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#london pavillion
bishopofstdiesis · 1 year
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Saint Dunstan’s Sacristy, c 1899 (2)
I’m late on this, apologies. None of these came out quite right (but these were some that I liked best), then I was trying to figure out if the new version MidJourney might help... then I realised I hadn’t even gotten to 2500 Spirit of Hallowmas & spent a frantic while trying to do that before the end.
BUT! This is what I got & I like to think it captures the venue as much as I can. From the beginning prep, the dark revels, the slip out of the carved doors into the night past a handsome devil, to the end of festivities. An empty place & people fleeing into the dark.
I have The Roof Below as well, but I couldn’t stop it from adding a load of light. Then I couldn’t get the “water” to be amber. BUT, I just got it tonight & will post the best ones in a few days. 
Thanks for another great Hallowmas @failbettergames
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kasiabobula · 9 months
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ewanmitchellcrumbs · 4 months
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Body Electric
Pairing: Tom Bennett (World on Fire) x f!reader x Billy Taylor (The Halcyon) Warnings: Angst, mentions of PTSD and familial death, (consensual) infidelity, voyeurism, smut. Word count: ~3.9k
Summary: Tom's been sullen since returning from the Navy, and when his sister, Lois, moves from Longsight to London it heralds the end of the honeymoon period of his and his wife's marriage. Deciding a trip to the capital is just what they need to reignite the flame, Tom's wife gets much more than she bargains for when they check into The Halcyon, and she flirts with the handsome young bell boy to make her husband jealous.
Author's note: For @adragonprinceswhore and @mefools. This is not a crack fic. I have warped canon (I mean, I had to get these two to exist in the same AU anyway), so Billy didn't die when he was drafted, and has gone back to his old job at The Halcyon. No tag list. Please follow @fics-by-ewanmitchellcrumbs and turn on post notifications. Community labels are for cops.
Dappled sunlight plays upon Tom’s sharp features, the occasional shadow of a tree or building passing across his face as the train speeds through the British countryside. He’d look beautiful, bathed in golden hues, were it not for the pensive expression he wears, and the faintest of dark circles that linger beneath his eyes.
She can’t remember the last time he looked genuinely happy - perhaps it was their wedding day?
Her and Tom had met in secondary school, and she’d thought he was an idiot to begin with; handsome, but always mucking around in lessons, never able to take anything seriously. It wasn’t until they’d both left that they’d become an item. She’d go to the weekly dances at the Pavillion, and every week he would ask her out. The first three times she had said no, not wanting to get mixed up with a known troublemaker. On the fourth occasion she’d relented, simply in the hopes that if she said yes he’d leave her alone. But she’d found she enjoyed his company, he made her laugh effortlessly, and when his blue eyes gazed into hers it made her feel like the only girl in the world that mattered. When he had kissed her it had stolen all the air from her lungs, and from that point on she was smitten with Tom Bennett.
The night before he shipped out for the first time, she had thought he meant to slam the bed’s headboard through the brickwork of the wall with the force with which he took her. However, she had smiled to herself when she’d felt the pleasant ache between her thighs the next day.
“Something to remember me by,” he’d told her with a wink and that trademark smirk of his.
Something to remember indeed.
She’d barely recognised him when he’d returned. He was thin, tired, didn’t laugh as freely, and learning that his father had passed when the Bennett family home was shelled had darkened his mood further. He hadn’t stayed long, enough to argue with his sister, Lois, and enough to find his way between her thighs once more and make her swear to him that she’d marry him when he came back.
Of course she had said yes, there was no one in the world she could imagine wanting to marry more than Tom. But with how things are between them these days she is left wondering if he’d married her because he loved her, or because she was the one thing left in Longsight that he could anchor himself to.
They’d married quickly when Tom was discharged for the final time, the war at its end. It had been an intimate affair, and despite the toll his service to his country had taken on him, Tom still gazed into her eyes on their wedding night and made her feel like the only girl in the world that mattered.
But then Lois had announced she was taking Vera and moving to London - her and Connie had found a place they could share. A fresh start. She had hinted at wanting to move away from Longsight before, and Tom had dismissed it, insisting that the family must stay together. 
He was furious when she’d chosen to go anyway, refusing to be part of the send off party for her at the train station.
“This is where mum and dad are buried, how can she do this?!” He’d raged.
“They’re just headstones, Tommy,” she had tried to reassure him, “memories go everywhere with you.”
“You wouldn’t fucking understand,” he’d seethed back at her, “you’ve still got both your parents, what have I got?!”
“You’ve got me, you’ll always have me,” she’d said quietly.
He’d fallen silent at that, bowing his head and averting his gaze. It made her chest ache to see him that way.
It’s been close to a month since they were last intimate, and she has done her best to be patient and understanding. His time in the Navy has put him through a horrendous ordeal, coupled with losing Douglas, and his sister moving away, so she doesn’t pressure him.
However, she misses her husband. She feels that he is abandoning her each time he retreats into himself, going somewhere she can’t follow. Like two ships in the night, they pass each other by, laying in the same bed physically but emotionally never further apart.
When a letter arrives from Lois, letting them know she’s settled and would love for them to visit, she jumps at the opportunity. She has some money put aside from her job at the factory, and her and Tom never got to have a honeymoon, this would be the perfect way for them to rekindle the romance in their marriage.
She is shocked, yet thrilled, when Tom actually agrees to it, and the pair of them arrange a week’s worth of leave from their respective jobs, arranging to stay in a hotel rather than impose themselves upon Lois’ hospitality. There’d be plenty for them to do while they’re there, and she can’t wait to see the sights of Piccadilly Circus and Carnaby Street, she’s never been to London before.
