#High End Facial in Toronto

[sergeifyodorov]

plz share the willy xenophobia discussion at your leisure i would love to read about it

Right. So.

Willy was drafted in 2014, a top-ten pick with legacy pedigree, and unlike the other two in Toronto's Big Three, took a little longer to develop -- Marner spent his D+1 in the OHL before coming up, Matthews made the team right away, but Willy spent time in the SHL and about a year and a half in the Marlies before joining at the end of the 15-16 season, after Marner was drafted but before Matthews was. Needless to say, expectations of him weren't quite as high, but he was firmly expected to be part of the Big Rebuild, too.

He's also Swedish. The first Europeans in the NHL were Swedish, and to this day the highest proportion of non-North Americans is Swedish. However, in order to understand the Swedes, we have to talk about the Russians.

The 1972 Summit Series is probably the most important single event in the history of hockey -- eight games, the first true best-on-best in the world, since the NHL and the Olympics have always had a fraught relationship and they weren't allowed to attend. If we really wanted to talk about the Summit Series, we could be here for years, but, the point: on this particular world stage, it was finally understood that Europeans -- Russians, but everyone else, too -- played a different style of hockey, one that emphasized a side-to-side possession-based game instead of the Canadian dump-and-chase style. The Euro style involves far less checking. And less fighting.

North American (largely Canadian, but nonetheless) hockey has always had a culture of hypermasculinity around it, and this relative lack of violence, as well as pre-existing stereotypes of the time, gave the impression that Europeans were "soft."

Back to Willy. Go back to look at draft-era Willy, before he learns how to grow facial hair -- not Mitch's baby face, but not Auston's full-grown jawline. A layer of puppy fat that disguises all but the most defined of his muscles. Silky blond hair and a dopey smile. He dresses expensively, breaks into fits of giggles in interviews, doesn't seem to take anything as seriously as he should. Because this is Toronto, and we feel as if we are about to enter a new golden age, we expect the most out of our prospects -- solemnity, hard work, not a flaxen-haired nepotist idiot. Especially not a soft flaxen-haired nepotist idiot.

Willy Nylander, raised and trained on a different continent, doesn't hit much, preferring to carry his puck in than dump it. He's speedy, patient with a shot, would rather make a dangerous chance than one through three lanes of traffic. He doesn't fight, doesn't get mad, scores less when the team's really going, and he held out to the last possible moment in his RFA negotiations. Every single one of these drives people mad -- people here trailing all after Don Cherry.

If you're not familiar with Don Cherry, imagine the worst Leafs uncle you could possibly realize, give him opinions of similar attitude on the rest of the NHL, and then understand that he had a national platform for decades. Cherry, fervent nationalist that he is, touted the "tough" Canadian forechecking style, adored players who would walk off injuries -- never mind their lives afterwards -- and once expressed his disdain for visors (you know, the thing that... protects your eyes... and a lot of your face...) by saying that only the Europeans and Francophones liked them. (He also got kicked off of Hockey Night in Canada for anti-immigrant statements. Yee haw.)

Cherry hated Nylander the entire time, explicitly citing his Swedishness (and implying a lack of toughness, or winning quality, which he equated) as a reason that the Leafs would never win with him. Here's an article from right around draft day with Cherry's opinion -- he says the Leafs, should they choose to contend, should forgo Europeans and instead take Canadians. He also cites Ritchie's high penalty-minute count as a valuable item. (I don't know about you, but generally I think regularly putting your team on the penalty kill is a detriment, not a strength).

Furthermore, there's a poll at the end of this article asking the reader if they think Cherry was right. Most people think he was. He was hugely popular not only because he was a charismatic figure (I keep talking about him as if he's dead; he's not, just no longer working) but because his ideas were popular. People believed, and still very much do, that Swedishness is softness and that softness is bad. And as -- as a Leaf -- arguably one of the most visible Swedes in the NHL, one of those tasked with shouldering the weight of the most known franchise, Willy bore a lot of it.

I think part of the reason I didn't mention it in the original post was because unlike Mitch, Willy doesn't seem to let it get to him a lot -- he's a blissfully oblivious Barbie-doll idiot -- and, again, because expectations on him weren't quite as high. That being said, it's still important to discuss imho !

[unladielike]

Honestly, based on their demo reel over here, I feel like Elissa Park would be a far more fitting voice claim for Vivian. Like, not only have I always pictured her to have a lower voice register, the second and third one is something she can probably alternate between rather easily.

Of course, the second one happens to be what I envision Vivian's 'manly' voice to sound like, because I could see her pretty much learning how to speak in a deeper tone from a young age to seem 'masculine' but her voice also tends to randomly grow high pitched like in the third one, so there were definitely moments where she sounded more girlish around other muses, with @spiritpyro's Hayate being a very prominent example; in fact, she probably uses the third one the most with Hayate because she isn't trying to put on airs around him.

But when around more charming/playful/flirtatious muses, Vivian ends up using the third voice more often, which is honestly what she would sound like by natural default if she isn't trying to present herself in a more masculine way, so aside from her body language or facial expressions, you can tell she's excited or flustered from her voice losing it's 'manly' quality.

Regardless, due to the fact she is used to adopting a deeper tone of voice in order to better fit the 'manly hero' persona she's grown fond of, I don't think Vivian would ever manage to bat an eyelid if @dis--parity's Alex ever accidentally failed to feminize her voice around her, let alone automatically assume she was trans, because she herself would habitually change or adjust her voice despite being a cis woman; therefore, she would automatically think Alex just has a versatile voice range.

Plus, Elissa Park is also from Toronto, meaning she is pretty much Canadian like Vivian.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

Today (May 20) at 3:15PM, I’ll be at the GAITHERSBURG Book Festival with my novel Red Team Blues; then on Monday (May 22), I’m keynoting Public Knowledge’s Emerging Tech conference in DC.

On Tuesday (May 23), I’ll be in TORONTO for a book launch that’s part of WEPFest, a benefit for the West End Phoenix, onstage with Dave Bidini (The Rheostatics), Ron Diebert (Citizen Lab) and the whistleblower Dr Nancy Olivieri.

#20yrsago William Gibson on the future of media https://web.archive.org/web/20030503081410/www.williamgibsonbooks.com/archive/2003_05_01_archive.asp

#15yrsago We need a privacy bill of rights https://www.wired.com/2008/05/securitymatters-0515/

#15yrsago Steamy tell-all memoir by a Disneyland “Jack Sparrow” https://web.archive.org/web/20080525200648/https://www.lamag.com/featuredarticle.aspx/?id=7016

#15yrsago Oregon to hold hearings on whether its laws are copyrighted https://public.resource.org/oregon/

#15yrsago China’s surveillance state https://web.archive.org/web/20080517165418/https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/20797485/chinas_allseeing_eye/print

#10yrsago Unknown mathematician makes historical breakthrough in prime theory https://www.wired.com/2013/05/twin-primes/

#10yrsago What UK education czar Michael Gove doesn’t understand about creativity https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/17/to-encourage-creativity-mr-gove-understand

#10yrsago Accused identity thief nailed by food-porn Instagram photo https://www.techdirt.com/2013/05/20/criminal-nabbed-his-own-food-porn/

#10yrsago Utah wants to tax power consumed by the NSA’s massive, illegal data-processing facility https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=56304956&itype=CMSID

#10yrsago Book review: information security for lawyers https://books.slashdot.org/story/13/05/20/1313205/book-review-locked-down-information-security-for-lawyers

#10yrsago When America issued dogtags to kids to help identify their nuke-blasted corpses https://gizmodo.com/that-time-american-school-kids-were-given-dog-tags-beca-508802138

#10yrsago Whatever happened to crack babies? https://web.archive.org/web/20130904231440/https://www.retroreport.org/crack-babies-a-tale-from-the-drug-wars/

#10yrsago Internet of Things and surveillance https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/05/the_eyes_and_ea.html

#10yrsago Profile of math-inspired 3D printing sculptor Bathsheba Grossman https://www.shapeways.com/blog/archives/2075-designer-spotlight-bathsheba-grossman-2.html

#5yrsago Explaining marine invertebrate reproductive strategies to the lobster-obsessed Jordan Peterson https://twitter.com/baileys/status/997646354414522368

#5yrsago Supreme Court rules that employers can make signing away your right to sue them in a class a condition of employment https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/21/politics/supreme-court-nlra-arbitration-gorsuch/index.html

#5yrsago New York high school will use CCTV and facial recognition to enforce discipline https://web.archive.org/web/20180521033340/http://uschnews.com/lockport-schools-turn-to-state-of-the-art-technology-to-beef-up-security-the-buffalo-news/

#5yrsago High school students who will not smile in the hallways are sent to mandatory counselling, while bullying is rampant https://www.ldnews.com/story/news/local/2018/05/15/n-lebanon-students-told-smile-while-bullying-gets-ignored/606180002/

#5yrsago The Vatican dunks on the finance industry and its “amoral culture” https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2018/05/17/180517a.html

#5yrsago Ahead of national elections, India’s authoritarian ruling party loses a key regional battle https://web.archive.org/web/20180520035216/http://www.atimes.com/article/huge-setback-for-modi-as-bjp-fails-floor-test-in-karnataka/

#5yrsago Britain’s hardline prohibitionist drugs minister is married to a weed grower https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/drugs-minister-victoria-atkins-hypocrisy-cannabis-paul-kenward-british-sugar-a8356056.html

#5yrsago App that let parents spy on teens stored thousands of kids’ Apple ID passwords and usernames on an unsecured server https://www.zdnet.com/article/teen-phone-monitoring-app-leaks-thousands-of-users-data/

Catch me on tour with Red Team Blues in Toronto, DC, Gaithersburg, Oxford, Hay, Manchester, Nottingham, London, and Berlin!

[redcarpetonqueen]

Fire and ice Skin treatment facial is a rejuvenating conduct that bridges the opening among a mild facial and an all-encompassing peel, with no downtime.

[2anxious2betrue]

Happy Marriage: part 2

part 1:https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/2anxious2betrue/687555004390866944?source=share

Summary: Soldier boy is looking for his wife, has anyone seen her? Its been many years, and he has come back ready to have a happy marriage. Too bad she doesn't see it that way.

Warnings: non-con, mean solider boy, DV, the 1970s

I have no idea how to tag people that have asked me to tag them. I am sorry, but I do hope you find this part 2 and enjoy. The new episode was a big shocker for me, specifically the ending. There are no spoilers here, so no worries. Also there might be some grammar mistakes, I did not have anyone look it over. Anyways enjoy :)

Part 2:

Time was running out. You were not certain where Ben was, but you knew that you couldn’t stay put in one place for too long. After seeing the news, you collected yourself and got to work. You gathered all necessary items (clothes, medicine, weapons) into a duffel bag and swung it over your shoulder. It was time to start a new life, again.

You heard a ping from your phone and quickly grabbed it to read the message. 

‘523 Mable Ave’

You dropped your phone onto the floor and slammed your foot down on it, successfully cracking and breaking the phone into small pieces. 

One final glance at your apartment, and you were out the door. You weren’t attached to the place, but you would miss the scattered memories of not having to look behind your shoulder all the time. It was still bright out when you left, people bustling and walking amongst each other on the streets. Everyone held a certain aura around themselves ever since Soldier Boy appeared again. Even though you continuously saw the repeated videos of Homelander trying to ease the public on the lack of danger, you knew it was a lie. And it seemed that the public wasn’t too convinced with Homelander’s reassurance either. 

Taking a turn into an abandoned alleyway, you began your search looking for a specific symbol. Your eyes caught the discreet symbol of a bull on the gray stone wall, and you leaped towards it. Caressing the symbol, this was your way out. Tapping the stone, you could hear that the area was hollowed out. You gave it a slightly harder tap, and the area crumbled apart leaving a small whole. You tossed the rubble away and took out the contents inside. You flipped through it, an ID and passport with a new name but your picture looking right back at you. There was also a one way ticket to Toronto, Canada leaving in a couple of hours. 

You looked past your shoulder, making sure no one saw your actions. You stashed everything into your jacket pocket and high tailed out of the location. Back in the crowded streets, you signaled for a taxi driver. After two drove by you, the third finally stopped pulling down his window and asking you where you were going. 

You opened the back door and placed your belongings beside you, but before you could shut the door a hand grabbed the door frame. He pulled open the door for his wide body to stand next to yours. 

“There you are honey, I’ve been looking all over for you”. Your mind did not register what was happening, but his deep timber voice brought memories to your body. With ease he pushed your body to the side allowing his body to sit in the car. He closed the door behind him. 

The taxi driver said something, but you were numb. You did not understand what was going on, this felt unreal. You were certain that you had more time. 

You glanced towards him from the corner of your eye, he was dressed casually not in his usual Supe outfit. He told the taxi driver a new location to drive to, and the driver didn’t even question it. You scooted further away from him and slowly moved your hand to open the door. 

“Don’t even think about it”. You fully looked at him then, his eyes were staring daggers into yours. His facial features hadn’t changed since the last time you saw him. He looked exactly the same but his aura gave a darker twist than even before. 

You gave one small nod of your head to give the allusion of appeasing him. He still thought you were his obedient submissive wife, but times have changed. 

