#because as written there ARE some major challenges posed to what they were trying to do

[anghraine]

A more coherent part of the adaptation+Darcy post I was threatening to release from drafts purgatory:

While I think all adaptations' versions of Darcy are pretty bad at representing Austen's character, though sometimes compelling in their own right, I think the various choices made are all ways of addressing the same problem with the character as written.

It's not a problem in the novel—indeed, I'd say it's a remarkable achievement there—but I think we don't always realize how extremely ambiguous the presentation of Darcy is through the first half of the novel. It's easy to read him as basically hostile because he was when he first appeared and because Elizabeth, our smart, likable POV character, gets stuck in that perception of him for half the book. So it's only on re-reading that most audiences realize Elizabeth drastically misread his real feelings and the original interpretation of his manner is thrown into question, at the very least.

But as I said in the other post, Austen plays fair: it is entirely possible to realize that Elizabeth is mistaken about some things (esp about how he feels towards her), it is possible to realize that particularly observant characters find his expressions and behavior difficult to interpret, it's possible to notice that we are rarely told how he's speaking or smiling, and scenes typically cut off before we can be told. And it's possible to notice the many issues with Wickham's account of him.

But it's also entirely possible to read everything he says and does as Elizabeth does, and the narrative gently encourages us to do so without often committing to actual description that would guide us in those ambiguous scenes. Austen might have, for instance, described his smiles in the Netherfield scenes as contemptuous, polite, or pleasant. But she just repeats that he's smiling while drawing very little attention to the fact and rarely committing to an indication of what his smiles or presentation of dialogue are like. So it's mostly up to us to decide, with the occasional (dubious in some respects) interpretation from Elizabeth.

And we're likely to reach different conclusions on re-reading—the earlier presentation of Darcy rewards re-reading a lot, because a lot of the time, we don't even realize how much we're not being told until the letter or even the Pemberley scenes, where Elizabeth identifies the smile we saw in his earlier scenes as the same one in the painting done during his beloved father's lifetime—making, say, the "contemptuous" reading very unlikely.

Now, getting away with that level of ambiguity and obscuring that the ambiguity is happening in the first place, as Austen manages to do in the novel, is both impressive and a hell of a lot harder in visual form. Not impossible! But if we see and hear him ourselves we're less likely to form judgments shaped by Austen's tricks of narration and Elizabeth's POV, and this typically involves commitment to a particular aspect of his presentation in the novel.

And if you think about it, the four major adaptations of Darcy are essentially committing to some part of his depiction.

Laurence Olivier's Darcy is smiling, witty, and charismatic—which are a part of his personality, but skewed so far out of proportion that he's virtually unrecognizable. And there's no attempt to obscure his place in the narrative as the actual love interest (I assume because duh, it's Laurence Olivier—but it was a pretty unrewarding role for him as written).

David Rintoul's Darcy is (in)famously "robotic"—the 1980 version of him leans into the withdrawn, inexpressive, difficult to read but clearly uncomfortable version of Darcy. The smiles in the earlier part tend to be tight, a matter of form, and/or unconvincing, by contrast to the later Darcy's comportment towards the Gardiners and Elizabeth, esp after the second proposal.

Colin Firth's Darcy is, well—okay, I'm biased because of my intense dislike for the 1995 production, but I do think it's also struggling with the same issue, but responds in the opposite way as the 1980. Where the 1980 tried to replicate the ambiguity in a way that retained Darcy's tendency towards a certain severity and dignity and mostly ended up at expressionless, the 1995 transforms it into visibly intense, sexualized brooding. This is coupled with Elizabeth's perception of Darcy's hostility being much more validated than in the novel; he snaps at her, most of his textual smiles are removed, even his letter is rearranged with an eye to half-dressed angst rather than the subtle charity of the omitted "God bless you", and generally his angst and passion!!! are played up rather than down ("I shall conquer this!!" / the melodramatic pond dive and shift in focus from Elizabeth's shame to Darcy being barely dressed / Darcy being grim in London, etc).

If the 1995 version of Darcy commits to Darcy's behavior being largely how Elizabeth sees it, the 2005 drastically reverses that. Matthew Macfadyen's Darcy is also struggling with passion, but tbh he seems like he's kind of struggling with everything. He's visibly consumed with anxiety, he's obviously shy where Darcy has to explain his discomfort or experience it as a POV character in the novel, he seems sweet despite occasional classism, and at times his arc seems more about learning to relax than anything else. That is, instead of representing Darcy as more or less accurately seen by Elizabeth, it leans into emphasizing the extent of her misunderstanding, with Darcy's behavior both more sympathetic than she sees it and clearly comprehensible if she weren't so biased against him (fwiw, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries also emphasizes Elizabeth's misjudgment to a considerable extent and deals with the ambiguity by keeping him literally offstage).

The point of all this is that there is a core issue of adaptation here—the difficulty of representing subtle novelistic ambiguity while making Darcy emotionally compelling at the same time. Adapted Darcys are often given extra scenes, altered dialogue, or (where described in the novel) altered mannerisms/emotions to try and achieve this. And all lean so hard into the aspect they choose to emphasize that they tend to sacrifice most of the rest of his personality to the interpretation they're committing to, and his feelings for Elizabeth tend to be incredibly obvious to the point that it sometimes strains belief that she wouldn't see them, even with all her investment in not seeing them.

I guess the thing is that I think just stopping with "this is an issue of the different media and can't be represented on film" is boring and underestimates the potential of film as a medium. There are plenty of performances that can only be fully appreciated on re-watching or re-listening to something with a fuller knowledge of what is revealed later. And to some degree, the adapters do have to choose how much they want to incorporate Elizabeth's perception of Darcy vs the bare narrative and what they're willing to give away about him to preserve what seems most important.

These are all active choices with actual significance, IMO. They imply priorities about the production and their production's take on Darcy that are intriguing in a way that gets lost by just giving them a free pass by way of the challenge of the medium.

[rileys-battlecats]

If you haven’t already answered this yet, can I ask why MicaClan chose the territory they currently live in? It seems like an interesting decision to choose such a different area to try to survive in. Although the more lush area probably means less droughts and higher elevation could possibly mean less flood risks, avoiding the two major issues that caused them to move in the first place. They still have to relearn everything though in such a different area. Or was there less thought behind it and it was more just get to higher ground to avoid the water and then they got tired of traveling and decided to stop once they were sufficiently high up?

Also can I ask what kind of border threats they faced when establishing their new territory? Were there other groups of cats? Was it mostly predators and dangerous animals? Did dogs or twolegs pose a challenge to their borders?

Sorry I kinda have a lot of questions haha I just really like your story and characters and settings and everything and wanna know all I can about them and get a deeper knowledge of everything

I AM SO HAPPY TO RECEIVE THIS QUESTION

You're right that there were material aspects as to why they chose to settle where they did; the mountain seemed like a good place to avoid any more catastrophic floods with the high elevation, the spring-fed stream that runs through the territory also seemed like a guarantee against any future droughts, and the area had plenty of prey to feed the clan. But the real deciding factor was the soil!

The idea was basically that they found a place where the very ground seemed to be blessed by Starclan. I've written about this on the blog before, but it was wayyy way back and I haven't mentioned it again since then HAHA, but I based Micaclan's territory on a place I used to hike every now and again. The area used to be the location of a mica mine, and the ground there still sparkles with all the tiny shards of minerals in the ground (which is actually why they're called Micaclan; I gave them the name before I'd fully decided on the clan not being from the area originally lol). So they basically were like "if this isn't a sign from Starclan then I don't know what is" and set up camp! It ended up being the right choice in the end, because they found the Moonmirror in the abandoned mine on their territory, which gave them much needed access to Starclan (even if they can't use it outside of emergencies).

For border threats, I imagine them dealing with all sorts of things, especially in the beginning when they were just establishing their borders. I think of micaclan's territory being far enough from human civilization that they don't have to worry about construction or cars or anything, but close enough that they have a human hiking trail acting as one of their borders, or at least having a hiking trail close enough that they have to deal with the occasional stray dog or human. In addition to this, predators like black bears or coyotes would make trouble for the clan, and maybe a mountain lion drifted through the territory at one point (which would have been a harrowing time indeed).

As for rogues or other groups of cats, I think they might've brought that trouble with them! It's hard to conceal a big group of cats traveling in search of a new territory, and I think they drew some unwanted attention on their way up to the mountain. Maybe other groups noted them, and decided to let the strangers do the hard work of staking out a good territory before swooping in to take their place? I don't think there were any other cats living where Micaclan ends up, so they wouldn't be contesting land with any other resident cats. Those that threatened their new borders were usually looking to try to take their place. Basically they were like "so the weirdos you pegged as 'death within the month' 5 moons ago are actually now thriving and looking well-fed and healthy living on the mountain? I guess it can't be THAT dangerous, why don't we live up there instead? they can find somewhere else again, they're obviously good at finding nice territories."

the general gossip on micaclan as a group through the years basically goes like this: I heard there was a big group (a clan?) passing through looking to set up a new territory, hope they don't settle here -> apparently that big clan that passed through a few moons back is living further up the mountain? wonder how long it'll be before they're eaten by bears -> there's a big group of cats living further up the mountain, maybe the mountain makes for a good territory after all... -> there's a weird cat cult up the mountain and if you step on their turf they will Kick Your Ass

[itsumoegao]

'❓' + Two questions: How did you come up with Black Swan AU? And what are your pet peeves when it comes to rp? (nuravity)

☠ ― Send '❓' + a question to ask the MUN.

@nuravity

[[ A mun after my soul, legit, I love talking about this verse sm ;; THANK YOU !!

I'll answer the pet peeve rq. Unless the other person's muse is a legit mind reader, no, your muse can not read mine's thoughts. It drives me nuts when another mun's muse physically reacts to something my muse thought about. Ex. My muse is thinking about getting a glass of water or something to drink then other mun's muse gets up and pours them a drink.

Ok, it is a nice gesture that your muses did that but no... mine was thinking. I know that probably sounds like something not worth getting annoyed over but it does.

Back to the 1st question !

So short story: I wanted to challenge myself.

Long Story:

Before I made this blog, I was speaking with my wife, @shiningxfates about her Bakugou and she mentioned something along the lines of "I have roleplayed with villain Dekus before." and I remembered thinking "Oh goodness! Villain Deku?? How would that sweet baby bean be a villain??" It just sounded so foreign and jarring to me, this kid with the lifelong dream to be a hero... be written as a villain.

I can't recall when or how this next discussion happened but she said something like "It's popular for Deku to turn into a villain from 1 of 2 ways. From Katsuki's bullying or during Deku's vigilante arc." Note, I have a horrible memory so I can't recall the exact words or even when this was said but that was the jist of it.

And it got me thinking.

If those two were the most common ways, I wanted to make my own villain verse but not with those origins. I added a quirkless factor to make it more challenging. Y'all. That was difficult as hell. I do recall wracking my brain for days, trying to think what would motive Izuku into being a villain outside of the bullying and since he would be quirkless, how would he turn so soon since he received All Might's consideration in episode 2.

One thing stood out to me. Izuku had said in episode 1 "Mom, that's not what I needed you to say." Izuku ... what do you mean by needed ? Why did you need to hear her say 'You can be a hero' ? Which then lead to the fact that All Might first said to him "Some Villains can't be defeated without a quirk." and then the pro heroes berated him for stepping in and trying to save Katsuki.

There was the motivation. Remember the saying "All things come in threes" ? Three times. We hear his dream crushed 3 times. It's ok if Black Swan Origin hasn't been read yet but there is something I want to point out which I don't know if anyone noticed. In the Origin, Izuku asks Why to his mom, All Might and to the Pros.

He never directed this to Katsuki.

Towards the end, Izuku says "Lies. Lies. Lies." To what his mother, All Might and the Pros said to him. To what Katsuki said, he didn't utter "Lies." Izuku doesn't blame him at all for taking this path. His motivation, after hearing he could not be a hero, was to prove them wrong by defeating heroes.

I wracked my brain again because Izuku is very intelligent and I wanted to convey that. I remember Hawks infiltrating LOV as a Spy and I thought "If there is a spy in the Swan's ranks, how can he stay discreet when it comes to discussing which Pro hero he is taking down?" I gave him a gambling habit, to gain money, but it also worked for him to give the heroes code names via suit cards.

And making his public face that of a woman came from the saying "False information is worse than no information." I try to keep him many steps ahead. Hell, all of the heroes who go missing... they're not dead. They're basically used as leverage in case he ever gets captured.

As for the name well, in finances, the term Black Swan means "a rare, unpredictable, and random event that poses significant downside risk"

Black Swan also means "an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect and severe consequences"

Izuku also has a very slender body, like a swan but there's a more obvious reason why he picked it. Esp if you saw the first episode of MHA. Some time after I made my Black Swan verse, I asked my waifu what kind of traits does Quirkless Villain Izuku have and she said "He is usually a hacker." Which I can see but I prefer the one I made, a chess master ! ]]

[mountain-man-cumeth]

What Went Wrong: An In-Depth Analysis of Muriel's Route

*Youtuber voice*

Below are the opinions of an uneducated individual on what could’ve left the majority of The Arcana audience dissatisfied. I will explore the plot, tropes, themes and morals of the Muriel route and try to explain what may have gone wrong. I will be treating the game as a novel since it's advertised as one.

1. Consistency. If you are unfamiliar with the chekhov's gun; it's a story writing principle that dictates each element you introduce should come into play (foreshadowing). Now let's start with a few story beats that were later abandoned or concluded in an underwhelming manner:

Muriel's blanket

Muriel's magic mark (on his back)

Forest spirit (spirits in general)

Lucio's upbringing

Circumstances of MC's death

Figurines/whittling/charms

Muriel's blanket is teased to be a tapestry, which would tie in with his later fascination with them later on, as it had been the only thing he had left from his past. MC neither sees nor comments on the blanket, we only know it exists thanks to other playthroughs and short stories.

Magic marks are an important point in the game. Every main route emphasises on how it affects the chosen LI. It's reveal is important in a way that it serves as a passage to a new act where the reader explores magic and Arcana pantheon as they are a monumental part of the overall worldbuilding. This exact point applies to the Heart of the Forest and how spirits interact with the world around them as well.

Whittling and Charm making are the only hobbies we get from Muriel's isolated life, their introduction helps the reader humanise the character by giving us a crumb of his everyday life. It's never mentioned again after the scene where MC asks him what he does. He doesn't idly whittle during their journey and charms only come to play in an offhanded reference during reversed ending.

The other two are also ignored but I will touch on Lucio later on.

Why do these matter? A few abandoned plot points don't make or break the story but on a grander level it hinders the audience investment. When we read, we like to think the details we notice will come to play eventually, we like recognizing references that were introduced earlier. I'm sure I don't need to give examples on this one, I don't think anyone will disagree.

2. Themes. Thematic influences this story utilized are all over the place, and it seems to me like it stems from the improper application of certain tropes;

The Hero's Journey

Home Sweet Home

Shell-Shocked Vet

Last of His Kind

etc.

Some of these tropes tackle themes such as;

Slavery

PTSD

Survivor's Guilt

Genocide

I'm not going to try to explain How to Write any of these topics. I'm not remotely qualified. I think it's better if I just give examples from popular media because whether you know how to write it or not, you can still understand when it's written well;

AtLA deals with genocide and survivor's guilt. It's in the name; The Last Airbender. Aang is the sole survivor of a culture he'd only had an opportunity to engage in for a handful of years. He left them with a childish tantrum and now they're gone forever. I can't think of another mainstream series that shows the gruesome reality of war and genocide better than this one.

When Muriel realizes his true heritage and loses Khamgalai is the point of the story where Luke sees his family's farm burned down, Aang goes back to the air temple, Treebeard walks in on the demolished part of the forest. (The inciting incident)

(Could also have been forest spirit’s death but it was too early in the story so I don’t consider it a missed opportunity.)

Up until this point the hero has their doubts, they're going through the motions but they are either underestimating the enemy or they're a passive protagonist. Either way, this is the point where the hero has to take the reins of the story. What purpose does this serve in Muriel's route instead? It simply validates Muriel's beliefs. He's useless, he isn't strong enough. We as the reader need a point to see where the hero takes a step to drive the story forward or whoever takes that step will steal the spotlight, it will be their story. As it is, this is the point where it ceases to be Muriel’s story.

PTSD got the worst end of the deal. Since Dragon Age fandom has a huge overlap with the Arcana I will use Fenris as an example; for those who are unfamiliar with the character, Fenris is an escaped slave. After the sex scene he vividly describes an experience that most people can easily identify as a flashback. The game never tells us that he was abused, it doesn’t show us him having a panic attack but it shows us that whatever transpired between him and the player character clearly triggered an unpleasant memory.

Arcana tries and initially succeeds to do something similar. We see that the character is untrustworthy, sensitive to touch, easily agitated, can’t sleep outside of his perceived safe environment… It introduces us the cause later on and the story has two options, each will drastically change the moral of the story:

Remember these as they will be important later on

Portray Muriel fighting as a bad thing; You can’t fight violence with violence angle or the fact that the villain’s forcing him into a situation where he’ll have to fight again makes the villain all the more intimidating.

Portray Muriel fighting as a good thing; He has the means to defeat the villain and he just needs encouragement. With great power comes great responsibility. By not fighting he willingly condemns everyone to an awful fate and that he is selfish.

I’d like to take a second to explore the 1. Option, I feel like the game may have intended to implement that idea but failed because of the implementation of Morga and choices presented for the player character: Morga is an Old-Soldier, these characters are often push the hero out of their comfort zone in an aggressive way towards complacency, they are a narrative foil to the mentor. For the first option to work the story had to show Khamgalai acting as a mentor and having the protagonists challenge Morga’s teachings(see Ozai-Iroh). As it is, Morga’s actions are never put under scrutiny (narratively) and her death feels hollow as a result. She didn’t sacrifice herself for the heroes due to her guilt, she died because she felt a moment of sympathy for her son which wasn’t explored before, she showed no intention to change nor any doubt.

It is clear the game choose 2. Option, it is a controversial choice given Muriel’s mental condition and the game is acutely aware of this, which is likely why Muriel’s PTSD will get carefully scraped from the story from here on out. (I won’t address other instances where his trauma wasn’t taken into account, I feel like this explanation should cover them as well.)

3. Morals. Every story, whether the author intends it or not, has a moral. The Villain most often acts against that moral and in turn can change the hero's perspective. Morals are not ideals; the morality of Killmonger isn’t that marginalised people should fight for their rights, it is that vengeance is just. Whether it’s right or wrong can be debated but what makes an ideal the moral of the story is in the portrayal. How the narrator depicts the events, how people around the heroes react... all are a part of portrayal.

The story choosing “Muriel fighting is a good thing” earlier puts in the foundation of a moral. The story tells us Muriel has to fight, it’s the right thing to do. He has to be brave for the people he loves.

This choice affects how his past actions will be perceived; now, him escaping the arena to save himself is cowardly, abandoning Morga is cowardly.

The story tells us it wasn’t, but shows us that it was. This is the end of the midpoint of the story, at this point we need to have a good grasp on what we should perceive as wrong or right for us to feel invested. If we zig-zag between the morals we won’t know which actions we should root for. But more than that, the conclusion will not feel cathartic as it will inevitably demonstrate the opposing ideals clashing at its climax.

Villain doesn't necessarily have to be sympathetic and Muriel's route makes no effort to make him as such, but they need to be understandable. What danger does Lucio pose to the status quo, what makes him a compelling villain? Whether he conquers Vesuvia or not doesn’t drastically affect Muriel’s way of life, he’s been in hiding for years. He doesn’t threaten to steal MC’s body, Muriel is not compelled to pick up arms to save his beloved. He wants to protect the people from going through what he’s been through, right? That is what the story wants us to think. But what has he been through? Fighting was his choice, Lucio tricked him into it. Lucio later tricked Morga, his own mother, to save his own hide. This tells us that Lucio is a manipulator, but he doesn’t manipulate his way into Vesuvia, he barges in with deus ex machina monsters. He doesn’t demonstrate his skills as a tactician by making deals with neighbouring kingdoms to get their armies. We don’t know his strengths therefore we don’t know his weaknesses. If he seems to be losing he can just conjure a giant dragon to burn everything down, we just can’t know. That is why the application of deus ex machina is highly taboo, the victories don’t feel earned and defeats feel unfair.

4. Tone. Playing with the genre is not uncommon and a game such as Arcana has many opportunities to do so. It is a romance story, everything else is the back-drop. The tone works best when its overall consistent but tonal changes act as shock for the audience to keep them engaged and keeping one tone indefinitely gets us desensitized. We can’t feel constant misery if we are not made to feel tinges of hope in between. Good examples of dramatic tonal change (that I can think of): Mulan - arriving at the decimated village, La Vita e Bella - the father’s death, M*A*S*H - death of Hawkeye’s friend. Two of these examples are mostly comedy which is why this tonal shift affects us so, it was all fun and games until we are slapped in the face with the war going on. There are no one liners in those scenes, the story takes a moment to show appropriate respect to the dead, it gives its characters time to digest and come to terms with loss. Bad examples are the majority of Marvel movies.

In Muriel’s route there’s never such a thing, Muriel has a panic attack and MC kisses him. This unintentionally tells us, the genre being romance, that the panic attack only served to further MC’s advances. It tells us that he’s never had the control of his life and it’s yet again stripped from him by the decisions of player character. This is not the only instance this happens. The story shoe-horns in multiple cuddle sessions between important plot beats. And it does the exact opposite during a moment where he is having a heart-to-heart with the person he loves by having the ghost of Morga appear to give an ominous warning/advice.

When he runs off during masquerade it’s built up to be an important plot point. Muriel will finally face his past, he’s been running away from it all along, and he will have an opportunity to be accepted back in. MC is supportive but ultimately, it’s meant to be Muriel's moment. But as I mentioned above this is not his story anymore so he’s not given any time to address his problems, instead a ghost appears to tell him what he needs to do, again. Because we need to wrap the story up, we don’t have time.

Remember how I said the 2 Options will be important later on, well here we are at the very end. Upright and reversed.

“Portray Muriel fighting as a bad thing”

This suggests that the triumph of Muriel won’t be through violence. Maybe he will outsmart Lucio in a different way, he won’t play his games anymore. This option suggests that Lucio will not be beaten by his own terms.

“Portray Muriel fighting as a good thing”

This option concludes with Muriel finally overcoming his reservations on violence and doing what's right to save the people he loves. And bringing justice to people who Lucio hurt.

If you are wondering why the upright ending feels random, this is likely why. The ending plays out as if the story was building on the 1st option while we spent chapters upon chapters playing out the 2nd one. It is unearned.

(The reversed ending, being reversed, also uses Option 1 path but in which Muriel can’t achieve his narrative conclusion)

The Coliseum is filled with people who are on their side against Lucio’s shadow goons. Because we can’t have people being on Lucio’s side without addressing the duality of human nature, even though it’s an important part of Muriel’s story. The people who watched and enjoyed Lucio’s bloodsport are no more, they are all new and enlightened offscreen. We completely skipped the part where Vesuvia comes to terms with its own complacency and Muriel simply feels at ease because the crowd is cheering on him now. This is what happens when you give the character a chance to challenge those who have been complicit in his abuse (masquerade scene) and completely skip it to move the story along.

Muriel doesn't get justice, ever. The people only love him now because he's fighting for them instead of his own survival. Morga or her clan doesn't answer for the massacre of Kokhuri, Vesuvia doesn't answer for the sick entertainment they indulged in and Lucio doesn't answer for Muriel's enslavement. It is not even acknowledged, nowhere in the story (except the very end of reversed ending, and even then it almost gets him killed so its clearly the wrong thing to do on his part) is a choice presented where Muriel has an opportunity to get any sort of compensation where he instead chooses to move on.

I don’t intend to straw man anyone but this is a sentiment I’ve seen a lot; “It’s a short story, a dating-sim, what do you expect?”

I expect nothing, I’m simply explaining why some people feel how they feel. It is a short dating-sim but it seems to me like it was aiming to be something more by borrowing elements that were clearly far above their weight range to tease something more and under deliver. It is okay to feel content with the story, and it’s okay to feel let down. If we had a unanimous decision on literature we would never be inclined to write our own stories.

[goodwriterwithbadhabits]

Love Letters

I have no idea how this turned out, I opened a word doc, blacked out and ended up with this. 

Master List

~~ “I would write you poems until my hands worked no more. Would play you music until my fingers bled. Shakespeare himself would have to rise from his tomb to stop me writing you sonnets. No words will ever convey the love which spills from my heart, but I will try to do so every day.” Johnny reads the letter loud, a smile on his face as he looks over at you. You’re certain your face conveys the sheer horror you’re feeling, and judging from the laughter that bubbles from him, it does. You’re frozen in the doorway of your own dorm room, staring at the man lounging in your desk chair, the man who’d just found your second best kept secret. “So, how much does it cost to get one of these letters?” 