Tom has stared silently out of the window the entire train ride from Manchester, though she knows better than to believe he’s taking in the scenery. It’s merely so he doesn’t have to make conversation. She can live with that, she is certain that once they’ve had their romantic week away that he’ll be much more talkative on the journey back.
Everything will be fine once we’re checked into The Halcyon.
It is early evening by the time they arrive, and Euston station is a crowded rush of people when they step onto the platform. She is fearful of it for a moment, never having seen so many people all in one place at once, until Tom takes her by the hand, guiding her through the crowds towards the taxi rank. Her heart soars at the gesture, a hopeful smile tugging at her lips over his protectiveness. Perhaps he is not lost to her after all.
She stares in wide eyed wonder out of the window of the black cab as it drives through the streets of London. It is similar to Manchester in its greyness and vastness, they both have all the trappings of big city living, however, the heart of London beats to an entirely different rhythm than that of Manchester’s. The capital seems harsher, more relentless than the northern locale that she calls home. She wonders if perhaps this is the right place to try to rekindle the spark in hers and Tom’s marriage after all.
That is until they step into the foyer of The Halcyon. Her heels click against the black and white tiles of the foyer, her mouth agape as she takes in the opulence of the huge pillars, the palm trees that flank either side of the entrance, and the yellow and orange hues of the stained glass panel in the ceiling. How could they not reignite their passion when they were going to live like royalty for a week?
“Billy!” The dark haired woman manning reception calls around the corner, once they’ve checked in. “Come and help Mr and Mrs. Bennett with their bags.”
A tall, lean young man, who can’t be any older than twenty, rounds the corner. He’s handsome, with bright blue eyes, and mousy hair that’s slicked back beneath the cap of his black and grey bellboy uniform.
He gives her a tight lipped smile, the tips of his ears turning pink as he looks at her and she can’t help the way she preens at his flustered state.
Still got it.
“Second floor, Billy,” the receptionist tells him as he leans down to grab their suitcases, “room twenty six.”
Billy nods. “Right this way, please, Mr and Mrs. Bennett,” he says, directing them towards the lifts.
She can feel the bellboy’s gaze upon her in the tight confines of the elevator and smiles to herself. At least someone was appreciative of her.
He takes his leave, bidding them both a good evening once their luggage is deposited outside of their room door, and her and Tom are left alone once more.
Tom whistles low as they enter, flicking on the lights, and she feels pride swell in her chest that he’s impressed by the lavish surroundings. A shiver of excitement runs through her as her eyes move over the crisp white pillows and crimson duvet that adorn the bed, thinking that this might be where they’ll finally make love for the first time in a month.
It’s a beautiful room; lace curtains hang in the windows, ornate floral wallpaper decorates the walls, there’s a writing desk by the window, and a yellow velvet armchair is placed off to one side by the bed.
Turning back towards Tom, she steps towards him, sliding her hands up his chest, over his jacket. She smiles demurely up at him, her voice a soft purr. “So, Mr. Bennett, what shall we do now?”
“It’s been a long journey, love,” he tells her, taking one of her hands and brushing his lips against her knuckles. “Let’s just get some rest, yeah?”
“Oh…okay,” she nods, stepping back and looking away. She feels like she might cry, as disappointment weighs heavily upon her chest. This is not how she imagined their first night here would go at all.
As she lays in the darkness, listening to the strange sounds of the city, motor cars and loud voices, all seeping in through the closed window, she can’t seem to fall asleep. She turns her face towards Tom, who lays facing away from her, wondering if he’s awake too.
“Tommy?” She whispers.
“Yeah?” He whispers back.
She pauses a moment, and when she speaks again she’s unable to disguise the tremble of emotion in her voice. “Do…do you still love me?”
He rolls to face her then, and the devastation of what she’s implying is evident in the arch of his eyebrows and parting of his lips, illuminated by the light of the streetlamp that pours in through the lace curtains. She feels a lump in her throat, regretting having asked.
“Course I do,” he says earnestly, tugging her towards him, and she buries her face in his chest. He presses his lips to the crown of her head, rubbing her back. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs, “I’ve been letting you down.”
They stay like that for the rest of the night.
The next morning they sit in the hotel’s dining room for breakfast. Tom idly smokes a cigarette, a full English in front of him, while she butters her toast.
“Gonna go and see Lois today,” he tells her, taking a swig from his tea cup.
“I thought we’d arranged to visit her on Sunday?” She asks, frowning in confusion as she sets her knife down on her plate.
“We are,” Tom says, blowing smoke out through his nostrils - a gesture she has long since learned is a sign of irritation on his part. “But I’m gonna go see her today - alone.”
You’re going to start an argument, and then come back in a bad mood.
She sighs, folding her hands in her lap. “And what am I supposed to do?”
Tom shrugs. “Go to Carnaby Street, or whatever it was you were saying you wanted to do while we’re here.”
“Tommy, we’re supposed to do those things together, and I don’t wanna walk around London on my own!”
He nods, stubbing his cigarette out on the yolk of his fried egg, causing her to wrinkle her nose in disgust. He had barely touched his food, he never does anymore.
“Alright, look, I’m only gonna be gone a couple of hours, then we can do whatever you want. Why don’t you order some drinks for when I get back, and we can start our holiday properly?”
“You promise?” She asks with a small smile.
“Cross my heart,” he says, taking a final swig of his tea. He stands from the table and presses a kiss to her temple.
“And promise you won’t be horrible to Lois?”
“I’m not promising anything for that mardy cow,” he says, giving her a wink, before walking off.
She leans back in her chair, crossing her arms.
Fuck’s sake, Tommy.
She goes back up to the room once she’s finished her breakfast, and takes a long, hot soak in the bath. Almost two hours have passed by the time she has her make-up finished and her hair curled. Dressed in lingerie and a satin robe, she is still deciding on an outfit when she realises Tom will be back soon and she hasn’t ordered their drinks.
