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[wellourgerdes]

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[vipchauffeurride]

Challenges faced by chauffeur service from the tourism sector

Recent changes in the tourism sector have made it necessary for businesses to utilize vehiclesmore frequently. Around the world, several tourism businesses offer services where visitors use autos for transportation or sightseeing.

Owners of tourist-related businesses have been able to expand their operations through creative business strategies thanks to profit and company growth in every field. Because they have the following advantages, tourism firms today choose to utilize automotive services.

Rivalry with Ride-Sharing Apps: Traditional London To Stansted Chauffeurs are now under intense competition from ride-sharing firms. These applications frequently provide cheaper rates and more practical booking choices, which might entice travelers away from conventional cabs.

Rules and regulations: Manchester Chauffeur Services are governed by several laws, including those about licensing, insurance, and fares. For vehicle firms, navigating these rules may be difficult, and legislative changes may affect their productivity and financial success.

Technology Adoption: Traditional Chauffeur Service London may have a difficult time incorporating new technology, such as GPS monitoring, online reservation services, and mobile payment alternatives, which can enhance the customer experience and compete with ride-sharing applications.

Price Sensitivity: Travelers, especially those on a tight budget, are frequently price-conscious. In certain tourist locations, vehicle costs can be rather expensive, therefore travelers may choose less expensive modes of transportation, including walking or public transit.

Language obstacles:Vehicle drivers may run into language obstacles in locations with a wide variety of visitors, which might cause miscommunication or misunderstandings. The whole visitor experience may be impacted by this.

Seasonal fluctuations: These are common in the tourism industry, with peak and off-peak seasons. Demand for Chauffeur Service In Birmingham may vary throughout the year, making it difficult to maintain a steady income.

Safety Issues: Travelers in some locations can worry about the safety of utilizing vehicles, particularly if they are unfamiliar with the area. Tourists have occasionally been overcharged, led on longer journeys, or encountered illegal vehicle drivers.

Environmental Concerns: Some visitors may favor ecologically friendly modes of transportation. Traditional vehicles, which frequently operate on gas or diesel, might not fit these standards.

Traffic congestion: In well-known tourist areas, vehicle services may face serious difficulties due to traffic congestion. Longer travel times and disgruntled consumers may result from traffic delays.

Ride Quality and Vehicle Condition: Chauffeur Service Birmingham might be in a broad range of conditions. Poorly maintained or unpleasant vehicle rides for certain visitors may hurt how they see the area.

Payment Options: It might be difficult for some Chauffeur Service Heathrow to accept a range of payment options, such as credit cards and mobile payments. Because they are more convenient and secure, tourists may favor cashless payment methods.

Ride-Sharing Regulation: To provide a fair playing field for conventional vehicle firms, certain tourist locations have put limitations or rules on ride-sharing services. Enforcing these laws, though, can be difficult.

Vehicle services in the tourism industry may need to adapt by enhancing customer service, adopting technology, adhering to laws, and providing competitive pricing and value-added services to remain competitive and handle these issues. Additionally, vehicle firms may better serve tourist demands and improve the entire visitor experience by working with tourism agencies and neighborhood businesses.

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[m25chauffeuruk]

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[theta-walti]

All Of Me

Summary: Lucy and the reader met at a meta event and hit it off immediately exchanging numbers. The reader is performing in Barcelona, so she invites Lucy and some of her teammates at the concert. One of her teammates is a die-hard fan and would love to meet her, so Lucy arranges it. At the end of the concert, Lucy realises she's in love and confesses.

Warnings: fluff, just fluff

A/N: This is dedicated to Tuck, Shadow, and the anon who requested this, l hope you enjoy and thank you for patiently waiting 🫶

Word count: 4.4k

---☆☆☆---

"Do l have to wear this?"

you asked as you look yourself at the mirror, not completely confident of what you are wearing, you get that it is not any big event like the Met Gala, but it is an meta hosted event that you have been invited to, and your best friend has encouraged you to go as soon as you told her, so under her influence you have decided to do it.

First you went shopping for a dress, deciding that you don't need a makeup artist or any kind of stylist, deciding that you can get ready on your own, big mistake, you have absolutely no idea how to do fancy makeup, the best you can do is basic everyday makeup and that's enough for you, even on your shows and tours you didn't go very fancy unless you hired someone to do it for you.

"Come on! You came from London all the way to Barcelona to do this! And don't stress about it! You look great! Trust me, people would love this look!"

And you did, the moment you told your best friend that you had been invited, she immediately booked you a flight. She was very excited for you, and that alone also made you very excited.

Your best friend stopped what she was doing and walked towards you, then stopped when she was behind you, looking into the reflection. Her hands were on your shoulder and her head next to your own, she smiled.

"People are going to love you, don't you worry, everything is going to be just fine, relax and go enjoy okay?"

You nodded as you understood her words and relaxed a bit, just on cue your driver arrived and your phone ping in a notification, you looked at your best friend one more time with a smile before you put on your shoes and walked out the door, heading towards the car.

The car drive there was peaceful, and you liked that, some calmness before the whole event and the chaos that happens, when you arrived you took a deep breath before you opened the door, unknown to you there was a person hind the door and when you opened it the door has slammed into the person, and your hand flew to your face before you can even speak.

"Oh my god l am so sorry!"

You apologised as you looked up at the person, widening your eyes as you got a bit starstruck. Not only was the person a woman, but she was the most attractive you have ever seen, you stood there, a bit frozen.

"No no, it's alright, it happens"

The woman shook her head as she chuckled, she seemed carefree and forgiving of the accident, she seemed to have asked you something but you were too mesmerised to answer, as you shook your head to focus on the conversation again you felt a bit embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Your face heated up a little.

"l said, are you alright though?"

The woman said with a smile on her face and her eyes gazed into yours, her voice a bit louder as she crowd behind both of you got larger and larger.

"yes l'm okay, sorry that l smashed my car door into you again!"

You apologised again and the woman's smile got a little bit bigger.

"Don't apologise! It's okay! l'm glad your doing alright though!"

The woman's hand went on your shoulder for a little pat before she walked away, leaving you a bit surprised and stunned, not only by her looks but also by how she handled the whole situation.

---☆☆☆---

"hey you alright?"

You looked up from the voice and saw the woman from earlier, you smile and nodded.

"Yea, just bored"

You chuckled as put away your phone, you don't mind these events but the whole reason you don't usually go is because you find them boring, most times it will just be you alone, tucked away in a corner, scrolling though you phone or reading something, you think that must be why the women from earlier approached you, because she saw you alone.

You flashed a smile, hoping that she will stay and talk.

"Let me tell you a secret, l don't really like this either"

The woman leaned in and whispered, then she let out a chuckle, in cue pulling up a chair to sit in front of you, then she held out her hand.

"Lucy, Lucy Bronze, nice to meet you"

you tell her your name as you shook her hand, her hand is warm, not sweaty warm, but warm enough to make you feel comfortable. There is a moment of silence between you and her, before she spoke up.

"These events can be a bit overwhelming, don't you think?"

Lucy said, glancing around the room. You nod in agreement and chuckled, grateful for the opportunity to share your thoughts with someone who understands.

"Yea, definitely. Sometimes, it feels like everyone here is playing a role, and I'm not sure where I fit in.

