#i wish there was a word for the brand of woke folk who are so happy to do pyblic allyship stunts for anyone fem enough trans or cis

[nightlightheart]

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#i wish there was a word for the brand of woke folk who are so happy to do pyblic allyship stunts for anyone fem enough trans or cis #but then throw anyone who looks to male or identifies to much with maleness under the bus #like cool cool you see you're still doing the gender essentialist bullshit terfs do that hurts not only trans ppl but all ppl #just saying no no I'm different bc i reblog posts that say 'trans women are women fuck terfs' doesnt actually make what you're saying bad #idk maybe instead try to reckon with why you still cling to gender essentialism and don't try to wokeify radfem rhetoric #edit: i wish there was a word for it so i could block it #doesn't make what you're saying not bad i mean fuck #ngl I'm doing real bad today health is nosedived can't deal with this shit and not being able to manage the physical pain

[unpopularly-opinionated]

I don’t play WoW but I used to play Overwatch and Diablo and this touches on just the general issues that are inside of Activision Blizzard right now regarding the major decline of World of Warcraft and how they’re losing to Final Fantasy XIV, how if the latest WoW expansion or Overwatch 2 flop as they’re projected to do then Blizzard’s most definitely going to pivot almost entirely to mobile games, and how the differences in age demographics are actually dividing the company into multiple camps.

It’s important to note two things: 1) this could be fake but also 2) the link came from Grummz, a former team lead on WoW and producer on Diablo II and Starcraft. It still could be fake despite this, but if he’s sharing it then I feel like there’s at least some measure of truth in this.

Transcription below in case this gets deleted and/or you don’t wanna click the link. Warning, it’s fairly long.

“I’m dropping this here after getting chewed out for three hours over shit the chewee did at work so fuck it. Assume larp and let me vent.”

>Shadowlands is a shitshow. Critical response, Player drop off and just about every engagement metric outside of cash shop have been catastrophic. No higher up expected this because of their “we are too big to fail, if we built it they will come” mentality. They refuse to accept their focus on the world being a begrudged mechanic to funnel players to raiding is not appealing to the player base at large because it appeals to them. They have spent the last 4 months trying to course correct but there is no solid direction and the response to 9.1 has only made things worse.

>Sylvanas is planned to replace the Arbiter despite so many people in the company and god knows how many online saying this would be a total replication of Kerrigans storyline in Starcraft 2 that killed none competitive interest in the brand entirely and you can only go “no, no they WILL like it eventually” for so many real world years before its time to change course. Thus far that has not happened.

>The elephant in the room is FFXIV. To the people in charge they are acting like this came out of nowhere and don’t even seem to understand why its drawing players away in their tens of thousands. We have all tried to highlight things it is doing that are clearly appealing to an mmo audience and not, in my opinion, focussing more on mobile game style retention traps to keep MAU users and habit forming personalities logging in. Its not that they don’t care. They just seem so pig headed and digging their heels in with their fingers in their ears thinking all the problems will go away because WoW is “too big to fail”, there will never be real competition and “they will keep coming back”. But they aren’t coming back anymore. Not in the numbers they used to.

>The people making the spending choices know this. The new model for WoW is market the hell out of a expansion pack for a huge quarter then use 6 month lock ins to pad numbers for the quarters after that. Even if corona had not happened 9.1 still would have been dropping after the initial 6 month subs expired to “keep the chain holding”.

>The mood in the company is tense but also very much “its just a rough transition period”. Activision has been pushing hard for Blizzard to release more regular product and to generate more income per user. As far as i know this is going to be a transition over the next 5 years to a much larger mobile/tablet gaming focus. By all accounts not just WoW but Overwatch was intended to be the moneymaker in the interim but once again someone had the bright idea to kill a game casual players loved on the alter of e-sports hoping for another Brood War. From what i hear the “told you so’s” were loud and a lot of people walked beyond Kaplan.

>The sentiment that was shared quietly in private but being spoken more often is simply that the leadership at Blizzard are not bad people, nor incompetent people but people who had to fill seats left when the old guard jumped ship wether they were suited for it or not. Brack is a genuinely good man out of his depth, Ion is a fantastic raid designer put in charge of designing a virtual world he has no interest or real ideas for and so on. They have been taking form the roles they excel at to be put in positions where they get to do far less of that purely because there is nobody left with the experience to do so and the trickle down is a lack of concrete direction, ambition and focus.

>2021 has seen the playerbase, media and gaming at large “turn” on WoW to a degree i don’t think the leads in their “positivity dojo” bubble considered possible. Its gone from people going “This is how Blizz needs to fix WoW!” to “WoW is no longer salvageable, time for greener pastures” and i think on some level this was never considered as a possibility so there have never been any major plans beyond the usual “try and minimise player drop off by arranging releases around competitors launching updates/products”. The official forums being filled with talk of FFXIV and worse “why do we actually pay a sub?” hasn’t helped.

>There have been some testing the waters lately from certain higher ups if we can remove the line “No King Rules Forever”. Read into that what you will.