Calling down to the hotel’s switchboard from the phone on the desk, she asks for a glass of white wine and a whisky to be sent up to the room. Ordinarily, Tom is a lager drinker, but she decides he deserves a treat as they’re on holiday.
Ten minutes later, there’s a knock at the door and the bellboy from yesterday stands on the other side, holding a tray with the drinks they’d ordered.
She smiles warmly, watching him blush as he bows his head and enters the room, setting the tray down on a nearby table.
“Thank you…Billy, wasn’t it?” She asks, cocking her head.
He presses his lips together in a tight smile, glancing at her before looking shyly away again. It’s clear her state of undress is having an effect on him. “Yes, Mrs. Bennett,” he says, clearing his throat and straightening, clasping his hands behind his back. “Will that be all?”
Excitement flutters in her lower belly. It’s been a long time since a man has reacted to her so bashfully, and she’s enjoying it. She isn’t ready to let Billy slip away just yet.
“No need to be so formal, sweetheart,” she coos, “you can call me by my first name.”
He shuffles from foot to foot, huffing a nervous laugh. “Sorry, Mrs…sorry…”
“How old are you, Billy?” She asks, stepping towards him.
“I’m twenty-one.”
Seven years my junior. Not as bad as I’d thought.
“Did you serve, Billy?”
“Yes,” he says with a proud smile. “I manned the anti aircraft guns at the barracks for three years.”
The sound of a key in the lock draws both their attention towards the door, as Tom walks through it. Just as she’d anticipated, his expression is sour. He’s argued with Lois. 
“I’ll leave you both to it,” Billy says, with a polite nod of his head.
She knows how this will play out. Billy will leave, and Tom will allow his bad mood to ruin their day, either by refusing to leave their hotel room, or simply sulking his way around London when they’re supposed to be having a good time. Opting to use the current situation to her advantage, she decides to be tactical, and give her husband a reminder of what he’s missing out on. If he sees another man flirting with his wife, perhaps it will snap him out of this.
“No need to be in such a hurry, Billy, we were just getting to know each other. Or do you have somewhere you need to be?”
Billy eyes Tom carefully as he walks past the both of them, taking the whisky from the tray on the desk and sipping from it.
“Well, my shift finishes in ten minutes,” he says distractedly, “so I s’pose I could–”
“Perfect,” she cuts him off, taking his arm and guiding him to sit next to her on the edge of the bed.
Tom remains silent, taking a seat in the armchair and placing his glass on the table next to it. His jaw is set, gaze dark. He only ever looks like this when he’s sparring for a fight, but if this is what it takes, then so be it.
“Do you have a sweetheart, Billy?” She asks softly, fingernails grazing his thigh, causing him to flush bright red.
“Er…well…” he removes his cap, keeping his gaze fixed on it as he turns it round in his hands. “There was a maid that worked here…Kate, her name was. I fancied her…really fancied her, but she moved back to Ireland to be with her family when the worst of the bombing hit.”
“Oh, you poor love,” she soothes, giving his hand a squeeze. “I expect a handsome lad like you has girls queuing up.”
The click of Tom’s lighter pulls their focus back to him, and he exhales a plume of smoke, staring intently at them both. “Do you fancy my wife?” He asks Billy, with a steely gaze.
Billy swallows thickly, eyes widening in panic as he opens and closes his mouth.
“It’s okay, Billy,” she says gently, “you don’t need to be shy.”
“Well…I hope you don’t mind me saying, Mrs…sorry…but I think you’re beautiful.”
This time it’s her turn to feel embarrassed, and she averts her gaze as she feels her skin grow warm.
“Yeah, she is beautiful isn’t she? Would you like to kiss her?” Tom asks, lifting his glass and taking a deep drink from it, his eyes never leaving Billy.
Her head snaps up, looking at her husband with wide eyed shock.
Why is he asking that?!
“Tommy…” she says hesitantly, an edge of warning in her tone.
“It’s fine, love,” he takes another drag of his cigarette, settling further into the armchair, observing the both of them. “Go on, kiss her.”
Returning her attention to Billy, he’s shuffled closer, looking at her questioningly.
“Is…is this okay?” He whispers, leaning in.
She nods, closing the gap and her lips meet his. He is hesitant at first. His kisses are not as forceful as Tom’s, his lips are softer. As she reaches up to cup his cheek, he seems to grow more confident, applying more pressure, a quiet hum of approval rumbling in his throat. It makes her core throb to be desired like this.
When they finally part for air, she is breathless and flustered. She looks straight to Tom. He sits, watching them casually, fingers wrapped around his glass in one hand, propped on the arm of the chair, his cigarette burning low between his forefingers in the other.
“Do you wanna touch her?” He asks Billy, a low, darkened edge to his voice.
“Yeah…yeah, I do,” Billy answers, sounding more poised than he had just moments before.
“Go on then,” Tom instructs, “brush your thumb over her nipple, she likes that.”
She gasps softly as Billy leans in again, capturing her lips with his own once more. A quiet moan escapes her as she feels his hand tentatively slip into the opening of her robe, his thumb swiping gently over the lace of her brassiere.
He is not as self assured as Tom, Billy’s touch is featherlight by comparison, but it’s been so long since someone has paid this kind of attention to her that she responds to it just the same. She arches against Billy, her tongue slipping into his mouth as she hears his cap drop to the carpet with a soft thud.
“You can fuck her, if you want to,” Tom rasps, and she glances over at him, as Billy’s desperate kisses move down her neck. His blue eyes are still dark, she’s no longer able to tell if it’s from anger or arousal, the two states look much the same when he wears them.
There’s a part of her mind that’s screaming at her that this is wrong, that they should stop. However, if this is what it takes to get Tom to notice her again, then she’ll do it, and selfishly she’s enjoying how it feels.