“What are you doing?” His eyebrow hikes up at your question, and he gestures to the stacks of envelopes and the typewriter sitting on your desk. 

“You’re the one writing all the love notes around campus right? What if I want to send one to someone?” You blink at him a few times, still in shock, but step into the room properly and shut the door. 

“How’d you find out about this? Who told you?” You question, dropping your backpack on the floor and crossing your arms over your chest. He mimics your pose, though still in your chair. 

“Who said anyone told me?” He challenges, “I figured it out.” 

“Bullshit. I’ve been doing this for almost two years and no one’s been the wiser. The only people that know are my customers, so who told you?” He’s silent for a moment, not pretending not to size you up. You can feel your heartbeat in your chest, and part of you wants to celebrate having your crush alone in your dorm room, but the other part of you remembers he’s here for a love letter, not you. 

“Are you going to stop writing for them if I tell you?”

“Maybe, or maybe I’ll just revoke their long term customer pricing. Who was it?”

“Yuta.” Your eyes roll automatically at the name, you should have known it was him. 

“Of course it was. Did he refer you, or did he just tell you?” Johnny shrugs, clearly loving how annoyed you’re getting. 

“Maybe both. You haven’t answered my question.” 

“One time letters to someone are 25, self letters are 35. If you’re wanting a long term contract it depends on the frequency of the letters, contents and subject.” You finally relent, trying not to let the disappointment cloud your voice. 

“What’s the most expensive contract you have?” You motion for him to get out of your chair, which he shockingly does, so you can grab your clientele binder and find your contract sheets. He flops down on your bed while you work, watching you flick through the almost shockingly thick binder. 

“Someone pays me 75 dollars every other month to write three page long letters to send to his girlfriend overseas.” You tell him, pulling out a contract, “This contract is legal, by the way, I had a friend of mine in law school draft it. I only write the letters, I don’t deliver them and I am not responsible for the reaction of the recipient. You can’t get me in legal trouble if things backfire, nor can you demand a refund. You cannot ask for personal information about other clients, and no I won’t tell you if you’re giving a letter to someone who is already receiving letters. Any questions?” You finally look up from your contract, locking eyes with the boy sitting on your bed. 

“Would you handwrite a letter for me, or is it typewriter only?”

“I try not to handwrite letters, just in case someone might recognize my handwriting.” He smiles again, and you have to look away, trying not to blush. God, how did you get so unlucky? When you had started writing these letters, it was because of your crush on Johnny. Your roommate freshman year had found a letter you’d never planned to send and asked if you would write one for her to give to the girl she liked. From there, your little business blossomed, and now you had upwards of 30 clients, all paying you to write about Johnny without knowing. 

“Do I have to tell you who my letter is for?” 

“Nope, all you have to tell me is whether you know them personally or not, and if there’s something about them you want me to talk about.” You drop your binder on the desk, turning to face him once more. “I’ll also need your contact info, phone number or email preferably. I take cash, venmo, and cashapp, you have to pay before your first letter, and if you make it a long term thing, then you pay upon receiving the letter.” He nods, his lower lip sticking out slightly. 

“OKay, lets do one letter for now, and depending on their reaction, we’ll see about sending more.” 

“No problem, just fill this out for me, and we’ll get started.” You pass him the contract and a clipboard to write on. “For the first letter, I always have my clients tell me about the person they’re wanting me to write about, that way if you meet face to face, the letters still sound like you.” 

“What’s your major again?” 

“Psychology, with an English Lit minor.” 

“Makes sense.” The two of you are quiet for a moment while he fills out the form, and you take the chance to package some letters, ironically, one was for Yuta, who was definitely getting a scolding when he came to pick it up. “Alright here.” You don’t look at him, only extend your hand for him to place it in. You can feel him watching you as you finish up your work, marking who still has to pay for your work. “So, have you ever written a letter for someone, like from you?”

“Yes and no.” You weren’t sure why you even answered. 

“What do you mean?” You sigh, putting your papers away so you can move the typewriter front and center. 

“Every letter I write is about the person I like, that’s how it started.” You explain, “Yeah, it sounds like I’m writing about someone else, but it’s always about him.” 

“Ever had to write one for him?” You can tell he’s actually interested in this, but you shake your head, not wanting to talk about it more. 

“Don’t worry about my love life, Johnny, lets work on yours.” You grab a notebook, spinning to face him, ready to take notes. “Tell me about your person.” 

If you told me you were Eros, I would believe you. From the moment I saw you, the arrow of love had pierced my heart and rendered it useless to all others. Were you a god, I would be your most devoted priest. My lips would sing your prayers and praises until there was no oxygen left at your altars. Your mind rivals that of Shakespeare and Einstein, and I wish on every star that one day I may be privy to your innermost thoughts. Your eyes hold the universe, and your hands: my heart. You fill my dreams, and soothe my nightmares. Had I an ounce more courage, I would say these words to your face, but in truth, no words could accurately depict the love I have for you. It bubbles from my heart, courses through my veins and clouds my mind. I would give you the world, the moon and all the stars in the sky if you only asked, but now I can only give you this letter and hope you will not think ill of me. Yours ever, Johnny

“Here, all done.” Johnny barely has the chance to knock on your door the following day before you’re shoving the lilac envelope in his hands. “It’s not super long, but it’s pretty expressive, if you want more just let me know, I hope they like it.” You don’t give him the chance to reply, instead just shut the door and try not to start crying instantly. Every word you had said was true, and he was about to give it to some rando. You wanted to cancel every other letter people had asked for, so tired of writing about a love you couldn’t have. A knock on your door makes you huff, just wanting to lay down for a while. “What?” You demand, swinging the door open to find Johnny still standing there. He holds the envelope out to you, his other hand deep in his pocket. 

“Here.” 

“Do you not like it? I can rewrite it.” You offer, hesitating to take it. No one had ever hated what you’d written, to say it was a bit of an ego crusher was an understatement. 

“No. No it’s amazing, its everything I wanted to say. You did an amazing job.” He extends his hand again, not looking you in the eye. “But its for you.” 

“What?” 

“When I learned it was you-” He huffs, “Look, I’ve had a thing for you since English 101. You’ve always been super smart and gorgeous, but I’ve been too scared to say anything cause you were always writing these sweet things, and I figured they’re for someone else, so I didn’t want to pressure you into something. But I might not get accepted into my Masters and I didn’t want to leave without saying-” 

“Johnny.” He stops speaking the second you say his name, his eyes snapping up to yours. Your face is warm, and you can feel your eyes watering. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“You.” The bewilderment on his face is almost funny. 

“Me?”

“Yes you. Every single letter I’ve ever written has been about you. Even this one. I wrote you a love letter only to have it be for me.” You can’t help but laugh at the irony of it all. 

“Wait, really?” He’s laughing a little as well. 

“Yes you idiot. I’ve been so scared Yuta had told you, I was even gonna go cry once you left.” You admit, wiping at the tears that were falling. 

“Oh no, don’t cry.” He pulls you close to his chest, his head resting on yours. “Let me take you for lunch. Then maybe you can tell me some of those sweet things you’re always writing about me.” You both laugh at this, pulling away from him. 

“Don’t think I’m going to let this ruin my business, Johnny Suh, I’ve still got to pay for my coffee habits.” 

“Only if I get to read the letters first.” 

“Deal.” 

“And I get to see your client list.” 

“Not a chance.” 

[zalrb]

Why are sex scenes considered hard to write ? Is it because it’s embarrassing or cringe.

first, i have to say, for those who don't know, there's actually a Bad Sex in Fiction award. It's really fun to read. an excerpt from the latest winner

“Katsuro moaned as a bulge formed beneath the material of his kimono, a bulge that Miyuki seized, kneaded, massaged, squashed and crushed. With the fondling, Katsuro’s penis and testicles became one single mound that rolled around beneath the grip of her hand. Miyuki felt as though she was manipulating a small monkey that was curling up its paws."

um, but yeah, it's a thing

John Heilpern told Martin Amis that “no novelist, including you … has written a successful sex scene,” Amis replied: “I think it’s a watertight statement that you can’t write about successful, fulfilling sex. But you can write about the fiasco.”

and there are a few theories. like in my program, there was a course on it called: can we get better at writing about sex? (subtle, i know) and the prof's theory was that writers are just too timid when it comes to writing it,

of course he was talking about a particular kind of fiction, he wasn't talking about erotica or romance but that is also a common theory, that sex is incredibly private and we have our own hangups and desires tied up in it that for writers it can just be embarrassing to put it on the page so it ends up being awkward to write and to read.

there's also the theory that it's just hard to describe it without sounding technical, which then makes the scene sterile

or it's too vague because you're trying to come up with analogies to express something that's so vivid in your mind but it's too abstract on the page.

and then there's the debate about male writers vs female writers and sex:

Dederer argues that [...] [w]riting about sex poses a particular challenge for female writers, she says, because their desire is hidden from view (less apparent than an erection), and their sexual experiences are often erased, either written through the lens of male lust or wrapped up in shame. On the inside, female desire “comes with an endless internal monologue—or maybe dialogue, or maybe babel,” she writes. Women’s “heads never stop whirring even as their bodies are otherwise occupied.” Their “desire is always guessing, often second-guessing.”

**

Since 2002, nearly 80 percent of nominees for the Bad Sex Awards have been male — 114 men to 31 women [...] what unites the works nominated for the Bad Sex in Fiction Award, year after year, is failure of the imagination. The majority of nominees are not just men but cishet white men, and their work often manifests a classic sexist inability to realize female characters.

**

I didn’t find that female or male writers were “better” at fulfilling the prompt, but I did notice that I often had to push some of the male writers to go deeper into their own feelings and failings, to lay back on the defensive humor a bit, and—overwhelmingly—to describe their love interests by more than just their physical attributes[...]

so lol, make of that what you will.

[fanfic-inator795]

Allow me to ramble for a moment:

So, it’s pretty much a fandom consensus that Splinter/Yoshi/Lou Jitsu has the best story and character arc out of all the RotTMNT characters. ...In fact, given that a lot of the other character arcs were rushed through or cut off, you could argue that Splints is the ONLY one with a fully developed arc with the exception of maaaybe Raph and April but that has to do with Nick, not the actual writing so I digress

We see him start off as a blunt and lazy father who occasionally shows a soft side, to learning that he was once a movie star and seeing how much he truly cares about his sons, to learning that the choices he made ended up being a possibly world-ended mistake and seeing him do all he can to fix it like going after the Foot himself and making more of an effort to train his sons, to finally learning the motivation behind his major choices and completely understanding why he is the way he is. It’s a really great story, and it’s a major reason why he’s one of my favorite characters as well as my favorite Splinter interpretation.

...But if there’s one thing that I really wish we could have gotten more clarity on: His time in the Battle Nexus.

Out of all the things in his backstory, this is the most vague. We don’t know how long he was in the Nexus, nor do we see very many of his battles - and the clips we do see are often glorified by Draxum or Splinter. We also see him have two reactions to the Nexus:

A) He saw it as, essentially, an extension of his stardom days. He saw the Nexus as a means of gaining glory and praise despite being trapped, trying to turn a negative into a positive, and being perfectly fine with having yokai fans who love him for his fighting skills. Examples of this are ‘Turtle-Dega Nights’, the latter half of his match with Leo in ‘Many Unhappy Returns’ (”Heh, still got it~!” + him doing a pose as the audience cheers) and ‘Hidden City’s Most Wanted’, with him being clearly touched by the mural a fan made of him.

and B) He saw it as cruel and pointless fighting, and was absolutely MISERABLE there, to the point where what was once his talent and something he was clearly proud of and enjoyed was something he wanted to turn his back against for good. Examples of this are ‘Goyles, Goyles, Goyles’, his explanation in ‘Many Unhappy Returns’, and Draxum’s claim in ‘Hidden City’s Most Wanted’ that he had become a “shell of a man” after a while despite still being a strong and talented fighter, which we saw ourselves in GGG.

Now, let me make this clear that I do NOT think this is bad writing or the show contradicting itself. Humans are complicated, and we’re allowed to have mixed feelings on things - especially when they involve trauma that has to be compartmentalized in order to survive/not have a complete breakdown.

Much like with Big Mama - who Splinter verbally acknowledges is a terrible person and knows it’s foolish to trust her, yet because of their history, how much he once loved her and how great their ‘pre-kidnapping days’ were, he can’t help but miss her/show a bit of affection towards her, being willing to save her and being unable to completely hate her - Splinter’s mixed feelings towards the Nexus makes sense. It was both a source of pride when he literally had nothing else, as well as a source of shame as the fighting continued for years and years. 

However, at the end of the day... a lot of what I just said was simply implied by the show. 

While it makes sense that it WOULD happen, we don’t really get to see Lou transition from enjoying the glory and challenge of the Nexus to seeing it as cruel and pointless. Was his spirit simply broken down after several years of nonstop fighting or was it one particularly bloody fight that triggered a change of heart? And without actually seeing that transition and only having it be implied, if you’re not thinking about it analytically/in context or simply don’t want to, it very well COULD be written off as bad or contradictory writing.

A major example of this is how many people point to GGG as being a bad or contradictory episode. I don’t agree with this take at all and, honestly, I think a lot of the backlash came from people wanting a longer history between Lou and Draxum (no judgement, I had that headcanon too) because, as far as I’m concerned, Lou agreeing to be taken makes perfect sense to me in context.

Imagine you’re in Lou’s shoes: You’ve been fighting battle after battle for at LEAST ten years if not more. You’re tired and are refusing to fight anymore, meaning you’ve pretty much resigned yourself to two fates. You either change your mind and force yourself to fight on and eventually die at the claws of a yokai, or you keep your vow of non-violence and die alone in a cell. Essentially, no matter which one you pick, your life is over and your ending isn’t exactly going to be a happy one, but at least with the latter you can die with SOME honor (hence the vow of non-violence).

But then these cute lil’ goyles come in and say, “Hey, you wanna come with us to be part of our boss’ weird, unsafe experiments?”. It’s crazy, and will most likely result in a painful death (which you’ve already accepted p much) but honestly, this is the best option - because if you’re dead or stuffed in a jar or whatever, at least you won’t have to fight anymore. It’s only after Lou meets his future sons and finds something (or four someones) that isn’t just his survival and that is worth fighting for does he get his survival instinct back. So yeah, while his nonchalance and flippant reaction to it might have seemed jarring at first, the more you think about it, the more it makes sense.

(Also, remember, while he may have played a hero in his movies, Yoshi was NEVER really a ‘hero’ in a traditional sense until he found his sons, with nearly all of his choices being made due to very human reactions and motivations/needs, none of them being selfless until it was time to save the Turtles)

HOWEVER, again because we didn’t get to see that transition from “Glory-Happy Movie Star Turned Gladiator” to “Jaded and Hollow Warrior with Nothing Left to Live For”, I can understand why some people would miss the reasoning behind the character and story changes just because they were so subtle and didn’t have a ton of time in the forefront, instead just being implied. 

BUUUUT because that shift in Lou’s character is such an important catalysis in both his backstory and the show’s story as a whole, being the thing that leads him to Draxum’s lab in the first place as well as just being another important chunk of Splinter’s character (as well as another element that kinda parallels him with Leo), it really is a shame that this transition was just kinda brushed over as “Oh yeah, being stuck in a death arena decade for a decade would probably mess a person up pretty badly, even if they did like fighting”.

Soooo yeah, tl;dr: I still LOVE Splinter’s story and how we saw his transition throughout the show from “Homer Simpson as a Rat” to “Jackie Chan with a Tragic Backstory” to a truly realized and fleshed out (but still chill, awesome and unique) Hamato Yoshi... but I really REALLY wish that the part of his backstory involving him in the Nexus got a bit more focus and was a bit more fleshed out.

(and yeahhhh, that would lead to this lighthearted show being a bit more angsty, but at the very least it would be interesting angst that has a purpose)

[theritualofourexistence]

Clarity in the Cancellation Crusade

After posting multi-paragraph comments on a couple different things that have popped up in my feed recently, it seemed like I should probably just sit down and write this out.

“Cancel culture.” Crazy shit, right?

The recent onslaught of cancellations includes Mr. Potato Head, Pepe Le Pew, a handful of Disney movies (Peter Pan, Dumbo, The Aristocats), and *audible gasp* Dr. Seuss. The Muppets also got a newfangled Disney+ content warning, though I’ve seen significantly fewer headlines about that.

The thing that inevitably happens when the news media decides to publish a headline about a children’s toy or book being “canceled” is a veritable parade of social media complaints about how sensitive people have become. I saw this particular post over 10 times in the period of a couple hours one day last week…

The question I’ve been asking recently when I see posts like that is this: “Who do you think cancel culture is?”

Because “cancel culture” isn’t real. In the majority of the cases currently making headlines, the choice to remove a character from a movie or stop publishing a book has been made by the company responsible for that character or book… and that is very much a normal thing companies can choose to do.

No one I’ve posed the above question to has overtly mentioned “Libtards,” but it’s certainly implied. People who haven’t read a Dr. Seuss book in 20 years are now suddenly all up in arms (literally?) because “the Liberals” are coming for “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.”

The Liberals are not coming for Dr. Seuss. They do not care about a potato toy. Also, nothing is happening to the Cat in the Hat. I repeat: NOTHING is happening to the Cat in the Hat.

The choices to stop publishing that book and to market a vegetable toy in a less gendered way were made by the companies responsible for producing those products… not the Liberal “cancel culture” ghoul. In fact, it’s really, really hard to find public outcry about any of the things that have been recently “canceled.” There was a single NYT article that recently discussed the problematic nature of the Pepe Le Pew cartoons… that said, Warner Bros hasn’t aired that show in decades and it is not clear whether that article had anything to do with the skunk’s scene being removed from the new Space Jam movie.

Even growing up I remember things like political correctness needlessly becoming a partisan issue. When we fall into that media trap, all we’re doing is watering the plant of an already poisonous and ineffective two-party system. Be bigger than that temptation. Push back against media intended to further divide Americans. If something stinks, it’s probably rotten. Sure, there are certain topics that fall under the umbrella of political correctness that sound alarm bells for censorship issues… but didn’t everyone’s mom tell them that if they didn’t have anything nice to say, they shouldn’t say anything at all?

Again, though, the most important thing to remember about this recent wave of “canceling” is that censorship concerns are moot. A person who owns a thing is legally allowed to do all the censoring they want. It’s not the government that has decided to stop publishing 6 books written by Dr. Seuss… if it were, we could have the censorship conversation. These changes aren’t happening because there is a Democrat in the White House. They’re happening because the company who makes these products, has for whatever reason, decided to take a different approach.

In the case of the Dr. Seuss books, Dr. Seuss Enterprises re-evaluated their choice to publish 6 books based on racist themes and images. I have only heard of two of those six. The image below is, in my opinion, objectively problematic:

The fact that a major company behind such a well-known name has seen that something is problematic and has decided to stop publishing the books containing overt racist images is awesome. It sets a great example that we can all learn from. Humans have an amazing capacity to learn… that’s one of the only reasons we are in charge here on Earth. If we fall on ice once, we are often more careful on ice the next time. When we see that something is racially problematic, it’s a good thing if we can take action to get that thing out of rotation. More on that later.

Fundamentally, what is happening right now in Media Land is gross sensationalism.

“Cancel culture” isn’t real. Should people face consequences if they say or do racist things? Yes. We should all agree on that. Should we stop publishing books that perpetuate racist stereotypes? Yes. There are plenty of non-racist books that provide an education about racial differences without the added (exceedingly inappropriate) zing of Asian characters being painted yellow and African characters being given monkey features.

If you’re not convinced that some of Dr. Seuss’s material is racially problematic, I encourage you to pop on over to Google to check out the series of ads he did for FLIT in the 1930s. Yes, it was the 1930s. In the last 90 years, we’ve learned that images like that are not okay… let’s use that knowledge to let old racist graphics die.

Still can’t accept that “cancel culture” isn’t real? Still feeling like there’s something in the air now that is different and worse than before?

Okay, then, let’s consider it further.

Things have been “canceled” by people for millennia… this isn’t new. Being all for cancel culture when Colin Kaepernick kneels for the anthem (a perfectly legal form of peaceful protest considered respectful by many veterans) but opposing cancel culture when it’s threatening to eliminate an obviously racist thing is not exactly a moral stance. Burning your Nikes in the street but then turning around and spending $400 on a copy of “If I Ran the Zoo” on eBay after Dr. Seuss’s own family has pulled it from publication due to racist imagery is… silly.

The same people who seem to be so vocal about “cancel culture” now are part of the same communities who tried to cancel plenty of things in my lifetime. Things like trick-or-treating, Harry Potter, school dances, books and movies with LGBT+ characters and themes…

History absolutely bubbles over with things that have been canceled… often for good reason! Some examples that come to mind: 

DDT

the Catholic Church (see the 16th century Protestant Reformation)

doing our everyday poopin’ in outdoor holes

polio

hoop skirts

phrenology (new science cancels old science like every damn day)

Ford Pintos (not to mention cars without seatbelts)

telegrams and rotary phones (replaced by easier and better ways to communicate)

lead paint

asbestos

Four Loco

Y’all remember when we all did the ice bucket challenge to cancel Alzheimer’s?

Learning that something is problematic and moving past it is LEARNING… not cancel culture.  Learning and growth are good things. We all benefit from them.

Another thing worth commenting on from that Cat in the Hat post that circulated in my Facebook feed: why do we consistently demonize sensitivity? Racism feels like something we should all be sensitive about. If being sensitive about something results in meaningful change and a less hateful country, isn’t that… good? Why do so many Americans seem to place so much value on their “freedom” to hurt others?

And don’t get me started on comparing this stuff to Cardi B. It boggles my mind that that’s happening at all. Why is there suddenly so much outcry about one song that features female genitals in a literal ocean of songs that feature male genitals. I grew up knowing every word to songs about sex well before I even knew what sex was. Your kids are only desperate to listen to WAP because they know it makes you squeamish. And take a second to think about why it makes you squeamish. Genitals are human and scientific and we literally all have them. If you have more of a problem with WAP than with any of the other 10,000 songs about dicks and sex, you need to spend some time examining why that is.

Here’s another post I’ve seen bouncing around the social media feeds:

Something about this is just plain hilarious to me. Like what are racism and rape culture if not THE REALEST issues? This country’s problem with systemic racism runs so, so deep and is reflected very plainly in centuries of cold, hard numbers. It’s not that I *think* systemic racism is a problem. The data very clearly shows that regardless of what white people think about race in this country, systemic racism absolutely IS a problem. Racism and rape culture, arguably at the root of the most recent canceling spree, are not just real issues, they’re real American issues. They’re cultural issues. And solving cultural issues is not easy. We know that these issues have been passed down through the generations so maybe changing children’s toys and books and shows isn’t such a bad thing to try. There is SO much work to do to address racism and rape culture in the United States, but small steps are still progress.

If choosing to stop airing a show that blatantly perpetuates rape culture means one less young person is stalked or assaulted or raped, that’s worth it, no? What if that one young person who doesn’t become a victim is your daughter?

If choosing to stop publishing a book with racist themes and images leads to even one kid understanding more about the nuance of race in America and the breath-taking extent of white privilege, that’s worth it too.

Would I rather the media spend time and money to bring American attention to bigger issues associated with this nation’s racism and rape culture? 100%. There are ENORMOUS fish to fry. Dr. Seuss is not an enormous fish. Potato head toys are not enormous fish. Pepe Le Pew is not an enormous fish. They’re not even big fish. They’re small. They’re tiny fish. They’re anchovies. But frying some fish is better than frying no fish.

Canceling Pepe Le Pew is not hurting anyone. Warner Brothers owns Pepe Le Pew. Warner Brothers owns nearly everything; they are not hurting for money. And canceling Pepe certainly isn’t hurting American kids. There are plenty of other kids’ shows to watch that are significantly less problematic. Just because you watched Pepe Le Pew and went on to be a properly respectful adult doesn’t mean there aren’t other kids out there who did internalize a harmful disrespect for consent. No, Pepe Le Pew probably isn’t single-handedly responsible for anyone’s decision to stalk or rape anyone else. But could a show reinforce the groundwork that ultimately leads a kid down a path where he is unable or unwilling to respect the boundaries of others? I mean, it’s not the craziest thing I’ve heard this week.

Canceling six total Dr. Seuss books that are already pretty obscure is not hurting anyone.

Changing the name of an already genderless potato toy to reflect that genderless-ness is not hurting anyone.

