in this classroom."

The headmistress pointed to the door of the classroom in question, then turned and walked away without waiting for a reply.

"Well, follow me, Mr...?"

The boy followed suit and replied in a curt tone, "Young, Adam Young. But we're all on a first-name basis here."

Crowley replied with a wink, "Then let's go, Adam the Computer Disassembler." 

He knew that as a teacher here, he couldn't condone what the young man had done, but he couldn't help but find it amusing.

Seeing that the professor didn't look reproachful, Adam lost his pout and, grinning a little, asked boldly, "I didn't get it, is Anthony your first or last name?"

Crowley, used to people's astonishment, replied gently, "My last name, Crowley is my first name."

"Ah, okay. That's pretty cool."

"Thanks, but tell me Adam, I'm very curious to know what could have possessed you to take apart a computer."

Adam animatedly explained to an amused Crowley that Professor Pulsifer, who taught biology, had said that nothing could compare to the complex assemblage that was a living being, and Adam had tried to show him otherwise by dismantling the professor's laptop.

"But I was just about to put it back together, so I don't understand why he got so upset."

Crowley couldn't help but chuckle when Adam suddenly frowned as they arrived at the school library.

The boy muttered, "Welcome to an hour of mortal boredom."

They walked through the door and a young woman with long hair and thick dark glasses approached them, "Adam Young, it's been so long! I missed you so much!" 

Adam grumbled, "I was here yesterday." 

She ruffled Adam's hair as he tried to duck away, then held out her hand to Crowley and said with a big smile on her face, "Professor Device, History Teacher, but call me Anathema. Pleased to meet you. New professor?"

Crowley nodded and replied, "Yes, I'm the new Astronomy teacher, Crowley Anthony, but call me Crowley. I'll leave you to take care of this promising young man," he winked at Adam before continuing, "As for me, I'll be teaching my first class."

"Welcome, and good luck!" Anathema called to him before turning back to Adam, "You go to the third shelf, second row down, I've got three archive boxes for you to sort through, in alphabetical order and without a computer."

Hearing Adam's grumbling, Crowley couldn't help but chuckle as he walked away.

A few minutes later, he paused outside his classroom door and took a deep breath.

"It takes a little time to adjust, but most of the students are exceptional and the staff is very, very nice."

Crowley turned to see who had just spoken.

He found himself face to face with a person who could easily have been mistaken for a student with his indefinable style, average height, slender, with a strange hairstyle that looked as if jay-black hair formed two horns, a kind smile, and sparkling eyes. The newcomer held out his hand and said in a warm voice, "Eric, art teacher, welcome."

Crowley shook it and replied, "Crowley, Astronomy Teacher. 

Eric nodded toward the door, "Good luck," then walked away.

Crowley, feeling motivated by this little interlude, walked confidently through the classroom door, placed his belongings on the desk and, with an engaging smile on his lips, addressed his first students, "Good morning, I'm your new Astronomy teacher and I hope we're going to work well together. 

He paused, glancing over the entire class before continuing, "O Captain! My Captain! Who knows where this came from. Any ideas? It's..."

A girl at the back of the classroom raises her hand.

"Yes...?"

"Pepper, Professor."

"All right, Pepper, I'm listening."

"It's a poem by Walt Whitman about Abraham Lincoln. And it's plagiarism of Professor Keating's introduction played by Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society."

Crowley held back a laugh so as not to lose his authority on the first day and replied in a calm voice, "Thank you, Pepper. I'm pleased to see that my students are quick-witted, and something tells me that we're all going to do a good job together. I won't ask you to call me Captain, Sir, or Professor, just Crowley. And like my namesake, Aleister Crowley, I'll tell you one thing: I'm not interested in herding sheep. So be curious, ask me questions, question what I say if you feel you must. I'm open to discussion, as long as we respect each other."

There was a great silence, then gradually the whole class, including Pepper, began to smile and then the girl gave him a little military salute, mouthing, "Yes, Captain!"

So, as Crowley made his way to the blackboard, he thought to himself that this wasn't such a bad start.

The classes went pretty much the same way throughout the day. But even though most of the classes had been pleasant and smooth, he still felt exhausted by the end of the day. So he dropped into the chair at his assigned desk in the teachers' lounge, before tilting his head back and closing his eyes.

"So, have they worn you out yet?" said the soft voice he recognized as Eric's. 

He opened his eyes to see that the art teacher was sitting right next to him as he continued, "Still, they keep talking about Crowley, the new teacher who's super cool."