>There are still arguments going on about the Kael’thas Voice actor shitshow. I don’t know much about it but i know its heated, wouldn’t be the first time a knee jerk reaction only seemed to generate bad press. We lost a noticeable amount of pvp engagement after the Swifty thing.

>The Preach interview was treated as a disaster and there was talk of more strongly vetting interviewers for “bad actors” and only engaging with a list of questions Blizzard provides. Some pointed out that could just be used to create some form of Fireside Chat akin to the FFXIV “Live letters” but that fell on deaf ears.

>The two sentiments right now among the team are either “we really need a win” or “theres a dedicated cabal of internet trolls out to kill WoW”. Right now we are crunching hard to get 9.2 ready to wrap up the jailors storyline so we can get an expansion out early 2022. If that doesn’t happen there are talks of major shakeups coming down from Activision that have been threatened for a few  years now. Its an all hands on deck feeling thats been around to some degree since the “Is this an out of season April Fools Joke” Blizzcon. A make or break deadline is coming closer and things like Diablo 4 were not planned before then. Blizzard needs a significant win not just in initial profit but consumer goodwill. Nobody likes working at what the public now seems to see as “the bad guy” of the mmo industry.

>This has also made new hires decline. Not significantly but the “you WANT Blizzard on your resume” line doesn’t seem to have the appeal it used to. This has lead to more hiring via friend of a friend, to some rumblings about nepotism, and people severely lacking in experience “because they get great twitter optics”.

>On the topic of Twitter we are not being told to “disengage” from it. Multiple employees like Nervig and Holisky publicly attacking paying customers because they got too heated and couldn’t keep quiet is bad press that could have been avoided. A email reminder has gone around more than once lately stating “if you are not customer relations you should not be representing the company to customers, especially if you cannot remain professional”.

>Lastly the biggest elephant in the room is “yo’ boy” Asmongold. The newer hires cannot stand him. They have used terms like “toxic masculinity” and “dogwhistles to dangerous males” while some of the oldest crowd still remaining have called him “based” or “telling it like it is” which has lead to friction to put it mildly. People are told not to talk about him and the recent FFXIV stuff only made it all worse. The idea that an outside element can have such an effect on the product genuinely upsets people. Like Zach is engaging in some malicious act of cyberwarfare. Many of us have point out the now famous quotes by Naoki Yoshida about understanding that players will drift and we need to make something worth coming back to because they want to but some people for lack of a better word see out customers -or “consumers” as they refer to them nowadays- as some kind of antagonistic relationship where the goal is not being an entertainer putting on a show for a crowd but some kind of game hunter trying to trap a large, profitable kill. I wish i could blame Activision but this is a sentiment from more of the younger crowd than the “tech boomers”. Which personal opinion is probably why so many folks like Metzen and Morheim left.

>Before you ask, yes the topic of “wokeness” has shown up in group talks. Its not all some grand sjw conspiracy, people really do want to feel welcome and represented. However the “we need everything veto’ed by people not working on it to see if its inoffensive and bland enough” rubs some of us the wrong way. Like anything in life you can take something too far and lose sight of the core ideals and with everything gone on since Blitzchung it feels like people are forming little factions to pull people in different directions to decide “What Blizzards identity is now” and how to appeal to new players. There has been some drop offs with “go woke go broke” as the only answer in the survey when unsubbing but honestly we are losing subs in unforseen numbers anyway and still making more money than ever through cash shop “heavy users” so it honestly doesn’t make an impact.

>All in all things are rough right now. Blizzard doesn’t have the love of the customers anymore, is no longer treated as an industry giant and while D4,D2R and Immortal aren’t going to kill Diablo even if they fail the sentiment for World of Warcraft and Overwatch 2 are a lot more tense and stressful. The phrase “it might be good to brush up on your mobile development portfolio if we get another underperformer” has been doing the rounds a lot. If Shadowlands continues its stark decline and Overwatch 2 is looking to underperform like its current projections suggest i think the Blizzard of a few years from now will be imitating King a lot more than trying to learn any lessons from Square Enix’s mmo division.

#random #video games #Blizzard #Activision #WoW #World of Warcraft #Diablo #Overwatch #Starcraft #Activision Blizzard

[brelione]

Wish I was Sarah PT 2 (Sarah X Reader X Kiara)

Part One

Kiara woke up to her phone buzzing,you asleep next to her with your phone still in hand.She groaned,checking her phone and squinting at the bright light.It was one in the morning and her parents were trying to find out where she was. “(Y/N),hey.Wake up,we gotta get home.”She whispered,shaking you slightly.You grumbled,smacking her hand away. “Nooooo.”You protested,trying to curl back into your ball of warmth.