A brief recap: racism and rape culture are very real, very American issues.

If the decision to stop doing a thing doesn’t hurt anyone and may even save someone some hurt, why does that decision bother you?

Also, in all your frantic Facebook posting, make sure you are differentiating between “cancel culture” and consequences. When the media tosses around the phrase “cancel culture” it has this tone of finality that is, plainly, not realistic. Fads and trends move so quickly in the internet age that the idea that a group of people could “cancel” something permanently is just not possible. People who do or say racist things, though, should face consequences. People who do or say transphobic or homophobic things should face consequences. Consequences are one of the only ways we learn to do better. And again, that’s not my opinion, it’s science.

One of the consequences that can have the most impact is, you guessed it, losing money! In this capitalist hellscape, money talks. Boycotting and choosing how we spend our money are some of the most engaging ways to combat racist and homophobic garbage. When you have your temper tantrum because the company who owns a book with overtly racist imagery decides to stop publishing that book, that speaks volumes about your priorities. If you respond to that company’s decision by buying the book in question on eBay for $400, that speaks even louder volumes. What are you doing? WHY are you doing it? I’m guessing you don’t even know, and you should probably spend some time thinking about it before you flush away a chunk of your stimmy on a freaking RACIST KIDS’ BOOK.

All actions have consequences. All of our choices never affect just us. How we vote affects other people. How we spend our money affects other people. Spending our money on things that are problematic perpetuates the problem… whether it be racism, rape culture, homophobia, or transphobia… or so many other things this country desperately needs to address.

It’s human to not like change. Change is going to happen, though, regardless of whether or not we’re comfortable with it. In the information age, we have a remarkable opportunity to steer that change. Leaving behind racist relics is change, so it may be inherently uncomfortable. But change that moves our country away from racism and rape culture is GOOD change.

I am begging you. Use critical thinking… if you’re seeing a headline about something being canceled, look up WHY. Some of these headlines are absolute bunk… they’re shared just to get people all riled up and create American division. However, just like we *should* cancel lead paint, a children’s book with overtly racist images shouldn’t be published anymore and it’s weird if you disagree with that. Disagreeing with that decision, as silly as it may seem, perpetuates racism. I know how triggered y’all can get when someone suggests you might be perpetuating racism, but it is what it is. Do your research. Don’t spend your money on racist garbage. Be better.

I feel like this post is me just barking the exact same thing in different ways, but I also feel like there is so much more I could say.

I’ll leave you with this:

What will it take for Americans to weigh the threats of racism and homophobia the same way we weight the threat of lead paint? If it’s a matter of costing lives, well, the numbers speak for themselves.

[lokiondisneyplus]

Over five popular seasons, the story lines of “Better Call Saul” have unfolded across nail salons, fried-chicken joints and other strip-mall staples of American life.

When new episodes begin premiering next year, though, the locations that give the “Breaking Bad” spinoff its texture could be reined in or done away with altogether. The culprit? The novel coronavirus, which is limiting where the New Mexico-set AMC show can film, potentially altering both its style and substance.

“Like a lot of other people, we’re going to have to be very creative in where and how we shoot,” said Mark Johnson, the veteran producer who oversees the Vince Gilligan hit, whose writers just began collaborating on the series’s sixth season. “A lot of places just won’t let you in.”

Across the entertainment industry, casts and crew are beginning to return to work after a five-month hiatus. In states with loosened restrictions, such as Georgia and New York, production is starting to crank up under tight controls that alter how sets operate. Instead of crew members freely mingling, they’re being divided into “pods" that limit how production departments such as wardrobe or lighting can associate. Covid-19 officers monitor the health of the cast and crew to determine who is allowed on set. “Zones” dictate where those cast and crew can go.

These changes might seem technical, but they hint at the far-reaching effects the virus will have on final screen products. Interviews with 12 executives, writers, agents and producers across the Hollywood spectrum suggest a dramatically transformed world of entertainment. Until a vaccine comes along, they say, covid-19 will change what Americans watch as dramatically as it has where they work, shop and learn. Forget the new normal — movies and TV are about to encounter the new austerity.

Crowd scenes are a no-go. Real-world locations will be limited. On-screen romance will be less common, sometimes restricted to actors who have off-screen relationships. And independent films — that tantalizing side dish in the U.S. entertainment meal — could be heavily scaled back.

“A lot of people believe this is just about getting back to work,” said Mark Gill, a producer and former head of Warner Independent Pictures, the studio unit responsible for independent hits such as “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Good Night, and Good Luck.” “They don’t realize the massive cultural impact we’re about to face.”

For most of its history, Hollywood created entertainment based on a simple premise: Shuttle in large numbers of people and move them around at will. That’s certainly true of crews. But it especially applies to extras, the low-paid day laborers who pack sets and off-camera holding areas in order to create dense crowd scenes — and, in turn, lend the work real-world atmosphere.

Such scenes have of course been part of some of the most memorable moments in Hollywood history. From “Ben-Hur” to “Braveheart,” on-screen entertainment has become indelible thanks to hundreds of people you’ve never heard of packing tiny spaces, then moving as one when the cameras roll.

Yet the virus has essentially made these hires impossible. Many don’t want to risk their health for a $100 paycheck and remote shot at background glory, and producers don’t want to take on the liability even if they did. “Braveheart" used about 1,600 extras, many from the Irish Army reserves. Experts say the movie couldn’t come close to being shot today.

“Those of us in the entertainment business are not used to being told ‘no’‚” said Lucas Foster, a longtime Hollywood producer who counts the 2005 romantic-action hit “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and last year’s Oscar-decorated blockbuster “Ford v Ferrari” among his credits. “And when it comes to things like crowds, there’s going to be a lot of no.”

Foster understands the challenges personally — he’s one of the first producers to have made a movie in the age of covid-19.

In March, the Los Angeles resident was in Australia, several weeks into preproduction on a new version of “Children of the Corn” when the pandemic began to spread. Millions of dollars had already been committed to the movie, adapted from the same Stephen King story that yielded the 1984 cult hit. So rather than shut down, he decided to proceed — cautiously. Foster created a production bubble, consulted doctors regularly, procured large amounts of tests, and engaged in elaborate workarounds in realms like crowd scenes.

He said it worked, but with major accommodations.

“I had to figure out how to do a crowd with no more than a few people at the same time. And with very specific camera angles. And by taking actors who would normally be close together and making them not close together,” Foster said. “In the end, I’d get the scene I needed but it looked different than it would have before the pandemic.” (Computer-generated crowds, he and other producers say, only work for more distant shots; anything requiring close-ups needs the real thing.)

It helped, he noted, that many of his actors were children, who are believed less susceptible to the effects of the virus, and that much of the movie was shot in cornfields and other vast outdoor spaces, a luxury not all films have.

Producers say the added cost required to implement all the safeguards could also result in a lower-end finished product. Films and TV shows achieve their level of shine through an endless period of refinement, with actors and directors often attempt 10 or more takes of a scene. With everything now going longer — and thus costing more — they may not have the luxury.

One producer of multiple studio hits said he expects the number of takes to drop significantly as the virus balloons budgets. He also expected a diminution in night scenes, which tend to be more involved and expensive than day scenes. He said some productions will be able to make the switch, but not all will be as lucky.

Also unlucky, say Hollywood veterans: movies where characters seek to get lucky. Many insiders say romantic scenes will be a major challenge in movies. Two agents separately reported they had high-profile clients who told them they wouldn’t shoot love scenes during the pandemic.

“I think every agency right now is looking down their client list to see which actors have spouses who are also actors, because then we could try to get them cast, too,” said one of the agents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized by their company to speak to the news media. “I’m joking. Sort of.”

The added wrinkle is even if the actors trust each other in real life, many of their characters would still have to take precautions on screen.

“How do you send two characters on a first dinner date when people aren’t really going on first dinner dates?” said a creator of romantic comedies who asked not to be identified because they did not want to be seen as criticizing colleagues who are attempting new projects. “You can send them on a socially distant walk, I guess.”

Writers say that leads to a broader dilemma: how much to incorporate the pandemic into their stories. On one hand, they say they don’t want to pretend the virus doesn’t exist. But acknowledging it poses its own challenges.

“Do you really want your stars wearing masks because that’s what characters would do? Do you want to have people engaging with each other in groups no larger than six? Do you want to write stories where everyone is at a safe distance?” said Mark Heyman, the co-writer of “Black Swan” and “The Skeleton Twins” and creator of the CBS All-Access historical drama “Strange Angel.” “Because a lot of those things won’t be very much fun to watch.”

Yet if creators aren’t willing to do that, he said, it could lead to those shows or movies getting shelved out of a fear that audiences will judge them inauthentic.

Heyman was working on a series set in a high school for Netflix when the lockdowns began. That project has now been put on pause. “It’s not easy to make a show about high school,” he said, “when there is no high school.”

To avoid reminding viewers of the pandemic, creators may take an approach that will lead to an unusual trend.

“I think over the next few years you’re going to see a lot more movies set in the past,” Foster said. “Even movies written for the present will be changed. They’ll make it the ’90s because then you don’t have to deal with these questions. And then you can just put in some cool ’90s music, so everybody wins.”

A few creators have gone the other way, leaning in to the pandemic.

Writers on Apple TV Plus’s “The Morning Show,” set at a news program, have torn up existing scripts to make the pandemic a part of the story line, according to a person familiar with the show who was not authorized to speak about it publicly. But with a lag time of months between shooting and airing, experts say that creators also risk looking out of date by the time episodes release to the public.

Sensing an opportunity, horror filmmakers have also tried to embrace current events.

“The horror genre is very suited to the pandemic and lockdowns — we’re always trying to create a feeling of being trapped anyway,” said the horror filmmaker Nathan Crooker.

When quarantines hit this spring, Crooker gathered nine noted horror filmmakers and had them shoot an anthology film — short fictional movies connected by the larger virus theme — and titled it “Isolation.” He required filmmakers to use only the materials and people they were in lockdown with, even prohibiting Zoom and other technologies.

“I think we’re going to get a very cool effect that mirrors what people are going through,” Crooker said of his work. “But I don’t know that every movie that gets made would want to look like that.”

One consequence of the virus could turn out to be the movies that don’t get made at all.

Some of the most beloved films of the past two decades, from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” to “Whiplash,” “Little Miss Sunshine” to “Fruitvale Station,” were independently financed. But before rolling cameras, independent productions require insurance policies to protect them from workplace lawsuits, along with completion bonds, in which a guarantor assures they will step in with funds to finish the movie if production is halted.

Experts say no company will cover covid-19 with either policy, effectively preventing production.

“Covid is an absolute disaster for the independent-film industry,” said Sky Moore, a partner in the corporate entertainment department of the Los Angeles law firm Greenberg Glusker who has spent several decades putting together film financing deals. “The lifeblood of independent-film financing is loans, and loans need insurance. Now you have this massive hole in the middle of all of it.”

Moore believes the toll will be vast.

“I think 50 percent of the independent industry goes away,” he said.

(Movies financed by large studios do not buy these policies; Netflix or Disney would just absorb a shutdown or lawsuit as the cost of doing business.)

Even if they can work around the insurance issues, many independent films won’t get made because they simply won’t have the money. “It’s already hard to get funding for a lot of these movies,” said Shaun MacGillivray, a producer who makes large-scale independent documentaries. “And now you’re telling investors the budget is going to be 30 percent higher?”

The independent-film world is trying to push ahead, slowly. The Sundance Film Festival, the epicenter of the indie-film business, where companies like Hulu and Netflix sometimes pay more than $10 million for an independently financed movie, will hold a partially physical, partially virtual edition in January, albeit at just about half the length.

“We are reminded daily of the power of what is made newly visible to us, the importance of what we look at,” Tabitha Jackson, the director of the festival, said in a letter to staff this summer explaining why the festival needed to go on. “My hope for this edition of the Sundance Film Festival is that through a multiplicity of perspectives held by artists and audiences in their various communities we will also come to feel the power of where we look from.” Left unspoken: What happens in 2022, when the well runs dry because new movies can’t be insured and produced?

Whatever entertainment can get made, experts say, will have a more hermetic look. Even television shows, once shot heavily on sets, now often rely on the authenticity of locations; a police procedural feels like it does because detectives are popping into pizza places and apartment buildings.

“We don’t want everything to be a chamber piece,” said Johnson, the “Better Call Saul” executive producer. “But if many shows look different, I think that’s okay, because the world looks different.”

Then, considering the challenge further, he added, “And if that doesn’t work, then at least our show has a lot of deserts and open roads.”

[ingek73]

imho a better read then Finding Freedom

(too many pics to include, click on the link to see them’

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The British Royal Family, The Media and ‘SussExit’ – Part 2

Zanye Linda August 13, 2020 18 Comments

At the end of part one, I posed a few questions: Was the spare and his wife outshining the heir? Also what is the connection between ITV and the Markle family? Why does this mainstream channel consistently give them a platform? And what about the Royal Rota – they exist to sell the Monarchy to the public while also subjecting them to the appropriate scrutiny. Did they not think the negative coverage surrounding Meghan would have a negative impact on the Monarchy? Where was the Royal Family in all this? When Diana and Sophie were faced with negative media coverage, the Queen and the palace asked the editors to ease up on them. Even Kate was given a grace period to settle into her role as a Royal. Why were they not offering Meghan the same protections?

Winter 2018

By now it was clear Meghan was under attack by the UK media and each story was picked up and amplified across the entire world. It had been earlier reported that the Queen had invited Doria Ragland, Meghan’s mother to spend Christmas at Sandringham. Shortly after that story made the rounds, Thomas Markle Sr. would once again feature in the Daily Mail courtesy of Caroline Graham. He revealed the heartfelt notes his daughter once sent him and makes another attempt to ‘tell his side of the story’ and present evidence that he did indeed have a heart attack and that is why he missed the wedding. But he would go on to claim that he had been frozen out by Harry and Meghan, and any attempts he had made to get in touch with them had gone unanswered, and that he was living in fear of never seeing his daughter again.

Thomas would once again appear on ITV’s GMB with Piers Morgan, who has now switched his tone of commentary on Meghan Markle. The brilliant young woman – his words – was now a conniving ruthless social climber who had ‘ghosted’ her father just as she ‘ghosted’ him after she met Prince Harry. Interestingly, Thomas Markle is now using the same term ‘ghosting/ghosted’.

Harry and Meghan press forward with their royal duties and in early January 2019, the palace announced Meghan’s patronages – a total of 4 that include two – the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the National Theater – that she took over from the Queen. Around this time, they suffered a major violation of their privacy. Emily Andrews of the Sun (currently mail on Sunday royal editor), revealed the location of their country home in the Cotswolds, and the Times actually published pictures of the house taken via a paparazzi helicopter. This was a residence that they privately leased, not one gifted by the Queen or some taxpayer funded whatever, and there was absolutely no justification for breaching their privacy in that manner. It later came to light that Prince harry sued and received “substantial damages” for the invasion of privacy. It was revealed that the couple surrendered the lease early because of security concerns once the location of the home had been revealed.

With the media onslaught carrying on into the new year and new recruits like Piers Morgan aboard the anti-Meghan train, five of Meghan’s friends in an anonymous interview expressed their concern for Meghan and called out the global bullying by the media and the stress it was putting on 7-month pregnant Meghan. The article also mentioned, contrary to existing narratives, that Meghan did not ignore her father and had made attempts to reach out to him, begging him to stop attacking her via the media so they could repair their relationship. In a rebuttal to this article, the Mail on Sunday published parts of a private letter Meghan had written to her father. The excerpts revealed her anguish and confirmed the lengths she went to to keep in touch with her father. On the other side, under the charge of Piers the press was putting pressure on Meghan to call her father.

Kensington Palace welcomed a new communications secretary, Christian Jones to the Royal Household. Following his appointment we begun to see even more leaks. Firstly, pictures of Meghan and Christian leaving lunch were published in the UK papers, a highly unusual move because according to the Royal Rota, there is an agreement with the palace not to publish paparazzi pictures of the royal family. Meghan being pictured was significant in that, we know from multiple reports that she paid several private visits to her patronages( before becoming patron). They, as well as the women of the Hubb Community kitchen but not a single picture was ever seen, until they were ready to publicize the visit.

In mid February, Meghan quietly traveled to New York and for 3 days had gone undetected, that is, until the Daily Mail published paparazzi pictures. With her location revealed she was forced to move out of her friends residence into a hotel, where the media created a spectacle of themselves to the extent that back-up security had to be provided by US officials.

Then, ever so eager to break “exclusives”, Emily Andrews wrote a story about the events at Meghan’s baby shower, that appeared on the front pages of the Sun. Only problem was that, the story, complete with details of guests in attendance and games that were played, was published a day too early. The baby shower hadn’t taken place yet. According to Emily, she was told by her source at Kensington Palace was to blame for the mix-up and had apologized to her for getting the dates wrong. Interestingly, all of Emily’s tweets between 1st February 2019 and 23rd February 2019 have disappeared from her Twitter timeline. The baby shower was on February 20th, and we know she tweeted about it.

The baby shower attracted a lot of criticism from royal reporters and experts with claims it was ‘unroyal”, ‘lavish and distasteful”. And as if that wasn’t enough Kensington Palace in covering an engagement William was undertaking published UK poverty statistics, prompting Piers Morgan to weigh in accusing Meghan of living the high life while the Queen’s subject languish in poverty. The Daily Mail even went as far as criticising her for not inviting her mother in favour of her ‘New A-List Celebrity friends’.

Shortly after returning to London, Meghan was on a plane with Harry headed to Morocco to carry out another Royal visit at the request of the UK government. As for the royal press, on the one hand, they continued to complain about lack of access to Meghan – continuing a narrative they created at the time of the cookbook launch – while hopping on planes to go cover their events. According to the likes of Arthur Edwards, since Harry met Meghan he had changed and was no longer “one of the lads” who used to hang out with them in the pub. So what if the press had written a few unflattering pieces about Meghan – it was all a part of the game and the two needed to loosen up.

Spring 2019

Expectation is building up for the Royal baby and the royal reporters are trying to close in on a due date. The only thing they know came by way of a chat during a visit to Bristol, when Meghan told a lady during a walkabout the baby was due late April early May. Besides waiting for the arrival of their baby, Harry and Meghan were forced to leave their Oxfordshire home(as stated earlier) after the media published pictures of their house. In the same month, Buckingham Palace finally announced the split in the royal household commonly known as Kensington Palace and the creation of a new household for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex based at Buckingham palace, with Sarah Latham as their head of communications.

While the focus was on Harry and Meghan, it seems other royals were up to the usual royal shenanigans. The Sun’s Dan Wootton run a story on Kate’s fall out with a local rival, Rose but just like the “Meghan made Kate cry” story no reason was given. The story did not generate much interest until in an attempt to bury the story, Richard Kay in a Daily Mail article downplayed the fall out and instead tried to use it as another opportunity to slag off Meghan and Harry. The story gained momentum on social media and of particular interest were tweets from people within the Norfolk set, stating that the affair between William and Rose is well known but nobody talks about it. These tweets would very quickly disappear over the following days but never off the internet.

A royal affair is not surprising considering 3 of the Queen’s 4 children are divorced in part due to infidelity. The surprise was nobody in the UK press was covering this story. No follow up articles, no TV debates, not even a tweet from the Royal Rota who claim to be journalists covering the royals without fear or favour. The same reporters who had spent the past months giving us behind the scenes stories about Meghan, where no story was too big or too small or too nonsensical to be written about. Subsequent media reports indicated that Prince William lawyers threatened the media with legal action if they covered the story. And just like that, the story was buried. We witnessed the full strength of the palace unleashed to protect William from the media, while the same press continued to attack Meghan. The so-called royal family mantra “never complain, never explain” was applied to Harry and Meghan but the rest had the freedom to complain.

In early April 2019, Harry and Meghan finally moved away from Kensington Palace to Frogmore Cottage. Harry and Meghan had strong social media support where people worked hard to highlight media lies, challenge narratives and call out the racism, sexism, classism Meghan was subjected to. Given the nature of stories that were being written about the couple, the volume of leaks coming out of the palace, the petty displays of jealousy and double standards applied by the royal family and the media, there was a sense the two were working together to bully and harass this young couple and to undermine their achievements so they do not outshine or outperform the heirs, specifically William. This was mainly social media chatter as people attempted to connect the dots around everything that was happening, each circling back to Kensington Palace.

A few weeks later suspicions would be confirmed via an article by political journalist Tim Shipman that appeared in the Sunday Times titled, “Revealed: Palace’s Africa plan for Harry and Meghan”. In the article he mentioned how the palace was struggling to harness the popularity of Harry and Meghan. That their popularity was a source of concern for William, whom courtiers had to assure, telling him the current situation was “peak Harry, and the popularity would fade”. He also confirmed William’s displeasure at Harry’s appointment as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador the year before. The palace was therefore considering creating a position for them somewhere in Africa. Other continents had been considered but even Australia was not far enough given the internet age, and Canada was too close to the US, Meghan’s home country. The article went on to reveal efforts William was undertaking in preparation to be King after the death of his grandmother and then his father. Part of this involved reaching out to the very same editors that had been harassing his brother and sister-in-law for the past year, a move that the palace supported, and one which saw the media side with William and the palace, and advancing the most negative coverage of Meghan’s father.

The portrayal of Africa in the article as this backward, out of the way continent where Harry and Meghan could be “banished” to, attracted the ire of social media and forced the palace to issue a denial and the online version of the article was re-framed with the contribution of royal correspondent Roya Nikkah. Another area of interest within the original article were the lengths the palace was willing to go to make William (and Kate) more comfortable, which is understandable considering William will one day be king. But it begs the question, why an institution that was looking to modernise as they had boldly claimed to the world would suddenly find problems with the modern ways of Harry and Meghan, who in a short amount of time had brought attention to the royal family and were quickly attracting a demographic of the UK population and the world, that had until now felt disconnected from them? It seemed counterproductive that a move like this would be in the works.

About two weeks later, Meghan delivered the couple’s baby on May 06 2019. Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor was introduced to the world two days later in a photo call at Windsor Castle. That they were able to travel to the hospital, have the baby and be back home without so much as a peep, underscores what a tight inner circle they had and most importantly, what the distance from other households had done to stem the leaks.

The day after the photo call Harry traveled to Netherlands to launch the Invictus Games 2020. Initially, A day or two before the IG 2020 launch, Harry was scheduled to undertake an engagement in Amsterdam. The Amsterdam engagement happened to be on the same day William and Kate were to travel to Wales, and Charles was concluding a tour of Germany. In a move that was reminiscent of the Winter of 2017 where the media informed us of William’s fury at a scheduling conflict with Harry and Meghan, the Amsterdam event was cancelled, citing logistical difficulties for reporters covering all three events. Charles’ and William’s went ahead as planned with no scheduling complaints.

Summer 2019

Another summer as a royal brings another round of attacks on Meghan by the media. Her crime this time; while less than a month post-partum and on maternity leave, the Duchess did not participate in any events during Donald Trump’s visit to the UK. The scheduled events would see appearances from the Queen, her two heirs in-waiting and a brief appearance by Harry at a luncheon hosted by the queen. Somehow, it was the absence of Harry and particularly Meghan that the press was focused on. They accused the Duchess of absconding from her Royal duties, while on maternity leave.

On the work front, Emily Andrews would “exclusively reveal” that Meghan was working on a project with vogue and went on to speculate on the details. As far as their charitable endeavours were concerned it was announced that, Harry and Meghan would step down as, joint patrons of the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and work towards creating their own charitable vehicle. While the royal reporters feigned shock at this news and and wondered why this was happening, a review of the recently released financial reports of the Foundation told a story. Most of the income and successful impactful projects were attributed to the efforts of Harry and Meghan, plus the financial health of the foundation was found to be lacking.

Around the same time, 2019 financial reports, revealed the impact of The Sussexes’ wedding on the royal family. The Royal Collection Trust, which oversees visitors to the palace and other royal exhibitions reported “a bumper year of royal celebrations”. Retail sales increased by 19%, the Queen’s official residence enjoyed a record 3.3 million more visitors mainly driven by Windsor, and admission income grew by £7.5 million. Contrary to earlier media reports that Meghan’s wardrobe budget estimated at about £1 million (suggesting she cost the RF a lot), the Royal household expenditure only increased by £85,000. From the looks of things, Meghan joining the Royal family had been good ‘for business’.