"It's been a long time since I've heard of an astronomy teacher who's that good." 

Anathema came over and pulled up a chair to sit in the space between Eric and Crowley.

"The Them?"

Anathema chuckled before answering, "We call them that because since they formed their little gang, they've changed their name so many times we can't keep track, so I can't remember who did it, but that's what we call them now. The Them. They're probably the smartest people in this elite school, and they always stick together for..."

"...for the sake of science," Eric finished.

"That's their argument every time they get caught in one of their escapades," Anathema clarified, kicking off her shoes before gathering her legs under herself.

"Who are the Them made up of," Crowley asked curiously.

Anathema replied, counting on her fingers, "There's the leader of the gang, Adam, who you met this morning, he's in the same class as his three childhood friends, Brian, Wensleydale and Pepper. Pepper, by the way, was talking about the way you introduced your class and was not a little proud to have, as she says, put you in your place. Captain, my captain, isn't it?"

Crowley shrugged and replied, "We do what we can to get their attention, don't we? Anyway, they look interesting to me."

"Wait until you're the butt of one of their pranks, then we'll see if you find these kids interesting," an unfamiliar voice said behind him.

"Newt, dear, did you manage to fix your laptop?" exclaimed Anathema, laughing as the newcomer planted a kiss in her hair before turning to Crowley and extending his hand.

"Professor Anthony, I presume?"

Crowley shook his hand and replied, "Call me Crowley, and I presume you're Professor Pulsifer."

"Newton or Newt, am I that famous?"

Crowley chuckled softly and replied, "It's mostly that I had the pleasure of taking Adam Young to Anathema for his punishment."

"That brat..." Newt growled before continuing, "He's clever... but his habit of proving himself right all the time..."

The other teachers laughed in unison. 

Unaccustomed to being around so many people, and especially such nice people, Crowley felt a little overwhelmed, and suddenly the fatigue of this first day seemed to fall on his shoulders to the point where he had to stifle a yawn. 

Anathema patted him on the shoulder and said: "I have an excellent remedy for that."

He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is it?"

Eric and Anathema nodded and replied at the same time, “The dirty Monkey.”

At Crowley's confused look, Newt explained, "It's a pub two blocks away with good appetizers, good booze, and as for good company, that's us," he finished with a wink. 

Crowley understood that they were inviting him to join them, but he hesitated and finally replied, shaking his head, "Thank you. I'd better not drink tonight. I'm dead."

The biology professor replied, "We're all dead."

"Yeah, but I just moved in and I've got a lot of unpacking to do." 

They nodded and didn't seem disappointed by his refusal, even rather understanding. Crowley really wasn't used to this kind of company and the warmth of their gaze eased the feeling of loneliness that seemed to be his constant companion.        

Eric placed a hand on his arm and said quietly, "Next time, then."

Crowley, not understanding why his throat was tight, nodded and said quietly but firmly, "Don't doubt it."

Moments later, they parted outside the school gates, Crowley on one side and the group of his new colleagues on the other.

"Goodbye Crowley!"

"See you tomorrow, Captain!"

"Bye Crowley!"

Crowley lived only three blocks from the school and soon arrived home. As he entered, he realized how sterile and cold his large apartment seemed, especially after the moments he had spent in the company of his new colleagues.

He hadn't lied when he said he hadn't had time to unpack yet, and there were boxes scattered everywhere. The first thing he had unpacked was Harry's basket, although the rabbit often ended up sleeping at Crowley's feet.

As he closed the door, he heard Harry's typical little pawing noises and then felt the rabbit immediately come to sniff his feet before rubbing up against his legs as usual. He scratched Harry's head between his ears and headed for the kitchen. Harry was a rabbit with spotless white fluffy fur, and if it was true that Crowley had wanted a dog first, he didn't regret having Harry as a companion. One day, the rabbit had unexpectedly come into his life and quickly endeared himself to him and invaded his life.

Crowley opened the fridge, which was desperately empty except for a portion of vegetables for Harry. He put it on a plate and set it on the floor, commenting, "We need rabbit food and human food too.

He would have to go shopping tomorrow.

After munching on a packet of crisps, exhausted, he took a quick shower before heading to his room.

His room was as functional and depressing as the rest of the place. He went to the window. Outside there was nothing but stone buildings. It was very difficult to see the sky. 