 “Yessss.Come on,your parents are gonna be looking for you.”She pulled you up,shivering slightly at the lack of blankets.You two didnt even bother to bring the plates back,slipping through the cracked rock and onto the soft sand,the cool air hitting you skin. “I’d really prefer not to be awake right now.”You laughed,guiding her back to the large house.People were still in the yard,older folks still talking and cleaning up all of the dishes.You felt heat rush to your face as you noticed Sarah Cameron,head in her hands as she stared down at her phone at the table,half asleep.

You and Kiara went inside,greeted by her mother. “Where’d you run off to?”She asked.Kiara gestured towards you,wanting you to explain. “Sorry,its loud and we wanted to watch a movie so we went down the beach.Sorry.”You answered softly,seeing your aunt on the couch.Mrs.Carrera wasnt mad though,in fact,she was ecstatic.Kiara hadnt made any girl friends since Sarah Cameron or even kook friends for that matter. “Dont worry about it,just tell us next time.”She smiled down at you.You played with your fingers,nodding before going over to speak to your aunt.Sarah turned to watch you,biting her bottom lip as she watched you leave.That was three months ago.

Kiara grinned as you showed her an oddly shaped rock that you found by the beach,asking her what it looked like to her. “It looks kind of like a bat but it could also be a cat if you look at it when its flipped over.”You flipped the rock,running your fingers along the rough bumpy surface.She nodded,looking through the sand for shells. “Hey,Kie?”You asked,putting the rock in your pocket.She hummed,still looking through the sand.

 “What’s going on with Sarah Cameron?”You asked.Her breath hitched,frowning as she looked at you. “You dont want to be involved with her.She’s evil.Shes like a snake that lures you in and then suffocates you!She’s the worst person ive ever met and her brother is a crack head that beats the shit out of people for no reason.Trust me,you dont want anything to do with her.”Kiara huffed,looking you in the eyes.

You pouted slightly,becoming uneasy. “She seems nice.”You mumbled,making her shake her head. “No,shes not.She acts nice and then she’ll betray you like she does to everyone.She betrayed me!”Kiara exclaimed.

You nodded,biting the inside of your cheek. “Okay.”You mumbled.The rest of the day was a bit awkward after that conversation,Kiara concerned that you were falling for Sarah.She was trying to think of something to tell you that would make you hate Sarah,anything to keep you from chasing after her.She couldnt though.There was nothing that could stop you from liking Sarah.She just needed to get you to like her more.She had asked you not to be around Sarah or talk to her.You had told her that you wouldnt and she was stupid enough to believe you.Two weeks after you made that promise the worst thing imaginable happened.

Kiara hadnt hung out with the boys in a while and they were getting sick of her ditching for you.That lead to her agreeing to go to the beach and surf with them early one morning.It was windy and cool but the waves were fantastic.She carried her surfboard under her arm,walking to the water with John.B as Pope and JJ tossed down towels and their cooler of off brand soda and tuna sandwiches.Her head turned when she heard squeals and giggling,two voices shouting to one another.

She squinted,making sure that she was seeing things right.Sarah Cameron was wearing a red sweater,one that had faded from being washed and worn so many times.She held a tennis racket,fighting off birds that were trying to get to the mice that stayed in the tall grass.She wasnt the only one though.You stood with a tennis racket as well,wearing a bikini top and shorts as you shouted at the birds,trying to get them to leave the mice alone.

Kiara felt her heart drop,realising what was happening.You had told her that you wouldnt talk to Sarah at all and here you were giggling with her.She couldnt even blame you.Your oblivious self had no idea just how much Kiara liked you and how desperately she wanted you to like her back.Sarah had to know what she was doing.The blonde glanced her way,a small smirk on her face to let Kiara know that she was defeated,that you liked Sarah and Sarah had won.

The way you looked at Sarah with so much love and longing made Kiara’s heart hurt.It was the same way that she looked at you.Kiara bit her tongue,looking back out at the waves. “What just happened?”John.B asked,looking down the beach to where Kiara had been staring previously.He thought he understood when he saw Sarah,thinking it was her alone that had ruined his friend’s mood.Kiara hadnt told the group about you yet.She knew that they would beg her to meet you.

SHe had convinced herself that she was worried that they’d like you more than her but she knew better.She was worried that you’d like them more than you liked her just like Sarah.She wasnt ready for those words to collide.Kiara couldnt be mad at you which just made everything hurt more.She had liked Sarah a long time ago so she could understand you.She could relate to how you stared at her with such admiration and how you were following Sarah like a lost puppy.Tears began to blur her vision as she realized that Sarah would hurt you and ruin you.

She hated Sarah so much but right here and right now she wanted nothing more than to be Sarah.You liked Sarah better.Everyone had always liked Sarah more.Kiara had cried into her pillow that night,wishing that you were different,wishing that you hated Sarah.She had sat at her window like a little kid,praying to the first star that she saw that she would wake up tomorrow and be Sarah.When she woke up her pillow was damp from tears and her head hurt,skin splotchy and eyes puffy.Her phone was ringing,causing her to groan and answer without checking who it was. 