"You said with a chuckle and Lucy's eyes soften with empathy.

"I know what you mean, l am the emergency plus one for my friend, but hey, we can be the rebels who break free from the script, right?"

You can't help but laugh at her suggestion, feeling a weight lift off your shoulders.

"I like the sound of that"

---☆☆☆---

As the evening goes, after a few glasses of champagne Lucy leans in, whisper in your ear as her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"You know," she says with a grin "sometimes I sneak out of these events and go grab a burger. Fancy parties are overrated anyways, no?"

You chuckled and raised an eyebrow, if this is a way for her to ask you if you wanna leave, you would accept it, you never liked these kinds of things anyway.

"Are asking me out?" you reply with a smirk, teasing.

With a mischievous glint in her eye, Lucy tilted up her head a little and her lips also turn into a smug smile.

"it will only be if you want it to be" She stopped for a second before continuing, smirk still on her face. "come on" She said in teasing tone "l don't bite.....unless you want me too" She leaned back on the chair and her smirk widened.

You sat there, your face blushing before you regain your composure, back straight and a smile on your face, gesturing towards the exit.

"Shall we make a break for it then?"

Lucy's face turn into a grin before she stood up and took you hand, together you two sprinted out of the event, giggling like school girls as you head off into the streets of the evening.

---☆☆☆---

Not long after you and Lucy slip away from the event, you can't help but notice the city lights twinkling around you, the streets are alive with energy, compared to the event out here is a million times better, especially with a person you have just met but felt like you have known forever.

As you walk side by side, hands tingle, you notice the sky, a beautiful shade of blue, pink, orange and yellow. You stop and admire the sky a little more, as well as pointing up the sky so Lucy can see it too.

"The sky is so beautiful today"

Lucy looked up in the sky, also amazed by it, the view was incredibly stunning, absolutely gorgeous.

"Yea, very pretty" she agreed, unknown to you she was also looking at you when she said those words, but you were too mesmerised by the beauty of the sky to notice it.

When you two start to move again you decide that it would be best if you and Lucy find something to eat, since both of you haven't eaten since the event started and it has been well over 2 hours now.

"We should probably find something to eat, l'm hungry"

Lucy nodded in agreement and she took your hand again before she started to lead you somewhere.

"I know a place, but you have to trust me okay?"

You nodded and with an amused smile, wondering where she would lead you.

You followed her lead and walked for a while, at one point you convinced yourself that you two are lost in the city, but Lucy insisted that you trust her and let her lead you, so you did exactly that and trusted the process.

After a while Lucy finally stopped and you found yourself in front of a quaint little cafe, The golden glow of the light inside contrasted warmly to the darkness in the night. With a grin, Lucy holds open the door, inviting you inside.

"Welcome to our secret hideout," She declares with a playful wink.

You found yourself giggling as you stepped inside, the familiar scent of coffee and pastries washing over you. Finding a cosy booth in the corner, you decided to look at the menu b for a bit before Lucy spoke.

"You know there is something l wanted you to try, it's not on the menu, but l know they make it, do you wanna try it?"

You nodded and decided to take a leap of faith, and trust Lucy on this, so far she had not disappointed you, so why not trust her on this and see what she orders for you.

Lucy smiled and spoke again.

"l promise you will not regret this"

And with that she ordered a pasta dish in Spanish, since you don't know the language you have no idea what she is saying or what is ordering for you, after the waiter has gone there is a comfortable silence between the both of you, you noticed that she is staring at you so you choose to spoke up.

"You know, not everyday you get to have a pretty lady eating with you" You said with a grin.

"yea? And what about it?" Lucy said, teasing as she crossed her arms, her face also bloomed with a smile.

"Maybe l can get your number? So we can do this again?" You took your phone out and handed it to Lucy, hoping that she will put her number in.

"Your not as shy as l thought you would be ey?" She waved her hand as she took your phone and put her number in, when she gives it back to you your hands blushed and your faced heated up, the touch was electric, not like when she held you hand earlier, somehow that was different, that felt somewhat normal, compared to what you felt just now it is completely different.

When the dish arrived it looked amazing so you decided to give it a taste, as soon as the pasta touched your lips your eyes widened at how good it was. Your eyes also lit up, Lucy chuckled at your reaction and found it adorable.

"See l told you that you'll like it"

---☆☆☆---

Over the course of the next few weeks you and Lucy texted everyday, before your shows Lucy would text you good luck and you would do the same before all her matches, it felt like you have known each other for years even though you only knew each other for a few weeks.

After finishing training with the team one afternoon, Lucy entered the changing room to get changed. Suddenly, her phone pinged, and it was you who texted her. She immediately halted what she was doing and responded, her face blossoming into a smile in the process. Ever since that night, she has remained like this, and her teammates have noticed a change in her behaviour, particularly her mood.

"Anyone special in your life Lucy?" Keira asked with a curious manner. Even though they have broken up they have still remained friends, they just fell out of love, it was no one's fault, instead Lucy was happy for Keira that she found Laura, someone that Keira likes.

"no, not really" She tried to lie, but it didn't work. Keira had known her for years even before they started dating, so she can basically read Lucy like an open book. But before she could say anything a song of yours popped up on the speakers and Aitana spoke up.

"oh l love this song!" Aitana said with a big smile on her face, she also started to dance along to the music and sing along to the lyrics, other teammates laughed at her love for your song while Lucy couldn't stop but felt curious about it.

"You like Y/N's music?" Lucy asked, a bit surprised.

Aitana nodded before she spoke up.

"Yea, her music got me through the tough times, l also heard generally she is a really nice person, like her fans and the people around her, l wish l can meet her, but she is currently touring in America and l can't see her, but l am a really big fan yes"

After hearing this Lucy thought of an idea, but in order for this to work she needed to make sure that you are available and her other teammates agree with the plan. Just on cue your text has popped up on her phone again.

After my show in LA l’ll be coming to Barca, do you wanna come see me? You can bring friends too, l don’t mind xx

Perfect, Lucy thought to herself as she replied, first step done.

Of course, also, l got a favour, l got a friend who is a very big fan of yours, do you think you can do a meet and greet with her after the show? xx

You replied only a few seconds later.

I'm doing a meet and greet after the show anyways so maybe just to avoid the crowd we can do it before the show? xx

That's good, Lucy thought to herself and immediately start to type a reply

Yea, that sounds good, see you soon xx

As you both exchanged texts, a smile remained plastered on Lucy's face, refusing to fade away. You responded with the date and time, sharing in her excitement at the thought of seeing each other again. It's been a while since that memorable day, and the anticipation of reuniting has been building up for both of you.

After her first part of the plan is done she goes on to her second, and that is to text everyone. Fortunately, they all agreed to attend the concert, some even say that it is a wonderful bonding activity for the team. She also mentioned to the group that she planned this as a surprise for Aitana.

The team also agreed to the idea and decided to keep it a secret. Now, she just has to wait for the day to arrive.

—☆☆☆—

“Are you ready?”

Frido yelled from Aitana's living room, rushing her. Everyone else on the team had either driven To the stadium alone or driven by their loved ones. Ingrid, Mapi, Frido and Aitana are all going to the concert together, but Aitana takes the most time to get ready, even though she is the shortest of the group.