Billy pushes her back, and she goes willingly. “Are you sure this is okay?” He whispers, his voice betraying his nerves.
She nods, untying and opening her robe, to reveal the lacy lingerie set she wears beneath.
Billy draws in a sharp inhale, before hurriedly unfastening his belt and unzipping his trousers with shaky hands.
He freezes, looking at Tom. “I…I don’t have a sheath.”
“Don’t need one,” Tom replies nonchalantly, crushing his cigarette butt out in the ashtray. “Best not keep her waiting.”
She pulls the gusset of her knickers to one side as Billy hovers over her. She can feel she’s soaked already. Billy is not quite as girthy as Tom, but still an impressive size that causes her breath to catch in her throat as he starts to press inside.
Tom chuckles quietly from where he sits. “She’s tight, isn’t she? Tightest little pussy I’ve ever had. Go careful.”
His words cause her to ache with want, and she moans wantonly as Billy bottoms out with a grunt. He’s gentle, much more so than Tom would be, slowly withdrawing before pushing back in, a dusting of pink prominent across his cheekbones.
“You won’t break her,” Tom tells him, “can just imagine how wet and warm she feels. Fuck her harder, and wrap one of her legs around you. She goes mad for that.”
She cries out, white hot sparks of pleasure swirling in her gut as Billy does as he’s told, the shallow pants of his breath puffing hotly against the side of her face.
Turning her head, she looks at her husband and he smirks, eyes raking over the scene before him as Billy continues to rut into her.
“T–Tommy…” she moans.
With each push of Billy’s hips into hers, she can feel her climax building, she’s right on the precipice, but it seems Billy is too. He tenses, a groan escaping him.
“Don’t you dare come inside her,” snaps Tom.
As if on cue, Billy pulls out, making her whine at the loss, coating her thighs in his hot spend as his jaw slackens and his brow furrows.
Before she’s had a chance to recover, Tom is rising from his seat towards the bed. “You can go now,” he tells Billy.
Still struggling to catch his breath, Billy nods, clambering off of her and fastening his trousers and belt back up. He stoops to pick up his cap, before hurrying towards the door, followed by Tom.
She lays there, dumbfounded and breathless, through glassy eyes she watches Tom hand Billy a bank note. “You’ll not tell anyone about this, d’you understand?”
“Y–yes, sir.”
She hears the door click closed, and Tom walks back over to the bed. His pupils are blown wide with lust and it sends a shiver through her.
“Enjoy yourself, love?” He asks, grabbing her thighs and tugging her towards the edge of the mattress, making her squeal.
“Are you angry with me?” She asks quietly, feeling shame bloom heavily within her chest.
“No,” he says distractedly, attention focused on her core. His thumb swipes through the stickiness that’s been left on her thigh, spreading it slowly over her skin. “No, I’m not angry.”
“You’ve been so absent lately,” she says sadly, propping herself up on her elbows. “Just wanted your attention.”
He straightens, nodding in understanding. “Yeah, I get it. I’ve been neglecting you, and that’s my fault. But don’t worry, I won’t anymore. Now–”
She clenches around nothing as his hands move to his belt, and she hears the metallic clink of it opening. “Now you have my full attention, and I’m gonna make sure you get all of it.”
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macrolit · 1 year
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1964: London Pavillion premiere of “A Hard Day’s Night” starring The Beatles.
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allthingseurope · 2 years
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Pryors Bank Pavillion, Fulham Palace, London (by Jonh Tiffin)
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mourningcandles · 4 months
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Moth-Winged
For @fallenlondonficswap's secret-swap, a much-delayed but much-loved story for @the-dye-stained-socialite. I hope you enjoy.
For the first Hallowmas in many, the Pavillion of Butterflies has not appeared in that quiet park in Elderwick. As the festivities end, Elias Leroux reminisces on a Hallowmas past and a chance meeting within the mirror-bright walls of a glasshouse long-gone.
Rated T . No warnings apply. Gen. POV second person. 1,295 words.
The garlands are unwound from the spokes of your wheelchair. The silk scarf which obscured its heart-shaped back is tucked away in your wardrobe once more, saved for another evening. And your mask… that you wrap in white crepe paper and tuck away for another year. It may not last, for masks are fragile things, but you try all the same.
This year was the first in some years that you have not worn the mask of the moth to the revels. That was the visage you wore on your first Hallowmas, that year when you were thrown headlong into the strange world beneath the one you once knew. There was something about Hallowmas drew you in: the strange new lovers and the old ones in disguise, the wild laughter, the world opened up to you so unexpectedly. Perhaps, hidden behind that mask of gant wings, you became one with the shadows, safe from the tricks and troubles of the season. The horrors passed you by and the wonders, oh what wonders, were yours to see.
Yes, that was how it had been, in a Hallowmas long-gone.
You were younger then, though not by much. You had seen less, won less, and your beloved first wheelchair was still in one piece. A less finely carved piece, but you couldn’t complain. You had been more accustomed to how it handled than your new one, making you a marginally better dancer. There would be dancing. There would be debauchery. There would be a little bit of everything, if one knew where to look.
The Blue-Eyed Moth led you north to Elderwick, where the socialites flocked for salons with the celebrated few. There, the Pavilion of Butterflies shimmered before you. Candlelight flickered off silver plates, leading moths big and small in a dizzy dance about the maze of Surface foliage which suffused the glasshouse. High above it all, upon her throne of wings, sat the Queen of Air and Darkness. She was your hostess, in a way. You ought to greet her. If only you could find the lift up to the balcony, if such a thing existed at all.