“Hello?”She asked,tired. “Hey,Kie.Did you just wake up?”You asked.She grumbled something which you took as a yes. “Its like almost noon.Are you feeling okay?”You asked.She blinked a couple of times,sitting up in her bed. “Yeah,I was just tired from surfing yesterday.Whats up?”She asked,rubbing her head. “I was just wondering if you wanted to come to the cave and paint it with me.”You answered,waiting for her to reply. “Yeah,okay.Give me a little bit to get dressed.”She told you before hanging up.

She looked in the mirror,groaning at how sick she looked.She splashed some water on her face,putting on a baggy yellow t shirt and some white jeans.She tied her hair up in a bun,changing her jeans when she remembered she would be painting.

John.B had called her,requesting that she come to his house to watch Spongebob with him,Pope and JJ. “Cant,im busy.”She answered,trying to keep things vague.He huffed. “Busy with what?”He asked.She bit her lip,trying to think of an explanation. “Im hanging out with my friend.”She answered,hearing him let out a dramatic groan.

 “You’re hanging out with that girl again?Cant she just come with you?”He asked.She smiled,sighing. “Nope.”She hung up.She couldnt introduce you tot he boys.When she had walked down the beach,a smile on her face,excited to see you she frowned,seeing you speaking to Sarah Cameron.

Sarah wore just a sports bra and sweatpants,her hair in a ponytail which let Kie know that she was out on a run.She noticed the way you were biting your lip,eyes not meeting Sarah’s.You were nervous,flustered.Sarah gave you a quick hug before jogging away,not seeing Kiara. “Hey,Kie!”You smiled,jogging up to meet her half way,pouting a bit when you saw how mad she looked. “What’s wrong?”You asked,not understanding.

She rolled her eyes,crossing her arms. “What’s going on with you and Sarah Cameron?”She asked,making your heart drop. “What?”You asked,smile gone.She sighed,looking down at the sand. “You like Sarah,I know that you do.But you cant trust her,okay?”She asked,trying not to cry or sniffle.You licked your lips,looking down the beach.

 “I dont think I understand.”You pulled at the sleeves of your shirt,feeling vulnerable. “Sarah is a really bad person.She pretends to be all sweet and defending mice and turtles but she is disgusting and shes like a rock fish.She lures you in and doesnt look scary and seems all innocent and then you get close to her and she poisons you!She ruined my life and hurt me and she hurts everyone!She’ll hurt you too if you stick around,alright?”Kiara asked.

 “You’ve said that before...but I just...I dont know.There’s something about her.”You mumbled.Kiara wanted to cry,to run,to drown herself in the ocean that was so close. “There’s other girls out there,(Y/N).Theres ones that wont betray you and act like you dont exist.I just dont want to see you get hurt in a toxic relationship,alright?”She asked,his heart thumping.You nodded,giving her a small smile. “Lets go paint then.”You smiled,grabbing her hand and running over to the crack in the rock wall,sliding through.

Kie slid through behind you,giggling as she looked for a place on the rocks to paint.You found a flat area,picking up a palette and squirting out little mountains of red,yellow,blue,balck and white along with a few brushes.Kiara went on the more abstract approach,pouring colors onto her hands,rubbing them together and pressing them against the rocks and smearing them,trying to make something like butterfly wings.

She felt your brush glide against her arm,making a wet streak.She looked over at you,a confused smile. “What are you doing?”She asked,looking down at her arm.  “I need it to be the same color as your skin.”you answered simply,making a large circle with the toffee like color.She watched you,not really caring about what she was supposed to be painting,focused on the way your brush was moving as you made a darker little wave in the middle of the circle,watching as it formed into a nose.

Kiara tried not to stare for too long,making a rainbow flower from her handprints.You used a different brush to make dark chocolate waves of hair,trying to fix the hairline of the painting,getting the paint onto the sides of the circle to make it more like Kiara’s face. “You’re painting me?”She asked,knowing the answer was obvious.

You smiled,nodding and making two dark lines closer to the hairline,making them into little curves for eyebrows.It took a good two hours for you to finish the portrait,Kiara had put on her playlist for the two of you to listen to.Once you were satisfied with the portrait you stepped aside,letting the model see it. “Oh wow….that literally looks like a picture.”She smiled,taking a photo of the painting.You simply shrugged,a small grin on your face. “I kind of just memorised your face I guess.”You answered,feeling heat in your face and neck.

She was hesitant to kiss your cheek lightly,smiling as she looked away from you.Her phone dinged,ruining her good mood because she knew exactly what it meant. “Shit,I have to go home but i’ll see you tomorrow?”She asked,turning off the music and slipping her phone into her pocket. “I’ll walk you home.”You said quickly.She didnt argue,glad that you were willing to do that.

You held onto her hand as the two of you walked,getting some rainbow paint on your hand. “You have school tomorrow?”You asked sadly.She nodded,knowing that you didnt know much about that,being homeschooled and all. “You’ll come see me after school though?”You asked. “Of course.”She answered,coming up her driveway. “So...tomorrow?”She asked,your hand still holding hers.She wasnt prepared when you leaned forward quick,kissing her.