You reached for the door handle again and showed it open, flinging the car door towards oncoming traffic. The driver exclaimed loudly, but you didn’t hear the rest of it as you jumped out of the moving car. Your body rolled onto the street, you could feel scratches and bruises already healing as you forced your body to get up and make a run for it. 

Cars honked at you, as you ran across the road looking for an escape route. There was no time for you to glance over to see if he was following you but you knew he was. It seemed like anarchy was occurring around you as cars drove into one another and screams filled your ears. Thudding, thumping, and screaming all around you. Everything was too much, and you couldn’t process it all, no ideas were coming to mind other than run faster. 

You heard your name being yelled out at you but you didn’t stop. 

You wouldn’t stop no matter what, because the alternative would be a much worse faith. The world saw Soldier Boy as a superhero, you saw him for who he truly was. A sociopath. 

1971

The room was silent except for the repeated ticking of the clock. Any moment now your husband will come home. This used to bring joy to you but as the years went by, the fame increased, you began to see new and dark sides of him. 

First it was Vought’s idea that your marriage should be kept a secret from the public, Ben explained it was for your safety. You agreed, because you didn’t know any better. He truly cared for you, and many people wanted to hurt him, therefore you. 

But it didn’t stop there, he would repeatedly come home with blood all over his suits. Your first initial reaction was to be worried for him but he would always smile and say it wasn’t his. 

More and more Ben would change but you would find excuses for his actions, after all he saved the world from Nazi’s. Then one day he decided that the outside world was too dangerous for you. He did not want you to leave the house without him. Eventually you weren’t allowed to leave the house at all. 

You remembered the day he forcibly injected compound V into your system. He held you the whole night while you were in pain. He rocked you back and forth, whispering reassurance into your ear. He promised things would get better and a bright future would be ahead for the both of you. He exclaimed his love for you. 

Now you sit still watching the time tick by waiting for your husband to come home. His words from the past empty promises that were not fulfilled, instead grief overtook you. You knew what lay within your husband and it was not what the public saw, it was not who you married. This person did not care about no one but his own selfish desires, which included you playing the role of a domestic house wife that always obeyed. 

The door creaked open but you sat still, not moving an inch.

“Honey, I’m home”

You glanced towards the direction of his voice but refused to get up and greet him. You were tired of it all. 

“Honey?”

Silence. 

He waited for you to appear, for you to answer, and once he realized he wasn’t going to get it you heard his frustrated sigh. 

His sock clad feet made thudding sounds on the wood floor as he approached you. You could feel his eyes on you as he made his way, he stopped behind you. 

“When will you learn” 

He grabbed a fist full of your hair and yanked it back. Your head jerked with his harsh movement, and you were forced to look up at him. He sneered down at you. 

“I give and I give, and this is the thanks I get?” He gestured with his other arm. “All that I ask is for you to be a good wife, don’t I deserve that?” He questioned. 

Tears began to blur your eyesight, the pain from his grip intensifying as the seconds went by. You didn’t answer him, closing your eyes allowing the tears to trickle down your cheeks. 

“Stop being such a crybaby”. 

His grip on your hair tightened more and he finally swung you over from the couch, you landed harshly on your back. 

“Aw baby, that’s ok. I’m here”. His deep voice was mocking you, as he straddled your waist. His heavy weight prevented you from sitting up. You groaned from the impact, the throbbing in your head slowly disappearing. 

His hand reached towards your cheek, tracing the soft flesh down to your throat. Goosebumps littered your skin, his touch used to bring joy and pleasure, now you weren’t sure what feelings you held towards him. 

You lifted your right hand towards him, and with your full force pushed him away from you. He stumbled off of you allowing a small opportunity of escape from his assault. You turned your body and crawled your way away from him. Your freedom was short lived, he grabbed your foot and pulled you back towards him. 

He clicked his tongue. “Honey, where do you think you’re going?” 

He wrestled you back into the previous position, with him straddling your body down to the floor. This time he also had your hands pinned to the side. His face was hovering above yours, his eyes looking deep into you. 

Shutting your eyes, you no longer wanted to look at him. You wanted to escape from this horrible reality but he wouldn’t allow you. You felt his breath on your face as he leaned closer to you and locked your lips together. His lips were rough against yours, a punishing move. 

You didn’t respond to his actions, so he bit your bottom lip drawing blood. He suckled at the wound and caressed your lip with the tip of his tongue. A reluctant moan escaped you, as he moved his right hand away from your wrist to your breasts. 

His movements were both gentle and demanding. None of his actions were to bring you pleasure, he was doing this to punish you. To punish for your actions and remind you where your place was. 

He groaned into your mouth as you felt his length harden against you, he began to move his hips against you causing friction. He pulled his lips away from yours, and looked at his work. You were laying breathless beneath him, hair tousled, lips swollen, and reluctantly extremely aroused. 

He smirked down at you. 

“My little slut”. 

You turned your head away from him, but he grabbed your chin back to look at him. 

“Are you going to be a good or naughty girl today?” 

You refused to answer him. 

“I like it when you're naughty”.

He let go of your chin, but abruptly leaned towards your ear and whispered. “My naughty slut is going to be punished today”. His breath tickled your skin as his tongue darted out and licked the bottom of your earlobe before biting it harshly. 

You tried to shove him away from you but this time he didn’t budge. More tears built at the corner of your eyes as he wouldn’t let you go. 

“Ben please”

He put more pressure on your body as he leaned his own body on yours, even with your enhanced strength you were no match to him. 

“Please stop”

His tongue made a trail down your jaw, to your neck, and trailed kisses around your collarbone. He nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck, inhaling your scent. 

“I love you baby.”

His baritone voice whispered into you. 

“I-I love you too”. Your voice was a small whimper compared to his. Even through all his actions, your response wasn’t a lie. You truly did love him, and you despised yourself for that. 

“I love you so much that I would do anything for you. I would kill everyone on this earth, just so I could be alone with you”. 

“I know”. 

He pushed his body up and stood on both his feet looking down at you. His movement finally allowed you freedom to move, you too got up from your position. Standing straight, you waited for his next move, never knowing what was truly going on in his head. 

He moved away from you and back to the couch, sitting down and spreading his legs. 

“Come here”

“Why”

“Don’t be fucking stupid” He rolled his eyes and gestured for you to come to him. “It's time for your punishment”.

[oyesmendes]

i keep on missing you

a/n: so remember when i said there would be a part two to “all i wanted was a happy ending” ? ya its here.... this was largely inspired by Missing You - The Vamps and i miss you, i’m sorry - Gracie Abrams. hope you guys got some tissues ready HAHAHA sorry in advance! @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln​ @lonelyreputation​ 

read part one here

'Cause I'm sat here in my front room with a girl who ain't you / Hopin' and prayin' you're breakin' up with another fool

The sunlight that streams through the small crack between his curtains is what wakes Shawn up. He has his hand draped across a body - or should he say, his girlfriend’s body and he finds himself frowning at the lack of the olive skin he’s grown so used to waking up to. He’s quick to change his facial expression once he sees the body roll around to face him. The girl grins at him, stroking his cheek and pressing a soft kiss on his lips which he struggles to return.

“Morning, sunshine”

“G’morning” He mumbles back. They don’t say much, only sharing a few kisses and cuddle for what felt like too long before they both stumble out of bed into their morning routines.

Shawn is sitting at the dining table, mindlessly scrolling through Instagram like he was reading the morning papers. He likes a couple pictures posted by friends back in Toronto, before he lands on one that makes his breath hitch.

@kiara_hammani: everyday is worth celebrating with you. happy three months, sweet pea!

It was a picture of her - Kiara. His finger hovers above her face, wanting nothing more than to feel her skin against his. She was in that blue sundress they bought on impulse during a trip to Hawaii two years ago, and she was posing at the beach. Wrapped up in the arms of another man. He’s contemplating if he should zoom in or tap on the tagged account of the man, but decides to just stare at it for a couple more seconds instead. It’s only been less than five months since she moved out, how could she have moved on so quickly?

“Shawn? Hey you there, gorgeous?” Shawn blinks his eyes a couple of times to bring him back to reality. He quickly places his phone face down on the table and smiles softly.

“Yeah? Sorry I got a little distracted.”

“That’s alright, would you like coffee or green tea today?” She was holding up a French press in one hand and pack of teabags in the other. She smiles sweetly at him and Shawn feels himself cringe internally. This girl was everything but Kiara. The tone of her voice constantly laced with sweetness, and pale skin covered with fake tan which made her look orange. He thinks back to all the times that Kiara would purposely use a high-pitched voice to mock the waitress or random girl that was trying to get in his pants and they’d have a good laugh about it. He knows she would’ve done the same right now. Shawn looks at the girl standing in front of him and he hides the disappointment that fills his chest when he realises that she’s not here.

“I’ll have the tea, thank you Chris.” She nods and spins around to make him a mug.

Christine was your typical LA girl. Yeah, the ones that have beach blonde hair, holding a hydro flask and wearing cut off denim shorts all year round. How she and Shawn ended up together for the last two months? Ask management. They initially paired him off with another girl but she was way too much of a blonde that Shawn ended up ditching her on their first meet. He put up a strong fight with the team afterwards and they eventually settled on Christine. She was no where near Kiara, but according to Shawn’s publicist - Christine was the cure to his falling reputation.

So they’ve spent every single day together for the last two months, drowning out all the dirty news of their breakup. Shawn didn’t hate it completely, Christine was too nice to him that he forced himself to enjoy every moment. But he does catch himself comparing her to Kiara, and he can’t seem to shake himself out of it. He watches as Christine turns around, two mugs in her hand. At first, he doesn’t notice the pastel pink mug that belonged to Kiara. But as she places it down on the table, he sees the faint lipstick stain on the edge of the mug and he stops her from lifting it up to her lips.

“What’s wrong?” Christine asks when Shawn’s hand lands on top of hers.

“Throw it out.”

“What? Babe, I just made this-“

“I said THROW IT OUT!” She jumps slightly in her seat when Shawn raises his voice and he immediately regrets it. Christine pushes her chair back, letting them scrape the hardwood floor because she knows how much Shawn hates it when she does that. She gets up from her seat and stalks to the front door.

“You can throw it out yourself.”

Nothing happened in the way I wanted / Every corner of this house is haunted

The front door slams and Shawn is left with the same deafening silence from two months ago. His eyes focus on the mug and then roams the house. Every corner was filled with the essence of Kiara. After their heated argument, she moved out the next morning, taking everything that she could without the need to turn back. Naturally, she left a few shared pieces in the house which Shawn never touched, and it was starting to feel haunting. Each object that she had left - the dark blue curtains from Ikea, the cream coloured throw from a boutique in London, and even that chipped porcelain vase she bought from a kid at a yard sale held three years of happy memories. Memories he couldn’t bear to relive or throw away. Shawn would much rather be alone than to share this special place with someone new, but he couldn’t lose Christine now, especially when his career’s on the line. So he forces himself to grab his keys and pull himself out the front door. He’s out on the streets and thankfully, Christine hasn’t made it too far from the apartment building.

“Christine!” She increases her footsteps but before she could make the corner, Shawn grabs a hold of her arm.

“What do you want, Shawn?” He pulls her closer to him and she’s resting her hand on his chest. Her touch felt different. But Shawn settles for it in the moment.

“You, me and the grocery store.” He smirks at her. A small smile erupts on her face and Shawn knows he’s immediately been forgiven. It’s been a vicious cycle that’s got them through the last 8 weeks - Shawn does something stupid, then he makes it up by suggesting Christine’s favourite activity which he would hate, on a normal day. He knows this isn’t the way to love someone, especially someone who only has good intentions for him. But he needs Christine to stay, at least he thinks he does. She makes the silence less deafening, and it stops Shawn’s head from reeling into his horror movie of thoughts. She was his imaginary safety net, somewhere he could fall into for a moment and not think until reality hits him like a truck again.

-

The store was quiet, and Shawn is thankful for it. He doesn’t need to put on a loving couple front for the cameras or fans that would recognise him from a mile away. He’s pushing the trolley behind Christine, empty focus on the squeaking of the wheels.

“Should we try cashew milk this time? I was watching Claudia’s vlog the other day and she was raving about this brand.” Christine holds up the cartons in front of Shawn’s face. He smiles at her, knowing well that he has to give her some sort of attention or care in order for this relationship not to crumble.

Kiara couldn’t care less about the type of nut milk we had at home. He stops himself before he dives further into that part of his brain.

“Well if Claudia says it’s good, I don’t see why we shouldn’t try it.” Her face immediately lights up when Shawn showed the slightest interest in her rambling. She drops the carton of cashew milk into the trolley and scampers off while he trails behind her. They wander around the fresh produce, and while Christine goes on about which kind of salad she wants to make next week, Shawn hears the distinct laughter and voice.

His eyes dart around the store until they land on a specific couple and he sees her. In all her 5’7” glory, Kiara stood next to the same man that was on her Instagram post, trying to catch her breath from all the laughing the pair had been doing.

“You’re telling me, you microwaved eggs?!” She’s still laughing, shaking her head as she placed the carton of fresh eggs into the trolley in front of her.

“Hey, no shame in that! We were in college and really dumb. Besides, you’re the one that burnt the kettle to a crisp while making tea last week.”