The glasshouse was a labyrinth. While the candles illuminated, the view through the throng was obscured by coiled fronds of ferns, clouds of pollen, spores, and mist from pipes far above. The vibrant colors of Surface blooms and silks dizzied the mind, such that you could only make sense of the scene before you by taking it in one segment at a time. To one side were the walkways through the foliage, where masked faces appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Nearby were attendants handing out drinks and pamphlets. Maps, perhaps? Beyond that, a small group seemed to walk hand-in-hand upon the air. A chorus of laughter erupted as one startled upon catching a glimpse of the Masque far below the floor of glass and steel.
There: A maze of ramps arced upwards, each one framing the balcony below like the whiplash lines about an art nouveau fashion plate. They say that the Pavilion represents the Neath, that every facet of London is reflected within its panes. You could see it before you. Each landing held a shadow box view of high society: A handsome couple, arms outstretched to receive kisses from admirers and champagne from attendants. Above, gossiping amid mirrors, stood a set of society youths in masks of mauvine, fuchsine, aldehyde green, bright aniline dyes to burn the eyes. At the highest point, just below the arched glass roof, sat the Queen of Air and Darkness. Moth-masked courtiers raised their cups to her, content to bask in her glory. Upwards you climbed, taking the steep, steady path towards the Queen’s shimmering court.
It was not long before you found yourself lost. While it had seemed simple from below, more balconies seemed to appear where none should have been. It was upon one of these that you met a travelling companion. He was a Well-Attired Tomb-Colonist, his bandaged face glancing between a pamphlet and the dizzying view below.
When he caught you staring, he smiled, nothing but a slight shifting of the wrappings which hid him from view. “I’m hunting butterflies,” he said by way of explanation. With unsteady hands, he passed you the paper.
To your great delight, it was a guidebook on the butterflies and moths of the Pavilion.
“I was given binoculars,” he said, gesturing to the set tucked in his dinner jacket, “but my eyes aren’t quite what they used to be. With or without, I can’t seem to see a thing unless it’s right in front of me. I suppose you might make better use of these things.”
You took the binoculars and offered him the pamphlet. “I believe we might be able to help one another. If you consult the guidebook while I keep an eye on the moths, we might be able to identify these species more accurately than we would alone. Don’t you agree?”
The Well-Attired Tomb-Colonist reached out and accepted the guidebook with a bow. “I would be delighted.”
Together you sighted a vast array of winged insects, as well as spotting some which were suspiciously absent from the guidebook your host had provided. They were of a scarlet deeper than anything you had ever seen.
“I suppose it was the mystery which drew me here tonight,” you remarked. “The illusions played upon the eye and the secrets they hide… Every photographer knows how to alter an image after it’s taken. Only a magician can create such illusions in the moment. And you?”
The Tomb-Colonist gave a noncommittal gesture. “The Saint Elmo doesn’t call to me,” the dead man said. “I shall not die my last death in some dockside brawl. No, I shall be amid the moths.”
“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”
He gave no reply, only followed your gaze to where a pale moth alighted upon his arm and sighed. Behind his mask, he closed his eyes with the weariness of a life long-lived. “The Queen awaits. Will you come with me?”
You had gone with him to the highest point of the glasshouse. You had seen the Queen of Air and Darkness, her mask white-winged and covered in eyes greener than green. And what had you seen next? Secrets to make the mind reel, absinthe to make vision blur, and dancing to send your heart soaring. And… modern art?
When you returned to your lodgings that night, you found that the skirts of your gown had been stained red where your hands had brushed them. You fretted none, as there is no stain a chemist cannot remove if given the time. The rest of the night had been spent amid the tools of your work, your fine silk skirt rustling softly in your hands. It had taken pepsin of all things to remove the stain. Lukewarm soap did nothing, neither did ammonia or benzine. It was not wine, nor ink, nor paint. It had been blood.
A fleck of it remains on the yellowing guidebook to the moths of a glasshouse long-gone. Perhaps there was something you had taken for granted about Hallowmas: It is one of the few times of the year during which you were not the only one who wears a mask. For every thing discovered, there is another hidden. For every illusion, there is a trick and a truth. Perhaps someday you shall find it. Or perhaps, before those wings of gant, what you seek shall always fade away right before you can truly see it. Either way, there will always be dancing, debauchery, and you, right in the middle of it all. With that pleasant thought, you close the box, setting it aside until Hallowmas calls once more.
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mashtonasfuck · 2 years
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Take My Hand Tour Masterpost
Hi friends, here is a handy post with links to everything I’ve posted from my TMH dates! (I’m also including my Pryzm show in this, even though it wasn’t technically a part of the tour.) Also, there are flashing lights in all of the videos, so please be aware of that.
Pryzm, London - 8pm, 1/4/22
Disconnected
Ashton during Youngblood, and some photos
2011 hype from Michael
Second verse of 2011
Wembley Arena, London - 6/4/22
Photos of Ashton after the final bow
Photos of Calum
My favourite photo I've ever taken
Photo of the band during Red Desert
Photos of Luke
Photos of Michael
Full performance of Easy for You to Say
2011 hype from Michael
Ashton showing off his outfit
Malum during Talk Fast
Band Twitter account retweeting my tweet about the Wembley show
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff - 8/4/22
Lover of Mine
Photos of the band during Easy for You to Say
Photos of the band
Full performance of supernova/Red Desert
2011 hype from Michael
Full performance of Easy for You to Say
Plymouth Pavillions, Plymouth - 11/4/22
Michael during Amnesia
Wildflower
Michael during Disconnected, and some photos
2011 hype from Michael
Utilita Arena, Birmingham - 12/4/22
Photo of Ashton
2011 hype from Michael
Michael during Complete Mess
Calum during Wildflower
Ashton and Michael during If Walls Could Talk
Zenith, Paris - 10/5/22
Photo of Ashton carrying Luke at the end of the show
Video of Ashton picking Luke up at the end of the show
Photos of the band coming on stage
Second verse of 2011
Photos of Michael
Calum hyping up his boys
2011 hype from Michael
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abductionradiation · 3 days
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youtube
London, UK -- Bat For Lashes, the project of Natasha Khan, will be releasing her sixth studio album The Dream of Delphi on May 31 via Mercury KX. Last week, she shared the newest single lifted from the record "Letter To My Daughter." Along with the single comes a video, the second chapter of her album film, produced in collaboration with creative director and choreographer Alexandra Green and directed by Freddie Leyden.