Her eyes went wide for a second before calming,her hand lifting to cup your chin,getting purple paint onto your skin.She smiled into the kiss,feeling so many things at once.It ws the feeling you get when you’re at the top of a rollercoaster,excited and nervous to go down,laughing as it all happened.It was the feeling you get when you hear your favorite song that you had listened too when you were young.

The stong that you used to scream the lyrics too on car rids and listen to it on repeat,the one that you could remember even years later and the excitement that would course through you when you heard it.It was the feeling you get when you get a huge thing of cotton candy at the fair,the sweetness of it melting in your mouth as the sun goes down,the heat on your skin.

You pulled away,your forehead still against hers. “Yeah,i’ll see you tomorrow.”You grinned,turning around and walking away,leaving her speechless.She let out a loud sigh,licking her lips and smiling so hard it hurt before she made her way up her driveway.When she walked into her house her mother was making dinner,her dad on the couch.She went right up the stairs and into her room,falling onto her bed with her face in her pillow as she squealed,staring up at her ceiling,blushing.

Her father came upstairs,asking her who she had hung out with that day. “(Y/N).”She answered,sitting up and trying not to smile again. “Is that the girl that we like?”he asked,referring to himself and Kiara’s mother.Kie nodded,sighing softly. “Okay,dinners ready.”He answered,going back downstairs.

@poguestyleskye @jjtheangel  @dannii-li @lovelyelinor​  @outerbongs  @copper-boom  @httpstarkey @teenwaywardasgardian @drewswannabegirl  @simonsbluee   @jiaraendgame  @khiaraaa-in-spacee  @on-socks-off 

Comment with a heart if you’d like to be added to the series taglist.

#kiara carrera #kiara x reader #obx kiara #kiara carrera x you #kiara carrera imagine #kiara carrera headcanon #kiara carrera gifs #sarah cameron x reader #sarah cameron imagine #sarah cameron x you #obx sarah #sarah cameron #outer banks #obx #outerbanks fanfic

[gstqaobc]