This did not matter one bit to the UK media when the review of capital expenditure of under the Sovereign Grant showed that £2.4 million was spent to renovate Frogmore Cottage – a building that had been already been earmarked for renovation( regardless of the Sussexes’ occupancy) for the year ending April 2019. The media used this as an opportunity to demand access to Meghan, evoking the taxpayer/publicly funded argument and accusing her of having unrealistic privacy expectations. This criticism reached fever pitch when it was revealed that Archie’s baptism would be a private affair, with portraits to follow. Piers Morgan used his TV platform to tell Meghan “Go Back to America”. The media however didn’t appear to care that £1 million was spent to refurbish a Kensington Palace driveway. Harry and Meghan had obtained consent from the Queen to use her private chapel and keep details of their son’s godparents private. So desperate were the media to get details of the event that, Richard Palmer went as far as accusing the Queen of breaking the law. No matter how the media felt about this decision, the fact is both Harry and Meghan made this decision jointly with consent from the Queen but it was Meghan who bore the brunt of the criticism.

In July 2019, Jeffrey Epstein a New York financier accused of molesting dozens of minor girls was arrested and charged with sex trafficking by federal prosecutors. Jeffrey Epstein was a friend to Prince Andrew and the two had been pictured together in London, on a boat with topless women in Thailand, walking together in Central Park shortly after Jeffrey’s release from an earlier prison sentence for similar charges. Once again Prince Andrew’s association with Jeffrey Epstein was generating international media interest. When the Royal Rota were asked why they were not covering this story, their response was he has not been accused of anything. Nobody was asking them to accuse Andrew of anything and the public was pointing out a story that deserved their attention. Rather than address this growing concern, the palace instead threw a bone to the media by announcing that Meghan was to guest-edit of the prestigious September.

About a month later Jeffrey Epstein died in his prison cell and the following day the UK tabloids that had by and large ignored this story published pictures of a smiling Prince Andrew riding in a car with the Queen on their way to Sunday service at Balmoral. Royal experts tell us the royal family uses a lot of symbolism. The pictures themselves were taken at such close range, which could only have happened with palace approval. In allowing these pictures to be published, the message from the royal family was loud and clear – Prince Andrew had the full support of the Monarch herself. When Richard Palmer accused the Queen of breaking the law, the palace communications did not feel it necessary to respond but here was a whole Prince with credible rape allegations receiving a public showing of support from the Queen, the royal family and the media.

Still reeling from being left out of the baptism celebrations and choosing to ignore the Jeffrey Epstein – Prince Andrew association in light of Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest, the media would once again turn their attention to Meghan and Harry. This time round accusing them of hypocrisy for going on holiday using a private jet while advocating for climate change and environmental conservation. This is a common criticism of the rich and famous by the UK media. But in this instance it was problematic because as usual the bulk of the criticism fell on Meghan accusing her of “lecturing” the British public about climate change, never mind that never once has she spoken publicly on climate change which is her husband’s area of focus. Secondly, Princes Charles and William use private jets all the time but are not subjected to this level of criticism. The double standard was exhausting, the attacks equally tiring. Elton John was compelled to address them publicly, posting on his Instagram that he had paid for their private jet and its carbon emissions and called out the media for their relentless attacks on the couple. He was one in a list of public figures to come out and defend Harry and Meghan, while the Royal Family sat back and watched this happen.

Not to be outdone by the media and in what appeared to be a calculated move to capitalize on the negative reporting on Harry and Meghan for the Cambridges’ benefit, Kensington Palace under the leadership of Simon Case made last minute arrangements for William and is wife fly a budget airline to Balmoral to visit the Queen. Of course, they just “happened” to be pictured carrying their own bags as the walked across the tarmac. On cue, the media went into phase 2 of slag Harry and Meghan off. This was clearly a publicity stunt and as much as Royal Rota attempted to defend the situation it was comical when a Scottish paper broke the backstory of this very conveniently timed flight. Two planes were flown empty for hundreds of miles so as to position an aircraft for The Cambridges’ flight to “maximise publicity”. Their expertise in carbon emissions were suddenly non-existent. The Royal Rota were so far up that Kensington tree that they continued to make ridiculous excuses for the stunt. They were squirming.

The release of Meghan’s Vogue issue provided the media with the perfect segue to get away from flights and stunts to resume their attacks on Meghan. All manner of criticism were thrown her way. She was being political, woke and all that nonsense. So-called journalists, were provided platforms by TV networks to lie about commonly known facts. It was a manufactured hysteria, that was designed probably to sabotage the issue. All the dry heaving did very little to dissuade the public and Vogue September 2019 issue “Forces for Change” went on to become fastest-selling issue in the history of British Vogue, selling out in 10 days and the biggest-selling issue of the past decade.

The ridiculous display by the British media had now attracted global attention and the media received a lot of push-back. The racism, misogyny, sexism and classism was rightfully called out and so was their double standards and hypocrisy criticising Meghan for doing everything every Royal had done in the past. The British media pushed back. Dan Wootton who happened to attend University with Jason Knauf, a senior official in William’s court and had a mutual friend with Christian Jones, Communications Secretary at Kensington palace accused Harry and Meghan of playing the victim card when in fact it was the family and their courtiers that had been briefing different parts of the media about them. His colleague at the time Emily Andrews eagerly informed the public that, the palace had been angered by Harry and Meghan’s actions and nobody was supporting them.

It wasn’t the Prince hanging out with the convicted paedophile; or another Prince allegedly having an affair with his wife’s friend; nor was it the fact that in 7 years of marriage said wife had not done anything meaningful in her royal role that had angered the palace. It was Meghan’s admirable qualities of feistiness, can-do attitude and work ethic that had angered the family and the household.

Autumn 2019

In spite of all the media criticism and angry family members briefing the media against them, Harry and Meghan pressed forward with their royal duties and each day they had to come into contact with the very same people who constantly bullied and harassed them. Meghan gave the public a glimpse of a project she had been working on with SmartWorks Charity– one of her patronages -while Harry traveled to Amsterdam to finally launch Travalyst a sustainable travel project whose earlier launch had been postponed due to scheduling conflicts within the royal households. For the media this was another opportunity to undermine Harry’s work like they have done with his achievements in the past. Not being one to shy away from tough situations, Harry stood up in front of the world media and acknowledged the criticism surrounding his use of a private jet stating majority of the time he traveled commercial but occasionally it was necessary to travel via private in order to ensure the safety of his family – as simple as that.

Almost a year after the successful launch of the cookbook that raised more than £500,000 for the ladies of the Hubb Community kitchen, Meghan in partnership with John Lewis and Partners, Marks and Spencer, Jigsaw and her friend Misha Nonoo launched the Smart Set Collection; a 5-piece capsule collection using the 1:1 model with the aim of providing SmartWorks Charity with enough units to dress the women the they support for a full year. It came as no surprise when some of the items sold out within an hour of launching and in only 8 days the target was realised with only 4 days left to the end of the sales period.

Another successful project under her belt, together with Harry they would embark on their fourth foreign visit in a little over a year. This time traveling to South Africa as representatives of her Majesty the Queen and her government at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Over the summer period the UK media had gone to even greater lengths to deny what was a clearly racist agenda against Meghan. It was racist because Meghan was being relentlessly criticised for doing the very same things that all other royals did; guest editing a magazine, using a private jet, not making a public appearance immediately after birthing her child (the public didn’t see Prince Charles until 3 months after his birth), addressing issues such as feminism, climate change, sustainability, mental health. The critics called for the palace to fire their PR team led by Sara Latham because according to them, Harry and Meghan had fallen out of favour with the public. In the words of Eamonn Holmes, “Harry and Meghan needed to consult with media types like them” to get their PR straightened out.

That narrative was difficult to square with the fact that, the press pack that would accompany the “out-favour couple” consisted of 80 accredited traveling media and 300 local media. It was even more shocking to see the number of people that turned up to the events. Interestingly though, there was a slight change in tone of coverage with Meghan gracing most front pages back at home (but then she always did), but missing was the scathing words and the name calling we had become accustomed to over the past year. The media finally had a public appearance by 5-month old Archie prompting the likes of Sarah Vine to claim that in doing so, the couple had turned things around.

On the penultimate day of the tour, in the presence of a global audience, Prince Harry released a statement in which he called out the UK media for launching a smear campaign against his wife and informing the world that his wife was taking legal action against the Mail on Sunday and Associated Newspapers for the publication of a private letter she had written to her father. The UK media was livid to say the least. While the rest of the world media covered the last day of the tour declaring it a success, their UK counterparts wallowed in self-pity choosing to make themselves the victims and questioning the timing of this announcement. As they went on and on about the action of Harry, they failed to mention to the public that a week prior to this latest announcement, Harry had filed a lawsuit against the Sun and Mirror group for phone hacking. Although the media called this a highly unusual move and warned Harry and Meghan “would draw the ire of editors”, this was not the first time the royal family had sued the press. In July 2019 Harry was paid substantial damages after suing Splash News and Picture Agency for invading his privacy when they flew a helicopter over the Oxfordshire property. William and Kate, Prince Charles and the Queen have all filed privacy suits before. Just Meghan apparently doesn’t deserve or have privacy rights.

Across the pond another Duke and Duchess were preparing to embark on a tour to Pakistan, their “most complicated tour to date”. In keeping with royal family requirements not to overshadow other working members, Harry and Meghan kept a low profile throughout the month of October. Tom Bradby a journalist and friend to Harry & William, had been traveling with the couple and making a documentary about their Southern Africa tour. Naturally he covered the new legal action as well as the behind the scenes goings on. When ITV’s release of the promo for the documentary coincided with the last day of the Pakistan tour, William and his army of reporters turn their ire towards Harry and Meghan, instead of the media company, The Royal Rota accused them of intentionally overshadowing a very important tour by the future king and his consort, as if they are responsible for programming at ITV. Unsurprisingly, the royal press pack in Pakistan told of William’s displeasure; a comment that by now, we’ve come to expect. Protocols were invented for this specific occasion with Rhiannon Mills claiming “There is an unwritten rule in the royal family that you don’t do anything too high profile when other members of the family are on tour”. And yet only 5 months ago, while Prince Charles was on tour in Germany, William himself held high profile engagements. The sky didn’t fall out and neither of them lost their place in the line of succession. Also, remember that Princess Beatrice announced her engagement during Harry and Meghan’s Southern Africa tour. It wasn’t a problem and shouldn’t be. But oh that Harry and his wife Meghan.

The UK media reviews of the documentary were scathing but globally, Meghan’s authenticity was welcomed. The hashtag #WeLoveYouMeghan trended for two days with many calling out the UK media for their blatant racism and refusal to take accountability. On the part of the royal family, customary silence as far as Harry and Meghan are concerned. When social media users pointed out that the palace was quick to put out statements in support of Prince Andrew, there were leaked reports mentioning William’s apparent “concern” for his brother. So concerned was he that he had apparently not reached out to his brother(see Finding Freedom) but was able to reach out to the media with this information using unnamed sources. When the documentary finally aired, Harry made it categorically clear that “he would not be bullied into playing the game that killed his mother”, the third time he would reference “the game” – meaning the relationship that exists between the royal family and the media.

The British establishment were unwilling to acknowledge the blatant racism Meghan had been subjected to over the past year, but we were starting to hear outcry that the media scrutiny had been relentless. 72 cross-party members of parliament wrote a public letter of support to the Duchess. Rather than take accountability for their actions, they once again blamed Meghan. In November 2018 it was announced that Harry and Meghan would be taking a 6-week break and would not be spending the upcoming Christmas holiday with the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family. A decision that was roundly and dishonestly criticised by the media.

Again, why is it that other members of the royal family can do things – anything – but Harry and Meghan dare not? What is the basis of the blatant discrimination? It certainly isn’t seniority because Andrew and Beatrice, who are 8th and 9th in line behind Archie and his father get a pass. And so did Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips when they spent Christmas away from the Queen. WHY?

[marril96]

When in Rome...

Pairing: Rowena x reader

Summary: Your and Rowena’s moment of fun is ruined when an alternate world hunter starts making unreasonable demands.

A/N: Set after 13x21.

Editor: @miss-moon-guardian​

*****

Things were hectic at the bunker, and if it wasn't for your and Rowena's tiny, same-private space, you would have gone insane. The two of you settled on a pair of chairs by the library, invisible to the swarm of people around you. It was more for your benefit like hers; Rowena could handle herself amongst people just fine, having done so for almost four hundred years.

As an introvert, you were finding it difficult. There was too much noise, too many people. They were like ants, swarming you, surrounding you, technically harmless but not enough for you to let your guard down. They may not have wished you harm, but the majority of them were still hunters. As such, they couldn't be trusted. Just because Rowena had helped them didn't mean they posed no threat. The two of you were witches, and that was enough for them to want you dead.

You were supposed to be on your way home by now. With the rift taken care of and everyone back home and safe, you and Rowena had done your part. But there were still a few things the Winchester needed help with and Sam had asked Rowena to stay for a while longer. She agreed, and thus you were stuck. You weren't going to leave her here alone, the only witch in a sea of humans. Leaving her alone had gotten her brutally tortured and murdered by Lucifer the year before, and from then on the two of you had agreed to stick together as much as you could. Where one went, the other followed.

"You have to work on your pronunciation," Rowena said. You were having difficulty with a spell and had asked her to help you out. Anything to pass the time.

"Gaelic is hard," you said.

"It is," Rowena agreed, sympathetic. She was a great teacher, endlessly patient, quick to calm you down every time you got into one of your I-quit moods. "Would it help if I wrote down the phonetics for you?"

"Yes, please!"

She smiled. "Alright." You handed her the piece of paper the spell was written on. She took a pen from the coffee table and started scribbling on the back. "When we get home, we're starting Gaelic lessons again."

"Okay." You'd handled Latin just fine, but could never grasp Gaelic. It was a difficult language to learn. Pronouncing it was all but impossible. "There's a language school in town. Maybe I should sign up for Gaelic lessons."

Rowena looked at you, deadpan, serious. "Don't insult me."

You grinned, which prompted a smile to break free on her mouth. "Just kidding. You're a good teacher."

She raised an eyebrow. "Just good?"

"Great. Awesome. Gorgeous." Her face lit up; the way to Rowena's heart was through flattery. "Sexy. Lovely. Adorable."

"Adorable?" she questioned.

"Most adorable." You booped her nose, and she scrunched up her face, confirming your words. Adorable. Adorablest. Goodness, you loved her! "God, you're so precious!"

She playfully smacked your arm, cheeks flaming, red as her hair. "Am not."

You pouted. "Ow! No violence!"

"Then behave."

"So mean."

"That's right. I'm mean. Not adorable, and certainly not precious."

"Sure." Your tone was dripping with sarcasm. Rowena rolled her eyes with all the drama of a theater actress, a practiced, seasoned one. "Think I'll ever be as powerful as you?"

The thought came to you out of nowhere, though it wasn't the first time you'd pondered it. Rowena was a powerful witch. One of the most powerful witches in the world. Was it possible for you to acquire such power? Birth hadn't gifted you nearly half of it, but was it possible to amplify what you had? Was practice and studying enough? Or would you forever be a regular witch, no different than any other in the crowd?

You were okay with being ordinary, but it would be a lie to say you didn't aspire to be like Rowena. The woman could make gods fall to their knees, could make archangels tremble in their vessels. One word, and what she wanted was hers. Who wouldn't want to be like her?

Many witches would kill for a chance to study under her. You were dating her. All you had to do was ask, and all her knowledge, gathered through centuries of hardship, was yours.

You just needed skill to harness it.

"Aye," Rowena said without a moment's hesitation. Completely and utterly sure of her response, as if you'd asked if the sky was blue or if bees made honey. She just knew it, and she was certain of it, and it made your heart swell up with warmth. "You're a natural-born witch, just like me. You're skilled, and you work hard." A smirk grazed her lips. "You have a great teacher, after all. I don't see why you wouldn't be like me. Power is taken, not given. Remember that, dear. I was born with potential, just like you. It was up to me what I did with it, and I made the most with it because why wouldn't I? It was mine for the taking."

She made it sound so easy. So effortless. Want? Take. Have. The end. If only you were gifted with such confidence. If only you were so sure of your capabilities. You weren't a bad witch by any means, but your power was still raw. Untamed. You still struggled. In comparison to Rowena, you were a peasant.

To be fair, almost every witch was a peasant in comparison to her, but that didn't make you feel any better about yourself.

"You're really good at pep talks, you know that?" you joked, trying to lighten the glum mood that befell you. No use beating yourself up over something trivial. After all, it was just magic. Your magic, that worked perfectly fine the way it was. However much you wanted it, you didn't need limitless power. You weren't helpless; you could defend yourself if you were in need. You could fight. You could have fun. So what if you couldn't seek out and kill reapers? It didn't make you any less of a witch, no matter what your insecurities said.

"Shut up!" Rowena said, a traitorous giggle — one of the most adorable, precious sounds she could make — escaping her mouth.

"You should pursue it as a career," you teased.

It earned you a glare that had to have killed before. The kind that scared everyone but you because you knew her enough to know she was all bark and no bite. A yappy puppy that loved to put on an act in attempts to be tough, all the while melting into a puddle at the softest touch.

You pecked the tip of her nose and blew her a kiss as she shot you another glare. The corners of her mouth twitched; she kept it shut, lips a thin line, giggles begging for freedom that would never come.

"You know what my favorite spell is?" Your eyes wandered to a bookshelf across from you, right behind Rowena. You focused on the spine of a random book; a leather-bound one, with neat writing and intricate lines trailing around the letters. As old as you and Rowena combined, possibly older. Beautiful in that way old, well-loved books were. Your hands rose up in the air, palms open, and you said, "Liber."

Magic stirred within you, a warm, comforting rush of delight, and the book shot out from the shelf, straight into your waiting hands. Your mouth dissolved into a grin as you clutched the book to your chest, heart brimming with pride, with wonder. No matter how many times you performed the same spell, it never ceased to amaze you.

"Lazy-arse," Rowena commented.

You shrugged. "Why should I get up when I can just say the word — Liber—" you glanced at another book, and it, too, jumped into your hands "—and voila! It's here."

Rowena shook her head. "I should have never taught you that spell."

"Hey!" you protested. "I'm a practical girl."

"You're a lazy girl."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

She sighed, shaking her head.

"It's fun and you know it! Liber!" This time it was a journal, written almost a century ago by some Man of Letters. You set it on your lap, atop the other two books. Rowena couldn't help it — she chuckled, and you shot her a smug glance. "Told ya."

"It's not—"

"Could you stop?"

The two of you looked up, startled by the unknown voice. A man was staring at you. He was tall, hair a scruffy brown, clothes hanging on him like curtains — Sam and Dean's borrowed flannel, too big for his skinny frame.

Rowena frowned. "Beg pardon?"

"Could you stop doing magic?" His voice was strained. Politeness as fake as the smile he was trying to put on. "Please."

"We're not doing anything bad," you said, baffled by the request. Unsure how to approach it. "We're just having fun."

He swallowed. Cleared his throat. Swallowed again. "Could you please not do it?"

Why did that please sound so accusatory? So insulting? As if he wanted to call you a bad word and opted for a pleasantry instead, hoping you wouldn't notice.

"Why should we not?" Rowena asked, daring him to shed the mask and say exactly what was on his mind. Challenging him the way she always did, never one to back down.

"It's making me uncomfortable," the man said.

Rowena raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"We're not doing anything to you," you said. You didn't even know his name. Up until now, you'd never seen him before in your life. Plenty of people had rushed in through the gate; you were more focused on Rowena, tired, at the end of her strengths, than the swarms of strangers bursting in through the rift.

"I don't like magic."

The man's cheeks flushed, a faint tint of shame staining them red. It was hard to believe he had any shame, saying things like that. For all you knew, it was as fake as everything else about him.

"Or witches." Instantly, pulling on a ridiculous smile, he added, "No offense."

People always said that, as if the phrase somehow made the blatantly offensive thing less offensive. As if it made it okay just because someone said (and lied through their teeth) they didn't mean it.

You stared at him, flabbergasted. Rowena's face was the picture of offense, but there was a flicker of amusement in the small smile on her mouth. She'd heard it all before. All the worst insults, she knew by heart. Nothing surprised her anymore. The audacity of the man, though, made her want to curse him right then and there (you could see it in her eyes, the desire to let her magic roam free, to unleash it upon him), but she kept herself in check. No need to make a scene — yet — over an insolent man.

"I don't mind you… doing whatever it is you do," he said. "Just, please, don't do it in front of me."

"Then don't look," Rowena said simply.

He tilted his head. "What?"

"If our magic bothers you so much, don't look at it. Surely you are able to look away?"

A nervous smile. "In my world, witches—" the word was spat out as if it were dirty, foul "—don't hang around hunters. And they don't use their magic around us, if they know what's good for them."

Was that a threat?

"This isn't your world, is it?" Rowena said, cold as ice. Tone a thinly-veiled threat.

"I'm just saying I'm not used to seeing magic being used so openly," the man said with an innocent shrug.

You couldn't resist a retort. "And we're not used to being threatened so openly." Two could play this game.

"I'm not threatening you."

"Yes, you are." You weren't going to back down, either. Rowena had taught you well. Alone, you would have cowered, maybe ran away, but with her there, you had nothing to fear. She wouldn't let anything happen to you. She wouldn't let a stranger — an ungrateful hunter — lay a finger on you. "Leave us alone."

He held up his hands, a feigned surrender. "I'm not doing anything to you. I just want you to stop using magic around me."

Looking him straight in the eyes, you held out a hand to your side and exclaimed, "Liber!" The book — a random paperback — flew perfectly into your palm. Not taking your eyes off the man, you laid it on the others in your lap. Does this bother you? your gaze said. Challenged. Dared. Does it make you uncomfortable?

It apparently did for he shifted his feet awkwardly and took a large breath. "Please, don't do that. I don't want you any harm. I just don't want to be around magic."

"You're the one who approached us," you pointed out.

A gulp. "Like I said, in my world—"

Rowena cut him off. "Shall we find you a way to go back?"

He stared, baffled. "What?"

"You seem to miss your world. Would you like us to help you go back?"

"Wha-that's not what I'm saying!"

"Witches fear you in your world, do they not? Isn't that what you want?"

"I don't… that's not what this is about. I don't want you to fear me!" The tone of his voice, his demeanor, the flicker in his eyes said otherwise. "Just stop using magic! How hard is that?"

"You didn't mind our magic when it kept the rift open for you and your people to come here," you said. "Maybe we should've let it close and left you in that war-torn shithole."

A vein on his forehead popped, face flushing an angry red. "I didn't ask for your help!"

"Why'd you come here, then? You could've stayed home. No magic there."

"You don't know what it's like to see everything you've ever known destroyed. The people you grew up with dead. Your home shattered to pieces."

"Sounds horrible." It truly did. "Seems you're better off here. With witches."

"I'm not used to your kind."

"Get used to us, then."

"Your kind is unnatural." He spat it as if it were filth.

There we go. "So you do have a problem with witches." Surprise, surprise.

"I don't want you here," he said. As if his opinion held weight. As if he had any say in the matter.

You couldn't hold back a laugh. "Sam and Dean are our friends." Acquaintances? Allies? Who was counting anymore? "We've been here long before you. If that bothers you, why don't you leave? You're living here for free. You're wearing Sam and Dean's clothes and eating their food. You don't get to make any demands."

"Who are you to talk to me like that?" he spat. "You're just a witch!"

"And you're an ungrateful bastard!"

"Watch your mouth!"

"Or what?" Rowena said. "What are you going to do, boy?"

The hunter leaned in as if to whisper a secret. "Sam and Dean won't always be around."

"That's right," Rowena told him, looking him straight in the eyes. Making her own threat clear. "They won't."

He laughed. "You're pretty feisty for a witch. Knew a few of them just like you. At the end, they were all begging for mercy."

"I don't beg."

"Yet."

"Leave us alone!" you shouted, purposely loud, having had enough of this. You'd agreed to stay on Sam's behest, but you'd never signed up to be harassed. You weren't going to let some lowly hunter threaten you.

All the chatter in the Bunker instantly stopped. Heads turned your way. Eyes observed you, curious, confused. The hunter froze at the sudden attention, caught off guard.

"Is everything okay?" Sam asked, walking over.

"This guy's threatening us," you said.

"What?" He eyed the hunter, who put his hands up.

"She's lying."

"She is not," Rowena said. "This nit won't leave us be."

"Is that true?" Sam asked him.

The hunter sighed. "They were using magic. I just told them to knock it off."

"We were just having fun," you said.

"And I told you I don't want you to use magic around me!"

"It was a simple bloody spell to pick up books!" Rowena snapped. "We weren't hexing anyone!"

Sam looked from the two of you over to him. "What's the problem?"

"The problem is, they're witches!" the hunter said. "How can you let them into your house?"

"They're friends," Sam said defensively.

"They're witches." His face twisted with disgust. "And they were using magic. Doesn't that bother you?"