He sighed before muttering, "What a view..." then pulled down the blinds and lay down. As soon as his head was on the pillow, he heard Harry's little pitter-patter and then felt the mattress move as the rabbit landed beside him before crawling along his body. Harry sniffed his face a few times and then returned to press himself against his feet. 

"At least you seem to be getting back into your routine quickly, little rascal. Good night, Harry."

Crowley fell asleep very quickly, which prevented him from thinking too much about all that he was missing.

An old yellow Beetle that looked like it had lived a long time drove past Ditchling's sign and parked at the side of the road leading to the cottage. It was full of moving boxes and was pulling a trailer full of furniture. 

A man with blond hair and a suit as old-fashioned as his car got out with a cheerful expression. He walked up to the lakeside cottage and stopped, hands on hips, taking in the view. 

Then he walked on, opened the door of the cottage, looked for the electric panel, and when he found it, turned it on and went to turn on the lights in the foyer, then in what appeared to be the living room.

Aziraphale looked around and rubbed his hands together in satisfaction. There wasn't much there. A stereo, a few books, an armchair. But the bare, cozy furnishings were a perfect match for the austere beauty of the little house. 

He looked out the window at the lake and immediately knew he was going to like it here.

It took him a good four hours to unload the car and trailer and set up almost everything he'd brought with him. When he was done, he took the thermos of tea he'd brought with him and poured himself a cup, inhaling it with pleasure. He was already feeling at home.

As he sipped his tea, he quietly walked around the house, taking in the place. When he was done, he decided it was time to stock his cupboard and fridge, and got into his car to go shopping at the local grocery store he'd spotted on his way in.

A short time later, after walking around the store with his groceries in his arms, he set them down on the counter.

Behind it stood two men, both bearded, one with short hair and one with long hair, the latter kindly asking him, "Hello, are you new here?"

Aziraphale smiled and replied, "More or less. My name is Aziraphale." 

The owner replied, "My name is Bill, and this is my husband, Frank.

Frank smiled and added, "You're going to love it here. Especially now that the weather is warming up." Then, pointing to the groceries, he added, "We'll get you some boxes for all this."

"Oh, thank you," Aziraphale replied.

Frank moved to get an empty box from a high shelf, and now that he was no longer hidden by the counter, Aziraphale noticed that he was moving with a cane, and Bill rushed over and said, "No, dear, let me do it."

Frank shook his head and replied, "I have trouble walking, but I can still climb a ladder."

Suddenly, they both stopped as the sound of a baby crying came through the baby monitor that Aziraphale hadn't noticed next to the cash register.

Frank chuckled and said to Bill, "Your turn, Daddy."

Bill grumbled, and as Frank went to get the boxes for Aziraphale to put his groceries in, the other man returned with the crying baby in his arms. Aziraphale, who adored children, approached and, looking at the baby, who must have been barely 6 months old, said softly, "Oh, how adorable! What's his name?"

"Joel."

Aziraphale moved his finger forward to stroke the baby's cheek, but Joel caught his finger firmly.

"I think he likes you."

They chatted a little longer as the baby's cries subsided, then Aziraphale paid, picked up his box, and left, not without promising the couple he'd be back. He glanced in the rearview mirror, touched to see the little family waving at the front of the store, making him even more aware of his own loneliness. 

He parked again in front of the small path leading to the cottage and noticed the mailbox with the flag up. He stopped and opened it. There was an envelope.

For the new tenant.

He brought in the groceries, put them away, made himself a tray of finger sandwiches, took the letter, and sat down in the chair in front of the bay window. He placed his tray on a small table nearby, opened the letter and began to read. 

Dear new tenant.

Hello and welcome to your new home and congratulations, blah blah blah. You've made an excellent choice, Ditchling is a wonderful place and this house is a gem, as you may have noticed.

I'm sure you're going to love living here as much as I have.

I'm the former tenant, Crowley.

Aziraphale looked puzzled, but also pleasantly surprised; even though he would probably never meet this person, it was nice to get a little personal mail. He read on.

The post office usually forwards my mail, but if anything should happen here, because the post office is what it is and you're never sure, my new address is below. Thank you very much.

Aziraphale flipped it over.

P.S.: Sorry about the paw prints leading to the front door. They were there when I moved in, as was the box in the attic. I think it belongs to the owner. 

Aziraphale looked at the letter with amusement and couldn't help but check the last words.

He went to the front door and looked at the floor, but saw no paw prints and the floor was clean, inside and out. 

Confused, he scratched the back of his head before heading for the ladder that led to the attic. He opened the trapdoor, stuck his head through and looked around. The attic was empty. No box.