“Yes! Just hold on for a minute!”

Aitana yelled back from her bedroom, she was rushing everything, from makeup to getting dressed.

Frido rolled her eyes and Ingrid And Mapi both chuckled.

“It is nice of Lucy to do this” Ingrid said with a smile. Aitana has always been one of the very good friends they have, they can trust her on and off the field, she is always very supportive and cheerful.

“It is, but l wonder how she got the tickets, l heard Y/N's tickets are expensive and hard to get like Taylor swift ones” Mapi replied, curious.

Since you are a famous singer your tickets are both expensive, it's not what you wanted but because of the increasing demand for production costs that are associated with your concerts, the price goes up naturally, whether you like it or not, it was out of your control.

“She must have help or has connections, who knows?” Frido answered, checking on her watch to calculate how much time they have left, she predicted that they will be a bit later than everyone else.

Just after Frido finished her sentence Aitana finally came downstairs to meet them, she was all prepared with her green outfit and baseball cap. In your concerts the fans always wear green and a baseball cap, mainly because most of your album covers always have some kind of green in it, no matter it's the background shade or the main attention of the cover, so the fan adapted it and made it your theme, so whenever you have concerts or go on tours your fan will always wear green.

As for the baseball caps the fans found that you will always wear one during your performance, it has a meaning behind it but that's another story for another time. But the fans started to do the same, creating the tradition to wear their own baseball caps to your shows, they will also trade them and bedazzle them, along with bracelets, but that's just a normal thing for concerts trading bracelets.

Fan will often vlog and make videos on the whole process of attending your shows, from the start to the end, and you love watching them, you will like the videos and maybe comment something like “l’m glad you enjoyed the show! See you next time 💚”

“Tada! You like it?” Aitana said as she twirl around with her outfit. It also gave her an idea of whose concert she is going to but she's not sure, she's excited either way.

“Yes, now come along, or else we’ll be late!” Frido rushed with a smile on her face, she pushed Aitana out the door and into the backseats of her car, Mapi also sat in the back with her while Ingrid sat in the front and Frido drove.

—☆☆☆—

When they arrived and got out of the car other teammates noticed her and informed you, you start to walk towards Aitana.

“Hi, your Aitana right? I heard so much about you! All good things of course, and l heard from Lucy that you're a very big fan?” You held out your hand with a smile.

Aitana stood there frozen in shock while she's also starstruck, other teammates laughed at her reaction while you also chuckled.

“I think we broke her” Patri said as another wave of laughter entered the team, Aitana shook her head to clear up and she looked up to you, shaking your hand.

“Yes! I’m such a big fan! It's a pleasure to meet you Miss L/N!” Aitana said excitedly with a full smile on her face.

“Just call me Y/N, Miss L/N makes me feel old” You chuckled and let go of your hand.

“Can l get an autograph or a selfie please?” Aitana said in the same excited tone and took off her basketball cap and took out a pen, ready for you to sign her basketball cap.

“We can do both” You said with a grin and gently took the pen and basketball cap to sign, once you finished you took a picture with her and continued to talk to her for a bit, unknown to you Lucy was also watching you with a soft smile on her face, this does not pass Keira as she planned to question Lucy about later.

A worker from your show came over to you and told you the show was about to start, you nodded and thanked for the reminder before you said goodbye to the team, without a doubt you kissed Lucy's cheeks before you went and walked away. Lucy stood there shocked and her face reddened, butterflies in her stomach, while other teammates stood there in shock.

“You know her?”

“Are you guys dating?”

“How long has this been going on?”

They all asked questions while Lucy just stood there, completely ignoring them and her mind only thought about the moment.

—☆☆☆—

As the team started to walk to their seats Keira spoke up.

“So it's her that you’ve been head over heels for” she teased as she bumped on Lucy's shoulder.

“Oh shut up” Lucy mumbled with a shy smile as she continued to walk, the stadium is large so it takes a while to get to their seats.

“Hey, no judgement, l’m just happy for you, you finally found someone you like” It is true, ever since they broke up Lucy has been single while Keira herself has started to date Laura, she always told Lucy that she should put herself out there and find someone, so when Lucy found you Keira was over the moon for her.

“So how long have you guys been dating?” The question that Lucy dread to answer, you and Lucy have not started dating at all, just crushing as neither of you have the courage to ask each other out, or that's what she thought.

Before Lucy can answer the question the lights start to dim indicating that your show has started, and she decides to focus on your show instead of answering Keira’s question.

“What's up Barcelona! Let's get this party started!’’

You said in a loud and powerful voice as the crowd went wild cheering and the music from your first song of the night started to play, the crowd also started to sing along as you sang, it was a vibe, everyone was happy and content, it was good.

—☆☆☆—

After a few songs you stopped and said a few words.

“Now this song is dedicated to a special person, you know who you are out there, and l hope you like it”

As you scanned the crowd for Lucy, your smile grew wider when your eyes met hers. With locked eye contact, you confidently made your way to the piano and began to play the song.

What would I do without your smart mouth?

Drawing me in, and you kicking me out

You've got my head spinning, no kidding

I can't pin you down

These lyrics are dedicated to the weeks you have spent texting, you have been busy travelling around the world for your tour while Lucy has been playing football and Barcelona, she can't pin you down to see you while you on the other hand cannot stop thinking about her.

What's going on in that beautiful mind?

I'm on your magical mystery ride

And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me

But I'll be alright

It is a part of your plan to confess your love to Lucy with the song, and you wrote it as a surprise song for the fans as well, so it's a win-win.

My head's underwater

But I'm breathing fine

You're crazy and I'm out of my mind

'Cause all of me loves all of you

Love your curves and all your edges

All your perfect imperfections

Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you

You're my end and my beginning

Even when I lose, I'm winning

“Lucy! She is basically confessing her love to you” Keira shouted through the loud venue.

Lucy is way too mesmerised by you to hear her.

'Cause I give you all of me

And you give me all of you, oh-oh

How many times do I have to tell you

Even when you're crying, you're beautiful too?

The world is beating you down

I'm around through every mood

This is cue back to the many times when you and Lucy facetime each other whenever there is something happening, no matter you both are feeling nervous or scared to do something, or when you or Lucy were crying, how you would always comfort her by saying that she is worth it and she will do the same thing vice versa.

You're my downfall, you're my muse

My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues

I can't stop singing

It's ringing in my head for you

My head's underwater

But I'm breathing fine

You're crazy, and I'm out of my mind

You felt like Lucy is everything to you, whenever what happens she was there for you even though you were long distance, she is your person and you are hers.

As you continue to sing the crowd along sing along and some of your fans predicted that this song is for Lucy, since there was a few pictures leaked online since the night, fans have started to shipped you two together online and tabloids has gone crazy with articles of you and Lucy, spreading rumours that you are together.

—☆☆☆—

After a few more songs and fans demanding a few more songs your show was finished, you went backstage and got surprised by Lucy and her teammates standing there, waiting for you, you immediately wrap your arms around her and closed your eyes.

“Well done, you have done so well”

Lucy praised you and you relaxed into her touch, her teammates awed at the sight, suddenly Lucy got on her knees and held up a makeshift flower.