"No. They weren't doing anything wrong."

"Their entire existence is wrong."

"Fuck you!" you spat.

"Okay," Sam said, holding up his hands. "Okay, let's all calm down."

It was easy for him to say. He wasn't the one being insulted.

"I want them gone," the hunter said.

Sam turned to him. "They're not going anywhere. Like I said, they're friends, and we need them."

"I don't need them."

"That's fine, but this is Dean and I's home. They're welcome here." He pointed up the stairs. "If you don't like it, there's the door."

Warmth swelled in your chest. Rowena smirked victoriously.

The hunter was flabbergasted. "Are you seriously siding with witches over a hunter?"

"Yeah," Sam said without a flicker of a doubt. "I am. They've helped us a lot. If it weren't for them, the rift would have closed and none of us would be here right now. I understand your reservations, but they're not bad people."

"You're crazy! This world is crazy!" Sam shrugged. The hunter rolled his eyes. "Suit yourself. I'm not hanging around witches."

He slid up the stairs and slammed the door on his way out so hard the walls shook. You sighed in relief. Good riddance.

"What was that all about?" Dean asked, emerging from the kitchen with a sandwich in his hands.

"One of the other world guys didn't like our rules," Sam said.

"Sucks to be him," Dean commented, took a bite out of his sandwich, and went back to the kitchen.

"You guys okay?" Sam asked.

"Aye," Rowena said. "A wee hunter doesn't scare us."

"Sorry about that. Most of the guys are really nice. I swear, this won't happen again."

You sure hoped so.

"Don't worry about us, Samuel. We're big girls."

You nodded, though it felt nice to know the Winchesters — for once in your life— were completely on your side.

"You're always welcome here," he said.

"We know," Rowena said. "Do you happen to have any more of that scotch from last night?"

Sam laughed. "Sure. I'll get you some."

"It would be much appreciated."

You quirked up an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

She shrugged. "That nincompoop exhausted me. I need a drink."

You supposed that was fair. Maybe you could snag a glass as well.

And, hopefully, you could head home soon.

As welcoming as the Winchesters were, there was no place like home.

*****

Tags: @werewolfbarbie​ @oswinthestrange​ @songofthecagedmoose​ @apurdyfulmind​ @getthesalt-sam​ @metallihca​ @salembitchtrials @jay-eris​ @hellsmother​ @elizabeth-effie​ @shadowgirl-vsb​ @rowenaswife​ @wonderifshelikesroses​ @xfireandsin​ @liddell-alien​ @hotdiggitydammit​ @lae-lae​ @darkhumorsblog​ @angel7376​ @cherrypierowena​ @evil-regal-vampiress​ @collectorofsecretsandsouls​ @angel-e-v-a​ @a-queen-and-her-throne​ @carryon-doctor-lock​ @fangirlxwritesx67​ @rowenaslilwitch​ @midnight-lestrange​

[eclecticanalyst]

Studying “A Study in Emerald”: Fourth Post

Part 5: The Skin and the Pit

We return to “Emerald’s” main trajectory of mirroring A Study in Scarlet’s plot beats with the detective, the narrator, and Lestrade lying in wait for the culprit(s) at Baker Street. In the original story, Holmes does intend to capture the murderer by having him come to Baker Street under false pretenses, but the police presence there is a coincidence. Here, the police have been deliberately called for. We finally learn what counts for high treason in this world—challenging the Old Ones (of whom the assorted royals like the prince are the descendants), which from our perspective is a decidedly good thing, thereby causing us to side with the so-called criminals and against the so-called heroes of this story.

While the three men wait, the detective summarizes his findings and conclusions about the case, which are references to Holmes’s own deductions in A Study in Scarlet—his determination of one of the culprits’ height by assuming he wrote on the wall at his (the culprit’s) eye level and the other’s height by his stride, his identification of the smoking substance of choice for (one of) the murderer(s), as well as his observation that the culprit and the victim walked into the room together (in this case, of course, there was a third person already in the room). We also get the true significance of “Rache” here. In the original story, the culprit writes “Rache” merely to confuse the police, being inspired by a previous crime in which “Rache” was written above the victim and the newspapers subsequently speculated the German word to be an indication of insidious secret societies (specifically, ones that supported socialism) at work. “Rache” is apparently also a word used to refer to a hunting dog, and that is the significance in the “Emerald” version of this story. The “rache” revelation also serves as yet another example of how well-crafted and intricate the Holmes tributes are in this story. While the word was written on the wall on a whim in A Study in Scarlet, revenge really was the motivation for the man to kill his two victims—so Holmes’s initial factoid about the literal German translation of the word was actually quite apropos. In “Emerald,” although Holmes’s self-identification with a creature on the hunt is the reason he writes the word on the wall, the fact that he is a Restorationist means that a secret society trying to upend the established socioeconomic structure is actually at play here—exactly like those feared to be at the root of the original “rache” crime in Scarlet.

Just as in the original story, Wiggins enters the Baker Street apartment to announce the presence of the culprit(s), but instead of bringing the murderer(s) himself, he has only a note from the man. Apparently in this world Wiggins and the others who would have formed the Baker Street Irregulars are free agents, not associated with the detective of Baker Street. There is the possibility that they are under Holmes’s employ and hiding it, but if Wiggins really is being truthful then he just happened to be a convenient messenger.

We haven’t had a blatant Moriarty reference yet in this story—the previous hints have been more subtle and/or require more analysis—but here we finally have our “Emerald” detective incontrovertibly linked to the canon Napoleon of crime with the note’s mention that the detective was the author of The Dynamics of an Asteroid. This particular reference comes from The Valley of Fear, which was written several years after “The Final Problem” but ostensibly takes place before it...which causes problems for the canon in an odd way that I won’t get into. Amusingly, in canon The Dynamics of an Asteroid is so analytically sound that “no man in the scientific press [was] capable of criticising it,” but in this story it is apparently not quite as perfect—Rache points out that there were some theoretical anomalies, furthering the theme that things in this world aren’t as they are supposed to be, that everything is just a little bit off. The “theoretical anomalies” could also be because Old Ones propaganda has warped scientific theory and therefore Moriarty doesn’t have as precise a grasp of physics as he would otherwise, as seen by his dismissal of the mass-energy-light relationship posed by Holmes. By noticing the detective’s imperfections in his astrodynamics paper, Rache/Holmes shows that despite being the criminal in this world, he still has a slight edge over Moriarty in terms of abilities. In canon, Moriarty makes some unspecified minor mistake in his operations that allows Holmes to finally take down his organization, and Holmes later just barely manages to escape Moriarty’s fate of death-by-cliff-fall via special martial arts. Holmes being just a hair more capable than Moriarty is present in “Emerald” as well—Holmes can match Moriarty’s deductions (correctly concluding that Moran is ex-military late from Afghanistan) and also one-ups him by giving him some pointers as to where he erred (didn’t do his research for the “theater agent” part he was playing, didn’t pay enough attention to the cabbie). And, of course, in canon Holmes succeeds in the “capture the culprit at Baker Street” gambit, while Moriarty in “Emerald” does not.

Speaking of cabbies, we have a reference to Moriarty’s debut story “The Final Problem” with Rache pointing out that one should not take the first cab that comes along when attempting to escape someone—Holmes instructs Watson not to take the first or second cab when he sets out to join him on their Moriarty-evading trip to the continent. A suspect cabbie is also the crux of A Study in Scarlet.

The pieces continue to fall into place as the note goes on—Rache confirms that his doctor friend wrote the plays at the theater, and says he “has some crowd-pleasing skills.” Our narrator told us he was not a very good writer from the jump—“not a literary man,” in his exact words, and yet another hint that he was not who we thought he was—but Watson, of course, is quite a capable writer, and the fact that his writing is popular among everyday citizens is acknowledged in the canon (often by Holmes complaining about how he writes for the masses instead of just recording the cases as scientific treatises). Watson is later identified by the police as a former military surgeon, although they are not quite certain of his first name—a gag that is a reference to the fact that Watson gives his first name as “John” in A Study in Scarlet but his wife refers to him as “James” in “The Man with the Twisted Lip.” Rache apparently wrote under the pseudonym of “Sigerson” when corresponding with Moriarty about asteroids, the very same pseudonym canon Holmes used in his travels post-Reichenbach.

The bit where Moriarty speculates where Rache is, reasoning that “If our positions were reversed, it is what I would do” is doubly significant. First, it’s a reference to how Holmes discusses Moriarty’s probable actions in “The Final Problem”—especially when he and Watson are attempting to escape Moriarty by train and Holmes correctly assumes that Moriarty will do what Holmes would do in his place, and acts accordingly to avoid Moriarty catching them. Secondly, of course, Holmes and Moriarty’s traditional positions as detective and criminal are literally reversed in this pastiche.

Despite usurpers having taken their place of first meeting, their residence, their occupation (in the case of one of them), and their police friends, Holmes and Watson are still the heroes we know them to be. They may be on the wrong side of the law, but we see how they are working to rid the world of evil just as they do in their original incarnations (albeit in a more brutal fashion), as Rache describes just what the Prince of Bohemia had in mind before he was killed, and how the rest of the royals are much the same—which is why he and his doctor friend are dedicated to putting an end to their rule.

Meanwhile, Moran (who does not quite reveal his name at the end, and is interestingly only a major here, not a colonel), having written up an account of this case, plans to tuck it and Rache’s note away in a strongbox at the bank, much as canon Watson keeps his papers in a dispatch-box in the bank of Cox and Co. He also seems to have a sort of sixth sense regarding the intertwined fates of his friend and Rache, intoning that “it will not be over until one of them has killed the other”—evoking our knowledge as readers of the fall at Reichenbach.

You might notice that Moran resolves that no one else will see the papers until “long after anyone now living is dead.” As this story is formatted as pages from a newspaper, we can assume that Moran’s prediction of events in Russia bringing on worldwide catastrophe came to fruition, which is why this tale can now be published. June 28, 1914, the specific date of the newspaper, is the date of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination—the event which sparked the outbreak of World War I. We can only imagine how World War I plays out in this Lovecraftian world. The reference to World War I is one last nod to the Holmes canon as well—although ACD continued publishing Holmes stories well after WWI, the events of those stories take place before the war. Chronologically within their universe, Holmes and Watson have their last canon adventure in 1914, just as war is breaking out. So just as the beginning of this story matched the very first story of Holmes and Watson, the (implied) ending of this story corresponds with their epilogue.

[zachscarroll]

Final Thoughts on Paper Mario the Origami King with some major spoilers

I thought this game overall was incredibly charming and worth your time if you are a fan of the classic games like the original Paper Mario 64 or Thousand Year Door. It was leaps and bounds ahead of Sticker Star, and overall I thought it was better paper Mario game than Color Splash ever hoped to be.

Even though I'm pleased with playing it through it does have some glaring issues. Right out of the gate, this game is being held back by some sort of executive decisions from Nintendo and it shows tremendously especially within the first few hours of the game. I know nothing about the development of the game, but there are defiantly some things that seem either out of place or rushed which is strange.

Practically the first 3-4 hours of the game is nothing but tutorials, which they do need to explain stuff but not this much oh my goodness. They truly took a lot of the challenge out of the game and made it "very, very young kid oriented" and I'm not looking for the most challenging game out there--I usually play most games on easier difficulties so I can enjoy the adventure instead of having to be annoyed with redoing things. Olivia pops up way too much. I liked her character for the most part. Between Huey, and Kersti, Olivia was a very good one. Huey was a little bit more funny, but Olivia had a lot of charm and multiple emotional arcs. I know saying that sounds silly for a Mario game but she does grow as a character showing that she's still worried about whether or not she can really stop her brother. However, she pops up every time something happens. It's too much. I can see something has appeared Olivia. It's okay--but I'm getting off topic that's exactly what Huey did too in Color Splash. I hate to say it but when she leaves your party by being crushed by a boulder it felt like a classic paper mario game then. You had Bobby with you and he would add his own flair as the helper character.

Bobby truly was a great partner, and even if he's only with you for like maybe 2 or so hours I enjoyed having him around. I'm extremely glad they had partners return even if they felt more like story related. I liked having more than just Olivia with me. All of the partners except Professor Toad were really cool. It kinda sucks that Professor Toad is so forgettable because he is the only partner who has an over world ability. I think it would have been cooler if he was like a Monty mole or something instead of just a Toad with a shovel, there's just so many Toads in the game that an archaeologist Toad could have been cool, but I don't really know where they were trying to go with the character. He was like a scaredy-cat kind of character but also made weird like college references like about his thesis. At the very least he had an unique outfit? I don't know I'm reaching for Professor Toad. Why not just have Captain Toad who's an already established character and an explorer? Anyway, I found it kinda weird that no one else had an over world ability, and they could have done some more interesting puzzles if they had given Kamek or Boswer some. I loved having Kamek join and how he talked about being self conscious and lacking self esteem because Bowser never listened to him. Bowser Jr. was cool too, he wasn't as bratty as I thought he'd be. He was written like a tough kid. Both Kamek and Jr. have satisfying reasons for leaving your party. I liked how they put Mario first in order to save the whole kingdom. It made me as the player feel like "these bad guys know that Mario can save them." I know it's silly but again just a nice touch to the story. Of course you get Bowser to join you right at the very end which is just so great. He even talks about his parenting practices. Luigi also have a shockingly hilarious and "key" role to the story. I'm so glad to see these classic characters have great writing behind them, and really show off that these partners are pretty vital to paper Mario. Especially Luigi and Bowser when in the previous two titles had maybe like 8 lines between the two of them. Yes they don't do much in battle, but they are vital to the story. If my paper Mario games have a fun and unique story then that's all I really want.

Bobby was my favorite. If you haven't seen the one big twist involving Bobby, I'd skip this section and pick back up at the next paragraph. Anyway, Bobby sacrifices himself to save Olivia. While you can kinda piece things together and see it coming after a while you don't expect Bobby to just like straight up die. I remember when it happened I was like, "they really did this in a Mario game?". They even have a cute moment later on in Bowser's castle where Olivia thinks she see Bobby again. Overall he was amazing. That whole area of Shogun Studios felt the most reminiscent of classic Paper Mario games. I had a grin on my face pretty much the whole way through.

The one big gripe I had with the partners is other than Bobby any time you wanna go back to Toad Town or other areas they're just like "yeah okay i'm gonna stay here see ya later". Why? Why not let them come with you? The writers don't have to write any additional dialogue and if they did that would have been cool. Why wouldn't Professor TOAD wanna go back to TOAD town? There's an extra area where you can take Bobby at one point to get photos taken with him in Shogun Studios. Why not do that with other characters as a cool little Easter egg? Truly I didn't understand why they couldn't travel with you. I know in that infamous interview floating around with the directors and producers saying they only wanted one partner at a time so it didn't cause any confusion for swapping them out but that's so stupid.

Back to the game being held back--there were times I could see the designers desperately wanted to make a unique character better, or give something else a personality but they weren't allowed to. It hurts a lot when the original paper Mario games could give toads fun little names like  "Zess T." or "Fice T." and now we have "Professor Toad" or "Battle Lab Toad". There are two toads in Toad Town that both say something like "where's Purple Toad?" or "Where's Blue Toad?". Stuff like that takes me out of the enjoyment of the game. It's only when you go and look on the around on other sites that you find out that the Origami Craftsman man is actually Theofold. Yes, we did have captain T. ode, but like. That's just "Toad". Back to that interview from the producers of the game where they say they can't really alter Mario characters anymore like give them age, gender, etc. But come on. I'm not really sure why they can't give the toads proper names. I know that's an extreme nitpick, but that's definitely something that takes me out of the game and reminds me "oh yeah we can't do this anymore". Even Bobby, will constantly remind Olivia to call him "Bob-omb" It just feels like a slap in the face. Bring back Toadsworth? An established character who has been MIA for like years now. Just please. Please make the Toads different they did a very good job here with a handful like, the sea captain, captain T.ode, Professor Toad, and the Shangri-spa Toads. I remember those toads because they were dressed up differently than the other ones. I even remember the Toad who told you where the heart ups were because he was in a completely unique pose then the other ones. Please Nintendo I'm begging you just make them look more unique or don't rely on them as a pillar of a character. They are all the same. Just do more colors of Toads! There's red, blue, yellow, green, and purple.Make an orange Toad or something please. I liked finding the Toads in the different areas and they would unfold from origami, it gave me some korok seed vibes. Do more stuff like that!

Concerning the game's overall story, I liked it, but it could have been so much more. There were multiple key moments where I was like "why wouldn't they have a cut scene for this as like a flashback?". The first one was right at the beginning of the game. They instead of showing you in the actual game like a cut scene, they show a small slideshow of Toads setting up for the Origami festival with Princess Peach on the logo screen which I guess is okay, but I'm not a fan. Personally, I would have liked there to be a sort of storybook intro that the previous games had being like "every 100 years the toads in toad town set up a festival to honor the proud technique of origami" and then cut to Mario and Luigi getting a mail call from Parakarry (like the previous games) and then being like "the festival is today we hope to see you there." and then bam they're driving to the festival. I know that seems kinda dumb but why not show that in your game instead of Luigi being like "can't wait to get there" while he's driving his cart from Mario Kart. It's a little weird to me. The biggest moment like this happened when you first meet the origami craftsman (who yes is just a Toad) he explains these unique origami techniques he used to fold King Olly to make him come to life, but like brushes past it real quick. And then at the very very end (skip ahead if you don't want spoilers) Olly talks about this 1000 crane origami wish thing that was never brought up before by anyone. If he had mentioned it when he dropped the boulder on Olivia that would have been acceptable but it just kinda comes out of nowhere. If you're going to bring these things up then like at least mention them once before or have some type of set up and pay off for it. It just felt kinda rushed. The ending was cute though, and I remember liking Color Splash's ending a bit more but this one was surprisingly beautiful with how it ends with floating lanterns it reminded me a little of Tangled.

The other big thing people are complaining about is no experience. This has pros and cons. pros: the battle in this game a lot of them are scripted or can be ran past no problem. However if you want to buy better weapons or accessories (this game's subtle nod to the badge system) you need a lot of coins. A lot of them. You use the coins in battle to let the Toad audience help you or use coins to buy more time to line up your foes properly. I like this system. While I could have gone for a little more incentive to battle I found myself using my coins even if I had thousands of them. I thought it was a pretty good balance. I don't see why they couldn't have thrown in a little more to make the battles worthwhile though. Why not after ever 10 battles let you pick a stat? Mario's running speed in the over world could be faster, Mario's first strike can be stronger, It doesn't cost as many coins when using them in battle? These are just thoughts I've had if they don't want to use a traditional style stat system. They had max up hearts that raised power and health it's just kinda strange why they don't want to have stats improve or give you another reward for battling other than money.

I will say while backtracking to get missing collectibles I avoided battles outright. If I got into a battle while backtracking I would sigh. I knew there was nothing left for me to spend my coins on so I would try to run from the battle but nine times out of ten I would fail running from the battle. At least the battles go by quickly, but it would use up durability on your consumable weapons. I'm very glad that they brought back permanent weapons and no stickers or cards. This weapon system is a littler underutilized though. I feel like if the designers went in they could have come up with three or four more weapon types. Why not use more Mario related power ups? Why just the fire or ice flowers, tail, and pow block? Why not have a jump move that hits in a 4x4 area like the hammer? They have a hammer item that works like the jump move! Why not have the frog suit back from sticker star or color splash that you can use to dodge unavoidable damage if you don't line up the monsters in time? I loved the battle system a lot more than Sticker Star and Color Splash but it seems like they only scratched the surface of the attacks Mario could do. If you're going to have different weapons that break why not have 10 or 20 unique different weapons as opposed to just more powerful versions of the same 5 weapons? Same with the healing items. Why only mushrooms, when in Toad Town you can get coffee that speeds you up or slows you down? Especially when you find a handful of coffee shops in the game, why can't I buy those coffees there? Why not bring back the cooking in the game from the first two? I know it'll never happen, but near the end of the game you get a spot to cook one item and I really got my hopes up.  I know I'm presenting a lot of questions, but this is all I thought about when doing the battles. If they do an "origami king 2" or something that reuses this battle system I feel like there is a lot of room for improvement and a lot more unique encounters. I also feel like they did this because they didn't want to over complicate things. They wanted the battles to be simple after you did a puzzle section. Also the battles are super snappy. Lasting two turns if you get the right line up and can be more if you don't. I think that's a really good way to make the player really learn the right way to move the board. That being said there were many times I didn't see the solution and would brute force my way through making some of the battles a bit of a slog.

They do flip the script a lot with the boss battles. First off "The Legion of Stationary" is great. While it took me a while to get used to them, they were some of the best fights in the whole game. The Tape boss was extremely cool and used an element that I wished more games could use. They let you get comfortable with the battle system then the tape is like "no you can't move stuff around, or you have to move the 2 rings around at once." This was such a cool battle and it really did make you think. I will say it was a little weird that the bosses were real life objects like colored pencils or a bunch of rubber bands, but I thought it was more comical. I know a lot of folks did not like them at all. They were set up and referenced though because all of the tools were mentioned in a bookshelf in the origami craftsman's library. This is how set up and pay off is done correctly because Olly would have seen him using them and so he'd use them against the toads and Mario just a nice little touch really. If you missed the book in the library scene they really hammer it home by showing you the legion of stationary was on the origami craftman's desk. I've looked around online and apparently a lot of the bosses can be beaten differently, they don't all end in 1000 fold arms finishers which is super cool.

Also the two other big mechanics for this game were the 1000 fold arms and the paper macho bad guys. The 1000 fold arm thing was fine, it felt right at home in a game like this which focused on origami. That being said the paper macho characters felt tacked on. They did not belong in this game, They were the other side of the battles being in real time and defeated by Mario using his hammer on them. The reason why they had to have these were if Olivia was not with you like on the cruise ship you had a way to take down a boss without her help, because she's needed for the 1000 fold arm technique. Cool idea, but felt wrong for this game which focused on origami it's like they really really wanted to make this a Zelda game and have action style battles to contrast to the puzzle ones. Again, I could see them being used in another game.  

If they do make another Paper Mario game, and I hope they do, I hope they keep pushing the needle forward.Every game since Sticker Star has been a HUGE improvement, and if we're not going back to the original games I hope each game makes an effort to address all of the glaring issues that all of us Paper Mario fans have.

[cals-sunflower]

Mine (N.M)

A/n: This was written for Chan’s 700 challenge which is hosted by @temperaryheart ! My first time ever entering a writing challenge and I’m super excited!! It is like 1 am, so please forgive any mistakes. But I’m tired hope you guys enjoy :)

—————————————————————-

You and Nick have been roommates ever since you were looking for a roommate to go half with on an apartment which was about 3 years. Being that the apartments in La were not cheap. At first, you thought that you weren’t going to find a roommate until you crossed paths with Nick. He had overheard you talking about needing a roommate.

“I’m sorry to eavesdrop but I couldn’t help overhearing you need a roommate. Honestly I’m trying to move out of my old apartment, I’d love to be your roommate,” the stranger gave you a small smile.

“Are you serious? Thank goodness! I’m Y/n nice to meet you,” you stuck your hand out waiting for him to introduce himself and shake your hand. He shook your hand and gave you a bigger smile.

“Hi, I’m Nick. It’s nice to meet you too,” and within a month he became your roommate.

“Y/n, come here for a second,” Nick yelled out to you. To which you replied with a quick “coming”. You walked downstairs to the living room finding Nick on the couch with his phone set up. You sat next to him and saw he was on live.

“The people wanna see you ma’am,” you have a wave to the camera and seen that the views went up.

“Nick, they like me more than you loser,” you let out a giggle and crossed your feet on the couch.

“I did not bring you down here just for you to bully me. It doesn’t work like that,” Nick crosses his arms with a pout making you kiss his cheek.

“Whatever you say shark boy,” you began to look at comments which was blowing up at the moment.

“Can they honestly just date already?”

“I’m so glad Nick met you Y/n”

“Aww best friend goals”

You guys stayed on live for an hour before Nick shut off his phone and gave you his full attention. You didn’t want to admit it but you harbored a crush for the boy. He had caught your heart the minute he gave you that signature smile. But you didn’t want to mess up a good friendship and didn’t want to lose him as a roommate either over a dumb crush.

“Ay ma, my family is inviting us to come out for Thanksgiving. You down to come?” Nick had hopeful eyes wanting you to say yes so bad. Truth was he had a crush on you too. The feelings were definitely mutual but neither one knew about the others feelings.

“Yes, I totally am down. I miss your family”, you hugged him and smiled. “Tell your mom I said thank you for inviting me”.