“Well, we’re both to blame for that.” Shawn watches as Kiara gives the man one of those cheeky smiles that she used to give him. He watches as he attacked her sides, tickling and then peppering kisses down her neck as she squeals in excitement. Shawn should look away, he knows he should before he gets caught, but he can’t help himself. Before he knows it he hears Christine next to him,

“Shawn? Did you hear me? What are you- Oh for god’s sake!” The couple turns when they hear Christine raise her voice and Shawn snaps out of his trance. His eyes meet briefly with Kiara’s and her face falls just enough for Shawn to notice. Christine shoves the packet of spinach she has in her hands back on the shelf. She shoots Kiara a death stare before pushing Shawn out of the way and storming out of the grocery store. He doesn’t go after her, instead his hand tightens its grip around the handles of the trolley and he forces himself to breathe. The man with Kiara is rubbing both sides of her arms, a concerned look on his face as he mumbles something to her. She’s shaking her head, giving him a reassuring smile as they continue with their shopping, not taking another look at Shawn.

I still love you, I promise / Nothing happened in the way I wanted

Shawn abandons his cart, the Canadian in him feeling guilty about not placing the stuff back on the shelves. But his mind is running too fast that his legs couldn’t comprehend his own actions. He finds himself squatting outside the store, baseball cap pulled far down on his face. He doesn’t know what he’s doing, sitting out here in the middle of nowhere, waiting for some damned miracle to happen. Something to fix his heart.

“I’ll drive the car up here? That way we don’t have to push the cart back.” Shawn recognises the same voice and he peers up slowly.

“Sure, I’ll wait here.” Kiara.

He waits for a couple moments before he scrambles to his feet and it makes Kiara jump out of her skin.

“Pinché pendejo.” She mutters under her breath. Kiara’s about to push her trolley further away, when she recognises the white and pink Dodgers baseball cap that used to belong to her.

“Shawn?”

He feels like a deer caught in headlights, looking down at her with widened eyes. The look on her face was unreadable as she puts her hands deep into the pockets of her hoodie. He tries to drink in as much of her looks as he can - the change in the way her hair now falls just above her shoulders instead of having it in those long beach waves; how she now has the confidence to be out in public with barely any make up on. The moment of staring doesn’t last too long though, when Shawn hears a voice call out for her.

“Babe, you good?” Kiara and Shawn both seem to be shaken back to reality quickly. She’s pushing her hair out of her face and smiling softly to her boyfriend.

“Yeah, yeah I’m good. Let’s load her up.”

And I know you said that we're not talking / But I miss you, I'm sorry

“Wait.” Shawn says barely above a whisper. Both of them stop in their tracks and look to him.

“Can I-can I talk to her for a second? I promise you it won’t take long.” Kiara’s boyfriend is already dropping the bags back into the cart, trying to go in front of her to give Shawn a piece of his mind.

“Ryan,” She pulls his arm toward her and he switches his attention to his girl, “I’ll talk to him. I won’t take too long.” Ryan looks at Kiara then back at Shawn and he stalks toward him, chest out, looking like he’s ready for some brawl. Kiara’s holding her breath as she watches him walk, the anxiety in her chest just become worse by the second. Ryan has his pointer finger up, voice low as he stares at Shawn in the eyes, “you hurt her again and I guarantee you, I will ruin you.”

He turns back around, kissing Kiara on the cheek before he loads the groceries into the car.

Shawn smiles awkwardly at her, “well, he seems nice.”

“I’m so sorry, he’s just protective.”

“That’s okay, I understand.” An uncomfortable silence fell between the two of them and Kiara think’s this is probably the worst idea in the entire world. To be standing out on a cold day in LA, next to her ex, with her boyfriend waiting less than 10 feet away. She’s wrapping her arms around herself, bouncing on her feet to keep herself warm. Shawn doesn’t say anything for awhile and Kiara’s growing frustrated by the second.

“Did you want to-“

“So I-“

They start at the same time, and it makes Shawn chuckle. But it makes Kiara sigh and she’s hugging herself tighter. Shawn finally sees the hint of annoyance on her face and his mind scrambles for the right words. (Though, I’m not exactly sure these are the write words, Shawn)

“How are you?” Kiara gives him a look, and she couldn’t believe her ears. After standing out in the freezing cold weather, he just wanted to ask how she was doing?!

“Get to the point, Shawn. I don’t have the time for small talk right now.” He’s fiddling with the loose thread from his sweater, trying to avoid Kiara’s intimidating brown eyes when he speaks.

“I just-I, I just miss you, Ki.” Kiara scoffs, very audibly and she takes a step back to look at him.

“Cariño,” He recognises the same sarcastic tone that her mother uses, “don’t you have a girlfriend you should be with?”

Breaking dishes when you're disappointed / I still love you, I promise

“Yeah I do, she’s standing right in front of me.”

“You did not just-“ Kiara mutters under her breath, shaking her head violently. She looks around her to ensure that there’s no one in earshot, then steps toward him and pokes his chest.

“Shawn Peter, you do not just squat out here wanting to talk to me after you argued with your current girl and then say that you want me back. You do not just walk up to me and say all those things after what you did, how you hurt me and-“

He grabs both her wrists and Kiara stops mid-sentence.

“What are you doing?” She mutters under her breath. Kiara knows that Ryan would be watching them both, and any bigger movement would send him running out of the car to punch Shawn in the face. She looks over her shoulder and she already sees the door of the Range Rover opening slowly.

“I miss you, I really do. I still love you, Ki, I still fucking love you.” He tries to lean in and Kiara finally had enough, pulling her hand out from his grip.

“Fuck Shawn, I’m happy now can’t you see? We’re over, it’s over.” Kiara turns around, her eyes meeting Ryan as he stands next to the car. She musters up a smile for him before she hears Shawn shout from behind her.

“Does he love you like I do?” She stops in her tracks and looks over at him.

“No Shawn, Ryan has done a better job in the last three months than you ever did in the three years I’ve known you.”

With that, Kiara walks away, and Shawn is left with half of his heart and the image of her back burned in his mind.

[jensungf]

10 questions tag pt.2

hoo boi okay so ive been tagged in this a lot so im going to split it up into parts but this is alr a lot to read so if u read all of this u deserve a cookie so reply back with cookie and ima send u kithes and hugs

thank u to every who tagged me!! @byunbaekby @neocitybynight @bumblebeenct

aurora’s questions (these r from awhile back hehe

what’s your favorite dish from your culture?

i like phở gà (chicken noodle soup) or bún bò huế (hhh idk it in english)

vegetables or fruit?

fruits? i don’t like either

what’s the last book you’ve read and did you like it?

i think i had to read frankenstein for decathalon before corona hit and no i did not ugh

what inscription would you like on your tombstone?

heart nutted too hard or leyna [redacted] ; jk i actually dont know, i guess in loving memory leyna her love shall forever be remembered thru photographs bc even when the people change, the memories still stay or something (my brain is chaotic rn)

what should they teach in high school but do’t?

definitely financial literacy and how to do taxes and whatnot

who would you most like to sit next to on a 10 hours flight and why?

probs jisung or renjun bc lbr jisung and i would be the type to play smash the entire time and snack (and also if i fell asleep on his shoulder that shit would be so cute omfg) but renjun and i could continue talking for hours hahahah

what skill would you like to master?

cooking/baking!

what movie title best describes your life?

to all the boys i’ve loved before (ok not rly but i couldn’t think of much)

what’s the best way to start your day?

waking up well rested with my outfit planned and no rush getting ready to go eat brunch w my friends

what pets did you have while you were growing up?

i never had any pets hehe i’m allergic and mis padres say no

milly’s questions

where is the favourite place you’ve ever been?

i think i really like the city in toronto!! it’s super aesthetic and the vibes are amazing but i didn’t get to explore :( @longassride kidnap me pls

what is your best school subject, and if it changed drastically why?

it’s always been english haha but i’m not even that good

animated or live action films?

i prefer animated tbh the live action films i’ve seen don’t do any justice

do you play any instruments, how long for?

i play the bassoon and it’s been like 6 years (don’t need fooled i hate it)

have you told anyone irl that you have a blog?

yeah lmao a lot of my irls know and i let some follow me but we dont talk about it too much

favourite social media? 

instagram or tumblr

can you quote me something from your favourite book?

“There comes a time when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you'd better learn the sound of it. Otherwise you'll never understand what it's saying.” — Just Listen, Sarah Dessen

what was the last tv show you finished in its entirety?

fuck i have no idea i don’t even think ive ever finished a tv show...  oops?

do you have an all time favourite nct fic on this site?

i have many so it’s so hard to choose but one of my all time favs might be @/starlightkun’s ayakashi series for jeno called featherbrain and @lovingyong’s tatbilb series for jaemin. i stayed up until 7am reading featherbrain and i didn’t stop rereading it for a wk bc it was everything i’ve ever liked in one story since i was super into otome games at one point and if i’m being honest, kelsie’s series helped move past a lot of hardships bahahah i could probably quote a few lines honestly bc they mean so much to me 

if you could time travel, when would you go?

the 90s!!

sunny’s questions

If you could pick one artist to soundtrack your life, who would it be?

niki bc she is queen and relatable !!!

If you could have a Magic Eight Ball that really would answer your questions, what would you ask it?

am i going to be happy and successful?If you could bring one cryptid (supernatural creature) to life, what would you choose?

If you could bring one cryptid (supernatural creature) to life, what would you choose?

honestly that’s so hard ugh i might say angels/demons (i know that’s two but the concept has always intrigued me)

Coke or Pepsi?

coke but i don’t like either

What is your guilty pleasure?

otome games hehe but i guess just reading ff/webtoons all the time

If you had a title after your name (e.g. Alexander the Great) what would you want?

leyna the lover or some shit like that haha i rly dont know

Would you rather have a band who narrated all your movements through song or the paparazzi follow you around?

haksjsk i think band bc it doesn’t always have to be a literal narration and paparazzi would expose my every move

If you could be a K-Pop idol, would you be? Whether or not you answer yes, would you date an idol?

no i wouldn’t because it’s too much of a sacrifice to give up everything and dedicate my life to the toxic industry. and personally no i wouldn’t unless i rly loved them and it happened naturally bc it’s again a huge sacrifice and it’s difficult on both ends

When it rains, are you inside watching from the window or outside twirling in the puddles?

inside haha i could never go outside during rain

If you could time travel to any time period, which would you choose?

maybe the late 80s or 90s.. it seemed like a lot of fun to interact with people without technology. drive in movies, cheap candy, rollerskating down the boardwalk, the fashion and music, the vibes

my questions:

what is your usual resting facial expression?

what was your favorite childhood cartoon?

would you ever have kids? if so, do you have any baby names ready?

whats your favorite way to talk to people? (irl, text, call, ft, etc)

what color fits your vibe and why?

what is your preferred way to be comforted? emotional support or finding a solution?

how long have you been on tumblr?

do you wash your clothes right after you buy them or right after you wear them?

do you have an ideal type or any celeb that matches your ideal type?

do you believe in soulmates?

you’re under no obligation to do this but tagging: @lovelyjsuh @nanasarea​ @neolights @jaemallow @jaetyhm @glossyjaems @cherrysung @yongiefilms​  @juyeonzz​ @lovingyong​ @gohyuck​ @longassride​

[diegoh4rgreeves]

Film Festival

Request:  hiii could i request a david castañeda fic? i don’t have a storyline but just something that has a lil fluff and a lOt of smut, with david teasing the reader in spanish, and something involving his tattoos? if it’s not too much too ask 🤧 - @rubych568

Story Summary: David Castañeda and Reader binge-watch some films at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). They are a happy couple going 6 months strong. They build their way up to making love at the end of the day, and speak to his mother on the phone.

Pairing: David Castañeda x TUA Crew Member

Chapter: 1/1

Word Count: 1,047 words

Warning(s): Fluff, smut

A/N: This one is rushed because I’ve been putting off requests for a while. I got caught up on some heartbreak IRL. Now though, I’m trying to remember how much I love TUA and the cast, especially Diego and David, so thank you all for boosting me to get a move on with this lol! I hope you enjoy this after my slump.

Also, I didn’t make David tease the reader in Spanish because I’m not Hispanic/Latinx and I don’t speak fluent Spanish haha.

The theatre is grand. The room is large and it's full. The screen is humungous and the volume from the film is loud and clear. Despite the extravagance of the room, it is so easy to focus on your man, David Castañeda. He is so handsome with his square-shaped face, excessive and dark facial hair, and long hair that resembles Jason Momoa's. You've been at the theatre all day just watching films together. It's TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) this week. David and you escape fans in downtown by holing yourselves up at the theatre for the day.

And not only are you escaping fan encounters to mentally and emotionally prepare for, you catch up on your affections for each other. For the first film, you two exchanged a kiss during the credits. His lips are so soft and taste of musk, and a little bit of scotch after your day drinking before coming to the theatre. For the second film, you kiss a little longer at the beginning of the movie. He holds you and you can smell his cologne more distinctly than you did earlier as one of your hands holds his chest. During the third film, your hand accidentally hits his crotch as you were trying to use the arm rest. You gasp and profusely apologise to him. He blushes and says that's okay. You look down at his crotch and see a bump in his pants... You guffaw and he shushes you. He leans in and whispers to you, "I just can't help it. I need you right now..." You shush him this time. "David! People can hear us." He smirks and looks back at the movie, and tells you to watch the movie, as if he never said anything scandulous to you. One of the things you love about him is how mischevious and challenging he is.