“Y/N L/N, you have been a bit part of my life ever since l met you that night, you mean to me so so much and l love how you are always there for me, you are caring, funny and got damn it you are so attractive, will you make me the happiest woman and be my girlfriend?”

As the people around you fell silent, you stood there in shock. After a few heart-stopping seconds, you nodded, tears of joy welling in your eyes. Lucy's arms enveloped you as she spun you around, laughter bubbling from both of you. As she gently set you down, your lips met in a magical kiss, sealing a moment of pure happiness. Cheers erupted from the crowd, marking the perfect ending to your unforgettable moment.

---☆☆☆---

yourusername

Liked by lucybronze, keirawalsh, fridolinarolfo, marialeonn16, ingrid_engen, and 973,528 others

yourusername evening well spent 💚💖

view all 6,389 comments

lucybronze 🌷🌷🌷

y/nsultimatefan LUCY AND Y/N IS REAL! I COPY, LUCY AND Y/N IS REAL

keirawalsh couldn't have done it without me 😙

---☆☆☆---

A/N: l hope you like it! This one is the longest k have written 😅🤣 but it was fun!! The song l used is All of me by John Legend, l head this and got inspired.

This is theta, signing out, see you later!

[kamotecue]

the transfer ✯ a. bonmati

pairing: aitana bonmati x reader

summary: the spanish defender tried to get you out of her mind, but she couldn’t. little did she know, she would see you sooner than she thought.

part two of here

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⋆✦⋆ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

you didn’t know how to feel about the transfer, it was a shocking move that no one expected. yet here you were on a plane to spain, more specifically barcelona to sign a two year contract with the team.

but thankfully, the team had hired someone to drop you off at the training grounds where you’ll sign the contract. after that, you’ll have the whole day to yourself.

as you arrived at the training grounds, you took a deep breath.

“nervous, ms. l/n?” the driver had asked as you chuckled at his words.

“just a little bit.” you timidly said, giving him a soft smile. he hummed at your words, completely understanding it.

“i’m sure you’ll do well, you had a fantastic season at arsenal.” he commented as you gave him a small nod. you had exited the car, and immediately someone had guided you to a room.

you talked about the contract, the essentials like the kits, the clubs sponsors and etc. you had finally signed the contract, posing for a few pictures as they would release it on their official social media page later.

“would you like to meet the team? i heard they are currently training.” a staff had asked, as you politely declined as you had to set up your apartment.

you bid goodbye before swiftly leaving but only to be stopped by a staff.

“what number would you like on your jersey?” she asked, as you gave her a small smile.

“number 17 is still available, is it not? i��d love to have that number.” you said, as she hummed in acknowledgment.

you had already set up the guest bedroom, and the kitchen. the living room was a mess as it had the cardboard boxes from the furniture you had ordered. your room was close to being complete, you just needed the finishing touch.

but the next day, you grabbed a light breakfast before heading to the training grounds. you had two pairs of football boots in your kit bag, followed by shin pads and a fresh pair of clothes. you were clad in the barcelona training kit, and it was quite stunning.

you watched from the corner of your eye as the team did their stretching. you were having a small talk with the physiotherapist about your recent knee injury that you sustained during the world cup, it was the final game against norway.

“muy bien chicas, tenemos un nuevo fichaje. [alright ladies, we have a new signing.]” jonatan, the head coach said as the players had stopped their stretching—a late signing? whispers had broke out, a late signing was always interesting.

“¿vamos? [shall we?]” he commented as you took a deep breath before making your way to the field, aitana’s eyes had widened on realization. while the rest looked a bit curious.

you weren’t from world class national teams like they were. but you were signed to a well known club in london, arsenal was always a talk of the town.

“este es y/n l/n, nuestro nuevo fichaje. y/n, puedes presentarte. [this is y/n l/n, our newest signing. y/n, you can introduce yourself.]” he gave you a small smile, as you softly nodded.

“hola, soy y/n. anteriormente jugé para el arsenal, y juego para el equipo nacional femenino de filipinas. [hello, i’m y/n. i previously played for arsenal, and i play for the philippine national women’s team.]” you fluently said in spanish, as a few players furrowed their eyebrows.

you had locked eyes with aitana as she gave you a soft smile, little did you know—that was the start of a developing relationship.

[camisoledadparis]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … February 1

Joe & Lord Tod Wadley

1900 – Marion Barbara 'Joe' Carstairs (d.1993) was a wealthy British power boat racer known for her speed and her eccentric lifestyle. In the 1920s she was known as the ‘fastest woman on water’.

Carstairs was born in 1900 in Mayfair, London, England, the daughter of Fannie Bostwick, an American heiress. Joe Carstairs' legal father was Scottish army officer Captain Albert Carstairs, first of the Royal Irish Rifles and later the Princess of Wales's Own. Captain Carstairs re-enlisted with the Army the week before Joe was born; he and Evelyn divorced soon afterwards.

Carstairs' mother, an alcoholic and drug addict, later married Captain Francis Francis, with whom she had two more children. She divorced Captain Francis to marry French count Roger de Périgny in 1915, but eventually left him because of his infidelity. Her fourth and last husband, whom she married in 1920, was Serge Voronoff, a Russian–French surgeon who become famous in the 1920s and 1930s for his practice of transplanting monkey testicle tissue into male humans for the claimed purpose of rejuvenation.

Carstairs lived a colourful life. She usually dressed as a man; had tattooed arms; and loved machines, adventure and speed. Openly lesbian, she had numerous affairs with women, including Dolly Wilde—Oscar Wilde's niece and a fellow ambulance driver from Dublin with whom she had lived in Paris—and a string of actresses, most notably Greta Garbo, Tallulah Bankhead, and Marlene Dietrich.

During World War I, Carstairs served in France with the American Red Cross, driving ambulances. After the war, she served with Britain’s Royal Army Service Corps in France, re-burying the war-dead; and in Dublin with the Women's Legion Mechanical Transport Section, which acted as transport for British officers during the Irish War of Independence.

Joe Carstairs married a childhood friend, the French aristocrat Count Jacques de Pret, on 7 January 1918 in Paris. The purpose of the marriage was simply to allow Carstairs’ access to her trust fund independently of her mother. The marriage was annulled immediately after her mother's death on the grounds of non-consummation. By means of a deed poll, she renounced her married name and resumed using the name Carstairs in February 1922.

In 1920, with three former colleagues from the Women's Legion Mechanical Transport Section, she started the X Garage, a car-hire and chauffeuring service that featured a women-only staff of drivers and mechanics. Carstairs (and her friends and lovers) lived in a flat above the garage, which was situated near Cromwell Gardens in London's fashionable South Kensington district.

Several of the X-Garage staff had served as drivers during the war and spoke French, German, or Italian. The cars and drivers could be hired for long-distance trips and the business specialised in taking grieving relatives for visits to war-graves and former battlefields in France and Belgium. They were also hired for journeys within London and the garage had an arrangement with the Savoy Hotel to transport guests to the theatre or to shows. During the early 1920s, X-Garage cars were a familiar sight in London's fashionable circles.

In 1925, X-Garage closed and Carstairs inherited a fortune from Standard Oil via her mother and grandmother. The same year, she had her first speedboat built and named it Gwen after one of her former lovers. With it, she won her first trophy, the Southampton Water trophy.