-Few weeks later-

Before you knew it both you and Nick were getting ready to go to the airport. Edwin and Brandon agreed to drop you guys off since it was the least they could do to take the stress off you guys. Knowing that an Uber could take 30 minutes or more to get to you guys and possibly make you both late.

“Is that everything?” Edwin questioned you as you placed your bag in the back. You tiredly nodded your head, being that you got no sleep whatsoever. For some reason you were nervous and didn’t know why.

“Are you okay mamas?” Nick wraps you into a loving embrace. Being in his arms felt so right and you never wanted to let go.

“I’m fine. Just really tired, I didn’t really get sleep last night,” you mumbled into his chest.

“Alright, let’s go lovers you don’t wanna miss your flight”, Brandon went into the driver's seat of the car. Quickly getting in the car, you guys were on your way to the airport. But of course, you fell asleep with your head in Nick’s lap.

“Hey, ma we’re at the airport. Wake up baby,” Nick gently rubbed your arm until you got up. Everyone got out the car and started getting out the bags. Nick held your mini Nike backpack for you and you wheeled your suitcase. Nick also had a suitcase and a small backpack but he wanted to help your tired self as much as he could. You gave Edwin and Brandon hugs before walking over to the checking in machine.

“Yo, please tell her you like her during this trip,” Brandon quietly told Nick. Nick slightly blushed and shook his head.

“Maybe but aye thanks for driving us. We appreciate it,” Nick hugged the two boys and walked over to you who was already at the suitcase check in with two tickets in hand.

“Come on Nick, hurry so we can get snacks before heading on the plane,” you gave him a smile.

Finally, you guys get on the plane and get seated. Luckily it was one of the seats where there’s only two seats and you got the window seat. Nick took out his phone and began a video for his insta story.

“We’re on the plane and mamas here is tired. Say what’s up Y/n,” you gave a small smile and wave. “Imagine looking this cute while being tired,” Nick ended the video right there and decided to take a nap along with you.

-After getting situated into the house-

You were so jet lagged and immediately after saying hi to his family with hugs, you went into the living room with Nick and laid on him.

“Hey guys, me and Y/n are finally in Jersey,” Nick waved to the viewers.

“Hi guys I’m tired. Like jet lag is a bitch,” you cuddled into Nick’s side more and he wrapped his arm around your waist.

“Nick we see that hand sir👀”

“Okay but they’re definitely dating”

“She does look really tired lmao”

“Y’all notice ever since Nick met Y/n, he’s been giving us hella content? Just me? Okay”

“Tell Y/n she looks adorable”

“Y/n, they want you to know that you adorable babygirl,” Nick chuckles because when he leaned down to look at you, he found you were dead asleep.

“Y’all she’s out like a light,” your hair was in your face and your hand gripped his shirt slightly. Nick couldn’t help but to swoon over how you look so good in his arms.

You don’t remember what time you fell asleep but you wake up to the smell of food. You lifted your head to see you were fully on Nick’s lap.

“Hey you’re up, I moved you from my side because it looked uncomfortable,” Nick held his hands at your waist.

“Thank you loser, but I smell food. I love you dearly and imma head out,” you get out of his lap and leave him to go to the kitchen. Chris pulled Nick aside to have a quick conversation.

“Nick, you need to man up and tell her your feelings before it becomes too late,” he said to his younger brother.

“Alright, I’ll do it now,” Nick walked into the kitchen where you were laughing with his mom and Mia. “Y/n, can I talk to you for a second?” You nodded and excused yourself. He leads you up to his old room and closes the door after you.

“I’ve known you for 3 years almost 4 now. You always amaze me with how smart and talented you are. You support me and the boys everyday and I love you for that. Yes, you’re my best friend but I have major feelings for you. And I know-“, you cut Nick off from his rant.

“Nick, I feel the same,” you smiled at him. He immediately picked you up and wrapped your legs around his waist.

“Soo will you officially be my girlfriend mamas?” He bit his lip to contain the smile that was about to grace his face.

“Yes, Nick Mara I will be your girlfriend officially,” you leaned your head down and kissed him.

“Finally, I get to actually kiss you instead of just looking at your lips 24/7,” you let out a laugh at his silliness.

“Wait, what about your fans? They aren’t going to take that Nick Mara is officially not single anymore,” you actually began to wonder what the reaction was going to be.

“That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Everyone swears we’re together, I mean, look at the comments,” Nick pointed out.

“Okay, that definitely makes sense. You right,” you both looked at each other before laughing.

“Wait, we gotta be extra and take a picture in the mirror,” Nick put you down and grabbed his phone out of his pocket. He then grabs your hand and walks to the bathroom. You turn on the light and stand in front of him. He wraps one arm around your shoulders pulling you into his chest. Your hands on top of his arm and you smile. But you smile even bigger when he turns his head to the side to kiss your cheek.

Once he took the different pictures with different poses, he opens Instagram and selects the pictures he wants. Some of which were you guys making funny faces and posted it. The caption being “She said yes to being my baby officially. Y’all I really love this girl to death❤️”.

“Okay babe, let’s finish eating. I’m very hungry,” he didn’t even get a chance to answer before you pulled him down the stairs back to the kitchen. Nick couldn’t help but smile because you really caught his heart 3 years ago and now he gets to call you his officially.

[shadowmayura]

Thoughts on GabeNath and how it fits into the bigger picture — post-Miracle Queen meta

So yesterday I accidentally ran into some GabeNath salt in regards to Miracle Queen, and it made me sad, but now I actually feel encouraged by it, and I will write a sugar-fueled mini essay on why: (ps, this is GabeNath positive meta in response to negative meta)

I won't go into too much detail about the original post because salt sucks and I don’t want to dwell on the negative, but the two biggest complaints that were more substantial than petty ship hate were “this doesn’t even serve the target demographic” and “there’s no reason to devote so much time to this throughout S3.” I cycled through so many feelings about this — first anger, then sadness, then injustice, and back to anger all over again. But the more I think about what I read, I actually feel better about it. I think the reason it got under my skin in the first place was because the claims made weren’t totally unsubstantiated.

However, they fail to address the big picture.

I’m realizing now that the original post I read was not malicious (and just to remind people before anyone goes on a witch hunt: it was properly tagged, but I ran into it by my own error on a blog I follow). The person who penned it and those who agree with it don’t have all the puzzle pieces yet, or at the very least, are struggling to arrange them. If I take my stan goggles off for a moment, I can logically see where the criticisms would come from, even if I don’t agree.

But I am a stan. And I have paid a lot of attention to this relationship — this very specific, very important puzzle piece. And I think I’m seeing where it fits.

(meta below the cut)

I’ll address this point first — it doesn’t serve the target demographic.

That’s actually true. And it’s wonderful.

This is one of the few parts of the salt post that I agree with. Although many of us who love this show are adults and teens, we’re not the target demographic of this show. It is a kids’ show. That doesn’t mean we’re not allowed to enjoy it, but it’s not being written for us.

So why do the writers indulge in this technically extra-marital affair between two adult villains? That’s not what the kids are going to be interested in; they want to see the love square! They want the pure, wholesome relationships involving the kids in the show.

It doesn’t make sense to have GabeNath fanservice. But that’s where the confusion is coming in for anti-shippers: because it’s not fanservice.

It’s true that GabeNath doesn’t fit the target demographic. Here’s why that’s important: it disproves the other point — that there’s no reason to devote so much time to it throughout S3, that it doesn’t serve a purpose.

However, this can be corrected by one simple word: yet. The relationship doesn’t serve a purpose yet.

It’s not fanservice, not for the target audience. So why feature it? Why put so much emphasis on this relationship? Why go through the effort of laying the groundwork? The reason is because it’s going to serve the narrative in a major way.

At one point, during S1 and maybe S2, I thought that there was a multitude of ways that Gabriel could stop being Hawkmoth. The most obvious was that Ladybug and Chat Noir would eventually defeat him, and he’d have his miraculous taken, he’d be put in jail, etc, etc.

But now, I’m 100% sure that’s not going to happen.

Gabriel’s feelings for Nathalie serve a narrative purpose. They create another obstacle for him. If he loves another woman, why is he trying to revive his wife, who is, for all intents and purposes, practically dead? These emotions create an internal struggle for him in addition to his external struggle, and I bet you anything that the internal struggle is going to pose the bigger challenge for him.

And honestly? Good. That’s far more interesting than the straightforward “heroes defeat the villains” story we’ve all seen before. It’s more exciting if he defeats himself.

I can’t say exactly how his reign as Hawkmoth will end, but I can tell you that it will not end as a simple defeat in battle. It’s going to involve choosing Nathalie in some capacity. Maybe he actually wins, but when it’s time to make the wish, he finds he can’t do it because it’s not what he wants anymore. Maybe he does make the wish, but he regrets it, and he and Nathalie have to find a way to help fix the imbalance they’ve caused. Maybe the objective changes, maybe his goal becomes to save Nathalie from the damage she’s taken. Maybe protecting her somehow loses him the miraculous.

There’s a lot of possibility there. But one thing is certain — this relationship holds all the keys to how this Hawkmoth falls and the next one rises. It’s here for a reason.

[fortheheavenssake]

💟💟 PG MM Anon(II) 💟💟 Interpretation Collection - 8

52. June 19

MM ANON …… HMTQ boost……… cup cakes in kings-him ………… Garden-send-her ……… September kids ………… hack Australia ………… Bei-ching ………… Charlotte & George together ………… no longer alert ?? ………… “ get packed Philip we’re orf soon” ………debt, what debt? ……… slave day………… ONS………… “ bubble bubble- toil and trouble” ……… 🎼teach your children well🎼………… “Sydney ‘ don’t forget my tigger PJs”……… 🎼swing low,sweet chariot 🎼………… “ Cabbage ‘ it’s tic-toc time”.

*Entertainment purposes

June 19/20

✝️✝️🌈🌈💟💟THANK YOU DEAR MM ANON, FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO😊😊💟💟🌈🌈✝️✝️

RIDDLE#52

HMTQ boost………

HMTQ SENT A LETTER TODAY TO BOOST OR ENCOURAGE THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY FOR THEIR HARD WORK DURING THIS TRYING TIME. HERE IS HER LETTER . COURTESY OF www.business-live.co.uk

Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce chief executive Dr Ian Kelly has welcomed recognition from the Queen of the work the organisation and their members are doing nationwide.

The Queen is patron of the British Chambers of Commerce and she has acknowledged the response to the coronavirus pandemic as work begins on rebuilding the economy.

In the letter, Her Majesty said: “At a time of great difficulty for many, it is heart-warming to see the civic response and generosity of so many businesses, small and large, to the challenges posed, whether supporting the health sector or vulnerable communities.”

“As Patron of the British Chambers of Commerce, it gives me great pride to see the contribution you and your members are making to help firms, champion trade and rebuild communities.”

cup cakes in kings-him ………… Garden-send-her ………

BOTH WILLIAM AND CATHERINE MADE PUBLIC APPEARANCES TODAY. I AM SAYING THIS FOR THE LAST TIME SINCE I HAVE BEEN BANGING ON ABOUT THIS SINCE LAST NOVEMBER, SHOWED ABSOLUTELY NO SIGN OF A BABY BUMP.😮😞😊 WILLIAM VISITED THE MOST QUAINT BAKERY I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN MY LIFE. OH HOW I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT FOR REAL. HE BOUGHT SOME PASTRIES, HAD A CHAT ABOUT HOW THE BUSINESS WAS GOING.I POSTED THIS EARLIER , THEY GAVE HIM THE CUTEST FOOTBALL THEMED EARLY BIRTHDAY CAKE. HE LOOKED LIKE A KID GETTING IT, IT WAS SO CUTE. SMITHS THE BAKERS SERVE HMTQ SANDRINGHAM ESTATE SO THEY MUST BE REALLY YUMMY GOODS COMING OUT OF THOSE OVENS.

CATHERINE, TRUE TO HER LIVE , YET ANOTHER THING SHE EXCELS AT VISITED A GARDEN CENTRE CALLED FAKENHAM,NEAR THEIR ANMER HALL HOME. . SHE LOOKED SO HAPPY AND HEALTHY. I LEARNED A NEW WORD, HER VEST SHE WORE IS CALLED A GILET. I WONDER IF THAT MEANS SOME WEAR IT FISHING, WITH THE WORD GILL IN IT? SHE REPORTEDLY SHARED THAT SHE AND WILLIAM HAD DONE THE GROCERY SHOPPING DURING LOCKDOWN. HOW AMAZING ARE OUR CAMBRIDGES I MEAN COME ON!💜💜💜💜💜❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💜💜💜💜💜

September kids …………

IT HAS BEEN ALL BUT CONFIRMED BY THE BIRTHDAY GENT HIMSELF, PM BORIS JOHNSON, THAT SCHOOLS SHALL FULLY RESUME COME SEPTEMBER IN THE U.K. HOW MANY RELIEVED PARENTS DO YOU HEAR SIGHING, IF YOU LISTEN REALLY HARD YOU CAN HEAR IT! GOOD, WE LIVE WITH VIRUSES AND BACTERIA ALL THE TIME. LIFE MUST GET ON, THE ECONOMY MUST GET ON. WE HAVE SEEN THE EFFECTS IN RECENT DAYS OF BEHAVIOUR PARTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO BEING ON LOCKDOWN FOR SO LONG.

hack Australia …………

BIG NEWS CAME DURING THE NIGHT FROM AUSTRALIAN PM MORRISON OF A SYSTEMATIC, TARGETED, REPEATED INVASION OF ALL SORTS OF PLACES BY A FOREIGN ACTOR. GOVERNMENT TO PRIVATE BUSINESSES TO FINANCIAL. IT HAS BEEN SUSTAINED AND AT SUCH A LEVEL HE WENT PUBLIC BUT AS FAR AS I KNOW HAS STOPPED SHORT OF NAMING THE ACTOR. THE PUNDITS HAVE RULED OUT RUSSIA AND ARE LOOKING RIGHT AT CHINA. CHINA HAS BOUGHT UP SO MUCH LAND, REAL ESTATE AND BUSINESSES IN CANADA ESPECIALLY ON THE WEST COAST.

Bei-ching …………

CHINA HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN TO HACK INTO COMPANIES, GOVERNMENT ETC AND STEAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. JUST LOOK AT OUR COUNTRY CURRENTLY “HOSTING”THE HEAD OF HUAWEIS DAUGHTER AT THE REQUEST OF AMERICA HAVING A WARRANT. SHE THOUGHT SHE WOULD GET BOND AT HER RECENT HEARING BUT THE JUDGE MADE THE RIGHT AND INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS DECISION TO NOT GRANT BOND. SHE HAS LOTS OF BODY PROTECTORS AT ALL TIMES. I WORRY BECAUSE CHINA HAS A LONG MEMORY. MEANWHILE THEY ARE AT IT IN AUSTRALIA MAKING BILLIONS FROM STOLEN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, DESIGNS, SECRETS, DEALS ETC ETC.

Charlotte & George together …………

THE CAMBRIDGES HAVE GONE PUBLIC NOW STATING THAT GEORGE AND CHARLOTTE WILL REMAIN TOGETHER WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOL ATTENDANCE EVEN THOUGH SHE COULD BE IN SCHOOL NOW. I APPLAUD THEM, THEY CAN SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER. I HAVE NO DOUBT THEY HAVE DONE PLENTY OF LEARNING AT HOME AS THEIR PATENTS ARE NEVER IDLE UNLESS THEY ARE BINGE WATCHING SOMETHING OR WATCHING FOOTBALL.

no longer alert ?? …………

THE PAPERS IN THE U.K. TODAY , PM SAYING THEY WILL MOVE DOWN ANOTHER STEP AND BEFORE LONG THERE WILL BE ZERO COVID ALERT. THE CURRENT CASES ARE VERY LOW AND PEOPLE ARE CRAVING TO HAVE THEIR LIVES………

debt, what debt? ………

AS YESTERDAY, OR EARLIER THIS WEEK, THE PAPERS STATED THE BANK OF ENGLAND HAS FLOODED £100,000,000.00 IN NEW MONEY IN AN ATTEMPT TO STAVE OFF A COMPLETE RECESSION DESCENDING INTO COMPLETE MARKET CRASH. THE LOCKDOWN EFFECTS ON BUSINESS PLUS PEOPLE ARE SAVING MONEY NOT SPENDING IT LIKE THEY WOULD IF LIFE WERE THE USUAL. SEEMS TO BE SOME SPENDING LIKE THE DEBT IS NO BOTHER. EXAMPLE BEING THAT £9,000,000.00 PAINT JOB ON THE PLANE MM ANON MENTIONED THE OTHER DAY. BAILOUTS, STIMULUS PACKAGES, ASSISTANCES TO FAMILIES AND THE UNEMPLOYED AND SOON TO BE UNEMPLOYED….JUST READ @sandiedog POST YESTERDAY ABOUT THAT.

slave day…………

IN AMERICA, THIS WEEK IN JUNE IS REFERRED TO AS JUNETEENTH. I MENTIONED IT THE OTHER DAY. TODAY LOTS OF REMEMBRANCES. IN TULSA OKLAHOMA, ON JUNE 19/1865 AN ENTIRE SECTION OF THE CITY, BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES, IT WAS CALLED THE BLACK WALL STREET. IT WAS A MASSIVE GROUP THAT INVADED BURNING EVERYTHING TO THE GROUND AND MURDERING HUNDREDS OF BLACK CITIZENS. I HAD NOT HEARD OF THIS UNTIL THIS YEAR. ITS STILL A VERY PAINFUL MEMORIES FOR THE COMMUNITY. TODAY IS CALLED THE START OF EMANCIPATION. NO MORE BEING A SLAVE, A CITIZEN.

ONS…………

THE OFFICE OF NATIONAL STATISTICS HAS RELEASED COVID-19 SEVERITY CASES INTO ETHNICITIES. BLACK MEN ARE FIVE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM COVID AS CAUCASIAN. THEY LIST OTHER ETHNICITIES AS WELL THAT HAVE A HIGHER RISK RATE. I HOPE SOMEONE INVESTIGATES AND RESEARCHES THOSE DATA FINDINGS.

“ bubble bubble- toil and trouble” ………

AGAIN AT LAST WE RETURN TO THE BARD, THIS IS THE SCENE WHERE THE THREE WITCHES PREDICTING THE HORRORS THAT WILL UNFOLD IN “THE PLAY” ITS VERY BAD LUCK,ACCORDING TO THEATRE FOLK TO SAY THE NAME, MACBETH. HOWEVER, THE CORRECT LINE IS DOUBLE DOUBLE TOIL AND TROUBLE……HERE IT IS BUBBLE. IS THIS TO MEANING THAT THE SOCIAL BUBBLE THAT STARTED IN THE U.K. LAST WEEKEND I THINK, AND THE AIR CORRIDORS, BRIDGES BUBBLES WHATEVER MAY NOT BE WORKING AS PLANNED. THE PM IS PROPOSING, MAYBE STATING THAT CLASS SIZES OF 30 STUDENTS IS A PUPIL BUBBLE. THERE IS PENDING RISK OF COURSE BUT MUCH MUCH LESS THAN PREVIOUSLY. I LOVE THE PHOTO IF HIM WITH THE WEE ONES DEMONSTRATING THE NEW DISTANCE.

🎼teach your children well🎼…………

I LOVE THIS SONG, I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT. CROSBY STILLS AND NASH, GRAHAM NASH WEOTE. MAN I FORGOT ABOUT THEM, THEY ARE SO GOOD. CHILDREN WILL RESUME NORMAL LEARNING IN THE FALL BARRING ANYTHING MAJOR, I BELIEVE IN CANADA AS WELL.

I THINK THIS HAS A DEEPER MEANING, THE SONG WAS WRITTEN IN THE 1960’s. A TIME OF GREAT TURMOIL AND UNREST IN AMERICA, ESPECIALLY THE SOUTHERN REGION. DR KING WAS SPEAKING AND WORKING HARD AT RACIAL EQUALITY. HIS, I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH IS EPIC. IF YOU BY CHANCE HAVE NEVER HEARD AND SEEN IT, I SUGGEST IT HIGHLY. THE PROTESTING, FRUSTRATION OF RACIAL ISSUES WORLDWIDE AND THEN OF COURSE THE TROUBLEMAKERS JOIN IN, WREAK HAVOC AND TAKE AWAY THE MEANING. BUT I DO NOT SEE THIS GOING AWAY. THINGS ARE CHANGING AND THEY MUST. IF WE DO NOT EVOLVE AND LEARN , WE GROW STAGNANT. HUMAN BEINGS ARE MEANT TO LEARN , GROW, LIVE LIFE FULLY. OTHERWISE WHATS THE POINT RIGHT?

🎼swing low,sweet chariot 🎼…………

IN REALLY OLD FASHIONED TERMS THIS IS A NEGRO SPIRITUAL, NO OFFENCE INTENDED. THE SPIRITUALS HAD MEANING BEYOND THE RELIGIOUS. THE LYRICS SERVED AS A GUIDEPOST TO ESCAPED SLAVES. WHERE TO GO, HOW TO FIND SAFETY, HOW TO FIND ABOLITIONISTS WHO WILL HELP THEM TOWARDS FREEDOM. THEY ARE EXTREMELY POWERFUL. THE RUGBY LEAGUE , REPORTEDLY HAS TAKEN THIS SONG FOR MANY YEARS SND AS WE KNOW IN ENGLISH SPORT LIKE FOOTBALL OR RUGBY, THE CROWD SINGS THE SAME SONGS, THEME SONGS IF YOU LIKE. WITH THE CURRENT CLIMATE OF RACIAL ISSUES THEY ARE GOING TO CONSIDER STOPPING SINGING THIS. ALTHOUGH HOW DO YOU STOP 40,000 DRUNK FANS FROM SINGING ONCE THE STADIUMS OPEN UP? THE PM HAS COME OUT AGAINST THIS BAN.

“ get packed Philip we’re orf soon” “ Sydney ‘ don’t forget my tigger PJs”……… “ Cabbage ‘ it’s tic-toc time”.

BACK AT MY MOST FAVOURITE TIME. FIRESIDE VISIT AT WINDSOR CASTLE. TIME TP HEAD UP TO BALMORAL, THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS AS USUAL. HMTQ REMINDING HIMSELF IT HOLIDAY TIME. SHE MUST BE FEELING PRETTY GOOD TO USE THE CHEEKY ENGLISH ORF FOR OFF.🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂NOW HIMSELF WEARING TIGGER PYJAMAS I WOULD PAY SERIOUS MONEY TO SEE. BUT WE DO KNOW WELL THAT AT CHRISTMASTIME , THEY LOVE TO GIVE EACH OTHER WACKY FUNNY GIFTS. MY SUSPICION IS THAT THESE ARE ONE SUCH GIFT.😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣. TWO BELOVED NICKNAMES CABBAGE 🥬 AND SAUSAGE , HIMSELF HAS FOR HMTQ. HE IS QUITE SWEETLY ACTUALLY, REMINDING HER ITS TIME FOR “THE CAMBRIDGE SHOW ON TIK TOK”.

I WOUKD LOVE IT TO BE THE RACHEL SHOW WITH AN ⏳COUNTING DOWN TIME TO JUSTICE. ⚖️ 🕰 TICK TOCK RACHEL, SOON THE BELL TOLLETH FOR THEE 🔔

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

——————

53. July 1

💟💟🌈🌈✝️✝️ PG AUDIOSPEAK INTERPRETATION OF MM ANON💟💟🌈🌈✝️✝️

MM ANON ……… Hong gone ………… Melbourne hellbourn……… Britain made a wedding profit ??? …………… 4 th July closed. …………… Independent’s bug. …………Maple Kate forever……… George is upset…………… 🎼follow er of fashion 🎼………………… MM, a legend in her own lunchtime ……………… Wigan bin in ……………………air Bridge of size.