The stunning track spans just about 2.5 minutes long and begins with polyphonic electronic synths, reminiscent of 70s science documentaries. The whimsicality of the synths bring a layer of awe and nurture to lush orchestral swells. "Letter To My Daughter" emits a motherly tenderness in its majestic sonic swirls. There's an immensity to the instrumental fullness, amplified by the strings and piano, that creates the warmest embrace.
On the track, Khan shares: "This title is pretty self-explanatory. If I was on my deathbed, it’s what I’d say to Delphi to give her some sense of being at home in the world, the galaxy, the universe we live in. Before Delphi was born I started writing her a book of letters, inspired by Maya Angelou’s book of the same name, Letter To My Daughter. It documents a very strange but magical year, full of special memories and historic worldly moments. This ride of life is always continuing and we’re all just energy moving from one form into another, always. She’s also just part of an echo, ancestral line or spiral in the cosmos, like the spiral that I saw in her soft hair when she was a baby. She is part of something much greater than any of us individually; she comes from the past and she comes from the future."
Bat For Lashes Tour Dates:
12-Jun O2 Academy 2, Oxford UK 18-Jun Town Hall, Birmingham, UK 19-Jun Beacon, Bristol, UK 24-Jun Barbican, London, UK 25-Jun Bexhill De La Warr Pavillion, UK 27-Jun Aviva Studios, Manchester, UK 6-Jul Beauregard Festival, France 29-Jun Siren's Call Festival, Luxembourg 18-Jul Colours of Ostrava, Czech Republic 23-Aug Edinburgh International Festival, UK
Connect with Bat For Lashes:
Official Site | Facebook | X | Instagram
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ajoytobeheld · 5 months
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Romance is Boring (album/single/tour)
November 23rd, 2009
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Above is the cover art to the forthcoming Los Campesinos! album, Romance Is Boring. Once again, by the supremely talented Miss Cari Ann Wayman.
Out January 26th 2010 (US)/February 1st 2010 (UK), on CD, Vinyl and Digital Download.
In Medias Res There Are Listed Buildings Romance Is Boring We’ve Got Your Back (Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #2) Plan A 200-102 Straight In At 101 Who Fell Asleep In I Warned You: Do Not Make An Enemy Of Me Heart Swells/100-1 I Just Sighed. I Just Sighed, Just So You Know A Heat Rash In The Shape Of The Show Me State; or, Letters From Me To Charlotte The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future This Is A Flag. There Is No Wind Coda: A Burn Scar In The Shape Of The Sooner State
This will be followed on the 15th February with the 7″/digital release of the single: Romance Is Boring; backed with the brand new B-Side, Too Many Flesh Suppers.
Watch us play songs from the album on the following tour dates:
14 Jan Rotterdam, Rotown 15 Jan Groningen, Eurosonic @ Simplon
11 Feb Wrexham, Central Station (14+) 12 Feb Liverpool, EVOL@O2 (14+) 13 Feb York, Fibbers (14+) 15 Feb Aberdeen, Tunnels (14+) 16 Feb Dundee, Dog House (14+) 17 Feb Edinburgh, Bongo (18+) 18 Feb Derby, The Venue (14+) 19 Feb Leicester, The Musician (14+) 21 Feb Cambridge, Junction (14+) 22 Feb Norwich, Arts Centre (14+) 23 Feb Brighton, Audio New Slang Night (16+) 24 Feb Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms (14+) 25 Feb London, KOKO (15+) 26 Feb Falmouth, Princess Pavillion (ALL AGES) 27 Feb Bristol, Thekla (14+) 01 Mar Birmingham, The Rainbow (18+) 02 Mar Northampton, Roadmender (14+) 03 Mar Reading, Plug & Play (16+) 04 Mar Kingston, Banquet New Slang (18+)
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merlinband-archive · 8 months
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David Essex in Concert: With special guests Merlin
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Source: New Musical Express
Date: October 6 (?), 1974
From ebay:
(Transcript of the tour dates below)
November 1st Southampton, Gaumont November 2nd East Ham, London, Granada November 3rd Cardiff, Capitol November 5th Bristol, Hippodrome November 6th Hanley, Victoria Hall November 8th Sheffield, City Hall November 9th Manchester, Free Trade Hall November 10th Birmingham, Hippodrome November 11th Liverpool, Empire November 12th Edinburgh, Usher Hall November 13th Glasgow, Apollo November 15th Newcastle-on-Tyne, City Hall November 16th Stockton-on-Tees, Globe Theatre November 17th Ipswich, Gaumont November 18th Bournemouth, Winter Gardens November 19th Hastings, White Rock Pavillion November 21st Portsmouth, Guildhall November 23rd Brighton, Dome November 24th Lewisham, Odeon November 25th Preston, Guildhall November 26th Blackpool, Opera House November 27th Sutton, Granada November 28th Oxford, New Theatre November 29th Swansea, Brangwyn Hall November 30th Taunton, Odeon
December 2nd to 7th New Victoria Theatre, Victoria, London
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bishopofstdiesis · 1 year
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Hey... guess what time it almost is in London?