He climbed back down, shrugged, crumpled up the letter and threw it away. It probably wasn't addressed to him. A little disappointed, he finished his meal in a less than cheerful mood and went to bed.

The next morning, as he was polishing a gramophone before displaying it in the window, he couldn't stop thinking about that letter and its more or less strange ending, when he was interrupted by the doorbell indicating that someone had entered the shop.

He put down the cloth, wiped his hands on his apron, and went into the shop.

"Good morning, Aziraphale! I made lunch, would you like to share?"

It was the cheerful and somewhat pushy Arthur. Arthur Brown, the owner of the carpet store almost across the street from his own.

He replied, struggling to hide his annoyance at being interrupted from a task he loved, "I can't, I have an urgent job to finish."

"Oh come on Aziraphale, there's nothing urgent about an old... an old well, an old thing you must have discovered at I don't know which old lady's house around here."

"It's urgent for me."

The carpet merchant poutted disappointedly and sighed before replying, "Well, okay..." and heading for the door, before turning abruptly and asking, "Is it true you bought a house? Where is it? What's it like?"

Aziraphale rolled his eyes, but he wasn't surprised because he'd expected these questions. He'd told Maggie, the owner of the vinyl store next door, about his new home and she, of course, had told her girlfriend, Nina. Since Nina owned the coffee shop on that strip, the news must have spread like wildfire.

He replied, "It's an isolated cottage near a village called Ditchling."

Arthur exclaimed, "Are you crazy, isolating yourself like that?"

Aziraphale replied rather curtly, "This is what I want, and I already feel at home there. And now, if you don't mind, I'll get back to my work, which is not urgent." 

He walked briskly to his workshop, annoyed at the criticism of his choice, and didn't even hear the door close.

Even though it would take him almost two hours to get to the lakeside cottage, he had decided to go there every day to clean, tidy, and renovate it as quickly as possible, and he had fairly flexible hours, like today, Monday, when the shop was closed in the afternoon. So, after a light lunch in the shop, he set off for Ditchling, and as the weather was rather pleasant, he decided to repaint the faded railings that lined the little path leading up to the front door. This manual labor, like his work on the objects in his antique shop, gave him something to take his mind off things.

A few hours later, as the day wore on, Aziraphale knelt on the steps and finished applying a first coat of paint to the boards he had previously sanded, removing the old, peeling green paint. He finished, pleased with the result, and began to put away his equipment.

Behind him, a small rabbit hopped along the path, but Aziraphale didn't immediately notice it. Before Aziraphale could react, it hopped right into the tray where Aziraphale was wiping the excess paint from his brush and continued on, leaving a trail of paw prints behind it. 

"Hey! Stop!"

Aziraphale ran after the rabbit, trying to catch it, but it ran right into the cottage, whose door had been left half-open. Aziraphale started to follow, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the ground at his feet. 

There was now a trail of rabbit paw prints leading to the front door. 

He rushed to the wastebasket and rifled through it for a few seconds before finding what he was looking for. Holding his breath, he stared at the letter for a few moments without reacting. 

Sorry about the paw prints leading to the front door. They were there when I moved in, as was the box in the attic. I think it belongs to the owner. 

Aziraphale stared at the crumpled letter in his hand for a long moment.

Crowley went for lunch to a park he had discovered not far from the school. It was quite warm for the time of year, so he unbuttoned his jacket and the first two buttons of his shirt as he walked quietly, hoping to find a free bench.

He only found one that was quite close to the road, but it was better than nothing and enough to enjoy his lunch break. So he began unwrapping his sandwich while flipping through the newspaper, then stretched his long legs out in front of him and sighed in satisfaction, enjoying this moment of quiet, even though the place was rather crowded due to the unusually nice weather.

After finishing his sandwich, Crowley closed his eyes for a moment, letting the sunlight warm him. He wasn't asleep, and he was aware of the sounds around him, like the water in the fountain, the splashing and laughing of children playing in it, an old man grumbling about global warming, the ducks quacking on the small pond nearby, hoping to get a few crumbs from those who, like Crowley, had decided to eat lunch here. 

Suddenly, this harmony was shattered by a horrible sound: a high-pitched screech and a car horn brought Crowley to his feet. He opened his eyes abruptly and looked around.

On the side of the road, just a few feet from his bench, he spotted whatever was responsible for the noise. A double-decker city bus was visibly trying to stop. It was going quite fast, but the driver was clearly trying to brake.