FROM THE MONARCHIST LEAGUE OF CANADA

As this Ecomm went to publication, we received word of the death, at the great age of 96, of Bill Silver, a significant benefactor of the League from its early days, and for many years a pillar of our Ottawa Branch.  We wished to remember him here: his ebullient spirit, fierce loyalty spoken gently, innate modesty and kindness.  Indeed Chaucer might have had forethought of Bill in describing one of his characters as a “very parfitt gentle knight.” May his ardent spirit rest in peace, and his memory be a blessing and example to us all.   LEAGUE ISSUES NEW FLYER: THE CASE FOR THE CROWN The League thought it timely and useful to issue, offer in its advertising and distribute as widely as possible - both via the website and in printed form - a new flyer which will give you, our members, ammunition to argue logically the case for the Crown in conversation with others, and, we hope, to distribute strategically. One never knows when such an item, left on a waiting room table at the doctor or dentist’s office, affixed to a supermarket or other community bulletin board, put through neighbours’ mail slots - the possibilities are many - will do good work for our cause. We hope you will both enjoy and profit from this item, and that many thousands will be distributed across the country. See item one in the WHAT CAN I DO FOR THE CANADIAN CROWN? section of this Ecomm, below, to read online and request printed copies.   And special thanks to our wonderful team of no less than seven translators, all francophones from La Belle Province, who so kindly volunteered to make the French version one that is accurate in expression and eloquent in its prose.                     WHAT CAN I DO FOR THE CANADIAN CROWN? Some suggestions for member activity during these times. We invite members to send additional ideas by return of email. 1.    How about asking the League to send you several print copies of our new flyer:  THE CASE FOR THE CROWN, or print them on your home computer:  https://www.monarchist.ca/index.php/publications and give them to others who may be unaware or sceptical of the importance of Canada’s constitutional monarchy, or even hostile to it. School teachers could be encouraged to read the League’s educational booklets, also available both online and in print at the same URL, or even to request a class set.   2.    When you read an editorial, opinion column or letter to the editor in a newspaper, or a tweet or Facebook post, critical of the Crown, don’t get mad - get even! In other words, use a temperate tone and logical argument to refute the writer’s attack.  Keep it brief: focus on the obvious flaws in reasoning, mis-statements of fact or name-calling substituting for logic.  Same goes for radio talk shows. In the long run, on all media, whatever the provocation, whatever the momentary satisfaction of ”giving them a piece of my mind” - an old adage remains true: “You catch more flies with honey.” 3.    Write your elected representative at the federal level to re-state briefly the reasons you support constitutional monarchy as our system of government,  and asking the MP whether not your view is shared. 4.    Once pandemic restrictions ease, try to make sure that Royal events - such as the upcoming 95th birthday of our Queen, 10th Wedding Anniversary of William and Catherine or 100th birthday of Prince Philip are celebrated both in your home but also among your wider family, your friends, your colleagues at the office,  your place of worship/faith community or service club. The League generally sends you some ideas to mark these celebrations. Remember, as they are incorporated into family life and public life, the     Crown becomes further embedded in the heart of the nation, and truly represents The Queen’s wish that it ”reflects all that is best and most admired in the Canadian ideal.” This is especially true when you go out of your way to include in your observance the newest members of our Canadian family, who generally are eager to participate in the traditions of their new homeland, and in turn to share their own traditions with the wider community. 5.    Always use a Queen stamp when you write a letter or pay a bill by mail. 6.     At events of ceremony, whether a Council meeting, a graduation, a civic celebration - whatever - make sure that the Royal Anthem is sung as well as the National Anthem. To the extent you can, discourage event organizers from having a soloist “perform” them. Far more pride and         learning develop from the untrained voices of loyal folk singing together. In that way, the Anthems are sung “with heart and voice” and not merely listened to.   A FINAL IDEA: AN ACT OF LOVING SUPPORT & THANKS Apart from the above, we think it would be enormously comforting and supportive for every one of us to  write a kind letter to The Queen, expressing your thoughts at a difficult time: her beloved husband ailing, a grand-child chiding other family members via sensational television, the drumbeat of the tabloids and the restrictions on her busy life caused by the pandemic.  A selection of letters, especially those from Commonwealth Realms, are indeed seen by The Queen - and their number and tone are summarized to Her Majesty. The address is - Her Majesty The Queen, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA, UK Theoretically you don’t need postage to write the Sovereign; in practice, it is safer to affix the international airmail stamp available from your local Canada Post outlet.   AN INTERESTING OPINION PIECE FROM TODAY’S DAILY TELEGRAPHWe thought you might be interested to see the following strongly-worded opinion piece, reflecting a good deal of the tone of recent British public opinion, rather different from much of the Canadian and US commentary. Meghan’s fake interview has real-world effects The Sussexes’ claims have undermined the monarchy and done lasting damage to the Commonwealth by Tim Stanley, March 15, 2021 Two headlines appeared on the BBC News website on the same day. At the top: “Harry and Meghan rattle monarchy’s gilded cage”. At the bottom: “The kidnapped woman who defied Boko Haram”. Well, that puts the Sussexes' problems in perspective, doesn’t it? Yet across Africa, one reads, the Duchess’s story has revived memories of colonial racism, tarnishing the UK’s reputation, and has even lent weight to the campaign in some countries to drop the Queen as head of state. The only nation that seems to think a lot of nonsense was spoken is Britain. In the wake of an interview that Joe Biden’s administration called courageous, British popular opinion of Harry and Meghan fell to an all-time low, and the American format had a lot to do with it. Oprah Winfrey is not our idea of an interviewer. She flattered, fawned and displayed utter credulity. Imagine if it had been her, not Emily Maitlis, who interviewed Prince Andrew over the Jeffrey Epstein allegations. “You were in a Pizza Express that day? Oh my God, you MUST be innocent! Tell me, in all honesty, though...did you have the dough balls?” This wasn’t an interview, it was a commercial for a brand called Sussex, a pair of eco-friendly aristo-dolls that, if you pull the string, tell their truth – which isn’t the truth, because no one can entirely know that, but truth as they perceive it. “Life is about storytelling,” explained Meghan, “about the stories we tell ourselves, the stories we’re told, what we buy into.” Meghan is a postmodernist. Just as Jean Baudrillard said the Gulf War never happened, but was choreographed by the US media, so the Royal narrative she was forced to live was fake, her public happiness was fake and, following that logic, this interview might involve an element of performance, too. People have challenged her claims, alleging contradictions and improbabilities, but one of the malign effects of wokeness is that you have got to be very careful about pointing this out. Why? Because wokery insists on treating a subjective view as objective truth, or even as superior, because it’s based upon “lived experience”. To contradict that personal perspective is perceived as cruel, elitist and, in Meghan’s case, potentially racist, so it’s best to wait a few weeks to a year before applying a fact check. In the meantime, affect sympathy. People would rather you lied to their face than tell them what they don’t want to hear. The result is profoundly dishonest, for I have never known an event over which there is such a gulf between the official reception, as endorsed by the media and politics, and the reaction of average citizens, who are wisely keeping it to themselves. Into that vacuum of silence steps not the voice of reason but bullies and showmen – like Piers Morgan, who said some brash stuff about Meghan’s honesty and, after an unseemly row on Good Morning Britain, felt obliged to resign from his job.  “If you’d like to show your support for me,” he wrote afterwards, “please order a copy of my book.” Dear Lord, was this row fake, too? I can no longer be sure, though I despised Good Morning Britain before and still do: it embodies the cynical confusion of emotion and fact, a show made for clicks, where even the weatherman has an opinion. So what is real in 2021? The Commonwealth, which does a lot of good in a divided world. The monarchy, which has been at its best during the pandemic, doing the boring stuff of cutting ribbons and thanking workers that, one suspects, Meghan never grew into (can you imagine her opening a supermarket in Beccles?). It contains flawed people, but that only adds to its realness, and they can adapt faster than you might think. Prince William got the ball rolling by telling reporters, who he is trained to ignore, that his family is not racist. His wife paid her respects to the murder victim Sarah Everard, demonstrating that she is neither cold nor silenced. I’d wager Kate does her duty, day after day, no complaint, not because she is “trapped”, as Harry uncharitably put it, but because she loves her family and believes in public service. Meghan and Harry have indeed prompted the Royal family to change: not in order to endorse their criticisms, however, but to answer them.