David and you had a goal to watch 4 films today. You exchange more kisses during the third one though, and you whisper to each other and agree to leave after this one.

When everyone claps for the third movie, David and you rush out and order an Uber. You politely say hello to the Uber driver and can't help but to kiss each other at the back of the car. You get to your hotel and you grope his crotch in your elevator on the way to your room. He lets out a moan and he says your name. You never thought that'd ever happen. He's a quiet fuck. Even when he's coming, he just closes his eyes and lets out a sigh.

In your hotel room, you push him to the bed. He's amazed over your aggression, in the best way possible. You're usually receptive to his antics in making love. Tonight though, you're the boss, and he doesn't wanna say anything to make you lose your groove.

He lies on the bed and watches to see what you're going to do next. His mouth hangs open and he eyes you up and down as you stare him down with a seductive look and slowly strip for him. Your matching lingerie is displayed for him. He restrains himself from jerking off as he can feel his hard-on. "You are so beautiful..." he utters.

You smile and do a little dance for him, and shake your booty in his direction. "Do you like my lingerie!?"

He smirks and eyes your cute little bum. "Yeah... yeah, I do. It matches!"

"I got it just for you..." You giggle and moan as you make your way to him on the bed. He lays himself against the headboard, and you straddle his lap. "Let me see those tattoos..." You command.

He smiles devilishly and takes off his blazer and white shirt. You lay your hands on his chest as he then unbuckles his belt and tells you to lift yourself a few inches up from him for a minute. His pants make it down to his ankles. He then tells you to pass him a condom from the night drawer. You tease him over keeping the condoms in the drawer of the hotel. He smiles as he carefully puts it on himself.

 He pulls you back close to him from the small of your back. You smile and moan as he teases you with the tip of his cock. You lean in and whisper, "I love your cock, David..."

"Yeah?" He responds. "Why don't you hop on it then?"

You smirk and gasp as he suddenly pushes himself inside you. "Yeah, I like that..."

He smiles proudly as he thrusts from the bottom. You get so into it that you start to move for him, and he holds your hips to keep you balanced on top of him. The headboard rocks back and forth on the walls. You can hear the knocks but choose not to listen to it. You forget about your hotel neighbours as David and you moan each other's names and have a firm grip on each other's hot and sweaty bodies.

Suddenly, he lets out a loud groan, and you stop thrusting as your private gets wetter and tingles.

You pull out of him. He sighs, and you take deep breaths to collect yourself after this sexual high.

You lie on the bed next to him. You look over at each other, and laugh. "What the fuck was that!?" He laughs.

"Probably the best sex of my life..." You blush.

He grins and leans in to kiss the tip of your nose. "You are just the cutest thing ever..." He pulls you in for a cuddle before his phone starts to ring.

He picks his phone up from the drawer on his side of the bed. The caller ID reads, Mom. He lets you know who's calling and he asks if you'd like to speak to her too. You beam up and say yes of course. You've met David's mother before. You've been with David for 6 months now, and you've met his mother before. You went to visit LA with him and you bonded with his family in the summer.

Your night ends with talking to his mother on the phone, and the two of you knocking out on your hotel bed.

[fmnolan]

so   i   was   thinking   the   other   day   how   much   i   love   lil   dumbass   hockey   fratbois   ,   ugh   such   icons   (   not   the   douchey   ones   )   ,   so   here   i   am   offering   nolan   as   a   tribute   .   he’s   def   my   favourite   himbo   &   mess   of   a   child   but   i   swear   he’s   fun   to   be   around   .   i’m   still   working   on   him   cuz   time   management   ?   we   don’t   know   her   ,   so   here’s   a   few   bullet   points   to   get   acquainted   with   the   babey   boi   .

 ❛   ✶   (   SHAWN   MENDES   ,   CIS   MALE   ,   HE   &   HIM   )      —      did   you   see   NOLAN   HART   walking   around   campus   earlier   ?   i   hear   a   lot   of   people   talking   about   the   TWENTY-TWO   year   old   SENIOR   .   from   what   i   know   ,   they   are   studying   NUTRITION   SCIENCE   and   are   a   part   of   PHI   KAPPA   DELTA   .   they   come   across   as   GREGARIOUS      but   also   HEEDLESS   ,   which   makes   since   because   on   their   instagram   (   @NOHART   )   it   says   they   are   a   CAPRICORN   .   when   i   see   them   ,   i   think   of   WET   HAIR   STRANDS   STICKING   TO   YOUR   FOREHEAD   ,   EMPTY   BEER   BOTTLES   ,   BACKWARDS   BASEBALL   HATS   ,   FURROWED   BROWS   &   HUNGOVER   MORNINGS   .   the   most   interesting   thing   i’ve   heard   about   them   though   ,   is   the   fact   that   REDACTED,   but   don’t   tell   anyone   i   told   you   that   .  

𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑠 

full name : nolan louis hart 

nicknames : nol , nolie

age : twenty-two

gender : cis male

sexuality : bisexual 

major : nutrition science 

hometown : toronto , canada 

𝘩𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 

nolan has never been encouraged to be academically inclined , instead , his family expected him to play hockey , end up in the nhl like his father before him . instead of spending evenings studying , nolan played hockey in his father’s private rink . the boy had a natural talent for the sport .

the hart family has been on the map ever since daniel hart won many consecutive medals in the summer olympics in 1920 for swimming . ever since then it seems that every generation specialized in a new sport . it was only in the 1990′s where patrick hart conquered hearts all over the world during his nhl career , ever since then , everyone kept an eye on his son , nolan hart , to see whether he would follow his father’s footsteps .

due to the family’s constant success on the fields , they have been able to maintain a certain amount of wealth . not only they were popular within their respective sports but the hart family has been adored by the public for decades now .

𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 

nolan was born and raised in toronto , canada ( eh ) , born to a family of athletes & more recently, nhl hockey players . the hart fam has always been quite popular due to their wealth & success .

think lowkey kobe & brady ; like they were known of but rarely facially recognizable in the streets .

his mother elaine ( née tremblay ) hart was high school sweethearts with patrick hart & a puck bunny since birth , she quite literally hit the jackpot . she wasn’t exactly a gold digger ( hit it kanye ) only because her family had their quite fair share of money , although not comparable to the harts .

in the beginning of their marriage , the harts were the picture perfect family , two healthy boys and a white picket fenced house .  that was until four years ago , they got a divorce , mr . hart was found cheating on mrs. hart & he remarried not long after .

nolan has always been closer to his father , the man always making him train day and night to eventually make it in the nhl . his mother was there to heal his wounds and teach him the important things in life .

the divorce took a toll on the boy , deciding to take his mother’s side , after all how could you consider cheating on elaine hart ?? awful . he has maintained minimal contact w his father , he attends the occasional dinner . 

overall , his childhood wasn’t all bad or all good . he cherished the family outings , but detested feeling his father’s hopes & dreams resting on his shoulders . he didn’t have time to socialize much and make too many friends. 

𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 

nolan is your og dumb jock , you can’t blame him he was raised that way . his two braincells work very hard in nutrition science , where his last name made him get into the program . 

despite his lack of intelligence , he was raised right . his mother made sure he wasn’t a complete ass , trust me he can be one if he wants to . he has his canadian manners intact as well as a beautiful sense of humor . his morals aren’t too bad either . 

honeslty , what’s admirable about him is how driven he is . it is expected of him to make it into the nhl post graduation , but he truly works for what he wants ( not school wise though )  

he spends long hours in the gym and on the rink , great motivational speaker . 

his #1 talent is taking other aspects of life ( other than hockey ofc ) lightly , always joking around in the most serious situations , people hate & love him for it .

i’d say one of the biggest flirts around ? a bit of a fuckboy , but no the annoying kind but only the kind that u hook up but don’t expect emotional availability from him , that’s a given .

one of the most loyal friends , will have your back all the time but expects the same energy . he has a bit of a cancel culture where if you do him wrong once , he’s not going to trust you again . 

he is not a big fan of cheaters ngl . 

he has a bit of a temper but that runs in the family , it is said that when you don’t have words , you use fists ? well he’s dumb as a rock so i’ll do the math for you .

but he will rarely square up against his own friends . 

if you could get a degree in partying , nolan would . if you can consider party smart a thing, then he’s a professor . he’ll know how many kegs you’ll need for a certain amount of people , what themes work best , who to invite who to not , what drinking game works and what doesn’t . 

𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑠 

HERE’S the pinterest board 

HERE’S a tinder profile thot it was cute 

HERE’S a tweet so u can get his vibe 

HERE’S a connection tag , i would die for all those plots 

other connections i would die for are basically : brotps , exes , fraternity bros , ppl he fights w , close squad , hockey friends ( on the team or go to watch him ) , bffs , secret fling , anything w angst !!!

[cerebrate-online]

Returning to the gym: The new normal.

Today Toronto and Peel region moved to Phase III of relaxing COVID restrictions. A gesture bestowing on us depraved Torontonians the privileges of indoor dining, larger gatherings, facials and the gym. Like most who had a regular routine of working out once upon a time long ago before COVID ravaged our lands I relished returning to the gym. While I am no Cris Cyborg.

I still enjoy the benefits of a regular exercise routine: good health , feeling strong, the endorphin high and hey I need to keep these thunder thighs in check. Sure I had my home work out and have taken to running but pumping iron is what I really enjoy. I love feeling the challenge of exercising with weights. I love feeling strong! For those of you looking to head back to the gym, this is what my experience was like at my local Gym .

Being a morning person I booked the earliest slot 6am-7am. I pulled into the parking lot at 5:53am and walked to the end of the physically distanced line which went to the far side of the building. Max capacity at my very large gym is now 46. At precisely 6am the friendly gym associate walked the line to check attendance. Upon booking my workout, my gym was prompt in providing instructions on where to wait in line, sanitation and that masks are expected but not while actively engaged in exercise: However how to register for parking was not communicated so the first few minutes resulted in everyone upon entry on their phones registering for parking. My gym has done away with the communal germ reservoir aka laptop to register for parking, which is great because how often have we read keyboards carry more germs than toilet seats.

By the time you are in and ready to workout you have 55 minutes left. Now for some this is ample time, for others not so much but I will list the pros and cons of this new gym COVID regimen:

PROS:

• Everyone cleans equipment before and after their workout (yes this should have been the case before but we all know the nasty people who did not pre-COVID)

• Equipment is not held hostage by Chatty McMChatty or the InstaModel trying to get the perfect shot for the Gram(Everyone is very aware of the time limit and is focused on working out, not wasting time )

• Staff walk around to observe and have laminated ’15 minutes’ and ‘5 minutes left ‘cards , they display which helps to keep you on track with your time.

• No BO. Hallelujah!!! I am not saying no one had BO, because there is always that one sweaty stinky person but no one was close enough to offend my delicate nostrils. 

CONS

• Time limit. Depending on your workout routine 55 minutes may not be enough. It certainly was not enough for me to stretch before and after. Certainly not enough if you plan to change in your workout gear at the gym. Again this boils down to your workout routine, if 30 mins is all you need to actively workout then you have sufficient time to dress, stretch and even get the perfect Instagram shot. Anything 45mins or more will require strategies such as: arriving dressed for the gym and warming up at home before or while in line to get in. 

Overall not a bad experience, I would say even better than Pre-COVID. I love an empty gym, I used to go at 5am just to avoid crowds and BO. 

I had a great workout but lost so much strength . I used to squat 155lbs and now found 95lbs challenging but I left feeling strong and sexy! I felt ...

I am sure tomorrow I will not feel so great but I have a massage scheduled later. 

This is my very first blog post so if anyone reads this, feel free to share your first day back to the gym experience below. Thanks for stopping by.

#returntogym#covidgym#firstdaygym#covidgymreturn

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Smart cities are neither, 2021 edition

The lockdown was a chaotic time for “smart cities.” On the one hand, the most prominent smart city project in the world — Google’s Sidewalk Labs project in Toronto — collapsed thanks to the company’s lies about privacy and land use coming to light.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/05/07/just-look-at-it/#ding-dong

On the other hand, the standalone vendors that promise smart city services that you can graft onto your “dumb” city saw their fortunes surge, as the world’s great metropolises sleepwalked into a surveillance nightmare.

From license plate cameras to facial recognition to fake cellphone towers to location data harvested from vehicles and mobile devices, city governments shoveled billions into the coffers of private-sector snoops in the name of crimefighting and technocratic management.

The smart city has long been criticized as a means of quietly transforming public spaces of democratic action into private spaces of technological surveillance and control. Recent books like Jathan Sadowski’s “Too Smart” (2020) make the case in depth.

http://www.jathansadowski.com/book

Books can set out a long argument and cite examples in support of it, but those examples need to be updated regularly and the critique likewise because the field is moving so quickly — as is the critical response.

This month, Harvard’s Belfer Center published “Whose Streets? Our Streets! (Tech Edition),” a long report by Rebecca Williams that revisits the smart city nightmare in light of the mass protests, lockdowns and other high-intensity events of 2020/1.

https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/whose-streets-our-streets-tech-edition

As Williams writes, the smart city always starts with the rejections of participatory dialogue (“What would we like in our neighborhood?”) in favor of technocratic analysis (“They will design data collection that will inform them to what they will do with our neighborhood”).