Entertainment purposes

JULY 1/2020 HAPPY CANADA DAY🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

RIDDLE #53 FOR ME BUT I THINK I MISSED FOUR OR FIVE RIDDLES SORRY. I WILL ATTEMPT THIS ONE. THANK YOU MM ANON FOR YOUR KIND MESSAGE✝️✝️✝️🌈🌈🌈💟💟💟PG💟💟💟💟🌈🌈🌈✝️✝️✝️🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥

Hi kids this is my very very very first riddle using this software where I don’t have to type so I just speak so if I come across differently it’ll be just my pattern of speech but hopefully you’ll still get the whole wonderful marvellous experience of PG😁💜💜💜✝️✝️✝️🦥🦥🦥✝️✝️✝️🌈🌈🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜

Hong gone …………

Well kids I am going to attempt using dictation no no no attempt dictation anyhow I can’t go back in and erase what does called so anyways I’m going to attempt dictation of audio of my riddle interpretation and this one hung gone makes me very sad. The British handover her to China of Hong Kong 20 years ago or so was with the understanding that Hong Kong ,The Hong Kong ,would maintain its independence and it’s free market and all that and it’s all changed. Hong Kong is gone. China has invaded they have made free speech and any mention relating to Hong Kong illegal and many people have been arrested and this is absolutely dire situation it’s just terrible. We need to pray for all those people there’s a lot of people from all over the world that have lived there for a long time doing business and I know a lot of Canadians have left already but I do know many are still there and sentence

Melbourne hellbourn……

This phrase goes back a number of years some when there was a lot of racial attacks on I,migrants from India. however that is Old news and what we have is a major major spike in again the coronavirus across Melbourne there’s been any many more cases actually Austra different parts of Australia and it’s resulted in a lot of serious oh I don’t need to go onto all that you guys know the whole what happens when the case is spike. They have been saying for a while with this coronavirus COVID-19, is more virulence in warmer weather no that’s interesting because here where I am it’s we’re pushing 40°C and Australia is on the bottom of the world are on the other side of the world anyways and they’re technically in there autumn so I don’t know how that theory holds I although I haven’t myself checked with the temperature is there so I could be wrong it could be out there. Anyway it is very serious and we just need to keep all of everyone in prayer our Australian friends in prayer or New Zealand Friends in prayer.

Britain made a wedding profit ??? ……………

Ha Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah oh kids when I speak you will get more of a conversation for me then just information and I had to laugh reading this because Madam is now claiming 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂she’s claiming 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂knock knock do now knock knock , who’s there, ha ha Ha Ha Ha Ha ha ha. OK serious now Madam is claiming that her 32,000,000 pound wedding which was paid for by whoever brought in $1 billion pounds worth of tourism to the UK ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha I am sorry but this is just insanity run amok in the mire of Sea hag soup yuck liar Rachel Rachel Rachel Rachel Rachel liar.

4 th July closed. …………… Independent’s bug. …………

Today is Canada day so I wish my fellow Canadians a happy Canada Day🇨🇦. July 4 in America is usually their day to celebrate America day in the American land as Pluto living would say, if you’ve ever watched Pluto living on YouTube, with our Canadian superstore talking dog talks about the Canada land and the America land and the England seriously. So July 4 is Independence Day in America. It is a holiday it’s usually a picnic day a parade day or day of national pride a lot of people out and about with music and film and live music and fireworks 💥 and that sort of thing do you to the increase again in corona Coronavirus seems to be spiking in various cities and of course the “friendly gatherings” that have been happening all over the country “to redecorate public landscapes”, have led to the cancellation of many July 4 celebrations which is very sad and again then indication of where things are at.

Maple Kate forever………

🍁 The maple leaf forever with the original song of Canada before we have to celebrate dominion day but we are when we got our flag I think in 1967 it’s been since then has been called Canada day. When William and Catherine visited Canada in 2011 they were here on Canada Day and she’s all she’s beautiful in red and she was wearing the Maple 🍁 leaf brooch that a HMTQ loaned to her. It was a gift from Canada. I am blessed enough to own a copy of that brooch that my sister brought back for me from one of her trips to London which unfortunately she could not take this year she has missed several trips that she’s not happy bunny 🐰 about.

George is upset……………

Now I know this is not recent but there have been cute reports that our George is not happy with the schoolwork he’s getting because Charlotte has much cooler stuff to learn and to work on. That was reported back in May mid May end of May so I don’t know if she’s doing cooler summer projects or maybe taking swimming lessons or something else maybe she’s got some thing that he thinks is cooler I couldn’t find anything recently anyways more recent than that but George is such a sensitive soul don’t you just love them.

🎼follow er of fashion 🎼…………………

OK here we have a song and it’s follower of fashion or follow ER a fashion let’s talk about the ER could be emergency room or a variation of the British way of saying her which would be ‘er, although they do say that in some parts of America I believe are pronounce it thusly. The song follower and fashions with the in from the 1960s by the band The Kinks and it totally made fun of British fashion and style at that time And just as you do you can make fun of your own but don’t let anybody else try. No when I see ER, it obviously her Majesty’s signature, however here we have ER in lowercase,er. This is a woman who is a legend in her own mind Madam part of the billion £1,000,000,000 that was supposed to have been earned by the government of England or Britain or the England land or whatever amount of calls it a part of the billion £of that was to be earned by her wedding was from her and her brilliant fashion choices none of which were British with the exception of I believe and Stella McCartney. The dress for the reception dinner after the happy gathering of unhappy people are rumours abound whether a reception occurred or not. There are no pictures and yeah so whether there was an actual reception or not I’ll leave that for you to decide whether madams fashion choices have been British is obvious know whether her fashion choices have raised money probably whether they have been good no and so this song with kind of fit because it’s making direct funding of fashion British fashion of the time but now the fashion that Madame has employed guys the threat of the stuff is totally different doing talking then doing typing so please bear with me.

MM, a legend in her own lunchtime ………………

Oh this is too funny I just use the word the word the first phrase in the above paragraph she’s a legend in her own mind MM ANON, you have A legend in her own lunchtime. I think the same explanation applies she is just the cats miaow in her own eyes and she just can do anything and do no wrong wonder if she’s preparing for now at lunchtime chat show or what’s going on the meaning of lunchtime I should just worry about her court and her five so-called friends that she has no named not public leave it to the court and my goodness the chips are going to fall the chips are going to fall the 🔔 tolling I can hear it off in the distance the bell 🔔 is towing can you hear the bell 🔔 Rachel it is starting to toll for thee!

Wigan bin in ……………………

Sad news for the Wigand athletic club it’s been announced that they’ve gone into administration. They have been in the champions club and this closure administration is due to the effects of the coronavirus yet another victim of the coronavirus. The club has been given a 12 point suspension which could remove them from the current leak there in and relegate some to a lower league which should be absolutely disastrous and devastating of course for all the fans never mind the players and all the staff people in their jobs just it’s just devastating. The coronavirus has just weird we haven’t even begin to see The extreme damage which has been done and all the ripple effects of the lockdown the many deaths the illness is the lot real lockdown on the entire effectiveness of just it’s just it’s so massive that my mind at least at this point cannot even grasp.

air Bridge of size.

An air bridge is the cross platform right from your desktop to your mobile phone communication system for quick to dial phone numbers it’ll text you you are a nearest transfers from any desktop to your mobile device which is very convenient.

I don’t believe MM ANON, is referring to this type of air because I do believe she’s she’s really referring to the air bridge in terms of travel. I’ve actually found a newspaper article here it’s in titled air bridge of sighs SIGHS,, and it’s talking about the rules of the UK regarding travel the quarantine for those travelling into the country will still be remain in effect and people will be compelled to wear facemasks in public transport. Seems to be some challenges with regards to individual countries. Currently I emergency tops are in the way between our Nicola Sturgeon a Scottish national party and the Boris Johnson he made the statement that the air is no border between Scotland and England it that that was absurd and as we knowScots🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿are proud and they were many want their independence and a great umbrage at the comment made by the PM Johnson. This is quite important because as you know her Majesty always goes to Balmoral in Scotland for her summer break and if they are not allowing travel that would not be a good thing so guys get it resolved she wants to go she needs to go they need the holiday get it resolved please for her Majesty thank you.

OK kids I’d like some feedback on how this went using the microphone and having me talk instead of typing. It’s definitely been a lot easier for me and I hope it makes the riddle still enjoyable and helpful I am missed about four orfive of them that week when I took a break there and I feel badly about that but I can’t go back and do them now so I don’t know what riddle l am on now I am really don’t know but anyways thanks kids thanks a lot bye-bye

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

—————-

54. July 3.

HEY KIDS, I AM GETTING THE HANG OF DOING THE AUDIO NOW. IT SWITHCHES FROM ALL CAPS TO REGUSO BEAR WITH ME✝️✝️✝️PG💟💟💟

MM ANON

MM ANON ………OMG your under arrest………… video link………… across the border Scotland ……………surprise George …………… Charlotte leads………… Kate&William on top again ………… MM pathetic and mendacious ………… fakency lies……………… “ nice to be going soon cabbage“………… “ yes , I’m looking forward to a drive around the grounds” ………… “ shooting party’s this year” ……… “ doctors approval Philip “ …………” we’ll bring Sydney “……… “ Ahhh, that reminds me,Sydney!!”……… “Philip, it’s tic toc.”

Entertainment purposes

✝️✝️🌈🌈💟💟 THANK YOU MM ANON 💟💟🌈🌈✝️✝️

JULY 3/2020 0425 hrs RIDDLE FROM JULY 2/2020

RIDDLE #54

Sorry kids I ended up crashing to sleep yesterday and the riddle came up so I missed it but here at four in the morning I’m awake and

OMG your under arrest………… video link…………

WELL GHISLAINE MAXWELL WAS ARRESTED yESTERDAY ACTUALLY BY NOW IT WILL BE THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY SHE WAS ARRESTED ON WEDNESDAY THURSDAY. THURSDAY IN THE TINY STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE IN AMERICA. SHE WAS NOT THOUGHT TO BE IN AMERICA BY MANY. OTHERS THOUGHT MAYBE SHE WAS HIDING IN SOUTH AMERICA OR SOMEWHERE ELSE BUT NOPE THERE SHE WAS IN THAT LITTLE STATE. SHE HAS BEEN BEING BEING MONITORED BY THE FBI FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND SO THEY WERE WAITING, HOW WAS IT, PHRASE THEY SAID THEY WERE WAITING FOR WHEN IT WAS THE RIGHT TIME, SO OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT THEY NEEDED TO HAVE IN PLACE before they arrested her. THE FBI WANT MISS MAXWELL TO FLIP OVER ON PRINCE ANDREW AND SOME OTHER WELL HEELED MEN BECAUSE SHE HERSELF IS BEING ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ABUSING ARE THOSE THOSE WOMEN AND YOUNG GIRLS, SHE MAY BE LOOKING TO MAKE A DEAL. ON THE PHRASE THAT JEFFREY HAD A BLACK BOOK BAG, IN HER, BY ARRESTING HER, THEY’VE GOT THE LIVING BLACK BOOK! SO THEY USE THE “THEY KNOW WHERE SHE KNOWS WERE ALL THE BODIES ARE BURIED WHICH MEANING MAY MEAN LITERAL BODIES I DON’T KNOW BUT IT’S JUST USUALLY MEANS THAT SHE KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYONE AND EVERY HORRIBLE THING THAT WAS DONE.OK kids all IS WORKING NOW OR ISN’T IT IF IT’S WORKING BUT IT WORKS HERE AT WORK AND EMAIL BUT IT DOESN’T WORK IN A TUMBLR WHEN I WANT TO DO A MESSAGE TO SOMEBODY SO ANYHOW WE’RE STILL LEARNING THIS WHOLE GAME. NEW SENTENCE SO SHE WAS TO APPEAR YESTERDAY VIA VIDEO LINK TO FACE THE JUDGE THE BIGGEST HURDLE WAS BAIL. She was mandated to the custody of the US marshals and will be transferred to the courthouse I see the jail in Manhattan. Ironically it’s the same jail where Jeffrey Epstein was held until his death.OF COURSE SHE WANTED BAIL BUT DO IT TO HER NOW THERE’S SOME SOME PEOPLE SAYING YOU SHOULD HAVE ENOUGH AS MUCH MONEY AS THE RUMORS ARE BUT I THINK SHE’S A PRETTY WEALTHY LADY SO NEEDLESS TO SAY BAIL WAS DENIED BECAUSE SHE IS A FLIGHT RISK. She is being held without bond on child charges of child sex trafficking part of it is for Jeffrey Epstein and part of it is for herself oh I see now I’ve gone on all caps off again anyways whatever I’ll just keep talking. SHE’S JUST ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING HUMAN BEING AND THEY WANT HER TO FLIP ON PRINCE ANDREW AND SO THEY’RE GONNA BE PUTTING PRESSURE ON HER AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN I REALLY DON’T.

across the border Scotland ……………

WELL THINGS HAVE GOTTEN GONE FROM BAD TO WORSE SO YESTERDAY THEY WERE IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH NICOLA STURGEON IN THE FIRST MINISTER OF SCOTLAND AND THINGS HAVE JUST FALLEN APART AND THE BORDER WILL REMAIN CLOSED. SO ANYONE WANTING TO TRAVEL TO SCOTLAND I THINK WOULD BE “SOL”, OR, BLANK OUT OF LUCK AS WE SAY HERE I WON’T SAY THE FIRST WORD. I am finding conflicting information here on whether her Majesty will be able to go to Balmoral or not due to the border being closed. I said I am but it comes up as I’ll caps on so this whatever you’ll just have to bear with me and with the with the system sometimes it’ll be capital letters sometimes not. So I don’t know what’s gonna happen with her vacation does she have the power and authority to override the law seems like Dominic Cummings and then a lot of local politicians to so I I don’t know what’s gonna happen I really don’t. I just feel really bad for her they just been through so much loss so much and now this and with what’s going on with Ghislaine Maxwell oh my goodness.

surprise George …………… Charlotte leads…………

All caps on one of Prince Georges godmothers Julia Samuel has just come out with what she gives him for gifts. SHE SPOKE ABOUT HOW GEORGE’S PERSONALITY IS SO SIMILAR TO DIANA’S HOW IT’S FUN AND CHEEKY AND LIKES JUST TO HAVE A LOT OF FUN.SHE WAS SPEAKING ON A PODCAST AND THE LADY WHO IS DOING THE PODCAST HER NAME WAS ELIZABETH DAY, AND A FEW RIDDLES AGO MAYBE TWO WEEKS AGO WE HAD A CLUE FROM YOU MM ANON THAT SAID NICE SCOOP BETH KNOW I THOUGHT AT THE TIME IT WAS ELIZABETH HOLMES AND I WAS STICKING TO MY STORY BUT HERE WE HAVE ELIZABETH DAY WHO HAS SCORED AN INTERVIEW. PRINCE GEORGE ‘S GODMOTHER SO I WOULD SAY THAT WOULD BE A NICE SCOOP BETH.

THE CAMBRIDGE CHILDREN ARE A BUSY BUSY BUSY AS USUAL THEY ARE HAVING A GARDEN THAT THEY’RE ALL WORKING ON. NO OF COURSE ALL EVERYTHING BECOMES A COMPETITION WITH CHILDREN AND I THINK GEORGE IS A LITTLE SUNFLOWER IS NOT GROWING AS FAST AS FIRST LOUIS SO HE’S A LITTLE BIT NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT OR UPSET.

Kate&William on top again …………

I don’t have Instagram but what I’m finding here and I don’t know if it’s correct but the Sussex is have 11.2 and the Cambridge and have 11.9 million so if that’s accurate and correct they are on top again with the Instagram followers. It’s just me something else that’s not surprising either because we love them everybody loves them.

MM pathetic and mendacious ………… fakency lies………………

Madam is continuing with a boatload of PR lies this week. It is just been unbelievable all the lies and the the scraping of the barrel and again crying make up lad has appeared that little that man that acts like a little lad and cries and oh my goodness. The she is pregnant rumours are out and so are rumours she is seeing the top OB/GYN in LA and the scan revealed it’s a baby girl. Blah blah blah more lies lies lies she’s more pathetic as the days go by and I didn’t even think that was possible for her.

Now with Ms. Maxwell being arrested she knows all the Names and she knows everything about everybody who is involved with everything. So if there is any connection I would be quaking in my boots and I think it’s really interesting that President Trump had a conversation with her Majesty the Queen just before the arrest so the FBI saying they’re waiting for the right time for the arrest this is a long game kids this is not just a general in a play and it’s got a touchdown and we’re done with it so it’s a wow I would just love to know all the details that are happening in the background.

With regards to her lawsuit against MOS she now has come forward in the sealed document named who the five friends are that she had not given permission to tell her story to via People magazine. She still denies giving permission. So it’s gonna be really interesting when and if we find out who those five friends are and all my my my my my my we are getting near the end I can just hear the tick-tock tick-tock tick-tock on the clock. justice is awaiting definitely the scales of justice our O waving and many of us are as well not waiving the waiting.

“ nice to be going soon cabbage“………… “ yes , I’m looking forward to a drive around the grounds” ………… “ shooting party’s this year” ……… “ doctors approval Philip “ …………” we’ll bring Sydney “……… “ Ahhh, that reminds me,Sydney!!”……… “Philip, it’s tic toc.”

Now we are back at Windsor Castle. Her Majesty and Prince Philip are discussing the pending trip to Balmoral, via helicopter, and one of his sweetheart words for her is cabbage or sausage and so we’re having cabbage today and they’re speaking of it. HMTQ is saying how nice it is to be going for a drive around the grounds. And as per usual there will be hunting parties and that’s anything outdoor at Balmoral fishing picnicking hunting it’s just absolutely the delight and love of the royal family. Sounds like they’ve both had their medical checks and they’re all clear no signs of fever or any other health issues so they’re clear to go over to Scotland and I’m certain with her being the Queen that that she can make that decision and I wholeheartedly support that. Her Majesty is saying you still need to bring Sydney along I don’t know how himself would get along without Sydney in and he saying all Sydney yes and I think he’s wanting to make sure that Sydney has enough of his Boddington‘s to last for the entire they are at Balmoral, and then some🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂.

They are getting an alert or some sort of tone on their device indicating that it’s the Tic Toc time and the Cambridge kids are on and ready to perform forget again and himself oh I’d love to see that it’s not so awesome I just I just have pictures of what this time as you know with them together the two of them and Sydney and the dynamics going back-and-forth and after knowing and being together for so long I just think it’s so so darn special.

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

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55. July 3

MM ANON ………… 0600 hr. ……………… build,build,build, drink ,drink,drink …………… 🎼Braaaaaazil🎼……………… business as unusual …………… speak to the Guinness ………… TSDONY………… Subpoena ad testomonium…… theatre/ no theatre ……………… but not America ………… Lone Ranger……………… Mt, Rushmore ………… a bad day in LA ………… still hiding

✝️✝️🌈🌈💟💟THANK YOU MM ANON💟💟🌈🌈✝️✝️

JULY 3/2020. RIDDLE #55

0600 hr. ……………… build,build,build, drink ,drink,drink ……………

Well tomorrow or in the UK it’s ready today there will be one massive as the paper says pub Mageddon to get a riff on the word Armageddon. Starting at 06:00 the pubs will be open and there will be so many people queued up and waiting to get in. There will be drinking like we have not seen probably since the end of prohibition in the United States it will be on an epic level. There will be so much alcohol consumed because people have not had their locals for so long now. I sure would not want to be anywhere near any any place near where there is the level of rage needing to be let loose.

Yesterday PM Boris Johnson was a really given the charge that they needed to get the economy going and they will start building and refurbishing and adding a lot to London for sure and the Country. Needing to get the economy going after it being stalled for so long and having the Bank of England flood more money into the market, just people need to get back to work.

However it will be a drinking marathon and literally that will be the Thomas like round song do you remember round songs when you were a kid? you would like the wheels on the bus it all take turns than the song would go around and around. Anyways it will be like that drink drink drink build build build drink and drink beer I’ll be like two opposite sides working at the same time it’s going to be a gong show.

🎼Braaaaaazil🎼………………

MM ANON I just love you. This song by Xavier Cugat Is entitled Brazil. It was used in many movies and many lounges at the time when in many old movies of which I am a great fan of any of you know. Most of you would recognize the melody instantly as it was played but not know the name of it or who the performer was. It is a great Latin music song.There’s a movie called Sitting Pretty one of my favourite movies of all time with Maureen O’Hara and Robert Young,it is saying her husband they’re still there they’re name are Stacy and Henry King hang out what’s his name it’s gonna bug me and it’ll come back to me anyways this song plays prominently in a scene with that movie with her and Clifton Webb were doing a dance as the town gossips about them. This is one of the great Mr. Belvedere movies if you have not seen any of them oh you must. As you can see I remembered his name I am I thought I added it but above there his name is Robert Young.

Brazil is exploding with cases of COVID-19 is anyone else having COVID-19 fatigue like or is it just me? Anyhow they have decided to reopen the many businesses and they have not even hit the peak of their their cases yet. It’s it’s a dire thing for the economy and balancing lockdown and and finances and it’s just an absolute nightmare. One of the newspaper links here is saying that it’s a tragedy that is foretold is it inevitably going to happen and get my chores as things reopen the virus will spread even more. So it’s absolutely disastrous and so sad which is it just makes me so sad that this is happening.

business as unusual ……………

Everything has changed but since Covid in this clue could apply to anything from the social distancing and restaurants are the plastic that’s not the right word but you know the clear plastic for up in front of the cash registers are between tables. The business is re-open but with limits and the levels of disease spread will be monitored very closely any increase will result in what’s happened in Leicester were so been locked down again on people I’m sure are not obeying the the rules.

speak to the Guinness …………

One of my favourite beverages when I was able to drink before I’ve been on all this medication with Guinness extra cold oh my times in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 all my good memories good memories. The way this is worded it almost reminds me of the saying talk to the hand when you didn’t want to hear something you put your hand up and you say talk to the hand. So this is like speak to the Guinness.I don’t know if there’s not enough supply or if they’re thinking they’re not having enough obviously then you talk to you to the Guinness. That is about it I don’t know if that’s for certain it off but that sounds possible to me.Given that they have been ramping up production of their famous beverage in anticipation of this weekends drink fest and they want to make sure they have enough on hand. Bars were supposed to open originally at midnight but they were had to be delayed until 6 AM so I’m sure the crowd will be just raring to go.

TSDONY…………

No what is this I have heard of SDNY the Southern District of New York. Geoffrey Berman he was head prosecutor of this very aggressive arm of the criminal justice system in the United States was fired a few days ago. I am not sure who is who will replace them I haven’t looked it up yet. So what what what what does B out of New York the Southern District well I guess you know what MM ANON in on you you’re using a different abbreviation I know it is SDNY and so I think you’re doing it as TSDONY which means the Southern District of New York I’m gonna go with that. This is a court that also prosecuted Michael Cohen, President Trump‘s I think they called him his fixer anyways he’s in jail now he’s been convicted of all sorts of things he’s in jail prison.

This is the office of which out of which Ghislaine Maxwell will be prosecuted. She was arrested in New Hampshire and she was turned over to the US Sheriffs for transport to taking her to Manhattan to the same jail where Jeffrey Epstein was kept. I certainly hope they have better security and supervision of her other than they did have Jeffrey. From the way the papers are talking it sounds like she’s going to be flipping over and cooperating and giving up all sorts of names and she knows a lot about a lot of people that they would not want known. Continues to be as this does laser focus on Prince Andrew from something way back when with someone who was an adult. There are so many politicians and stars will start is that an old word stars were like in the 1940s those movies to me those are stars so it was considered a star today is somebody who’s got PR. There’s a lot of people political people wealthy people people we probably can’t even imagine that are in her little mental black book that she could flip over on but yet they seem to be banging away at Prince Andrew. So it seems like this attack at our monarchy it’s just it’s continuing and it’s just I am not saying that I think he’s innocent but I do think he’s innocent until it’s proven guilty right it’s not how the world works? They just seem to be laser focussed on getting him to testify or getting something on him and were the backers are going full speed on this I’m not saying that office is corrupt but it’s very interesting that that the president had to add Bill Barr get rid of the head prosecutor there I don’t know I I don’t know anymore what what is true and what is fake news I really don’t.