Crowley took in everything - the noise, the bus, the drivers, the passengers screaming from above - before noticing a man standing on the side of the road directly in the path of the bus. There was nothing to be done, it was inevitable and almost instantaneous, the man was hit by the bus and Crowley watched in horror as his distant silhouette flew ten or fifteen feet into the air before crashing to the pavement. The faint sound of the impact reached Crowley a half-second later because of the distance.

Crowley automatically pulled out his cell phone and dialed 999. As he ran toward the point of impact, he relayed all the information to the rescue team, trying to remain calm. 

After hanging up the phone, feeling as if his feet were glued to the ground, he continued to run toward the lifeless body.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here

[scotianostra]

On October 24th 1796 the artist, David Roberts, was born in Edinburgh.

The son of a shoemaker, who began his career as an apprentice house painter. Roberts was born in Stockbridge, near Edinburgh, and while a boy he was a frequent visitor to Rosslyn Chapel, it’s architecture is a complex fusion of influences from many cultures, and it has been mentioned that it was an immense inspiration to the painter.

At the age of 19, after studying art formally at night, Roberts became foreman of work at Scone Palace for a time. Returning home in search of a new job at the end of the project, he took work as a scenery painter for James Bannister’s circus. Bannister offered him more work, engaging him on a good salary of 25 shillings a week, and for a while Roberts toured the country with the circus.

Through Bannister, Roberts then found work at the Pantheon Theatre in Edinburgh, but when the venture failed, he returned to his trade of house painter and decorator. All the time he was working on the “day job”, he was also practising his sketching and painting, thus developing his fine art skills.

Roberts returned to painting scenery for theatres in Edinburgh and Glasgow, meeting his wife, the actress Margaret McLachlan, at the Theatre Royal in Edinburgh. They had one child, Christine. In the early 1820s he exhibited work at the Fine Arts Institution in Edinburgh, including scenes of the abbeys of Melrose and Dryburgh, which were popular themes due to the immense interest in the history of the Anglo-Scottish border created by the work of Walter Scott.

Roberts was offered work in London, at first by the Coburg Theatre and then the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. Soon Roberts was commissioned to work for Covent Garden, while also successfully exhibiting at the British Institution. Gothic, romantic and religious themes were still popular in art and Roberts continued to produce paintings of Scottish abbeys and famous European Cathedrals. He developed his range into landscapes and seascapes, as well as Biblical and antiquarian themes, achieving fame though his painting “Departure of the Israelites from Egypt”.

Roberts began to travel in 1832, producing a series of lithographs from his trip to Spain and Morocco. In 1838, he embarked on a tour of Egypt, Nubia, Sinai, Syria and the Holy Land, and his sketches, paintings and lithographs were hugely in demand on his return. Publication of “Sketches in the Holy Land and Syria, 1842–1849” and “Egypt & Nubia” followed, volumes that ran to many editions and are still popular as reprints today.

When he returned to Scotland, the Royal Scottish Academy feted him at a public dinner. As a result of this, Roberts advised the Academy that he was worried about work that was being done at Rosslyn Chapel. One of the major architectural conflicts of the time was between the “romantic school” who viewed overgrown buildings as beautiful in their own right, even seeing the moss and overgrowth as protective, and those who wished to restore and preserve buildings.

When he returned to Scotland, the Royal Scottish Academy feted him at a public dinner. As a result of this, Roberts advised the Academy that he was worried about work that was being done at Rosslyn Chapel. One of the major architectural conflicts of the time was between the “romantic school” who viewed overgrown buildings as beautiful in their own right, even seeing the moss and overgrowth as protective, and those who wished to restore and preserve buildings.

Roberts also visited Italy in the early 1850s, producing a volume of paintings entitled “Italy, Classical, Historical and Picturesque”. The last 15 years of his life were spent carrying out prestigious projects such as the painting of the opening of the Great Exhibition of 1851. He became a member of the Royal Academy and was given the freedom of Edinburgh. His distinctive style and intuitive interpretation of light were emulated by many artists who came after him.

The last time I posted about David Roberts I featured his work in Palestine and Egypt, the pics this time around are his home grown work, the first being a self portrait, next is his apparent inspiration, the Entrance to the Crypt, Rosslyn Chapel, St. Mungo’s Cathedral, Glasgow and Dumbarton Rock.

If you want to see more of his work check out the Royal Academy's site here.https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art.../name/david-roberts-ra