Technocrats don’t want dialogue about surveillance because the dialogue always leads to a rejection. The Sidewalk Labs consultations in Toronto were overwhelmingly dominated by people who didn’t want a giant American monopolist spying on their literal footsteps 24/7.

Detroiters roundly rejected a $2.5m project to put cameras at their city’s intersections. When Apple asked Iphone owners whether they wanted to be tracked by apps (switching from opt out to opt in) 96% of users said no.

The commercial surveillance industry runs consent theater — whether that’s grey-on-white 8-point warnings that “Use of this site indicates consent to our terms of service” or discreet signs under street cameras: “This area under surveillance.”

https://onezero.medium.com/consent-theater-a32b98cd8d96

Plans for urban technological surveillance don’t survive real public consultation. The people just don’t know what’s good for ’em, so the vendors and the officials cutting checks to them have to instrument the city for spying on the down-low.

This secrecy festers, and the harms it brings are not limited to spying on people and chilling democratic protest. Secrecy also allows vendors to get away with overcharging and underdelivering.

CBP procured facial recognition spycams that analyzed 23m people in public spaces and never caught a single bad guy, while Chicago PD murdered a Black child called Adam Toledo after Shotspotter falsely reported a gunshot at his location.

Secret procurements for defective technology wastes money and puts communities of color at risk — but they also create systemic, *technological* risk, because they embed janky garbage software from shitty surveillance vendors right in the urban fabric.

Vendors who lie about how well their facial recognition or gunshot triangulation works also lie about their information security, and these tools get hacked on the reg, leaking sensitive personal information about millions of city-dwellers to identity thieves.

This defective, sloppy spyware is also a dark, moist environment perfectly suited to harboring ransomware infections, which can see vital services from streetlights to public transit frozen because some “smart city” grifter added a badly secured surveillance layer to it.

Because smart cities are inherently paternalistic (because they always bypass democratic dialog in favor of technocratic fiat), they replicate and magnify society’s biases and discrimination, with a coating of empirical facewash: “It’s not racism, it’s just math.”

Williams cites many 2020/1 examples of this, from Baltimore’s 25:1 ratio of CCTVs in Black neighborhoods to white neighborhoods, to Tampa and Detroit’s use of surveillance tech for “safety” in public housing.

Meanwhile, in Lucknow, India, the technocratic solution to an epidemic of sexist street harassment was to surveil women (“to protect them”) rather than the men who perpetrated the harassment.

https://perma.cc/FU62-NBQF

All of this is driven by private companies who mobilize investor capital and profits to sell more and more surveillance tech to cities. The antidemocratic, secret procurement process leads to more antidemocratic forms of privatization.

Democracy is replaced with corporate decision-making; constitutional protections are replaced by corporate policy; and surveillance monopolies expand their footprint, fill their coffers and sell more surveillance tech.

And far from making police accountable, surveillance gear on its own simply gives corrupt cops a broader set of tools to work with — as in Mexico City, where the C5 CCTV project let corrupt cops blackmail people and extort false confessions.

https://perma.cc/87QK-3HZG

Williams ends with a highly actionable call to arms, setting out a ten-point program for analyzing smart city proposals and listing organizations and networks (like the Electronic Frontier Alliance) that have been effective at pushing back.

https://www.eff.org/fight

[spine-buster]

Alone, Together | Chapter 10 | Morgan Rielly

A/N: As always, thank you for your lovely likes, reblogs, tags, and messages on the last chapter.  

“Can you sit still.”

“Don’t get it on my face!”

“That’s why my other hand is on your face!  So it gets on my hand instead of your face!”

“Do I at least make a hot Eugene Levy?”

Bee couldn’t help but snort at Morgan’s question.  She stopped spraying the black hairspray and took her hand off his forehead to see the full picture.  She had turned his hair salt and pepper – a little more emphasis on the pepper – for his Halloween costume.  He was going as Johnny Rose, and she as Moira Rose, from Schitt’s Creek.  It was completely at her request.  Morgan had wanted to first go as Batman and Robin, and she said that was too cliché.  Then he suggested Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri, but Bee had no idea who Jari Kurri was, so she shot down that idea too.  She first suggested Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, but Morgan refused once he saw what he would have to wear.  It was only then when she suggested Johnny and Moira from Schitt’s Creek, the show that they would watch together on Netflix.  Morgan finally agreed.  He’d practiced his facial expressions for weeks.  Bee practiced Catherine O’Hara’s accent for just as long.

“At least I know you’d still look hot with dark hair,” she wiggled her eyebrows.  

“Oh, well, Briony,” Morgan’s voice was bashful.  He brought his hands up to the back of her thighs and ended up squeezing her ass quickly.  “Maybe I should follow in Dermott’s footsteps and get some purple cornrows.”

“Please don’t,” she said curtly, causing him to laugh.  “Let go of my butt.  I need to get hairspray and work on your eyebrows.”

“Can you get it if I don’t let go of your butt?”

Bee snorted.  “No.  Now hands off, Mr. Rielly.”

Briony and Morgan had two parties to go to that night.  First, they were stopping by Angie and Mason’s apartment, where they were throwing a small party with a bunch of their friends – mostly Mason’s PhD program friends and their significant others.  After Angie and Mason’s, they would head to the Platinum Club at Scotiabank Arena, where the boys from the Leafs had organized the team Halloween party.  

They walked hand in hand through the streets of the Annex until they got to 100 Spadina Road, Angie and Mason’s apartment building.  After getting buzzed in and taking the elevator up to the 10th floor, Bee helped herself into the apartment, the party already in full swing.  When Angie noticed them in the doorway, she screamed in the face of whomever she was speaking with and made her way over.

“You’re heeeeeeere!” Angie squealed as she hugged Bee tightly.  When she pulled away, she looked down at Bee’s outfit.  “And you are…?”

“Angela, stop acting like a disgruntled pelican,” Bee said in her best impression of Moira Rose she could muster.

“Oh my God Bee!” she exclaimed.  “It’s brilliant!  Brilliant!”  She focused her attention to Morgan, giving his costume a quick nod.  “You must be Johnny, then.”

“I am,” he nodded his head.  “But for the purposes of tonight, you can call me Morgan.”

“Well it’s nice to finally meet you, Morgan.  Bee’s only mentioned you once or twice in the past few months,” she said sarcastically.  “Come on, come in.  Keep your shoes on.  Let me introduce you to Mason.”

Angie dragged both of them through the apartment, bringing them to Mason, who was standing near the sliding door of the balcony talking with one of his friends.  They were introduced briefly, as Mason seemed to be in deep in a serious conversation.  Angie then brought them around to others, introducing them briefly.  Alex and his partner Steve, who was getting his PhD in the history of the Toronto Purchase of 1787; Stacy, who was getting a PhD in the colonial history of Upper Canada, and her boyfriend Connor; Claire, who was in residency at Toronto General Hospital for neurosurgery; Gerry, doing post-doctoral research in…something?  Sarah, who was getting his degree in…thermonuclear astrophysics?  God, he couldn’t keep up.  Morgan had never felt so inadequate in his life.  He tried to understand their fields of study and he tried to understand their thesis work, but it was all going over his head.  All he could do was offer a comment or two, or a quick nod of his head, and pretend to understand.  

And then there was Briony.  So engaged in their research, so informative and informed about what they were doing.  She knew the right questions to ask.  She knew how to keep the conversation going about research.  She knew exactly how to handle herself and there he was, standing there like a lump beside her.  All he could do was sip on his beer.  He didn’t contribute anything.  He didn’t have anything to contribute.  

Hockey afforded him the luxury of travel; of lifelong friendships across Canada; of goals and hard work; of tenacity and determination to win; and much more.  It did not afford him the luxury of schooling.  It was just the way it was.  They went to school but nothing was serious.  He went to Notre Dame and excelled in math and science but he never thought once of pursuing it.  When he moved to Moose Jaw and was placed in the local Catholic school he prayed every morning before homeroom, still excelling at math and science, but his mind was always on hockey.  His homework was always done, and he always raised his hand in class to answer questions, but school wasn’t the priority.  Hockey always was.  Winning always was.  Getting drafted always was.  

Eventually Mason approached him and took him to get another beer.  From their spot standing near the fridge, Morgan could hear Briony laugh and giggle while she took pictures with Angie and did her Moira Rose accent.  He and Mason talked about a variety of random things, and despite Morgan knowing Mason was 150% smarter than him, he felt comfortable.  They talked mostly about sports – football, the coming of Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors, and the Jays.  The Leafs never came up.  Morgan was partly thankful.

“So I heard you guys made it official a few weeks back,” Mason mentioned as he cracked open his third beer.

“Y-Yeah…” Morgan nodded.  So they were going there.  “How do you know?”

“Listen, Bee tells Angie everything,” he said.  “Most things Angie then tells me, if they’re not too personal.  Bee would have probably told me eventually, though.”

“Of course,” Morgan nodded again.  He should have known.  Angie and Bee were like glue, and they spoke in some form everyday.  He should have figured Angie would be the first to know, and therefore Mason the second to know. 

“Do your teammates know?” Mason asked.

With that question, Morgan knew Mason knew who he was.  He appreciated that Mason wasn’t making a big deal out of it.  “Yeah, they’ve met her.  When she came to some of the games she met them, and then I had a few of them over for Thanksgiving,” he explained.  “I actually think Enzo’s already in love with her.”

“Yeah, that’s easy with Bee.  Especially if she cooked.”

“She did.”

“Well then,” Mason chuckled.  “There you go.”

Morgan took a deep breath in.  “So uh, what are you getting your PhD in?”

Mason gave him a look.  “The Easter Rising in Ireland,” Mason responded.  Morgan gave him a blank stare.  “I don’t expect you to know what that is.  Don’t worry.”

“Can you explain it to me?” Morgan asked.

“What?”

“Can you explain it?”

“It doesn’t exactly need to be common, everyday knowledge,” Mason countered.

Morgan sighed.  “I know.  But I feel like I’m the only one here who isn’t in grad school or getting a PhD,” he said, looking around awkwardly.  “And to be completely honest with you, I feel…” he paused again, looking to see Briony wasn’t anywhere near him, “I feel inadequate when I talk to Briony and she brings up all the things she’s learning.  I have no clue what she’s talking about but I just nod my head.  I’ve tried to do research but…”

“Well if you want the gist of it, Bee’s learning how to how to invest money in various economic conditions and how to tell people where to invest their money so--”

“No no, I know that,” Morgan said.  “I don’t get, like, the stuff she needs to learn before she gets there.  She had this massive assignment on behavioural economics and I saw her stress over it so much and it made me feel awful that I couldn’t help her.”

Mason couldn’t help but smile.  “Well, even if you could have helped her, Bee wouldn’t have asked for it…or wanted it,” he commented.  “You know her by now.  She’s all about independence.  She’s all about making it on her own.  If you had a book of all the answers, or a definitive path she could follow to get an A, she wouldn’t read it.  She’d just do it herself, her way.”

Morgan nodded his head.  Mason was right.  As someone who knew Bee for years, as opposed to Morgan’s few months, he knew the insight Mason had into Bee was much better than his.  “I know.  Still makes me feel like shit though.”

“Don’t let it get to you,” Mason soothed him.  “Bee doesn’t expect that from you.  If she did she would have left you by now.”

“That’s encouraging.”

“Morgan, I’m being serious.  She doesn’t care about how smart a person is or what level of education they have.  Believe me.  Because we’ve met some pretty awful and disgusting people with Master’s and PhDs,” he said.  “She’s old school.  She cares about character.  What you value in life.  Hard work.  All that stuff.  If you have a PhD but you’re a dick, she’s gonna tell you off faster than if you have a high school diploma but a heart of gold.”

Morgan considered what Mason had to say seriously.  He knew Mason was right.  If Briony didn’t like him, if she thought he was inferior or not smart enough, she would have dumped or ghosted him by now.  The fact that she was still there meant something.  But the anxiety was still there.

“I’m afraid she’s going to wake up one day and realize she’s too good for me,” Morgan couldn’t stop talking.  He had known Mason for all of an hour and was already revealing these insecurities to him.  At this point he couldn’t stop himself.  He couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

“She won’t do that,” Mason shook his head.  “You guys seem to be in this weird sort of relationship where you think she’s too good for you, but she thinks you’re too good for her, and somehow you’re in perfect harmony.”

She thought he was too good for her?  What in the world was she thinking?!  Had she lost her damn mind?  “She thinks what?”

Mason smiled mischievously.  “You heard me.  Must mean something.”

As if on cue, Morgan could feel her hand scratch up his back lightly to get his attention.  He spun around to see her smiling, her cheeks flushed not by the ample amount of blush she had put on, but by the red wine she’d been drinking.  “You ready to go?  Ashley already texted me.”

“Yeah, of course.  Let me get an Uber,” he nodded, even though what he really wanted to do was sit down over more beers with Mason and get to the bottom of what exactly Briony had told him about their relationship, or what Briony had told Angie who had then told Mason, or what Mason could have possibly overheard from a conversation between Angie and Briony about – 

“Let me walk you to the door.  I can’t believe you have to leave,” Angie’s voice, slightly drunk, interrupted his thoughts as she wrapped her arm around Briony’s shoulders.  They walked to the apartment door together, coinciding with another couple that were just walking in.  