She was also given a Steiff doll by a girlfriend, Ruth Baldwin, naming it Lord Tod Wadley. She became exceptionally attached to this doll, keeping it with her until her death, although—unlike Donald Campbell's mascot 'Mr Whoppit'—she didn't take it into her speedboats for fear of losing it. She had clothes made for it in Savile Row and had its name placed with her own on the name plaque on the door of her London apartment.

Between 1925 and 1930, Carstairs spent considerable time in powerboats and became a very successful racer winning many notable trophies – the Duke of York's Trophy in 1926, the Royal Motor Yacht Club International Race, the Daily Telegraph Cup, the Bestise Cup, and the Lucina cup.

Carstairs was known for her generosity to her friends. She was close to several male racing drivers and land speed record competitors, using her considerable wealth to assist them. She paid $10,000 of her money to fund the building of one of the Blue Bird land speed record cars for Sir Malcolm Campbell, who once described her as "the greatest sportsman I know."

After selling Whale Cay, her lavish island home in the Bahamas in 1975, Carstairs relocated to Miami, Florida.  Carstairs died in Naples, Florida, in 1993 at the age of 93. Lord Tod Wadley was cremated with her.

1901 – Clark Gable (d.1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as The King of Hollywood or just simply as The King. Gable began his career as a stage actor and appeared as an extra in silent films between 1924 and 1926, and progressed to supporting roles with a few films for MGM in 1931. The next year he landed his first leading Hollywood role and became a leading man in more than 60 motion pictures over the next three decades.

Gable was arguably best known for his role as Rhett Butler in the epic Gone with the Wind (1939), for which he received his third nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He was also nominated for leading roles in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), and he won for It Happened One Night (1934).His final screen appearance was The Misfits (1961) with Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift.

When Clark Gable first arrived in Hollywood in 1925, he would do anything or use anyone to advance his career. His first two wives were decidedly unglamorous older women; he was a kept man living the lifestyle of a star. As soon as Gable touched the limelight, he abandoned his second wife and followed wherever his penis led. He tore through Hollywood’s women with the appetite of a starving teenager, with one notable exception.

Gable had one homosexual encounter that is well documented. The young Clarke Gable engaged in oral sex with fellow MGM player Billy Haines in order to establish himself at the studio. Billy Haines, who was the most popular male film star of 1930, was the hub of gay Hollywood. He told all his friends about his sexual hookup with Clark Gable in the late 1920s, which was unusual, since Haines usually never bragged about such things. Haines knew first hand the damage that could be caused by a public knowledge of homosexuality. Joan Crawford confirmed the story, and her testament holds up under scrutiny because she was the lifelong best friend of both men. She had no reason to lie about either star, and she cherished the friendship of both.

More than ten years later Gable avenged his gay encounter. Hollywood was awash with both homosexuals and Jews, and Gable let it be known that he held both in disdain. By 1939 Gable had come to personify the image of a super macho male star. During filming of Gone with the Wind, Gable was uncomfortable by the presence of Billy Haines, who visited the set as a guest of director George Cukor (who was both homosexual and Jewish).The legend goes that actor Andy Lawler was at a Hollywood party later and announced, quite loudly and quite likely high on cocaine, that "George is directing one of Billy's old tricks." The laugh at Gable’s expense got back to him, and he was outraged. He snarled on set, "I won't be directed by a fairy," which so enraged Cukor that he walked off the set.

MGM decided it needed Gable more than Cukor for this project, and Victor Fleming was ushered in as replacement director, even though Cukor had already worked for two years on preproduction and early filming. Although Gone with the Wind became one of the great films of all time, the incident didn’t harm the career of George Cukor, who immediately began working on The Women and continued to make top grossing films.

Gable was crowned “The King of Hollywood”, but Carol Lombard joked: "if his cock was one inch shorter, they'd be calling him "the Queen of Hollywood. God knows I love Clark, but he's the worst lay in town."

And Tallulah Bankhead commented, "if his dick was one inch shorter, his name would be Betty Grable, not Clark Gable."

1935 – Christian Haren, prominent AIDS activist, entrepreneur, and actor, was born (d.1996).

Born and raised in California, Haren served a short stint in the army. After leaving the service, he began working as an actor. In the 1960s Haren received a studio contract from MGM and starred in Vincente Minnelli's Bells Are Ringing, Otto Preminger's In Harm's Way, and Billy Rose's Jumbo. He starred on Broadway in the Bertolt Brecht play The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, produced by Tony Richardson.

He is best remembered for playing the role of the Marlboro Man in print advertisements in the early 1960s.

Haren was openly gay and the proprietor of the popular Palm Springs gay bar CC Construction Co. in later years. In 1985 he was diagnosed with AIDS and became active in AIDS prevention education. He started "The Wedge", a "safe sex" AIDS prevention organization for teens in San Francisco. Haren died on February 27, 1996, in San Francisco, California of complications from AIDS, aged 61. His life was the subject of the 1998 documentary short Castro Cowboy.

1949 – France: The Paris Prefect of Police issues a decree forbidding men from dancing together in public.

1983 – Ronnie Kroell is an American fashion model, actor & singer best known for appearing on the first season of the Bravo reality series Make Me a Supermodel.

Kroell was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended Niles North High School in Skokie. There, he became interested in theater. After a break, he attended Harper College, earning his associate degree in political science.

Kroell appeared on season one of Bravo's Make Me a Supermodel. In the show, Ronnie entered into a notable bromance with fellow contestant Ben DiChiara, which was dubbed "Bronnie". He became very popular on the show and won the title of "Fan Favorite" despite placing second behind Holly Kiser.

Following his appearance on the series, Kroell continued to work to establish himself as a model. He signed a contract with New York Model Management and has walked the catwalks for designers such as Philip Sparks, Loris Diran, Malan Breton and Richie Rich. He also featured the cover of Next and Instinct magazines. In June 2010, Ronnie graced the cover of Playgirl magazine along with a provocative layout shot by the internationally renowned fashion photographer Lope Navo. Kroell is currently working on developing a fragrance line and filming a new reality show. Ronnie is the founder of the Friend Movement,LLC organization which is supported by celebrity friends Lisa Vanderpump & Adam Lambert. Kroell co starred in the fourth installment of Q. Allan Brocka's popular Eating Out series, "Eating Out 4: Drama Camp". Ronnie made an appearance in the Andrew Christian mini-challenge as a featured underwear model in an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Kroell is openly gay. Ronnie has been the guest of honor and/or the grand marshal at gay pride events all across the United States.

Ronnie is very much involved in charity and awareness campaigns. Kroell has also contributed to the "I talk about HIV/AIDS Because..." campaign. In addition, Ronnie has worked with Equality Maryland, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Human Rights Campaign, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Latino Commission on AIDS (LCOA).

1988 – In February, The Kids in the Hall, a sketch comedy series whose cast includes the openly gay Scott Thompson, debuts on CBC Television. Sketches such as Thompson's character Buddy Cole and the ensemble sketch "The Steps" were among the most visible representations of gay culture on Canadian television during the show's run.

The Kids in the Hall comedy group formed in 1984, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson. Their eponymous television show ran from 1988 to 1994 on CBC in Canada, and 1989 to 1995 on CBS and HBO in the United States.