HALLOWMAS! I am excited. I love Hallowmas in Fallen London. Even though you can get neat affiliations at the end, provided you did enough for that “spooky faction,” I always even up a moth (nightmares). There was talk last year that the Queen of Air & Darkness would not be attending London’s Hallowmas this year & would instead be rotated out for one of the others (since we now have four & only three spots in London for venues). 
If there is no Pavillion of Butterflies this spooky season, I will probably end up a demon or a crown. Or... maybe there will be a new faction in town!?
That would be exciting... though 4 menaces probably means four factions. Alas. (Or maybe 6 locations for 6 kinds of confessions? That could be fun...)
While there is a description of the Pavillion several places during the event, telling an AI ONLY that gets you some... well, greenhouses. But explaining who’s INSIDE the Pavillion? Gets you much cooler greenhouses. Adding extra touches (victorian era, architects, interior or exterior, etc) makes the outcome even neater. However, it also makes my brain start wondering how other people see the Pavillion in their mind's eye. Do the candles give it a warm glow or do you think it’s all tinted a bit red because the Queen is there? Or maybe the colour is based on the butterflies inside? Perhaps it’s just an ordinary greenhouse, only made extraordinary by the festivities? 
Feel free to send a message or comment (or reblog) & let me know how you see it. I’d honestly love to know! Also, Hallowmas is my favourite Neathy holiday! So, if you want to share in the excitement, I’d love to see your posts about that too!
(If you want any other locations done, let me know... I get distracted easily by AI ideas & forget to finish my Fallen London prompts. @failbettergames)
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japanguiding · 11 months
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OXFORD
Restaurants: Arbequina, Oli’s Thai
BRIGHTON
Restaurants: La Choza, Burger Bros, Fatto O Mano, The Chilli Pickle
Cheap Restaurants: Pom Poko, We Heart Falafael, Fil Fil, Grubs
Cafes: The Flower Pot, Marwoods, Kensingtons
Shops: Snooper’s Paradise, Family Store, Blackout, Dave’s Comics,
Clothes Shops: To Be Worn Again, Beyond Retro
Shopping Areas: The North Laines, The South Laines, Churchill Square Shopping Mall
Cool Places: Brighton Pavillion, Stanmer House, Stanmer Park
Museums: Brighton Museum, The Booth Museum
LONDON
Restaurants: Brasserie Zedel, Padella (pasta), Bao London, Voodoo Rays (pizza), Beigel Shop London, Mangal 1 Dalston, Xian Biang Biang Noodles, Olle Korean Barbecue, 3 Mien
Chain Restaurants: Pret, Pizza Express, Wahaca (mexican), GBK
Cafes: Le Pain Quotidien
Museums: Tate Modern, National History Museum, V&A Museum, Sir John Soane’s House, The British Museum, Tate Britain, Newport Street Gallery
Shops: Libertys, Harrods, Anthropolgie, Rokit
Shopping Areas: Carnaby Street, Oxford Circus, Picadilly Circus, Soho, Brick Lane, Spitafields Market, Borough Market,
Parks: Green Park (by Buckingham Palace), Kew Gardens
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caseyneill · 1 year
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The new Casey Neill & The Norway Rats CD/LP ‘Sending Up Flares’ is out on Fluff & Gravy Records! Your can order the LP here at Bandcamp and there are still some limited edition LPs on blue vinyl (and plenty in classic black) as well as CDs & downloads. It's a big year for us and this is only he beginning. Touring includes some acoustic shows, some full band, some opening for The Indigo Girls, and some special co-bills with Jerry Joseph down the West Coast. See you out there! xo, CN/NRs 3 SHOWS OPENING FOR THE INDIGO GIRLS! Sept 25 - PORT TOWNSEND, WA @ Fort Warden McCurdy Pavillion Sept 26 - OLYMPIA, WA @ Washington Center Sept 27 - EDMONDS, WA @ Edmonds Performing Arts Center CASEY NEILL & THE NORWAY RATS ALBUM LAUNCH PARTY OCT 1st - PORTLAND, OR at MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS. 7pm doors We'll be joined by Peter Buck & Scott McCaughey for a few numbers CN & THE NORWAY RATS / JERRY JOSEPH TOUR Oct 19 - TALENT, OR @ Talent Club ON SALE Oct 20 - ARCATA, CA @ Arcata Playhouse (Presented by EPIC) ON SALE Oct 21 - ALBANY, CA @ Ivy Room ON SALE Oct 22 - HALF MOON BAY, CA @ Old Princeton Landing ON SALE Oct 25 - MILL VALLEY, CA @ Sweetwater Music Hall ON SALE (special acoustic show with Casey & Jerry) Nov 17 - Mt ADAMS, WA @ Trout Lake Hall ON SALE Nov 18 - LONG BEACH, WA @ Peninsula Arts Center Dec 5 - LONDON, ENGLAND @ Water Rats (presented by Green Note) supporting Jerry Joseph ON SALE
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Readings March 16 - 22
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Cartoon joke generated by AI in the style of The New Yorker cartoon
Group 1
Data Privacy and the Law
https://hyperallergic.com/109546/transmediale-festival-shuts-down-nsa-imitators/
Ellen’s First Proof of Concept for AI Brainwave Opera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI_VH5Q_T2Q&list=PL07YWAjZFelf2Iza4bzxv0tbRH73t02gZ&index=12
Poem
http://wiersze.duno.pl/wiersz,3958,R%C3%B3%C5%BCewicz+Tadeusz-%2A+%2A+%2A+%5BWyga%C5%9Bni%C4%99cie+Absolutu+niszczy%5D.html
Mythology
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morana_(goddess)
https://rkp.org.pl
Group 2
Gooey.ai Multiple Pan Settings
https://gooey.ai/animation-generator/?