Mason and Morgan had stayed back briefly so they were a few steps behind the girls.  Mason nudged Morgan to get his attention.  “Hey, is there a reason why you call her Briony all the time?”

Morgan shrugged his shoulders as he began to walk.  “I just like the sound of Briony.  It’s a beautiful name.”

“You’re the only one, you know.  If we did that she’d smack us upside the head.  Must mean something.”

Morgan chuckled.  “I’ll see you soon, bud.”

When Morgan and Briony arrived at the Platinum Club, Tyler, dressed in a cowboy costume, greeted them enthusiastically.  He was so excited and already drunk, and he picked up Briony and swung her around.  His cheeks were flushed just as much as hers, and Morgan wondered how much alcohol everyone had already consumed.  He was getting there, but not quite there yet.  

“How’re you doing princess?” he asked.  

“Pretty good, cowboy,” she giggled as she was set down.  “What’s with the costume?”

“I’m from Edmonton, duh.”

“Aren’t all the cowboys in Calgary?  You should have been an oil rig.”

Tyler rolled his eyes.  “You’re too smart, you know that?  Everyone else just believed me.”

As they made their way further into the room, Morgan could see the rest of the team and their significant others.  The girls practically swarmed around Briony, and Briony – seemingly a little bit too tipsy to care about all the attention – greeted them with open arms.  Soon enough, she started posing in selfies and group photos with them, and kept doing Moira’s accent.  “I had just had my eyelashes dyed.  Everything was cloudy!”; “A heavy salad might as well be a casserole.”; “The last time I felt this emotionally encumbered, I was playing Lady Macbeth on a Crystal Skies cruise ship during Shakespeare at Sea Week!"  The girls were howling their heads off.  Steph kept commenting how Briony sounded exactly like Moira.  Christina Marleau had tears in her eyes.  Morgan couldn’t help but look on admiringly.  

“Hey!  How come nobody is asking me to do my Eugene Levy impression?” Morgan joked, approaching the group of women.  “I practiced for days!”

“I think we’re all a little freaked out by your eyebrows,” Steph laughed.  “You sure did a number on them, Bee.”

“Besides, we all know Moira is the real star of the show,” Christina winked at him.  

Morgan shrugged his shoulders.  “Eh, you’re right.  I’m gonna go get a beer,” he said, leaving the girls alone to find where Auston got his drink.

As Morgan hung out with Auston, Jake, and Fred, the alcohol kept flowing and the jokes kept coming.  After leaving Briony with the other girls, he heard her accent every now and then, and he knew it meant she was having fun.  She came back briefly so they could record a video on Steph’s phone to “commemorate” the night, but beyond that, she seemed to be having the time of her life with the girls.  Morgan appreciated how they were so warm and welcoming, especially Ashley and Lucy, and he knew Briony appreciated it too.  As an introvert, he knew the energy it must have been taking for Briony to socialize; but at the same time, he knew the alcohol was helping.  Briony could have made the executive decision to stay the entire night at Angie and Mason’s party, but the fact that she agreed to come to this one too, with his friends, meant a lot.  He’d have to thank her later.

The boys eventually moved on to some shots before going for what seemed like their tenth round of whisky.  Auston was giggly, as he always got when he was drunk, and kept fiddling around with his costume.  Jake, for his credit, seemed completely sober, but Morgan knew he was completely shit-faced.  The boy couldn’t hold his liquor.  Enzo had joined them, and he was just like Jake – completely shitfaced, but somehow able to keep it together.  It was team bonding experiences like this that truly brought the boys together – seeing them at their most creative, but also, if drunk, at their absolute worst.

Late into the night Lucy approached Jake.  “I’m just going to go to the washroom, but we should call a taxi soon,” she told her husband.

“Yeah, cool,” he said, maintaining composure.  He was swaying side to side in beat with the music that was playing out of Mitch’s phone at this point, and watched as his wife walked to the washrooms in the back of the Platinum Club.  He saw Bee across the room, talking with Aryne Tavares.  He tapped Morgan on the chest.  “It’s time.”

“Time for what?” Morgan was confused.

“Briony.  Time for Briony.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Morgan should have known better – he really should have.  Jake started to move to the music more than before.  Morgan knew he liked to dance, especially with Lucy, but this was a different kind of dancing, with a different kind of beat.  A song Morgan couldn’t recognize was playing in the background, and Jake couldn’t help but move his hips in tune to the music.  As he did so, he moved closer and closer to Briony, who ended up being backed onto one of the plush chairs scattered about the room.  She was laughing until she fell into the chair – then she knew what was coming next.  She was going to die mortified.  A drunken Jake Gardiner was going to give her a lap dance.  

Jake took a few steps back before waltzing back towards her, blowing her a quick kiss.  His hips continued to move with the beat of the music before turning around, placing his hands on the armrests, and practically sitting on her lap.  From where she was sitting, she could hear Auston cackling loudly as he watched.  Morgan was so red from laughing so hard she thought he was going to collapse right then and there.  She assumed Jake had done this to others, and that his actions weren’t what they were laughing about – what they were laughing about was the horrified look on her face.  

Jake continued his movements, turning to face her before he gyrated his hips once more.  He untucked his shirt from his dress pants to move better, and unbuttoned the first three buttons, leaning over to shove his chest in Bee’s face.  He reached out his hand and twisted some of her wig hair around his finger before giving her a kissy face.  From out of the corner of her eye, Bee saw Auston approach Jake from behind and slip a fifty-dollar bill into the waistband of his pants.  Tyler followed suit, slipping a twenty.

“I’m available for hire at parties,” Jake winked at her.  “You just call me.”

“I’ll be sure to do that Jake.”

“Jake?  Ja…GET AWAY FROM HER!” Lucy shrieked at her husband as she saw what he was doing.  She ran over to them and pulled him away from the chair, an equally as horrified look on her face as there had been on Bee’s.  Everybody was still losing their minds, even more so now at Lucy’s reaction.  “Ohmigodbeeiamsosorry,” she rushed to apologize before slapping her husband on the arm.  “How dare you!  That poor girl!”

“She was enjoying herself!  Who wouldn’t?” he motioned down to his body.  “It’s Magic Mike!  Everybody likes Magic Mike!”

“Jake William Gardiner you are drunk!” she screamed at him as she tugged him away.  “I’m sorry again, Bee!”

“It’s alright!” she giggled out, waving goodbye to Jake as he was dragged away to the washrooms.  

Bee watched as Morgan and Auston wiped the tears from their eyes.  She collected her thoughts and her breath, a smile appearing on her face eventually after fully realizing what had just transpired. 

Steph approached her first with tears in her eyes.  “Getting a lap dance from Jake is like a rite of passage,” she snickered.  “We’ve all gotten one at one point.  You’re one of us now.  This is like your welcoming party.”

Bee couldn’t help but laugh out loud.  If a drunken lap dance from her boyfriend’s best friend was what inaugurated her into a group, then so be it.

[redcarpetonqueen]

Fire and ice Skin treatment facial is a rejuvenating conduct that bridges the opening among a mild facial and an all-encompassing peel, with no downtime.

[hit-em-with-the-four]

I Got Away With You - Chapter 4 *Morgan Rielly*

Hey everyone! I hope you’re enjoying this story as much as I love writing it! And I hope you all had wonderful holidays or I hope you’re having no matter what you celebrate! <3

—————————————

Chapter 4

“Mother, Lucy and I are leaving for the spa.” Arabella days as the pair walk into the Queen’s office both dressed in a pair of comfy sweats.

“When are you girls gonna be back?”

“By the end of the day. We’re going to be doing the ultimate relaxation treatments.” Lucy giggles.

“Lord knows I need it. Henry gives me the run around.”

“Oh, I 100% do not doubt that.” The Queen chuckles. “I know mine did. Contrary to popular belief but I raised them without help from Nannies. Nannies would’ve helped but it is difficult to maintain a good one and keep up a good relationship with your children. Anyways, enough about that. You girls go and have a nice day. We will be here when you get back, enjoy. Arabella you have your card right?”

“Yes mam, it’s all in my handbag here.” Arabella gestures to her small handbag in her hand. She smiles as her mother dismissed them.

“So where are we going?” Lucy asks as the pair sit in the car with the driver and security guard in the front.

“We are going to Amazing Space at the D’Angleterre Copenhagen.”

"Sounds amazing. Have you decided what we’re getting done?”

“I was thinking oxygen infusion and the ultimate face package. The cream and honey wrap with a deep tissue massage, then shellac mani and pedi. You can choose what you want though if you don’t like that. We have access to the baths and saunas after and lunch.”

“That sounds amazing. Is this what being a royal is.”

“Honestly the nails and facial parts are. I’m kind of excited to get away and be normal in Canada.”

“Well, I will make sure you are treated as normal as possible. The boys are idiots so don’t mind them but the girls will love you.”

“I’m so excited for that. I just want to live a normal life. I have a lot of pressure on me and it’s gonna be nice to get away.”

~ The day of the ball ~

“Princess, it is time for you to get into your dress.” The royal stylist Camila says holding out the Princess’ dress for her to get into.”

“How does Lucy and Jake like their outfits Camila?” Arabella asks as she finishes applying her burgundy lipstick.

“Lucy squealed with excitement when I showed it to her.”

“Fantastic. I hope she likes her entire outfit, can you please make sure she takes that home with her?” Camila nods as Arabella de robes to step into her dress.

“Of course princess. I will make sure she does not leave without it.” Arabella holds her breath as she gets zipped into her dress. Camila helps her slip on her pink pumps and clasping her diamond choker around her neck. Arabella slips her bracelets and earrings in place before grabbing her clutch.

“Princess, the Queen has requested you meet with her and the King in the grand living room.” Adrienne smiles entering the room with a curtsy.

“Thank dear, would you excuse me ladies.” The two curtsy as Arabella walks down the hallways of the castle to the grand living room where no doubt her entire family would be waiting for her. She knocks and then hears a faint ‘come in’.

“Mother, father you requested me?” Arabella asks closing the door behind her as she enters the room.

“Yes dear, we have something to give you.” The King says standing in his military suit. In Denmark it is mandatory for all royals to be a part of the armed forces for at least 6 months. Arabella did her service as soon as she turned 18 til she was placed on reserve a few weeks ago to do her royal duties.

“You’ve already gotten me so many things, what else could you possibly have gotten me?” They had already gotten her a pair of heels, all her bedroom and office stuff for Toronto and a new purse.

“It’s not from us, its from your grandmother.”

“Grandma?” The Queen nods.

“Before she passed away she left us with a gift for you to give on your twentieth birthday. Since today is the ball, your father and I figured now was the best time to give you this. You never said you found a crown to wear, so here baby. Open this,” the Queen passes Arabella a beautiful silver crown with a collection of silver diamond encrusted pieces on either side of a fleur de lis like diamond.

“Mother, this is beautiful. I cannot believe how beautiful this is.” The princess gasps in amazed beauty. “Mother, can you help me put it on please.” The Queen nods and helps the young princess situate the beautiful crown a top her head.

“Perfect crown for the next ruler.” Her father, the king says with a sweet smile.

“Thank you papa, I love you.” Arabella gives her father a smile and a tight hug.

“Princess, I hate to excuse and ruin this moment but the photographer is requesting your presence for photos.” Adrienne says with a curtsy.

“Thank you Adrienne. I must be going with you. Mother, Father are we meeting the rest of the family down for photos?” Arabella asks as they head to the main dining room.

“Everyone is already down there waiting for you. We asked they be waiting to go while we gave you you birthday gift,” The princess nods.

~ at the party ~

Arabella stands behind the closed door as she was directed. Her face stoic and totally poised as she had been trained to be all of her life.

“Now introducing the heir to the Danish throne, Crown Princess Arabella Feodora Alexandria Sonderberg of Denmark.” The royal announcer says and Arabella descends into the room looking at the subject and other member near and dear to her heart. All members in the room, minus her family and other royals bow down to her as she takes her place at the front of the stage.

“Thank you all for coming tonight to celebrate my 20th birthday at this lovely ball. As some of you may know I will be moving out of the spotlight and to school within the next month. I will still be taking on my duties but I’m a lighter sense so I am able to continue to learn and grow for the people of this amazing country.” Arabella pauses looking out at the sea of people. She smiles and continues with her speech. “But, during this time I will not forget the people of Denmark and those who mean the most to me. So, thank you for blessing me with amazing opportunities, including being able to speak to you all tonight. Enjoy the night and don’t be a stranger when you see me about tonight. Thank you all.” Arabella smiles and descends off the stage towards her family.

“We are so proud of you Arabella.” Her brother Michael says giving her a hug.

“Thank you brother, I miss you a lot. Especially now that I am the next Queen.” She whispers in his ear.

“But I didn’t want the royal life. It was not for me.” He shrugs and she gives him a glare.

“It was not for me either.”

“You have got this, I have faith in you so so much.”

“Thank you, I wish I had that much in myself.”

“Go enjoy Toronto, do everything you can and enjoy your freedom. Because once your done it’ll come quicker than you think.” Arabella nods and pushes a smile past her lips.

“Thank you, I should go and see other people now.”

“Go get them tiger.” Arabella smiles and bows gracefully before leaving to find Lucy and Jake.

“Princess.” Jake bows and Arabella curtsies back.

“Hello Mr. Gardiner. Thank you for coming to my ball, how has the palace been treating you both?” She asks keeping it formal and the couple understands that she has to as there are a lot of people around that she has to uphold formalities.