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

[bubbashawn]

A Million Times

author: So here’s that piece I was talking about with reuniting exes and this one anon (bless your soul) was quick to choose an angsty end. So bear your hearts out, hope you love it and I hope I succeeded in breaking you. Any feedback is appreciated and I love responding to your reactions because they make my day. All the love honey ❤️

synopsis: You and Shawn have history but now you have fears that you didn’t have before. You don’t fall in love once but a million times.

warnings: 1.9k of angst. Okay like this is not my brand and I won’t make you smile by the end. So sorry.

“Shawn?”

There was no way. This man was supposed to be in Los Angeles, not that you cared. It wasn’t possible for him to be here at this little cafe on the corner of Adelaide and Portland street. But you saw his curls peeking up above the two people in front of you in line. You passed it off at first but then you saw the lightbulb on the backside of his bicep and you knew that if you went up on your tippy toes you’d see the cursive “A” hidden behind his ear. Shawn Mendes was definitely in Toronto, 2 blocks from your building but 2 miles from his. This wasn’t even the greatest cafe in the city according to most folks, but you had always favored this almost claustrophobic building and Shawn knew that.

He had checked his Armani watch every minute since he woke up this morning. You had always claimed to not have a schedule because they stress you out but he had noticed when you were together that you walked into forget me not cafe and baked goods shop every morning at 8:45 am giving you time to order and rush into your class that was closer to downtown. So he had rushed out of his condo at 8:30, parked at 8:40, and was in line just as you opened the door at 8:45. Just like clockwork, he knew you probably wouldn’t try to talk to him. Honestly he’d be shocked if he had the courage to glance back at you. Shawn knew you were the most perfect girl to ever grace his life and he fathomed how he had charmed you daily. But there you were. Calling his name.

“Shawn?” You raised your voice to get his attention.

“O-oh, um hey.”

He was still a dork. It didn’t matter that he was a Grammy-nominated artist or that he had over 56 million Instagram followers. He was still a dork who stumbled over his words. You kind of wish he had changed drastically in the 10 months you two have been separated because maybe if he was a new person you could pass by him like two acquaintances would, a soft smile and then carry on with your day. But he was your Shawn, layered hoodies and all.

“So, how’ve you been?” He interrupted your staring emitting a blush he’d miss far too much.

“Good. Yeah good, and you?”

“Everything is a little crazy,” he was still smiling at your flushed cheeks, “working on a new album.”

“Am I featured? Breakup songs and all, eh?”

His face dropped but you didn’t regret bringing up the breakup. You were acting too close to Shawn, like old friends and not like he was a boy who broke your heart.

“Nothing crazy,” he watched your features, “a couple of sad songs, but nothing angry.”

Shawn could’ve easily written an entire breakup album seeing that half his notebook was just his scribbles on heartbreak. But he couldn’t do that to you, he broke up with you because you were falling out of love with each other. He didn’t know how it happened and he didn’t know how to fix it, so he ended it. Dumb, he knows.

“Well, um it was nice talking to you,” you shuffled awkwardly noticing Shawn was now the front of the line, “I think it’s your turn to order.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle while you giggled at his stupidity. You just watched him and even though you’d hate yourself later for letting yourself enjoy Shawn’s presence, at that moment you couldn’t find it in you to care.

“Well,” Shawn received his drink and you knew this encounter was ending, “I hope the album goes well, I’ll give you a couple streams.”

“Thanks.”

He stayed standing there, his chocolate muffin and coffee ignored by his side. You glanced up at him and caught his head quickly shifting away from staring down at you.

“So,” his eyes shot down to you, “bye.”

“I’ll just wait with you.”

“Shawn,” you were smiling at your feet even if you’d never admit it, not like you had to, his matching grin told you he knew, “I don’t have time for a sit down chat before class. And honestly I can’t do this small talk thing with you.”

“I’ll walk you to your first class,” he tried again.

“I’m just going to grab an Uber.”

“Let me drive you,” he pointed to his Jeep parked on the side street that you could see through the windows of the cafe, “it’s free and we can talk, for real.”

“I don’t know, Shawn.”

“Please? Just the 10 minute drive and then you’ll never see me again if you don’t want to.”

But you did want to and that’s how you found yourself nodding as the barista took your order. She definitely wasn’t looking at you but at the tall handsome boy next to you, you couldn’t blame her. You barely had time to take your tea from her grasp before Shawn grabbed your freehand in his.