The name of the group came from Sid Caesar, who, if a joke didn't go over, or played worse than expected, would attribute it to "the kids in the hall," referring to a group of young writers hanging around the studio.

The show's sketches were reminiscent of Monty Python's Flying Circus: often quirky or surreal, frequently utilizing drag, with very few celebrity impressions or pop culture parodies; the only recurring celebrity impression was of Queen Elizabeth II, played by Thompson. A recurring character was Mr. Tyzik, played by McKinney, who pretended to crush people's heads from a distance with his fingers. McKinney also played Chicken Lady, a shrill-voiced sexually excitable human-chicken hybrid. Many of the sketches featured gay characters and themes; most of these sketches were written by and starred Scott Thompson, who is openly gay. The show was also notable for reflecting and dealing with the youth subculture of its times, and for incisive sketches about big business and family units.

1992 – Darryl Pinckney's first novel High Cotton is published. Pinckney, born in Indianapolis, Indiana (b.1953), is an American novelist, playwright, and essayist.

Pinckney grew up in a middle-class African-American family in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he attended local public schools. He was educated at Columbia University in New York City.

Some of Pinckney's first professional works were theatre texts, plays developed in collaboration with director Robert Wilson. These included the produced works of The Forest (1988) and Orlando (1989). Pinckney returned to theatre with Time Rocker (1995).

His first novel was High Cotton (1992), a semi-autobiographical novel about "growing up black and bourgeois" in 1960s America. His second novel was Black Deutschland (2016), about a young gay black man in Berlin in the late 1980s, just before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Pinckney is also a frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books, Granta, Slate, and The Nation. He frequently explores issues of racial and sexual identities, as expressed in literature.

In the 21st century, Pinckney has published two collections of essays on African-American literature. He has expressed his admiration for the writing of the long-running American CBS soap opera, As the World Turns.

His partner is English poet James Fenton; the couple has been together since 1989. Pinckney lives in New York City and Oxfordshire, England.

2009 – On this date Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir became the world's first openly Gay prime minister, when Iceland elected her to head up a new parliament. In 2002 she joined in a civil union with the Icelandic author and playwright. The couple legally maried in 2010. Jónína Leósdóttir.

2012 – An utterly misnamed group called OneMillionMoms made headlines by calling for a boycott of the Dallas-based department store JC Penney for having hired Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson. A "project" of the hate group American Family Association, OneMillionMoms was offended that JC Penney had hired an open homosexual spokesperson when most of its customers are "traditional families."

In response to the organization's threat of a boycott, JC Penney president Michael Francis issued a press release declaring, "We share the same fundamental values as Ellen. We couldn't think of a better partner to help us put the fun back into the retail experience."

[rickybaby]

Omg I love talking about these drivers and their messy finances!!

Lowkey, I actually think daniel is the one the least likely to run out of money/get into shit with finances. Maybe others would disagree since he does have multiple businesses and that’s always a risk - but idk he just strikes me as a guy that still (despite the massive amounts of fame and success) could quite happily live below his means.

Daniel is sauuuur interesting to me because it’s almost like he’s two different people: US-based Daniel that hops across continents like it’s nothing, has all these high-rolling friends, big Hollywood star persona and then Australia-based Daniel that just wants to be warm, surrounded by family, and living like a hermit on his ranch.

I think Daniel’s outlook on money has been largely shaped by his first year in Europe and him being very aware that this was all the funds his parents had and he had to make it work. Like the fact that his first big spending was probably him getting braces is so kid-who-finally-made-it coded.

But even LA Daniel is not that flashy. Admittedly he used to go to vegas pool parties and used to hire yachts for his birthday and all, but he didn’t seem to be a big spender even back when he still seemed keen to rub shoulders with Hollywood people. It’s also that he’s so private that you can’t really tell how he spends his money. Even compared to other f1 drivers, he doesn’t seem to have that many cars or at least doesn’t show them off. His biggest assets are obvs his houses and these are always going to be good investments anyway. And reportedly the company that owns Enchanté is registered in the BVIs and while I don’t condone tax evasion, he clearly has a good financial adviser and all. He’s probably got some sizeable investments stashed in some Swiss accounts and not to forget the london music hall he also owns!

[louisisalarrie]

Hi! this is kind of random but I also work in a show business adjacent world and I deal a lot w artists contracts / insurance, stuff like that. There’s something that I can’t quite explain about the whole Lime bikes thing, and I kinda just want to say it out loud to someone else I trust to see if it makes sense.

Okay, so my thing with Lime is that it’s 100% a branded deal, meaning that H got a certain amount of money to be seen for x amount of times riding their bikes. There is absolutely no way he’s not getting paid for that. He probably also negotiated ancillary deals for other celebs (James corden, Taylor russell) to be seen doing that with him, and they got a cut as well. Now, if there is an exchange of money, there’s also a, presumably quite expansive, written agreement. When an artist such as Harry enters in a work agreement, especially one that includes “dangerous activities”, such as riding a bike in central London with no helmet, there will be two things that happen: 1. He’ll need to be insured, and for a lot of money. No brand will take the risk of hiring him without it, and his managers would never allow it anyways. 2. The insurance company will require certain things to be in place in order to minimize the risks of him getting hurt and then having to shell out what I imagine is an astronomical amount of money. Not to mention the fact that a major recording company has hundreds of millions of dollars riding on him being able to play guitar/dance around/ show his perfect face, and they would never risk it for the sake of a brand deal.

Which brings me to my point: the only way videos like the one from the other day make sense, is if they are COMPLETELY planned and shot like a film would be. Meaning that he’d get on the bike with someone (either paparazzi or a staff member w phones for the more “organic” sightings) just feet away ready to film him. There’d be cars around them that are actually driven by his people, maybe security, that ensure that he does not get hurt or run over, just how it happens for film shoots. And it also means that he probably gets off that bike mere seconds after he got on, once they got the pics or footage. And that there’s a car with a driver waiting for him, as well as some Lime employee ready to take the bike off his hand.

Which also, incidentally, means that all the organic sightings we’ve gotten were actually planned and distributed intentionally. It also means that a bunch of them could have been shot the same day with different outfits and then spread out to place him in London when needed.

I know this sounds far fetched, I KNOW. But when you think about it, is this crazier than his entire management just being okay with the risk of golden goose Harry styles falling off his ass, scratching his face, breaking an ankle or god forbid something worse? Like, there is absolutely NO WAY they would let that happen. And yes, I know he was photographed riding bikes in LA, and was also seen riding Vespas in Italy, but those were a different times or a less dangerous place, not to mention the fact that he was wearing a helmet.

Thoughts?

Not far fetched at all, my love. You’ve hit the nail on the head, here. Thanks for your insight!

[wellourgerdes]

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[twopoppies]

Having spent a few days in London.. I’m thinking maybe lime bikes just are the most convenient way to get around efficiently if you can’t take the underground or bus, and I’d imagine H can’t anymore.. and going by car would be just such time waste in this traffic.. 🤔

That may be true, but the fact that he was constantly getting papped, including once with James Corden and once with TR, makes it seem pretty obvious it was some sort of deal. It’s not like the man doesn’t own his own bike. Or can’t hire a driver.