run_id=ucg2g3dd&uid=w5zX6uMWCOhYveD8PCPZ1QH4F5O2
AI Sculpting
https://onformative.com/work/ai-sculpting/
Physics Simulations
https://kyndinfo.notion.site/Building-Ragdolls-8506d6282e4943a2925a123e5d22bdcd
Snow Walker Game
https://jerryardo.itch.io/ai-snow-walker
Making a Robot Move
https://towardsdatascience.com/making-a-robot-learn-how-to-move-part-1-evolutionary-algorithms-340f239c9cd2
Singer Nela Zawadzka
https://www.google.com/search?q=nela+zawadzka&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS916US916&oq=nel+&aqs=c[…]j0i512j46i199i465i512j0i271.2825j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
American Werewolf In London
David's dream sequence (CW: GORE, VIOLENCE, NAZISM): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJDl23Vnf14&ab_channel=Fear%3ATheHomeOfHorrorDavid and Jack convo (CW: GORE) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rngpf0Yluog&ab_channel=MovieclipsTransformation (IMPORTANT) (CW: GORE) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tb0HZrobUE&t=298s&ab_channel=UniversalPicturesWaking up after first transformation (relevant for hiding and interaction with gentile child): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7iFxMjvZtA&ab_channel=Nivellen2755
AI Reconstructs Motion Sequence of Humans and Animals
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230308112147.htm
Making Music With AI
https://youtu.be/y5vzUnh0kgk
Markov Decision Process
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markov_decision_process
Game Development Theory Dilemma Solved
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230314205331.htm
Game Theory Approaches For Autonomy
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphy.2022.880706/full
Game Theory in Defense
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/3/1032MDPI
Game Theory Behavioral Types In Unity
https://forum.unity.com/threads/game-theory-reveals-the-four-behavioural-types-can-you-use-this-to-make-your-game-better.536811/
How To Implement Movement In Unity
https://www.kodeco.com/8208548-how-to-implement-movement-in-different-genres-of-games-in-unity
https://www.udemy.com/course/unity-3rd-person-combat-traversal/
Group 3
Color and Sound: Physical and Psychophysical Relations
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232448756_Color_and_Sound_Physical_and_Psychophysical_Relations
Light and Sound Relations
https://www.semanticscholar.org/search?q=light%20and%20sound%20relations&sort=relevance
What Is An Oscillator?
https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/oscillator
Control Net and Stable Diffusion
https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/controlnet-and-stable-diffusion-a-game-changer-for-ai-image-generation-83555cb942fc
Comfy For Stable Diffusion
https://github.com/comfyanonymous/ComfyUI
Sophia The Robot
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/sophia-robot-artificial-intelligence-science
Hanson Robotics
https://www.hansonrobotics.com/
Miller Puckett - Free Ice Cream
https://thoughtworksarts.io/projects/freeicecream-network/
Greg Brockman, President and Co-Founder of OpenAI, shows a developer demo showcasing GPT-4 and some of its capabilities/limitations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=outcGtbnMuQ&t=569s
GPT-4 vs. MidJourney 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Asg1e_IYzR8
Control Net 2.1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP8qpz_TkE4&t=801s
Steve Reich
https://holocaustmusic.ort.org/memory/memorials/europe-during-war/
Yiddishland Venice Biennale at the German Pavillion AR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vs4u5gGQvI&t=169s
Other Links
Psychological Shadow
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/D7PumeYTDPfBTp3i7/the-waluigi-effect-mega-post
GPT-4 
https://openai.com/product/gpt-4
https://openai.com/research/gpt-4
https://cdn.openai.com/papers/gpt-4.pdf
AI and Animal Speech
https://www.earthspecies.org
Human Brain Cells Used As AIs
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2363962-human-brain-cells-used-as-living-ais-to-solve-mathematical-equations/
Llama Alpaca Chat GPT just dropped for those who are intersted - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pi7EUbt0cg
GPT-4 API Is 60X More Expensive Than ChatGPT
https://medium.com/generative-ai/gpt-4-api-is-60x-more-expensive-than-chatgpt-6dcf2718712d
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ftlion · 1 year
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𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐥-𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐔𝐱𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 Uxbridge in west London is always an exciting place to visit given @TheChimesUxbridge and The Pavilion being in close proximity of each other. With the Odeon cinema complex located in the former, and Uxbridge Underground Station virtually in the middle of them all, crowds are assured. It should go without saying, therefore, that there’s plenty of Halal eating options in Uxbridge which we have collated for your convenience. (at Uxbridge Pavillion Mall) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnjoNEzDvhg/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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dan6085 · 1 year
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Here is a 10-day travel plan for London:
Day 1: Arrive in London and get acquainted with the city. Take a tour of the city and visit some of the top attractions like Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower of London.
Day 2: Take a walking tour of the Southbank, visit Houses of Parliament, Westminster, and the London Eye. Take a stroll along the river and enjoy the beautiful view of Westminster.
Day 3: Explore Tate Modern, Millennium Bridge, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Tour the Monument and take a look at the breathtaking views.
Day 4: Spend the day exploring St. Pancras, King’s Cross Station, Platform 9; WB Harry Potter Leavesden Studio Tour.
Day 5: Have a museum day and visit the Museum of London, Barbican Centre, and the British Museum.
Day 6: Take a daytrip to Brighton Beach, Brighton Pier, The Lanes, and Royal Pavillion.
Day 7: Visit Westminster Abbey, St. James’s Park, Buckingham Palace, Green Park, Wellington Arch, Hyde Park, and Kensington Palace.
Day 8: Spend the day exploring the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and Bermondsey Street.
Day 9: Spend the day in Greenwich and visit the Cutty Sark, Maritime Museum, Prime Meridian & Royal Greenwich Observatory.
Day 10: Finish your trip by visiting Shoreditch, Brick Lane, and Jack the Ripper Tour in the East End.
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