“Shawn!” He glanced back at you, “I swear if you make me spill my drink you’re dead.”

“M’sorry, just a little nervous. I’m not thinking straight I guess.”

At least you still made him as nervous and he made you. Shawn opened the door and put his breakfast in the backseat before offering his hand as you climbed into the familiar passenger seat. You could’ve easily slid in without the assistance but his hands were always warm when you clasped them and they provided comfort. His hand slipped out of yours just as quickly as you had taken it, giving you a tight squeeze before releasing completely.

“Alright,” he slipped into the driver's seat, “you have 10 minutes.”

“10 months of explanations shoved into 10 minutes, jeez okay.”

His hand had shifted from the steering wheel, to his lap, and finally resting in the center console. It was strange seeing it there and not being able to hold it in your own. You wondered how often his hand had traveled towards the passenger seat before realizing you weren’t there anymore. That he wouldn’t be able to brush his fingers against yours ever again.

“I think we fell in love too fast,” he glanced at your profile, “I think we were so obsessed with wanting to be in love that we forgot that we had to love each other before we could be in love with each other.”

“Sha-” he grabbed your hand to silence you.

“I only have 10 minutes, Y/N. So let me say this and then you can fight me on it as much as you please. Okay?”

“Okay.”

His hand hadn’t moved from yours, instead you found your fingers intertwining with his.

“It wasn’t that I fell out of love with you because I’m absolutely in love with you. It’s just that I couldn’t love you the way you deserved because we jumped into it. I’m not sure I’m making sense,” you squeezed his hand like he had done minutes ago, “but you have to know that I want to fall in love with you again and again. And this time I want to do it right because you’re it for me, you’re the last person I’ll ever love.”

“Shawn, I love you too,” he grinned at you, “but what if we mess up again? What if you really did just fall out of love with me? And now you want to fall in love again? I don’t think I could handle falling in love with you only to be heartbroken again and again. It doesn’t seem like a beneficial situation.”

You watched the smile fall from his face and suddenly he looked the same way as he did 10 months ago in his condo. You remember watching his face pale as you hurried past him to pack your stuff away. Not wanting Shawn to come knocking at your door with a box. That would’ve hurt too much. But now he had the same hurt look in his eyes as he tried to digest the fact that he had lost you for good this time, he wouldn’t be able to show up at your cafe and beg to talk. He was no longer allowed to interlock your hand with his. You were not his to hold anymore, you just weren’t his.

“We’re almost at your building,” the 10 minutes were nearly up.

The rest of the ride was torture you wanted to grab onto Shawn and never let go but as his hand slipped out of yours to change the gear of the Jeep into park you knew it was time to let go. He’s an unknown variable. You couldn’t love him when he could really just fall out of love with you.

“You know,” you looked out the window when he started speaking again, “I love you so much. Please let me love you.”

“I can’t, Shawn. So let’s, um let’s leave it at that.”

“Okay,” he just kept looking at you and his eyes were full of tears, normally you’d cup his cheek and wipe them away but you weren’t at a place to do that anymore, “okay, yeah. I-it was nice seeing you again.”

“You too, Shawn. You too.”

You opened the door of his car and slipped out. You turned your head slightly to offer a heavy heart smile. He slipped out of the car and quickly grabbed your hand in his, his body this time moving faster than his head.

“Shawn,” you squeezed your hand against his, “what are you doing?”

“Just, um just give me a minute, eh?”

“I can’t keep doing this with you, you get that right?”

“Yeah, yeah. I just need to be here with you for a moment.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck and held his head close to your shoulder. Your lips pressed to the curls behind his ear, next to his tattoo. He was pulling at your heartstrings but you couldn’t put yourself in a situation where you were bound to be hurt again. Even if Shawn promised otherwise. You loved him and he loved you but maybe you couldn’t be in love anymore despite what you both wanted. You’d run into Shawn months from now, you were sure, and you would smile at each other like long lost lovers who would be happy in a different time. You’d fall in love with someone and he’d do the same but you were positive you’d fall in love with Shawn again and again. And maybe he’d love you too in this future. That’s what made pulling away a little easier.

“I love you.”

Shawn pressed his temple to yours, as your hand was held to his heart by his hand.

“I love you too,” you smiled, “I love you too.”

You walked away and Shawn just watched. His teary eyes burned into the back of your head. It hurt so much to walk away from him but your inexperienced heart wouldn’t be able to handle another heartbreak. You were protecting yourself when you walked away. It was the wrong decision, you knew that much, but it was the only choice you could handle.

Shawn was the unknown variable in your life and that scared you but not as much as the thought of losing him. Yet, when you turned back having every intention of running down the 43 steps of stairs you had counted, Shawn was already in his beloved Jeep. And he was driving away because you had walked away. Because you were scared to make the right decision of sharing a life with Shawn.

permanent tag list: @wholesomemendes @fallinallincurls @ashwarren32 @mendesficsxbombay @haute-shawn @turtoix @prncsnee @http-isabela

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