“Very well your highness. Thank you once again for everything, your hospitality has been outstanding.” Arabella waves her hand at them.

“Nonsense, it is my pleasure. It’s the least we can do for you as you both are housing me during my time in Toronto.” Lucy smiles adorning a wonderful long satin red dress.

“We’re so blessed to have you princess.” She smiles and Arabella finds herself smiling back at her. From the far end of the ballroom a tall Ginger hockey player sees his teammate and wife chatting up the Princess of his homeland.

[thebestintoronto]

48 hours in. . . Toronto, an insider guide to Canada's spirited first city

Canada's multicultural fusion

Canada's biggest city, the 4th biggest in North America, is regularly rated among the most effective areas to live in the world. Investing also a few days here makes it very easy to see why. Cosmopolitan and also cultured, fun as well as fun-loving, with an icing of unpredictability simply to make points fascinating, Toronto takes pride in being the dynamic, innovative and also risk-free amount of all its components.

The city's roots show in myriad ways, with greater than 200 cultures stood for on the streets. (The truth that there are 3 Chinatowns as well as 2 Little Italys speaks volumes.) This is among the reasons the cooking scene is such a big deal-- there are much more ingredients in the pantry to pull from. With four first-rate sporting activities teams, a spirited arts scene and a vibrant beachfront with its very own flight terminal, Toronto makes both a gratifying end destination and an excellent pitstop.

Warm right now ...

Doug Wallace, our citizen specialist, supplies his top tips on the best things to do and also puts to eat and drink this period.

Consume

Canada's initial Eataly (55 Bloor St. W.; 00 1 437 374 0250) has opened up in the ManuLife Centre to much excitement and also more than a couple of crowds. Spanning 50,000 square feet over 3 levels, the Italian marketplace brings the preference of Italy home to Yorkville's Mink Mile. Locate takeaway counters, dining establishments, regional as well as Italian components, food preparation courses as well as more. - The best dining establishments in Toronto

Do

Not just does Resort X Toronto (111 Princes' Blvd., 4th flooring; 00 1 647 943 9300) have a gigantic 90,000-square-foot gym with 4 interior tennis courts and also 9 squash courts, but it now likewise has Canada's first Guerlain Day spa. Get pampered via customised body therapies and facials in 10 areas, plus pre- and post-stay lounges with views of the lake. - The very best things to do in Toronto

Drink

Don't let the false front of Vatican Gift Store (1047 Gerrard St. E.; 00 1 416 462 2682) mislead you: the makeshift gift store opens speakeasy-style to expose a low-lit Gothic secluded administering European and regional brews, clever (as well as solid) mixed drinks as well as thin-crust, hand-tossed Neopolitan pizzas. Stock up on votive candles on your way out. - The most effective night life in Toronto

48 hours in ... Toronto

The first day

MORNING

Even if you're not staying at the Delta Resort Toronto, begin your day with a vibrant coffee and also a morning meal sandwich at SOCO to Go (75 Lower Simcoe St; 00 1 416 637 5465), the hotel's 24-hour grab-and-go counter and also café in the southeast corner of the structure.

Your 2nd quit of the day is nearby: Ripley's Fish tank of Canada (288 Bremner Blvd; 00 1 647 351 3474) opens at 9am, which is when the displays will be the least crowded. After having a look at the jellyfish wall surface and seeing stingrays skyrocket over your head in the undersea gallery, function your means over to the Hockey Hall of Popularity (30 Yonge St; 00 1 416 360 7765) to look into the interactive video games as well as well-known souvenirs.

MID-DAY

There's absolutely nothing even more Canadian than a peameal bacon sandwich (a kind of unsmoked back bacon). Discover one for lunch at Carousel Bakery, right near the front door in the St. Lawrence Market (93 Front St. E.; 00 1 416 392 7219). If bacon is not your thing, head to the reduced level to consider greater than a dozen hot-food stalls. The marketplace has been a culinary hub of the city given that 1803, which in Canada-years resembles 2 centuries.

After that, a 10-minute stroll south to the water's side will land your toes in the sand at the synthetic Sugar Coastline (Lower Jarvis St. and Queen's Quay E). Sit under the cotton-candy pink umbrellas and also enjoy the tankers get here in the harbour prior to continuing to the historic Distillery Area (55 Mill St.). Take a great, slow-moving poke regarding this pedestrian-only cultural territory of shops, present stores, clothes stores and also galleries. SOMA is the most effective bean-to-bar chocolatier in the area.

LATE

Pre-cocktails, take a little stroll via Yorkville Area (Cumberland Ave. at Bellair St.), in search of stars shopping or ordering cappucinos in their baseball caps and sunglasses. Duck into either The Oxley (121 Yorkville Ave.; 00 1 647 348 1300) for pints on the (much quieter) 2nd flooring or opt for martinis at d|bar in the Four Seasons (60 Yorkville Ave.; 00 1 416 964 0411).

Supper reservations tonight are at Constantine (15 Charles. St. E.; 00 1 647 475 4436), a little piece of Italian-Mediterranean paradise in the back of Anndore Home. Just move up front to the cocktail bar for a nightcap or stroll a brief block east to the Gay Town for a drag show at Woody's (467 Church St.; 00 1 416 972 0887).

- The most effective dining establishments in Toronto

Day 2

MORNING

The most effective time to get your photo taken in the "O" of the Toronto indicator at City Hall (100 Queen St. W. at Bay St.) remains in the morning prior to any individual else is around. Get a quick chai latte initially at Bannock (401 Bay St.; 00 1 416 861 6996).

Post photoshoot, it's a 15-minute walk to a healthy breakfast at Karine's (109 McCaul St.; 00 1 416 591 0863), a little food court serving morning meal staples with a side of Center Eastern, along with vegan and gluten-free, treats. Satisfied, you can then do a deep-dive right into the long-term collection (or exploring exhibits) nearby at the age-old Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas St. W.; 00 1 416 979 6648).

AFTERNOON

On via Chinatown currently to the bohemian neighbourhood of Kensington Market (Kensington Ave. as well as Dundas. St. W.) to take a look at its indie society, vintage garments shops as well as art rooms. While you're there, put into a piled-high hamburger at Ozzy's Hamburgers (66 1/2 Nassau St.; 00 1 416 862 7983)-- have the Mustang Sally.

Stroll it off by heading back down to Queen St. W. and also shopping your means westward-- both sides of the street, mind you-- completely to Trinity Bellwoods Park (790 Queen St. W. at Strachan Ave.). Must-stops in the process must consist of: Frank as well as Oak for men's and also ladies's clothing and also possibly a quick haircut (735 Queen St. W.; 00 1 647 930 8711), Zane for the developer jewelry and desirable bags (753 Queen St. W.; 00 1 647 352 9263) and the shoe heaven that is Heel Kid (773 Queen St. W.; 00 1 416 362 4335).

LATE

Supper is also westward this evening, but first, choose of fresh margaritas or tequila shots at Reposado (136 Ossington St.; 00 1 416 532 6474) or a couple of Rust and also Bone cocktails at The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen St. W.; 00 1 416 531 5042), whose bartenders virtually created the craft mixed drink scene in Toronto

Then for a little taste of Argentina at Tanto (74 Ossington Ave.; 00 1 416 546 3022). Fill out on the innovative little plates-- such as the spicy beef empanada with paprika aioli or smoked squid covered with pancetta as well as scorched almond salsa-- then just share one primary.

Later, take your pick of the area's live songs areas: a burlesque program at the saucy Painted Lady (218 Ossington Ave.), classic blues or people at The Dakota Pub (249 Ossington Ave.; 00 1 416 850 4579) or an indie band at The Fort (1197 Dundas St. W.; 00 1 416 519 9439).

- The very best night life in Toronto.

When to go ...

Might to October is the best time to visit Toronto, while the sun is out, the dining establishment patio areas are jumping, as well as everyone gets on the street after a lengthy winter season cooped inside. June, July and also August are usually hot and humid, 30 levels seems like 40 levels. On summertime weekend breaks, residents go out of community to their homes, leaving the city streets (and dining establishment chairs) to you. Summer season is additionally when most of the city's festivals are slated, focusing on food as well as beverage, arts and also theater, multiculturalism, songs as well as movie. The excellent climate just doesn't just transform itself off come August 31, either: In September, kids go back to college, grownups return to organisation as well as you have the sidewalks, stores and destinations to on your own.

Know prior to you go ...

Necessary information

Vacationer board info: 00 1 416 203 2500; seetorontonow.com Emergency situation fire and ambulance: 911 Emergency police: 911 British Consular Office: 777 Bay St., Collection 2800; 00 1 416 593 1290.

The essentials.

Flight time: Fly from London to Toronto in 7 hours. Currency: Canadian dollar. International dialling code: +1.

Local laws and etiquette.

- Canadians are notoriously courteous, conscientious as well as unstuffy, normally expecting the very same of others.

- Like elsewhere in North America, it is customary to tip 15-20 per cent for service in restaurants and bars. Ditto the cab driver, massage specialist, tourist guide and hairstylist. For hotel housekeeping team, budget plan CAD$ 3-$ 5 (₤ 1.80- ₤ 3) per day.

- The Toronto Transit System of trains, streetcars and buses-- while flawed-- is safe and also simple. The train trains stop at 1:30 am. Some streetcar and buses run overnight. Visit ttc.ca.

- Taxis abound and you can flag them down on the street or call one of the dozen business. Fares are approximately CAD$ 4 (₤ 2) per mile. Uber and Lyft vehicle drivers, while a lot more numerous as well as additionally less costly, are normally much less aware of the midtown streets, so cross your fingers.

- If you're driving yourself, know that you can make a right turn on a traffic signal and you can make a U-turn in the middle of the street, unless there are signs mentioning or else.

- Toronto is a two-kiss sort of location, however that is booked for people you know. A firm handshake is fine for brand-new associates.

- You can get cannabis legally. You have to smoke or vape it outside or in somebody's private residence. Check out ontario.ca/ cannabis for more details.

The post “ 48 hours in. . . Toronto, an insider guide to Canada's spirited first city “ was seen first on The Telegraph

Naturopathic Toronto Doctor - Dr. Amauri Caversan, ND

[americanroyalwatcher]

Why we love Kate, not Meghan

I’ve been seeing the “If you love her (Catherine) you don’t need to hate her (Meghan)” meme going around on IG. I had to clear things up for myself and anybody this resonates once and for all. Let me first start off by saying my feelings for Meghan Markle are not of hate. I find her and Catherine beautiful in their own respective ways. I only abhor Meghan’s behavior, actions, total disrespect for the Royal Family hierarchy, trying to curry favor with the public through her PR attempts, and blatant sense of entitlement.

We are only typing words online making it difficult to decipher a tone of voice. Since there is none to be heard or facial expressions detected, you can take it much more worse, dramatic, and catty than it really is. I try to write as clearly as I can to convey my meanings as fast I can churn it out for everyone to read. I do it so my opinions are not misunderstood to be of jealousy, hating, bullying, or racism. I feel I have to restate this as I’ve gained many new followers and likely new spies or just plain curious folks. It would be truly wonderful to meet everyone I interact with online, follower, spy, or passersby. That human interaction is missing from this very anti-social media platform.

So, let me say I am none of those four things above. In fact, I was quite enthusiastic initially with Meghan Markle’s debut into the royal scene. She of course is a far cry from the typical posh British blondes Harry dated. It was refreshing and new. She was a Californian, ethnic, and American just like me, who came from a disjointed family. She was a breath of fresh air as a new addition, but that quickly turned into mush when that engagement interview revealed her domineering, controlling, and insincere personality with the camera. I took her saying she didn’t know THAT MUCH about Price Harry, not that she didn’t know him or the royal family. This is often restated incorrectly. Her statement during the interview came off as if Prince Harry’s royal-ness wasn’t a big deal to her. That they’re equally on the same plane and their names hold the same weight as far as that statement went. That initial interview showed her ego on display and the Vanity Fair magazine she interviewed for as a tell all after it was revealed she was Harry’s girlfriend. Shortly before that, in November 2016, she had Harry write a foolish statement asking the public to leave her alone after she made a false report of someone breaking into her Toronto home. Then she goes on to do that Vanity Fair magazine. The hypocrisy. Harry could never turn back after that. It was more binding than a wedding if you ask me.

Even her ex-best friend Ninaka Priddy told DailyMail, “I know the Royal Family was something she found fascinating. She had one of Princess Diana’s books [Diana: Her True Story] on her bookshelf, and even when she was with Trevor she told me she wanted to go and stay in London for at least a month. I can’t remember exactly when this was, but she was married to Trevor and starring in Suits. She mentioned about wanting to go to London a couple of times. I wasn’t shocked or even surprised to hear about Prince Harry. I know she used to love The Princess Diaries — films about a commoner who becomes part of a Royal Family. She was very taken with that idea.”

Meghan would relish the thought of living a real life Princess Diaries scenario. Everyone in her family circle knew she was infatuated with the idea of being a modern day princess with power. She admired Princess She-Ra. In her defunct Tig blog she wrote, “I, for one, was all about She-Ra, Princess of Power. And grown women seem to retain this childhood fantasy. Just look at the pomp and circumstance surrounding the royal wedding and endless conversation about Princess Kate.”