[i-gotyou-dontworry]

Regarding your question about how Z got to the restaurant, she was probably driven there by a driver. In the pap pics from before where it was just her and Darnell out in London you could see they were walking towards an SUV with a driver.

So when she goes out with Tom he drives them, otherwise she hires a driver.

It's likely but it would be fun to know that Zendaya drove Tom's car.

[bellaatmclaren]

The Battle of the Paddock

[Bella is a promising, young social media talent. She ends up in working with McLaren for their 2023 race season, but has she bitten off a little more than she can chew?]

Lando Norris/OC, Charles Leclerc/OC George Russell/OC

Bella was awake long before her alarm. This was the day that she had been waiting for, for her whole life. It was a dream come true… so why did she feel so terrified?

Bella was a girl from a town called Rochester, just East of London. She had grown up as a normal girl with an eye for photography and later, developed this passion into videography. Starting as a weekend help for local wedding photographers, she was able to start to build an impressive portfolio. Bella ended up being accepted into Queen Mary university to study social media marketing. This helped her combine her keen eye for photography with a way to make it profitable and build her career further. Don’t get it wrong, Bella did love photographing weddings, but she felt as though she could do more, and she had a dream.

Bella’s father was a passionate sports fan, especially when it came to Formula One. Growing up, Bella had always enjoyed sitting with her father on the weekends to watch the likes of Vettel and Button race for victory. She had fond memories of watching Sebastian Vettel become the youngest winner, racing for the pole position for Red Bull. Holding onto this memory fondly, Bella decided that she wanted to be there, in the paddock and photographing the drivers in their day-to-day activities, practicing on the tracks, celebrating on the podiums, and everything else in between.

One January day, Bella received an email that was almost too good to be true. She had been recently working with various companies, helping them build an online profile through the likes of Instagram and more recently the ever-growing TikTok app. The email was from McLaren, they had seen her online presence and they needed a new social media assistant manager for the next race season. They were inviting her to interview with them at her earliest convenience to pitch some ideas on how to build up awareness around their new car and drivers ready for the new season.

Bella stared at her phone in disbelief, she was potentially going to end up in the paddock, where she had always dreamt of being. Time passed and the interview came and went without a hitch. Bella, was offered the position which she immediately took. Bella had pitched several ideas to the McLaren team which they had loved.

***

Bella rolled over and checked her phone, 05:03. She sighed and swung her legs over the edge of her bed. She’d said goodbye to her father the day before and boarded a train to Woking so she wouldn’t have to make the journey the day of the meeting. McLaren had put her up in a small B&B just a few miles away from their HQ. They were to send a car to collect her at seven and that’s all she knew. She had no idea what the first day would contain, all she knew was that she needed to bring all her kits with her in case there were perfect photo opportunities.

Bella hopped into the shower, got herself dressed and presentable, and was down in reception for a quarter to seven ready to go. Normally, Bella would have killed for a coffee but she was already so wired on nerves, she thought this would probably make it all worse. She was shaking as it was, full of adrenaline.

Dead on seven, a black car pulled up out front and Jim Harris jumped out to greet her. Jim oversaw McLaren’s media outlets; he had been the one who had personally scouted and hired Bella. It was a cold February day, accompanied by wind and rain, not ideal shooting conditions but Bella knew the HQ had to be large enough that they’d find some great locations inside.

“Isabella, it’s so nice to finally meet you in the flesh,” said Jim cheerfully.

“You too Jim, but please, call me Bella” Bella said, extending her hand and shaking Jim’s firmly.

Jim couldn’t have been too much older than Bella. She was twenty-three, and Jim had to be in his late twenties at maximum. He had a youthful face and was dressed in his McLaren-branded soft-shell jacket.

“Jump in, we have so much to get through already today”.

He gestured to the open door of the car. Bella climbed in and they made their way to McLaren’s Technology Centre.

In the car, Jim made a pleasant conversation with Bella about her thoughts on her first day. He asked how she was feeling and was quite sweet, trying to calm her.

“Remember, it’s not fear, it’s excitement. At least that’s what Lando tells us before a race”

That’s when it hit her. She was going to meet the drivers, in real life. Not these small little figures she saw on her TV screen or online. They were real people, living their dreams and Bella was going to be rubbing shoulders with them any time soon.

“It isn’t nerves, it’s excitement” was what Bella held onto, mentally repeating it to herself the whole short, ten-minute drive to the offices.

The building itself was an impressive piece of architecture, a huge curved building, a semi-circle with the other half being replaced with a lake structure, from above it was a perfect circle. Jim gave her a brief tour of the floor she was to be based on. Bella had a small office space in the social media room. A desk, various laptops and computers, tablets, and lots of storage space.

“Make this into whatever suits you,” Jim said, waving his arm around the space, “whatever gets those creative thoughts flowing, but just remember there will be nine months of the year where we’re flying between here and various countries so best to make sure it’s all portable!”

After introductions between herself and the rest of the media team, Jim left her in the hands of Aria, an intern who had been with McLaren for the last season. Aria was young and funny, and Bella took an instant shine to her.

“Look at you! Your first day here, how are you feeling?”

“I’m okay, I think. A bit apprehensive but I’m looking forward to it. I’m relaxed now I’m here and sat down,” Bella smiled.

“Honestly, you will have so much fun. McLaren is a great company to work for and I have loved every second. I just wish I could go out on the seasons and see the races in person.”

“You didn’t go last year?”

“No,” Aria sighed, “only the best in the team actually get flown out to spend their time there, and well, I’m still learning. I’m an intern so I’m not that valued. I do help a lot, I spend a lot of my time editing, writing captions, and posting but I’ve not taken any of the photos yet. But there’s still time!”

This made Bella nervous again. She didn’t know if she was going to be going out to Bahrain in late February, Jim hadn’t said either way and she hadn’t even thought about it. Maybe she wouldn’t even get to meet the drivers, just sit in her office sipping coffee and colour correcting others’ photos. Maybe when Jim had said it was one-on-one work, he meant just assisting with posting with one of the photographers, not the actual drivers.

After a few hours of Aria showing Bella around the office, and Bella showing Aria around her camera kit, Jim popped his head back around the door.

“Bella, could you come with me? You don’t need anything with you, just yourself is great.”

Bella followed him out in the corridor, and they started walking towards the lifts.

“Honestly Bella, I was so impressed with your portfolio that I wanted to kind of ‘chuck you into the deep end’, so they say” He pushed the button, to call the elevator. “We’ve decided to pair you up with someone special for this season, that’s if you’re willing to, and you get on well. I’m sure you will, it’s near on impossible not to with this one…”

They stepped into the elevator, and Bella’s mouth had gone dry. Who was he taking her to? And why did he look so smug?

She followed Jim down various corridors, stopping to say hello to the odd person here and there, occasional hasty introductions before being whisked off again down more of the maze. Finally, they came to another meeting room with glass walls. Bella could see there were others in the room but they had their backs to the glass. Jim opened the door.

“Bella, meet Lando Norris. You’ll be working with him closely this season, I hope.”

Lando Norris turned his head upon hearing his name and made eye contact with Bella. A huge smile broke across his face.