Subpoena ad testomonium……

So I was just looking up the meaning of the word testomonium and it means at the end of a contract or a clause that says in witness there of any person would he say that they were in witness of some incident and they will be signing their name. Subpoena I think we all know what that means that’s a pay for you to get from the prosecutors office or the defence that you need to come in and give testimony. The FBI have been going on and on how uncooperative Prince Andrew and for him his side he said he would but he’s made himself available at any point for them to come to England to interview him,. So at some point This is going to happen but I highly highly highly doubt that I’ll believe it if I sought in person that Prince Andrew would go to United States. That would be the stupidest move he could ever do because he would never get out of that country. I don’t think his lawyers would let him nor would her Majesty, that was just very foolish. Anyhow I just think I just I know I am on about this but this this this attack against our monarchy is continuing and it’s escalating and we are ramping up and we thought we reaching a tipping point last summer and we thought we were reaching a tipping point the previous summer and remember the clue we had that was the “lift off “and we thought oh wow finally things will come out, and that’s like two years ago. so we know when the Lord Geidt has been playing The long game as has her Majesty. Will you say things have been happening in the background I know that’s been kind of like a broken record that we’ve been saying here but this is this is all coming together now with the the social unrest in the race issues and this was all planned a very long time ago and it’s financed by pick who you choose there’s a list of backers that we all know who it could be and in combination so they’re just sitting back laughing and watching that the horror unfold. I am on the other hand I am praying for our Queen and our monarchy and our faith that we can keep our faith open and seems to be attack on everything I hold dear, Christian faith, historic statues be the popular or not they tell our history and of course some thing I hold very dear to my heart is her majesty and the monarchy.

theatre/ no theatre ………………

I saw an interview with a Piers Morgan and the other lady on good morning Britain were interviewing John Barrowman. And he was born in Scotland but he’s was moved to the states with his family when his dad got a I think a big factory manager job I think at caterpillar anyways he was talking about the death of the theatre regarding Covid. Now if you’re not English and you’re not aware as fall approaches in winter approaches pantomime or Panto is huge and it’s a big money raiser for theatre and local theatre and They have no idea if it’s going to go on or not he said he is scheduled to be in Bristol in some I forget would play I forget anyway she scheduled to be there but he has no idea if it’s if it’s going to be going on or not and he’s not getting any word from anybody nobody knows anything. But then he he’s also been on the stage is a very well-known stage actor and he has been for years and he went on to talk about the West End in the theatre in the end if if those things don’t resume soon he said the theatre will die he said 75% of it is already gone and if the Panto season doesn’t go ahead that he said could be will be the death of the British theatre. I won’t say that too loud with my sister might hear that and that be devastating for her she likes to go to London to see several plays quite often. It really is quite devastating this whole it’s like I don’t even know it’s the whole world is changed and what we will look like on the other side of this I I just don’t know. I’ve I think I say, l just don’t know a lot eh? and I use the word anyhow different than when I’m typing.

but not America …………

I think MM ANON here is referring to the air bridges is where the countries that the Brits will be able to travel to given the Covid situation. What I’m reading is that America, Russia and Brazil are definitely off the list of places where Britons can travel to. So unfortunately they won’t be able to go to those places for holiday.

Lone Ranger………………

Way back I think in the 1950s there was a show called the lone ranger a hero riding his horse wearing a mask and a side kick Tonto. Well given the fact that title is Native American and with the half way the world is now I’m sure that show will be banned and will never be allowed to be played again. But it’s interesting that Trump is not wanting to wear a mask for a while but you change your mind on that I guess he’s looking for staff and who do you like to joke so silly he says he looks like the Lone Ranger when he wears a mask that’s so funny you know we need to laugh months all of this sadness right so he gave me a laugh anyways I thought that was pretty funny.

Mt, Rushmore …………

Tomorrow’s July 4 in the United States it’s called their lndependence Day and it’s usually filled with fun and barbeques in fireworks and people getting together watching parades and that’s her thing. A lot of places it’s all been cancelled due to the Covid. President Trump and his family will be going to Mount Rushmore and having a celebration there and fireworks. This is somewhat controversial as other places it’s been cancelled but he feels it’s very important that this go on. There has been talk of getting rid of some of the faces on mount Rushmore if you’re not familiar mount Rushmore is a massive Massive not statue but it’s carved into the side of the mountain four presidents I’m going to go from memory here I think it’s Teddy Roosevelt George Washington oh dear I’m not American I think those are two of them and there’s two more I can look it up if you’re interested in. There has been talk with all these statues being pulled down and destroyed there has been talk of some talk about getting rid of the part of Mount Rushmore because somebody doesn’t like the face of one of the presidents I am not sure the logic but that would be one major task to get up there and deface that so I hope they don’t do that. I hope everything goes well tomorrow I hope it’s televised at least people will get to see the fireworks which is so important I remember as a kid we always drove down my parents always drove us down across the border and we would go to different places and watch the fireworks and have hotdogs in and we would enjoy the day even though we were Canadian we would always drive down there and we always had loads of fun it was awesome. I just think it’s so sad somethings so sacred it is destroyed for so many millions of people after all the work over the last couple of hundred years of developing this beautiful country I just think it’s so sad. And I’m sure there will be protests tomorrow and even though all they can’t get together for parades and all this other stuff to celebrate they could certainly will be allowed their first amendment right to protest and possibly would very likely burn the flag we seen that quite often at these protests so anyways from my American friends my heart aches for you it really does I’ve been praying for you and I I just it it’s my heart just aches it really does.

a bad day in LA …………

Well well well, I am doing my best Angelina Jolie voice from Maleficent where she says well well well. Gil Garcetti was the DA in Los Angeles during the whole OJ trial thing and now his little boy is the mayor of Los Angeles.He has been all gung ho on the protests ,you know the first amendment right and it’s all good outside there’s fresh air and some people have masks and there’s no risk whatsoever as to COVID-19 that’s been his mantra. Well today ,as I say well well well ,there’s been a big spike in COVID-19 cases and well well well Mr. Little Eric Garcetti was forced to tell the truth today when previously when he said that the spike in Covid cases had nothing to do with the protests he had to eat some crow today and acknowledge that it was due to the protests.

still hiding

Who is still hiding? We know Madam has been hiding we know certainly that her main squeeze has been hard hiding ,Marcus and he’s either hiding or he’s in custody and he’s flipped on her I think he might have a sleazy enough to to look after his own self and everyone else be damned.. We’re not stupid though we know LG and his men know exactly where she is what she’s doing and even though she think she may be pulling something over on somebody, oh no way, the powers that be know exactly where she is and what she’s up to.

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

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56. July 5

Kids this audio software is just working out great for me may not give me better answers to the riddle but poetry makes my working on it a whole lot easier on my hands I’m so thankful so so thankful.

MM Anon

MM ANON ……… formula sprog………… madness will spill………… stupid father………… no she wont’ yes she will……… Nigel’s illegal pint………… Williams cider………… Spain’s pain……………… ahhhhhh, blonde bits …………… 🎼only the lonely🎼……………… for love or MONEY …………… HMTQ ( NENC) ………… with the contempt she deserves …………… it’s all a gamble , Arrrrrr!!

Entertainment purposes

July 4/20

✝️✝️🌈🌈💟💟 THANK YOU MM ANON. 💟💟🌈🌈✝️✝️

July 5/2020

I don’t believe there was a riddle for Sunday. Sorry l have been off this weekends kids. Going to do my best here.

a RIDDLE #56

formula sprog…………

HOW LONG HAS BERNIE ECCLESTONE BEEN THE HEAD OF F1 RACING?? SEEMS FOREVER. HE HAS ALOT OF CHILDREN AND HAS HAD MORE THAN HIS SHARE OF SUPERMODEL GIRLFRIENDS, HEIDI KLUM TO NAMONI CAMPBELL. WELL THE RIPE AGE OF 89 GENT HAS DONE IT AGAIN. A NEW BABY BOY WITH A WOMAN HALF HIS AGE, BABES INITIALS SPELL ACE, ALEXANDER CHARLES, WITH HIS THIRD WIFE FABRIANA FLOSI. CONGRATULATIONS.

madness will spill…………

There used to be an unwritten agreement that anybody who is caught with in any area of the Palace illegally without permission breaking in whatever would not be arrested it would not be made public but they will be quietly and quickly locked away in a psychiatric facility for quite some time. For some reason this change just before the gentleman broke into her Majesty‘s bedroom oh I can’t remember what year that was. Madam is known to have been attempting to do this and also attempting to take pictures of the Cambridge children and various areas of which Christmas time at Sandringham when she would go to the bathroom whenever she would attempt to take the long way around. And take some pictures. We do know that Prince Charles had her summarily shipped back and escorted back to the United States after being discovered trying that serve trick.This MOS lawsuit that she’s got her self into of her own choice and whatever comes out when that is made public I don’t know if it’s going to drive her mad she may already be mad but she’s going to stick with her narcissism till the end of the road. I think what we have here is GM going mad at the loss of her fancy lifestyle and having everything in anything the way she wants it and she will be spilling her guts completely to get a deal and who knows what that will look like. All I know is they better keep a better eye on her than they did on her partner JE there.

stupid father…………

There are several stupid fathers here to choose from and I’m not sure which one it would be it would be daddy Thomas. GM’s father she’s she’s the youngest daughter and was always said to be his favourite and I think there’s a lot of nefarious activities going on there from day one. So I think he would be a good person in the running for this description that’s for sure. I’m not sure if that’s who you’re looking for an MM ANONI think he could be an option so could daddy Thomas so could several people that I can think of .

no she wont’ yes she will………

No she won’t yes she will know she won’t yes she will back-and-forth game will GM talk won’t GM talk won’t GM talk.I’m sure it has many people sitting on the edge of the edge of their seats.

Nigel’s illegal pint…………

Rumours abound that Nigel Farage has just returned from the United States and he did not do any quarantining or self isolating, but instead he went out to to have a drink.. Again we see another example of one rule for the upper ups and one rule for the regular people.

Williams cider…………

On July 3 Prince William visit at the Rose and Crown pub talking about how the business has been affected with Covid and that sort of thing. And he looked he looked like he was enjoying his Aspalls cider.Try saying the name of that cider into a speaker audio software and you’ll see what comes out and you say I had to manually fix that that was not appropriate.

Spain’s pain………………

Spain has been been hit particularly hard by the Covid virus both in Numbers and in deaths. On the Catalonia region on July 4 went back into lockdown due to a spike in cases. I think we’re going to continue to see this happen globally places will start to unlock down in the more people move around it’s gonna go up again.

ahhhhhh, blonde bits ……………

When I see the term blonde bits it can refer to several things. But I think man this thing of people sitting on the throne I don’t know other than the queen or princess Philip. Prince Andrew was dating Caprice, a well-known socialite. L believe she’s American but she sure has done the rounds in London. In fact when the real housewives kind of version tv show Ladies in London their first season Caprice was actually on there. I’m ashamed to actually admit that I watch the first two seasons of Ladies in London.I think she was pregnant with twins at the time it was so dramatic. The rumour goes and I don’t know if it’s true or not but the prince Andrew let her sit on his mothers throne so I don’t know if that’s what this is referring to but it just might be.

🎼only the lonely🎼………………

GREAT ROY ORBISON SONG, IF YOU LIKE HIS VOICE MANNER. Roy Orbison had a really wobbly kind of singing voice it was very very distinct. I have a feeling that this is Madam and she’s feeling very sorry for herself she’s a lonely even though she’s PR ‘edup the wazoo that she’s happier than ever with her hairy and her Archie in her wonderful life in Los Angeles.

for love or MONEY ……………

Definitely for the money that’s why everybody is out for in this whole scenario love has nothing to do with it. All these doctors and gave makers in dealmakers and oh icky people. Somebody is buying that dossier from the DM I’m certain of it to get that information out and I don’t know who that would be and I don’t know who would have that kind of money but it’s definitely going to come out and it’s going to be as far removed from the royal family as possible so they cannot even be the appearance of propriety or impropriety that they are involved in any way shape or form. I think this is gonna happen in the near future because with GM and in custody now I am I think things are gonna start to roll if she starts to to flap her lips.

HMTQ ( NENC) …………

HER STANDARD, NEVER EXPLAIN NEVER COMPLAIN. (SHE GOT THAT FROM HER MUM HMTQM, THROUGHOUT THE REIGN OF HER HUSBAND.)Well everything has been going on for the last couple of years with Harry and the backers and everything else we have not heard a word of complaint from HMTQ. If there were ever a time to complain seeing that photo of a GM and KS sitting on the throne and it’s just makes me absolutely sick.

with the contempt she deserves ……………

This could be referring to Madam or to GM. Since there has been such a long contempt in this sphere for Madam I am going to go with GM. I have no doubt that she is going to try and save her scrawny butt and she knows a lot of information about a lot of people and she should be very very nervous I think at this point I can’t even imagine. And I know that she will be treated with all the respect that a court allows but she will be treated with as much contempt as she deserves because she certainly deserves as much or more contempt of the men because she has a female recruited young girls it’s just absolutely beyond the pale of disgusting.

it’s all a gamble , Arrrrrr!!

When I read this l think of a pirate so I do.I don’t think this refers to pirates though. I think this has to do with the long game that has been played now between the royal family the backers the whole political movement to get rid of the Monarchy. We have in the background the attempt to get a princess Andrew who is a friend of GM and JE was that in fact the first attempt to infiltrate the royal family? The back is hiring Madam to go at our Harry I was at the second attempt? This is all one long game of poker got to have a good poker face to stay in this game for as long as the Lord Geidt has and it’s her long is Her Majesty has and this is not at the end I don’t think I think there’s a lot to happen yet. And the arrrrrr is just the utter frustration for everybody imagine being directly involved!

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

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57. July 8

MM ANON ……… girl up the creek………hostage man. ………… half free meal………… drug exposure …………… …staff redundancy at HMTQ …………… boarding rules …………… most popular royal ……………… mines a cider……… ( where’s pg 💜💜) ……………”it’s Balmoral Philip, but not as we know it) …… out of his Depp-th… “ more 🎼Braziiiiil🎼…………… Spanish flu?? ……… 🎼we’re all going on a summer holiday 🎼

Entertainment Purposes

✝️✝️✝️🌈🌈🌈💟💟💟 THANK YOU MM ANON💟💟💟🌈🌈🌈✝️✝️✝️

July 8/2020. RIDDLE#57

girl up the creek………

There’s a saying here that if you’re up the creek it usually involves a four letter word starting with S and ending in T , but if you’re up the creek it means the jig is up, your days are numbered, the game is over, the police are coming and don’t bother fighting just cooperate, basically. Madam has been up the creek for quite some time! She’s been up the creek since before the gathering of unhappy people when she was using PR to keep this fake relationship alive she used to use PR for the last four years, at least, to keep Prince Harry as part of her inner circle, her partner and her husband, her beloved all that other garbage that comes out of her mouth!! I know there have been points for the past two years where we’ve had the clue at a tipping point or we have felt we’ve been at a tipping point, but I think we’ve tipped over to be quite honest with you. I think we have tipped and we’re sliding down like in the movie Titanic. You know how that scene, where the whole ship goes from horizontal to vertical and it starts just sink into the water? I think that’s exactly where we’re at Madam is at the top of that boat clingning on for her dear life. It is sinking Rachel, your ship is sinking. I don’t know what’s what your future holds but good luck with that all I care about is getting our Harry back and getting him rehabilitated and free of your claws and clutches!

The other girl at the creek is GM and it’s going to be very interesting all the tributaries that she takes us along as she Is brought to justice! I hope for her Majesty safe the truth comes out that this is all been a plot to entrap prince Andrew and all these years of rumours an end innuendos and whatever other adjective you want to use has all been part of this whole plot to bring down the monarchy!

hostage man. …………

That video that was released for the Queen’s trust the zoom zoom zoom zoom zoom zoom with Madam and the ‘ hostage man’, Harry. I am not jesting that’s what many of the comments were saying, Harry looks like he was held hostage. I don’t know, that whole video from start of my couldn’t even watch the whole thing to be honest with you! It’s just I just feel evil oozing through that screen and and the look on his face and the weather does Harry or are Fhairy or a robot or a hologram or whatever she’s putting it out there as if it is Prince Harry and I just find it so flipping disturbing!! It is so upsetting and I just wish I just wish this would end. The comments on many of the papers the daily mail, people were actually frightened for Harry he looked frightened he looked walked over, he was relegated to ¼ of the screen even if that wasn’t Harry still she’s portraying that and the public is believing that that Fhairy and she’s talking over him none of this is new but seeing it on on that weird pixelated zoom call that was live streamed! They were all pixelated she was clearer than him and the other people on the zoom were not pixelated! It was just all weird and they all left me feeling like there was evil I cannot put it in any other way it’s just pure and utter evil and vile presence.

half free meal…………

Rishi Sinak has a program that for £10off A meal in a restaurant is called Eat Out to Help Out. It is his pitch in his attempt to help the flourishing businesses get some money into the coffers after this devastating Covid lockdown.Diners will receive up to a discount of 10 pounds per head on Mondays Tuesdays and Wednesdays trying to get people out and show the restaurants and bars. I hope it works anything for a free pint right! There have been lots of comments and rumours already that their people already trying to scam this a program. Also 5% VAT.

drug exposure …………… …

This comment could apply to almost every person on the planet. However I am going to go with Johnny Depp because that just a massive do wall-to-wall new news coverage at least the daily mail.. The female that is that he is involved with I’m not gonna mention her name again took a picture of his lunch I think she called it with his large glass of whiskey has four lines of cocaine and music and cigarettes and whatever else. I think there was a lot of drug use,that was a very very dysfunctional relationship and yes people do what they need to do to cope right. If you keep your head numbed then you don’t have to deal with the fact at this beautiful gorgeous woman is a beating you up all the time.

I do have a feeling that this is not the right answer is a drug exposure I don’t know is it going to be in this dossier that comes out will it be exposed how much hi Madam like to indulge in her hobbies? The word exposure has my head but my Spidey sense is going exposure do you know if something has been kept hidden will be revealed and I wonder if that is not part of it just a thought.

staff redundancy at HMTQ ……………

Was announced, today is Wednesday it was announced late Monday l think, that there would be layoffs will you it is called redundancies in the UK. These redundancies are to be within within the staff of the royal household. This is very very sad news on top of many other people losing their employment I’m sure it’s in credibly difficult for her Majesty to kind of pick and choose who goes and I’m sure that’s left up to other people but it must be just incredibly heartbreaking to see people of been given is giving their work and service to the crown and I’ll being made redundant my heart really truly breaks for both her Majesty and and those being made redundant!

Again due to this whole Covid thing there does set her Majesty will return to Buckingham palace at all she’ll remain at Windsor and maybe Balmoral. As a result sadly it sounding like 250 staff are going to be made redundant I am in tears reading talking to I’m not typing what I’m tears telling you telling you this. What does means for the royal family going forward I don’t know that’s just complete unknown I think another part of the riddle says that it’s Balmoral but not like we do it and that is the truth.

boarding rules ……………

There’s been talk a couple of weeks now I’ve been hearing and reading bags of it about both George and Charlotte being sent off to boarding school as they are arriving at that age when children historically were sent away. The concern about George is “” sensitive nature at least in the media is is giving his parents pause as to what’s best for him however charlottes outgoing nature according to the media think she would do very well at boarding school. I’m doing believe that we should leave this decision up to William and Catherine they are the ones who are the parents and this is A whole New World. A world with tear a world with pandemic Covid a world with riots in the world just full of security concerns and I truly do not know how in 2020 security could be safely manage for those children studying away from home I’m sure I’m sure the boys and gray could do it I have no doubt I have no doubt at all but I think it would just be so invasive and so pervasive that it would just be so, too much too much. Again that’s my opinion the world has change so much in 2020 I never thought in my short lifetime 53 years that things things would ever go this direction and I was just chatting with a friend that was here she came to visit I had a visitor I had a visitor I’m so happy oh is it so long since I’ve had a visitor is commenting on how glad I am my parents have past and they’re not here to see what’s happening to the world.

most popular royal ………………

Back in 2018 Prince Harry was voted most popular Royal. He has slipped from that pedestal due to Madam’s efforts. In April of this year her Majesty the Queen was voted as most popular Royal. I must say I cannot disagree with that at all. I would give it two thumbs up to that and if I had four thumbs, I would have four thumbs up to that. Although I think if there’s room for a little person standing next to HMTQ, I might like to see Charlotte. She could squeeze right in next to her because she’s so cute. I think she is going to be, well she is already in the stratosphere of popularity! Can you just imagine as she continues to grow up? We have lots of blessings! Thank God for the Cambridge family! Thank you God for the Cambridge family and I am not saying that pejoratively I am saying that with all my heart with all my heart and soul.

mines a cider………

I don’t know if this is what you’re referring to but I’m reading about a lady named Kelly Brook I have been looked up to see who she is. She said she’s been drinking apple cider vinegar to avoid getting COVID-19.

I just has more to do with the economy the sales of cider have plummeted £20,000,000 😳😳😳😳that’s a a lot of money. Part of the reason is obviously Covid lockdown, at people not going out and also my brain just shut down. Sorry kids I can’t remember what I was gonna say I’m just apologize for that. I think it was interesting the other day when Prince William had some Aspalls cider! don’t make me stress my brain I could look it up but you didn’t you know he was at something in the rose …..just a minute I’m gonna look it up hold on pause. Back I checked it was the Rose and Crown pub that he was like that was in yesterday’s riddle or at least read all that I have in my folder here is the one I did yesterday. good to see William supporting the cider 🍻🍻🍻🍻industry I’m sure they were very happy to see that as well! High five William 🤚🏻five down low🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂👋🏼

( where’s pg 💜💜) ……………”🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥

Well if this is referring to me I think it might be given the purple hearts, but who is asking about me is my question?💜💜💜☺️💜💜😊💜💜💜, ‘tis great honour to be asked about, I assure you….thank you….I took her a week off about a week ago I needed a break from social media.. Since I have returned I have with the help of several here, I have learned how to use audio so I don’t have to type. So I can save my hands , they don’t get sore and numb anymore, it’s marvellous. I talk, it types. Of course corrections are needed, not all caps but so lovely. It will do ALL CAPS ON, in Apple and in some things , but most things on Tumblr it won’t do SO if you’re looking for me AND you’re looking for me you’re going to miss me so I’m been trying to put his much purple emoji‘s in there so people will catch us as as as the catch it easier but yeah that’s why it’s gonna look A little different. I also haven’t been on as much I was just this summer he really even with air-conditioning really really exhausted me and exacerbates how I struggle. So I’m ok but too, it’s nice to be missed!! I appreciate that very much brings me to tears actually.💜💜💜💜😢😢😢🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜💜🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥I GOT THE SLOTH MESSAGE, ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️😊😊😊

“it’s Balmoral Philip, but not as we know it)

With the likelihood that her Majesty will not return to Buckingham palace oh ma’am ma’am I am just heartbroken for you I just want her to continue here I’m just heartbroken. So Windsor Castle has been where they have been self isolating and from everywhere I can read and see they’re still plan to go ahead with going to Balmoral for summer vacation. It will be a vacation unlike any other because it may become her parents second home going back there between Balmoral and Windsor Castle whole life has a funny way of turning a road eh? There’s a saying God laughs while we make plans and I think I think we best leave things in God’s hands and thank goodness He is there for us.💜💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜

…… out of his Depp-th…

During my career I don’t with a lot of women who are victims of domestic violence and a precious few brave men who came forward as victims of domestic violence. What we are witnessing in in the courage the public courage of such a public person Johnny Depp coming forward and telling his truth of the violence he experienced at the hands of Amber heard I just applaud him I applaud him and I hope he’s getting all the love and support in the world and I hope that narcissistic woman gets jail time serious jail time. I also hope there’s a civil suit wherever he can take her for every penny that she has! The details are continue to come out our horrific and I’m sure there’s more just terrible.🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻for Johnny🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

“ more 🎼Braziiiiil🎼……………

I could not believe my eyes yesterday when the president for a sign of appraisal told the media that he had tested positive covert COVID-19 COVID-19 yeah I’ll 19 Covid yeah exactly! Then he proceeded to summarily yank off his mask and continue talking and walking backwards away from the reporters it was like something out of out of a nightmare! Just bizarre! Personally I would prefer to dance to Xavier Cugat and his wonderful orchestra Brasil more than this situation. 🎶 🎼 🎶

Spanish flu?? ………

The last pandemic that the world so I was a 1918 and that was indeed the Spanish flu that killed millions and millions and millions of people. Are we questioning hear that COVID-19 is going to also result in that? Seems every day on the news there’s a different story or explanation. Yesterday I read Covid has been found in old soil from way back when in parts of Europe…… who’s doing that research? I also read that Covid will be with us forever and that wearing masks will become the new normal. The things that everybody used to laugh at the people in China wearing masks will now become ask and I think it is amazing how easily we have gotten used to that.🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻✝️✝️✝️

I also think this might be a reference to the fact that your bridges air border air bubbles whatever people from England when they go to Spain and come back they don’t have to quarantine but people from Scotland when they come back they have to self isolate for 14 days so I think there’s a lot of people quite unhappy about that.

🎼we’re all going on a summer holiday 🎼

Great song by Sir Cliff Richard, and greatly needed. Cliff Richard is massive in the U.K. and l will say nothing negative about him!!! I hope the Cambridges just have a wonderful holiday wherever they go. Before they go I hope and pray the divorce is done and dusted and they can take her a long with them and have a fabulous family vacation that is my most fervent prayer that Harry is released from the closet and clutches of that sea hag evil woman and back into the loving arms of his family. No more hiding out no more games playing just back to his life that is my prayer.🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜🌈🌈🌈🦥🦥🦥🦥

Praying Her Majesty and Prince Philip have a wonderful time at Balmoral.

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿 My fervent loyalty to HMTQ and the Crown and Commonwealth.

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

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