That was a huge red flag to me. Her best friend knew her since she was 11 and they were inseparable like sisters, like family. So, I take her words seriously as to who Meghan really was. She stopped talking to her after three seasons of Suits. Fame got to her head. She left her then husband Trevor, who helped her get on the show. She was out for a more “empowering” position in life. She used who and what she could to get where she is today. She downplayed her knowledge and awareness of the royal family big time and it really came back to bite her.

Meghan had her sights set on expanding her name and fame somehow someway since Suits was wrapping up with her supporting role being axed soon. Unhappily, her marriage to Trevor Engelson ended abruptly by her (mailing her rings back my mail), after almost 10 years of supposed true happiness finding The One. According to her ex-best friend she knew since she was 11 years old. She left him for Corey Vitiello, a highly celebrated chef in Toronto after her career took off some with Suits. Corey was also cooking for Prince Harry when Meghan first met the royal. He runs a chicken restaurant chain called Flock. Roast chicken, anyone? Yes, Meghan has commented time and time again her specialty is roast chicken. She picked up this talent likely from living in common law marriage with Corey in Toronto. That’s also what she was cooking when Prince Harry proposed? Gosh, what a coincidence. The Sun said, “The pair split in May 2016 - with the Telegraph reporting that Meghan was still with Cory when she first met Harry. The prince was in Canada to promote the Invictus games in May 2016. The chef refused to comment on the rumours that the Prince was part of the reason their relationship ended.” Hmmm, also a suspicious coincidence.

I don’t knock her for watching out for herself and trying to put her name out there. It’s a dog-eat-dog world in the acting industry. She was only successful in Toronto with Suits. Hollywood was the ultimate goal and dream. Her father Thomas Markle was a successful Emmy winning lighting director for Married with Children. She basically grew up on set and likely salivated at the fame and attention she would get being one. As a narcissist, this would feed her ego majorly. She was never going to be more famous than an extra in those random comedies or low-budget made for TV movies. She was pushing nearly 40. That’s the career death age of actresses in North America, maybe everywhere. She wasn’t a Meryl Streep or Viola Davis. She had to think fast. She did. Man, did she hit the jackpot with Harry. Apparently, their relationship wasn’t even revealed to Harry’s family until 6 months into it. All that time, Thomas Markle kept his mouth shut about it. He was loyal to his favorite daughter and paid for her expensive upscale schooling her entire life, even some in college. She ghosted him for making a foolish mistake with the media when he didn’t recieve an invite to the wedding. This time period was key to her sinking her claws in to Prince Harry’s vulnerability, weaknesses, broken and damaged self. She does want to be another Diana, but all she is now is a mother-wife to Harry. As her ghosted former best friend said, she is very calculated.

Using others as a stepping stone or tool to get where you want is extremely cold-hearted, but that was her MO. There is a reason a trail of ghosted, dejected lovers, family and friends have come out of the woodwork since Harry said his family was the one she never had. HAH. Cry me a river. Samantha only came out when that was openly said. What a stupid, hurtful, foolish statement Harry. This was during the Christmas Service at Sandringham she attended when they were only engaged. That’s unheard of. Even Catherine Middleton, wife of the heir didn’t even get invited to any outings until they were officially married. I commend Prince William for his caution as he had much more to lose than Harry with his choice of a wife.

Prince William was extremely worried about the tabloids and press doing what they did to his beloved mother to Kate. They chased Kate around and staked out their cameras at her flat. They followed her to work. They shoved cameras in her face getting in and out of cars. She was very chill about it. Alarmed, but civil. It was chaos. She was a BIG DEAL. She was marrying the heir to the British monarchy. Prince William was a dreamboat. Many of us were very fascinated by who his choice was. When they married, there were years and years of ridicule with comments about her “Waity Katey” nickname. He made sure she has as much time living a normal private life before becoming a royal. She needed to withstand the public scrutiny as his on and off again girlfriend first. It wasn’t a matter of him getting coldfeet. He was protecting her. They were college friends first then fell in love over the course of 6 years or so. They had a solid foundation.

She even had a few incidents where her skirt flew up too high revealing too much as well as her chest. It’s all trivial superficial things, I know, but it matters as a royal. We do the same with Meghan. It’s the optics that need to be taken into consideration. I’m fine with critiquing dress style, as there’s a certain decorum needed in a royal family. She, Kate, needed to dress more prudently to avoid mishaps. There were several in her first few years. She has improved beautifully and has her style down to science. Kate had many of the criticisms Meghan shares as far as entering in the royal family goes being a commoner having to do with dress code and keeping her mannerisms appropriate at events. There are many comments on old articles saying how Kate was smiling way too much at this same event years ago. How her hair was too long. She needed to stop twirling it and have some respect for her role and the dignity of the event. It was the Remembrance Day Sunday event at Whitehall in 2013. The two years before that, she garnered the same scathing reactions from the public.

Kate has really come into her own despite the awful criticisms and judgement on her class. She has bore the years and years of cruel digs to her with great decorum and stride. She has NEVER COMPLAINED. She has come in to her own identity as a mother, wife, future queen consort, charity patron, and most importantly a genuine person with the public. I quote The Sun highlighting past labels calling her a "work-shy social climber, the lucky girl whose sole job in life was to sit around looking pretty until William proposed." That's all turned into something solid and magical.

She has an ease with others that makes them comfortable in her presence you don't expect from such a senior royal. She has bloomed. We love her for that and how she lets Prince William shine by supporting his role as heir through their duties and appearances together. She also shines equally if not more than Prince William. Her children are absolutely gorgeous and a delight. We have all come to adore her because she has earned it. Yes, with the public you have to earn our love.

With Meghan, it seemed as if they were marrying then having a baby at warp speed before Harry decided to change his mind without knowing her family and past. They weren’t allowing the public to let us see Meghan in a positive gradual light, but a social climbing one with all her past history written online for all to see; also through the testimony of friends, families, her attention-seeking Instagram posts, colleagues etc. She hadn’t proved herself worthy yet to the public like Kate. It was hitting the ground running to be her own brand and name through Harry’s family.

On a superficial level, Kate and Meghan are not fashionistas or supermodels. But they are always photographed with what brands they’re wearing for all to see. That’s the fun part of watching all royal women, their outfits and accessories. But with Meghan it goes PAST and BEYOND outfits and style. It’s an entire plethora of reasons. She’s a whole different “beast” as she likened her unfair treatment in that Africa interview. All that have nothing to do with her ethnicity. The criticisms we non-Markle fans share with her are as followed:

• ghosting those friends and family members she used to put a notch on her belt

• using Princess Diana’s name to beautify her tainted image

• using Harry and his weaknesses to crawl her way into the royal family

• portraying such an affected manner in which she speaks, interactions with others, and overall pretending to be royal instead of being herself

• wearing inappropriate revealing attire to events, not adhering to dress code

• being rude and demanding to royal staff and even film and restaurant workers before marrying Harry

• constantly stepping in front of Harry as if he was the non-royal at events, inserting herself in conversations and trying to be the center of attention, a know-it-all

• making herself out to be a self made millionaire when she was more like a thousand-aire after Suits owning no real estate, cars or possessions to note beside an expensive heel collection

• taking credit for things that she did not do entirely on her own but passing it off that she did

• upsetting Duchess of Cambridge who she should have allied with for assimilation

• planting her PR stories to try and break up the image and marriage that the Cambridges have naturally built

• constantly trying to one-up the Cambridges while they go about their duties, her seething envy is quite evident by trying to take the light away from their causes

• inconsistent stories of how she and Harry met, supposedly it's Misha Nonoo, but who knows

• implying she was pregnant, all but announcing it with that navy blue coat halfway open at Princess Eugenie's wedding

• overly flicking her coat open constantly and prancing around with her hand on her ever changing bump (whether real or not we will never know)

• embellishing her character by feeding us accolades of herself every chance she gets, especially on Sussex Royal

• rarely ever using the titles of more important senior royals, but overusing her HRH on herself

• having famous Hollywood friends constantly speak for her and how amazing she is, many whom she had NEVER met prior to marrying Harry, but invited to the wedding anyway; leaving out her own family members (especially her loving father who made a foolish mistake) on both sides who did nothing to warrant such cold-heartedness

• preaching about carbon footprints, only having two children, and saving the environment all the while jetting around in private jets around the world sparing no expense

• portraying this image of a humanitarian when she herself is seen constantly in astronomically priced bespoke, couture, and designer clothes and accessories that taxpayers find (well over a million now dollars as the 6th in line’s wide); paid or not by designers to advertise for them

According to The Star, “It’s a figure so staggering it’s worth revisiting. According to estimates — based on totalling up the approximated or stated retail values of everything she’s been seen wearing since November 2017 — the number is hovering around the $1.5 million mark. On her and Harry’s official visit to Ireland this spring, for instance, Markle wore over $52,000 worth of fashion in just two days.”

They also stated “The majority of Markle’s expenditure this year went toward her two wedding dresses: That Givenchy ceremony dress is thought to have cost around $330,000 and her Stella McCartney dress (or the capsule collection’s 46 replicas released after the wedding, at least) sold for $5,800. That’s a bargain compared to the $93,000 she spent on the Ralph & Russo frock she wore for some of her engagement shoot. Add in a $6,500 Oscar de la Renta dress to a wedding here, a $5,000 bespoke Carolina Herrera frock to a Trooping the Colour there, and well, you get to that million mark pretty quickly.”

• then there’s the vacant Forgmore Cottage that wasted taxpayers money if $3 million to renovate; apparently they don’t even live there as she’s in SoHo accommodations and he in his Nottingham Cottage

• playing media games with the facts and dates surrounding the birth of Archie and never allowing him to be photographed until it was on African soil for a docu-drama

• pleading for privacy over and over then showing up unannounced at events uninvited,

• filming a tone-deaf tactless documentary in Africa, revealing how she felt she's didn't have a fair shake in the royal family, the absolute nerve of she and Harry

• suing the press for racism and hate stories when she herself courts the press daily (she did pap walks in London right before it was announced she was Harry's girlfriend), when she has herself and Harry to thank for all the negative press as there's not one story pointing out criticism of her ethnic background

• lastly, there are the extreme fans called the “sugars” who go around defending MM every chance they get in a rageful manner like packs of rabid dogs if we comment on how we don’t like her style of dress or try to reason with a differing opinion to theirs on a certain news story

Have I missed anything? Likely so. I’m still new to this whole Markle debacle so excuse my errors and typos. The soap opera does go on and there are so many details and shady ways Meghan has portrayed herself past and present. From what I’ve seen, heard, and read from her own mouth and those who knew her well, “she’s a witch” as Candace Owens put it bluntly. I truly wanted to give the benefit of the doubt to her when she kept shooting herself in the foot.

She is NOT where Kate was when she married Prince William either. Kate was 29, unmarried and very close to her family with no previous marriages. Today, her family appear to be her rock solid support outside of Prince William. She assimilated well with the other royals who she now calls family. She listened to counsel, respected the centuries of tradition the monarchy had always followed. She won our hearts. Through and through, she can credit her great inner strength she possessed to overcome the constant ridicule to become the well loved future queen consort of Britain. That is no easy feat.

Meghan was 37 and many times divorced (one annulled with Joe Giuliano, an attorney she married after college), so maybe three if you count the common law marriage with Cory in Canada. Trevor was her first official one. So Harry may be her 4th! She had lived many lives before with connections to SoHo, being a yacht girl, then there are her ties to the wretches Jeffery Epstein, Hillary Clinton, Weinstein and their global agenda machine I would have to write a dissertation on to explain.

She appeared to have used her first official husband Trevor, a successful producer in his own right (she got a cameo in his film Remember Me with Robert Pattinson) to get her role on Suits as he’s done excellent for himself in the film industry as a producer. Meghan was somewhat popular in Toronto from the supporting role. She was being phased out soon after her relationship with Corey started as well. She needed a plan, along came Prince Harry one fine clucking night. Then, she set her sights on getting setup with him by Markus Anderson or Misha Nonoo; who knows with all these conflicting stories.

I said good for her at the start. At first it was incredible to see an ordinary girl from LA had married into such a high profile family, to a real titled Prince, no less! It was inspiring and fun to fantasize. Nevertheless, Meghan’s actions listed above, the various first-hand testimonies of people who were family and friends pre-Harry, her hellbent PR attempts to heighten her name, her lack of honesty, her contrived behavior pretending to be a coy ingenue, the scary desire to be Princess Diana by hunting Harry like a sport, and all the stories coming out about how she was searching for a famous British man to elevate her profile, and likely so much more to come, are why we are here with these accounts today.

Hate is such a blanket word overused nowadays in the media. But she has earned that word all on her own. We’re here to disprove and retort the stories churned out daily by her team Sunshine Sachs that continue to deceive the public. Everything is out there to see. Her character is out there to decipher online. You just have to stop reading the fluff and self-promotion and find her true nature pre-Harry to see her scheming social climbing insincere self-serving ways. So, please don’t make us out to be hating, racist, jealous, bullies because we don’t love her like we do Kate. Move past that because we’re tired of hearing it. There’s no other argument anymore for her sugars it seems. Excuse me for not buying Meghan’s pseudo feminism and humanitarian image. She is far from that of a humanitarian. Everything is written on the wall for her. She only has herself to thank for it.