“Bella, it’s so nice to meet you! I’ve been waiting all day to find out about my new teammate. I hope you’re ready for some chaos!”

“Lando, less of the chaos. You’ll worry her before she’s even begun” Said Jim, as he turned to Bella “It’s not chaos, these lot can just be a bit unpredictable at times, it’s like herding cats, especially when it comes to this one.”

“I keep you on your toes, Jim, you love it really,” Said Lando playfully as he approached them.

Bella instinctively put her hand out to Lando, but he laughed.

“Bring it in for a hug, we’re practically family now”

Bella laughed nervously but gave Lando a brief hug. Jim left them alone to ‘get acquainted’ as he had put it. Bella was glad, she wanted to get to know Lando, what kind of material he wanted to produce, and how she could make this the best professional relationship she could. Her work head was firmly screwed on.

“So, Bella,” Lando said sitting at the table, “If we’re going to be traveling together, we’d better end up leaving this room as buddies”.

Bella smiled, Lando struck her as a super playful guy, especially from what she had seen on TV.

“I feel like that could be easily done, you just have to tell me what you want from me. What content do you want to put out there to your fans? What are we going for this year? Still your funny, approachable guy next door look or a more serious, mature version of Lando Norris?”

“I don’t want to be mature; I am happy where I am thanks. What are you trying to say about me?” Lando pulled a face.

“Oh no, I wasn’t… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“Relax! I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I just want to have fun, I want them to see me as I am, none of this pouting and posing the other boys do. I mean, I can do a mean Max impression though, look.”

Lando sat back in his chair, crossed his arms, and scowled.

“Do not talk to me, I am world champion. I am Max Verstappen, I must win”.

He didn’t get much further without cracking up into laughter.

“Honestly, when you meet him, you’ll see what I mean. He’s so serious all the time. Since getting his title, he’s gotten all uptight. He needs to relax and just enjoy it all.”

“Don’t worry, because this year’s world champion will be you, I can feel it already” Bella smiled.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about. Let’s get this show on the road”.

[m25chauffeuruk]

Why use a chauffeur service? In our latest blog post, we explore the top reasons why you should consider using a chauffeur service. From the convenience of having someone else do the driving to the peace of mind that comes with knowing you're in safe hands, we delve into the many advantages of hiring a professional chauffeur.

[londonfalling]

English vermillion, acid wash jeans, and mango puree for the Crayola FLOC questions!

english vermillion: if you could give them a custom lodgings, what would it be?

Deirdre could have access to a property of her late husband’s family located in London,  possibly a remote address- let’s call it the Decrepit Country Estate, a Georgian mansion belonging to the Grey family, once located in the picturesque countryside outside of London and now lost at the edge of the Prickfinger Wastes. Mechanically, it could have a storylet to dig through its attic and find old Surface Silk scraps, or rarely uncover some forgotten pedigree scrolls to exchange for Society favours as well as the usual certifiable scrap.

acid wash jeans: what would an exceptional story featuring them be about?

OO tough  question- a story about Deirdre could be about her work as a Monster Hunter, maybe inspired by Moby Dick’s Captain Ahab? It would involve being hired on the ship of a newly anointed Monster Hunter, only to find out the grim one-eyed captain plans on hunting a Midnight Whale in an incredibly dangerous quest. Over the course of the story, of course, you’d find out that the quest isn’t really about the whale, but it’s a reckless act borne out of pain and a sense of powerlessness- lashing out at any beast that will cross Captain Grey’s path. I feel like the good ending for her and the player would be talking her down, highlighting the risks that she was putting her crew and herself through- possibly through mutiny and a big reality check for her.  That’d be the central theme, I think- losing sight of yourself and the people you’re responsible for in the name of blind rage, and how to walk back from that mistake.

mango purée: what’s something modern they would love, and what’s something modern they would hate?

I think I’ve said before that Deirdre would enjoy cargo pants and their million pockets- combining the storage capacity of Victorian skirt pockets with the comfort of bloomers or men’s trousers. She’d be the type to have her wallet on a chain and a swiss army knife to boot.  What she would absolutely loathe is cars and driving in general- she’s a short tempered person and I feel like if she had to deal with a complicated automated carriage machine and bad drivers she’d develop road rage very, very quickly.

(Thank u for the questions xx)

[tranquilitybasehotelcasino]

How is kylo connected to the insurance agency? I feel like thats a p important part of the movies so it'd have to be in real life, right?

The ceo's sugarbaby?

hold on a second i’ve given this some thought

first order financial is technically based out of london and is helmed by a weird reclusive founder that apparently never leaves england and only communicates with his acting CEO (hux, who is a british transplant miserably living in new york city and is clearly some form of nepo hire because no one gets promoted so high that young but he runs the place like the fucking navy so you can’t ever bring it up or he’ll make your life hell) through suspiciously grainy skype calls with spoofed IP signatures. a lot of people think he actually lives on some tropical island with no extradition policy just in case first order blows up but no one has proof of it

kylo cycles through a lot of jobs and places and circumstances between the ages of sixteen and twenty-six, including but not limited to; one single semester of college (web design), a year in an apartment in los angeles in which he did not pay rent once, two weeks of illegally living out of his car in a national park, a job at a gas station, a job at a subway, a job at a subway inside a gas station, a short stint in the marines (dishonorably discharged), a moment as a very peripheral member of a heist crew followed by three months in a canadian jail, a job as a taxi driver in brooklyn (fired for recklessness after one final unhappy customer), and a small period as a moderately employed construction worker

during a stretch of time which he still modestly refers to as a “gap year” but was actually like eight months of doing drugs in italian nightclubs when he was twenty-three kylo meets a girl who introduces him to a guy who introduces him to some other guys who encourage him to drop the twitch channel idea and go all in on the contract killer thing. not only is he willing to do it he also ends up being unexpectedly good at it. he learns a couple other languages and hones his skills and after a year or so he changes his name and heads to the UK to try to figure out how to advertise his service without getting like put in prison forever or some such thing

in the process of this first order is going through some complicated internal power struggles predicated on the fact that basically the entire business is one big insurance scam and the crux of this is that snoke’s business partners are trying to oust him. his solution to this is to hire the first person he can find that’s willing to take them out and offer them however much money they want for it. kylo makes like a million dollars in one go but snoke is so rich he doesn’t care. kylo does whatever for this guy because he pays more than anyone else; snoke becomes a repeat customer and gets used to having an attack dog that will take out anyone that threatens his schemes

the guy willing to commit misdemeanors to expose first order’s massive fraud operation is of course poe, who has gained kind of a reputation for very loud and disruptive investigative journalism and activism in multiple cities. he’s extremely persistent and determined but not very subtle about his efforts so basically everyone at first order that is high up enough to know about the fraud knows someone is on their trail. snoke assumes poe is being fed information from someone on the inside (he isn’t, he’s just good at looking for stuff in places no one else does) so he sends kylo to the US to stake the place out and see if he can’t 1. find out who the mole is and 2. eliminate poe, but poe gets arrested before kylo can finish the job, bringing us to the top of the movie. this last bit is mostly because i was laughing really hard at the idea of kylo showing up in new york after very few people were told he even existed only for hux to realize that his boss’ pet hit man is the terrible driver that he once pulled strings to get fired from a taxi job in brooklyn.